THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART & P.S.1 … SELECT . . . WORK ARCHITECTURE COMPANY (New York) – as the winner of their – 9th ANNUAL YOUNG ARCHITECTS PROGRAM.
P.F.1 – PUBLIC FARM ONE – designed & presented by WORK ARCHITECTURE COMPANY – of New York – headed by founding partners AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD – was first unveiled in the P.S.1 COURTYARD – THURSDAY NIGHT – JUNE 19, 2008.
The winning landscape – which includes a working, albeit ‘floating’ farm – is open to the public starting today, JUNE 20, 2008. Situated in the outdoor courtyard – it will serve as an interactive environment for the 2008 Warm Up summer music series – a popular summertime gathering – at P.S.1, Long Island City, Queens. NYC.
“The purpose of the MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects program .. is to provide emerging young talent in architecture with the chance to prepare and present architectural solutions for a specific site. This year, five finalists … were asked to present an urban landscape for the large entrance courtyard of P.S.1, with the allotted project budget of $70,000. Essential to the design were elements of shade, water, seating and bar areas. ….
“P.F.1 (Public Farm One) is an urban farm concept that evokes the look of a flying carpet landing in the P.S.1 courtyard. Constructed from large cardboard tubes, its top surface will be a working farm, blooming with a variety of vegetables and plants. ….
“BARRY BERGDOLL (Philip Johnson Chief Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA) says, “Thirty years after REM KOOLHAAS published Delirious New York, the influential manifesto which celebrated the often unlikely and hybrid mixture of functions in the city’s huge buildings and dense districts, AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD of WORK Architecture Company bring us the improbable merger of a flying carpet and a farmer’s market, a cultivated and cultivatable piece of infrastructure that is a timely comment on issues from post-industrialization to sustainability. Here, the productive garden meets the art gallery, and the urban schoolyard acquires greenery.” ~ P.S.1 press release
as you approach – you can have no idea – that that tip of ‘industrial’ looking ‘no-color’ containers – supported by tubular columns – peeping out over the truly concrete gate – is actually – not !! another concrete element – in the P.S.1 courtyard – but the underpinning of a very young, green & growing garden.
as you enter the courtyard – you’re still not prepared – for what is to be.
oh oh – the fun begins. a red periscope !! and the industrial containers begin to signal their true mandate – home to potted plants. a multitude of carefully tended, diverse green foliage beginning to spill out above the courtyard. . a green thumb porch floating high overhead.
a view in the opposite direction. that’s what they mean by ..”magic carpet”.
a view of the containers from underneath. the back center one – is an empty “picking” hole – which the ‘hi-rise’ gardener climbs into from a ladder placed underneath – to be able to access and cultivate the ‘potted’ containers within reach.
magic carpet … meets very urban ‘citi’ bank hi-rise.
now there’s a farming sight – you don’t get to see every day – possibly only in New York & at this particular moment – a hi-rise garden – tended to by – a young WORK Architecture Company associate – resplendent in her – little black cocktail dress !!
she’s carrying a really sweet – hand woven – cane basket – to harvest some herbs … sure footed
and, carefree as can be – though she’s way high & the slope is no joke – 17 degrees !!
for sure she has left her party heels at home, and, traded in for some ballerina flats..
also enjoying the triumph & delights of the just finished project – ANDRES LEPIK, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA, with his wife, Cristina.
An exhibition of the designs of all 5 finalists, including, in addition to WORK Architecture Company – Matter Architecture Practice (New York), MONAD Architects – Eric Goldemberg + Veronica Zalcberg (Miami), su11 architecture + design (New York), and THEM/Lynch+Crembil (New York) – organized by Mr. Lepik – will be presented in MoMA’s Louise Reinhardt Smith Gallery from July 15 to October 20, 2008.
AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD – of WORK Architecture Company (New York) – the winning team of the Ninth Annual Young Architects Program/The Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1 – with their design, realized: PUBLIC FARM ONE.
BARRY BERGDOLL, Philip Johnson Chief Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MOMA/The Museum of Modern Art.
MICHAEL GRADY ROBERTSON, Agricultural Supervisor, aka a gardener – of the QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM – who consulted on the garden, seeding schedule, types of plants, etc.
check out: QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM
p.s. he told us – he never went up onto the suspended-in-the-air-garden – saying … “he’s a farmer and he likes .. his soil and plants on the ground.” . . . meaning he’s down-to-earth. I guess, as opposed to artists and architects !!
from left: DANIEL A. SESIL, Partner LERA – the consulting structural engineer for the project, with DAN WOOD/WORK Architecture Company.
from left: ANNA KENOFF and HAVILAND ARGO – the project managers/DESIGN TEAM LEADERS of PUBLIC FARM ONE for WORK Architecture Company (New York).
ART DOMANTAY – who was in charge of the actual construction of the project.
“The drip irrigation system is designed to deliver a controlled amount of water to each planter-tube. A series of drip tubes with adjustable emitters branch off of four main irrigation lines which are fed by a rainwater collecting cistern. The rainwater system should collect up to 6,000 gallons of water over the course of the summer. The irrigation system was designed in collaboration with Atlantic Irrigation and was installed by Lenny Librizzi and his team from the Council on the Environment of New York City. A solar-powered pump moves rainwater up through a column and then throughout the farm.”
IRRIGATION CONSULTANT: Atlantic Irrigation Specialties/MATT HART
IRRIGATION SYSTEM: Rain Bird/DAVE SHANE
well, so far – the farm/garden – seems to be doing pretty well..
what’s that ?
we’ve come across the wading pool.
we weren’t the only ones to appreciate its simple but refreshing design.
the periscope in action.
information about the farm & its workings – were presented in really nice graphics & formats
graphic design by PROJECT PROJECTS
. . . a ‘spare’ structural column, “just in case one fails” – in the courtyard annex
a highlite of the opening preview – DAN WOOD puts on a specially designed ‘picking’ skirt – so the ‘hi-rise’ farmers can harvest the crops, while they stand on ….. ladders !!
the PICKING SKIRT: “The P.S.1 farmers will wear picking skirts, designed by ELODIE BLANCHARD of ElasticCo., in order to harvest crops from the tubes. The garment can unfold and attach to the tubes during picking, and fold up again for carrying produce. The skirt has hooks and clips for gardening gloves and shovels.”/P.F.1
ladders – and reach up through empty containers aka ‘picking holes’ – which are scattered about the potted crop containers – for easy pickins’.
AMALE ANDRAOS and DAN WOOD of WORK Architecture Company (New York).
Both Amale Andraos and Dan Wood were at some point – OM (Operating Managers) – for REM KOOLHAAS – which is how they met.
and what’s a farm – without animals ?
at some point, the farm started feeling like Beijing? so strange, to go from nondescript beige industrial containers, to state-of-the-art hi-rise irrigation to chickens to Chinese tourist ambience. and all, so lightheartedly.
ALANNA HEISS, founder and Director, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, a MoMA Affiliate.
P.S.1 was founded in 1971 by ALANNA HEISS as The Institute of Art and Urban Resources Inc., and was originally primarily dedicated to the transformation of abandoned and underutilized buildings in New York City into exhibition, performance, and studio spaces for artists. P.S.1 today is a center for innovative contemporary art with an international range.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. JUNE 19, 2008
check out: WORKac
AMALE ANDRAOS & DAN WOOD/WORK Architecture Company/website !!
check out: publicfarm1.org
a site devoted to Public Farm One – with lots of pix of its evolution !!
& credits for the contributors of all kinds .. specialized tech support, gardening systems & consultation, artistic/design support, etc.
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
~PUBLIC FARM ONE/P.S.1 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 20th, 2008, 3:47pm
MOCA FOCUS: ‘STERLING RUBY – SUPERMAX 2008’ – opens today.
the show runs JUNE 19 – AUGUST 19, 2008
MOCA PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER, THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES
“MOCA Focus: Sterling Ruby, SUPERMAX 2008 is the eighth installment of MOCA’S series of one-person exhibitions of work by emerging artists in Southern California. Presented at MOCA Pacific Design Center, the exhibition will feature new works in an installment specifically designed for the space. Sterling Ruby’s works in collage, ceramics, video, and sculpture tackle received notions of aesthetic tropes and social stereotypes that are based on visual signs. Often monumental in scale, Ruby’s works immerse the viewer in sets of formal codes and gestures that refer to transience, transgression, and transference – phenomena that are social and psychological, physical and emotional. Born in Bittburg, Germany, in 1972, Ruby received BFAs from the Pennsylvania School of Art and Design in 1998 and from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2002. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2003, Ruby received an MFA from Art Center College of Design in 2005, and his work has been featured in numerous exhibitions internationally. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by MOCA Curator Philipp Kaiser.” ~MOCA press release
STERLING RUBY, ‘Big Grid/DACSKKKK’, 2008, Formica, 36 x 84 x 84 ins.
collection of Norman and Norah Stone, San Francisco, courtesy Thea Westreich Art Advisory Services. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer/IMAGE COURTESY: MOCA
STERLING RUBY, ‘SP21’, 2008, spray paint on canvas, 100 x 144 ins.
courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, NYC.
Photo: Robert Wedemeyer/IMAGE COURTESY: MOCA
STERLING RUBY, ‘The Bride’, 2008, PVC pipe, formica, urethane, spray paint and wood,
192 x 72 x 48 ins. courtesy of the artist and Galleria Emi Fontana, Milan, Italy.
Photo: Robert Wedemeyer/IMAGE COURTESY: MOCA
. . . buzz on 27th street says . . . STERLING keeps a small army of assistants – working around the clock – to keep all his dealers, something like 5 now, and counting !! – happy. FOXY PRODUCTION was the first gallery to show his work in NYC – first showcasing STERLING RUBY’S work in a one man show, Winter of 2004 (JAN 22-FEB 28, 2004).
Michael Gillespie met Sterling Ruby in Chicago – at one of the art fairs. Chicago was very hot – at that time – for new art, as in brand !! new – right on the cutting edge – art.
FOXY PRODUCTION also gave Sterling a one man show in the Spring of 2005 (APRIL 14-JUNE 4, 2005), and, of course more recently – FOXY PRODUCTION presented STERLING RUBY – ‘SUPEROVERPASS’ – last year – that exhibit running APRIL 27 – MAY 26, 2007. artlovers was at the opening.
STERLING RUBY opens ‘SUPEROVERPASS’ at FOXY PRODUCTION, NYC, APRIL 27, 2007
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: more pix from the STERLING RUBY/’SUPEROVERPASS’ opening at FOXY PRODUCTION.
see: more info/STERLING RUBY/’SUPEROVERPASS’
note: the card for the show – it’s a close-up detail – of the kind of cryptic lettering – that is scratched into the formica sculpture pieces. seemingly at random, and just found here and there – that is, sparsely. but all of the formica pieces so far, anyway – are marked in this way.
FOXY PRODUCTION also showed a large STERLING RUBY Formica piece in the recent ARMORY ART FAIR 2008.
STERLING RUBY, ‘Headless Dick’, Formica, screws, wood, glue – at the FOXY PRODUCTION booth, ARMORY ART FAIR/SHOW (..whatever)
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH
see: more pix/FOXY PRODUCTION/ARMORY
where – there’s also a couple of pix of the large STERLING RUBY sculpture, ‘Big Grid’ – that the MARC FOXX Gallery out of Los Angeles, presented in their booth. you can make out the incised markings pretty well, on the right hand side of this piece – in the photos.
check out: STERLING RUBY/artist page/on FOXY PRODUCTION
MOCA/The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
~STERLING RUBY/MOCA L.A. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 19th, 2008, 1:03pm
CRISTINA TORO/IMAGE COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY
CRISTINA TORO/installation shot/IMAGE COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY
. . . one of Hanna’s favorite shows, (and artlovers’ too !!) was the two-part show Little Cakes Little Gallery presented 2 winters ago: FEB 2 – MARCH 18, 2007 – ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’ – paintings by CRISTINA TORO. unfortunately, artlovers’ coverage of the show, fell thru the cracks, as, at that time – artlovers was dealing with its own gentrification/eviction issues – from it’s Lower East Side home of more than 10 yrs . . .
so, as a gesture of thank you towards Hanna Fushihara Aron – for her vision & contribution to the art scene – which, we are sure will continue – just in another context & locale – here’s a special look back.
the image from the card/a large painting by CRISTINA TORO/IMAGE COURTESY: LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY
CRISTINA TORO – a show of some large & some small – highly detailed acrylic paintings.
‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’
a two-part show – that ran: FEB 2-FEB 18, 2007/MARCH 2-18, 2007
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY – 625 EAST 6TH ST. #1B – EAST VILLAGE – NYC
some background:
“CRISTINA TORO – was born during the summer of 1983 on the small island of Puerto Rico. As a child she explored the island’s rain forests and El Morro castle with her father. She learned letters, numbers, and the names of animals by climbing inside heavily collaged cardboard boxes filled with images carefully chosen by her mother… She had many pets including countless canaries, a gray miniature schnauzer, and a small orchid whose flowers looked like tigers. At the age of ten Cristina and her family moved to the swampy and strange land of Florida where she resided until a year ago when she moved to the frozen north of New York state in order to invent new ways of living and making art. She enjoys growing vegetables in her garden during warmer months and singing to herself while playing hypnotic music on her autoharp.
“The paintings in ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’ were created during the first year Cristina lived in the temperate Northeast. Having lived her whole life in tropical climates, she adjusted to her new surroundings by retreating into her new home, not unlike a sea creature retreating inside its shell, in order to make her secretive, personal paintings. She found comfort in surrounding herself with remnants of her childhood like the delicate vellum cards embossed and painted by her mother, her small collection of embroidered baby blankets and handkerchiefs, and old books on botany and science. At this time, Cristina also rediscovered her works of art made as a child and began to relate deeply to how she had rendered people, trees and flowers. Much of this can be seen in the stylized simplicity she uses to paint some of the characters in her paintings that verge on standing alone as symbols and the way Cristina deliberately chooses to defy conventional perspective. This can be seen clearly in her larger works which at first trick many into believing that she is using collage to obtain the flattened effect of layered patterns when in fact she paints all of this by hand. Other influences that can be readily recognized are from the miniature paintings of India, Persia, and Turkey, the Unicorn Tapestries, and Chinese landscape paintings.” ~Little Cakes press release
. . . if I remember correctly, Hanna told me she met Cristina Toro – when Cristina sent her some submissions, examples of her artwork, unsolicted, via the Internet, and, Hanna loved them – at first sight !!
CRISTINA TORO. behind her – a view of her show: ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’, Part II – at Little Cakes Little Gallery, East Village, NYC, March 2-18, 2007
CRISTINA TORO, small acrylic painting, on canvas.
CRISTINA TORO.
installation shot, CRISTINA TORO.
CRISTINA TORO.
CRISTINA TORO.
CRISTINA TORO with her work.
Cristina brought along her pal, & fellow painter, ULYSSES JACKSON – he’s in the tiny back office – just behind the viewing/exhibition space at Little Cakes, which is in a ground floor storefront/apt on 6th St. in the East Village.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, MARCH 23, 2007
the above pix – were from Part II – of the exhibit – here are, some pix from Part I:
CRISTINA TORO, small painting, acrylic on canvas stretcher.
CRISTINA TORO – large acrylic painting on canvas stretcher.
detail, top left hand corner. CRISTINA TORO.
detail, CRISTINA TORO.
detail, CRISTINA TORO.
CRISTINA TORO, large, finely detailed, acrylic painting on canvas.
(yes, it’s the painting for the show’s card – above.)
CRISTINA TORO, detail left hand edge.
CRISTINA TORO, detail bottom edge.
CRISTINA TORO, detail.
CRISTINA TORO, detail.
(particularly love this section – as it appears to reproduce a ‘dot’ pattern printed on plastic – as in a shower curtain, or maybe the shiny plastic ’tissue’ paper – fresh flowers – often come wrapped in !!)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. CRISTINA TORO, Part 1, ‘The More She Saw – The Less She Spoke’ – Little Cakes Little Gallery, East Village, NYC. FEB 2, 2007
more info: CRISTINA TORO/at Little Cakes
~a look back/CRISTINA TORO |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 13th, 2008, 12:46pm
‘EVERYONE NEEDS A HOME’ – street art on the fence surrounding a new hi-rise hi-cost residential construction site – on the site of the former – BOYS & GIRLS CLUB – opposite the HAMILTON FISH POOL – on the Lower East Side.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH, JUNE 6, 2008
. . . leaving the Little Cakes opening – for EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE – last week – we chanced upon this artistic/cultural/political/income/class inequity tensions & whatever else is going down around here, in NYC, esp on the Lower East Side and the East Village – that says it all – straight up !! & … from the street – !!
soon enough NYC is going to be just a Disneyland version of itself – with all the real art sucked right out of it – an ugly inner city of the very very rich and the very very poor. just like everybody always said – if you ever read a book or went to the movies.
case in point: HANNA FUSHIHARA ARON and Little Cakes – her visionary outpost – have lost their lease – to the real estate greed wars. well, we are the ones who are sad – cause the NYC art scene & therefore pretty much the global art scene – will definitely be in for a big big loss – because even though Little Cakes was small small small – it was big big big in content, vision & cutting edge presentation. Hanna Fushihara Aron and David Aron – on the other hand – seem (somewhat) relieved to get out from under – what was already – a pretty weighty rental overhead, already a pretty big nut to crack – even before the current crunch – esp. for a small venue that specialized in bringing brand new young artists to New York City. In fact – a whole new world seems to be opening up for them – which might just signal a new sign of the times, esp for the creative free spirits among us – the return to the land & just saying NO – to the city – I’m sure it does. They have found a whole house & plenty of acreage of land upstate for a fraction, like 1/3 !! of what they pay for their tiny storefront now – and its being sold out from under them anyways – which means its impossible to hold onto – even if they wanted too – and, they are hoping to get into farming and gardening – real time. Hanna says she wants to specialize in locally grown, organic Japanese vegetables.
we’re really happy for Hanna and David and wish them well. hopefully – we can catch up with them – same time next year – and see what they are up to. I’m sure it will be an amazing journey for them. but it doesn’t say too much for the art scene here – and, it’s our loss.
so, now you know what’s so ‘really’ special about the current Little Cakes Little Gallery show – besides the fact – that it is !! so really special all on its own !! – and why you should go by and check it out – cause if you blink – you’ll have missed out – big time.
the card for: ‘Bed & Breakfast’/image: ‘Soil Release’, detail, 6 x 6 ins, acrylic & gouache on paper. collaboration FAN & MONROE/image courtesy: the artists & Little Cakes Little Gallery
‘BED and BREAKFAST’ – new works by EVAH FAN and BRENDAN MONROE
inspired by home gardening
JUNE 6 – 29th, 2008
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY – 625 East 6th St. #1B – East Village – NYC
gallery hours: Fri – Sun 1-6pm/or by appointment (1-646-342-1056)
Little Cakes Little Gallery
~last show at Little Cakes, in NYC, for now. |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 13th, 2008, 11:10am
tomato plant, detail, ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’, EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE/PHOTO COURTESY:LITTLE CAKES
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY presents:
‘Bed and Breakfast’ – a show inspired by home gardening –
NEW WORKS BY: EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE !!
there will be a special reception for the artists – who have just come in from Berkeley, California – where they live and work – to install the show – at the Little Cakes Little Gallery – today – !! – FRIDAY JUNE 6, 2008, from 1-7 PM.
otherwise the show runs: JUNE 6 – JUNE 29, 2008
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY – 625 EAST 6TH ST#1B – bet AVE B & C – EAST VILLAGE
GALLERY HOURS: FRI thru SUN: 1-6PM & By APPOINTMENT
if you are unfamiliar with their work – you can check out a nice article & STUDIO VISIT – posted on FECAL FACE – out of SAN FRANCISCO – by TRIPPE – last year – OCT 9, 2007.
check it out: here !!
from the Little Cakes press release:
“This show has been brewing for a few years now and we are very happy to have it come to fruition, just as all the farmers markets and community gardens are starting to hit their stride here in New York. We are alos proud to be collaborating with Brendan and Evah on such a hot topic which is incredibly close to our own hearts, gardening and growing your own food.
In this show, Evah Fan and Brendan Monroe get inspiration from the primary meaning of gardening to their own individual definitions of it being nurturing and having a sense of responsibility. To them, and to many of us who have learned to enjoy getting dirt under our finger nails, gardening is very ‘do-it-yourself’ in the same way punk rock is/was to us; making your own zines, putting out your own music, making your own food ! In this show, they have chosen to use their artwork to enrich the ‘soil’ of our lives.
The show’s installation will include paintings, sculptural works, and collaborative pieces. Brendan will focus on the micro worlds within the botanic landscape. He takes reference from science and interprets his fascination with it to create something that draws our attention to the multitude of possibilities that are happening just below the focus of our eyes. Evah will portray gardening with her quirky point of view. She is interested in creating simple narratives with small doses of ambiguity and naive humor.”
here are some images from the show – sent along by HANNA FUSHIHARA ARON, the Little Cakes Little Gallery founding Director. all 3 images below/courtesy: the artists & Little Cakes Little Gallery.
collaboration EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE, ‘Soil Release’ , 6 x 6 ins., acrylic & gouache on paper
‘Pollination’, BRENDAN MONROE, 11 x 15.75 ins.
detail, ‘Night Watch’, EVAH FAN, 5 x 7 ins.
P.S. – all I can say, is – this is a very special event – for more than one reason – & one reason – being that – usually, because the space is so small – Hanna doesn’t have openings !! so, if you are strolling about in the beautiful sunshine – you should definitely make a point to stop by – don’t cry to me – when you learn – what a truly special – event you have missed – NYC – doesn’t often toss ’em up so intimate – and – so inspired.
some pix from the opening afternoon reception:
BRENDAN MONROE does the larger landscape pieces.
EVAH FAN does the tinier figurative pieces. you catch the tiny collaborative piece – ‘Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee’, 2.25 x 6 x 3 ins. just above her head.
Evah made the tiny figure, Brendan made the leaf.
detail, EVAH FAN, ‘Field Study 1’.
BRENDAN MONROE, ‘Pollination’, 11 x 11.5 ins.
Brendan works with acrylic paint on paper.
detail, BRENDAN MONROE, ‘Pollination’.
‘Soil Artifacts’, 6 x 6 ins. collaboration. Evah paints the small figures, Brendan does the ‘background’ – plant & soil/scapes.
detail, ‘Soil Artifacts’, collaboration – EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE
a view of the installation, ‘Bed and Breakfast’ by EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE, inside Little Cakes Little Gallery – in the left hand corner – the collaborative floor sculpture – ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’. the garden soil & plants, (the large ones, and the small seedlings just sprouting !!), are made from aluminum wire, and dirt by BRENDAN MONROE. The tiny figures are made from Sculpey by EVAH FAN. . . . and in fact, the first photo at the top of this post – the tomato plant – is actually – a close-up detail from this (small) floor sculpture !!
‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Pyle’ – collaborative sculpture by EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE.
detail, ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’
figures by EVAH FAN, (fake) stem and (real) dirt by BRENDAN MONROE, ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’ !!
guess, that’s the cook. figure by EVAH FAN.
guess, that’s the thief !! figure by EVAH FAN.
seedlings by BRENDAN MONROE, in ‘The Cook, the Thief and the Pompost Kyle’.
Evah is wearing an interesting shirt – that’s the Golden Gate Bridge on it !!
DAVID ARON wears a silkscreen t-shirt by SHAWN REED.
TOOYA & LEIF RITCHEY drop by.
PETE VOGL of Bow Ribbons
HARRISON OWEN, founding Director of FINGERED GALLERY in Bushwick.
they have an opening to-nite (SAT JUNE 7, 2008) at 7pm. – works by AMOR MUNOZ from Mexico City
see: FINGERED GALLERY/255 McKIBBIN ST. #207/BROOLYN
he is wearing an interesting hand silk screened cap – ‘VILLAGE FOOT’
DJ JAIKO SUZUKI, of the band ELECTROPUTAS – shows up.
visiting from Berkeley California, EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE inside Little Cakes Little Gallery, in the East Village – on a sunny NYC afternoon.
. . . bye the way, Hanna is wearing a handmade limited edition dress by BARBARA SCHAUWECKER of BOBBI CLOTHES.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
LITTLE CAKES LITTLE GALLERY
~EVAH FAN & BRENDAN MONROE/LITTLE CAKES/opens to-day !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 6th, 2008, 10:57am
. . . looks ONDI TIMONER is really getting together some kind of – finished footage – on JOSH HARRIS & crew. She’s changed the name from originally QUIET to THE BUBBLE and, now to – WE LIVE In PUBLIC – that’s, better. it’s officially called a “documentary-in-progress”.
JOSH HARRIS/COURTESY: ONDI TIMONER/TRAILER/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC
watch the early trailer: vimeo/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC
. . . hey, does anybody know: does bike kill rhyme with road kill ?
speaking of road kill – OMG – JOSH HARRIS is finally getting famous. credited with being the father of blogs vs. vlogs. no less !! don’t thank me – thank TOMORROW MUSEUM – with a little help from RADAR which recently posted Ondi Timoner’s early trailer for, guess what !! – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC !!! ….good job RADAR. MAD MAX is alive and well, 2nd generation NYC. but even ALANNA HESS says QUIET was the baddest party of them all. a cross between the DARK FAIR & THE BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB – but throw in a firing range, some edge-city art & lots of ugly sex, lies & videotape !! not to mention Josh’s dot.com dollars !!
not joking.
bye the way – Josh is in Ethiopia right now. where you can live like a king on $800/month.
. . . if you can listen to BAND Of HORSES – Cease to Begin – at the same time – as watching the vimeo clip – then you pretty much can know – how I feel about seeing the long threatened chronicle has actually taken shape – and supposedly – is going be hitting the big screens any time soon. omg watch that sh*t fly !!. Hope it doesn’t get past the art houses. bet it won’t. must be how Cindy Sherman felt about Paul H-O. when Guest of Sherman actually landed in one piece and on the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL screen, courtesy of SUNDANCE !!
and about BAND of HORSES – that’s gotta be Animal Collective or at least Rusty Santos, DEACON ? on one of those tracks ?
~JOSH HARRIS/ONDI TIMONER/WE LIVE IN PUBLIC |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 6th, 2008, 10:05am
“BIKES ROCK !! ”
Founding Director BRENDT BARBUR’S 8th annual BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 08
was a huge success !!
. . . the festival now moves onto 17 other cities !!
TORONTO is up next: JUNE 18-21, 2008
followed by MINNEAPOLIS: JULY 9-12, 2008
to check if YOUR city is on the list . . .
see: BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 2008 !!
. . . more on the actual film program & some pix from the PROGRAM 7 – SAT MAY 31, 2008 – screening – posting this weekend.
~BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 08 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | June 4th, 2008, 12:15pm
as part of the BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 2008
PARTNER & SPADE PRESENTS:
‘Dear Velo’ – a group show curated by KATHARINE BARTHELM & BRENDT BARBUR – featuring over 14 artists
the show runs MAY 29 – JUNE 2, 2008 (12-7PM)
40 GREAT JONES STREET near THE BOWERY – LOWER EAST SIDE
for more info, see: Dear Velo
BIKE BY MAX KNIGHT – ‘Dear Velo’ poster image/courtesy: BFF 2008
A LOT OF – PIX !! – FROM THE ‘DEAR VELO’ OPENING – THURS, MAY 29, 2008
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
BRENDT BARBUR, Founding Director, BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
see: BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
. . . in the the right place, at the right time.
from left: artist/musician GERMAN, from Argentina, BUENOS AIRES to be exact; photographer MATTIAS WESTFALK from SWEDEN; BRENDT BARBUR, the Bicycle Film Festival’s Founding Director; and, SATOSHI ICHIYANAGI, Producer, and the TOKYO SECRETARIAT for the BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL in Japan !! the BFF hits TOKYO – SEPT 5-7, 2008
German just arrived in NYC, yesterday, and MATTIAS WESTFALK & SATOSHI ICHIYANAGI just arrived today, Thursday, MAY 29, 2008.
from left, LOUISE INGALLS STURGES, one of the 3 woman artists in the show, (she did the tiny tricycle, see below), and with her, KATHARINE BARTHELME, a co-curator, with BRENDT BARBUR, of ‘Dear Velo’.
KATHARINE BARTHELME with BENEDICT RADCLIFFE. London-based design artist, BENEDICT RADCLIFFE has 3 amazing custom built bikes in the show.
KATHARINE BARTHELME has a sweet tattoo tucked under her bangles !!
currently Santa Cruz based artist, filmmaker & photographer PATRICK TREFZ has a film clip & a ‘rake’ bike – in the show. and, at the right – MAX KNIGHT – whose sneaker-wheeled bike is literally – the ‘poster child’ for the show !!
– shows us his ‘grill’ !!
bike artist – MAX KNIGHT
JOHN-TAKI THEODORACOPULOS – contributed the beautiful bronze bike to the show.
ASSSIA BAUDI di SELVE, a journalist/writer, from Rome.
MAX NIGHT’S ‘sneaker’ bike in the storefront window. love the color he chose for the bike frame.
detail, MAX KNIGHT ‘sneaker’ bike – yo, are those calf-length black socks, is that a political statement ? . . . though, guess they’d have to be ‘dress-style’ calf length black socks – ? – ya gotta be a New Yorker for this one.
JOHN-TAKI THEODORACOPULOS, New York, ‘Bronze Bike’, 2008, sprayed bronze and metal.
London-based BENEDICT RADCLIFFE with his multi-color, ‘Stay Safe’, 2007, bike. metal and spray paint.
BENEDICT RADCLIFFE, London, ‘Still the One’, 2005, metal, circular saw and paint. this bike hung from the wall, just under the ceiling – so that you could unwittingly, and many did, stand underneath the lethal looking back wheel !! while many others watched and hoped it was attached securely.
detail, BENEDICT RADCLIFFE, London. ‘Still the One’.
a better view of how it hung from the wall, just below the ceiling, BENEDICT RADCLIFFE, London. ‘Still the One’.
BENEDICT RADCLIFFE, ‘Still the One’ – an inspired mounting.
that’s PAUL RACHMAN, on the left, under the circular saw back wheel – with with LIT’S ERIK FOSS.
yo, bring on the Docs !!!
PAUL RACHMAN made the cult classic – ‘AMERICAN HARDCORE’ – a 2006 SUNDANCE official/entry film that chronicles, in stark black & white, with images that match the music – ‘The History of American Punk Rock 1980-86’. Directed by Paul Rachman/Written by Steven Blush.
check it out !! AMERICAN HARDCORE/trailer
ERIK FOSS has a small collage & paint on canvas piece in the ‘JOYRIDE’ back room of the ‘Dear Velo’ show. (either Erik’s hired a P.R. firm or LIT is really hot !! – it got mentioned twice this weekend, once in PAGE SIX Magazine, in the same sentence as MISCHA BARTON, & once on PAGE SIX, itself – way to go – E-R-I-K !!) LIT was also the scene of the afterparty for the ‘Dear Velo’ show – with ERIK himself, & PAUL SEVIGNY doing the DJ honors.
BENEDICT RADCLIFFE’S ‘Long Bike’, 2007, his 3rd bike in the show, and a big fave – with the audience.
art world prince & documentary photographer, IVORY SERRA also made the opening.
a selection of documentary photos in the back room – ‘JOYRIDE’
black & white photo from the collection of BRENDT BARBUR
local talent – FELIPE !! Felipe Robayo – aka the King of New York – was featured in a film that played on Saturday – ‘KING OF SKITCH’. Directed by DANIEL LEEB.
also in the ‘JOYRIDE’ – a new piece by ERIK FOSS, paint and collage on canvas.
detail of the bottom edge, ERIK FOSS in the ‘Dear Velo’ – ‘JOYRIDE’.
detail of the collage, ERIK FOSS in the ‘JOYRIDE’.
CHOMBO, checking out the backroom’s ‘JOYRIDE’. CHOMBO has a short stop animation film, ‘THE TOOLBOX – SPARE PARTS RACE’ in the Festival.
but, back to the main event – the bikes !! this is the small tricycle by LOUISE INGALLS STRURGES, one of 3 women bike artists – in the show !! it’s called ‘Retricycled (for Marcel)’, 2008. Found bike, toy bike and synthetic moss.
AMY FRANCESCHINI, San Francisco. ‘Victory Gardens Bike Barrow’, 2007.
BRAD BAKER, ZACH BLACKBURN & AL ZUGER, New York. ‘The Best Little BBQ Bike this side of Mason Dixon’, 2008.
foreground, ‘The Best Little BBQ’ bike, and on the back wall – GRACE YUNG TING TENG, from Dallas – ‘Untitled’ , 2008 – a cardboard, paper and metal bike.
GRACE YUNG TING TENG, Dallas. ‘Untitled’, 2008 – cardboard, paper, metal.
BEN WILSON, London. ‘Swarovski Lowrider Bike’, 2007. Bike parts, rubber and Swarovski Crystals.
≈
detail, BEN WILSON, London. ‘Swarovski Lowrider Bike’, 2007.
PATRICK TREFZ, Santa Cruz. ‘Rake Bike’, 2007.
Bike, rake & accompanying film.
MADSAKI, Tokyo. ‘Untitled’, 2008. bike parts, plastic and paint.
we catch a glimpse of a tall bike !!
yes, its a ‘BMX Tall Bike’, 2007 made by the BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, New York. the guys from Black Label told us: Tall bikes actually go way back to the late 1800’s when they were used to light city gas lamps – the rider bearing a torch.
detail, BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, New York, ‘BMX Tall Bike’.
“PIRANHA”, detail. BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, ‘BMX Tall Bike’.
BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, New York. ‘Wood Bike’, 2007.
wood and rubber.
another tall bike – this one by the ZENGA BROS. out of Toronto. ‘Tall Horse’, 2008 – with photographs on the wall by BRIAN VERNOR.
detail, ZENGA BROS. – ‘Tall Horse’, 2008.
detail, seat. ZENGA BROS. – ‘Tall Horse’, 2008.
PHIL FROST, New York. ‘Untitled’, 2007. Bike parts, wood and paint.
detail. PHIL FROST.
and last, but not least, though maybe … least – a ‘celebrity’ bike contributed by TOM SACHS. TOM SACHS, New York, ‘Waffle Bike’, 2008 – it looked like he told his studio assistants – throw me up – a custom bike – like I would make – If I actually made one. It was there for the opening, but then quickly disappeared, …said the gallery assistant – “his gallery wanted it back – it’s like worth a half a million dollars”.
TOM SACHS, New York. ‘Waffle Bike’, 2008.
detail, TOM SACHS, ‘Waffle Bike’, 2008. – the best part was the book at the handlebars & the page it was opened to..
detail, TOM SACHS, ‘Waffle Bike’, 2008. – “151 – Having a talent is not enough: one also requires your permission for it – right, my friends?” & “152 – ‘Where the tree of knowledge stands, there is always Paradise’: thus speak the oldest and the youngest serpents.”
from Canada & The Winking Circle – BENNY ZENGA
from left: GREG of BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, New York, BENNY ZENGA of the WINKING CIRCLE, (out of Toronto, or at least Southern Ontario?) & West Coast photographer, BRIAN VERNOR.
GREG of BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB & MAX KNIGHT
IAN – a tall bike rider with BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, New York.
JPL, BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB
. . . “Black Label Bike Club is an international freak/mutant bicycle organization specialing in tall bikes and choppers. Started in 1992 by JACOB HOULE and PER HANSON, as Hard Times Bike Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the club has grown to include a chapter in New York, Reno, Nevada, Austin, Texas & Stockholm, Sweden, and a nomad chapter loosely based out of New Orleans known as Nowhere. The Black Label Bike Club is credited with being the first “outlaw bicycle club”, the originators of tall bike jousting, and one of the main contributors to the rise of the tall bike culture.” – WIKIPEDIA
& watch, it. again – BLACK LABEL – Bike Kill, BROOKLYN,NY 2004
BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB, New York
TAARNA GRIMSLEY, (at least, that’s what she said – her last name was !!) out of Bed Stuy. one of only 2 girl Tall Bike riders – in NYC !! their club is called Cutthroats and it is 6 yrs. old.
TAARNA with her tall bike.
a better view of her custom built, gold bike, with some vintage Raleigh frame parts.
TAARNA GRIMSLEY, Cutthroats Bicycle Club, Brooklyn, New York.
once they get on their bikes, they just scramble up the frame really really fast – & – they really take off !! – it’s impossible to catch them – they go very very fast. that’s TAARNA, in the distance already, down the center lane – you can catch them riding around, in Williamsburg & sometimes, like tonight – they even hit the big island. Manhattan.
the distinctive upper window lights of ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES, on 2ND AVE – home to the annual BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL, founded by BRENDT BARBUR, and now in its 8th year !!
the bikes lining up outside LIT. pretty close by, also on 2ND AVE, for the afterparty.
ALL PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. NEW YORK CITY. MAY 29, 2008
BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
~BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL/Dear Velo/opening pix |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 31st, 2008, 12:50pm
BIKE BY MAX KNIGHT/IMAGE COURTESY: BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 2008
BRENDT BARBUR, the Founding Director of the BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL – & – friends have ALREADY !! posted a whole bunch of great pix from the awesome ‘Dear Velo’ opening. PHOTOS by: JENA CUMBO – check them out !!
in association with the 8TH ANNUAL BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL 2008 ….
PARTNERS & SPADE presents: ‘Dear Velo’ ….
a group show curated by KATHARINE BARTHELME and BRENDT BARBUR
the showed opened last nite, THURS MAY 29, 2008 & the afterparty was at
LIT/93 2ND AVE – with DJ’S PAUL SEVIGNY & ERIK FOSS.
the show runs: MAY 29 – JUNE 2, 2008 – 12-7pm
40 GREAT JONES STREET – just off the BOWERY – Lower East Side
see: ‘Dear Velo’
the show features many superbly crafted custom bikes & … a ‘JOYRIDE IN THE BACK’ – a small, but interestingly diverse, knocked-down selection of documentary bike photos – in the back room, and which also includes a couple of bike related artworks – notably a small paint and collage canvas by LIT’S ERIK FOSS.
you can find the complete list of the 14 show contributors on the: ‘Dear Velo’/page – which also interestingly hotlinks each artist, by name, to their individual websites/web presences – which are all definitely worth checking out.
some interesting examples:
1.
above image/check out: PATRICK TREFZ !!
2.
above image/check out: MADSAKI !!
3.
above image/check out: BEN WILSON DESIGN CO. U.K.
4.
above image/check out: BRADLEY BAKER/ZACH BLACKBURN/AL ZUGER/TRAKSTAR 231 ELDRIDGE, NYC. NY !!
and 5. (our personal fave !!)
above images/check out: BENNY ZENGA & THE WINKING CIRCLE !!
. . . and then, there’s BLACK LABEL !!
BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB – in – true downhome NYC rebel/country contrarian-death metal-to-the-wall-death-match – one-up-manship, is the only contributor/artist/collective that doesn’t have a hotlink to their name – on the ‘Dear Velo’ artist list – !! – but, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a web presence – O contraire !!
check out these sites – or – never !! ever !!hit artlovers, again. get off the site. stay off. be gone !!
check out: BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB & TALL BIKES/on WIKIPEDIA !!
check out: BLACK LABEL NEW YORK
image/BLACK LABEL/BIKE KILL/YouTube
image/BLACK LABEL/BIKE KILL/YouTube
image/BLACK LABEL/BIKE KILL/YouTube
and so !!, you gotta check out: BLACK LABEL/BIKE KILL on YouTube !!
. . the hard core bikers of BLACK LABEL – having FUN !!!
the clip is: ‘Bike Kill 2004’ – documenting the Annual Bike Event held by the BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB – this one shot in BROOKLYN, NY by RACHEL MEYRICK, for more info: see: randrpictures.com
make sure to click on the right hand tree – that’s her !!
.. hey, does anybody know: does bike kill rhyme with road kill ?
speaking of road kill – OMG – JOSH HARRIS is finally getting famous. credited with being the father of blogs vs. vlogs. no less. don’t thank me – thanK TOMORROW MUSEUM – with a little help from RADAR which recently posted Ondi Timoner’s early trailer for, guess what !! – I LIVE IN PUBLIC !!! ….good job RADAR. MAD MAX is alive and well, 2nd generation NYC. but even ALANNA HESS says QUIET was the baddest party of them all. a cross between the DARK FAIR & THE BLACK LABEL BIKE CLUB – but throw in a firing range & some ugly sex, lies & videotape !!
not joking. here’s the ONDI TMONER TRAILER – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/courtesy RADAR – on vimeo !! – check it out !!
and if you can listen to BAND Of HORSES – Cease to Begin – at the same time – then you pretty much know can know – how I feel about seeing the long threatened chronicle has actually taken shape – and is going be hitting the big screens any time soon. omg watch that sh*t fly !!. Hope it doesn’t get past the art houses. bet it won’t. must be how Cindy Sherman felt about Paul H-O. when Guest of Sherman actually landed in one piece and on the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL screen, courtesy of SUNDANCE !! having a nice summer ? just asking.
and about BAND of HORSES – that’s gotta be Animal Collective or at least Rusty Santos, DEACON ? on one of those tracks?
~BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL/Dear Velo |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 30th, 2008, 2:42pm
WES LANG/IMAGE COURTESY: ZieherSmith
‘WES LANG: Are You Ready For The Country?’ – OPENS THURS MAY 22/6-8PM
the show runs MAY 22 – JUNE 21, 2008
ZieherSmith – 533 W25TH ST – CHELSEA – NY
ZieherSmith
~WES LANG/opens to-nite/THURS MAY 22 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | May 22nd, 2008, 2:37pm
