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Monthly Archives: June 2009
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
If it’s going to rain and act like April/November all summer, I’m going to check out a lot of museums.
The ICA is in a 2004 Diller/Scofidio/Renfro building directly on the Boston waterfront, adjacent to the Fan Pier. The city has been pouring money into this area and there are a bunch of empty condos, refurbished factories, parking lots- it has an unfinished look to it and it was a strange foggy day. I stood on the large windy deck of the museum and looked down into the Harbor and saw the unmistakable movements of a transparent jellyfish. Then I knew I was in a Swedish movie for the day. (PS. there was also a cormorant. Take that East River!)
I enjoyed the Shepard Fairey exhibit way more than I thought I would- When you look at it all together, the artist’s rabblerousing intentions and mastery of marketing imagery are overwhelming. As a N.E. kid, I’ve been seeing those stickers since they started but had never thought much about the motivation behind them. And the colors, icons and imagery just plug directly into all the little preprogrammed circuits in my brain, pleasing and confusing.
My favorite other piece you can see a still from up there. It’s a short film by Javier Tellez called Letter on the Blind, for the Use of Those Who See. Tellez took a group of blind New Yorkers into McCarren Pool in Brooklyn, with a live elephant. Each person spent some time with the elephant, touching, smelling and hearing it. The filmmaker recorded it in gorgeous black and white, the tentative exploring hands of the people on the rumpled skin of the elephant, with a commentary by each person. So interesting.
Posted in museums and art
Tagged art review, ICA, javier tellez, museums and art, shepard fairey
Rainy Day Chick Pea Soup Recipe
brown 4 cloves garlic in 1/3 c olive oil, add sprig of rosemary.
add 1 c tomatoes and their juice chopped up, cook for 20 min,
add 2 cups chick peas, cook for 5 min,
add 4 cups broth of your choice,
find leftover homemade orrechiette in cupboard,
cook 15 more minutes,
add salt and pepper.
yum.
Thriller: Michael Jackson RIP
“I’m not like other guys.”
absolutely amazing
Back to the Land, again
Interesting article in this week’s New Yorker on “Shop Class as Soul Craft” by Matt Crawford, placing it in some historical, social and political context. By doing this, it effectively defangs his argument and finally, condemns it to being a motivational text- useful for corporate HR managers.
My parents were craftspeople- my dad just told me he is building a sailboat this summer, and my mother made clothing- not just baby bibs and coasters; edwardian style wedding dresses. They grew up in the city and suburbs and set off for the hills to do real work. My maternal grandparents were very happy with modern conveniences, for the obvious reasons- my grandmother grew up under difficult circumstances and vividly remembers moving to a house with the toilet inside.
So, what is the value of slow food and handcrafted everything? Well, the food tastes better. And the clothes and furniture are more beautiful. And the time spent making them is mindful time- you choose to spend those hours developing skills. Does it need to be universal and political? Do I need everyone to make their own mozzarella? Absolutely not.
Many of my friends into their 30s and 40s and 50s are still grasping for a vocation, hoping to find the perfect fit in the same way we look for a perfect partner, I’m afraid. Instead of simply making cheese or pasta or a new outfit or a dining table, suddenly we are running the best artisanal _____ in Brooklyn, writing a book about it, and selling the screenplay. Sigh.
But perhaps that is what I want? When I have my feminist shaker furniture studio in Red Hook employing pregnant teens from the projects and rehoming puppies while supplying my woodburning pizzeria (burning scraps from the shop!) with fresh organic vegetables from the greenroof garden, will I still get to work and think- this isn’t quite right. I’m not quite where I want to be.
Btw I am training to be a Ninja.
So, if you hear someone in your house at night, that wasn’t me because I am silent.
Actually supposed to be learning humility, respect, and patience, but i’m in it for the confidence and punching, too.
Two nights a week, mental and physical training.
Posted in found
