Arnold J. Kemp now featured in Just Out.
His exhibition, This Quiet Dust, Ladies and Gentlemen
opened last night at PDX Contemporary.

Just in case you have yet to be introduced to Frieze Magazine podcasts I thought it be wise to point out two stellar talks of late, one a conversation between artist John Baldessari and curator Matthew Higgs (also an artist/writer) - the other is with philosopher (and author of Art Power) Boris Groys on The Aesthetic Responsibility where he discussed how design now functions as a medium of self-positioning in public space (read more @ e-flux). In many ways this discussion relates heavily to the layout and potential outcomes of something like Blue at MP5. In the ways that we use and re-purpose space, and how details are sublimated to infiltrate a line of dialogue between people and place.

Scenes from Matthew Haggett’s Spherelab
Now at Milepost 5 through December 27

HERE

#10: AV Festival is an international festival of electronic arts featuring visual art, music and moving image. A biennial event, the festival takes place in the urban centres of Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the North East of England. The next AV Festival will take place in March 2010 and will be based around the theme of Energy. The festival will explore energy as a force through which all of life is connected, transformed, renewed and destroyed. This is an open call for moving image and short film works that relate to the festival theme of energy. The chosen works will be screened to members of the public on the Live Sites BBC Big Screen in Centre Square Middlesbrough opposite mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) during the festival. The designated screening times will be during three days of the festival: 5, 10 and 12 March. This project is a partnership between AV Festival, Middlesbrough Council and the Live Sites Big Screen team at the BBC. SUBMIT.

Short interviews by Mayor Sam Adams of Gary Wiseman, Chris Haberman and Brad Malsin as well as clips of works by Troy Briggs, Gabriel Liston and others. At the beginning you can also see a clip of The Grid, now on view ’til 10/17.

The minimal electronics label known as MINUS has an interesting new initiative they have just unveiled called Minus Embed. As part of this project they invite artists from many media to collaborate saying:

Minus Embed is a project that will invite creative individuals to become an ‘embedded’ participant on a weekend excursion with Richie Hawtin in order to catalogue, document and respond to the event using their specific artistic talents. This creative response will then be exhibited on the Minus website along with other possible platforms. Open to all creative disciplines; video, sound, web design, photographers, fine artists, fashion designers, etc. Far from being a one-off opportunity, the project will be open-ended with an ongoing selection process in place to uncover the most talented and suitable candidates. We are inviting all interested individuals to submit a small selection of their work to be considered for this initiative in the form of online portfolios or websites. Participants are also required to write a short introduction about themselves and their work and how they would hope to respond to the MINUS-EMBED initiative. The first Minus Embed artist and submission comes from Cem Yardimci from Turkey (his original submission). Through academic research he attempted to blur today’s well defined edges between theory/practice and architecture/video by unexpected juxtapositioning of entities in continuum. This oneness is redefined under the title ‘architectural-reflex’. Architect (PhD) + video artist, currently exploring between film and live video/audio, momentarily through live installation-performances in Istanbul. Submissions should be sent to minusembed@m-nus.com

Like a rock n’ a hard place
I’m once again off to the coastal reaches + beaches this week.

Despite still being unemployed I managed to contribute to what I saw as an extremely valuable web source who crafted a very inventive way of raising funds. The Rhizome 50000 Dollar Webpage. Fundraising pixel by pixel!

Admittedly, I’m a solar wuss. Granted between applying for scads of random administrative odd jobs, posing The Facebook Friend Challenge and otherness - I’ve been hard at work on both The Grid (for Milepost 5 in August) and SQFT (starting a lengthy tour at Blackfish Gallery’s Fishbowl in September), otherwise I’m sorta short, slowly single and sizzling. So.

To pass the hours I’m following shadows, finding area pools and drinking plenty H2O. If you didn’t notice, I also extended my bit on movies w/reporters (below), I’m still ready/willing/able to teach my class at Newspace (as long as I have enough students) and headed outta town for the Fourth to follow part of Maya Lin’s Confluence Project on the way to Long Beach.

CHUGGA: Oh, there’s a new curated cultural newsletter out called A Portland Conversation in Culture, and a new Artist’s Grant available called STOCK. And speaking of the coast - an exchange show between Portland/Astoria-based artists (July: 160 10th St, Astoria; August: 12×16 Gallery, Portland), and a leaner/meaner (good meaning, meaning good) David Eckard is back in town in a few weeks after many moons abroad!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

GO INTO THE DEEP FREEZE

Coagula (”the lowdown on high art™”) has always been out there just where we can’t exactly reach it. That’s why we love ‘em. They are just this next month going ‘Print-on-Demand’ and to celebrate its publisher, Mat Gleason, is giving away his personal copy of this very neat poster. Check it out - especially if you are unfamiliar with this LA so-cool publication, now serving issue #97!

TWITTERATI: I’ll be away for the next few weeks, and dependent on connectivity I may not be blogging all that much, aside from anything pre-scheduled…but who knows. In the meantime, as a newbie to Twitter, why not just go ahead and follow me!

[discont.]

Gone in a flash, sorta.
Art student Sara Watson goes the extra mile.

The image above is a set-up of Vladislav Delay, who I’ve found in various places across the web as of late, worth listening to. First with AGF (Podcast 10) appearing in a new series for T-Mobile’s Electronic Beats (Modeselektor & others are featured as well in lengthy mix sessions). And as the fortnight approaches upon which I will once again depart the region for Montreal and the 10th Anniversary offerings of Mutek I embrace much of the truly best in the field of electronic music and a/v. For this earmark event they’ve rolled out a new podcast (adding new entries almost daily). If you haven’t made the northeast trek, here you can listen to what you’ve missed - including a set by Delay, Akufen, Komet, Pan/Tone among others. These hour-long original master performances can even be downloaded into your own personal iTunes for repeated hear-wear.

One of the highlights this year will be the world premiere of Herman Kolgen’s newest solo project, IN/JECT (May 27). Described as “A human body is injected in a cistern. Over the course of 45 minutes, the pressure of the liquid exerts upon him multiple neurosensorial transformations.” The work will be performed live in concert with Gas (Wolfgang Voigt) of Cologne. Submersive! Also included will be a very rare performance by Cyclo (Carsten Nicolai/Ryoji Ikeda) of Raster-Noton and Atom™ (aka Uwe Schmidt). The links include music samples, so tune in…

Not leastly, in the world of the future, comes Star Trek (a pre-quel). This past weekend, along with approx 400 Intel folk, I was treated to the theatrical preview of this new film, due out on Friday. Special effects and fight scenes dominated the entire picture which is fast-paced, wide-screened and quickly pieces together the story of a young James Tiberius Kirk and his journey into Starfleet Academy. The new ensemble cast all fit their parts well, alluding to the visage of its original TV stars. This will not act as a spoiler, though a small cameo by Winona Ryder in her big screen return as Spock’s human mother seemed an interesting choice. There was also a return by one of the original cast members which wavered on the hokey. For me (only a part-time trekkie) this affair was about 3 out of 5 stars - mostly due to tongue-in-cheek inuendos rather than serious sci-fi (for the futurists out there). You can get your fill of trailers and other trivia here.

Dust Breeding
by Marcus Fischer

INTERNET SHMINTERNET: It comes at you. Seemingly endless steaming information in umpteen categories, stories, songs, pictures and old high school chums crawling from the woodwork. All at the click of a button! Ye Olde Internet for some can get lonely, but for me, with all the possibility and potential - it often gets old quickly. I must still have that kid gene. You know that feeling after opening presents on Xmas morn. After you’ve exhausted your parents of their wallets with a roomful of Hot Wheels, Planet of the Apes action figures, Barbie and Kenmobiles, and all that’s left in its wake is a great big heap of multicolored wrapping paper. You’ve emptied your stocking and only the gravel-like crumbs are left from a mound of choco-chips meant for Santa. Now what do I do? Well, in this age of social networking, the web always attempts to reinvent itself. As such, I’m always looking for new ways to capture two sides of every story - or inventing my very own.

FACEBOOK EAT YER HEART OUT: I found one company out there that decided to take the high road at the fork by doing one very tactful thing that I’ve begun to cherish over the years, consolidate!  They are called Meebo (check it out). Basically they stream many of your live online messaging/chat rooms etc. into one easy to use format. Though I’m not a big chatter, me likey. On yer iPhone too.

WWW2?: When it comes to innovation on the web, you really have to take a closer look…it’s not all just Flash! Take, for instance, the new contemporary photography magazine called Visura. The interface is a touch slower, but worth it to get to the strong graphic nature and page navigation which has you flipping virtual pages in no time. There’s actual written content, and moving pictures as well. Well done.

POCKET MUSEUM: One of my absolute favorite sites is UbuWeb, now hosting 1000 avant-garde films! And to imagine, only a half-dozen years ago you would have to physically fly to MOMA to see most of these amazing delights. It’s honestly a true library in your living room. If there is to be a true national people’s choice award regarding the web - from The Greatest Hits of Martin Kippenberger, to Rebecca Horn’s Erotic Concert - these folks get my vote.

DIFFERENT DRUM: Of course, if you need to round out your music library with extraordinary sounds in the fields of electronica and out jazz turn to eMusic before the much more commercial iTunes. You’ll be glad you did.

Take advantage of what’s out there, and remember, don’t f*$k it up!

My double-diptych piece titled ‘Signs’ (2006) was featured by Regina Hackett in The Seattle Post Intelligencer’s Art to Go yesterday! The piece is one of the very first in my ongoing Double|Exposure series. It seems that she has almost virtually curated an exhibition of likely work noting other signs here, here and here, here and here. The piece, by the way, remains available as a unique, archival photographic work at NAAU, museum-framed and ready to be taken from the streets to a new home….

…is the sound of the Portland Arts Watch, a brand-new blog via The Oregonian, dedicated to highlighting the general mishigas that has become the bent backwards and sideways arts community right smack dab in our oft green backyard. In today’s episode, Barry Johnson nods in the direction of unBlogged, and you can read the rest.

SAY HELLO/WAVE GOODBYE: I was on an odd downtown walk today. Something like the winds of a ghost town swept past me. There’s this awkward sense of renewal and change about. I noticed the Sports Museum was closed (evidentally seeking a new location), the Broderick Gallery recently moved to Lake Oswego and someone new was moving in. On the other side of town it seems Quality Pictures will be closing soon - leaving this economic downturn in its wake and contemporary photography enthusiasts with one less regional venue. Reminds me of that ole Soft Cell tune.

HONK, HONK: Just when you thought it was safe to get back to whatever you were just doing, a ping! It’s me again. I’ve been rolling my eyes in space. For whatever reason I have just become deflated by looking at Monster, Craigslist, LinkedIn, Jobdango, et al. You know when you are seeking creative work and you have sort of absorbed all of your normal channels, even the variations on them, and look to the generic offerings out there. You start imagining yourself contemplating “ya, I “could” do data entry for 40 hours a week at 75WPM for 10 bucks/hr”. And the delusions get to you, eating away at your core steadily, slowly decaying your vision. You think about considering taking any job that pays more than minimum wage just to dignify the matter. Sometimes when we seek gainful employment we can be blinded by the challenge of the unknown, and we risk our credentials, our history in the name of climbing some invisible ladder, some bite off the head of a dragon to get to where we want (and I’m not taking Rock n’ Roll). TIME OUT!

But one of the unknowns is when the bottom falls out of the economy and you are left sorting through crumbs…no, wait, more like the residual crumbs that have been finely sifted through every possible hurdle. You know you have talent, skills, spirit (team-player or independent), you have taken tests and sent resumes and re-scripted cover letters and got great recommendations. And in the end you rarely even get a reply, a postcard, you are faced with the dulling din of fewer opportunities than you imagined, not even receiving a rejection from many sources. Some consider taking higher ground by high-tailing it outta here on the next Greyhound. Others find support networks and strategize with their community. With so many Oregonians out of work right now - remember, you are your only safety net.

THE NEXT BIG THING: When you just can’t stand staring into your flatscreen iMac no longer - go out! I was coming home from a run to the Hollywood District (it was so convenient living there), and on the way back up runs a brand-new lightrail car in training. Man, for all its faults Tri-met got something right with these futuristic (almost retro so) tube-like things on rails. Sleek + sexy. It’s a cross between something from Logan’s Run and Disney’s Monorail, although cars like this are already on the tracks in some other cities (like the MBTA). I know “Boston, Boston, Boston”….lol. I’m unsure when these officially debut, but the Fall unveiling of the new Green Line will probably be sooner than we think.  The new WES cars are interesting too. Probably too many Lionel trains when I was a tike.

RESIDUALS?: Lastly, unBlogged, right here, has become ’syndicated’, or some such, through a few different services, so my click-through from individuals has increased by 50% since January 1! Since this is completely a non-income producing vignette (though feel free to click here to do whatever you can) its just a lil’ announcement to let you know you are in good company I guess. I would say I have some major surprises up my sleeve, or tease you about writing some monster article, or creating some big hoopla, but, instead, I will practice restraint and hope you may just write in a wee comment every once in a while. Hey, it can get lonely out here within the tiny integers of darkness…..but out of the fog comes the results of many clicks and taps on the keys worldwide - the countries who have visited this humble site this past year (in green…that means Greenland hasn’t been by).

F**K IN THE ROAD: I glanced outside my studio just a moment and witnessed a vague cast of the full moon through a candy colored cloud. Given what I’m doing in the studio, it brought a sense of reckoning to what I’m doing, and a smile. Today is just an odd day. Earlier I was on a mission to take a test for a government-type part-time job but they provided me incorrect information about the time, so a re-appointment was scheduled. I took bus #72 up and down 82nd Street which I noticed seems sadly more littered than usual with bottles, cans, and other misc. You ever feel like you are walking on “skid row”? Well, if it weren’t The Avenue of the Roses I may not mention it, but in an eco-sense things just seemed a bit seedier than ever.

SILVER LINING: Well, the silver lining here included a special trip to pick up a small surprise for Rob’s 40th tomorrow, heading towards Hood River. Before making this longer trek I did stop into NAAU to see Laura Fritz’s spare use of the gallery for her Couture exhibition, Evident. The work is so subtle. Similar to my own work in the same series and venue, Fritz uses light in a way as to prompt the viewer to take time to both adjust their perception and then potentially wait…Well, not like waiting on a train platform, perhaps moreso to witness her very sparse way of orchestrating natural elements, species, creepers. In the past Fritz has worked with imperceptible specimens, light and mirrors and also with video, and again she is staying within the realm of such artistic conventions. Where this work differs is her use of projection of light outwardly rather than having the viewer peer inside of boxes, around corners, above head and into voids. Here, offering a delicate touch of cinematic light cast throughout the room almost like a stage without a performer. Part of the cascading light reminds me of a flashback to what it must have felt once they stopped the mirrorball spinning for the last dance at Studio 54. Is that the same thing as a deer caught in headlights?

FLY ON THE WALL: In any case, in the dappled spotlight one witnesses a bit of incidental movement made by an insect or three. These fleeting glimpses have the “tease-factor” to keep anyone without ADD contained for as long as they can stabilize themselves in a darkened room to ogle intently. The room offers an elegant sense of quietude, with only three physical elements positioned roughly within a triangular format on the floor. A projection box that casts peepholes of light across three walls, a table with a top just ajar to peer into a very dark mirror-lined interior filled with two objects: a snail-like form and something a bit bulbous. Finally a tall closet-like self-standing box, completely unlit with a door again, slightly ajar. This coffin-like box is probably the biggest mystery here and perhaps acts as something of a time capsule/transporter, without dials, motors or flashing lights. What could be an aerial view of a tale once told by Lewis Carroll, is a journey by a fellow minimalist who has finally found a balance of many elements she’s been juggling for years. Aside from some curiously underlit focal points, this work resonates well with Fritz’s past ouevre, and shows a certain maturity, especially in the fashioning of furniture-like objet d’art to help emphasise the twitching anxious call into light.

SMOKE SCREEN: Speaking of the dark. While strolling in my new neighborhood today I stopped and spoke with an inspector for Tri-met and asked about the lack of no smoking signs on the Max platform, and how the public would know they cannot actually smoke there without warning. She asked if I wrote or called Tri-met about it, and I said I had a few times. She suggested to call again, and that once they get enough complaints they will do something. But, the fact that she, as a representative of this system didn’t take action herself, and simply passed the buck, seemed quite slack and irresponsible to me. Tri-met officiated this rule a handful of years ago but hardly ever polices it. In a year when Oregon law requires that bars and restaurants now be smoke-free, I’m not sure who Tri-met is appeasing by simply having a law that they don’t enforce. Their ad campaigns on the actual lightrail mention watching out for trains as you cross streets, they mention paying your fare - but with health and safety concerns such as this never mentioned, who gets the message? Am I complaining upon deaf ears there? Probably.

HE LOVED LIKE DIAMOND: Oh, there he was upon the stage of the Rose Garden last night, “The Diamond Cutter” or as some have been known to call him, “The Jewish Elvis” (check yer local Wiki). The soon to be 68-year old singer-songwriter, Mr. Neil Diamond, took to the stage with a fiery pop act that had most of the 11K folks on their feet. It was a feat in and of itself, given that many of those in the arena were approximately his age. That said, for the very final date of a 37 city tour, the Jazz Singer himself was in excellent voice throughout the two-hour long performance. He did all his classics like Sweet Caroline, Red Red Wine, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers and I’m A Believer but it was the songs from 1980’s The Jazz Singer (Love On The Rocks and America) that had everyone on their feet. He was entertaining as was his band who provided all the rhythm and spice necessary. And he’s got great eyebrows.

INSIDE/OUT JOKE: This year is the first in a half-dozen years where I am not entertaining a “best of” list of any sort. I used to compile the ‘ten best recordings of the year’ for several publications, and a massive overview of the arts scene in the Pacific Northwest. This year I rather ogle new blood (n’ other sources), like the funny offering above, coming from Regina Hackett’s always spiced Art To Go (one of only a handful of blogs I read on a semi-regular basis). I really appreciate the humor here as well, as my compadre Scott Wayne Indiana said recently too me, we need more of it in the art world in general - I couldn’t agree more. The above may be a Seattle ‘in joke’ - but from my perspective, after this year’s selection in the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, the artist here has been at least somewhat dutifully honored in ‘08, and his work (great stuff by the way) was featured in PICA’s TBA Festival too.

TEMPERATURE’S RISIN’: The Portland Mercury took the time to point out A Year In Review, and I align with at least three of Mr. Motley’s seven strongest highlights and observations. Of course, on their yellow brick road (+ great new disc) Antony + the Johnsons stole TBA this year.

AUTO-ACCOLADES: Over at Port, a local art blog serving “art geeks and the cognoscenti”, prove to never be too shy to roll their own credits. In 2008 they wonderfully managed to cover all ‘Couture‘ exhibitions except one, and still manage to keep their right hand column intact.

TIMPANI, PLEASE: Which leads me to feeling somewhat “vindicated” (very unlike Susan Lucci), by Willamette Week naming my Infinitus “Best Installation of 2008“. Though I can’t really coo with the same subtlety, in the words of a fallen disco diva, “I feel love”.

More to come….

After hearing of the death of Eartha Kitt on Christmas Day there was something special about this holiday in a passing glint of light.  She was indeed the living legend who crooned ‘Santa Baby’ among many other favorites. Having had the true pleasure of seeing her perform live thrice in various style venues, I was honored to meet her face-to-face when she was in Portland in ‘02, she autographed my Bear Family Box Set with a sense of candor and openness, a true lady of class and style. In one show (circa mid 80s) she danced with high Rockettes-style kicks, bountiful laughter, she was raucous (and even within the age of retirement). I’ll never forget a show I attended with my friend Charlie at Sculler’s where she punctuated nearly every song with laughter. Her show was full of charm, and like her infamous portrayal of Catwoman, she seemed to have as many lives, though she leaves this one at 81 years young as she may have said. The loss of Kitt brought to mind the many that have passed of late, those who made us smile, laugh, think and wonder, maybe even self-edit or question reality at times. Every annum I reflect on the twelve months recently served and how it shape-shifts the greater community of working artists. Many changes this past year as we lost some true greats - peers, mentors, spirits having flown. Some we’ve met, or learned from, influences or collaborators, their memory lives on…

* * *

George Brecht
Harold Pinter
Robert Rauschenberg
Freddie Hubbard
Sam Bottoms
Odetta
Paul Newman
Bo Diddley
Henri Chopin
Miriam Makeba
Roy Scheider
Heath Ledger
Nagi Noda
Robert Hazard
Bruce Conner
Michael Crichton
James E. Jones
Robert Graham
Henning Christiansen
Studs Terkel
Levi Stubbs
Willoughby Sharp
Bettie Page
Adam Nodelman
Richard Wright
Suzanne Pleshette
Mario Schiano
Charleton Heston
Isaac Hayes
George Carlin
Paul Benedict
Terry Toedtemeier
Estelle Getty
Yma Sumac
Eartha Kitt

OK, as I always say, it’s another “Portland Moment”! So, we broke some record from 1968. Now, let’s prove our weight in gold, er, white I guess. While it’s easy to gloss over all that’s under our feet, it’s tackle time! The City That Works, in the words of a tall black ’supermodel’, You Better Work! This winter wonderland is slow-churning, turning into a gloppy, big bad mess! If more people could wield a 9″ stiletto the world might be a better place through the thick of things like this, but some have long ago hung their heels to dry.

Without getting too high on a soapbox, just a few observances about this waning storm. Yes, it was a white Christmas for the most part, but now we have a sorta sludge-slush aftermath, and ruts to deal with. Most side streets have not at all been plowed, some not even traveled for several days, you can see the cars that haven’t been moved since the first snow wave hit over four days ago. The blogs (this one is slightly bitchy but the more power to ‘em) are chock-full of people with questions (and complaints) about whose responsibility it is for snow removal, and yes, I even mentioned it the other day, but again - safety is the main concern here. And by now, most people have seen the infamous YouTube vids as featured on “Bruce and Tina“. As a pedestrian I trekked today over parts of Northeast Portland, with its many side streets cluttered by 8″ thick waves of dirty icy snow, pretty much impassible by human feet unless you have those knee-high galoshes from the 70s. Dave Knows made me laugh. The mushy sidewalks, even right nearby the Max are not cleared, no salt, no de-icer for people to walk on, just uneven impacted snow, melting in parts to mush. Are those ‘required’ chains any good for open roads even after most highways and main drags are clear? Where to walk? Who’s responsible to clean it up?

For some, unlike the record broken, it’s a broken record. “The city has spent 1000s, millions on cleanup and we have nothing to show for it”. The questions roll in. What are the liabilities? How many accidents could be prevented? Is the city disabled?….And the converse: The blaming finger pointing squarely at the lazy gits for not perhaps taking a day off from the mallrat walk down at the Lloyd and perhaps instead finding a real way of earning some extra cash asking people if they need their walkway shoveled for a tenner. Is the art of valiant streetwise entrepreneurialism dead in the twenty-first century?

The papers are talking back too. I found this bit on Oregonlive, and some more facts at the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Even the NYTimes got in on our action. Did you know that in some parts of the country businesses, and even residents get fined if they do not remove snow from their property and sidewalks within a reasonable period of time (often 48 hours). Extensions are provided if ice is involved, but a basis for cleaning up the mess is standard preventing being further buried, or flood damage. Property owners in some neighborhoods do take pride, but on a long walk down Halsey, of the near 100 houses I passed a mere one single family home had shoveled around their perimeter and dropped some of those lil white de-icing pellets which make it easier to walk on (hmmm, progress). The temps over the last two days have been commensurate with some serious shoveling and snow blowing action, of which I didn’t spy any in my travels. But I could only get around on a limited basis, wherever my feet and Max would lead, but it was a messy mix, especially being splashed by an oncoming car with slushy debris. I know, go and build a tall snowman! This lady tells it like it is:

Of all the pieces I read, this one by Michael Milstein was the most practical of all (get out there, people!). Just read this about garbage courtesy of KTVL (peee-ewww)! I could appreciate Sam Adams appeal seen in the Tribune. I saw one newscast with Nick Fish out in the thick of it driving around in his lil’ Celica I think, he seemed a bit fearless about what to do, and he was tending to people in need at the time, it was nice to watch him take action. But words need to translate into laws before a weather-slacker population takes heed. I sound like that online guy who complains about everything, but I assure you its me, and I just am ‘over it’ - trying to trudge that is. Jen caught the beauty of it all out near Alberta Street:

Dear reader - mind you it is heartwarming to hear the positive effects such as this one at “Starting Over in the Rose City” - I’m getting down and real…so, any thoughts, or should I just look in the opposite direction (to the South) and let this blow over? Maybe I just need a vacation, Palm Springs sounds nice about now….This guy has the spirit (or maybe that’s called loco):