It was Amazing!

I swear my eyeballs were exploding.

What's happening this weekend (besides my shindig, of course)? I probably won't have much energy to go out and see any art. I plan to clock somewhere around 12 hours of writing before Monday.

I'll see you guys topside sometime soon. Woot.

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Autobiography

So, I was born in the land of William Faulkner, underneath the sign of the Centaur on the first day of the final month of 1983. My father was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and my mother was born in the lower Appalachians.

Sometime during the 2!st Century, there will be a number of people who will learn precisely what those events mean. .


: )



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Finally to pose questions with a hammer, and sometimes to hear as a reply that famous hollow sound that can only come from bloated entrails — what a delight for one who has ears even behind his ears ... before whom just that which would remain silent must finally speak out.

- Friedrich Nietzsche
Twilight of the Idols: Or How One Philosophizes With a Hammer
(Bold type = mine. Alternate text here.)

Oh my dear, dear Fred. You see, I've been practicing with this here Sledge on a daily basis, and maybe soon, I hope to upgrade to a balls-out wrought iron Mjölnir.

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Deconform September: The Spectacle

The new Deconform team has set a timeline for the fall issue that should carry us to print in early September. (Expect a nice, spiffy website makeover to launch with the next issue) Initially, I'll be happy to achieve a product similar to what the magazine has looked like in the past. The key, however, will be meeting our deadline every quarter and - as consistently and as aggressively as budget will permit - improving the overall quality of the magazine with each additional issue.

The theme we've chosen for the September issue is "The Spectacle." It's quite a broad theme, but it's one compelling enough to inspire our fairly diverse group of writers. We'll write about art - you can be sure of that - but the broader mission of the publication includes "Art, Music, Culture & Politics." I'm excited to see how it all takes shape.

I will be writing an art review or two as well a general piece about the spectacle of an art opening. The basic questions I want to ask myself (and folks in the community) include

*Does art have to be hip?; To what extent is "the scene" of art negative?;
*Are we putting too much emphasis on opening night?; Are we going to see art on weekdays?;
*How many people are actually talking about the paintings (for more than just a few minutes)?; and

*Why is it so damn loud in this gallery? I can't hear myself think!

I'm thoroughly excited about the whole project, and I hope to hear plenty of thoughts over the next couple of weeks.

Here's to the first re-launch issue of Deconform.

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I played many hours of SEGA as a child

So, I'd like to come clean while I can: I absorbed a large portion of my vocabulary from video games and from playing Magic. Does that make me a bad person?

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Art Revival

Opens this Friday - 814 Edgewood Avenue.

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Fafnir is dead, and so is Bergman

Last week, the British Museum revealed the discovery of an honest-to-God Viking hoard. The treasure, a collected stash of more than 8,000 silver coins, chains, and amulets (and no dragon!), would have been worthy of the finest of Celtic man-heroes. Sorry Sigfried, Beowulf: it looks like you missed your chance.


Also, Seventh Seal director Ingmar Bergman died on Monday. I have to admit that I know little about the man's work, but I found Peter Bradshaw's piece especially illuminating. Bradshaw is a critic that isn't afraid to pull punches, but he can achieve moments of surprising accessibility and candor. For example, check his take on Grindhouse.

Bergman: a Life in Pictures.