Phx Pub Market Vendors
09.26.2011
Abby Lee Farms
nabplus5@aol.com
specialty melons and produce, grass-fed beef
Absolutely Delightful
eliedzuik@cox.net
www.absolutelydelightfulazhoney.com
Assorted Arizona honey, honeycomb and bee pollen, creams, salves and face wash made with propolis and honey
Arizona Homegrown Solutions
www.azhomegrownsolutions.org
Locally grown produce and hand-made crafts. Their community table offers a great opportunity to sell some of the produce you grow in your own backyard, community garden, or small market garden.
AZ Tomatoes A-Z and MRS Pinafore
AZTomatoes@cox.net
MRSPinafore@cox.net
Hybrid and heirloom veggie starts; live salad bowls; hand-crafted kitchen wear.
Chile Acres
chileacres@wildblue.net
Fresh eggs, goat’s milk soap, medicine bags and crafts; Barn Goddess Goat Cheese!
Crooked Sky Farms
www.crookedskyfarms.com
Specialty produce
Desert Marigold School (back in fall)
602-243-6909
www.arizonawaldorf.org
produce and flowers from school’s garden, handmade crafts
Desert Roots Farm (back in November)
kellysaxer@hotmail.com
(602) 751-0655
Specialty produce, CSA
Double Check Ranch
520-357-6515
schwennesen@mac.com
www.doublecheckranch.com
All natural grassfed beef, chicken, eggs and beef jerky, free-range, hormone and antibiotic free, on-ranch slaughter/processing
Dos Arbolitos
623-935-6900
Naturally grown herb plants, vegetable starts and edible plants. Plants are grown using only organic inputs.
Golo Family Organic Farm
Certified organic specialty produce
Horny Toad Farm (Wednesdays only) specialty produce
Maya’s Farm
vayaconmaya@cox.net
www.mayasfarm.org
480-236-7097
A small locally run, cut to sell operation, that produces fresh seasonal heirloom tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, greens, roots, herbs and flowers using natural growing methods – no pesticides ever – for markets, restaurants and CSA.
The Meat Shop
themeatshopaz@cox.net
602-258-5075
Frozen all narural locally grown pork – no additives, no salt and no hormones added.
Montgrove Arcadia Dates (back in fall) Specialty black Egyptian dates and local citrus
Mystique Mesquite
gotmesquiteflour@yahoo.com
Flour ground from pods grown in Arizona and California
One Windmill Farm
www.onewindmillfarm.com
onewindmillfarm@worldnet.att.net
specialty produce, cider, juice, pinto beans and granola
Phil’s Farm Fresh Produce – here occasionally
philsfarmproduce@yahoo.com
naturally grown vegetables and herbs
Rafter Six Ranch
Home of Morris Land & Cattle Co.
602-291-6224
www.raftersixranch.com
Black Angus beef, no hormones, steroids or enhancers, fed on pasturized grass, corn, alfalfa and grain.
Rainbow Valley Nursery
rainbowvalleynsy@aol.com
www.rainbowvalleynurseryaz.com
520-424-3464
Locally grown succulent plants, rustic planters; soils and organic fertilizers
RhibaFarms
www.rhibafarms.com
wheatgrass, micro-greens
Seacat Gardens
carl@seacat.com
623-846-4624
Heirloom tomatoes and lettuces, salad mix, Caribbean peppers, rare greens, herbs, citrus and plants
Simon’s Garden
simons.garden1@hotmail.com
vegetable container gardens, grown organically from seeds and supplies
Sonoran Date Palms
sonorandatepalms.com
Certified organic dates
Summer Place Pecan Farm (back in fall)
summerplacepecanfarm@yahoo.com
Whole pecans, pecan pieces, shelled; pecan pralines, muffins and more.
Tortoise and Toad Farm
tortoisentoad@yahoo.com specialty produce, ancient whole grain, flour and grain products
Two Wash Ranch (Dave the Egg Man)
623-465-1536
chicken, duck, goose eggs, fresh herbs and more
Baked Goods:
Arizona Bread Company
480-607-7676
azbread@netzero.com
www.azbreadco.com
Artisan breads
Arizona Cheesecake Company
480-444-2524
azcheesecakeco@gmail.com
azcheesecakeco.com
Signature product is a 4 1/2″ personal cheesecake available in 48 flavors. 9″ cakes available too!
Bread Basket Bakery
bbasketbakery.com
480-423-0113
wholegrain and specialty breads, muffins, granola, baklava, and more
Gateaux ZoZo
480-316-8489
gateauxzozo@gmail.com
Fresh baked croissants, French pastries – Palmiers, Meringues, Almond Tuiles, Diamants, Jalousies, Madeleines, cookies and more!
Jan’s Baked Goods hand-made berry, cherry, apple, peach, lemon and coconut pies, sugar cookies, pumpkin rolls; apple, cherry and rhubarb turnovers
Nubian Queen Universal Catering Services (here occasionally) bean pies, soap, incense
P&M Pastries European-style éclairs, chocolate cake, cream puffs, cookies, strudel, nut rolls and more
Value-Added and Prepared Foods
Belinda’s Pickles
www.belindaspickles.com
602-672-6344
sweet and spicy pickles
Carrizozo Orchard cherry and raspberry bottled juice
Coffee and Tea Express
602-920-0421
www.coffeeandteaexpress.com
kathy@coffeeandteaexpress.com
Locally roasted coffee, loose leaf teas, Sportea, mochas, chai latte, and seasonal lemonade and hot chocolate
Cotton Country Jams
cottoncountry@aol.com
http://www.cottoncountryjams.com/front/index.aspx
602-268-3181; 602-478-6085
original recipe jams, jellies, syrups, chutneys, salsas, vinegars, sauces and pickled products
Crave Desserts
480-295-0182
artisan ice cream made with local seasonal ingredients
DD’s Desert Delights
ddsdesertdelights@etsy.com
peanut brittle
DeCio Pasta
www.deciopasta.com
Hazelc41@cox.net
480-456-1080
handmade pasta made with durum wheat and fresh veggies, in a variety of shapes and flavors
DePoca Foods (on leave)
daniel@danieldesign.org
Authentic Mexican-style Shrimp cocktail
Dr. Hummus
480-818-3800
traditional middle eastern spreads and dips, including garlic, jalapeno and pepper flavored hummus, and baba ganoush; dolmas, baklava and date bars, tabouli salad, pita chips and seasonal citrus!
Dry Bay Fish Company
akhazelcreek@yahoo.com
Frozen Alaskan Wild Salmon
Dust
www.getdust.com
pre-packaged seasonings and rubs
Dutch Poffertjes House (here occasionally)
dutch.poffertjes.house@hotmail.com
Traditional Dutch treat, like tiny puffy pancakes, served with powered sugar and the topping of your choice!
Elfish Company
gah@cableone.net frozen wild salmon and halibut; smoked salmon
Especial Tuna (back soon)
www.especialtuna.com
206-778-9752
custom canned wild North Pacific albacore tuna, salmon and shrimp
Fresh from the Goddess (Wednesdays only – back in January. Saturdays at Chili Acres’ booth.) goat cheese, goat cheese crackers, gluten-free baked goods
Gardener’s Kitchen
www.thegardenerskitchen.com
Frozen, ready to bake meals for two, stuffed shells, vegan stuffed chilis and salsa
The Healthy Nut
www.TheHealthyNutOnline.com
organic and all natural granola
Jelly Kings
jellykings13@gmail.com
jalapeno jellies, spicy rubs
Nuna’s Flavors fresh salads, sandwiches and soup, bottled dressings and marinades
Raging Raw Organics
www.ragingraw.com
raw flax seed crackers and raw cookies
Raimondo’s
602-277-9939 low-carb pasta, sauces and Italian take-away, Venezia Bakery’s artisan breads , desserts
Rainbow Valley Nursery
rainbowvalleynsy@aol.com
www.rainbowvalleynurseryaz.com
520-424-3464
Fresh locally-made cow’s milk Farmer’s cheese, fresh butters, cage free eggs, cheese-based rice and wheat gnocci.
Spice and Rub
spiceandrub@yahoo.com
international rubs, spices, seasonings and specialty olives ; ready to eat dolmas, falafel, zatar and taziki sauces
The Tamale Store
602-435-2604
tamalestore@yahoo.com
Your choice of fillings: chicken, beef, cream cheese and chile, sweet corn, veggies and more!
Terra Verde Farms
www.terraverdefarms.com
artisan jams, preserves, semillions, marinades, dressings, chili and tomato products
Tonatierra Development Institute
www.tonatierra.org
602-254-5230
yulu seeds from the Corazon de Bonete tree, Guerrero, Mexico, roasted in AZ
Tortillas Rosario
www.tortillasrosario.com
freshly made white and whole wheat flour tortillas
Wei of Chocolate
www.weiofchocolate.com
lisa@weiofchocolate.com
hand-crafted dark chocolates and flower essence misters
Wisdom-Nectar
alisongvw@cox.net
Fresh raw juice – lemon, coconut and other seasonal fruits – by the cup with flower essences, iced and hot teas, iced and hot coffee; bulk tea packets, and, Pao (steamed pork buns).
OTHER INFO from FARMER’s MARKET
Market Chef Elizabeth Milburn
www.leave-it-to-elizabeth.com
Cooks up simply fabulous samples with a little of this and a little of that from different food vendors each week
Juan Carlos serves up Sonoran Brewery Root Beer, soda, water and organic apple juice at the Refreshment Palace.
Arizona Grown items, Market t-shirts and more are available next to the Information Booth, where, in addition to collecting and dispensing information, Carl operates the credit / debit / EBT card point of sale terminal also along with Erika, Ashley, Shaunda, Katie, Valerie, Carmen and JA.
Friendly Copper Square Ambassadors are on-site every weekend to answer your questions about Downtown Phoenix, where it’s at, and how to get there.
And many thanks to our volunteers that help keep the Market going and growing: Carl, Dan, Mario, Linda, Donna and Nate, Carmen, Eloy, Lisa, Katie, Antoinette, James, Maya, Zachary, Zoe, Chip, Alan and David.
Hemispheric Institute in Mexico City March 2012
08.10.2011
Planning to pitch a paper on Francis Alys for this conference…. gotta find a way to raise the $300 registration fees if I get accepted.
Deadline for applying to a work group: Septermber 26, 2011.
Trans/Actions: Theatre and Performance as Sites of Economic Coexistence
Conveners: Alberto Guevara, Marcela A. Fuentes, Ivone Barriga and Katherine Zien
This working group invites scholars, artists, and activists to explore ways in which theatre and performance intersect with hegemonic, residual, and emergent economies both in the theater and in urban settings such as financial institutions, monuments, governmental buildings, transnational bunkers, etc. We are interested in analyses that address the ways that theatre and performance elicit debates, raise popular awareness, and critique social and concomitant ideological shifts toward or away from current free-market policies. While neoliberalism exerts global hegemony as the dominant economic world system, theatre and performance often function as sites in which several different economic models coexist. Questions proposed for this working group: How are local and global economic forces represented and/ or embodied in performances in the Americas? In what ways are notions of reciprocity and non-reciprocity part of “performance contracts” on the stage and in the city at large? How do bodies account for forms of exploitation and pleasure as economies of scarcity and excess? How have economy and theatre impacted, challenged, or reinforced the (gendered, racial) division of labor in the Americas? How are the economics of migration outflows and tourist/retirement inflows in Latin America, as well as transnational remittance-based economies, restructuring performance practices? How does the digital contribute to create new spaces for the disruption and critique of “virtual” economic systems or systems based on speculation?
Format:
This working group will consist of paired papers and respondents, performances, and a performance-as-research component. Conveners will assign to each paper or proposed performance one or more respondents who will develop and deliver critical questions for the author. Additionally, groups of authors and respondents will develop an exercise through which to discuss or examine by embodied means the relation between economy and theatre/ performance that they analyze in their papers or performances. This performance-based activity should put into action or embody the working session’s concepts and epistemic systems in concordance with the varied perspectives of different political economies discussed in the group. The practical exercises will be planned via email or on the Hemispheric Institute’s online forums to play out and take shape during the working group’s sessions. Additionally, the conveners will assign basic bibliography to develop a general glossary of economic terms and systems that will helpful in framing the transfers at play in the case studies examined and enacted in the workgroup.
Applications:
Prospective participants should send a short bio and a paper abstract, or a brief performance outline/rationale and a mission statement.
20 participants will be selected.
**Note: This workgroup is a continuation of a working session offered at the 2011 conference of the Association for Theatre Research “Embodied Economies in Flux: Theatre and Performance as Sites of Economic Coexistence in the Americas,” the only work session at ASTR examining performance, theatre, and activism in the Americas. We are interested in continuing our work on the issue of economy in performance and performative economics here in a hemispheric context. In tandem with the topic, we would also like to connect one conference to the other (Hemi after ASTR) and to bring this conversation to a group that perhaps was not able to attend ASTR in Montreal. For us, this means the possibility to rehearse different approaches in two separate contexts and to invite related considerations about academic and performance labor in economic terms via the idea of recycling and editing. In this way, will be able to apply observations gleaned at ASTR to the Hemi context and better understand how these two different bodies of scholars, artists, and activists can converge meaningfully
Convener Biographies
Alberto Guevara
Originally from Nicaragua, Professor Guevara has harbored a lifelong interest in the intersections of performance and politics. Under the Nicaraguan Sandinista government, he participated in a cultural brigade and received training at the National Theatre School. Professor Guevara holds an interdisciplinary doctoral degree (Performance, Communications, and Cultural Anthropology) from Concordia University. His work focuses on a number of interconnected areas, including the theatricality of power, performance and nationalism – with a focus on the contestation of dominant narratives, art and revolution, theatre for social change, Indigenous art and performance, the aesthetics of violence and affliction, the body in performance, and ethnographic methods. A unique strength of his scholarship and teaching is his combination of contemporary performance theory and ethnographic methodologies. Thus, while field research forms the backbone of his performance studies scholarship in Nepal and Nicaragua, the measurable outcomes of this research are diverse and include: documentary films, exhibitions, and an interdisciplinary open-access online journal, as well as traditional print publications. Dr. Guevara is an associate professor of theatre studies at York University.
Marcela Fuentes
Marcela Fuentes (marshagall) received her Ph.D in Performance Studies from New York University and has recently completed a two-year postdoctoral appointment as a Fellow of the Andrew W. Mellon program “Cultures in Transnational Perspective” at UCLA where she taught in the School of Theater, Film, and Television, and in the departments of Spanish and Portuguese and Women’s Studies. Her work explores performance as political intervention online and offline, focusing on contemporary cultural production in the Americas in response to neoliberalism and neoconservatism. She co-edited with Diana Taylor an anthology of canonical essays in Performance Studies that will be released in Spanish by Fondo de Cultura Económica (Mexico). Currently, Marcela is working on a multimedia publication, using a digital authoring platform to investigate issues of liveness, site-specificity, and embodiment as they apply to performance practices in the Americas through the lens and methodologies of the digital humanities. Marcela also works in theatre, performance art, and independent radio as a director, producer, dramaturge, and performer. www.marshagall.com
Ivone Barriga Ramirez
Ivone Barriga is a PhD candidate in the theatre historiography program at the University of Minnesota -Twin Cities. Her topics of interests are related to theatre and performance for social change in the Americas, with emphasis in post colonial and transnational theories and the impact of neoliberalism over racial, class and gender formations. As a Comptom Fellow she has carried out her fieldwork in Lima between 2010 and 2011 as part of her doctoral project. She is also a theatre director and performer.
Katherine Zien
Katie Zien is a doctoral candidate in Northwestern University’s Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Theatre and Drama (IPTD). Her pedagogy and research focus on theatre and performance in the Americas, including topics such as spatial semiotics, postcolonial and transnational theory, and intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class in North and Latin American theatre practices after 1850. As a Fulbright scholar in Panama (2009-2010), Zien completed research on her dissertation, “Claiming the Canal: Performances of Race, Labor, and Citizenship in Panama, 1904-1999″ and co-produced a ten-day performance residency, “Agua/Tierra: Una propuesta para escuchar” (Groundwater: A Listening Project). Please see her website for more information on recent and forthcoming publications and activities:www.katherinezien.net
Drama and the Erotic
05.14.2011
The film was hilarious, interesting and charming. Lots of British accents delivered the news: The Vatican holds the largest collection of porn in the world and no one gets to see it. Almost all the speaking heads were male and British, there were plenty of Parisians and Germans, too. Perhaps the most delightful moment in the film was when one of the collectors of erotic art fantasized of curating an exhibit of all the penises that the Catholic Church liberated from marble statues. Apparently, he had the distinct honor of seeing the “willies” in storage: row after row, safely situated in flat drawers, deep in the memory of the archive.The crowd in the theater was sorta quiet and then, half-way through the film, the ice broke and lots of people were laughing out loud at the innuendo, double entendres and images used to tell the story.
Of all the objects they showed, and a lot of them were books, the most astounding was the original manuscript of Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom. Scratched on the delicate surface of toilet paper by the imprisoned Marquis, the script was surprisingly even handed. I knew under what circumstances the book was written, but to see the delicate paper, inscribed with the most debauched content was super duper ironic.
Then, of course, there was the story of how Jacques Lacan created a mask for Courbet’s L’Origine du monde. I knew he had owned the painting but to imagine him commissioning the quick drawing and creating such a loaded gap between the two, that took the cake. After the film, Karolina and I sat and enjoyed a drink: I had vanilla creme soda while she sipped a red wine. The conversation turned to Duchamp (as it so often does) and I kept trying to remember the name of his final act - Étant Donnés: 1. La Chute d’Eau, 2. Le Gaz d’Éclairage. I was reminded of the installation instructions that were found when the piece was posthumously discovered in Duchamp’s Manhattan studio. Duchamp played chess in public while crafting plaster body parts in private. I am in love with the idea of stumbling upon this scene that is meant to be stumbled upon. Intersticial spaces be damned, sliding between the pigskin and the brick wall would be an interesting view.
Marcel Duchamp, Manual of instructions for Étant donnés, 1946-66. © 2009 Artists Right Society (AGP), New York / ADAGP, Paris / Succession Marcel Duchamp. Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Marcel Duchamp, Polaroid photograph of Étant donnés in Fourteenth Street studio, 1965. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Archives, Anne d’Harnoncourt Records.© 2009 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris/Estate of Marcel Duchamp.
State of Affairs: Chapter 1
05.13.2011
This is what I have:
- a fairly good account of DeCerteau’s Walking in the City,
- the beginnings of TH’s living outside,
- some good content on the derive,
- lots of citations from the recent monograph of TH.
This is what I need:
- a tightening of the SI as an opening to the chapter
- a formal analysis of TH’s cage piece
- a turn toward DeC’s “walking” to understand what’s left behind after walking
- to bring Lefebvre into the conversation
- TH’s year outside as example of evidence that does something.
The Dissy Calendar
05.13.2011
Due Dates for First Draft
- Chapter 1 (TH/DeCerteau): June 1
- Chapter 2 (): July 6
- Chapter 3 (): August 10
- Chapter 4 (): September 7
- Chapter 5 (): October 5
- Chapter 6 (): November 2
- Introduction (November 30)
Secret Museums
05.13.2011
Expsyited to see SECRET MUSEUMS tonight at the FilmBar. Must remember to mention YELP in order to get $2 off my movie ticket.
The Beginning of The Beginning
05.11.2011
It starts now. The end of my waiting. The end of wanting to be done with the dissertation.
What begins is an opportunity to fail, an opportunity to learn something I never imagined I’d know, an opportunity to discover that writing (even a dissertation) is as much fun as I make it.
Today, I start. The files are out. The books are piled. The dogs are settled in at my feet.
What else might I need? I think Cranky Femme will be revived as the place where I dump my brain mess, before I bring out the other guns. This will become the first pit stop in my day of writing. I will follow the advise of my dear (but so remote) friend Claire and get out the freak before applying myself to the work of the artists.
Rodrigo Tisi inspired me this week. He successfully defended his dissertation and became a PhD. We were in the same cohort. This time next year, that’s me.
If you’re subscribed, welcome me back. If you found this entry accidentally, stick around for a while. Things are going to get interesting… that’s the plan, at least.
Planning Actions
03.18.2010
I’m deep into the research about Fringe Festival productions. The most interesting thing i see on the schedule is a performance that happens entirely in the dark. I am curious enough about this to go see it… There seem to be a lot of works by and about “young men.” There’s a lot of Vaudevillian acts, too. It’s so funny to think of myself texting a bunch of people as they stand in the lobby of a venue before a show.
We Do It In the Dark
Directed by Zac Yurkovic, Written by Conner Draves, Robert Fontella, Daniel Frey, Christian Krauspe and Kelly Rossi. E4 Productions (Detroit)
An ensemble piece performed entirely in the dark. The 5 scripts are all world premiers of works created specifically to be performed in the dark. These plays are all unique, funny and compelling, with the audience going through this experience just like performers. A show like you’ve never seen and never will!
$5
Fri, April 2 @ 10:00 PM
Sat, April 3 @ 9:30 PM
Thu, April 8 @ 8:30 PM
Fri, April 9 @ 8:30 PM
Sun, April 11 @ 8:00 PM
Texts Calling Card
03.18.2010
This is the card that participants can offer to strangers to explain their behavior and invite them to join the performance. Very happy to say that 3Monkeys Small Business Printing is donating their services to produce 5,000 cards!
front of calling card
back of calling card
Texts Post Card
03.18.2010
Has it really been that long?
03.02.2010
Oh my.
I haven’t posted in months. This tends to happen when I start a blog and I know why. I begin when its difficult to write the dissertation, then I feel guilty about spending all that time on writing that’s not on topic…once a catholic always a catholic – isnt that what they say? THEN I get so busy that I don’t have time to blog OR feel guilty.
So much water has gone under the bridge since November 22. That was right around the time that I started to feel morbidly depressed. Then I cast off the dread with a tyrannical insistence on “enjoying the holidays.” Which I actually did this year. The desertifying of my front yard took serious time and thought, as did my preparations for the College Art Association conference in Chicago. Check out this review of my panel… looks like I did okay, even if I was “less coherent” than my panel mate at least I wasn’t the most absurd thing of the conference (like my other panel mate)!
Following CAA, I’ve been working on a new performance which has been accepted by urbanSTEW to be part of the interactive installations during the Phoenix Fringe Festival. Everyone who visits my blog should sign up for the performance which begins the first week of April. There will be a live component to the performance and I’ll write more about that as things develop.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, X-square is perking away – we’ll be announcing winners in mid April.
And I’ve had a birthday!
All this to say…
I’m back to the blog. Although I’m not sure what this means for my writing.
Luxirare Does Thanksgiving
11.22.2009
Plastics Kill
11.17.2009
Found this website – maybe on Boing Boing? – that shows albatross chicks who die because their mama birds bring them plastic for dinner. This is a pretty graphic indictment of our disregard for the environment, I think. Apparently, the photos were taken on an island located 2,000 miles from any continent in the north Pacific Ocean.
From Chris Jordan‘s artist statement:
Exploring around our country’s shipping ports and industrial yards, where the accumulated detritus of our consumption is exposed to view like eroded layers in the Grand Canyon, I find evidence of a slow-motion apocalypse in progress. I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity.
As I was writing this post, I realized Jordan was responsible for those photographs that my students were so excited about a couple years ago – ones where the image is composed of many mulitples of things to depict the excesses of our lifestyles.
Packing Peanuts, 2009 (60×80″) Depicts 166,000 packing peanuts, equal to the number of overnight packages shipped by air in the U.S. every hour.
Feminist Landscapes
11.13.2009
I plan to submit a paper for this WOMEN AND PERFORMANCE journal which is published by the Performance Studies department at New York University. At this point, I’m thinking of writing about Roni Horn’s Still Water (The River Thames, for Example). i’ve also thought that her Library of Water would be an amazing text to consider for this journal. Still in the early stages of deciding… Could I do both? Probably.
I’ve highlighted some phrases and passages below that correspond to my thoughts about Horn’s work. Horn hasn’t phramed her work as ‘queer’ or ‘feminist’ but it functions as both… or at least that will be part of my argument. Stay tuned for more information about my submission.
Call For Papers
“Feminist Landscapes”
Guest Edited by Katie Brewer Ball and Julia Steinmetz
Women & Performance: a journal of feminist theory
“The cunning Painter… Limning a Land-scape, various, rich, and rare.” Sylvester, 1603.
What would it mean to create a feminist, transfeminist, or queer landscape? What are some attempts that have been made towards this project? This special issue of Women & Performance asks for a diverse invocation and interpretation of the ways in which the terms “feminism” and “landscape” can partner to create what we might simply call a “feminist landscape.” This might take the form of an aesthetic play on both the shape and our understanding of the land through feminist ideals, or read as a critique of the orientation of peoples within constrictive spaces; it might be a geographical or visual re-imagination of nation through social experimentation, or a return to a promised home.
The word “landscape” comes into use in the 17th century to describe the art of painting stretches of pastoral countryside. From the beginning the concept of “landscape” was thought in terms of aesthetic depiction, first through drawing and painting and then taking literary forms. Later it came to connote the designation of a particular vista or viewing point, and finally aesthetic intervention into the transformation of the terrain itself. As new art forms have emerged so has the set of aesthetic practices that fall under the rubric of landscape, including land art, photography, sound work, institutional critique, and performance. Today the term “landscape” has moved beyond its origins “to designate both a specific terrain and the general character of that terrain” (J.M. Coetzee). Landscape describes both the aesthetic and topographical composition of the land as well as the ways in which the land orients and is itself oriented by the bodies that move in and through its planes.
Landscapes have continually expressed and influenced aesthetic, political and social values about land, its form and function. Practices of landscape architecture, urban planning, and gardening crystallize these relations. How might we get away from an understanding of landscape as limited to the “European picturesque”? This question of perspective becomes crucial to our interrogation of landscape as a feminist project. Indeed, landscape has been defined by its production and reception from a single, fixed viewpoint. How can we reconsider landscape by encountering it from a multiplicity of perspectives, both visual and social? Expanding beyond just gender proper and into feminism’s necessary attention to race and class, this issue also attends to the ways in which bodies on a certain landscape become oriented by a complicated play that cannot take gender out of the context of race and class-based perspectives. As such, Feminist Landscape as a concept can benefit greatly from an exploration of the ways landscape is performatively produced, and of the performance of place-based social identities.
Potential contributions to this issue could emerge from the following points of interest:
*The Pastoral and the Sublime: These two landscape genres speak to the impulse to tame the land for human use, and to the equally intense desire to have amazing and terrifying encounters with the wild and raw forces of nature. What are some feminist interventions into these historically gendered and racialized genres?
*Critical Utopias: What would it look like to imagine a generative landscape that does not restrict but rather promotes social and cultural multiplicity, i.e. Pilot TV, Queeruption, the VanDykes, Herland and Parable of the Sower? This could include imaginary worlds, utopian spaces, experiments, future leaning imagery, the virtual, and otherwordly land interventions.
*Paradise: From the Garden of Eden to Heaven, Isle of Lesbos to Versailles, what do you imagine Paradise to look like, and what gendered, sexual and racialized valences do these mythic landscapes hold?
* Safe Spaces: Landscapes of separatism, safety, exclusion and inclusion including lesbian separatism, trans-phobia and gendered spaces, racially-restrictive deed covenants, women’s and queer temporary lands, racially-marked places of danger, lesbian tourism, taking back the night and the rural hazards to young queers epitomized by Brandon Teena and Matthew Shepard.
*Gardening: Themes of fertility and virility, colonial power and domination, domestic landscapes, intimate encounters between land and body, land art, cultivation and pleasure.
Women and Performance invites critical essays or short performance texts that examine these or other questions relevant to a critical discussion of feminst, transfeminist, and queer landscapes.
Essays should be no more than 10,000 words in length and adhere to the Chicago Manual of
Style, 15th Edition. Abstracts are welcome for review before the final deadline. Complete essays for consideration must be submitted by January 15th, 2010. Please send all work to Julia Steinmetz and Katie Brewer Ball via email (MSWord attachment) or post: brewerball@nyu.edu & steinmetz@nyu.edu. Further submission guidelines may be found at: http://www.womenandperformance.org/submission.html. Women and Performance is a peer reviewed journal published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis.
***we are also accepting visual art submissions/ artist statements***
–
Katie Brewer Ball
Performance Studies, NYU
brewerball@nyu.edu
In My Backyard
11.12.2009
One more reason to finish the dissertation:
Tenure-Track Position in Performance Studies
The Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies (HArCS) in the New College at Arizona State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Performance Studies to begin in August 2010. HArCS is interdisciplinary and committed to a critical examination of human meanings, values and experience.
The successful candidate will be expected to teach and develop courses in relevant areas and to engage in creative/collaborative performance practices. Scholarly research and/or creative activity and service to ASU
and the profession appropriate to tenure track guidelines are expected. Only candidates with a Ph.D. or M.F.A. at the time of hire and college teaching experience will be considered. Desirable qualifications include technical
expertise and potential for interdisciplinary collaboration.
HArCS is one of three divisions that comprise ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. It includes several degree programs: Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance; Women and Gender Studies; English; History; Integrative Studies; American Studies; Religion and Applied Ethics; Philosophy. There are two M.A. programs: Interdisciplinary Studies and Applied Ethics and the Professions. The Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance (IAP) degree program is the only one of its kind in the Southwest. IAP offers courses in: Digital Media, Music and Electronic Sound Art, Performance Studies, and Theater/Performance.
Performance Studies should be conceived in the broadest sense. A candidate’s areas of expertise may include but are not limited to those above, with scholarly and/or creative/practice performance specialization in: documentary, documentary studies, sexuality/gender studies, cross-cultural performance, performance/cultural theory, community/social performance, performance and technology, Southwest Studies, and/or other fields and
areas.
Send a letter of application, statements describing your research and/or creative program and teaching philosophy, curriculum vitae, a sample of two pieces of scholarship and/or creative activity, and three reference letters
electronically to Jamie.Howell@asu.edu (Performance Studies Search Committee, Attention: Jamie Howell, Arizona State University at the West Campus, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, P.O. Box 37100, Phoenix, AZ 85069-7100).
All application materials should be submitted as electronic documents (CDs or DVDs of single artistic works can be mailed under separate cover).
DEADLINE for applications, including materials, is January 8, 2010.
Arizona State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
A Good Prospect
11.12.2009
4-4 is a heavy teaching load, but this gig is in Philly. I wouldn’t mind living near the city again and close to some of my family too.
_____________________________________________
Join a vibrant campus community whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. West Chester University of Pennsylvania invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Theatre and Dance and Women’s Studies to begin in Fall 2010.
Responsibilities: Applicants must have a record of successful teaching and demonstrate scholarly promise. West Chester currently offers both a major and minor in Women’s Studies with contributing faculty from a wide variety of departments across the University. The Theatre and Dance Department offers a BA in Theatre with concentrations in performance, dance, musical theatre, technical theatre, and general theatre. The teaching load is 4-4. Competitive Salary and Benefits. See: http://www.wcupa.edu/womensstudies and http://www.wcupa.edu/cvpa/indexTHD.asp.
Requirements: We seek candidates with expertise in teaching about women and gender and a commitment to developing our thriving Theatre and Dance program, along with our growing program in Women’s and Gender Studies. Applicants should be prepared to teach introductory women’s and gender studies courses and undergraduate courses in feminist theories, as well as courses in performance studies, dance studies, or theatre and dance courses related to race, gender, and sexuality studies. The ideal candidate will have interdisciplinary training and will have the opportunity to develop interdisciplinary courses in theatre or dance. Field of specialization is open. A terminal degree (PhD preferred) in Theatre, Dance, Interdisciplinary Studies, Performance Studies, Women’s Studies and/or Gender Studies, with a record of contributions in Theatre or Dance and Women’s and/or Gender Studies, is required by May 2010. In order to be considered a finalist, applicants must successfully complete an on-campus interview, which includes both a teaching demonstration and a scholarly presentation.
To Apply: Please send a letter of interest, CV, official graduate transcripts, 3 or more letters of reference, a statement of teaching philosophy explaining commitment to feminist pedagogy, and two sample syllabi to Dr. Jen Bacon, Director of Women’s Studies, West Chester University, West Chester PA 19383. Review of applications begins December 1, 2009, and continues until position is filled.
West Chester University, a member of the Pennsylvania State system of Higher Education, continues to build a culturally diverse, broadly trained faculty capable of fostering an inclusive environment. West Chester, located 25 miles west of Philadelphia, is convenient to major cultural and commercial institutions, recreational activities, and is within driving distance of Wilmington, DE, NYC, and Washington, DC. Developing and sustaining a diverse faculty and staff advances WCU’s educational mission and strategic Plan for Excellence. The University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer encouraging diversity. Women and persons of color are particularly encouraged to apply. All offers of employment are subject to and contingent upon satisfactory completion of all pre-employment criminal background and consumer reporting checks.
Application Information
Postal Address:
Dr. Jen Bacon, Director of Women’s StudiesWest Chester UniversityMain HallWest Chester, PA 19383
“this information isn’t going to leave this room…”
11.10.2009
I just can’t stop thinking about this recent (2007) video of Miss Vaginal Davis.
From Frieze Magazine: “Vaginal Davis is the key proponent of the disruptive performance aesthetic known as terrorist drag. Disrupting the cultural assimilation of gay-oriented and corporate-friendly drag, she positions herself at an uncomfortable tangent to the conservative politics of gay culture, mining its contradictory impulses to interrupt the entrenchment of its assimilatory strategies.”
What did YOU wear today?
11.10.2009
I have no idea where I found this little gem… but I sure do love this project. It makes me want to contribute drawings of myself. Its really interesting to see how some people exclude their bodies from the drawings, others include emotional states as attire, and the names folk give to their accessories.
Commute Bird Two
10.31.2009
The other day I was pulling out of my driveway at the absurdly early hour of 5:45. As I slowly began moving forward I saw this amazing, huge bird on the street. I think it might have been a hawk. It had an enormous yellow beak, long tail feathers and its huge body stood on taloned feet. I twas amazing, really amazing! I stopped and watched as it spied me and sat there…then took off into the neighbor’s tree. No wonder there weren’t any pigeons around!
Carrie Marill
10.26.2009
I really do just love Carrie Marill‘s work. She makes these astoundingly beautiful, precious gauche paintings. The other day she gave a short talk at the ASU Art Museum about her participation in the show that’s currently in the main gallery.
I wasn’t so sure about her most recent paintings, frankly. They seemed too bucolic. I was concerned that these images would loose the very thing that I like about Carrie’s work: the tension between stark graphic elements and the realism of her near-scientific renderings of flora and fauna. Not to worry… There’s plenty of tension conveyed through symbolism.
This is the image that’s been circulated a lot in the publicity for her series of works that directly cite some 1950′s education images she found in Paris. I would really like to know more about the original images, Carrie said some of the pictures were of the French colonies… there’s a bigger story here. Carrie blew up the original images and printed them on water color paper. She then modified the pictures to make various comments about contemporary environmental conditions and concerns. In this image (Be Realistic Demand the Impossible) you can see that she’s added a recycling bin, some solar panels to the roof of the cottage and modified the train to look like the Metro Light Rail. She also added a pig, to point toward the swine flu pandemic and a bicycle-powered washing machine. Cool!
My favorite in the series was Do You Have a Minute to Save the Planet? It bellows the often discordant relationship between activism and environmentalism that expresses itself at the site of consumerism – Carrie said she was thinking of the people outside Whole Foods who ask for your money or a signature. But it also calls to mind a recent Honda advertisement in which a very hip fellow wearing a ” save the earth” tee shirt climbs out of a 1970s Civic, morphs according to the prevailing fashion trends across the past four decades and reenters his aught-modeled Civic looking ever so trendy. Back to the painting: I simply love the monumentality of the figure, it tells us everything we need to know.
She also talked a bit about a group of work hung on the opposite wall of the gallery including a stratified wall painting of onomatopoeia for various bird calls laid over color-saturated river rock and a slew of trash arranged on the floor under the painting. These objects look like tumbled rocks, smooth on the edges by the water and sand. Look a little more closely and you can see they are pieces of styrofoam coolers and plastic debris. The material of these man-made and naturally formed objects resonate with the flatly colored rocks in each of her paintings that serve as perches for her bird studies. This Belted Kingfisher, for example, sits on a cluster of rather unlikely-hued flotsam that’s raises off the surface of the page.There’s the tension: bold and flatly colored graphic forms, enter the third dimension while the hyper-natural bird lies on the surface of the paper, its feathers as soft as the tooth of the page.
oooooh, good stuff.
Tommy and Adriene
10.25.2009
Mel recently asked if I had any good readings on death… what a question. Yes, i have too many good readings on death too count – but from what angle. We explored the usual suspects – Goulish’s 39 Microlectures which brought us to Kathy Acker, Peggy Phelan’s tribute to the dying student which begged me to ask why authors rely on stories of their students for such material?, then I remembered a terrific essay by Adriene Heathfield about the death of Tommy Cooper. Adriene’s amazing story about this very odd event invites me to think about the spectacle of living and the encumbrance of visuality. It is really worth it to see some other videos of Cooper’s performances, Heahtfield does a great job of contextualizing Cooper by way of his demise which was broader than his death.
Oiticica’s Works Burn
10.20.2009
I just read in Artforum that an estimated 2,000 works by the inestimable Brazilian artist Helio Oiticica (1937-80) went up in flames. This is really so sad… Oiticica was primarily preoccupied with color who’s work as a Brazilian Modernism often articulated a provocative response to formalism. His commentary on universal form was shaped through 3-dimensional paintings, intended to be seen from the inside out by the observer.
I love, in particular, his Parangoles which he made and performed from 1964 – 79. In these works, the canvas came off the wall and the stretchers completely and the observer inhabited the ‘painting’ which was intended to be danced to the rhythm of the samba. He was an active participant with a samba school in Mangueira, one of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Lygia Clark, another Informale artist of the time and seen in this image, and pop music stars danced the parangoles alongside anonymous citizens in a radical demonstration of populism: a brave political posture.
In 2007, The Tate had a retrospective of Oiticica’s work. This is an installation shot of the Parangoles as they hung in the gallery. Equally elegant on the wall, the works still suggested the movement that was part and parcel of their construction.
This is a real loss…
Fire Destroys Nearly 2,000 Hélio Oiticica Works
10.19.09
O Globo’s Eduardo Fradkin reports that nearly two thousand works by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica (1937–1980) were destroyed Friday in a fire at the house of his brother, César Oiticica, in Rio de Janeiro. Hélio Oiticica’s brothers were responsible for the artist’s estate, the Projecto Helio Oiticica; César Oiticica estimates that 90 percent of the collection was lost. The works were being temporarily housed at César Oiticica’s home because of a dispute between the Oiticica family and the Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica over unpaid fees for the lending of the works to a retrospective that opened in April 2009.
In 2007, Tate Modern and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston staged major exhibitions of Oiticica’s work. The fire also destroyed all the pictures and film negatives in the house made by José Oiticica, Helio and César’s father and an important Brazilian photographer.
The X-square Project
10.17.2009
One of the big projects I’ve recently become involved with is X-square, an initiative of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. The program has a Facebook Presence and this is the official blurb for the program:
X-square is an annual project commission for student teams to conceptualize, design and build a structure that activates the big empty red brick space in the Neeb Plaza courtyard. Through student team development, the public presentation of juried proposals and faculty engagement, X-square can function as a meeting of the minds and talents residing in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. X-square turns the studio inside out and, at its best, will serve as a laboratory to generate models of meaningful urban gathering spaces.
The project entails a student competition, much like a public art commission, for the development of a small, brick courtyard on campus. Teams of (at least) 3 students from different schools in the newly founded institute will prepare proposals to develop the space according to 10 program parameters.
1. Each proposal should develop an integrated strategy that brings together subject matter expertise among the arts and design.
2. Each qualifying team must have a minimum of one student from both SoA and SALA plus one student from one of the other five schools in the Herberger Institute ( AME, Dance, Theater and Film, Music, SDI). Teams are not limited to these three upperdivision and/or graduate students, other student expertise from the greater University is encouraged. Each team must have a faculty advisor from one of the seven schools In the Herberger Institute.
3. Entries should propose an environment that encourages occupation/use/program of the space by students faculty and staff across the Herberger Institute as well as the greater ASU community.
4. Issues of climate, context, and accessibility must be considered.
5. Interventions are limited to the brick area only, with the exception of an accessibility ramp that meets the ADA minimum slope of 1‟:12‟ to the brick area.
6. The brick surface can be covered, but cannot be damaged or modified in any way. Structures must be designed so that NO ground penetrations are needed for footings or supports.
7. Proposals should employ sustainable materials and methods of construction and incorporate necessary infrastructures, such as electric power and water into the design of the scheme. NO POWER OR WATER WILL BE PROVIDED FROM THE CAMPUS.
8. The life of the intervention will be nine (9) months and must be designed to be dismantled and recycled with limited waste.
9. All design, fabrication, installation and dismantling will be the responsibility of the student team.
10. Teams must have FUN !
The project is a year long endeavor with the following timeline:
- Student teams are due for approval immediately following Thanksgiving holiday break. Once the teams are approved…
- Proposals due at the beginning of next semester when mock ups of the finished installation will be on display for public comment and consideration.
- A jury will decide the winning team which will go into development in the Spring 2010 semester and…
- Installation of the winning team’s project will happen during the summer of 2010.
- The installation will remain on the site until the end of the 2010/11 academic year.
There are terrific possibilities for internships, independent study and other professional development. The best part, I think, is that X-square aims to mix it up between architecture, art, performance, film. It will be a very productive adventure. We had a launch party this past Wednesday (10/14) and there were over 150 students and faculty there, mostly from the School of Art and the School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture. It was fun.
As things develop, I’ll be posting info to Cranky Femme so that I have a permanent (if virtual) record of this project.
uh oh.
10.12.2009
its becoming increasing clear that i need to buy an iphone. an expensive proposition, to be sure. but i don’t really think i can function without ical, on hand. and, hey, att lets you bank your unused minutes. *right.*
Any zombies out there?
10.09.2009
I went to see Jillian McDonald talk about her work today at lunch time. She’s the current artist in residence at the ASU Art Museum as part of their Social Studies series of exhibitions.
I was so happy that she showed a little video of her earlier work – its the most interesting to me. She began her talk by showing a clip of her in a staring contest with Brad Pitt. It’s great. She ‘virtually hijacks’ film clips by inserting herself into scenes with famous actors. One of the qualities of this work that’s curious to me is how her image is clearly not of the scene. You can detect the outline around her figure, the lighting is a bit off. It lends a very campy aesthetic that points a finger (and giggles) at the stardom she’s riffing on. This work also invites a conversation about star crushes, fandom and, of course, celebrity.
During her time in Tempe she’s going to be doing a few different projects. One is a series of workshops on becoming a zombie (or vampire). She’ll also be giving workshops on how to apply the make up and costumes necessary to achieve the living dead look. Then these participants will be part of a video shoot in the desert. The idea behind the film will be a clash of the undead, with no particular motivation for (or resolution of) the conflict. She’s looking for people who want to be involved in the project. If I had the time, I’d do it for sure! Contact ASU Art Museum if you want to get involved.
Another project she’s working is to transform riders of the Light Rail system into zombies or ghosts for Day of the Dead. The transformation will occur on the train, with participants applying make up and then disembarking after they are changed. She did this work in New York (2006) and I laughed out loud when I saw the video (which is available on her website). The obvious differences between the L train and the Light Rail are going to make trouble for McDonald, I think.
Here’s the actual call for zombies that McDonald issued:
WANTED: Artist Jillian Mcdonald seeks actors and makeup artists for vampire and zombie video – no experience necessary!
Jillian Mcdonald, Social Studies artist-in-residence at ASU Art Museum seeks participants in a video installation for her November exhibit at ASU. Interested parties will attend an information session and audition on Oct. 15th at 11 a.m.; attend a rehearsal on Oct. 22nd starting at 11 a.m.; and be videotaped together on the afternoon of Oct. 31st in the desert. The information session, audition and rehearsal will be held in the project’s gallery at ASU Art Museum. No acting experience or knowledge of vampires and zombies necessary, however feel free to do some research online. There is no cost to be a participant in the project!
Zombies may also, if interested, participate in a further performance on the Light Rail on The Day of the Dead, Nov. 2nd. Watch for more information on this coming soon. Contact Jillian Mcdonald, info below, to receive notifications.
Also seeking enthusiastic makeup artists – with or without experience. Makeup artists will come to an information meeting on Oct. 15th at 2 p.m., and a workshop Oct. 16th or 23rd at a to be determined time. These meetings will also be held in the project’s gallery in ASU Art Museum. Makeup for the video will be done at the museum on the late morning of Oct. 31st. There is no cost to participate, makeup will be provided.
Please sign up with Jillian directly if you are interested in participating in the project at 917.443.8107 or jmcdonald@jillianmcdonald.net – she will also answer any questions or concerns. Interested parties who cannot make the scheduled dates, please inquire about alternative times.
Take advantage of opportunities to meet the artist at the ASU Art Museum open class session on Tues., Oct. 13th at 6:30 p.m.
Soundsuit Plans
10.07.2009
I wrote an earlier post about Nick Cave’s soundsuits and my burning desire to see them… last weekend I made a trip to SMoCA and was astounded by them.
Amazing.
Larger than life-sized and presented on a low platform, the suits towered over me. My nephew was a little taken aback (he’s 3 years old) but once he warmed up to them, discovered the smallest details, he loosened up a bit.
Having the niece and nephew in tow was an interesting way to see Cave’s installation. Mary Faith was totally enrapt by the suits covered in birds and the furry suits too.
The particularities of the soundsuits suggests that a person could choose a favorite. Think again. Just when I thought the “green furry” suit, sitting atop a wooly polar bear, I turned around to see a suit topped by an abacus mask.
The soundsuits will be performed on the evening of November 4, a Wednesday. Unfortunately, I’m teaching the Art and War class on the other side of town and just can’t seem to make a connection between the suits and ‘war’ so I can’t compel my students to go to the performance. Also, I’m canceling class next week so I can oversee the X-square launch, so canceling again just won’t do.
I called and got permission to sit in on the dress/tech rehearsal the previous night. I also plan to interview Susan Skrzycki who’ll be dancing in one of the suits. Can’t wait!
Hair Drama
09.30.2009
I never really LIKE getting a hair cut. I mean, I like when the cut is done (if it’s done well)… but sitting in the chair making small talk, well… it is not my thing. Not to mention, I feel inordinately large in those chairs, with the giant nylon tents covering my enormous torso. There was this guy on 7th street in the village who used to cut my hair – it cost a small fortune. I would arrive and say hello. He would ask me what I want and I’d say “short and sassy.” That was basically it. He’d wash my hair, wack, wack with the straight razor, I’d pay and we’d be done for another 12 weeks. He played this terrible jazz…. it was so stressful for me to listen to that music but at least I didn’t have to talk…or make decisions. Those were the best hair cuts I ever had, too. amazing. It probably helped a lot, too, that my hair was bright orange!
Art and War: Here We Go Again!
09.29.2009
I just learned that I’ll be finishing out the semester for a professor who’s taking an unexpected research leave. Its a class that I taught a few years ago “Art and War” and it will be great fun to revisit some of that material again with new students.
The faculty who’s leaving is beloved by students, so they are really enormous shoes to step into… and taking over a class when it’s already in full swing is not all a bowl of cherries – I know. I’ll be sticking pretty closely to Richard’s syllabus as it stands, adding my own content along the way as it occurs to me.
Just as I was adjusting to not teaching this year, along comes this great opportunity –
I ♥ the West campus!
Reading on the Train
09.28.2009
Every time I wrap my New Yorker onto itself while riding the light rail, I think of the jolting, crowded, smelly 7 train. Collapsing my reading is second nature, even if I have yards of empty space around me on my commute home. The reading hasn’t changed, either. First choice for my purse is The New Yorker. It takes me exactly one week of commute time to read an issue cover to cover. Now that I’ve picked up a class to teach on the West campus, I guess I’ll be reading student papers again…
The New York Times conducted a study about what people read on the train. The results are really interesting. How wonderful that “Atlas Shrugged” and “War and Peace” are on the list of books! Another article and slide show are enough to make me very home-sick for a grimy subway car.
Foxy
09.27.2009
I’ll be writing about this piece for my paper at CAA in February. This is the first time I’ve seen the video of the fox Alys tracked through the National Portrait Gallery. AWESOME.
No Signal…
09.26.2009
He’s no longer calling from inside the house…
The phone is no longer ripped out of the wall…
and the lines are no longer clipped outside the kitchen window.
No, now there is no signal, the battery is dead or the cellie gets wet!
This is a great little video that I saw on Boing Boing this morning. Very funny, indeed!
Helga Steppan’s Colors Work
09.25.2009
Helga Steppan has an interesting recent project… “See Through All My Things.” The Swedish artist chromatically organized her belongings then photographed them. The large (30×36) C-prints invite me to think of the orders I aspire to hold in my life, the colors that predominate in my belongings and the moods inspired by the palette of ownership. How lovely. I’m particularly smitten by the image of her white collection…
This reminds me of a project I helped develop for teaching art to high school students “Bring Back A Week.” We asked students to collect evidence of time passing by gathering materials they encounter on a daily basis and then shaping that flotsam into a piece of art. Members of the initial BBAW team have moved on to use the concept in teaching art in places as diverse as the university classroom, the community church and a local prison. I suppose the reason this work resonates with BBAW in two ways. The act of collecting, chronicling, purposefully amassing requires the same sorts of gestures, discernments and attention. Also, both projects wring every day life into work that evokes memory, mood and narrative that ultimately weaves a story about domestic mundanity.
Doing Dishes With Deleuze
09.24.2009
thanks to alex villar for posting this great video to fb. he’s always giving me great leads for reading, watching, thinking. i like to listen to these vids while doing housework.
Luxirare… what a dream.
09.23.2009
i love luxirare! i mean … i am in love with luxirare! does everyone already know luxirare?! it just seems wrong that i haven’t known about this work sooner!!
the blog says “killer clothes + fine cuisine” but i’d add: food stylist, photographer, designer, artist. this is a pic of some potato chips she made, baked and the details of how to do it. don’t miss the archives where i found this AWESOME project for crab salad in avocado. and the bento boxes on the splash page are so great…
li, are you reading?
make me lunch!
Man Buried in Catalina
09.22.2009
This is an odd story from the NYT of a 90-year old man who was buried, sitting upright, in his Pontiac. The car was put in the ground next to his wife’s grave. On the passenger seat: his gun collection.
I have the perfect place for this!
09.22.2009
When I left the city, I was so relieved to look out a window and not see a brick wall! So, I’m a bit confused by why this has so much appeal for me… I have a huge wall in my living room where this would fit perfectly!
When was the last time…?
09.22.2009
A student recently asked me when was the last time I saw a piece of art that made me swoon… I couldn’t remember, really. It isn’t the object, the painting, the sculpture, or the installation of work that floats my boat; its the conversation the work inspires, the memories it compels and the performances it actualizes that are stunning to me. I suppose I could say that there were performances that make me dizzy with pleasure, delight or dread. But those somatic experiences are a function of the event, the intersubjective quality of performance. Gestures bound to an accepted invitation to transgress the liminal space that exists between bodies.
So, I told her about the first time I saw a Rothko color field painting. It was Untitled #10 (1950) and I had spent about two months, just prior to my visit to MoMA, writing a paper about it. I arrived to the gallery, it was very quiet, like a church, and there was no bench for sitting so I sat on the floor. I wanted to sit in front of the painting because I thought something was supposed to happen. I wanted the painting to fill my field of vision, just like Rothko wanted it to do; I wanted to experience the transcendence. But all that happened was that the guard instructed me to stand up. I told the student that it was important for me to see the painting, but mostly because nothing happened. I remember the moment because I broke the rules.
More than 15 years later, I think I probably remember it because it was embedded in an entire range of events that culminated in the failure of the swoon… the world trade center had just been bombed (for the first time) and the city was in an uproar, I was visiting my sister and we saw Flav O Flav on the street, I was recovering from some minor surgery and aware of my mortality in a new way because of it.
District 9 on BB
09.21.2009
ever since i saw district 9, i’ve had a draft in my blog posts by the same title. but i couldn’t seem to get my head around all of the nuances, problems, promises and general malarkey of the film. thank god for bully bloggers guest writer, jayna brown who breaks it down and lays it out.
maybe one of the redeeming qualities of the film could be how it, in itself, represents an interesting hybridity… mixing ‘the office’ with ‘leathal weapon,’ ‘transformers,’ ‘saving private ryan,’ and so many more… i liked the gymnastics of skipping from one genre to another, one resonance to the next (although not all of them were intended, i’m sure). perhaps it was a way to distract myself from the really dismal politics of the plot, trite characters, lame dialog and gaping wholes in the plot. i was, at times, laughing out loud… although no one else found the humor.
grumble… moan
You Remind Me of My Brother
09.20.2009
I was in the lunch room, arriving late because I just don’t want to sit and watch “Family Feud” during the one uncommitted hour I have all day… Lynn was at the table and talking about her mother-in-law who’s in for her 6-month visit from Texas. Somehow, the subject of her brother came up. He was an artist, apparently. A musician who played guitar in several bands before he ‘came to his senses’ and got a real job that had health insurance. But it was too late… the pesky sore throat had developed into full blown esophageal cancer.
After a grueling description of how they had to move his stomach up to his throat… (i was trying to eat a bagel with cream cheese) and how he couldn’t eat much food and then, when he did, it didn’t stay in him very long… (as i tried to get into my lovely zucchini soup) Lynn proceeded to tell how he died, before her very eyes. They were in the hospital room and he had the ’1/4 eyes’ where his eyes were only open a 1/4 of the way (the nurse said this was a sign he was close to death). He was very nervous and going on and on about how he needed to divide his things, aside from those eyes, he seemed perfectly fine. Then, “he took a cough” and expired on the spot. “he just took a cough and that was it” Lynn says, tearing up at the thought of her brother’s death. It was so sad, I was practically in tears myself. “Lynn,” I said, “it’s okay” as she tried to apologize for getting teary in front of everyone. “That sounds really awful,” I said.
That’s when she turned to me and said… “you know its just that you remind me so much of him… and I always think of him when I see you or hear about your crazy projects.” Sally, at the table, started laughing as I was aghast…
“But Lynn, I have had health insurance and a steady job since I was 18!” Sally’s bustin up even more at this and Lynn tried to recover…
“But, you know, you remind me of my brother so much. The way you do things that make me say ‘What the hell are you Thinking?!?’ you know?”
I’m always presenting problems for Lynn… what’s a queer girl going to do with a gal from east Texas? I suppose I should take up the guitar.
Cool Weather’s Reliefs
09.19.2009
It is such a cliche to talk about the weather when you live in Arizona… but, cliches happen for a reason. The air is cooler in the morning, it is such a HUGE relief. Even more relieving is the silence. I have a VERY LOUD handler on the air conditioner… it sounds as though a jet engine is roaring to life when it starts up, every 20 minutes when it’s 115 degrees outside. These are not exaggerations. Now, with the highs hitting only 101 this week, it seems to rarely turn on… this also translates into relief on the electric bill. And my water bill will also subside from the spasm of nourishing grass in this desert heat.
In only a couple weeks I’ll be wearing sweaters and jeans, I simply cannot wait.
Cooler weather means more opportunities to be social, too. So a relief from the oppressive heat and the solitude it inspires. Dinner parties on the patio, more frequent walks in the park, coffee on the outside: welcome changes in the fall ’round these parts.
The last quarter of the year also brings the relief of having to be in the gym. Walking/running on a treadmill is not nearly as much fun as doing it outside, where you can breath fresher (not re-circualted) air, feel the wind on your skin and stumble on the irregularities of the pavement.
Oh, I can’t wait.
Of course, it never gets quite cool enough for me to wear my fabulous fur hat or swiss army coat. But my trip to Chicago should satisfy my jones for the cold weather this February. brrrr.
UPDATE: it seems i’ve spoken too soon – temps are on the rise again, expecting a week of 103-107. dare i say i jinxed it?
new web design
09.17.2009
i am planning to redesign my web site.
maybe with a top nav… and integrating the blog as a link, condensing the menu choices, jazzing up the splash page. lots to think about … simply more jazzy. huh.
SOUP!
09.17.2009
Made this soup last night
- super fresh and delish Substituted some shallots for the onion and garlic, went with a white potato instead of russet and use mixed baby squash instead of zucchini. (So maybe I didn’t make this soup afterall!)
Zucchini and Rosemary Soup
Bon Appétit | June 1995
The Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels MD
From the Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels, Maryland
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Yield: Serves 8
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
6 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
1 russet potato, peeled, sliced
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Croutons
Chopped green onions
Melt butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and rosemary. Add stock and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add sliced zucchini; simmer until tender about 15 minutes. Working in batches, puree in blender. Season with salt and pepper. Cook cubed zucchini in saucepan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Drain. Rewarm soup over medium heat. Ladle into bowls. Top with zucchini and croutons. Sprinkle with green onions.
Drip, drip, drip.
09.16.2009
I love Drip. More: I love meeting Karolina at Drip for a long conversation, great coffee and some excellent food. This morning we convened around 10a and didn’t get out of that place until nearly 1p. Gina made me a most excellent soy latte with a tall hat of foam, just the way I like it. Then Karolina and I each ordered the New York Egg Sandwich, mine with American cheese, her’s with Havarti. Used to be that Karolina would have to bring her own flat ware, the place used these chunky orange plastic forks and knives … but today, Gina surprised us with real plates (instead of the plastic ones they used to offer) and honest, stainless forks. It was a great improvement…maybe not as hip as their funky plastic, but so much more sensible in the hand. This morning the weather was quite cooler than it has been lately and our conversation was infused with the optimism of the impending fall. It’s always a good day when it starts at Drip.
Two Faves Do Kaprow
09.13.2009
Allan Kaprow (center, with beard) and participants in his “Yard” (1967), at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York.
This month and next, two of my favorite artists (both featured in the dissertation) will be re-inventing Allan Kaprow’s Yard in NYC: William PopeL and Sharon Hayes. The NYT says a bit about their efforts.
A bit from this month’s Frieze
09.12.2009
Was reading this month’s Frieze. An article about the current state of theory in the arts offers comments from various professors of art, art history and criticism from around the world. Following are a few thoughtful claims from the article that struck a chord with me.
George Baker (UCLA, Art History) describes a recent “undeniable anti-theoretical turn” which relies on the lack of commonality in theoretical veins which he rightly claims to be an opportunity and not a hinderance. Theory, he says, is “a flexible mode of philosophical thinking, a thought that reaches outside the limits and boundaries of accepted fields and methods, hybridizing them, then inventing new categories and new modes.” … I couldn’t agree more. This sentiment that what theory is, or how theory does, seems to imbue the thoughts of several of the writers, keeping them in the question instead of the answer.
Isabelle Graw (Hochschule Fur Bilden de Kunste) rightly points out that any “art worth talking about…possesses an intellectual dimension.” Indeed. And she goes on to tell of the need for artists to be critically fluent in today’s market.
Ronald Jones (Konstfack, Stockholm) addressed the ‘post-critical alternative’ to critical theory currently popular at various academic sites of art. He also called for a greater rigor and less opinion in the field (here! here!). He referred to a fascinating NYT OpEd piece that lays out some astoundingly clear evidence for the need to re-imagine the university. This call, itself, seems to have reach a trope status, though. Abolish tenure…yes. Don’t exploit grad students and adjuncts…yes. Collaborate across disciplines…yes.
Michael Archer (Goldsmith, London) made me laugh out loud when he said that the multiplicity of nomenclature for the intersections of theory/critique/art/history in the institution was “symptomatic of either a lack of clarity about what’s needed, or a belief in the desirability of openness in fine art education.” He also rightly noted that “art history” was probably the worst possible name for such junctures because it casts the contemporary as the latest in a long line… blah blah blah. I simply fell off my chair in hysterics when I read his critique of how fashionable theory is insufferable: “Merely replacing Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Francois Lyotard with Alain Badiou, Jacques Ranciere and Slavoj Zizek is a tedious game.” And then he holds Dave Hickey’s feet to the fire! I think I like Mr. Archer.
Two Train Sightings
09.05.2009
This morning I saw a young man, probably about 22, who had an impressive Mohawk. He and a friend got on the train at Camelback and Central. Why they choose to sit so far apart is a mystery to me, especially since they held a conversation in a tone of voice that entertained everyone in the car. I’ve decided that when someone does this, I’m going to watch them with interest and respond to their conversation, as though I were part of it… because I am, aren’t I? Maybe I will eventually screw up enough courage to ask a question or make a comment.
Yesterday, a young woman got on the train at Roosevelt station. She had a pierced septum, I really like how it looked. She also had a mess of dreads on her head, blonde dreadlocks. After she hung up her cruiser, she took a seat in front of me. The overwhelming smell of patchouli oil and clove cigarette smoke wafted up from her as she plunked down into the seat. She seemed oblivious to the fact that her dreads were spilling out over the back of her seat, into the space above my knees. She had a filterless clove cigarette tucked between a couple of her dreads and I was amazed that a) it wasn’t broken and b) it didn’t fall out. As we made our way downtown, I noticed that she also had a few ants crawling around in her hair. I wonder if she knew they were there and invited insects to live on her body because she didn’t believe in killing live things… or if she would freak out to know that her hair was host to the critter. Either way: it made my skin crawl.
Meditating Pears
09.04.2009
Gotta love these pears! I think Praying Hands Apples would be a huge hit here, in Arizona.
Read more (in Portuguese?) at Brogui.
UPDATE: saw this posted to Boing Boing AFTER I had posted it to Cranky Femme! Does this mean I’m ahead of the curve now? LOL
We Live In Public
09.03.2009
Saw a review in the NYT about the new film We Live In Public. I remember meeting Josh when Martha Wilson of the Franklin Furnance brought him to a party I was hosting. He was carrying around a stinky, un-but-previously-lit cigar and wearing a felt hat. I remember him being sort of noise, in a way that didn’t fit in at the scene. And I remember spending hours watching his loft feeds, hours.
At the time, I was preparing for a sort of dangerous performance that I (wisely) abandoned. The plan was to go to Maricopa County and get myself arrested and, while I was to be at the intake of the county jail, have a network of people on the internet grab screen shots from the deplorable live cam that Sherrif Joe Arpaio had situated there. I remember talking to my sister (the family attorney) who said “do you really want to have an arrest on your record, just to make some art?” I suppose my convictions have limits.
Here’s the trailer to the film about WLIP:
Hannah Wilke, that’s who.
09.02.2009
A few days ago, I asked
Who is the 1970’s artist who posed for several self-portraits with small gum vulvae affixed to her body?
And, I’m sure you all knew the answer was Hannah Wilke. In her 1974 SOS: Starification Object Series she issued a critique of the sexualized female artist as seen by the male dominated art systems (all white, of course). For the series, she molded gum into small vulva-like shapes and applied them to the surface of her nude body. These forms eventually migrated to the wall crafted from gum, kneaded erasers and cut latex. Unfortunately, Wilke’s body succumbed to the vagaries of cancer, which she famously documented in her 1992-93 work Intra Venus.
Amelia Jones offers an interesting (if dense) analysis of Wilke’s work in (and S.O.S. is on the cover of) her oft-sited Body Art.
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- S.O.S. Starification Series 1974
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- Hannah Wilke from the SOS Starification Series
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- Hannah Wilke, Needed-Erase-Her Series, 1974, kneaded erasers
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- Hannah Wilke, Ponder-R-Rosa Series, photograph with Wilke, 1974–5
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- Hannah Wilke from the Intra Venus Series 1992
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- Hannah Wilke, Intra-Venus Series, March 18, 1992, bandages from bone marrow harvest on plexiglass
Animal POV
09.01.2009
I can’t stop thinking about Museum of Animal Perspective videos that I saw posted to Boing Boing earlier this week. I really like the wolf videos… especially the one where the beast is digging furiously, and walking through a birch stand. Of course these points of view don’t really capture what and how the animals see, right? I mean, an armadillo never gets to see the back of its own ears, a tortoise doesnt see the top of its head as it trundles through the desert.
And how do they get those cameras to stay on the turtle, anyway? …maybe with a strap around its shell? There’s a performance in here, somewhere.
UPDATE: unfortunately, there’s only one video still on-line. I’m not sure what happened, but have written to the folks to see if we can expect them back. In the meantime, I’ve removed all the links…
Etchells on Tehching Hsieh
08.31.2009
I just came across this great article by Time Etchells on Tehching Hsieh.
And the toast Etchells made at the launch of Out Of Now:
To time
To time past
To the clock
To the watched clock
To the minute hand, hour hand
To the second hand
Against the clock
Against the punch clock
To the heartbeat
To ducking out of time
To running out of time
To marking time
to making time
To time remade
To time remains
To time future
To what art can do
To what it – art – can’t do
To shelter,
Against bars
To walking
To rain
To sleep
To the task
To the rule
To doubt and clarity
To the daydream
To marks on the wall
To art
In its great strength and its speaking silence
In its persistence
Its visible invisible
In its wit, in its fun, in its blankness
and in its deep articulation
to possibility
to the minimal
in face of capital
in face of commodity
against or in face of the wholesale capitalisation of time
to invention
to touch, no touch and privacy and none
to conversation
to the unsaid, unspoken, unspeakable
to the strength of the solitary
to the little yes and the big no
to the traces that are vanished and the traces that remain
to the ghosts of an actions made in the past but still moving in the present
to the past again
to the future, again
To the now
Which is here
To life and art
To life as art
To art
To go in life
To walk right out of life
To walk out of what some call life
To survive
to the future, again
To the now
Which is here
And now
To Tehching.
Nick Cave (not of the bad seeds)
08.30.2009
I absolutely must see Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth at SMOCA (up until November 29, 2009). Don’t miss the interesting videos on the SMOCA site. In one of the clips he asks: “What makes people be light within a moment?” Lovely. I am particularly enamored of the second video (embedded here) where stills of the suits, activated on a white ground, illustrate the dynamic possibilities of encounters between dance and the visual arts. Meanwhile, the noise suits at play in the street are less interesting to me. I’m not sure why… dancing in the streets just isnt enough, I guess. Can you hear the noises of the sound suits in the street?
UPDATE: Plans to see the suits at SMoCA on Oct. 3 with my niece and nephew…and I just learned that Nick Cave will be performing his sounds suits on November 4. Will post a review to Cranky Femme after I see what it’s all about.
Gum Hair Clips
08.29.2009
I love the idea of putting gum in my hair!
QUICK! Who is the 1970′s artist who posed for several self-portraits with small gum vulvae affixed to her body? (i’ll post the answer in a few days) Funny, I never stopped to realize that she managed to keep the little sticky sculptures out of her hair. Didn’t she? Yes, she did.
The View From Here at Work
08.28.2009
I sit at my desk and face the door. A very small portion of the view is of the hallway leading to the director’s office. The remainder of that view is a dreadful textured wall with a black plastic baseboard and worn, filthy gray rug. Inside my office: a bit of a mess. Papers are strewn across the surface of my desk: file folders, parts of my dissertation, blank note pads, post it notes, the notebook where I’m tracking my calories, a book called “No More Ramen” and another titled “The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.” There are two AP Style books (one is outdated), a bunch of catalogs for promotional products and the most recent New Yorker. On the right side of my L-shaped desk is the Wacom tablet, a box of tissues, an art-deco ash tray filled with paper clips and my telephone. I also have a can of air and two speakers on my desk.
My favorite things which have nothing to do with work include an 1865 map of Iceland on the wall next to the door and a group of images hanging on my bulletin board: Barrack and Michelle dancing in February, Virginia Woolf drowning herself, a bag of nuts and bolts, Michael Jackson’s feet, a photograph of a woman who can free dive to 100 meters. There is also a walking map of campus. Below the bulletin board is a vintage orange task lamp.
To the left of my desk and in the corner of my office, is a gray filing cabinet. There’s a recycle bin in front of it and next to a floor lamp that has three directional shades. Pictures of my cute niece and nephew are stuck to the side of the file cabinet with magnets that look like pushpins. There is also a calendar of events hanging there. On top of the file cabinet is a printer that sucks, and above it is a white board that’s scrawled with notes about my current projects including an editorial calendar for the semester’s e-newsletter.
In the other corner of my office is a round table, also heaped with papers. There are two chairs: one is empty, on the other sits my lunch bag.
This is my office.
Rhythmanalysis
08.27.2009
This great book has been recalled by the library, I have to give it back.
“Rhythmanalysis of Mediterranean Cities”
Reprinted in Writings on Cities (1996) p. 228-29
Henri Lefebvre and Catherine Regulier
It is impossible to understand urban rhythms without referring to the general theory, which we will call ‘rhythmanalsysis’ related particularly to these rhythms but not only these. This analysis of rhythms, in all their magnitude “from particles to galaxies”, has a transdisciplinary character. Moreover, it gives itself as aim the least possible separation of the scientific from the poetic.
In this manner we can try to draw the portrait of an enigmatic personage wandering the streets of a large Mediterranean city, with his thoughts and emotions, his impressions and his wonder, and whom we will call the ‘rhythmanalyst’. more aware of times than of spaces, of moods than of images, of the atmosphere than of particular spectacles, he is strictly speaking neither psychologist, nor sociologist, nor anthropologist, nor economist. Yet, by turn he comes close to these disciplines and he can use all the instruments employed by the specialists. he therefore adopts in relation to these different sciences a transdisciplinary approach. He ‘keeps his ear open’, but he does not only hear words, speeches, noises and sounds for he is able to listen to a house, a street, a city, as one listens to a symphony or an opera. Of course, he seeks to find out how this music is composed, who plays it and for whom. He will avoid typifying a city by a simple subjective trait as a particular writer will characterize new York by the howling of police sirens or London by the murmur of voices and the cries of children in the squares. Attentive to time (or tempo) and therefore as much to repetitions as to differences in time, he separates by a mental act what gives itself as linked to a whole: namely, rhythms and their associations. he not only observes human activities, but he hears (in the double meaning of the word noticing and understanding), the temporalities in which these activities take place. he can at times be closer to the physician (analyst) who examines functional troubles in terms of dysfunctions or rhythms or arrhythmia and at other times to the poet who can say:
“O people that i know
All i need is to hear the sound of their footsteps
To be able to tell forever the direction they have taken.” (Apollinaire, “Cortege’)Rhythms cannot be analyzed when they are lived. For example, we do not grasp the relations between their rhythms whose association comprise our body: the hear, breathing, the sense, etc. We do not even grasp any of them separately except when we are suffering. To analyse a rhythm, you have to be out of it. Exteriority is necessary. And yet to grasp rhythm you must yourself have been grabbed by it, given or abandoned yourself inwardly to the time that is rhythmed. Is it not thus in dance or music? In the same way, to understand a language and its rhythm one must acknowledge a principle which appears paradoxical. One only hears the sounds and the frequencies that on produces when speaking – an reciprocally, on can produce only those that one hears. What is called a loop…
The Dream Thrift Store
08.27.2009
I have a recurring dream, it is about shopping in a thrift store, the same thrift store over and over again. The excitement of anticipating the shopping trip is always part of the dream. The store is located at the bottom of a hill in my home town. I cannot remember what the sign says, I am pretty sure this store is not a Salvation Army or St. Vincent DePaul’s or Goodwill. Although, it has the feel of a St. Vincent DePaul’s with really great prices. The clothes I like always fit (last night in my dream, I got a vintage lime green, patten leather suit jacket in pristine condition) and the furniture is always comfortable. I could draw the floor plan of this enormous thrift store, there’s a small room in the back that promises good books and records, near the register (operated by elderly black women) is the glassware and mugs, the men’s clothing is located around the corner from the furniture and the dream thrift store has a ‘yard’ where large machines are stacked on tall metal racks. Last night there was a cocktail reception being held in the yard.
I like having these dreams; the dream thrift store reassures my faith in memory and the possibilities embedded in relics that cannot be purchased with wealth or found in new things.
Gobs in Saveur
08.26.2009
About six months ago, Beth Kracklauer interviewed me about my Home is Where the Gob Is project. Her write up finally made it into Saveur Magazine and she (accurately quoted me)! I only wish they would have put a link to my website in the article.
Most of the coal mines have closed around Johns-town, Pennsylvania, but one local resource continues to sustain the townspeople: the legendary, lunch box–friendly Gob. Two hockey puck–size rounds of chocolate cake joined by a layer of creamy filling, a Gob might appear to be a whoopie pie by another name, but that would be a coarse interpretation. A Facebook fan page maintained by displaced Johnstowners around the country offers some insight into just what sets the Gob apart. A post from Las Vegas claims it’s the hint of cinnamon in the chocolate cake; another, from Cleveland, confidently states, “Crack. It has to be.”
While seemingly every grandmother in town has a homemade version of the treat, purists insist that the one produced by Johnstown’s own Yost’s Dutch Maid Bakery is the only true Gob. A Dutch Maid Gob has a yellow filling and a cellophane wrapper bearing a picture of a sailor alongside the slogan “They Eat’em Up”. Owner Tim Yost purchased the recipe and the rights to the name in 1980 from Harris & Boyar, another local bakery, whose owners claimed to have invented the treat sometime in the 1920s. It seems more likely that Harris & Boyar adapted what was already a regional favorite, itself possibly inspired by the cream-filled whoopie pies of Pennsylvania Dutch country, in the eastern part of the state. The name is thought to refer either to lumps of coal, called gobs by miners, for whom the cake was once a lunchtime fixture, or to the fellow pictured on the package: gob is also slang for sailor.
Other bakeries should be so lucky as to have a following as loyal as Dutch Maid’s. “I won’t even touch a homemade gob,” says Jo Novelli, a Phoenix-based artist and Johnstown native currently working on a video documentary about the food. It’s called Home Is Where the Gob Is.
Eyeglass Saga Continues
08.25.2009
So. I take the fabulous blue frames to my optotician to see if he could fit them to my face, they are great but needed some adjustments. He did the thing that opticians do and when I put them back on my face I still wasn’t happy with how they looked.
In the meantime, he pulls out one box after another of vintage frames “You might like something here,” he says. Holy cow. While most of them were from the early 80′s, there was one box that held some real gems from the 50s and 60s. That’s where I found them: black, really hefty handmade frames from Christian Lacroix, probably from the late 1960s. The bridge and the front of the stem pieces are flat and matte, while the rather large circular frame is rounded and very shiny. The frame must be 1/2 inch thick. I couldn’t put them down, so I didn’t. Instead, I pulled out my prescription and asked him to drop in some lenses.
I returned the blue frames and used the refunded money as a deposit on the new glasses. Should have them paid off before long. When I go back to put a payment on them, I’ll snap a picture and throw one up on the blog.
Self-Tracking
08.24.2009
My recent wish to participate in Track Your Happiness lead me to an interesting discovery: “self tracking.” Why wasn’t I surprised that the majority of self-trackers that I found on line are men? (that’s a rhetorical question). After doing a little digging I found an article in Wired “Know Thyself: Tracking Every Facet of Life…” with links to a couple curious sites: Enjoymentland and The Quantified Self (the source of the video below).
Again, as with Track Your Happiness, this project seems a bit privileged. Who, exactly, has the time to consider the data of one’s life? What devices and bits of code are necessary to accomplish the task? Who has the luxury of time to learn it all?
Given those reservations, I was still really interested in how Josh Klein and Hulda Emilsdottir talk about organizing their belongings according to five categories. Interested, not to know what their belongings are, but to imagine my own things archive according to such a clearly defined criteria. These are their five categories of things:
I love this thing and I use it all the time.
I love this thing because it’s got a good memory.
I love the way this thing looks and I want to keep it.
This has been useful but it’s lacking somehow.
This is useful but I don’t love it.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to unload all my belongings and move to Iceland? Its something I’ve dreamed about doing for decades, btw. I think it would be just ducky to spend my time cataloging my things, too. WhatEver would I do with all these books? And… do dogs count as things? Oh my…
iWish iHad an iPhone
08.23.2009
Just as I had accepted the fact that I’ll probably never own an iPhone, along comes, perhaps, the most enticing reason to reconsider the possibility: Track Your Happiness.