Structural Patterns

Over the past year, I’ve been slightly obsessed with Vladimir Putin. As the annexation of Crimea occurred in spring of 2014, I took in all the news as I tried to understand why in this day and age following two world wars and the cold war of the past century a world leader would behave in such a manner. I understand that Crimeans speak primarily Russian and not Ukrainian, that Crimea was part of Russia until 1954 and perhaps culturally the Crimean majority identify as Russian. But to make the power play of absorbing a portion of another country immediately following a revolution, strikes me as a land grab of another era not reflective of our globalized, pan-capitalist world. I of course wondered if Putin is today’s Stalin, as many other people make the connection. In considering this annexation, I assembled this animation as I work on a slightly less shorter animated portrait.

Celebrate Social Justice Journalism

Friday, April 24, 2015 @ 6:30 p.m.

Free & open to the public

The 25th annual James Aronson Awards for Social Justice Journalism will go to reporters who have exposed the collusion of a major U.S. corporation with a vicious African warlord, the impact of violence on some Baltimore children, the growing legion of elderly Americans who work menial jobs in the warehouses of the world’s largest online retailer, the myriad costs of neglecting to care for the mentally ill, and the injustices that plague America’s Indian reservations.

Winners will discuss the inspirations and difficulties of reporting such stories at a free public presentation Friday, April 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College, 68th Street & Lexington Ave, New York City.

Just some of the winners:
William Greider, Career Achievement
In a career spanning more than 35 years, William Greider has been a steadfast and tireless reporter and editor focusing on American politics. He has been the national affairs editor at Rolling Stone; an assistant managing editor at the Washington Post, where he was also a national correspondent and columnist; and the national affairs correspondent for The Nation. In addition, Mr. Greider has written several books and numerous articles for additional publications.

Documentary
Nathan Fitch, Mikros Soldier (2014, 51 minutes)
Mikros Soldier investigates the Impacts of Militarization in the Federated States of Micronesia, an independent Island nation in the Pacific that has suffered very high casualty rates in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nathan Fitch, a filmmaker and photographer holds an MFA from the Integrated Media Arts program at Hunter College.

Sam Feder, Kate Bornstein is a Queer & Pleasant Danger (2014, 72 minutes)
In this uplifting and timely feature-length documentary, Sam Feder profiles the brave, pioneering transgender performance artist and activist Kate Bornstein, who underwent sex-reassignment surgery in 1986 at age 38, to address the importance of being true to oneself while considering, more broadly, what it means to lead a fulfilling life. Sam Feder, a filmmaker and educator holds an MFA from the Integrated Media Arts program at Hunter College.

Eyebeam is a not-for-profit art and technology center that offers artists fellowships and residencies and presents new media exhibitions; it is one of a kind here in the U.S.. I have been an artist in residence and Eyebeam has always been supportive of my work. Although there are several art and technology institutions in Europe there are few to none in the United States that are dedicated to the creation and union of art and technology free of commercial interests. Please consider attending this important event or donating to Eyebeam. Below is the invitation.

Eyebeam’s first Award Benefit Celebrating Creativity and Courage in Art & Technology

21 April, 2015
6:00PM – 8:00PM

Sony Wonder Technology Lab
550 Madison Avenue (entrance on 56th Street)
New York, NY

For tickets please click here.

Join us at Eyebeam’s First Awards Benefit on 21 April! We will be honoring Ayah Bdeir and Trevor Paglen and featuring work by several current and recent Eyebeam artists.

Ayah Bdeir is being honored for enabling current and future generations to easily explore technology’s creative potential and Trevor Paglen for helping citizens understand the profound magnitude of digital surveillance through a variety of media. Together, their creative and provocative work demystifies public understanding of technology.

For more information see our announcement here.

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Eyebeam is a nonprofit artist colony and R+D lab that supports creative and risk-taking work at the intersection of art and technology. Eyebeam exposes diverse audiences to experimental and interdisciplinary work, providing an environment for dialogue, collaboration, learning and discovery.

www.eyebeam.org

I’ve been following closely the dispute between Russia and the Ukraine regarding Crimea. At first, it seemed to be no more than a power grab by Russia for all sorts of reasons from capitalist power to cultural identity to saving face from a post cold-war reality. I’m not sure that this is not all true from the perspective of Russia, however, from the view of those who dissented and revolted against the Ukraine, it seems even more complex. Without living the reality, who knows, however from a distant observation, I couldn’t help, but create the GIF below.

There’s more to come soon!

Eyebeam’s First Awards Benefit

21 April, 2015
6:00PM – 8:00PM

Sony Wonder Technology Lab
550 Madison Avenue (@56th Street)
New York, NY

For tickets please click here: https://www.artful.ly/store/events/5306

Please join chair Marcy Bloom at a cocktail reception celebrating creativity & courage in art & technology at Eyebeam‘s first ever awards benefit.

Hosts:

Jed Alpert, Emma Canarick, James Clar, Samara Daly, Ed Davis, Leah Gauthier, Amy Kletnick, Steve Lambert, Zachary Lieberman, Ricardo Miranda Zuniga, David K. Park, Tatiana & Campion Platt, Brian Rosenzweig, Ellen Sandor, Marc Schiller, Joe Versace, Alex Villari, and Caroline Woolard in formation.

Eyebeam is the leading not-for-profit art and technology center in the US that provides a fertile context and state-of-the-art tools for digital research and experimentation. It is a lively incubator of creativity and thought, where artists and technologists actively engage with culture, addressing the issues and concerns of our time. Eyebeam challenges convention, celebrates the hack, educates the next generation, encourages collaboration, freely offers its contributions to the community, and invites the public to share in a spirit of openness: open source, open content and open distribution.

Eyebeam Awards Benefit 2015 v4

Occasionally, I see something that makes me reconsider the Libertarian platform as perhaps not being so ridiculous. The latest something to do so is the short documentary by Stephen Maing titled “The Surrender” which is currently available on First Look Media.

A simple conversation between Stephen Kim an intelligence analyst in the State Department and an ignorant Fox reporter James Rosen lead to the prosecution and 13 month prison sentence of Stephen Kim. The basis of this prosecution is a report that a UN Resolution would lead to further nuclear tests by North Korea. As Jon Stewart put it “that’s it, that’s the leak… North Korea has a nuclear test based economy.”

A good man looses his life savings fighting ridiculous accusations by the Obama administration using the Espionage Act to try and dig up whistle blowers. It’s difficult to not consider whistle blowers as the agents for a transparent government, one of the values espoused by Obama.

Why are our tax dollars going toward the conviction of innocent people who are trying to help build a better world? Of course Libertarian ideals and the desire to contribute toward a better government and country are at odds. Immediately after reconsidering Libertarianism, I recall… “oh ya, Libertarians must be land-owning white people who are pissed about taxes, like to have their guns and feel strongly that they had nothing to do with slavery or its aftermath. They probably home school their children and are against vaccinations.”

Once Stephen Kim’s prison term is up, he must show proof of employment. Later this year Stephen Kim will go from highly regarded State Department Analyst to a Beauty Product Salesman (Kim secured his employment at a beauty supply store before heading to jail).

Hunter College Media Studies professor, Jason Fox invited Charif Kiwan of the Abounaddara Syrian video collective to screen a compilation film and speak with Hunter Students. The evening made for a powerful and eye-opening exchange.

Inspired by Dziga Vertov’s “Man with a Movie Camera” (1929), Abounaddara is Arabic for “man with glasses.” Charif Kiwan is the collective’s representative who no longer lives in Syria and has no plans to return. Osama al-Habali, one member of the collective has been imprisoned for the past year and a half, however the collective continues with its mission to produce and post one video a week depicting Syrian life at a time of war.

As Charif described the work of Abounaddara, the collective’s goals are simple:

1. Produce and post one video per week that captures Syrian life at this time of war. Kiwan referred to this practice as “emergency cinema.”

2. Defend the “right to the image” as a basic human right.

The outcome of these goals are to inform and motivate others to find a way to help a people in crisis and to create an archive that portrays every-day life in Syria at this moment. The French-German television network arte commissioned the nearly hour-long compilation of Abounaddara’s videos that was screened at the Roosevelt House.

Although Charif claimed that the anonymous video collective attempts to capture all sides of Syrian life and in doing so give voice to members within the Bashar al-Assad regime and the Islamic State as well as to the rebels and the victims of the ongoing conflict, the compilation is most strongly a call to end the violence and suffering.

Amongst the most powerful shorts in the compilation are “Children of Halfaya” and “SYRIA: Snapshots of History in the making” both are embedded below. “Children of Halfaya” captures boys in a refugee camp in Lebanon, the oldest boy recalls bombing massacres, including that of his school. And “SYRIA: Snapshots of History in the making” captures a young man retelling the moment that he became an activist and the empowerment of protest, however, he must pause as his interview is interrupted by bombing.

Children of Halfaya from abou naddara on Vimeo.

Syria : Snapshots of History in the making from abou naddara on Vimeo.

Whereas other videos posted to Vimeo, merely capture moments in everyday life, such as young people enjoying a street concert (this video was not included in the compilation):

The Wall from abou naddara on Vimeo.

Charif Kiwan pleaded to the audience to act, to engage and to work toward a better world. The video compilation captured diverse perspectives, however, the message appeared clear – the United States must intervene in Syria. It is the moral imperative to end the killing. Charif stated that Syrians are strongly against imperialism, and he seemed to imply an understanding of the price that a U.S. intervention would cost Syria and it’s culture. The current reality of human massacre, suffering and exodus necessitates intervention by foreign powers.

Today, February 13th 2015, I attended the last two sessions of the New Schools “The Fear of Art” two-day conference. I have a few notes from the last panel.

Jeffrey Deitch: on mural of coffins with dollars by Blu… I’m sure that Jeffrey is familiar with the term “parachute artist”… why in this day and age would a museum and an artist create public work ignorant of the immediate community? It seems so unprofessional, disrespectful, naive, ignorant… inform oneself before creating a work, particularly a work destined for the public space. Some veterans protested against the white washing of the wall. They believed in what the mural portrayed – the union of money and war.

In the end a problematic image that created public outcry was short lived… It sounds like our mass media cycle – is this as art should function or the type of work and outcome that a museum desires? Deitch leaves it up to the artist, and that seems too easy. It is the makings for a lot of bad art getting a good run. What about the question of the maturity of the artist. By maturity, I mean an artist undertaking the responsibility to inform oneself, to talk with people, to do research and consider the nuances of a neat visual idea. If an artist informs herself and then proceeds with the work, great, but if an artist runs with a strong visual idea without carefully considering the meaning from various perspectives… then should this type of work be supported? Can research lead to self-sensorship?

Boris Groys: at museums pray to religious artifacts… always imagine what an ancient Egyptian or Greek or Aztec would feel or think if visiting a contemporary museum with these artifacts.
To offend people is a good thing to do because it provokes a reaction, it makes clear the attitude, it puts things on the table.

Lisa Phillips: the strongest art is disrespectful, problematic, because it’s a new way of seeing, a way of seeing that is disruptive and exists before entering the mainstream and being accepted.

Jack Persekian: Installation in preparation for the Pope’s visit to Palestine, images that merged Baroque art with current life of Palestinian’s… what we think of the Holy Land and what it means to live in the location… Carvaggio – Thomas asked to touch Jesus’s wounds – switched to identity card used to scan the finger print of Palestinian’s. The work turned out to be too confrontational to be presented to the pope.

The Franklin Furnace Fund awards grants annually to emerging artists to enable them to produce major performance art works in New York. Grants range between $2,000 and $10,000 based on the peer review panel allocation of funding received by Franklin Furnace.

Franklin Furnace has no curator; each year a new panel of artists reviews all proposals. We believe this peer panel system allows all kinds of artists from all over the world an equal shot at presenting their work. Every year the panel changes, as do the definitions of “emerging artist” and “performance art.” So if at first you don’t succeed, please try again.

Artists from all areas of the world are encouraged to apply; however, artists selected by the panel are expected to present their work in New York. Full-time students are ineligible.

The Franklin Furnace Fund 2015-2016 is supported by Jerome Foundation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by general operating support from the New York State Council on the Arts. Artists supported by funding from Jerome Foundation must live in the five boroughs of New York City.

Deadline: April 1, 2015 at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time

Application Guidelines:
http://franklinfurnace.org/artists/franklin_furnace_fund/docs/ff_guidelines_15_16.pdf

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact:

Jenny Korns
proposals@franklinfurnace.org
Program Coordinator, Franklin Furnace

In 1972 President Richard Nixon took a dramatic first step toward normalizing relations with the communist People’s Republic of China. In 1985 Reagan saw Mikhail Gorbachev as a viable negotiating partner. In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. By the end of 1991, the Soviet Union had dissolved. The normalization of relations between the United States and adversary countries tends to lead to diplomatic change and a working relationship that mutually benefits both countries. For Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio to not recognize this reflects an ignorance of international relations. Change can only come about through communication and understanding.