a modernistic memory | a history before now, a life after yesterday | finding ghosts in familiar places
art and thoughts remixed | an abstraction of historical things – the world under the heavens | dec 1988
the meetings are now on Sunday @ 1pm
yesterday we took group photos for the press release
created postcards and graphics
talked and organized
back in October
the American Music Theater Festival
1000 Airplanes on the Roof
a science fiction music drama
it felt like the duration of timelessness
here in the empty space
a long time after
the things never remembered
has always had its own history
in this world
under the heavens
a modernistic memory | finding ghosts in familiar places | a fading failing memory | creativity
“A Modernistic Memory” is a new conceptual series based on the connectivity of memory attachments as they relate to places of significance in my past.
“Finding Ghosts In Familiar Places” is an experimental video art piece and re-captured video still remixes that explores the fluid ambiguities and the interwoven hints of nostalgia within the memories of the artist’s past. The film, through its visual and aural construct creates a symbiotic digital awareness that embraces both a conscious mindset of past experiences and the emotional embodiment of the heart found in those experiences. “Finding Ghosts In Familiar Places” is by all accounts a journey of personal recollection and interpersonal intimacy for the artist.
CREATIVITY.
your world beginning | catalogs, maps, and memories – final day
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After starting the video, please select the 1080 or 720 in the tool setting icon to view in High Definition.
This is the final video in my 2014 series Your World Disappearing and Your World Beginning. It explores past artistic influences and reflects on the creative process as well. In 2015, I will be starting a series titled “Into Abstraction”. I have not completely thought out the direction of this new series. It may in some form be a continuation of the 2014 series or a new direction with an emphasis on the abstraction of imagery and sound. I want to explore and utilize visually, the micro-tonal effects of the new video software I just purchased. And musically, I want to produce a more distinct electronic sound from my own remixing and editing of sound samples. And again, in addition to the new video software, I will be using a new music editing program to produce the music. This process will be a challenge indeed, and a learning curve over time.
variations, rewind and remixes | postcards and influences 02
Some moments with Highwire Gallery, the Philadelphia Artist Cooperative, John Cage in performance, Digital Voice, fellow artist and friend Paul Curci, and my solo digital exhibition “Sometimes In the Waking the Reality is More Pressing than the Dream.” at Villanova University Art Gallery. The years 1987 through 2001.
Below are links to the original posts that I am using for these variations, rewind and remixes.
In the Reflective Mirror / Various Artistic Influences 03: why ask questions about art
variations, rewind and remixes | postcards and influences 01
I often start a new series. Never quite knowing their origins, or where they will lead me. Several series that I have developed, such as Post Canvas and Paint, Data Complexes, Variations, Rewind and Remixes are just that: Endless conceptual ideologies of ambiguities in form and structure, that for the most part, have emerged from past artistic influences. Every new work builds on something from the past: An exhibit here. A performance there. A poet’s word softly translated. An image seared in memory. Newly discovered places … deep dark places and beautiful heavens. And of course, there is the reflection in the mirror and memories behind everything. I enjoy working from my past. It seems at times to be all I know. So in this series of Variations, Rewind and Remixes, I will simply re-examine my catalog of artistic influences in a new way. Back in 2011, I created several posts under the title “In the Reflective Mirror | Various Artistic Influences”, and asked the question … When searching for meaning in a catalogue of artistic events, does one art form influence another? And I can say, that in both a direct and subliminal manner, that it does indeed influence the way I see and create art.
Below are links to several of those earlier posts.
In the Reflective Mirror / Various Artistic Influences 03: why ask questions about art
Moments In Time (A Yesterday Video Remix)
Sometimes moments in time are like the possession of precious jewels only remembered briefly…..
My latest video entitled “Moments In Time (A Yesterday Video Remix)” starts off with clips from previous videos and a multimedia performance before evolving into my most recent ventures of 2012; finding new forms in the mountains of Western North Carolina. My early video work began back in 1988. Of course there were no digital cameras, and we had to use those large, bulky, VHS Cameras. At the time I was fortunate to have some rather unique video editing software, and hardware courtesy of my Amiga 1000 digital suite and the third-party supplier of a video mixer called the Genlock. Now with a HD digital camera, there is much higher resolution, creating a more definitive, sharper image. I recently purchased the Avid Studio Pro video software, and hope that the quality, and versatility will yield several levels of high performance (within a modest price range).
One of the major traits in the processing of my previous video work, has been my ability to layer video sources. So I am looking forward to using this new capability (the latest digital hardware and software) to continue this process. In the end I hope to create thought-provoking video imagery that is abstract, ambient. and minimalistic.
So I hope you enjoy what I think may be a transitional video on the path to new ideas, and processes.
Moments In Time (A Yesterday Video Remix)….
Weekly Photo Challenge: Windows
Windows at Highwire Gallery – Island, Water, Bridge exhibit 1993….
What illumination, the light shinning through; creating the perfect ambience for the found art installation.
The windows at highwire gallery - the second street art building
Weekly Photo Challenge: Opportunity
This photo goes back to 1990 and the Highwire Gallery’s visit to Deventer, Holland. It was part of an exchange with the artist group of Deventer. We were exhibiting new work in their gallery and staying the summer. While cruising through the small, quaint, artist town, I happened to come across a small shop that had a poster of our exhibit in the window. The poster is just to the left of the woman standing in the doorway. Throughout the town, residents and shop owners, displayed posters announcing the upcoming exhibit. Going to the Netherlands via this exchange of artists and ideas, was a fantastic opportunity, and one I will never forget.
The poster in the window, Deventer Holland
Weekly Photo Challenge: Broken
A broken world view
This week’s photo challenge is “broken”. The image I selected for this challenge is a
photographic still of my 1991 video installation presented at Highwire Gallery
entitled “The World Spins Black / White”. The 1991 installation was an
examination of—and condemnation of the forces of civil disobedience, war, and
social unrest that our society was struggling with at the time. The motivation
for choosing this photograph, at this specific point, is the state of our political
union here in the United States and abroad. At the core, I believe is a broken democracy.
The world is changing and it can be
argued not for the best. There is an ideology that threatens to disrupt, dismantle,
and delineate our democracy and freedom. That dismantling presents itself in many
different forms, with a variety of sponsors. Here in the United States, I
believe its greatest sponsor is right wing conservatism at its extreme,
supported by various proxy organizations, and funded by wealthy individuals
such as the Koch brothers. At the heart of the process with malice intent are
the reduction and perhaps even the elimination of our government i.e. the way
it functions and the services it provides. Hence there is the privatizing and
systematic assault on the public sector, with the goal being the transference
of wealth from the many to the few. In league with the machinations to
facilitate these insidious methods are corporate media moguls, right wing think
tanks and Tea Party legislators to name a few.
My image for this challenge “broken” is a world globe,
wrapped in barbed wire and decaying red roses.
“The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities
only if we make ourselves responsible for that future”. … Gifford Pinchot
The Fun House @ Highwire Gallery: 1991 / Dreaming in Future Tense / a 2011 remix
“Sometimes we turn the pages in the Book of Memories and come to remember the children who dream in future tense”…..
The Highwire Gallery production of The Fun House
workshop began in March 1991 at the Sayre Morris Community Center in West
Philadelphia and concluded with a performance in May. Funded by the PA Council
on the Arts, the goal was to bring together a group of children and introduce
them to the arts. Our focus would be on dance, performance, music and the visual
arts. Another important part of the workshop was for it to be a community
service, which merged different ethnic backgrounds and communities. For the
eleven girls who participated in the workshop, the hope was to inspire personal
challenges and the pursuit of their dreams. Everyone involved, the artists of
Highwire Gallery, the kids, Empress our musical director, Sandra Lynn our choreographer,
and “DADA” (Dancers Against Drug Abuse) met the challenge and worked hard to
make the program a huge success.
How do we encourage our children to dream, a dream that
inspires, enriches and motivates them to reach for the sky, and to touch just one of the millions of snowflakes that
can be found in the realm of possibilities? How do we lead them by the hand,
through the garden of hopes and dreams?
The Kids at Sandy Beach 2011
I think we do it one child at a time, one school at a time, one
project at a time, and as one community. Children love to discover, and be creative.
I strongly believe that the arts will provide them with the tools they will need for exploring their
imagination and giving birth to their dreams.
What do you feel is our children’s greatest need? What resources in our society would you like to see be provided for the well being and growth of our children? Do you believe that the arts, especially at a young age, is a vital tool for encouraging creative thinking and problem solving?
What do you think?
Select the link below for a dream-like journey into a contemporary child’s lullaby.
Winter Poem by Nikki Giovanni
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
— Author and poet Nikki Giovanni
From “The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni”
And last but not least in this journey of dreams…a short animation.
Maybe Tomorrow a Better Dream a Better Life
2011 remix of Life and Stolen Innocence, Recovery and The Spark that Ignites Our Dream of Love Soon Fades Away
Millions of children, throughout the world, are abused in one form on another. It is heartbreaking that they must live with the sharp pain of an unkind word, neglect, shame, or physical torment. It shatters their hopes and dreams. As a society we cannot lose sight of what a young girl or boy experiences when their trust in those who should protect them is betrayed. We as a community, a village, must extend love and compassion, hope and inspiration that tomorrow’s dreams and life itself can and will be beautiful, safe and fulfilling. There is a lot of space in the hearts of all children to find that warm embrace, the story that leaves a smile, and a relationship that is love.
In memory of Robert Wulbrecht / a distinguished Highwire Artist
Robert working on translucent screens in preparation for the 19 American Artist exhibit in Berkgerk, Deventer in the Netherlands.
This post is dedicated to the memory of an artist that I came to know quite well during our stint as members of Highwire Gallery. The digital image I created here is from a photograph taken while several artists were preparing for the exhibit at the Bergkerk Gallery. There were a number of screens (I do believe three) that Robert created. When light was transmitted through the multiple screens they projected the image designed on the screens rather beautifully. One of my fondest memories of Robert was during our show at the Black Banana in downtown Philadelphia, January 7th 1994. Robert and I and fellow artist, Marita Fitzpatrick produced mixed media paintings and drawings. I created a video montage. During the time Robert and I knew one another we talked often about the creative arts, and its meaning and impact on our society.
Robert will be missed. His Spirit infused with love for life and art passed on from this plane of existence a few years back.
An alternative look at Robert in the process of creating the piece
19 Amerikaanse Kunstenaars / 19 American Artists / Bergkerk, Deventer 1990
Jessie Lyle, Constance kocs, kimberly Hunter, Pat Sprott, Joanna Hartell, Mary Clark, Robert Phillips, Roni Chernin, Mark Stolte
19 Amerikaanse Kunstenaars / 19 American Artists in Bergkerk Deventer the Netherlands. Tentoostelling Van Hedendeaagse Belldendekunst / Exhibition of Contemporary Art. 1 Juli T/M 22 Juli 1990.
What a fantastic photograph of some of the members that exhibited in Holland. Thanks Joanna for the photograph. I slightly altered the image to bring out the color and bring it up to date for my 2011 remix series featuring Highwire Artists. This post, and the blog in part, is dedicated to the artists of Highwire. Over the years, the collaborative sense of Highwire has always been the driving force of its creativity and its strength. Let’s stay connected, so please subscribe to this post, and you will get an email when new posts are created and posted. I feel very motivated to pursue this project on the blog, and its success will be in part because of your contributions. So leave comments, send me photographs (via Facebook or email) and bring back memories for us all.
Reconnecting with members of Highwire Gallery
Found art exhibit from the "Island" on the Delaware River
It has been an interesting past few days. Via Facebook, I have been able to start reconnecting with members of Highwire Gallery. In the late 1980’s a group of artists joined together to create the Philadelphia Artists Cooperative which later became Highwire Gallery Inc. An innovative and cutting edge group of artists began finding unique places to exhibit their work in downtown Philadelphia. Some shows were in abandoned lumber yards and cathedrals, market places like the Reading Terminal, and various galleries, historical locales and even a found art exhibit on an island on the Delaware River. During this period, a bond among the artists, and a direction for the cooperative was formed. A permanent locale was founded in 1990 at the 2nd Street Art Building. The 2nd Street Art Building was a distinct hub of creativity with its housing of four galleries in Old City Philadelphia. Throughout the years and to this day Highwire, with its ever-changing host of artists, remains a vibrant and fresh creative force in Philadelphia.
I hope through this blog to connect with my fellow Highwire artists and invite them to talk about our experience together and their own creative pursuits since leaving the group. I am also interested in the thoughts and ideas of the artists that have sustained and promoted the co-op to this present day. As time evolves, it remains vitally important that our connection to our past is remembered, and that the ideas of those who hold the future of Highwire past through us all. In doing so we bring together as one, the words, vision, and thoughts that sustain us and the legacy of the Philadelphia Artist Cooperative.
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 