Shed a Tear for Cyclists

Read it and weep.

Miami may be a bike-friendly town on paper, with a long overdue official recognition, but it is another case of Too Little Too Late.

My pal Bert, pro cyclist and conceptual artist extraordinaire, ended up at Jackson Memorial with severe injuries as a result of another one of the countless completely incapable hit-n-run motorist miami is known for.


Photo not related, but just as painful.

You see them, the one on the cellphone texting, or applying make-up, or rabid with road-rage. We got plenty of meter-maids, we got robocop radars, we got speed bumps, speed limits posted that begs the question, why not just walk? We got teflon highways and buildings just for cars, we got pornographic car advertising, we got nascar petrol running through our veins but we can't seem to get anything right when it comes to common sense solutions towards a sustainable lifestyle.


Bogus Bike Friendly. Spending tax dollars of feel-good advertising.

We got no respect for the growing demands of the cycling public. FDOT is particularly whak, city and county gov'ment is whak, big-foot bone-head drivers are whak, rip-off bike shops are whak, bike thieves are whak, and what do we get? we get whaked. This sucks the big one. Can you tell I'm pissed?


I should have done the entire face.
Bert, in happier days getting his beautiful nose cast for posterity.

My sympathy goes out to the growing scores of young cyclists eager to get around on something other than the money pit that is an automobile. My concern today is for the well being of Bert Rodriguez.


Weeping Virgin.


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Our Brown Knight

Readers want to know more about the Beaucoup Bucks dolled out recently and locally by the prestigious Knight Foundation to a wide range of fine art related individuals and institutions. It is no secret that the recipients are well deserving of the much needed funding that they must now match in order to actually take receipt of said generosity. It gets easier to get more money when a heavy-weight like our very own brown knight, Alberto Ibargüen, has got your back. Funding of the arts is a vehicle for the betterment of the spirit heart and soul of Miami. But giving is nothing new to the Knights. The Knight family, as miami readers may recall, was once the owner of the MiamiHerald. It's a shame that the Herald ran out of knights before it ran out of newsprint. The esteemed Foundation does however continue to support a wide range of non-art related socially relevant and critical services right here in the swamp.
Thanks to the generosity of the Knight family, my dear mother, now retired, worked quietly for 40 years at the Robert T. Knight Activity Center for Adults with Disabilities, ironically located today just around the corner from Daniel Arsham's Studio in Hialeah. Arsham is my pal and client, one of Miami's own rising stars in the art world. We've collaborated on many projects, but two come to mind with regard to the Knight Foundation; The stage set for Merce Cunninham Dance Co. and more recently Beacon/Miami for MAM. If coincidence is fate, then nothing is ever the result of chance. It is hard work and the vision thing.


Maquette for Merce Cunningham set by Arsham


Detail of finished work at my Design District Studio


Performance at the Carnaval/Arsht Center in Miami.
This stage set has been around the world twice and was recently used again at the Kennedy Center in D.C.


People Powered Art by Arsham
Testing the Beacon/Miami Project Downtown for ABMB week.


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Faux Bold Face Types

Everybody wants their picture with...
Eva and Adele remind me of the Scull Sisters.

For those who just can't get enough of Miami Basel Art, here is a quick mention of dear longtime friends and art aficionados Paul Laster and Rene Ricardo. The two have been an item since 80's and part of the wallpaper in the grand old living room of the high-brow art scene. They loved the BordelloBodega so much that they visited practically everyday during Basel for a cuban coffee shot and to remminese on the decades we share. I don't know how they do it... manage to look great, act charming and report on all the going on with laser-sharp focus on the who's who. I venture to say art keeps the freaks young. They know how to sniff-out the bold-face types.

Paul's camera work and commets can be had at Artkrush, MiamiArtMania and Flavorwire just to name a few.

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Shock n Awe Xmas Sale

No this is not soon to be XVP Cheney in an undisclosed cave in Wyoming.
If you can't resist another visit to Santa's Encrusted Forest, the Space Santa display is an Unbelievably Freaky Original.



Iwo Jimamamia... does it really take five guys to upright a symbol of re-birth?



Jim Carrey was grrrrreat as the grinch that tried to steal christmas.


Here is the rock-bottom truth: fundamentalist fruit-cakes from the the big three (not detroit) abrahamic faiths; islam, christian and jewish, have been spilling blood over this particular rock for centuries.



From the incomparable Incertus comes this irresistably loaded image, brilliant.



In case we are not completly confused and relieved in the mullato millennium, check out the latest fringe group.

From all of us to all y'all, Have a Joyful and Indulging Holiday Season.



Update from the North Pole:
There is a Fire Sale at Gov. Palin's Church in Wazzup, Alaska.
I think I see the likeness of baby jesus in the smoke stains...
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Green is the new Red, White n Blue

Little old blue bin be banished, there's a new super-size bin on the block.

Came home yesterday to find a fancy new recycling can delivered to every house in the neighborhood courtesy of Metro Dade Sanitation Department. The literature included provides residents with detailed instructions on the new initiatives lauded by the county as a bigger 'greener' better solution to our collective issues with sustainability. Is it your tax dollars well spent or another boondoggle for the bureaucrats?

How fast can one household fill up a 65 gallon can of recyclable material? Who cares!

The biggest advantages of this new program are that you no longer have to separate your recyclables and you can now recycle more types of paper products. Recycling has never been easier!



Curbing our appetite for progress, new plastic bins ready for distribution.

Think about it, if every town in the nation decides to up-grade their recycling bins, is it really green? Oscar the Grouch says NO!

The official web site has nothing but good news on the effort to manage our insurmountable production and accumulation of waste in a culture of conspicuous consumption.

Miami-Dade County launched a new recycling program. The transition process will take several months, in the meantime please continue to use the current recycling system, until you receive the new information package and recycling cart.




And if that isn't enough progress for ya, wrap your head around the effort to automate the collection of trash and garbage. Why are we doing all this at a time when the economy is tanking and jobs are scarce? Because we can.

Again from the Department of Everything is Coming Up Roses:

It's official! The Department of Solid Waste Management completed its garbage automation effort, with crews delivering EZGO carts to the final households in the Department’s service area. More than 300,000 households participate in this innovative garbage collection service that is neater, cleaner, safer and more efficient for residents and employees alike! While automating the Department’s waste collection service area is complete, we’ll continue to adjust, monitor and improve our waste collection efforts.

The only thing that is EZ-GOing is sanity and jobs.


Prices for recovered waste paper have plummeted to record lows.



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Obamarabilia

From Swamp to shining Swamp.

The Chicago Tribune is worth periodic visits, particularly these days.
Wish I could say the same for the Miami Harold.

The Tribune has tons of great photos documenting Obama's Magical Life thus far.



Love is thicker than molten lava. Love has no opposite.



"I Read a Book Once" by George W. Bushed



Insert Your Face Here. Yearbook Yourself.
First Lady looks ready to tackle the world.



Brother don't need no surf-board.
Talk about catching a wave.... ride it all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue.



We won't fall for the old Aluminum Tubes neo-Con again.



In front of every great woman....
We know who's got his ears and heart.



Tee-shirt diplomacy.
Jackson's got his 'hands/Jr.' but Obama's still got his plum-sacks.
Little girls know a wolf in sheep t-shirt when they see one.



Even white people's got to shout.
Brother would never tattoo anything on baby's forehead.



Lefties Rule. We are "in the pink", let's not blow it.



Talk to the Hand, you Dick, Cheney.


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Drive-by Double-takes

D-Place All Dried Up.
This sign/water-feature probably complies with the city sign ordinance...
but it looks like arssss. Why people use bathroom tile outdoors is beyond me.
The wdf painters tape graffiti applique actually helps a bit.



Peace, Love and Home Repairs.
Just a short walk from Casa Lin in Wynwood, this clever handymanvan provides ample proof that before the "art-invasion" aka gentrification miami's own puerto rican neighborhood was loaded with creativity.



We Paint Ugly Cars.
The candy-van parks illegally in the design district.

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In the Belly of Big Basel

Being immersed in the fine art industry, it is easy to forget that just short walk from all the hullabaloo of Basel one can find ample example of those who are perfectly oblivious to the "life or death" seriousness, self-importance pomp and circumstance of ABMB.


Tomorrows public service non-art troops.

Junior ROTC practice their maneuvers across Dade Blvd. from ABMB at MB Senior High School. They may very well be proud of not knowing anything about art.


!% down payment on income property.

Newly constructed du-plex just a block from Design Miami in the mainland.
Probably costs less than the Bob Williams 8"x10" that sold for 350,000.


Ground Zero Design Miami

The Bordello Bodega was a big hit among the vips and casual art aficionados.
There were times when a crowd would gather outside wanting to get in to take advantage of the 1940's prices on libations, substantials candies and necessities.



Bordello Bodega without the people.
I cant tell you how many times i heard people say this was such a welcome treat, the best thing they had seen all week. The place had an aura of having always been there. Foreigners were delighted with the quirky ambiance and intriguing native visual appeal.


That's allota GoGo Empanadas.

Somehow we managed to raise wads of dough for DASH. But more so, we raised the consciousness of many a traveler eager to be not just amused by art but transformed if only for a moment to a place in their minds, the bordello bodega.

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Basel Fossil Report

5-ton ready-made courtesy of the swamp.

ABMB 2008 Recaps and Recollections.

With the eighth annual Art and Design Extravaganza coming to a close it has become abundantly apparent that for better or worse we are a people of insatiable sensory needs and desires. The extent of participation on the part of all the parties interested confirms that Miami has become a mecca for art freaks of all persuasion. From the 600 private jets landing in OpaLocka airport to the native art-soldier and grunts eager to cash in on a pittance during the season, every one is scrambling to take in as much as humanly possible. ABMB and all that follows is at the core an orgy of desire for the collective mutual eye-candy only art, design and the people that make it happen deliver each year right here in the swamp.



If a picture tells a thousand words then MiamiArtWeek speaks volumes on the optic nerve of the human need for something extra, the need to find some meaning for our earthly existence.

This thing is bigger than the Boat Show... and the people are allot more interesting.



Swampthing is busy hosting the Bordello Bodega, no time to OD on all the Goings-Ons.

Do find time to read:
Interview with Ambra Medda, co-founder and director of Design Miami/ NOMADpaper

Also from the Dept. of Totally Unrelated.
The Real Bill Ayers Speaks , OpEd newyorktimes.


UPDATE:
Visit the incomparable Buildings n Food for a complete virtual tour of the Arttractions.


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Bordello Bodega

The Bordello Bodega

Celebrating 25 years in the Design District, Miami artist Oliver Sanchez will open his studio featuring the Bordello Bodega during the Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach events.

The BORDELLO BODEGA is a neighborhood convenience store with a hospitality club theme laced with a unique Latin Manhattan flavor. A ridiculous manifestation that attempts to convey the notion that what propels human endeavor is an unchanging burning desire for fundamental earthly pleasures.




WHO: Oliver Sanchez Studio
WHAT: The BORDELLO BODEGA
WHEN: December 1-7 2008
WHERE: 3821 NE 1 Court
WHY: Fund-raiser for Design and Architecture Senior High School

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No Black Basel

Omni Observant Local Word-Smith, Brett Sokol has the low-down on what flies and what doesn't with the art-police.

It appears we have another dark stain on the First Amendment.
Miami Beach officials have gagged CooPer's work from public space.

From Brett's piece in the NewYork Mag:

“The ink stains,” says Max Sklar, the city’s tourism honcho. “Clothing, cars, the sidewalk—everything.

“This isn’t Disney pretend,” he (CooPer) says. “This is real, live public art. You can look at it and enjoy it. But if you get in the middle of it, it’s not going to forgive you.”



Can't be bullish with fake bull.

Sokol in the Herald:
From beginning to today; a thorough account of the Locust Project Art Space in Wynwood.

"...Cooper recalls arguing with a city official over the precise classification of the building's occupational license:

``I kept telling him we didn't have a traditional occupation -- we were artists! So then he wanted to know how many desks we had!''

Cooper asked me about the ink issue and all i could come up with was squid-ink flavored kool-aid. Cooper is no substa-dude, he is the real thing.

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