April 2012

Lala Gallery Presents: “LA Freewalls Inside” (Los Angeles, CA)

April 9, 2012 , , , , , ,

LA Freewalls Inside

Dear Friends, 

We are incredibly proud to announce the opening of LALA Gallery on Saturday, April 21, 2012 where we will be presenting LA Freewalls Inside.
LA Freewalls Inside is a group show featuring over 40 artists who have helped make Downtown Los Angeles one of the biggest and most recognizable public art spaces in the world, including Shepard Fairey, SWOON, HOW and NOSM. Keep a lookout as we unveil the final line-up over the next two weeks.
So spread the word, bring a friend and help us break-in the space for the first of what will be many, many, more events.
– Daniel Lahoda, LALA Gallery
Read more

Sowat and Lek Presents: “Mausolee” Art show and Book Release (Paris, France)

April 9, 2012 , , , ,

Mausolee

On August 12, 2010, Lek and Sowat found an abandoned supermarket in the north of Paris. For a year, in the greatest of secrets, both artists continuously wandered in this 430,000 sq ft monument to paint murals and organize an illegal artistic residency, inviting forty French graffiti artists to collaborate, from the first to the last generation of the graffiti movement.  Together they built a Mausoleum, a temple dedicated to their disappearing underground culture, slowly being replaced by street art and its global pop aesthetics.

R. Skyronka (photo © R.Skyronka)

Butterfly

Read more

941 Geary Gallery Presents: Herakut: “Loving the Exiled” (San Francisco, CA)

April 9, 2012 , , , , ,

Herakut

gaze out at us with eyes both sad and resigned, asking nothing of us but a basic empathy.

From the Artists:

We like to see each Herakut piece as the sum of a dialogue between Hera and Akut, a synthesis, a conclusion. And often this final thought is the first line of a new discussion, a new dialogue that will lead up to a new piece of art. That is how we have worked ever since we teamed up in 2004. Over the past years of collaborating, our palette has changed, of course, and we have learned to blend our different techniques, my sketchy lines and Akut ́s realism, ever smoother. It’s actually pretty funny that we do not even talk about the actual painting process. We only talk about the content. Our discussions take place in the world of reason and philosophy. What our hands actually do with our spray-paint is left up to them really. We just focus on telling a story. If the piece turns out pretty or not, is just a side-effect. The thoughts they carry are what we worry about. The messages are what we spend our days on.

To the San Francisco show we will be bringing characters that have fallen from grace. We took a look to the banned and exiled, the abandoned child that first cries of fear and then of rage, flocks of scapegoats, a choir of arch enemies, the outlawed, the out- numbered, the ones that know they are very last of their kind, the extinguished. When will we end up in their place?

Herakut is an artist duo made of Jasmin Siddiqui, born 1981 in Frankfurt, West Germany, and Falk Lehmann, born 1977 in Schmalkalden, East Germany. Their artistic style is as symbiotic as their name, which in itself is the symbiosis of the two individual graffiti synonyms Hera and Akut. A love for traveling and painting for the public eye are just a few of the things of the things Akut and Hera have in common. Their work, however, is based on bringing together contrasting elements: masculine vs. feminine, Eastern vs. Western, the roughness of Street Arts vs. the detail of Fine Arts.

Since 2004, Herakut has painted and exhibited in prestigious big cities like London, Berlin, New York and Paris, but have also spent a lot of valuable time painting the dirty sides of less glamorous cities such as Ekaterinburg, Russia or Campeche, Mexico. Both of Herakut ́s publications, The Perfect Merge published in 2009 and 2011’s After the Laughter have received great success, with the two books selling over 10,000 copies worldwide.

Contact 941Geary

LOCATION

941 Geary Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

Alternate entrance through the alleyway:

60 Myrtle Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

Phone: (415) 931-2500

Read more

New Image Art Gallery Presents: “High Five!” A Group Show (Los Angeles, CA)

April 9, 2012 , , , , , ,

High Five!

New Image Art is excited to present “High Five,” a group-show featuring six artists with six very distinctive styles and voices beloved by New Image Art. Alia Penner, Ashley Macomber, Curtis Kulig, Deanna Templeton, Maya Hayuk, and Vanessa Prager will be filling the gallery with new paintings on paper and canvas, as well as a photography installation.

 

While remaining anomalous, Ashley Macomber’s thought-provoking paintings pay homage to the female surrealist movement and offer a nod to the technical styling of René Magritte. In a similar acknowledgment to the feminine surrealist movement is work of self-taught painter Vanessa Prager. Prager’s highly saturated works give way to a false sense of reality; her study of the universe feels accurate. Her portrayal of human behavior scratches at life’s emotional ups and downs, and the contrast between the bursts of color in the foreground and stark backgrounds reflects this natural turmoil. Curtis Kulig, maybe better known for his moniker “Love Me;” seen freely scribbled in a calligraphic-style both as graffiti and over canvases of solid fields. Focusing on the beauty of the line and word his signature leads the viewer to ponder the implications of “Love Me.” Is it the artist’s own insecurity or is it our own? Either way the honesty of the simple phrase – the desire, makes us smile and wish! And on the topic of Love, the psychedelic and geometric paintings of Maya Hayuk when boiling the combined components of light and dark, punk, and folk, can be reduced to reveal their truth, which is none other than Love. In the artist Alia Penner‘s eyes, everything looks better covered in rainbows. Not girly, pastel rainbows, but brilliant acid hues that bring to mind Peter Max and Sonia Delaunay. (Extract from NY Times Magazine) Documentary, and internationally acclaimed photographer, Deanna Templeton will be installing her iconic photographic images in a network of evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines that will read as a single unit.

 

Read more

C.A.V.E. Gallery Presents: Hellbent, BAYO and Haunted Euth New Works (Venice Beach, CA)

April 9, 2012 , , , , ,

CAVE Gallery

Hellbent “Triptych”

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, APRIL 14TH 

C.A.V.E. Gallery is proud to present new works by:

BAYO – “Inside-Outside“

Bayo’s paintings depict visceral worlds, where the main character is the psyche as an axis of conflicts. His paint strokes signal a constant path where anxiety is inescapably contagious. Characters tend to avoid frontal sight, turning their eyes towards themselves and exposing their fragility. Dispirited forms allow us to prove that their author does not follow the statutes of reason. Each piece simultaneously depicts the rigor of obsessive details, the vagueness of repetition, and the sudden explosion of motion. All in an effort to express the architecture of his emotions, with a complexity that can never remain subtle.

 HELLBENT – “A Quilted Life“ 

For his new series – “A Quilted Life”, Hellbent employs a variety of techniques that add a unique 3D quality to his work. He has developed a stencil technique that creates a kaleidoscope “quilt” of color in cubist patterns. The complex compositional puzzle of the background seems to push and pull behind bold imagery. Instead of a paint brush, Hellbent often uses a power drill to etch forms into wood panels. Always looking to expand his craft by exploring different techniques and mediums, Hellbent has also experimented with colored liquid glass – adding to the vibrant spectrum and resemblance of stained glass in his work. The complex color patterns are intricately layered, creating a dynamic and bold new collection.

HAUNTED EUTH – “All Gone Wrong“

“My new work is entirely autobiographical – calling upon, navigating and negotiating the complex relationships and experiences I struggled to balance last year. Themes of addiction, love, struggle, fear and anxiety are paramount in the work I produced for this show. This new body of illustrations is a open acknowledgment to the past and signifies a new, positive outlook on the future.”

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, April 14th  6 – 10pm 

On view thru May 5

www.cavegallery.net

1108 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice CA 90291 * Tel 310 450 6960  *  Wed thru Sun. 12-6PM

info@cavegallery.net

Read more
Jeice2 Brings 2 Wild Wolves in Gerena, Spain

Jeice2 Brings 2 Wild Wolves in Gerena, Spain

April 9, 2012 , ,

Jeice 2 checks in the with the animal kingdom as he starts a new series he’ll call “Savage Planet”.  The street artist has experimented with a variety of styles on the street over the last year including a bright abstract lined candy corner in Seville and most recently a portrait of William Burroughs.

Jeice 2 “The Couple” (photo © Jeice2)

Here he brings “The Couple” to a supporting bridge pylon – with a natural hand and sketch stroke, the topic and the style may remind you of animal portraiture done by Gaia, Yote, ROA, and more recently Willow in New York.  Here in a greener environment that’s more natural than the urban detritus of Brooklyn, it feels more home-like for these two blue eyed beauties.

Jeice 2 “The Couple” (photo © Jeice2)

Jeice 2 “The Couple” (photo © Jeice2)

Jeice 2 “The Couple” (photo © Jeice2)

Read more

Images of the Week: 04.08.12

April 8, 2012 , , , , ,

Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Anarkia, Gaia, Sien, Stem, Tats Cru, Woebots, Velma from Scooby Doo and XAM.

Anarkia (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Gaia (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

This version of Velma looks a little sexified. Mysterious. Artist Unknown (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Who’s your Daddy? Here is a brand new DNA testing truck coming soon to a corner near you. Tats Cru redefines the use of the taco truck in this work in progress for a commercial company…stay tuned. (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

How’s this for a tag? XAM. (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

The new right wing Republican slogan? Artist Unknown (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Woebots (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Sien and Stem (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Untitled (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Read more

New Anthony Lister Video from Jean-Pierre Caner

April 7, 2012

“I’d always been tagging at skate parks, hanging out with graffiti kids – but I was always the kid who could draw figures.  I’ve always drawn what was around me. I was encouraged to do that from a young age.”

Anthony Lister (Video still © Jean Pierre Caner)

An artist at work is captured by another artist at work. Jean-Pierre Caner directs a new video of Anthony Lister as he prepared for his show at New Image Art in Los Angeles this spring, which closes today. Full of insights into the Street Artist/Fine Artist continuum that Anthony freely traverses, the shots, rhythmic sensitivity, and detail of the video piece are an unobtrusive complement to the work of the artist.

Anthony Lister (Video still © Jean Pierre Caner)

“I test myself in my books. I test myself in my paintings. In the street I just want to enjoy it. I’m not out there in the street really trying to prove anything. …that’s just what I do for fun.”


Directed by Jean-Pierre Caner
With special thanks to: Shaz Bennett, Marsea Goldberg, Kris Denton, Jill Morley, Paul Ramirez/Chalk

Anthony Lister (Video still © Jean Pierre Caner)

Anthony Lister (Video still © Jean Pierre Caner)

Anthony Lister (Video still © Jean Pierre Caner)

 

Read more

Fun Friday 04.06.12

April 6, 2012

Good Friday for the Christians, Passover for the Jews, Movie Night for the Atheists

 

1. “This Side of Paradise” in Da Bronx
2. “Highbrow, Lowbrow, Nobrow – MOUSSE! (Netherlands)
3. G40 in Richmond, VA
4. New Website called “The Facebook” (VIDEO)
5. Dolk and Pøbel: Norwegian Street Artists Fan Video
6. This Video Contains a Large Depiction of Eggs and is therefore Tangentially Related to Easter >> Michael Beerens (Video)

“This Side of Paradise” in Da Bronx

“This Side Of Paradise” opens this week to the public – involving 32 artists in a massive Mansion in the Bronx that is in disrepair. The exhibition is curated by No Longer Empty and hosted by The Mid-Bronx Council at the Andrew Freedman Home, a limestone palazzo that for several decades served as a “homeless shelter” for those poor folks that lost their fortunes during the Great Depression. Having been rich once was a key requirement for those applicants that wished to be admitted to the club. We hear that the waiting list was long.

This weekend take the D train to 167 St. in the Bronx and have fun.

How and Nosm installation “Reflections” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this exhibition click here.

For more photos of the installation and to read our article and interview with the curators click here. “Poorhouse for the Rich” Revitalized By The Arts

“Highbrow, Lowbrow, Nobrow – MOUSSE! (Netherlands)

MAMA”S new group show “Highbrow, Lowbrow, Nobrow – MOUSSE! Opens today in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Artists included are: Admir Jahic (CH, 1975), East Eric (FR, 1974), Isaac Cordal (ES, 1974), Mark Jenkins (USA, 1974), Nomad (DE, 1971), Stefan Gross (DE, 1965), Tobias Allanson (SE, 1974), Zoe Strauss (USA, 1970)

Isaac Cordal (photo © Isaac Cordal)

G40 in Richmond, VA

The reception for the G40 Summit in Richmond, Virginia takes place tomorrow. Artists will be present and there will be an Art Battle where teams of artists will paint live.

With 12 internationally known Street Artists invited to create murals for this festival including:  Jacopo Ceccarelli aka 2501, Italy, Angry Woebots – California, Aryz – Spain, El Mac – California,  Gaia – New York, Jaz – Argentina, Jesse Smith – Virginia, La Pandilla – Puerto Rico, Lelo – Brazil, London Police – UK, Pixel Pancho – Italy, Roa – Belgian and Scribe – Kansas City.

The downtown Art Walk is reported to include murals by Gaia, Pixel Pancho, Aryz, Roa, Jaz, Lelo, La Pandilla, Angry Woebots, 2501 and Scribe. Check your local listings as there is quite a bit of variation in reported artists lists. You might get lucky and catch an artist at work.

To learn more about The G40 Summit click here.

There’s a new Website called “The Facebook” – This leaves Atari in the Dust! (VIDEO)

Dolk and Pøbel: Norwegian Street Artists Fan Video

This Video Contains a Large Depiction of Eggs and is therefore Tangentially Related to Easter >> Michael Beerens (Video)

Read more

G40 Art Summit in Richmond: The Art of the Mural

April 5, 2012 , , , , , ,

Arts festivals have a proud tradition of bringing creative expression directly to  people on the street. When you talk about graffiti and Street Art you normally focus on the singular Street Artist who deigns their location and manner of display in the urban environment. But sometimes the display is collective and the planning and execution is actually a curatorial exercise with community arts leaders.

The ancient Greeks had the “Great Dionysia” spring art festival in April in Athens with tragedies of Æschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Queen Victoria famously opened the Great Exhibition in 1851 that might have launched hundreds of cultural fairs world wide since. Chicago has had the 57th Street Art Fair since 1948 that showcases original work and benefits the artists directly.

At any given moment there is a non-profit, public, or private cultural institution planning some sort of foray into the public sphere with the arts – sometimes with the full or tacit agreement of the community and often with it’s ignorance.

Street Artist JAZ getting up in Richmond, Virginia in this still from a video for the G40 summit (below).

And of course Street Art festivals have been running hard around the world in the last decade including Fame in Italy, Nuart in Norway, Cans in London, the stencil festival in Melbourne … the list continues to grow. Recently in the US we’ve been seeing Living Walls pop up in Atlanta and Albany, Open Walls in Baltimore and today we’re looking at the town of Richmond, Virginia, which is currently being installed with new work by Street Artists from around the world for the G40.

(Click image to enlarge map, courtesy Richmond.com)

The G40 Art Summit is marking its third edition and they will offer exposure to new faces in the Street Art scene and others to an audience who may never have heard of any of them, and that’s the point. For this year’s edition their focus is on “The Art of the Mural”. Art Whino, the creators and organizers have invited a handful of international Street Artists to participate.

Besides giving exposure to the artists, Art Whino explains in their press release how they hope to help the city:

“By inviting 12 of the top mural artists from around the globe to unleash their creativity to 20 large scale walls throughout Richmond, this project is sure to put the city on the map as a street art destination”.

As local art writer Christina Newton explains on Richmond.com the importance of programs like this in the public sphere ultimately goes to the average person on the street, “As many opportunities to experience art as there are in a city the size of Richmond, some will unfortunately never venture into a gallery because they think they don’t know enough about art or are shy about venturing into a space they have never been. Public art is important because it can more easily reach a broad audience, not to mention have the ability to move people out of their comfort zone, open our eyes and minds to something new, and beautify our environment.”

Artists included in the G40 this year are:

Jacopo Ceccarelli aka 2501, Italy, Angry Woebots – California, Aryz – Spain, El Mac – California,  Gaia – New York, , Jaz – Argentina, Jesse Smith – Virginia, La Pandilla – Puerto Rico, Lelo – Brazil, London Police – UK, Pixel Pancho – Italy, Roa – Belgian and Scribe – Kansas City.

Here some examples of work on the street by some of the artist captured by Jaime Rojo.

El Mac (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gaia (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jaz (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

La Pandilla (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

The London Police (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Pixel Pancho (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

ROA (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding the G40 Summit click here.

For further information regarding Art Whino Gallery click here.

 

 

 

 

Read more

From Here To Fame Publishing Present: Arabic Graffiti & Egyptian Street Art in Frankfurt. (Frankfurt, Germany)

April 4, 2012 , , , ,

From Here to Fame

Arabic Graffiti & Egyptian Street Art in Frankfurt

Graffiti artists from Egypt, Tunisia and Germany will create a street art gallery from 10th of April around the Tutankhamun exhibition hall in Frankfurt. Some of the best known and most active street artists from Egypt will participate, including Aya Tarek, Ammar Abo Bakr and Ganzeer. El Seed, a street artist from Tunisia whose work has influenced graffiti artists around the Arab world, and Andreas von Chrzanowski aka Case from Germany, who recently did murals in Egypt, complete this distinguished line-up.

Friday 13th of April

Opening of the Street Art Gallery
First Friday Egyptian Street Art & Arabic Graffiti
7:00 pm – Midnight

Arabic Graffiti – El Seed & Don Karl present the book and project
8:00 pm – Exhibition Foyer

Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution – Ganzeer & Don Karl
9:00 pm –  Exhibition Foyer
Tutankhamun exhibition hall, Mainzer Landstraße, Güterplatz, 60327 Frankfurt am Main

Since the start of the Arab uprisings the Middle East has seen an unparalleled explosion of graffiti. Many slogans which were later sung by the people on the streets first appeared on walls from Tunisia to Bahrain. Egypt has played a remarkable role in this phenomenon. Even when the army tanks rolled onto Tahrir Square in Cairo, they were immediately adorned with graffiti. Along with people from all walks of life, artists, calligraphers and designers took over the public space. In no time a vital and now globally acclaimed street art scene emerged. Arabic Graffiti is an intercultural project by From Here To Fame that involves artists, activists and academics from various Middle Eastern countries and their diasporas. Started as an art and book project, the recent events in the region have led to an active involvement of many participants in the transforming changes of the region. Events and exhibitions are currently being developed in Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, France and Germany.

The project  Arabic Graffiti & Egyptian Street Art is part of the Festival of Egyptian Culture, the program for the exhibition Tutankhamun – His tomb and treasures in Frankfurt.

 

 

 

Read more

Chris Jordan : A Bold Light Artist Hits Iconic Icelandic Church

April 4, 2012 , , , , , ,

Rafmögnuð Náttúra: The Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik, Iceland

It’s not that light artist Chris Jordan didn’t find the sweeping supersonic jet-shaped façade of the church inspiring. He just wanted to make it visible again to the people in town.

Hallgrímskirkja, the Lutheran church in the center of Reykjavík, with it’s soaring steeple and outstretched wings it has been an architectural icon since it’s completion in 1986 and anyone first laying eyes on the largest Icelandic church is usually impressed by it’s command and design.  And yet, somehow even pivotal architecture can disappear before our eyes due to familiarity and it may take a visionary talent like Jordan to bring it back to our attention with animation, mapping, color, and pattern.

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

From his home in New Yorks’ Chinatown, Jordan, who teaches interactive design at Baruch College and New York University, talks about his work in the same way that Street Art is often credited in the urban environment: art as activation.  “Activating is about changing people’s perceptions of overlooked or invisible spaces. A building can become an archetype, invisible, like for a New Yorker, for example, the Statue of Liberty. You look at it, and it disappears into the thousands of times you’ve already seen it. So for me, this light project was so exciting because here’s this massive landmark church that this whole town can’t see anymore.. made completely fresh and new. To see that reflected back at me through the faces of viewers was exhilarating.”

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

That observation perhaps was the pinnacle of his Icelandic experience in February when he camped out in front of the church over four days in the back of a box truck with his collaborator Marcos Zotes, a handful of computers, three projectors, and a low budget. Together they created a series of site-specific video performances that brought to life Zotes’ idea for a project called Rafmögnuð Náttúra.

The two had met while Jordan was performing his 24 hour timelapse of Hurricane Irene inside an engineered cloud at New York’s Bring to Light Festival last October. Zotes asked if Jordan would like to collaborate on a project to illuminate the 150 foot wide façade of a church in for the Winter Lights Festival in Iceland.  Since Jordan has over the last decade created installations appearing at MoMA, The New Museum, The Whitney, The Museum of Natural History, The Chelsea Museum, in Times Square, and many unusual places in between, he had a good idea what cool stuff he would like to do. With the free help of other artists, software designers, and even NASA, Jordan brought a mind-blowing façade to the church that Zotes had only imagined.

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

“We collaborated on how we could, with a very limited budget, create something spectacular for the festival,” explains Jordan.  “We knew that the majority of the budget would be going for projectors so we called our friends up to help us with creating animation sequences that could be mapped to the facade, in triple-HD resolution.”

“We developed a workflow and a template for each animator to follow; then compiled the animations together into a final 15-minute composition. In addition, I contacted friends at NASA for solar imaging data, and created animations using graphic and solar elements. The dream was to have northern lights over the building with the accompanying solar data displayed. Although the solar and earth weather didn’t collaborate, the animations of the sun in a dark cold city on this Norse façade were very appropriate and powerful.”

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Jordan’s work over the years has included explorations into memory, and elements of photography, film, interactivity, and projections. We talked with Jordan about traveling to Iceland, transparent ideas, the importance of community, and what a light artist has to go through to reactivate an icon.

Brooklyn Street Art: Can you talk about the trip to Iceland?
Chris Jordan: We went to Iceland with just one day before the opening. The Icelandic people were incredibly accommodating, and set up three massive projectors inside a box truck, with a massive piece of glass mounted on it. The box truck became our projector-heated cabin in the center of Reykjavik for four days. Location is everything! It was a great setup. The projectors were aligned and from there I mapped the content using the software MadMapper by Garage Cube. Garage Cube are also friends of mine and they  helped me troubleshoot the tech issues the day before. The opening event had the band For a Minor Reflection accompany us, right after the mayor of Reykjavik introduced the festival to the audience.

But the day before this we went through myriad technical issues. Many times I thought this was going to either look horrible, or crash altogether. There was no budget for a backup computer, or to test the entire setup beforehand. Luckily, Iceland has an early sunset, so we gleaned a couple crucial extra hours to configure everything. The mapping was completed literally seconds before the mayor spoke. It all went off smoothly and the people that braved the intense horizontal-downpour cheered.

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Brooklyn Street Art: You managed to transform a landmark into a completely different light using your creativity.  Doesn’t that feel pretty powerful?
Chris Jordan: Yes. It was pretty fantastic we were able to do this on such a small budget. It absolutely required a community to make happen. When our main computer failed, the Icelandic underground came to the rescue. One person there offered graphics cards he’d had in a drawer. Another brought us snacks from a nearby cafe. That community effort is really what made this project powerful for me.

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Brooklyn Street Art: You were given no budget whatsoever, aside from a plane ticket and 3 projectors. How do you plan for a live performance with the inevitable technical issues?
Chris Jordan: Years and years of failure. I read an Edison quote the other day, “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate”.  I’m also a huge proponent of transparency, modularity, and scale. These tenets allow me to see unique solutions to problems, and find compelling solutions. Light art is still maturing as a public medium, as last November’s Occupy Wall Street “Bat-signal” projections attest. It’s a wide-open field for creative expression.

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Brooklyn Street Art: Without revealing your trade secrets, is it true you plan to introduce more community interaction into your future work?
Chris Jordan: Always. There’s an axiom I live by: “There is no art without politics”. You either choose to engage it, or you choose political apathy. This ties in with ideas around real-time performance and feedback. I hate the word “rendering”, as it equates to “pouring concrete” on ideas that demand continuing dialog. “Trade secrets” imply hoarding of knowledge. I only want to work with transparent ideas and accessible technologies that ‘spotlight’ the individual’s role in society through creativity. I try to live an open-source life.

Brooklyn Street Art: What role does community play in this project and in your philosophy?
Chris Jordan: I love interacting with communities and to give them the control to create dialogue. This fascinates me, and informs my work constantly. My next long-term outdoor installation is on Governor’s Island, where I’ll be engaging the broadest spectrum of people on the planet (New York) in playing and building, using buckets and stop motion photography. For me it’s all about the community. Without it, we are making monoliths to our egos.

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan on the back of their box truck. (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” – Chris at work on his live creations. (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra”. Mission control trailer. (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan “Rafmögnuð Náttúra” (photo © Enki)

BSA>>><><>><><>>>BSA>>><><>><><>>>BSA>>><><>><><>>>

With very special thanks to Enki for sharing this incredible photographic story.

Rafmögnuð Náttúra, a concept by Marcos Zotes created by Marcos Zotes and Chris Jordan

We would also like to recognize the other creators and contributors to the project:
Animators Thessia Machado, Noa Younse, Andrea Dart and Steven Tsai
Performer Coco Karol
Videographers Azmi Mert Erdem and Raghul Sridharan
Photographer Enki
and the music group For a Minor Reflection

 

 

Read more

Featured Video | Martin Wong’s “Houston Street”

Recent Articles on BSA