A Summer of Searching: Re-envisioning my Practice

Gee Eric, It's been a long time since you've posted, unless you count this morning!  What on earth have you been doing??

Well, I'm glad you asked, anonymous poser of rhetorical questions that I'll answer ad exhaustium. That's very thoughtful of you. This summer, as you know, I've been conducting a massive amount of research for this MFA thesis-prep type independent research project.

Essentially, I've been called upon to explore the conceptual landscape underlying my work, the art historical/contemporary art practices related, and then introduce my new practice as it responds accordingly.  I knew I wanted to involve myself with the spiritual in art, but that was essentially it.  As I began to dig deeper it became critical for me to keep in mind that my work has to exist today, questioning "how do I show up in the present?" "Why is my work relevant?" ("Why do I care, currently, as I obviously must").

I think if religion is to survive, it has to make a severe turn (return) to the direct experience of the divine.  Our age is not easily satisfied by doctrine and dogma, and nothing is as clear cut and dualistic as the church's Neoplatonic roots would have us believe.  What I mean here, is that it has become of preeminent importance for the spiritual survival of the Christian faith that we figure out how to become Post Modern Mystics.

This is then the entree into my artistic practice, bringing together the likes of Martin Heidegger and Meister Eckhardt, divining what a Mystic experience looks like in our post-modern - post-human even - context.  Can the likes of Deleuze and Pseudo-Dionysius play nicely together? What does it look like to apply an apophatic mysticism (negative theology) to a world in which "space" is more commonly appended to "cyber" than any other descriptor?  How is direct spiritual experience mediated by a post-modern phenomenology (or a near-post-phenomenological media, for that matter)?  Can we have a relationship with the spiritual even though Nietzsche's "God is dead?"  The answer, I think, is to reply to Nietzsche with Eckhardt's famous, "I pray to God to rid me of God."

The lynchpin in my research has been stumbling upon the work of Dr. John D. Caputo, philosopher and theologian, noted Derrida scholar, and founder of "Weak Theology." With a comprehensive and influential reading of continental philosophy through the lens of post modern Christian Theology, Caputo synthesizes all of the ridiculous stuff I've been reading and brings forth a view of what he calls the "post-secular" present.  Like Eckhardt's prayer amid Nietzsche's skepticism, Caputo calls for a theology that recognizes an age of "good reason" rather than capital r "Reason," in which (R)eligion loses it's properness.  Our generation knows very well how to be religious (and even quite prefers it), but can often no longer stomach being Religious.  But when passion and devotion sync up with the impossible, we are carried beyond the impossible, by the impossible, to the realm of true religion.

My search has carried me through many activities this summer.  I can, for the first time, say with aplomb that I have actually read an entire textbook cover to cover (and not only that, but 3 textbooks!), which is only a sampling of the over 3,000 pages of reading I've done (and I don't mean skimming, mind you!).  My bibliography includes the following, with a * next to the ones that I highly recommend if you're into this sort of thing:

*The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting from 1890-1985 (Maurice Tuchman)

50 Key Contemporary Thinkers (John Lechte)

Being Given: Toward a Phenomenology of Givenness (Jean-Luc Marion) (by far the most difficult thing I've ever read)

Post Script on Societies of Control (Gilles Deleuze)

The Origin of the Work of Art (Martin Heidegger)

A Very Brief Introduction to Foucault

Mere Christianity (C. S. Lewis)

*On Religion (John D. Caputo)

*The Mystic Element in Heidegger's Thought (John. D. Caputo)

Art Since 1900 (2 Volumes) (the art mafia)

In Pursuit of Meaning (Ravi Zacharias)

*Christian Mysticism: an Introduction to Contemporary Theoretical Approaches (Luise Nelstrop)

Meister Eckhart: Master of Mystics (Richard Woods)

*From Human To Posthuman: Christian Theology and Technology in a Postmodern World (Brent Waters)

*The Secret Oral Teachings in Tebetan Buddhist Sects (Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden)

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice (Shunryu Suzuki).

- In addition, I've gone to an all day Liquitex/Windsor & Newton workshop,

- Conducted a personal spiritual retreat

- met up with Erik Sanner to check out a new media performance space and talk about traffic cones

- Visited the New Museum's "Ghosts in the Machine" and "Pictures from the Moon" (hologram) exhibits

- Toured Chelsea

- Attended a Quaker service

- Participated in workshops at Drew Theological School on "Worship and Technology" and Worship space/alter design

- got in touch with Dr. Caputo to send him some interview questions (which he has so graciously agreed to answer!)

- built the light box film still project, and came up with ideas for some future projects

Toss into that intellectual salad a sprinkling of travel and work, with a side of giving birth to my first-born, and it's been a pretty light meal...

I'm not sure to what extent I'll get into it all here, but I'll figure out a way to post my paper when I'm done, which should be pretty edifying (to top off my salad metaphor).  Not much more to go now!

That Mural's Done! ...Again! ...I think...

As August rolls around, I've had an extremely busy summer.  Between trips to the Catskills and New Hampshire, TONS of reading, research, events, and projects for school (subject of my next, far more interesting post), and, minor detail, having a BABY, I've still been plugging away at Trader Joe's on this infernal mural (see past posts).

I THINK it's finally finished:
- 8 panels
- totaling nearly 90 feet long by 1.5 feet high
- somewhere around 30 landmarks
- somewhere around 10 foamboard character illustrations
- interstitial designs that were made and then lost (and forgotten about)
- 3 section banners

Here are some detail shots from the newest panel:

On top of that, I've recently been working on another related project (I told you it wasn't done) that I've been enjoying quite a bit.  To go with the Westfield landmarks, they wanted some pen & ink drawings of old-school Westfield to hang in the hallway outside the bathrooms.  So I returned to my recurrent haunt under the train station to pilfer some black and white photos to use as reference material, and here's the result.

This is the first one I did, with some detail shots to follow.  All done on 11x17 paper with Micron pen

This is the second one that I've begun working on:

It's been fun to be able to just lose myself in a technical drawing.  Something I don't have the opportunity to do very often anymore!  I'll do between 2 and 5 others, and I'll make sure to post them when I finish!

Landmarks

Well I figured I'd give an updated report of that infernal landmark mural I've been working on for Trader Joe's, off and on for the last half a year or so!  As noted in previous posts, it started out as a 30-some-odd foot long (by about 1.5 feet high) mural for the front of the store, consisting of landmarks from throughout the town.  However, when the regional VP stopped in for a visit, they decided we needed to get something up on the back wall (another project that hadn't yet been completed).  So the mural panels moved to the back wall above the refrigerator cases.  Naturally, it looked incomplete considering it was never meant to go there in the first place. So, rather than put it back where it belongs and make something new for the back wall, they decided to have me add to it to make it look as if it had belonged there all along.  And add to it.  And add to it.  Until it consisted of about 45 feet of mural and 5 or 6 victorian style illustrated characters doing Joe'sy things (which have nothing to do with anything, really). 

That of course looked too piecemeal.  ...So lets just add more characters!  And new sectional signs!  And of course, it still doesn't fill the space, so fast forward to the next regional visit (now months later) and they want less characters, but instead giant hibiscus flowers and reusable bags and the like to separate the mural panels which are now moved as far back as possible, flush with the wall.  Which makes them look even smaller.  Which means we need two more 12 foot panels. 

So I've been working on those new panels, and frankly, in moving our art room to what used to be the produce room, I've lost track of where the giant hibiscus and bags are... 

Here are some pics of the back wall as it is now, starting at the far left and panning to the right in each shot:

And here are some pics of the new sections in progress.  Each 12 foot section drawn out on an 8 foot board next to a 4 foot board, cut out of masonite, primed and then painted:

I've now got one of the two 12 foot sections done and the other a bit more than half painted, so it shouldn't be too long now.  Hopefully my next post on the matter will be the last!

My Blog is Rebelling... I'll Fight Back with some New Videos!

In case you were curious, No I didn't suddenly develop a penchant for flowery text.  I don't know what's going on with the font on my blog.  So if you're seeing this post and trying to squint your way past flourishy serifs and unwieldy script that makes the page look less like a blog and more like a doily, you can blame the blogspot gods, to whom I've already submitted my gravest supplications.

If you're tenacious enough to get past that visual annoyance, I'd like to share with you some new videos I've posted to my website!  I've been toying with ways to make looking at my projection work on a computer at least a bit more engaging, considering roughly 93% of the magic (in my calculations) lies in viewing the installations in person.  It may be a baby step, but I decided to try out a movie trailer style overview.  So here they are: my shadow projection project, which has been given the title It Is (see previous post for why this announcement is relatively momentous), and the glow in the dark projection project, now titled This is It, It was Here.


[drumroll]

As for my font frustrations, I don't really know how to go about fixing it (all conventional wisdom falls limp at the immovable force of obstinate technology) so I've done the best this feeble blogger could do: joined a discussion forum.  Until then, I hope you like doilies.

Fuzzy Mitten Moving Life Tai Chi Marionette Shadows of Plateggerian Truth, Grasped or Not [And Everything Else]

I've been having a lot of trouble thinking of titles lately.  Unfortunately, try as I may, I can't really find a way to justify labeling all of my work Untitled No. 376, and so forth.  And even more unfortunately, I can't help but believe that justifying your titling rationale is pretty crucial.  On one hand, the title needs to serve as an entrance point into the worldview in which the work exists.  For instance, if I were to name my shadow projection piece Umbral Geometry (or something equally prosaic), though generally accurate, it would mislead the viewer into thinking I'm some sort of formalist preoccupied with the way shapes are enshrouded.  And who could call such a reading wrong?  Surely not I after that red herring of a title.  On the other hand, if I try to nail down my intended concept too exactly with a ridiculous title like Platonic Shadows and the Heideggerian Grasping of Truth, I find it serves less to define what it is (not to mention opens a clear shot for a skeptic to easily dispute that matter and write off the entire enterprise as inaccurate and misguided), but more to shut the door on what it is not, limiting some of the more potentially profound readings.  Furthermore, I don't want to feel like an idiot referring to this thing down the road;  "As you recall, my famous principle of radical deep theophenomenalism for which I have just received this third MacArthur Genius Award was first developed 27 years ago in my magnum opus, Fuzzy Mitten Moving Life Tai Chi Marionette Shadows of Plateggerian Truth, Grasped or Not [And Everything Else]..."  Embarrassing titles are no fun.

I admire artists who's titles fit somehow into their worldview, almost as works of art in themselves.  Like the dadaists and surrealists working with nonsensicality, picking names out of random encyclopedia pages for their titles (see the surrealist game Exquisite Corpse).  Part of the problem there is you have to really know the landscape of your world in order to find the titles that exist within that world.  I guess that's what this summer is supposed to be for.  I'm looking forward to when I've thoroughly investigated this world of mine to the point of knowing it inside and out (and receiving that third MacArthur) Until then, I guess I'll just stick with my current titling methodology.  Procrastination...

A Birthday Gift for a Traffic Cone Aesthete

Much dismayed by my unavailability for fellow artist Erik Sanner's birthday gathering at Brighton Beach today as per my work schedule, I promised Erik I'd try to do something involving traffic cones in his honor.  As a part of the Trader Joe's Westfield Landmark Mural That Never Ends (see previous posts from December...) I've been tasked with adding two more 12 foot panels to this already out of hand project (which began as a 36 ft mural on the front windows and has now become a 70+ ft debacle on the back wall including pop up foamcore victorian style illustrations of guys with mustaches and giant neon hibiscus flowers.  But that's a story for another day).

As such, I spent a good chunk of the day hoofing it through the town taking pictures of landmarks.  As it turns out, Westfield is actually littered with traffic cones, so I thought I'd share some of my findings (humbly selected by applying Erik's own criteria [if you're actually diligent enough to follow the link, scroll down 7 pages to his "Exceptional" page]).

WARNING, some of the images you are about to see may be a bit disturbing;  Westfield is not a friendly place for traffic cones.  Though, in the midst of this forlorn - or at best eccentric - quasi-post-apocolyptic abandonment, there does seem to be some sort of hopeful, activist movement emerging in relation to these destitute and forgotten harbingers of the singularity.

my personal favorite

Happy Birthday Erik!  Hope it was a great one!

Re-envisioning the Video Still

So the summer has come, and I'm embarking on a quest to learn everything.  Well, everything that seems relevant to the world of my artistic practice.  Which is pretty close to everything.  After a week long intensive crash course on how Heideggerian philosophy meets artmaking, we've been tasked with a summer of research on all of the things our practice "gathers."  We're investigating the fields of study, major thinkers, artists, places, and practices that inhabit our conceptual landscape.  Ultimately this is to earn a deeper awareness and understanding of our art's world, bringing this newfound scholarship back into the studio to evolve our practice accordingly.

As part of this, I've been revisiting my major projects from last semester and re-invisioning how they might be different If I were to do them over (or other variations of them).  I've been thinking a lot about how drawing might meet up with my shadow projection video, and particularly how a video still from that should operate.

Problem:
A traditional still seems inadequate, and the simple prints I collaged in my show in May just didn't seem to operate within the same realm as the video, sloughing off all of the most important parts and essentially becoming wallpaper.

So what are the vital elements of the video that should be preserved in a "print" or "still?" I came up with the following:
-the luminosity, which lends it its divinity and sheer presence
-the layering
-the way one element exists as a reaction to another
-the imagery itself, of course

Solution:
I've begun by constructing a sort of layered light box that would allow the still print to function within the same world as the video itself...

frame and "guts" of the light box

 By building a backlit frame that can house several layers of glass, I can recreate the luminosity of the video.  I used fluted window molding cut at 45 degree angles for the frame, glued and bracketed together, which would allow me to drop a masonite board into the slot and feed some LED rope light into the frame.  By lining the masonite with tinfoil, I can maximize the reflected ambient light.

top/back view of layers in slotted fluting

Then I can layer in the shadow and the painting from stills in the video on sheets of acrylic to reconstruct the compiled image created in the video.   Leaving the protective film and a bit of distance between the first two panes helps to diffuse the light so the ropes themselves don't shine through and create hot spots.

Finally, I can incorporate the reactionary element by taking the still one step further.  Here's where drawing comes in.  Originally in the video, the painting is a reaction to the shadow.  But in a still, both the shadow and the paint already exist.  So the natural progression of this logic would be for the still to be a sort of drawing that reacts to the shadow and paint (perhaps taking it back towards the original platonic imagery I used to project the shadows in the first place?).  This will take place on a piece of acrylic resting in front of the layers of prints, allowing the still to both preserve the imagery from the video and still grow as its own exploratory piece of art.

More to come as I finish this project (and others) and embark on becoming an expert on things like Christian Mysticism, New Media, and Post Human Theology!