Flooded McDonald’s

Today as I was surfing the interweb, I discovered that the Superflex video “Flooded McDonald’s” is going to be featured in an exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center February 1 – April 28, 2013.  I honestly can’t even remember where I first saw this video (at a museum or gallery or possibly an art fair?), but it left a lasting impression.

Superflex is a trio of Danish artists.  In 2009 they meticulously created a life-size replica of the interior of a McDonald’s restaurant and then filmed it slowly being filled with water.  Watching McDonald’s being gradually submerged underwater is a strangely meditative experience.  Is it a statement on the our fast food consumerist culture?  Is it a statement on globalization and multinational corporate greed?  Is it a statement on the ultimate power of nature over the man-made?  Or is it merely a restaurant being flooded?  I’ll leave that up to the viewer.

“Flooded McDonald’s” recently made the #16 spot on Artinfo.com’s  “100 Most Iconic Artworks of the Last 5 Years.”  Below is a three-plus minute excerpt from the twenty minute video.  If you happen to be in Des Moines, Iowa this spring, maybe you can stop by the Des Moines Art Center and watch it in its entirety.

The Lexington Tattoo Project

This month an interesting art project is underway in Lexington, Kentucky.  Artists Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova have invited more than 225 Lexingtonians to have a short phrase from a poem tattooed onto some part of their body.  The poem is about the city and is written by local writer Bianca Spriggs.  The tattooing is being done by local tattoo artist Robert Alleyne of Charmed Life Tattoo.  All volunteer participants can choose where they want their particular phrase tattooed on their body.  Once the tattooing is completed, the artists plan to create of a video work of the poem.  The overall design of the tattooed poem is known only to the artists at this time.  The tattooing process is currently in progress, and the entire project is to be completed by June.

Here are a few examples of tattoos completed so far for the Lexington Tattoo Project.  These will each be one small part of the work as a whole.  I love the community aspect of this art project and look forward to seeing how it all turns out.

Auld Lang Syne

As the new year quickly approaches, we will soon probably be hearing the familiar strains of “Auld Lang Syne.”  What a strange little song.  I certainly know the tune.  I can probably stumble over about half the words. But please don’t ask me to explain what it all means!  Something about forgetting old acquaintance and taking cups of kindness?  Like I said, a strange little song.

For me this song will always be associated with Guy Lombardo.  As a child, if I was able to stay up late and watch the festivities on TV, it was Guy and His Royal Canadians who always played in the new year with this beloved song.  This was before the days of Dick Clark, and now even Dick is gone.  Boy, do I feel “auld.”

One of my very favorite renditions of this song is by local Lawrence, Kansas musician Sam Billen.  He manages to take this cliché of a song and make it into something truly beautiful.  Click below to listen.  And Happy New Year to all!

“Auld Lang Syne”  Sam Billen

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Sherman Alexie has become a favorite writer of mine.  Much of his work draws upon his experiences as a Native American growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation.  His subject matter can sometimes be dark, even brutal, but there is always a beauty in the writing.

I first became familiar with his work through his National Book Award winning young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Below is the author reading a short excerpt from that book about a boy being disappointed yet again by his drunken father at Christmastime.  There is something so poignant about this scene—”a beautiful and ugly thing.”  It’s not your typical feel good Hallmark holiday moment, but even in the midst of pain, there is still the love between a broken father and his son.

“And a Partridge in a Pear Tree”
from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie

Star of Wonder

Merry Christmas all!  This is one of my favorite Christmas songs by one of my favorite music groups—The Roches.  Wishing you peace and joy.

“Star of Wonder”  The Roches

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  John 1:5

Joni Mitchell – The Way It Is

Joni Mitchell has always been one of my favorite musical artists.  I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time.  How long?  Well, let’s just say that as a teenager I spent hours listening to her album Blue on an 8-track tape player.

I recently ran across a video from 1968 of Joni singing a song entitled “The Way It Is.”  I’d never heard this song before.  Apparently, it was never released on any of her records.  It exemplifies much of what made me fall in love with her music:  the beautiful singing, the unusual guitar chords, the haunting melody, poetic and provocative lyrics, the simplicity of solo voice accompanied by solitary instrument.  What a shame this song was never recorded.

This video can only be viewed on YouTube. Click this link to watch:  The Way It Is

Vic Muniz

Vic Muniz is a Brazilian-born artist best known for his images made of unconventional materials.  I had the good fortune of seeing an exhibit of his work at MoMA PS1 in New York back in 2007.  One of the earliest Muniz works I ever remember seeing was this portrait of Medusa (after Caravaggio) done in spaghetti and marinara sauce.

Another favorite is his recreation of the famous photo of Jackson Pollock painting done with chocolate syrup.

Over the weekend I finally got to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary Waste Land about the artist’s project at Jardim Gramacho, the largest landfill in the world, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.  Muniz first took photos of the catadores (garbage pickers) who scavenge the garbage heaps hunting for recyclable materials to be sold for a small profit.  He then recruited their help in creating “garbage pictures” based on these images.  During the process Muniz personally discovers the brave humanity of these of hardworking folks and connects with them on an unexpected level.  The catadores themselves rediscover their own self-worth and dignity through the project and find renewed hopes and dreams for their lives.  Through the process both the artist and the subjects are deeply changed.  It’s a powerful story of art connecting people and changing lives.

This film left me with a new admiration for Vic Muniz, not only a man of great art but of great heart.  It also prompted a deep respect for the people who spend their lives trying to make a living digging through other people’s trash.

Jane Siberry a.k.a. Issa a.k.a. Jane Siberry

Last weekend I had the good pleasure of seeing k.d. lang in concert in Lawrence, Kansas.  But the real reason I attended that concert was to see the opening act:  Jane Siberry.  I’ve waited nearly three decades to see Jane perform live.  Her quirky sensibilities were in full evidence with the very first words from her mouth:  “Hello…I’m Janie Cash.”

Canadian singer/songwriter Jane Siberry is one of my all-time favorite musicians.  I instantly became a fan after first listening to her 1984 release No Borders Here, and I’ve loved her ever since.

Jane is an interesting character.  In 2006 she sold most of her worldly possessions:  her house, her car, her instruments, etc.  She began traveling with only the clothes she could carry in a knapsack and a travel-size guitar.  Her only address was a post office box.  Her only bill was for her cell phone.  She began posting her music online and giving it away or letting people pay whatever they felt was fair.  Oh, and she also changed her name to Issa to help start her new life afresh, like an empty cup.  Then in December 2009 she changed her name back to Jane Siberry.  Apparently, the new name wasn’t simplifying things but rather complicating them a bit.  Anyway, whether she calls herself Jane Siberry or Issa or even Janie Cash, she is an amazing creative artist who follows her own path.

Jane’s music covers a wide range of styles and moods.  She seems to always be experimenting and exploring new paths.  I find her songs often have an almost cinematic quality.  They can be the musical equivalent of a short film.  “In My Dreams” from her 2009 release With What Shall I Keep Warm? is one of those tunes.  It’s a beautiful song about family and memories and dreams.  Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and allow yourself to float away in the beauty of this song.  “We are laughing…We are happy…No one’s missing…We are holy in my dream.”  Listen below.

“In My Dreams” – Jane Siberry    

Chewing Gum Artist

Ben Wilson is a British artist who in 1998 began painting bits of discarded chewing gum he found stuck to the sidewalks and pavement of London.  In 2004 this became a full-time endeavor.  The artist paints portraits, landscapes, animals, abstract designs, even commissioned works on his tiny chewing gum canvases.  He has created over 10,000 of these miniature gum paintings throughout the city of London and across Europe.

Because he works on the street, he has sometimes attracted unwanted attention from the cops, but because he is painting rubbish—not defacing public property—he has not been found to be breaking any laws.  In fact, he has become quite a grass-roots celebrity.  What a wonderful example of someone taking something ugly and unpleasant and transforming it into something interesting and even beautiful.  Who wouldn’t love stumbling upon a tiny work of art stuck on the sidewalk when and where you least expect it?

Tiny Stories

I recently purchased The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories published by hitRECord, an open collaborative production company.  The stories are truly tiny, usually just a sentence or two along with accompanying illustration.  Click below to read one of my favorites.