Book trailer by Luca Dipierro

I'd like to call attention to this recent stop motion book trailer created by Luca Dipierro for the novel Us by Michael Kimball (NY Tyrant Books, 2011.)
Dipierro currently lives in Asheville, NC.
Learn more about his projects, including his new book, by visiting blackbiscotti.blogspot.com

Animating the macabre through paper and paint: Mountain Xpress 5/05/10

PUSH: the major motion picture

Here is a teaser for the locally-produced skate movie, PUSH now available on DVD ($10) at PUSH Gallery in downtown Asheville at 25 Patton Avenue. www.pushtoyproject.com

Read more about PUSH: Locally produced skate film puts Asheville on the map Mountain Xpress Vol. 17 / Iss. 22 on 12/21/2010

I really like this addendum written by Nathanael Roney that appears in the printed version of Mountain Xpress:

"Skateboarding has always been an insider's game, and though exclusive in practise, the very essence of its form has always remained culturally relevant and attractive to the external. Like jazz, skateboarding is an art in response to rule, rather than the commonly mistaken sport, whose laborious mastery of said rule is unable to communicate with and for itself. It's a rabbit-hole language with one point of entry, indifferent to the outsider's endorsement."

Ladylike: art imitates life

"Exploring the dark side of female relationships" is the theme of Ladylike, a group art show currently on display at Satellite Gallery in downtown Asheville. Guest curator Alli Good came up with the idea when she found a box full of letters passed between her friends in high school, and realized that women's relationships with each other aren't as sugar and spice as they appear to be.

What I find most interesting about the Ladylike exhibit are the thoughtful collaborations that ensued between artists. Gallery owner, Bill Thompson really did a great job hanging the work by allowing each art piece to speak for itself and compliment neighboring pieces.

As a participant, I am honored to exhibit my paintings in conjunction with the amazing work of 10 other female Asheville artists. It was a pleasure -- and admittedly awkward at times -- to get together with this group for planning sessions. I would go to to the meetings with the theme of the show front and center in my mind -- amused and self conscious of my own behavior with these women. In this case life was imitating art that imitates life.

Ladylike will be on display until November 21st at Satellite Gallery located at 55 Broadway.

Read more about the show: Frenemies Like These, written by Alli Marshall for The Mountain Xpress.

Installation by Alli Good. Drawing by Kreh Mellick

Detail of note created by Alli Good

R. Brooke Priddy and Nicole McConville collaboration.

R. Brooke Priddy and Kreh Mellick collaboration

Ceramic figurines by Sarah Danforth. Paintings by Ursula Gullow

Video by Megan McKissack. Photography by Drea Jackson

Mixed media piece by Sarah Cavalieri

Collaborations by Nicole McConville, Julie Armbruster, Alli Good and R. Brooke Priddy

Detail of installation by Tara Jensen

Photograph by Meg Reilley

Luca Dipierro

Artistic violence sometimes reveals is true power in its ability to stand the test of time. A sensationalized video of gore and explosions, for example, may shock viewers one day, but after a few years it runs the risk of appearing campy. Consider, for a moment, how the sweetly disturbing illustrations of Edward Gorey or the videos of The Brothers Quay have been able to quietly provoke viewers long after their creation.

Such is the case with artist Luca Dipierro, whose paintings and video art are enchanting and macabre all at once. Aesthetically reminiscent of Mexican Day of the Dead Folk Art, antique circus posters and old comic books, Dipierro's work quietly infiltrates the mind through the disarming characterization of nuns, sailors, acrobats, hanged creatures, caskets and detached limbs. "The art I am interested in is one that is little, but adventurous," he says.

To produce his animations, Dipierro first creates paper characters using just acrylic paint and markers. Each paper cut element is rather small — no bigger than 4 or 5 inches, but often Dipierro must create multiples of something to establish movement in his work. Blood emanating from a hand in one animation required 80 red paper drops. "Some animators would just make a loop out of five or 10 drops," he says. "Instead, I cut the 80 drops. On a subliminal level, people understand that they're all different."

Dipierro plans to screen his videos in Asheville later this year. For now, his paintings are on display at Hip Replacements in downtown Asheville. DVDs of his videos are also available for purchase, and they are a must-see. The enlargement of his images through video adds dimension to the drawings, as does the haunting music/narration that accompany each vignette. Paper fibers, cut edges, brush strokes and shadows are more apparent at this scale than with the naked eye. "Animations are art plus time," says Dipierro, "it's not just telling a story — it's a painting that moves."

Read the full version of "Animating the macabre through paper and paint." written by Ursula Gullow for Mountain Xpress 05/05/2010

Check out Dipierro's stop animation videos and visual art through his website:
lucadipierro.com

His visual art is currently on display at Hip Replacements in Downtown Asheville.

The True Cost of Coal

Zeph Fishlyn of The Beehive Collective

Beatriz Mendoza of The Beehive Collective

The incident that killed 25 miners (and most likely 4 others who have yet to be accounted for) is a tragedy that has weighed heavily on me this week. I'd like to highlight local people who have been creatively involved in bringing to light the pitfalls of coal mining -- a practise which is responsible for environmental devastations like mountain top removal, sludge waste and C02 emissions. It also damages Appalachian communities by employing non union workers, and causing work-related injuries and illnesses. Miners’ Families Grapple With the News, and the Pain; NY Times 04/06/10

Last year I had the opportunity of seeing Jeff Biggers, author of The United States of Appalachia, speak about the importance of preserving the crafting traditions of Appalachia as a way of preserving Appalachian culture. “The use of craft is part of the art of our lives,” he said and pointed out how the craft and story-making traditions of Appalachia are currently being threatened by coal mining practices that displace people and local resources. Crafting a tradition: by Ursula Gullow in Vol. 15 / Iss. 45 on 06/03/2009 of Mountain Xpress

Biggers was recently interviewed by CNN's Kiran Chetry and asserted the need to hold Massey Energy accountable for it's abuses. He called for "immediate action from the Obama administration" and from regulators. "I think we have to get beyond this mentality that a crisis is never a crisis until we validate it with some sort of disaster."
Read the full article and watch the video: www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/08/jeff-biggers-hold-mining_n_530301.html

On a local level, filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood have been producing On Coal River, a film that explores a grassroots movement to relocate an elementary school that sits directly beneath a 2.8 billion gallon sludge pond. A campaign to get clean water pumped into the community, since the local water supplies are contaminated with run-off, is also featured. The film is powerful in that it shows how much red tape the activists must endure to get their voices heard. Empty promises made by officials including Governor Joe Manchin III, Senator Robert Byrd, governmental health and safety departments, illustrates the relationship between corporate entities and government without being overly didactic. The film also effectively demonstrates how "clean coal" technology is anything but clean since it employs hazardous chemicals and leaves toxic byproducts. On Coal River is in it's final stages of production but you can watch the trailer at www.oncoalriver.com

The Beehive Collective is also on a campaign to raise awareness of hazardous coal mining practices through it's artful renderings of the industry's effects on the environment and communities. The collective is currently established in Asheville as it researches and develops The True Cost of Coal, a collection of graphic images meant to be distributed freely for public educational efforts.
Please visit their website for a great deal more information about this talented bunch. www.beehivecollective.org

At least 60% of energy expended in North Carolina is from coal. Please turn off your lights and appliances when you're not using them, and encourage the development of alternative energy sources like solar and wind power. www.sourcewatch.org

Tee hee hee

This guy just totally rules.

A couple of years ago I was actively producing videos on URTV, the community television station for Asheville, NC. I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people along the way. One of them was the Rev. Johnny Lemuria, producer of Pleasure Saucer, a racey late night tv show.
Two years ago, Johnny interviewed me for his show and I'm taking the liberty to post it now, though I hope I don't regret doing so.
Check out the interview here. (Watching the un-synched audio in the second half of the interview is a trip, if you can make it that far.)

Johnny is still producing Pleasure Saucer as well as a Vortex Cabaret which happens every Thursday night at 11 Grove Street. He is a tremendously fascinating and beautiful soul, who brings love to late-night URTV viewers every week.

Somewhere Along the Line

In this video by Rod Murphy of 6;14 Films, Asheville artist Paul Olszewski recounts the long and checkered history of a large mural he painted in the mid 1990's and has since carted all over the United States. Weighing between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds, the painting was finally exhibited for the first time in the River Arts District this past November via crane (!!!)

For all you non-Ashevillians who write to me wondering what is like to be an artist in Asheville -- this is a video for you to watch.

I recommend visiting this YouTube link to see a bigger and better version of the video.

This World and Nearer Ones

18 installations comprised Creative Time's exhibition This World and Nearer Ones curated by Mark Beasley which was located mostly on Governors Island. "Governors Island is a modern ruin on the verge of rehabilitation" Beasley writes, "The works assembled employ Spiritualism, science fiction, poetry, spoken word, tonality and dissonance, temporary architecture, and the projected image to reflect displaced states and the neither/nor."

I wasn't able to see all 18 installations, but the ones I did have an opportunity to experience moved me deeply. The underlying theme primarily seemed to be that history is written by the winners, and here the artists are appropriating history in alliance with the losers, the marginalized, the unspoken for, and the condemned.

Between You and I Anthony McCall 2006

I started off going directly to The St. Cornelius Chapel that housed the video installation of Anthony McCall. Here McCall used a simple projector and vapor to create architectural cones of light. Projectors installed on the ceiling cast slow rotating beams of light which seemed to create walls when reflecting against the mist. There was a hushed reverence amongst the crowd of spectators who moved slowly through the cascading light beams. This exhibit garnered the loudest "oohs and ahhs" for its kinetic and visual excitement, though I found that the subtler installations on the island spoke louder to me.

"Insular Act" was performed by the Mexican artist collective Tercerunquinto. A few weeks before the exhibit opened they threw a rock through one of the islands historic buildings. The simple act was planned out through elaborate storyboards, and then filmed and photographed to prove it had actually happened. Soon after they threw the rock, a fresh pane of glass replaced the shattered one - and if the collective hadn't documented the act there would be no physical trace that it had ever happened.

Invocation of the Queer Spirits through a peephole.

Another installation/performance that occurred prior to the opening of This World and Nearer Ones was "Invocation of the Queer Spirits" by AA Bronson and Peter Hobbs. Here the artists performed a sacred ritual to contact the queer spirits that had once lived and died on Governors Island. The material remains of the seance were on view through peepholes carved out in locked doors - a metaphor of the marginalization of queer communities. Through the peepholes (drilled out at suggestive heights) one sees the burned down candles, empty booze bottles, tapestries, offerings, food, and ashtrays -- the ghosts of the happening that had occurred there. "Queer communities have often overlapped with the histories of psychics, spiritualists, witches, and shamans, as well as the histories of all-male communities such as explorers, traders, loggers, cowboys, and the military." (All of which Governor's Island had plenty.) The exhibit invites us to "Think again about what is valued and what is excised from our collective history."

Land of the Free Photograph by Josh Robinson

I was particularly moved by the video "The Land of the Free" by Judi Werthein. Here she collaborated with a group of Colombian musicians on a remix of the US national anthem. She gave the musicians a Spanish translation of The Star Spangled Banner and asked them to reinterpret the words to craft an original song. She films the front of the group and the back of the group which are shown simultaneously on a two-sided screen that hangs in the middle of the room. From the front we see the musicians in their colorful attire performing the song, and from the back we see subtitles of the newly interpreted anthem "You say you can see/Does the flag still wave over the land of the free?" The work suggests that cultural history is always subject to new translations; they may be appropriated, rewritten, and made to tell a completely different story.
You can watch a brief video of the original video here

Click Here to read about all of the works and artists of This World and Nearer Ones.

Going Dutch

There were a couple of art shows happening simultaneously on Governors Island while I was there. It was a little confusing since everything seemed to be mixed together and I only had two hours to enjoy it all (on top of taking in the island itself.)
The Pioneers of Change exhibit highlighted various aspects of Dutch design while an invitational exhibition called This World Nearer Ours was installed through the public arts advocacy group Creative Time Both shows utilized empty buildings on Governor's Island in varying and interesting ways, and both were so grand that I will have to write about This World Nearer Ours in a separate post.

Designer Lotte Dekker developed a new view of gluing porcelain based on kintsugi, an old Japanese technique in which porcelain is repaired with gold leaf. It’s an extremely time-consuming, expensive method. Dekker found Bison glue to be the perfect Western variant for making beautiful yet simple repairs.

Highlights from the Dutch festival included Repair Manifesto which was set up by the art group Platform 21. This exhibit demonstrated ways to creatively repair broken things as metaphor for fixing a damaged economic system. Included was special wallpaper designed to cover chips in walls, and a group was sewing wool felt into the worn out parts of carpets...an old Persian rug hung on the wall with veins of neon blue felt running through it.
I encourage you to read Platform 21's Repair Manifesto It makes a lot of sense.
Also noteworthy was the house that artists were "accessorizing" with handmade lace and beautiful fiber decorations. Paralleling the building with the human body, doorknobs, banisters, holes in walls and radiators were decorated with simple pieces constructed by Dutch and American designers.


Videos of the real time clocks of Maarten Baas were installed throughout one building. With his clocks Baas makes us aware of time by showing it passing in ‘real time’. He makes clocks by projecting footage of people in action, and their recorded movements become the clock hands, moving minute by minute. www.maartenbaas.com

Then there was the huge woolen carpet that Christien Meindertsma was knitting with her six-foot-long needles using wool from three different species of Dutch sheep.
Meindertsma is interested in the origin of things, raw materials and the history of techniques. She also made a book called, PIG 05049, in which she shows all kinds of products that have been made out of a single pig, unraveling the lack of transparency in the world of products. Simply fascinating. www.christienmeindertsma.com

The Slow Cafe also peeked my interest though I didn't have time to enjoy it (not surprisingly.) In wake of the Slow foods movement all the food was prepared by elderly chefs, teabags were constructed on site, menus embroidered by hand, and food portions were dependent on the distance they had to travel -- a salad made with local greens, for example, was abundant compared to a banana pudding which might have been the size of a dime.

To learn more about all of the projects and art groups involved with the Pioneers of Change go to www.pioneers of change.com

Soundclash: It's electric

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE ORANGEPEEL!!!!! $10

I'm not sure how many people in Asheville are aware that there is actually a thriving scene of musicians (nerds?) who compose really amazing music on their laptops and loop machines. This Saturday night several of the finest electronic musicians our humble town has to offer will be appearing at the Orangepeel. Some of these musicians (Auracene, J.R.R. Fool Killer, Kimathir) have composed soundtracks for movies or have appeared on national bestselling cds (Auracene.) Others have toured internationally (DoomRibbons) or received worldwide notoriety for their musical accomplishments (sys-hex, pomme de terre, IO)

Purists out there often scoff at the idea of making music on computers, but like any instrument, it takes time and inspiration to produce complex soundscapes via digital software. I've heard arguments that electronic musicians are simply allowing the software to make the music, but thats like saying that filmmakers allow the camera to dictate their cinematography or editing. The computer or electronic device is simply another instrument and how the musician handles it is where the artistry lies. 

Not only does this show promise to be a diverse sonic experience, but visuals will be provided by infamous VJ The Moon Foetus Proceeds from the show will go towards the brand-spanking new local radio station Asheville FM.

Here's some links to quell your anticipation:

Auracene

Music to Chaos in Berlin trailer by pomme de terre

Sys-Hex

DoomRibbons

The 48 hour Film Festival

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to direct my first movie ever via The 48 Hour Film Project. For those of you who still don't know about it, the point is to produce a 4-7 minute film based on a line of dialogue, an object, and a specific character that each film team is given at the start of the project. This year everyone had to incorporate the line "I wish I had an answer for you" The prop: Glue, and the character of ballplayer Lefty or Liann Lober.
Every team chose a different genre and ours was HORROR.
The experience was quite interesting. We filmed out at an old school in Alexander (thank you Nathan Green.) It was hot as heck and there were no toilets. I learned a lot. Like for example, it's really hard to make a movie in 48 hours. And I don't really know anything about acting so it was awkward to try to "act" out the script when directing the actors. For me choosing wardrobe was the funnest part - and making the signs, and also the shared experience of getting stressed out with my friends but secretly knowing it's not the end of the world if something goes awry.
All in all I'm pleased with the final outcome. To be honest I wasn't sure how it was going to come together in the end, but once I heard Kima Moore's sound design I knew we had collectively put together a pretty cool movie with some awesome cinematic moments. There's some things I'd do differently now, but that's part of what it's all about.
I have a prediction that one day people will collect 48 hour films like baseball cards. The least popular ones now will be the most sought after in the future.

Ahhh, Art and Love and the 48 hour film festival

Here's another film that came out of the Asheville 48 Hour Film Festival. Admittedly, it makes me cringe for the cheese factor. But, what the heck, it's sweet. And kind of great. And totally appropriate for this blog.
(Be on the look out for the lovely quote that comes up at the very end.)

Myah Hubbell

Myah Hubbell, creator of Recyclone Designs works out of the Wedge Studio Building in the River Arts District of Asheville.
Contact her at recyclonedesigns@gmail.com

Shannon Plumb

The New York Times last Friday compared performance/video artist Shannon Plumb to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin in their rave review about her work and the work of other contemporary female videographers. This video is just a teeny taste of her charisma and talent. To see lots more amazing and funny stuff visit her website: www.shannonplumb.com Posted there are excerpts from her most recent project "The Park" that are well worth checking out.
Oh, and I went to college with her!

Trailer for Maria Voisin video

Friends, my latest video "The 48 Hour Dance Project" is nearing completion and will air on URTV next week. The video follows local Latin dance choreographer Maria Voisin and 5 dancers as they rush to complete a dance piece in 48 hours. I will be screening a rough version of it at Bobo's Gallery and Wine Bar on Lexington Ave. in downtown Asheville on Tuesday April 28th at 9:00. Following the video will be a live performance by Voisin's all women's dance group, Dulcinea

TRIIIBE

This video is so great and needs no explanation. It was created by TRIIBE, a collective founded in 2006 by performance artists (and identical triplets), Alicia, Kelly and Sara Casilio along with photographer Cary Wolsinki. They create, present and document political and social commentary performance and tableau art
Check out more of their performances on their website: www.triiibe.com.

Benefit for On Coal River

The Mountains of West VA brought to you by Massey Energy Co.
Photograph by Ken Abbott

On Tuesday March 31st a benefit will be held at The Asheville Brew and View at 77 Coxe Avenue to raise money for the final production stages of the documentary, On Coal River.
I've been lucky enough to see rough cuts and outtakes of the movie and I can assure you that in its entirety On Coal River is a production that will make Asheville proud. It is an engaging documentation of 4 characters as they patiently and tirelessly jump through a myriad of bureaucratic hoops in their struggle against Massey Energy Co.
Shot over a four year period, On Coal River follows the transformation of these four remarkable individuals as they face the challenge of a lifetime, fighting for the survival of their way of life, and the lives of future generations.
Watch the trailer for On Coal River here.

Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work will be performing at the benefit; sneak preview scenes from On Coal River will be shown and there will be a huge raffle of local delights (including a painting by me) There is no cover, but obviously donations are encouraged.
Tuesday March 31st
6:00pm - 9:00 pm
Asheville Brew and View
77 Coxe Avenue
Please come out and show your support for this beautiful and important project.
If you do not live in Asheville and wish to donate to this project, you may do so via the website www.oncoalriver.com

Thru You

Video artist/musician Kutiman takes people's home made music videos from You Tube and mashes them up to create new songs. Seeing all the different types of people put together into one video can be very amusing at times. The songs he makes are pretty great too. To learn more about his process and see more videos go to: www.thru-you.com

Sewing the Muse on the Internet

Visit the link here
Thank you everyone who helped me and supported me with this project.

William Kentridge

The animated films of William Kentridge are constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a second to two seconds' screen time. A single drawing will be altered and filmed this way until the end of a scene.



A theme running through all of Kentridge's work is his particular way of representing his birthplace of Johannesburg, South Africa as metaphor for the duality of man. I am particularly drawn to the expressive and raw quality of his drawings, and his courage to represent the lonely and dissociated state of the ruling class.