Sunday, August 30, 2009

Tony Enclave



Who's got Barak's back?

While the Obamas are on vacation in the tony enclaves of Martha's Vineyard...




A Foot Massage for the Tireless Peace Mom.
... our Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan is understandably concerned for a world of perpetual war profiteering because, as we all know, more of our children will perish in the name of national insecurity and the big bamboozle that is 911.







If you want to know who does not want peace on earth, just follow the money.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Swampy Openings




swampspace gallery is pleased to present:

H Y P E R C U L T U R E
an installation by Victor Muñiz

Opening Reception Saturday August 29 6-12pm

Hyperculture refers to the staggering rate of change in modern technological societies. It is the condition of perpetual interregnum. In other words hyperculture is our constant state of being between knowing and feeling while information continues to flow with increasing volume. The rampant illnesses of our society--including the disintegration of the family, the degradation of the environment, unlimited commercialism, and unrelenting stress are familiar to us all.

Victor Muñiz examines the profundity of Hyperculture according to the Gaian hypothesis that the earth is a self-regulating organism. Can the same be said of information? Does it lead a life of its own or is it merely a disposable by-product of mass culture?

In the age of information, Muñiz is a terabit of talent.

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Also Visit the TM Sisters at Locust Projects.




"I was learning, watching people's reactions and interactions with the drawings and with me and looking at it as a phenomenon. Having this incredible feedback from people, which is one of the main things that kept me going so long, was the participation of the people that were watching me and the kinds of comments and questions and observations that were coming from every range of person you could imagine, from little kids to old ladies to art historians." Keith Haring 1984

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

miami 21 and over



View with a View.

Now that the much discussed Miami 21 proposal has been deep-sixed we can resume our normal programming. I wonder just how much was spent for the piles of expert opinions?



Port with No Purpose.

While the Port of Miami sits idle, politicians are pushing for a $taggering Tunnel Project that would take trucks out of sight for the scenic esplanade that is lower Biscayne Ghost Town.



Empire in the Swamp.

This Banskyesque image conjures thoughts of bigwigs blind to the destitute that surround them.



Hobbitat for Humanitat.

The Coconut Grove of my youth was an enigmatic and captivating place for a young artist eager to participate in the left of center old-urbanism that was the grove. Today, not so much.




Future Perrrrfect.

If this were the face for Miami 21 and this were the way we got around in Miami 21, then Miami 21 would have been an easy sell.



Where's the Door?

In or Out, once you commit to living in the swamp there really is no escape from the rampant backwardness beyond the confines of our luxurious lifestyles. No super-size blinders should obstruct a clear view of the inequitable swampscape.



Thinking Outside the House.

Folks, we gotta dig in and come to terms with the shortcomings of our town and country.
Turn off the TeeVee, get your shovels and dig this: our way of life is sub-standard, sub-tropical and fixable. But we should not reward the failures of our leadership with the usual hand-off.



It it Weren't Flat, Florida would be Fabulous.

Miami is like the movie Matrix Reloaded: All Tricks, No Exit, Repeat. Most people are OK with that.




Miami Nice.

Local Yokel warming up to 'Lobbyist Friend' at Pharrell's Crib.



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Monday, August 3, 2009

Brown is the New Green


Swampspace Gallery : Soft Opening August 8th

Decommissioned.
Reconsidering the Chasms in Art Theory and New Urbanism.

Link

Also Second Saturday Night Gallery Walk - Catch a Movie Premier on Lincoln Road.




Big Screen Opening Night at the Boobies.

Aiden Dillard filmaker is the Luis Bunuel of the bayou.
You will want to put some ketchup on your pop-corn when watching his latest film,
Death Print
.
Likely not at a theater near you soon.

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Saturday, August 1, 2009

Coast with the Most



Land of the Golden Freeways.

California is many things. It is a coastal desert oasis battered by frigid unforgiving surf. It is a mighty redwood in an undisclosed location near an active volcano. It is the salad bowl of America where truck-loads of produce blanket fertile acres. It is Hollywood where the HeeboAmerican dream is packaged. It is a hot-tub of bleeding-heart liberal progressives with a cartoon governor. It is a "gift" from Mexico.

But one thing that it is not is disappointingly flat. Go see for yourself.



Gold Rush - Boom Chika-boom-boom Town.

If the road to the revolution lead through Mexico, then the wagon trails from the east were the alleyways to a promised land. Where it once took months of trekking the perilous continent from swamp to shining desert, today you can get there in five hours, but first you gotta get through airport insecurity . Once there, look for your pot of gold, prospecting is the art of foraging and fantasizing about a better tomorrow.



Youth Worship.

Ronald Reagan once said America is the Land of Tomorrow. I think what he meant is that it is not about you and me today but more about some imaginary future that never materializes. Fair enough, let the dreaming begin!




At the Intersection of Hell Street and Heaven Blvd.

Is there a god in the great 31? maybe maybe not, but there is a health club in Oakland with His namesake. The Bay area is one of the most interesting and delightful places out there. From SanFransisco to Berkley, honestly I cant say anything bad about it.



Do Animals Have Soul?

You betcha. But don't tell the humans who are told otherwise by their demagoguery. This super-cute pet cemetery is not on the tourist map.



Arts & Crafts and My Old Art Teachers.

California College of Arts is one of the most enchanting and instructive schools for a liberal arts education. Our fragile future depends on their ability to produce tomorrows conscientious thinkers and leaders. They gave my kid the invaluable motivational gift, aka money for college.



Community Development - No Pain? No Problem.

Back in the early 80's, I worked in the art department at HighTimes magazine. There is where i met some of the good folks who are directly responsible for the decriminalized marijuana available in Cali and several other states... for medicinal purposes of course.



House and Garden.

It's high time Florida got on the green-wagon and ended the indignity of getting busted for one lousy joint. People are not going to gateway to crack hell or jump out of windows. Zero tolerance is a harsh and lame attempt to ruin families and pad the pockets in Tallahassee.




Play with Clay all Day.

My muddybuddies out west know all the well kept secrets in the land of plenty. Here we are in Ojai near Ventura just an hour from downtown LA.



Soaking in the Sulfur.

What you don't smell can't hurt you. Drifters and Hollywood stars converge in the hot springs to soak in natures goodness and sooth the rheumatisms.




American Landscape.

What is more California than making new friends while naked.