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October 31, 2005
Happy Halloween!
and...
Now pass me that jack-o-lantern full of REESE'S (Original only, please)!
Posted by lk at 04:50 PM | Comments (2)
I got an email about this last week:
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Research Center presents:
The 1980s: An Internet Conference
October 31 - November 13, 2005
I remember the online symposium they did back in 2001 (less than a month after 9/11). A diverse group of “culture workers” weighed in on the topic at hand and even when people went off on long tangents, mostly about terrorism, I found the whole project pretty interesting.
It’s kind of funny to think how much things have changed since ‘01. I didn’t have internet service at home and my big desk top was an e machine (a.k.a playschool’s “my first computer”). I had ordered a few books on amazon but I was still very hesitant about doing stuff online - but the idea of a virtual symposium seemed so COOOOOOOL. In fall 2001 I had just started an internship at a swank museum – I had my own computer and cubicle and I basically spent that second week looking at the conference online. I got pretty good at “looking like I was working” while I was really just reading though all the symposium commentary. Actually, maybe things haven’t changed so much – I still just look like I’m working when I'm sitting at the computer …
Posted by lk at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2005
They might be on to something
Posted by lk at 09:10 AM | Comments (4)
October 25, 2005
I left my calves in San Francisco!
Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I tried to leave my shins, hamstrings and calves in San Francisco because they were too pained to bring back with me. Those hills, man, they are murder! But somehow, even with all the walking, I still managed to bring it all back plus an additional pound or two (jeans are fitting kind of tight today). Good food, good friends and a look at the new de Young = great weekend.
On a totally unrelated topic – Blam (blog-spam) has got me down. Now I get why some folks don’t allow comments on their blogs. Jeeze Louise, I am so sick of “free ringtones”, Viagra and all the rest of it!
Posted by lk at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2005
The Place to Be? Culver City on Saturday Night
A funny thing occurred last Saturday night. Unusually high levels of curiosity and energy on my part just happened to coincide with a number of gallery openings in CC. I've been to most of the "new" Culver City galleries over the past year but this was the first time I had experienced the tailgate party atmosphere of the La Cieniga strip. The shows were a mixed bag (and I kind of wished that there was more on hand than ice chests filled with Tecate) but all-n-all it was a fun (and free) Saturday night activity.
The high point of the evening was going to Susanne Vielmetter, Los Angeles Projects. Her current group show, "Cut" features work by Laylah Ali, Edgar Arceneaux, Mark Bradford, Amy Sillman and Wangechi Mutu, among others. Taken as a whole the show was, well, a mixed bag but Mutu's video "Cutting"(2004) was a showstopper. Literally.
In her first film, Mutu shows a slow motion sequence of a woman cutting a tree on a hillside at sunset. The piece is beautiful, disturbing and just long enough for me to appreciate it without getting bored...I probably watch too much tv to fully appreciate video art. If it doesn't grab me right away it's hard for me to stick with it. I realize this is my own limitation and I'm trying to see more and to overcome my prejudices but that's another story ... I watched "Cutting" a few more times, focusing on the figure's simple, violent actions. I imagined that the felled tree was a person and shivered. I thought a bit about who I would want to dispatch in this manner and shivered again. Then I focused on various elements; the colors, the woman's curvy silhouette against the sky, the surreal sound of the blade repeatedly hitting the wood. It didn't sound real or was it that it sounded too real? I was mesmerized. Then I got up and walked out to the lovely patio where the drinks were set up (Vielmetter's patio features a unique Japanese-style-file cabinet-fountain that's quite an eye full in itself. Did I mention that I wish this were MY gallery? Anyway). I poured myself a glass of white wine and went back to the video room and just watched people pop their heads in and quickly decide that this video was not for them. The whole thing was quite entertaining.
Anyway, it might be a while before I take in "the openings" again but if you are in town check out Vielmetter and also Seonna Hong at Sixspace (you can miss Anna Helwing and Harvey Levine, IMHO) and tell me what you think.
PS - When Industry Cafe & Jazz (6039 Washington Blvd.) gets their music/poetry program together, I may find myslef in the area on a regular basis.
Posted by lk at 09:57 AM | Comments (2)
October 14, 2005
How do you make a Mini!Syd?
Oh, JJ! Why oh why did you introduce a new character if all you’re going to do is recycle the S1 storyline? A new character should equal slightly more than a change in hair color and a cuter car. I’m happy to watch Syd become the mentor (now that she’s big as a freakin’ house and can’t quite pull off the costume changes), but let’s at least give the newbie a fresh story. On the other hand, I kind of like the Thomas Grace kid (I can’t believe I am actually in favor of the Getty, heh!). Don’t get me wrong I certainly don’t want to overstate his charm. I really miss MV and Balthazar is no master thespian but is character seems credible. At least his back-story doesn’t appear to be lifted entirely from “Truth Be Told”!
Posted by lk at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Nice drinks
Had some really great tea last week. Should have brought some back ...
On the mend now. Proper posts are on the way.
Posted by lk at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2005
New York, New York. So nice they named it twice ...
Here's a bunch of stuff I saw, ate or otherwise enjoyed
Posted by lk at 06:38 PM | Comments (5)
back and sick!
I'm just back from NYC where I checked in with all members of the wasabi dumpling gang, ate tons of fattening food and saw more photography than I could actually absorb. I also spent way too much time in the rain Friday and Saturday and so now I am with cold. Posting will have to happen between doses of Thera-Flu and episodes of the Rockford Files and Law & Order as I lay in bed. I know, life is rough :)
More later...
and btw, Astoria still rocks!
Posted by lk at 09:06 AM | Comments (1)
October 03, 2005
In memoriam
August Wilson, playwright
1945-2005
Posted by lk at 07:45 PM | Comments (2)
October 02, 2005
ACE GALLERY
I didn't know that there were gallery receptions on Sunday night, but I guess Ace (on Wilshire) is a special like that.
Kenneth Feingold and Tim Hawkinson are on view. To be honest, all the artificial intelligence, old dolls and talking dummy heads kind of creeped me out a little. The best one (IMHO) was the disembodied couple arguing in bed but still, it was kind of, you know ... strange. It's not really my thing. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing more photo in NYC later this week, but if you are in LA go to ACE and see the (smaller?) Hawkinson installation. I liked the bagpipe and the sweet tweet bronze girl looked, well, sweet.
Posted by lk at 08:23 PM | Comments (3)