Scope versus Breadth

I recently became aware that I might be trying to learn everything, instead of focusing on driving forward with certain, key things. What do I really want? Am I conceding failure prematurely without even realizing I am doing it? I think I may be guilty at assuming that I cannot make it as a professional artist without even seeing my discovery process through. While self psychology can be riddled with qualifiers and embarrassment relating to over-exposure, it is necessary. Why not do it in the public eye? If you read this and felt embarrassed for me, lemme get a “Hell yeah.”

Everything I make these days

is all situational. I am missing working on large, flat images. I haven’t collaged or painted in a really long time, and i think its pretty much all because I don’t have room. It sucks. I migrated into drawing people on the subway in my little black book because that was the only space I had. Space and time actually (time being the morning commute). Now that I don’t have an excuse to ride the subway anymore, and its hard to draw people in Toy’s R Us because everyone is moving around too freakin much, I have fallen short on the drawing and collaging tip. I am really bored. I have been at Toys R Us for 8 HOURS! ABC for 4 in between those! I like my job, but for real, my butt is starting to cramp up from all this chair-sitting.

Back In NYC

Coming back from Israel was a major transition for me. You wouldn’t think that a 10 day trip would have such a jarring impact but it did. New York is so intense a way to live, and so is Israel, but much different. The land of Milk and Honey, you really got a sense of that even though I saw neither milk nor honey. I keep saying trying to describe it by saying that there were so many birds and flowers, but that wasn’t true either. There was a lot of desert, but also a lot of growth. Society feels like it is growing there, and so does the land, although one really odd thing is that among farms, there are not many people to be seen outside. Maybe it was really hot while we were there. I suppose that there is not much reason for farmers to be in the fields, other than to plant and to harvest.

Since getting back, I have been working a lot at my job, cleaning and trying to generally improve my apartment, taking a computer programming class, and trying to work on a couple art projects.

I decided when I got back that I was going to move to Berlin instead of go to school in the fall. I then decided to the contrary and also that I am going to stay in my apartment into the fall. I am wondering if I will change my mind again. I think that people are too afraid to change their mind about things, and thus prevent themselves from thoroughly planning and testing future events out during the present. Does that make sense?

Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum Jerusalem

I am not going to go in to the content of the museum because it needs to be seen first hand to be appreciated. The architecture of this building is stunning. It penetrates a mountainside and is in the shape of a splitting triangle. You can see the two sides part as they extend over the edge of the mountain. The top 4 feet or so is always above ground, and is made of one long triangular skylight that retains its form and structure from one side of the museum to the other. The lines of the skylight are a continuation of the walled structure underground.

The installation below is by Israeli artist, Menashe Kidishman. He also has a larger installation at the Jewish Museum in Berlin that uses the same materials and iconography (bottom picture). It is one of the most emotionally evocative pieces of art I have ever experienced. As pictured below, the visitor is encouraged walk over the hundreds of iron faces on the floor. As I walked over the “faces” of the victims, I was completely overwhelmed by empathy and profound sadness.

T-Rex’s and Stuff

My new digs. I am sitting in the sign operator room of the great Toys R’ Us of Times Square… perhaps the greatest toy store to ever exist. Although I must say, FAO Shwartz in the Chestnut Hill Mall was always my favorite growing up. Instead of a life-size, moving, roaring T-Rex, they had a talking tree with a moving mouth. You could put your hand in it and it never broke or hurt you (a great engineering feat right there). When the T-Rex starts roaring at 10:55am, I know that its time start to play the I-Pod that plays “New York, New York” 2 times in a row to start off the day. Other highlights of the store include the “Hot Wheels, Beat That!” display and the 50-ft tall ferris wheel. Hot Wheels, BEAT THAT!

Teste Touch Gets Some Press

We are really happy with the positive response we got from our piece. The post written about us on Gizmodo got almost 15000 hits on our first two days! The comments people wrote were hilarious. Some of the links to blogs posts about the Testes are listed below.

Gizmodo

Ubergizmo

Weberence

PLime

QBN

Artist Statement for Teste Touch

Teste Touch is an interactive installation that mimics the human anatomy. In the same vein as Matthew Barney’s Cremaster series, our installation is based on the natural interaction between the male reproductive organs and their environment. Teste Touch’s hanging scrotum responds to temperature by ascending or descending, highlighting the function of the cremaster muscle. Without a working cremaster muscle, the sperm can easily overheat, killing them and rendering a man sterile. This piece demonstrates one of the main functions of the autonomous nervous system: performing crucial tasks for us without our direct intention. Although the rising and falling of the testicles is often the subject of humor and or vulgarity, it is crucial to the survival of the entire human species. In addition, we have included a reflexive response to touch to create a more direct interaction with the user. With this project, we are affirming our love for Mother Nature and the beautiful simplicity of her designs.

The Stock Market - Commodities down as dollar, economy up

The market has staged something of a recovery. Commodity prices are now falling as the dollar rises. The two are imperfect substitutes, but in this current economic climate of fear about recession and the credit-worthiness of the Fed, they are close to perfect. Unfortunately for the majority, I do not believe that all is indeed well, and the stock market is not going to get back on the same track that its been on for the past 5 years. The recent spatter of decent economic reports shows us that we are not in a doomsday scenario, and that seems to be enough to send the market up significantly. At a moment when the common level of fear is high, a little salve on the wounds goes a long way.

People are starting to regain some optimism about things as economic data is not as bad as some thought. However, the dollar is still an issue. One of the largest problems confronting the US Economy is our fiscal irresponsibility. Politics are really starting to get the better of the economy. The US Government needs to be more responsible when it comes to the point where people are starting to whisper about the government’s ability to guarantee its debt. This is a problem because both parties, Republican and Democrat continue to pander to the people that elect them, and opt to give out money to please voters, rather than make smart choices about budgets. The sad thing is that it completely makes sense why they act the way that they do, both the politicians and public.

I blame the system, but do not propose a better solution. The problem lies at the roots of Democracy. Let me explain. The average American does not know much about economics, especially the arcane principles that guide monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and most complicated, the value of 1 American Dollar. Even if they DID understand, they probably wouldn’t choose the government’s economic policy that was best in the long run for everyone because this would often contradict their own short term needs.

Olaf Eliasson at MoMA

This piece was my favorite… it is the perfect balance between impressive visual effects and simple construction. A bright light reflects off of hanging square mirror. The reflections it casts are illusive and it is surprisingly hard to associate them with the mirror as it rotates from a central point above it. When is it perpendicular to the light, the light’s shadow is cast behind it on the wall, and the viewer can observe the heat distortion about it.

Storm King Art Center

This past weekend, I visited Storm King Art Center for the first time. It is a 500-acre sculpture park in the Hudson Valley. It is about one and half hours from NYC by car and is sooo worth it. The sculptures are massive, and there is an incredible amount of beautiful, open visual space around them. Along with Andy Goldsworthy’s 3000 ft snaking rock wall, there were many large and beautiful metal sculptures. Other highlights were Richard Serra’s half-buried iron walls and an enormous, pyramid shaped sculpture made with 60-ft iron I-beams (pictured below).