This past weekend was a special treat for us art lovers who did not have to be stuck in the city’s sweltering heat to see art.  The Wassaic Project’s Summer Festival – with an edge of hippy-folkness  – is much more than just a hippy fest. The founders Eve Biddle, Elan Bogarin and Bowie Zunino are all artists who are based in New York City. They understand how the art world works here and so this is somewhat of a reform to that system. Their mission is simple and straightforward: to revive this hamlet sleepy town with good art, and bring people together to have a good time for the sake of art. And all of the shows are free!  Here’s a photo recap of the event, more words to come after some sleep replenishment.

Wassaic Projects: wassaicproject.org
Thursday – Sunday 12pm – 6pm

There’s a hint of rapture in both Paul Mpagi Sepuya and Timothy Hull’s images. Although both the artists’ practices are completely different by nature, Paul– Photography, Timothy– multi-media collage, they were blended harmonically in their latest collaborative project: The Accidental Egyptian and Occidental Arrangements. What was initially a collage mashup project for Tokion Magazine’s January issue turned into an object of desire – a limited edition artist book – signed and numbered by both artists.

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Last week, while walking south of Houston (SoHo) I noticed a group of people huddled around a circle, looking bogged down from the heat waiting to make a move. They turned out to be architects and local artists creating a series of urban mini-landscapes down the narrow strip of Allen Street in the Lower East Side. Continue Reading More »

Sitting in complete darkness I closed my eyes and brought myself closer to the Dreamachine.

The potential hypnotic, hallucinatory effects that this machine promises is a huge expectation for its sitters, myself included. Of course, at the time when Brion Gysin manifested this machine his state of mind was more or less LSD- or hashish-induced. A poet, painter, performer, inventor, and thinker, Gysin collaborated closely with beat poet William S. Burroughs. Their tight friendship is evident in correspondence letters and openly shared in the exhibition Brion Gysin: Dream Machine. Gysin is one of the founding fathers of the Beat movement, and well respected for his endless experimentations with words and images, which eventually led to sound recordings as well. This man traveled greatly both in the physical and spiritual world, freeing himself to what has been taught, searching for the unknown.

As the yellow light continuously flickers on my face at 78 rpm, I cannot imagine what Brion Gysin saw, in my sober state, instead I heard sounds from some distant land. And shed a tear.

Brion Gysin: Dream Machine
at The New Museum until Oct. 3, 2010 Continue Reading More »

Carol Irving likes to interrogate “the truth” in a gutted manner. She has been examining that “truth” not only in herself but also in over 600 volunteers through multiple “truth” happenings held at office spaces in Manhattan. I had the opportunity to meet with Carol at Carriage Trade, in which her piece PL/90-0559A is part of the group exhibition entitled Mistaken Identities.  Using an original polygraph, which is an old-fashioned lie detector, on herself and on others for a period of over 18 years, Carol is onto something here. The results of these tests look strangely familiar, with marks and symbols that we seem to relate to, although not quite sure why or how. Then the questions begin to surface, such as Have you noticed your smells have changed as you’ve grown old? Do you know anyone named Art? Her images may seem surreal and fictitious but these polygraphic tests were once forced on individuals up until the late 80s. Being interrogated can be an unbearable experience, but transforming this into an art form becomes an attractive practice. I’d certainly be interested to surrender myself to become lines and numbers rendered by a guilt detecting device.

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This week’s featured artist is an extended interview focusing on the work of multi-media visual artist Joshue Ott.

Joshue Ott is one of those innovative artists who visualizes new media in a broader spectrum. Having created superDraw, a platform in which he customized to become his visual instrument, along with multiDraw and Thicket, both interactive projects, Josh is constantly at the forefront. Working with soundscapes, his distinct style of visuals experiments with the basic qualities of form, texture and movement. Since 2005 Josh has been creating live visuals for numerous musicians and various performances around the world. I first experienced Josh’s work live at the 2010 Unsound Festival in New York. We had this conversation in his studio in Brooklyn where he lives with his wife and two children.

Helen Homan Wu: Okay, let’s talk about how you started superDraw. How long ago was it?

Joshue Ott: It was…years ago. Morgan Packard and Ezekiel Honig released Early Morning Migration and I played at the release party. It was some sort of debut. The first time I did superDraw live in front of people and called it superDraw.

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courtesy MoMAPS1

This Saturday’s Warm Up event at PS1 MoMA will be a good one. The line-up includes Animal Collective, Blondes, Prince Rama, Oneohtrix Point Never, CFCF, and Babe Rainbow. The set starts from 2PM to 9PM. See the full schedule here.