The Week/Weekend: August 23-Aug 30.


Exploring the Poison Cauldron of the Newtown Creek with Mitch Waxman
August 25, 2012, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Meetup at the corner of Kingsland and Norman Avenues in Greenpoint at 11

The 22 is headed out this Saturday to check out Atlas Obscura’s tour of Newton Creek. We’ll have a full update afterwards, but in the meantime buy your tickets and join us! We will be exploring the petroleum and waste transfer districts of the Newtown Creek watershed in North Brooklyn. Heavily industrialized, the area we will be walking through is the heart of the Greenpoint Oil Spill and home to scores of waste transfer stations and other heavy industries. We will be heading for the thrice damned Kosciuszko Bridge, which is scheduled for a demolition and replacement project which will be starting in 2013. Photographers, in particular, will find this an interesting walk through a little known and quite obscure section of New York City.

Battle for Bergen Street
Monday, August 27, 7pm
at the corner of Smith and Bergen Streets 

“Battle on Bergen” is a site-specific performance incorporating elements of dance, street theater, puppetry, and live music, depicting certain events from the Battle of Brooklyn and drawing parallels between the American Revolutionary War and events today. Sometimes forgotten in the very neighborhoods where it took place, the Battle was fought on August 27th, 1776 weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “Battle on Bergen” is co-directed by Selene Colburn and features David Freeman, James Hannaham, Aaron Stanley, Willis Bigelow, Alan Balicki, Katie Merz, John Bauman, Tyler Sussman, and J.J. Hill-Wood.

Michael Hearst’s SONGS FOR UNUSUAL CREATURES
Sat 08/25
Barbes

A celebration of the under-appreciated creatures that roam the planet. From the Australian Bilby to the deep-sea Magnapinna Squid, to the Saddleback Caterpillar. The songs are brought to life by a gaggle of curious instruments and peculiar sounds including theremin, claviola, stylophone, and more.. With Michael Hearst, Ron Caswell, Allyssa Lamb Ben Holmes and Kristin Mueller.

Day Joy/Gracie
Fri, August 24, 2012
Cameo Gallery

Day Joy is the creation of Peter Michael Perceval and Michael Serrin of Orlando FL. Their music began acoustically on the porch and recordings began with just the duo layering instrumentation together and and creating the lush and layered Dream Folk/Pop recordings you can hear now.

Art for Progress presents “Mixed Greens”
Saturday, August 25th
Paperbox Brooklyn

AFP returns to The Paper Box in East Williamsburg for a new monthly multimedia experience showcasing some of the finest emerging talent NYC has to offer. Most recently, AFP hosted “Brooklyn Beat Music and Arts Festival” at The Paper Box, and will continue the multidisciplinary arts experience with their new monthly series “Mixed Greens.” Taking place on Saturday nights the third week of each month, “Mixed Greens” will bring together a fresh new mix of musicians, artists, and DJ’s, creating an eclectic experience.

Sound Off Salon
16 Beaver St

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Sound Off is an intimate performance series of sound art and experimental music that connects audiences with composers, musicians, artists, and one another. It takes place in a simple loft: no stage, no curtain, and little distance between performer and audience.

LUSH Curated by Michael Hunt
Saturday, August 25 from 6-10pm
Klughaus Gallery

The Australian so-called “graffiti artist” LUSH is having his debut New York solo exhibition at Klughaus Gallery on Saturday, August 25, 2012. Following successful shows in Australia and London, LUSH is going to be bringing his “Art” to the Big Apple.

FLASH POINT/ NYC: WRITERS AND COMPOSERS
Thursday,  Aug 30 – 6:00PM
Cornelia St Cafe

A multidisciplinary call-and-response experience, the FLASH POINT/ NYC ensemble of writers and composers interweave new hybrid texts, flash fiction, micro memoir and prose poems across the harmonic rhythms, inversions, melodies and lines of original live jazz. Synchronicities and spontaneities emerge, converge and diverge to cross genres, provoke tradition and explore the territories ahead.

Gayle Young with Reinhard Reitzenstein
8/25 Saturday
The Stone

Young and Reitzenstein combine pre-recorded sounds — ranging from oceans to railways — with two of Young’s stringed instruments, one wood and the other a prototype in aluminum. Their approach is a playful exploration of sound that integrates soundscape with unusual tunings.

Butoh Electra
August 29 – September 8
Irondale Center

The magnificent, intense and intelligent Butoh Electra is created and performed by the highly acclaimed ensemble, The Ume Group. A “beautiful and disturbing” piece (NYTheatre.com), Butoh Electra presents Sophocles’ Greek revenge tragedy as the story of a woman whose vibrant inner life is corrupted by the world of walking dead in which she lives.

The Disposable Film Festival
Thursday August 23

Solar1

The DFF was created in 2007 to celebrate the artistic potential of disposable video: short films made on non-professional devices.

Veronica Klaus Sings The Peggy Lee Songbook with special guest Joey Arias
7:30 PM – August 29 

Joe’s Pub

Veronica Klaus delves into the amazingly broad songbook of the inimitable Miss Peggy Lee and brings her own sultry, smokey soulful style to some favorites and some lesser known gems from the Lee songbook, with the Tammy Hall Trio backing her, this is a great night of music for fans of jazz and the immortal Peggy Lee!

Neil Rolnick/Kristin Norderval
8/29 Wednesday
The Stone

Neil Rolnick works for violin, piano and computer, with violinist Todd Reynolds and pianist Vicky Chow. Including Hammer & Hair, Digits, Fiddle Faddle and Robert Johnson Sampler.

Harry Pussy Record Release Party with Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano
Thursday, August 30, 2012 @ 8:00 pm

Roulette

Record release party for Harry Pussy’s Let’s Build A Pussy (1998) & One Plus One (1992-1993) with solo sets and a world premere duo performance by Bill Orcutt (one of the most influential noise artists of the 20th century) and “one of the most exciting drummers on the planet”, Chris Corsano.

Leland Sundries/Angela Perley and The Howlin’ Moons/Raquel Bell and David Marshall of Mesiko
Friday, 8/24
Pete’s Candy Store

Leland Sundries, a band from New York led by Nick Loss-Eaton, is dedicated to storytelling in a way that recalls Woody Guthrie and his Folkways brethren.Raquel and David are performing a rare duo set of past songs from their now defunct band, Norden Bombsight, and some of their new material from recently formed, Mesiko (Ray Rizzo, Chris Rodahaffer).”Taking her cues from the bold ladies of classic Americana country, Angela Perley’s vocal whippoorwill twang and down-home lyrics are so darling they will keep you up at night.

ICY & SOT IRANIAN STREET ARTISTS
Openhouse Gallery
August 23-25

Neverheard Inc and Klerkx Art Agency will be presenting ICY AND SOT’s Made in Iran at Openhouse Gallery. The street art duo will be debuting at Openhouse 379 Broome in Nolita. Made in Iran will expose viewers to site-specific installation and new stencil work that has been seen on the streets of Paris, Turin, San Paolo, New York, and many other cities.

Taka Kigawa, piano – performing J.S. Bach’s “The Art of Fugue”
Le Poisson Rouge
Mon., August 27, 2012, 7:00 PM

Critically acclaimed pianist TAKA KIGAWA will present a solo piano recital on Monday, August 27th, 2012, at 8:00 pm, at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Doors open at 7:00 pm. For this recital, Mr. Kigawa will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 (complete.)

The Snow / C. Gibbs/Annie and The Beekeepers with special guest Wilsen
Joe’s Pub
9:30 PM – August 30 

The Snow is a cinematic literary-pop quartet from Brooklyn, New York led by Pierre de Gaillande (Bad Reputation, Melomane, Morning Glories) and Hilary Downes. The Snow’s influences are as diverse as its sound – having been described in turns as post-apocalyptic French cabaret, gypsy pop, and carnival Americana.

BACHSTAR
KOTORINO
ANDY STATMAN
Creative Nonfiction Opening
VICTOR FRANGE PRESENTS GAS

Urban Food Waste Workshop
Braulio Amado’s: HOUDINI      
Cinema, Cinema/Bambara/Jackpot Tiger/Big Fur/Big Ups @Paper Box
Isle of Rhodes/Tough/Luck, Late Cambrian

Newtown Creek Celebration: Puppet Parade and Pageant
DAVE KADDEN/BAHAMA GIRL/CATFOX
N Y Moth Story Slam (Blunders)
BEAT Festival
SCHOOLNIGHT at the Bowery Hotel
Don’t Allow Fracking in New York State!
Nancy Beckman and Tom Bickley/Viv Corringham
GLOBAL LIVING ROOM FEST: JOSH RUTNER’S G’HOKTASAURUS
Jason Kao Hwang
Melanie Daniel: ECHO SHIELD
Skye Steele’s Glorious Sunshine Band
Crystal Bright and The Silver Hands

COMING UP:

Ryan Turley’s Hi/Lo
ELISA LENDVAY: Small Sculpture 
Strange Tales of Liaozhai
Thomas Allen: Beautiful Evidence
Wondering Around Wandering
Pauline Oliveros with Doug Van Nort and FILTER
Pictures from the Moon: A Symposium on Holograms and Art
Odd Job @Fowler Arts
SoundWalk 2012
THE NY ART BOOK FAIR
Next wave Festival
The Mountain Goats
Devotchka
 
 

THE WEEKEND: MARCH 30-APRIL 1st.

EDITOR’S PICKS:

Drew Maillard Solo Show: “Living In Interesting Times”
http://www.mfgallery.net/DrewMaillard/DrewMaillard.html
03/31/2012-05/05/2012

MF Gallery, fine purveyors of the eccentric and bizarre, are proud to present the collected works of one of their own. “Living In Interesting Times” is an exhibition of the drawings, paintings, prints and sculptures of Drew Maillard. There is an ancient Chinese curse that goes “May you live in interesting times.” Drew Maillard was born and raised in America in the last quarter of the 20th century… A fascinating era to be sure. He is a product of his environment. Nature and nurture; habitat and conditioning combined. Drew’s adolescence was divided between comic books, horror and sci-fi films, and fantasizing about girls he didn’t talk to. Also there was Punk Rock and L.S.D.. After spending some time in the army and leaving his hometown in upstate NY, he received his Bachelor Of Fine Arts degree from SVA in 2000. His life experiences and travel, as well as an interest in scuba diving and ju-jitzu is what informs Drew’s crazy crazy artwork.

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Michael Alan: Occupy Yourself… We are living Installations.

~Written by Eliott Edge

This Saturday, New York City born and raised artist Michael Alan will performing in solidarity with the occupation of Liberty Square at Judson Church entrance 55 Washington Square South.

No stranger to usurping public spaces or crossing the line between life and art, Alan will be projecting the accumulated of footage of seven year’s worth of avant-garde performances/ installations.

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THE WEEK: Nov 15-18.

TUESDAY:

99% – The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film
Filmmakers Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites in attendance for discussion including a video conversation with other film collaborators. Film critic Christopher Campbell will be moderating the discussion. Williams Cole will introduce the event.This feature length documentary film is spearheaded by over 50 independent filmmakers, photographers, and videographers across the country. We have come together to pledge our time, skills and gear to cover the events taking place in NYC and around the country. The end product will be a compelling, cinematic, resonant, and honest portrait of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Founded by NYC filmmakers Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites, the project currently counts among its collaborative many award winning documentary producers, directors, musicians and editors (as well as PR people and distributors) including Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley (Battle for BrooklynHorns and Halos), Ava Duvernay (distributor of independent black films via AFFRM, dir/prod I Will Follow), Aaron Yanes as supervising editor (a frequent Barry Levinson editor, he’s also edited many award-winning features and documentaries, from Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Padre Nuestro to James Toback’s Cannes prize-winningTyson, Tyler Brodie (Another EarthTerri), Bob Ray (Total Badass) and many more.

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MICHAEL ALAN: The Art Of Life & The Life Of Art by Mark DeMaio.

Artist Michael Alan is as sincere an individual you’ll ever come across-which seems implausible being as he was born and raised in New York City. His lack of pretense and humble manor belies a quickly rising status. The only child of inventive, and supportive parents and raised in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the city, Alan was encouraged to explore his creative nature from an early age. Not one to look for handouts, Michael is a self-made success. Having put himself through SVA nightschool (School Of Visual Arts) by working as a club promoter (anyone remember Michael Alan’s Playhouse?), the artist answers to no one. It is precisely this independent spirit that drives him to create, and further his goal to make the world a better place through art. The concept of a Utopia, though lovely, may not be realized in our lifetime and Alan, by making people feel a bit better, perhaps putting a smile on their face and forcing them think when viewing his dramatic, and wholly original work is what makes this selfless artist so unique amidst the clawing, cloying and at times unpleasant business of the art world.This isn’t to imply that Mr. Alan is giving his work away. In fact the last couple of years have seen his works move into the double-digit price range as galleries and museums around the world are quickly catching on, and he is represented by Gasser Grunert Gallery in the Chelsea art district.

In viewing Alan’s drawings and paintings, the elegant lines he puts to paper and canvas are deceptive in their complexity. The works are beautiful at a glance but deserve to be examined closely and at length to realize and appreciate the well thought out details hiding in every piece. Alongside these, Alan’s fully evolved experimental living art pieces known as Michael Alan’s Living Installation are carefully orchestrated and get bigger, and grander in scale with each and every new installment. If you have yet to witness the spectacle of The Living Installation then I suggest you do so as soon as possible. The first time I was watched it I left literally mesmerized. Beginning with a haunting and sometimes humorous soundtrack engulfing the performance space- usually composed by the artist-the first model is in place and Mr. Alan goes to work. It’s not enough for Michael to turn others into art. He methodically transforms a human into human art by applying layers of paint, tubing, fabric, plastic, copies of his works and other materials he needs to complete the transformation. Before the first model is complete he begins work on the second while continuing to work on the first, and then he introduces a third model and so on, simultaneously working on all of the models and the space. In talking about his work Alan says, “I work in five levels like a gray-scale or the variations of tempos on a music album. From a line drawing to a slightly muted drawing to a more colorful denser work, to a collaged, multi-media layered painting, I then bring the work to the public, construct it live on my friends, and finally, take this Living Installation, de-install it and drag it back to my studio and rework the scraps, the photos, the energy of it into the next piece. This is my full circle, there is no order to the circle, which leaves me constantly open. The work is about energy, and drawing from the world, on the world, on people, and then taking parts that had humans activating the work, and reworking them into a new piece. The work in one sense is continuous. A show goes up, comes down, a circle goes round and round.”

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Michael Alan’s Living Installation: The Revolutionary Art Event That You’re Probably Missing By Emily Colucci.

Wedding/Vampyr Circus, a living installation took place on September 16th 2011 at ABC No Rio.

{Photo left: The Wedding, Dylan Morgan, Raquel Mavecq, Emil B Nasty and Miss Suzie Q, photo by Garry Boake}

If you are anything like me, you frequent Chelsea gallery openings and supposedly avant-garde art parties only to leave completely disappointed and weirdly nostalgic for the old New York art scene.  What would it be like to see Ann Magnuson, Kenny Scharf and Keith Haring at Club 57, hang out with Andy and Edie at the Factory or watch one of those bizarre, inexplicable Fluxus performances in SoHo before it was an open-air mall? Well, its time to stop that nonsense whining because a raw, inclusive, totally wild, D-I-Y art show is happening now. Michael Alan’s Living Installation has its roots in that glorious art scene that everyone seems to believe has passed.  Rather than endure another self-involved and nearly delusional Terence Koh or Marina Abramovic performance, art enthusiasts need to wake up and experience the unexpected and nearly unexplainable Michael Alan’s Living Installation, which they did at “The Wedding/Vampire Circus,” which featured two shows at one time, on Friday at legendary punk-art venue ABC No Rio.

Not a play, a performance, a show or a happening per se, Michael Alan’s Living Installation is an art piece where artist Michael Alan turns a group of performers into living art objects, using every material he can get his hands on. A native New Yorker, Alan has distilled the New York art and culture he grew up in and created an entirely new, crazy experience that runs about 6 hours. From paint to glue to baby powder to wild masks made from doll parts, pieces of paper and toys, the appearance of the performers begins to look like an experimental fashion photo-shoot, which is probably why Marie Claire Italy was one of the magazines excited about the Living Installation rather than the ancient, conservative art journals.

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THE WEEK: SEPT 19-23.


MoMA Premiere: Through the Weeping Glass: An Evening with the Quay Brothers

September 24, 2011

As part of a limited three-city tour that includes premieres in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, MoMA presents the Quay Brothers’Through the Weeping Glass: On the Consolations of Life Everlasting (Limbos & Afterbreezes in the Mütter Museum), a new work by the American-born, British-based independent filmmakers. In the tradition of their prior museum documentaries—The Phantom Museum (2003), on London’s Sir Henry Wellcome Collection, and Inventorium of Traces (2009), on Poland’s Lancut Castle—the Quays return to the city where they began their education as graphic designers to explore the medical collections of the Mütter Museum, part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Examining obscure archives, antique volumes, and artifacts, Through the Weeping Glass investigates marvels of pathology and anatomical oddities, finding poetry in the ill-fated, true-life stories of the “ossified man” Harry Eastlack and famed Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker. The documentary Behind the Scenes with the Quay Brothers, shot during production ofThrough the Weeping Glass, also premieres. Directors Stephen and Timothy Quay will be present to discuss the film with writer David Spolum and moderator Barbara London.