NIKKI McCLURE so, gets it right !!
if you are lucky enough to be in SAN FRANCISCO, the perfect antidote to that idiot art fair in MIAMI would be to check out an exhibit of new works by NIKKI McCLURE !!
NIKKI McCLURE – ‘REVIVE’
NOV 6 – DEC 8, 2009
NEEDLES & PENS – 3253 16th Street – SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
HRS: open every day/12-7PM
. . . ” Revive. Embrace. Sew patches onto patches. Extend. Insure. Rely on stones and Mothers. Tell time by crow flight. Always learn and grow. Please. Make enough to spare. Seal summer away. Invite winter. Eat out. Make sauerkraut. Expand your use of tools.” – Nikki McCLURE
created from a single sheet of paper and an x-acto blade, McClure’s highly-detailed works were first popularized through their use on record covers and fanzines of the 1990’2 Riot Grl movement. Today, her iconic, intricately hand-crafted imagery can be seen in magazine illustrations, journals, children’s books, apparel, and in her much sought-after yearly calendar – press release
~NIKKI McCLURE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 5th, 2009, 12:58pm
if you are in MIAMI, you might want to check out – the MEGAN WHITMARSH – contribution to the TODD OLDHAM PROJECT that is a-gathering a-lot of attention. and the rest of the 3 person show – !!
see: ART BASEL/WOLFSONIAN-FIU/NEW VOICES NEW WORKS
MIAMI BEACH, FL. – THE WOLFSONIAN-FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY announces NEW VOICES NEW WORKS – a series of site-specific pieces inspired by The Wolfsonian’s collection and curated by designer TODD OLDHAM. The participating artists are: MEGAN WHITMARSH, WAYNE WHITE and BROCK SHORNO.
the exhibit runs DEC 1 – DEC 6, 2009
THE WOLFSONIAN-FIU – 101 WASHINGTON AVE – MIAMI BEACH
you can check out Megan’s new website: here !!
~MEGAN WHITMARSH/TODD OLDHAM/MIAMI |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 5th, 2009, 11:37am
BRENDAN CASS – ‘UUISIKAUPUNKI’ !!
here’s a big shout-out to hometown fav – BRENDAN CASS – who’s got a rockin’ show up – at LARS BOHMAN GALLERY – in STOCKHOLM !!
the show runs: NOV 14 – DEC 13, 2009
LARS BOHMAN GALLERY – KARLAVAGEN 16
the gallery has just posted a video tour, with BRENDAN CASS leading the way – through the exhibit – for those of us, who can’t make it to Stockholm !!
yeah, of course, you wanna watch it: here !!
his new paintings look – great – as ever !!
in fact – I really like them !! esp. these three !!
ALL IMAGES COURTESY: LARS BOHMAN GALLERY
~BRENDAN CASS/LARS BOHMAN |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 3rd, 2009, 1:06pm
adding to the talent – drama !! on the LOWER EAST SIDE, tomorrow:
the area’s newest & truly – underground – gallery – RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE presents its second show:
‘PSYCHIC NEIGHBOR’ – the work of BEC BRITTAIN & JOE BRITTAIN !!
with an opening reception – this SUNDAY – NOV 22 / 6-10 PM !!
the show definitely opens SUN NOV 22, 2009 – and runs through Jan 17, 2010.
RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE– 221 EAST BROADWAY
note: the gallery entrance is just around the corner – from the deli – on CLINTON ST. !!
yeah – that weirdo minimalist – big black box stairway entry-way, duh !!
gallery hrs: THURS-SUN 12 noon – 6PM
RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE director – MIKE EGAN tells us:
BEC BRITTAIN & JOE BRITTAIN, are “two artists with very different work who happen to be married”.
BEC’s work, sculpture and photography – “are the results of her radical process of re-engineering complex natural systems in irreverent and striking ways. Her bug sculptures, combining parts of insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and more, are perfect feats of physical precision that re-imagine the genetic evolution of these small creatures. The finished pieces, dubbed ‘monsters’ by Brittain, are beautiful and delicate mash-ups of the intricate architecture of evolution. A graduate of NYU and the Architectural Association in London, Bec Brittain’s approach to sculpture combines elements of architectural model making, the preciousness of contemporary creative design, and her own obsessions with the overlapping realms of philosophy, pseudoscience, and science fiction. Her newest sculptures, shown alongside her bugs, are experiments designed to grow crystals on the surface of rope (!!). Inspired by discoveries made during her search for the right presentation method for her ‘monsters’ – Brittain has created 2 structures that are at the same time – models for crystal farming – and radical sculptures reminiscent of JEAN TINGUELY and DAVID ALTMEJD.”
“JOE BRITTAIN’S sculptures, drawings, and wheat pastings appear loose, ambivalent, and even arbitrary upon first glance, but are in fact tight articulation of secret alchemical (!!) combinations of materials, formulas and processes.
Brittain’s compositions reference geodes, mountains, minimalism, mine shafts, color field theory, FRANZ KLINE, faux finishing, MARK ROTHKO, architectural obsolescence, aggregation, and much more – fusing disparate ideas together into highly complex art objects that speak about the future and past of the built environment (!!).Formal distinctions in Brittain’s work between architectonic shapes, biological structures, and geographic topology (!!) are blurred and become slippery modes of psychic transformation, changing scale and definition with every intimately constructed detail.”
“Brittain’s work creates an uneasy ambiguity with charismatic presence and wit.”
Joe Brittain has a degree in art history from the University at Buffalo and recently returned from a residency at the Vermont Studio Center.
Mike Egan also tells us, in response to questions about the show’s title – the artists’ state: “Psychotic Neighbor is open to poetic interpretation but contains a hint of paranoia, an ‘Other’ that is potentially listening to your thoughts, a world of minds separated by walls but still in communication.”
RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE considers – ‘PSYCHIC NEIGHBOR’ – as two independent solo shows – representing both BEC and JOE BRITTAIN’S fist solo show(s) in New York City.
RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE – is an amazing space – carved and stripped out of a local Lower East Side basement – it is: design on a budget – that takes top marks. An underground space – dedicated to (no pun intended !!) – showing truly underground art and music – if they can keep up the momentum & content of their first 2 shows – L.E.S./Lower East Side – capital A is for ART galleries – carved out of skinny storefronts – look out !!
. . . of course, we are not referring to LaVIOLA BANK !! their brand new space – is most def not a skinny made-over schmata-shop storefront on Orchard St – !! – in fact you could say they were the first proper-sized gallery on the Lower East Side. LaVIOLA BANK first !! took up the eastward, frontier turf drive for better, cheaper space – in the depths of East Broadway !! that is east of Essex !!
if RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE – situated even more radically eastward – nigh deep into the corner of ungentrified and local ‘hood’ territory – i.e. Clinton St – is the ‘black box’ – of gallery expansion eastward – then LaVIOLA BANK – was the ‘clear glass’ forerunner – breaking ground eastwards and looking towards larger, squarer, more professionally – attuned exhibition space.
~RAMIKEN CRUCIBLE/PSYCHOTIC NEIGHBOR !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 21st, 2009, 2:19pm
STO – of CINDERS – is in the – BRODY CONDON – ‘CASE’ – NEW MUSEUM PERFORMANCE !!
BRODY CONDON presents: ‘CASE’ !!
SUNDAY – NOV 22, 2009 – runs from 12 – 6 PM !!
NEW MUSEUM – LOWER EAST SIDE
This event has been commissioned and presented by RHIZOME and PERFORMA 09.
yes !! check out: BRODY CONDON !!
A performance & installation based on the famous ‘classic’ cyberpunk novel – ‘NEUROMANCER’ – by WILLIAM GIBSON !! This 1984 novel – the most famous early cyberpunk fiction outing – tells: “the story of a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer to work on the ultimate hack!!” The event will be a ‘deadpan’ reading of the novel by mostly non-professional actors in a casual, dress rehearsal-like atmosphere !! BRODY CONDON tells us the performance “combining the 1980s dystopian techno-fetishism of William Gibson
with early 2oth C abstraction faux ‘virtual reality’ – scenes will unfold via moving Bauhaus-inspired sculptural props – accompanied by a Gamelan ensemble !! – Dharma Swara” !!
OMFG – check out: Dharma Swara on YouTUBE !!
This premiere NYC performance of ‘Case’ – will feature some very very interesting cast members. who ?
Political activist (and notorious hell-raiser/mid-west-based) RAY ‘BAD RAD’ RADTKE – who will star as the main character – HENRY DORSETT CASE – a drug addict and computer hacker hired “to execute an impossible cyber-crime”.
STO – of CINDERS – a Brooklyn-based gallerist/artist/small press founder/musician/performance artist/& much more we are sure !! – much respected locally in NYC – in all his facets !! – will play LUPUS YONDERBOY – leader of the techno-anarchust gang – the PANTHER MODERNS !!
and, SASHA GREY – the young (21 !!) alternative porn actress & techno, wait that’s: ‘industrial music’ – musician !! …
will be: the street samurai MOLLY !!
yes !! check out: SASHA GREY !! on wikkki !!
talk about a cast – line-up !!
The script has been prepared by the writer BRANDON STOSUY, yes !! check out: THE BELIEVER/BRANDON STOSUY !!
The sound design is by: PETER SEGERSTROM – and, yes !!
check out: FLATFILE !! – aka – the “digital igloo” of PETER SEGERSTROM.
and last but not least, the graphic props are by: BREANNE TRAMMELL !!
and, check out: AGAIN – BREANNE TRAMMELL – and color her – in !!
watch out !! – with this much (radical) talent concentrated in one place – the island might just – tip over !!
note, look out MISSOURI !!
BRODY CONDON also tells us, his – ‘CASE’ – will be performed at “a small outdoor community theater in rural Missouri – Summer 2010” !!
PIX FROM THE NEW MUSEUM PERFORMANCE – SUNDAY NOV 22, 2009 !!
. . . we had to get into the New Museum under an assumed identity – cause artlovers has been blacklisted by the museum’s press office !! (I wonder why ??!!) so it was kind of fitting to run into IAN, a founding member of NYC’s BLACK LABEL TALL BIKE CLUB and a dynamic presence on the city’s (truly) underground art scene !! he has a part in the production.
STO – had just finished his part !! he played Lupus Yonderboy, leader of the techno-anarchist gang – the Panther oderns.
JEE – JEE YOUNG SIM – she played the street Ninja – Hideo !!
KELIE BOWMAN, with sculptor RYAN DOYLE – was there to lend her support to the production.
BRODY CONDON – PHOTO BY: KRISTIANNA SMITH COURTESY/BRODY CONDON.
His project: ‘Case’ – “is the deadpan reading of the classic cyberpunk novel Neuromancer by William Gibson in a rehearsal-like atmosphere.”
This NYC performance was the premiere presentation.
BRODY CONDON’S body of work “explores concerns about the over-identification with fantasy in contemporary culture, frequently incorporating modified computer games and role-playing subcultures to create performance and video installation. Past exhibitions include the 2004 Whitney Biennial, Pace Wildenstein Gallery, Mattress Factory, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam”.
the performance had resumed – and the lights went slightly colored, and theatrical !!
this ANDREW CLAY McGRAW Ph.d., Assistant Professor, Music / Ethnomusicology at the University of Richmond, VIRGINIA.
He is the leader of the Gamelan Ensemble – DHARMA SWARA !!
I guess it was too much to expect the GAMELAN to show up in formal costumes (as in the YouTube clip above), though think that would have made a huge visual contrast – the play, or performance really – actually a reading – being so casual, and presented so, well: like it is – punk dudes lost in cyberspace !!
it was still fascinating to watch the scenes unfold – through the alert eyes – of the first – frontier !!
the Gamelan musicians !!
the simple scenery props contrasted in a counter-intuitive but, subtle dynamic way – with the ornate Gamelan.
in fact subtle, low key – was the under-riding vibe.
there was always this underlying strange tension – between the now – simple and straightforward – and the futuristic forces – of creativity. I guess you could say the Gamelan also presented a framework – a connection to the past – where tribalism meets globalism – going into the future.
there’s no way to post a photo of it – but there was this strange eerie soundtrack going on, too – throughout out the whole performance – except when the Gamelan chimed in, like tin thunder – and overrode it.
at first I thought it was just the ‘White Noise’ of the Museum !!?? but then – I’m like – does the Museum really have those kind of mechanical gears working down here, even though the performance space – was below ground level ?
it was this kind of Mad Max futuristic track – you know – old obsolete mechanical gears – of several generations back – in the future – working deep in the forgotten city – pit.
it was extremely cool – and effective. I guess that would be accolades to PETER SEGERSTROM – the musical director !!
waiting for things to start up. watching the reading – being staged – was like watching a play within a play – and seemed very appropriate – for the story-line. it also brought the viewer into the: present. that is, cyberspace circa 1980 !!
LIONEL – read the part of ARMITAGE.
SASHA GREY comes onstage – with RAY ‘BAD RAY’ RADDTKE, “political activist and notorious hell-raiser” – in real time – who played the main character – Henry Dorsett Case – “a drug addict and computer hacker hired to execute an impossible cyber crime.”
BRODY CONDON, in the gray shirt – instructs the cast – as the event – plays out.
SASHA GREY was a transfixing stage presence.
She played Molly.
an overview – this was Part 3. Midnight in the Rue Jules Verne.
MELISSA BAXTER – from Missouri. She read the part of Maelcum.
yes, we caught – IAN – in his stage time.
BRODY CONDON presents: ‘CASE’ – a reading of WILLIAM GIBSON’S – ‘Neuromancer’ – at the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Sunday, Nov 22, 2009. NYC.
Script by BRANDON STOSUY.
Sound Design by PETER SEGERSTROM.
Casting by RAY RADTKE, BRANDON STOSUY.
LIVE MUSIC: GAMELAN DHARMA SWARA – directed by ANDREW CLAY McGRAW.
when, the DHrama Swara Gamelan took intermissions – it was a 6 hr performance !! – it brought to mind – how much this novel, and Brody’s staging – was so raw – and low down beautiful, in the street – tough – cool – low profile. but edge-city !!
fascinating – for what it said, and what lay between the lines, and – in the empty spaces.
of the here, now. past & past future !!
I guess you could say – the ornate golden ancient gongs, percussion chimes and drums – and the tiny plastic blue stools – the musicians sat on – kind of summed it up: ancient Asian tribalism meets Chinese mass production – in a tale of
global cyberspace – gone Mad Max. and, the underground artist activists – who read the roles – underground ‘futurists’ – in their own real time lives – pretty much. of that, there is no – doubt.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH – unless otherwise noted.
~BRODY CONDON/’CASE’ !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 21st, 2009, 12:58pm
MIN KIM – ‘NEW WORK’
opened Thurs Nov 12/6-8PM
the show runs Nov 12 – Dec 19, 2009
BILL BRADY~ATM – 542 West 24th St – CHELSEA !!
Bill’s new location !!
OLAF BREUNING – ‘SMALL BRAIN BIG STOMACH’
opened Thurs Oct 29/6-8PM
the show runs Oct 29 – Dec 5, 2009
METRO PICTURES – 519 West 24th St – CHELSEA
sometimes there is a funny art world dialog – that meets in the air – and sets up a song !!
this dialog meets in the street – 24th St !!
and its super fun to note – how the OLAF BREUNING card catches the essence of a counterpoint meeting head-on !!
its super fun to note how the MIN KIM card – with its super distilled yet multi-layered smokily graphic and mysterious, super fem & seriously shaded image – contrasts so diametrically – as in: head on – !! – with the super graphic distilled single line, completely unmysterious – yet talking volumes – super male – cartoon line – of the BREUNING image !!
Min Kim’s in shades of gray – Olaf in pure black !!
polar opposites that sing together – and, well !! – in a nutshell. and they are right across the street from each other.
so you can do the dance – for yourself – in real time !!
BIL BRADY~ATM & METRO PICTURES – making visual music in Chelsea – just in time for the holiday season !!
the new BILL BRADY~ATM space on 24th St – bet 10th & 11th AVE.
in the window – MIN KIM – new works on paper – some of her brand new – self portraits.
they are actually shallow cardboard reliefs.
each one is very different – and pushes the envelope. both lyrically & visually.
Min Kim’s work is always super edgey and super real. as in: super real original !!
Min Kim – oh me oh my – as a blonde !!
Min KIM – the trick is always – in the eyes !!
MIN KIM and BILL BRADY – at the opening.
OLAF BREUNING !! installation shot.
no mystery about this. single black line drawing on the wall – 100% in your face – MALE !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~BILL BRADY meet 24th St/MIN KIM meet OLAF BREUNING !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 18th, 2009, 10:11am
check out: JOSH HARRIS being interviewed By ADAM BOULTON on LONDON’S SKY T. V. !!
part of the big UK crush on WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – Josh was interviewed this past weekend by ADAM BOULTON on LONDON’S SKY NETWORK. Josh has been interviewed so many times now, he really has his sound bites down, and it is an exceptionally articulate take. Despite all the troupes through major media face time – and on a wide international scale – since WE LIVE IN PUBLIC won at SUNDANCE way back in JAN 2009 – Josh seems visibly excited in this clip – and seems to consider this particular gig – a major coup. though Mr. Boutlon had to tell him to take his signature cigar out his mouth – basically to stop twirling it in his mouth !! – or they would be bumped, exact words:”no smoking. not allowed to do that -they’ll take away our license.” For WE LIVE IN PUBLIC insiders there were some telling moments. Josh insisting he made his money just !! to finance he and his fellow artists’ antics. and his accompanying insistence that he was not so much a web geek as an bonafide artist himself . . which actually rings true when all the dust settles. but one self-description that everybody knows is not true blue, that: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – GF – now ex-girlfriend TANYA – was a “fake” girlfriend – and he was a “fake” boyfriend. well, no doubt he had trouble about being a boyfriend, even a friend – as all who came into his wild, but totally genius creative orbit – would testify too – but it was not a “fake” relationship to those who witnessed it up front. esp. love the claim that he set it up – 5 years prior to “casting” her in the role. !! Josh didn’t know what he was doing day-to-day – except he knew he was catching the vibe on a big big scale and in a big big way . . and really the single most crucial & valuable part of his for-real genius, many times over – was his ability to catch a person, a spark, a gesture, in a word – TALENT !! – the moment it skimmed by his orb and, put it on “payroll”.
but, back to the “fake” GF – maybe he considered Tonya fake – because the whole relationship feel apart – under the 24/7 surveillance, no joke: when the initial honeymoon chemistry had waned and she could no longer help him through his relationship dead-ends & emotional cluelessness – join the rest of the world, Josh !! – and finally the nail hit the coffin – when he started to lose his mojo along with all his dough.
the dough ? big money ? that- is – the one fact that is real – heads up Vladimir – and pals – JOSH HARRIS was self-made. he came to New York City with a second-hand car that he sold for $700, and started up JUPITER COMMUNICATIONS – the very first internet/web trend tracking site – which he flipped, IPO’d – within a quick a year or so for $80 million big ones !!
and, yes I can tell you first-hand, that he did lavish millions of bucks – on his parties – and the hard-core talent that produced and fueled them. to Josh an artist was the most amazing thing you could unearth and unleash – on the planet – and, therefore the best and most entertaining thing you could with your money was to finance the art. in a big big way. and have great, great even interactive – parties afterwards – or, really all the time !! the party was always on – for the everchanging entourage of favorites and the insider talent & production crews. yes, that’s crews in plural. how to express this – in a few words to get across – in these current 2009 mightily down-scaled days – when free-flowing champagne for 800 – is considered a coup ? put it this way – at the height of his operations in 1999 – he had a multi-story ‘office’ headquarters building, at the corner of Houston and Broadway, that was home to Pseudo and it’s many teams of cutting-edge internet geeks and programmers, as in net programmers and party broadcast live-action & digital animation programmers !! he had his personal 2,000 sq. ft+ live-in loft at the corner of Broadway and Spring – which you see as the multi-camera WE LIVE IN PUBLIC personal web 24/7 interactive web cast – that focused on him and his “fake” girlfriend. and then he had 2 huge (vintage) warehouse buildings down on Lower Broadway, around Leonard and Duane Sts – that were his personal art studio and art HQ – which became the breeding grounds for QUIET – that 1,000+ artist live-in (no exaggeration) work and play – residence for artistic celebration of the 2000 Millennium – played out – as if the end of the world had surely come. (and, yes it’s true it did even attract FEMA scrutiny – they thought it was a Millennium Suicide cult !! how do I know – I was singled-out, for some reason – and questioned first-hand by a suit !! LOL. I told him to relax and smoke some funny cigs – it was all just another day in the life of a dot.com financed artist in NYC ca 1999 !!) what was best about Josh – he only wanted the most hardcore ungallerified artists around – you know someone who could build guns and bombs – like Alfredo Martinez; someone who could throw up Japanese pod hotels, for a 100+ resident artists within 2 weeks – that would be JEFF GOMPERTZ, someone who could take the cutting-edge footage and work a winner – that would be ONDI TOMONER, and someone who could read the future – and that would be me (aka NANCY SMITH !!). I could also tell the past (quilts). and I was invaluable to Josh – for seconding his call – on the edge. put it this way – even in this very one factor – I earned my weight in gold. I was the one who told Josh, way back in 2000 – when I was finally let back into the inner ‘cabal’ – when the decade long tech party had begun to crash – as in global dot.com market meltdown – when there was only so much funds left – that he designate and give as a priority enough dough (I think it was $100,000) to Ondi Timoner – to make sure she had the motivation and means – to safely maintain and archive for future unspecified use all the digital 24/7 surveillance of QUIET – our big and raw downtown NYC – open to the public – 24/7 – 2 week long live-in hardcore millennium blow-up party – that dominates her – eventual SUNDANCE winner – her 2009 documentary – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC . . I told Josh, and I was a single voice among many dissenters – the scrappy and wild footage was good enough to find its way to Sundance & maybe even to win !! big time. yeah I called it, ask Josh – way back in 2000. to his credit Josh – did act on my advice. and voila – the rest is history !! though he was very very skeptical at the time. . People gave him a hard time about his ‘art’ ambitions, and in that woefully short-sighted early 2000 way – could only perceive or understand him, really pigeonhole him, as a tech geek.
that is why in all the interviews that followed the Sundance success – and, even in this one – he seeks above all else to highlight and self-define his role as first – an artist, and second, the puppet master. as opposed to an internet visionary or guru. I don’t know why it is so hard for people to perceive a digital, exhibit, and performance visual artist – who simply had enough dough to create a whole free-wheeling hard-partying multi-crewed multi-studioed creative universe without walls as less of an artist – than any ‘business-man’ artist who creates industrial strength multi-employee art around their more conventional, as in painting, sculpture, shark tank – visions – such as OLAFUR ELLIASON, DAMIEN HIRST or even JEFF KOONS, except that Josh had so many things happening, and so many crews going full speed at the same time – that were so radical and spoke to the future so directly – 100% juice – that it took a documentary overview – of a decades worth of footage – to maybe help put this in perspective. put it this way. name one other person who would fight for the right to be hailed as an ‘artist’ – !! – rather than an internet guru – !! – on prime time t.v ? there ya go – Josh Harris in a nutshell.
speaking of same – that’s what’s so friggin’ cool about the god damn motherland of all modern culture – the hard-core BRITS !! and, why all us WE LIVE IN PUBLIC vets are jumpin up and down !! a whole island of acute – people – who in their ancient genetic make-up – get it !! period. maybe they could take the leap from their experience with Damien Hirst’s shark and cow-infested tanks and other media besotted ventures. no matter. how cool that – that ancient northern rock – is rocking out to the mostly unheralded at home – underground New York City downtown art scene circa 1999 – 2000. or to put it another way – just before the towers fell. (World Trade Center) WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – is not only Josh’s great ‘I told you so moment’ – it is our – the underground downtown – art scene – as bad a bunch of hardcore hardscrabble up-from-the-streets – way too smart and way to bad – for the gallery system – and it just took a decade. and its just beginning to roll out.
let me clarify – its not that WE LIVE IN PUBLIC didn’t have a huge success in the US of A – !! – come on guys – it won Sundance. it has raved its way, critically, and gathering huge fan bases all along the way, too – across the USA and all over the world – and here we are – a good 11 months later – after its big Sundance win – witness the BRIT INVASION – !! – what I am referring to – is the is dumbed-down art world proper and in NYC !!
put it this way – THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE – which chronicles mainstream VOGUE and ANNA WINTOUR – and – WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – which chronicled one man, Josh, his web visionary stance and the merry band of downtown rebel artists who carried them out – are both documentaries that were generated out of New York City – but WE LIVE IN PUBLIC beat out THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE at SUNDANCE – despite the later having had bigger, as in highly financed press machine – and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC continues to tour – in an ever escalating arc – in commercial runs, such as those now on in Seattle, USA and the whole of the London and the UK. However back here at home, touchdown NYC – despite rave reviews – when WE LIVE IN PUBLIC debuted at the MOMA ND/NF FESTIVAL back in April w 2009 and with a big spread in the NY TIMES when it surfaced for a commercial run this August/September 2009 Labor dDay weekend, at the IFC Center – THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE – has enjoyed a much larger commercial run. duh ? what does that say about NYC – I shudder to guess.
maybe its the same thing – called for lack of a better phrase – a peculiarly local – and disturbingly low – ceiling in smarts – that essentially – keeps the underground alive and well, and well: broke & underground, but always, rockin & kickin’ – in NYC ? its a conundrum – someone else can figure out. I’m too heat-fixated on that top 1% to give a fuck. let alone waste any more time on trying to decipher why the city that is the center of the universe – lets such short-minded & uninspired quote unquote ‘tastemakers’ – run its radar. but there ya go. NYC in a nutshell.
p.s. when they talk about WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – being a ‘cautionary’ tale – that has nothing to do with the Big Brother aspects of the web, nor the wild chaotic party-on till the NYPD shuts you down – antics of its rebel artists. it simply refers to Ondi’s awe that Josh managed to lose all his money, all 80 million $$ – in such a short span.
p.p.s. that great custom silk screened jacket that Josh is so proudly wearing – was made by MARK ENGER of EXPLODING SKY WORLDWIDE, a NYC/NJ-based silk screen shop. Mark Enger also made the in-house crew uniforms that you see the QUIET artist crew members scurrying around in, in Ondi’s film. orange work pants and gray work shirts.
MARK ENGER is also the hugely dysfunctional, as in totally drunk and reeling – cowboy red neck artist crew member – who got hassled, just for fun, by Josh and the QUIET security – when he tried to return to the site after a serious binge !!
His shop’s logo – EXPLODING SKY – just got put on the ART LOVERS ‘AD’ PLATFORM, check it out !!
see: ART LOVERS PHOTOS !!
and yeah, he is the real deal.
so, long story, short: we’ll give the man, my former boss – and my best paying, most fun – art gig – ever !!
the one & only JOSH HARRIS the final word:
watch: JOSH HARRIS – on – SKY NETWORK – BUSINESS NEWS (!!) – in AUSTRALIA !!
love that explosive musical lead-in – they do their business – right – in AUSTRALIA !!
watch: JOSH HARRIS INTERVIEWED on SKY TV – AUSTRALIA !!
this was the chick that interviewed him in Australia, for SKY TV AUSTRALIA – BUSINESS NEWS !!
Josh must have liked that – you can see him just pouring on the famous – HARRIS ‘animal’ charm !!
bet he was wishing – he could claim her – as a ‘fake’ GF !!
note: both YouTubeclips – had slightly over 300+ views – when first posted to artlovers !!
~JOSH HARRIS/SKY TV/LONDON & AUSTRALIA !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 17th, 2009, 10:45am
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – THE JOSH HARRIS STORY – A FILM BY ONDI TIMONER – HITS LONDON !!
“Riveting… A compelling cautionary tale” – New York Times
“remarkable… Mesmerizing!” – LA Weekly
“This is a remarkable film about a strange and prophetic man.[4 stars]” – Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times
“A fascinating tale of dot-com boom, bust and bizareness” Wired magazine.
and, yes, I – NANCY SMITH had a life before artlovers !! – I have some screen time – in the movie. even in the trailer. this is my crew !! ok. I’m the one, in the green & yellow puffy jacket – who got into a big huge fight !! – and was kicked out – duh !! though I get to have a last word ‘cameo’ towards the end of the film, as well. I’m the one in the black hoodie who says Josh has set out to sea !! I also participated in a major way in the behind-the-scenes production – of the original dot.com art parties !!!!
how ? as a founding & participating artist; as an in-house production crew member; as an archivist; and, at times – as a personal right-hand assistant to Josh Harris. I was the group’s art world liaison; and I did the early p.r. !! duh !!
and, p.s. yes, we beat out – THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE – at SUNDANCE !!
DIRECTOR ONDI TIMONER writes:
. . . after incredible runs in New York, LA, Austin, Boston, San Fran and Chicago, we are bringing our 2009 Sundance Grand Jury Award-winning doc to both SEATTLE, WASHINGTON and all over the UK for theatrical runs beginning Friday November 13th !! We will be at the VARSITY THEATRE in SEATTLE.
Thank you Seattle for showing us a warm welcome with great advance press, The Stranger writes, “More than any of Harris’s individual internet art experiments, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC showcases the grand and sometimes psychotic ideas behind his controversial projects, and Timoner’s film is the work of art for which Josh Harris will be remembered. . If you like good documentaries, go see it.”
The Seattle Post Globe raves, “Timoner is one of our great documentarians because she devotes herself so completely to her subjects. She spent ten years filming Harris, and the most valuable footage comes form his early career, when he was a leading prophet(eer) of the World Wide Web.”
We will also be on 3 Seattle-area radio stations this Sunday (today!!/Nov 15): K2OK 102.5FM at 6am, KJAQ 96.5FM at 7am, and KPTK AM 1090 at 11am. can’t wait, or not in Seattle: check it out here !!
Our London UK theatrical opening is at the ODEON PANTON STREET and the star of our film , JOSH HARRIS, was present in the flesh for the Q+A sessions which took place on Fri the 13th and Sat the 14th !!
We are opening in the following UK cities this week:
London
Manchester
Aberdeen
Bath
Cambridge
Edinburgh
Exeter
Liverpool
Norwich
Oxford
Southampton
York
Belfast
Newbury
We are fresh off of a great run at the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival, where we had live Q+As, jammed houses and a really fun afterparty. check out some pix, here !!
The British love keeps coming, including a feature on Josh Harris in the Guardian !!
In fact we’ve had a plethora of amazing press lately, including four stars in UK-based Empire and Total Film. And The Times writes: “Timoner specializes in portraits of charismatic, dynamic and dangerously deluded characters… A cautionary tale for our Orwellian, Facebook-addled, Twitter addicted confessional surveillance age.”
check out what others have to say on our behalf in our latest press roundup !!
Kudos also came recently in the form of two Cinema Eye Honors nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Editing and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score. High Fives all around !!
We have been adding lots of web exclusives on a regular basis — great deleted clips, bits, bobs and extras that hit the cutting room floor. (oh oh .. ) You can access this area of the site through the WEB EXCLUSIVES link on our widget. Get your WE LIVE IN PUBLIC fix and keep checking back regularly because we post new material all the time.
Get the widget here: http://www.WELIVEINPUBLICTHEMOVIE.COM/ !!
Keep up with Ondi and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC on Twitter at Twitter.com/onditimoner and become a fan of our film on Facebook.
ROCK !!
thanks for the up-date, Ondi !!
check out: JAN ALBERT’S take – on WE LIVE ON PUBLIC for artlovers !!
and, yeah !! that’s me, and my son, Theo – way back in Dec 1999 – in the ‘QUIET’ pod hotel – in the film’s MoMA poster !!
NANCY SMITH & son, Theo. at QUIET, NYC. Dec 1999 – Jan 2000.
aka THE PSEUDO MILLENNIUM PARTY !!
JOSH HARRIS. at QUIET, NYC. Dec 1999 – Jan 2000.
yes, this man was my boss. back in the day. so back off, all !!
~WE LIVE IN PUBLIC/HITS SEATTLE/USA & LONDON/UK !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 15th, 2009, 12:06pm
just to keep things, real. if not equal . . . last 2 days to catch PERU ANA ANA PERU in BROOKLYN .
…AND THEN WE JUMPED INTO THE ABYSS OF NUMBERS:
Memories in Absurdity From the Bowels of Peru Ana Ana Peru
up thru SAT NOV 14, 2009.
BROOKLYNITE GALLERY proudly presents the first solo exhibition by PERU ANA ANA PERU !!
OCT 17 – NOV 14, 2009
BROOKLYNITE GALLERY – 334 Malcom X Blvd – BROOKLYN, NY
HRS: Thurs-Sat/1-7PM
they have some really nice jpegs of the work – on the gallery website:
and, RECENTLY CAUGHT ON THE STREET – OCT 28, 2009 – SOHO, NYC – PERU ANA ANA PERU !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~PERU ANA ANA PERU |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 12th, 2009, 12:17pm
BILL BRADY INVITES YOU TO JOIN HIM – IN HIS NEW SPACE !!
for the OPENING OF: MIN KIM – NEW WORK – !!
THURS NOV 12 / 6-8 PM !!
the show runs: NOV 12 – DEC 19, 2009
BILL BRADY~ATM – 542 West 24th ST. – CHELSEA – NYC
~MIN KIM OPENING/ATM/THURS NOV 12/6-8PM !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | November 11th, 2009, 8:42pm
