Saturday, January 29, 2011

An exercise in describing practice


After some very practical and fun exercises in Pat's AAW class, we have put together outlines for our theses. Though I am not so focused on my thesis at this moment, it has been an interesting exercise to list/organize a variety of keywords that also incorporate Patrick Rock's idea of presenting the who/what/when/where/why & how. Here goes:

Artist Roles
            Facilitator
            Provocateur
            Participant
            Multiple Authorship
            Collaborator
            Pseudo Scientist:
                        Ethnographer
                        Cartographer
                        Archivist
                        Librarian
                        Anthropologist
                        Historian
                        Explorer
                        Collector
                        Chef
                        Hostess
                        Entertainer
                        Tour Guide
                        Disseminator
                        Curator
Form
            Music
                        Harmony
                        Accessibility
                        Immediacy
                        Stage presence
                        Audience/Artist
                        Music Styles
                                    Jingles
                                    Anthems
                                    Janthems
                                    Work Songs
                                    Songs about Work
            Conversation
            Singing and Dancing
            Cheerleading
            Cooking & Meal Sharing
            Recipe Sharing
            Everyday Pastimes
            Library/Archive
           
Method        
            Economy of Form           
            Improvisation
            Energy
            Ritual
            Essential
            Generosity
            Inclusion
            Reciprocity
            Engagement
            Performance

Results
            Experience Making
            Community Building
            Relationship Building
            Resource Sharing
            Education/Pedagogy
            Space Making
            Place Making
            Feel-Goodness
            Fun

Art Objects/Documentation/Residue
         Recordings
         Videos
         Printed Matter
         Photographs        
         Sculpture
         Text

Location
            International
                        Cultural Ambassador
                        Interpret
                        Misinterpret
            Local
            Site Specific
            Public Space
           
Alternative Economy
            WPA
            Business Cards
            Gifting
            Jingles

Conflicts
            Renaissance Woman vs. Dilettante
            Expert vs. Amateur
            Positivity as Radical?
            Lack of criticality?
            Generosity vs. Reciprocity
Influence/Related Research
            Family
            Catholicism (inadvertently)
            Artists & Movements
                        Harrell & Jen
                        Dan Walsh
                        Sophie Calle
                        Janet Cardiff
                        Annette Messager (early work)
                        Eva Hesse (early work)
                        Finnish Complaint Choir
                        Nina Katchadourian
                        Suzanne Lacy
                        Nathaniel Parsons
                        1960s-1970s
                        Conceptual Art
                        Performance Art
                        Dada
                        Fluxus
                        Duchamp
            CESTA
                        Curatorial practice as art & activism
                        Anarcho-Communal Living
                        Life-Art interchange
            Song Poem movie
            Malcom X
            Pirate Radio
            Punk Rock
            Food/Cookbooks
                        Kitchen Sisters
                        Jaime Oliver
                        Alice Waters
                        Deborah Madison
                        The Splendid Table
                        Michael Pollan
            Martha Stewart
            Stephanie Syjuco
  
Readings/Criticism
            Bourriaud
            Clare Bishop
            Miwon Kwon
            Hal Foster
            Claude Levi-Strauss
            Boris Groys
            Buddhism
            Nihilism
            Ted Purves
            Suzanne Lacy
            Loosy Lippard
            Dick Reuss
            Julia Bryan Wilson


Needs work:
Motivations
         Travel, Make Art & Get Paid for it... (this was at one time a motivation)
Context/Framing
Process

I would be happy if anyone wanted to add/subtract/comment- Thanks

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Making Music

Today I used "lexa's time" to get some help and inspiration to write music for this commission of sorts mentioned below. What happens when you give a bunch of "non-musicians" some "instruments" and words?
Well, they make music. Really good music, Music I didn't know could be made. Music with phones. Music with canes. Music with glasses of water. Music with paper towel rolls. Music with toys (yeah, I brought those but hardly anyone needed them).
Now we enter the great world of Multiple Authorship.
I wonder if anyone wants to continue this collaboration?

Monday, January 10, 2011

Recipes forJanuary 10th with Roger Peet

Pumpkin Chili with Roasted Pepper-Cilantro Cream
Soak Kidney beans overnight. Drain and cook with plenty of water until tender- about an hour+. Do not salt until cooked. Drain again.
Peel and chop a small pumpkin or other winter squash into cubes, roasting with a little olive oil and S & P in a very hot oven
In that oven, toss in 2 heads of garlic that have their tops chopped off and are wrapped in foil. Take both out in 20 minutes.


Make Chili Paste: 
Toast a tablespoon or so each of cumin seeds & oregano
Add same amounts of cinnamon, cocoa, spanish paprika and remove from heat
Soften a variety of dried chilis: Ancho, New Mexico, California, Chipotle, etc. by soaking in boiled water, covered, for 5 minutes
Blend with the spices and few cloves of garlic, adding soaking liquid if necessary.

If using meat, brown in cooking pot before following the next instructions

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, sautee 2 chopped onions in olive oil & salt until translucent
Add beans and a large can of whole tomatoes, or fresh blanched, de-skinned ones if it is the season
plus the pumpkin, a big heaping scoop of chili paste, the squeezed, roasted garlic, S & P, stir, and let simmer, uncovered

Roast many green or anaheim peppers in a very hot oven on on a grill until skin is blistered/blackened
If roasting in the oven, use a pan on the rack underneath so they can drip- they will
Peel off whatever skin will easily come off, and tough tops/seeds- then puree with a dash of salt & a splash of lemon juice. Reserve half while putting the other half in the chili.

With the reserved half, blend with the second head of roasted garlic, a big handful of fresh cilantro, a teaspoon of chili paste, a dash of sugar, S & P and a cup of thick yogurt

Adjust seasoning on chili: S & P, a dash of sugar, more chili paste, cocoa, etc.
Serve with a dollop of Roasted Pepper-Cilantro Cream

Monday, January 3, 2011

January Plans

Yikes. I have no idea what I cooked for the last two meals. Rushing off for tour at the end of last term with Kačkala changed my focus...  Meanwhile some interesting opportunities abound:


I have been invited to compose music for Erik Ehn's "michiyuki" (Noh traveling songs). I collaborated with Erik, Suki O'Kane, and many other Bay Area musicians and actors in 2008 for Theatre of Yugen's Cycle Plays. 
In Noh plays, there is a moment when the chorus chants the Michiyuki, or “travel song” describing the character’s travels. The vocals often include the place name and description of the setting as well as the events of the journey. In kyōgen, journeys and excursions are known as Michiyuki, with the performers usually reciting lines while circling the stage. After the Michiyuki, a line is included to indicate the character’s arrival at their destination, which is known as the tsuki-zerifu, or “arrival line.”
This should be a remarkable experience.


Some of us in SoPrac are collaborating on a public art/design project with the Center for Sustainable Solutions, which is both interesting and providing new challenges, serving a specific public, under specific guidelines. We are creating a multi-use space that is slightly utopian, very user friendly, and as green as we can go (which is not so easy, btw).


The Library is Open!
The library/resource center is officially set up again, and open: Wednesdays from 2-5, or by appointment. The library is located in the back room of Field Work. We have a ton of new show cards/artist info from recent visits to New York and San Francisco, as well as new book titles and updated periodicals. Come visit, research, work and have some tea.


Field Work
We are meeting this week to curate the next months of exciting events & projects. We received over 20 proposals, so I look forward to the space being truly active.


Food Cart Songs
are gearing up... Cyrus made me a sweet comp of work songs to add to my research.




Your Garden Cookbook
Nicole and I are now working on some final details of the current cookbooks, meeting new participants for spring, adjusting our focus a little, and hope to take a slight break for winter.