Sans Soleil

Migraine January 10, 2016
Today I have another migraine, it is sunny outside, I am inside, and watching San Soleil/Sunless by Chris Marker. Be inspired and take my mind off the pain.

More for my never-ending Chris Marker research:

Personal Effects: The Guarded Intimacy of Sans Soleil – From the Current – The Criterion Collection by Jonathan Rosenbaum

Letter to Theresa by Chris Marker – Behind the Veils of Sans Soleil

Sans Soleil / Sunless TEXT

more Chris Marker LINKS

Art in the 1980s: The Forgotten History of PAD/D

Art in the 1980s: The Forgotten History of PAD/D

Art in the 1980s: The Forgotten History of PAD/D

Great piece in Hyperallergic about the PAD/D (Political Art Documentation and Distribution) collective and its archive which is now at MoMA library in Queens.

A lot of this was happening when I first moved to NYC. In retrospect, I don’t understand why I didn’t get involved.

I love the last line of the article in how it speaks about why we make archives:  “The archive is in a place that will forever be there, and perhaps no one will show it much attention. But maybe one day, someone will see it, and will.” [by artist Mimi Smith.]

And there is a second essay
 with many great selections
from the archive.

First Photograph of Electric Chair

From TIME Lightbox
Interesting story about this famous photograph and timely in that Tennessee is about to vote to reinstate the electric chair. Just voting on it is horrifying enough.

Daily News Front page. Extra Edition. January 13, 1928.

How the photo was taken: The New York Daily News knew that the prison was familiar with many journalists from their staff, so they hired someone from out of town, Tom Howard, a then-unknown local photographer from the Chicago Tribune. Knowing he would never be allowed in with a camera, Howard strapped a single-use camera to his right ankle and wired a trigger release up his pant leg. Remarkably, he was allowed in. From across the room, Howard pointed his toe at the chair and took but one photo as Snyder took her last breaths.

[Read more: The First Photograph of an Execution by Electric Chair – LightBox ]

… In my mind, this image is the one Andy Warhol used for his Electric Chair series, but no.

Andy Warhol, 1971

 

 

1-1-13

I love that Yoko continues to gives us this gift in the New York Times. It also rewards those of us who still read the paper version since it does not appear on nytimes.com. In the past, she has offered  downloads on the imagine peace website.

Another view out the window with a nod of course to Robert Heinecken:

Alina Szapocznikow

Can’t Stop thinking about work . This exhibition along with Sanja Ivekovic has been the highlights of my art going this year.

MoMA | Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955–1972.

More links:

Bio from Polish Cultural Institute

Alina Szapocznikow archive at Museum of Modern Art in Archive

Even thought their work is very different than mine, both Sanja and Alina’s work have more parallels to my interest than most artists whose work I can think of.

  < ^ :  links to projects in the archive

Geraldine

I am spending the day with my friend and great artist Geraldine Erman who is making great 3D for the Web: myvernacular.posterous.com.

Our plan for the day was for Deenie to teach me javascript and I would teach her CSS. We haven’t done much of that but we have looked at a lot of things and she has inspired me.

 

@ Walid Raad Talk

1989-2004 Atlas Group – history of the wars in Lebannon. possibility and limits of writing. Archives:
type A – authored
type FD – “found”
Atlas Group Productions

created notebooks by main historian – Dr. Fakhouri – i.e. photofinish notebooks – historian betting on how far off will the photographer’s “photofinish” be.
TOO EARLY – TOO LATE

It is photographic documents of artifacts in the archive that more important than the objects themselves. Look up 2 film camers Dr. Fakhouri always had with him.

My neck is thinner than a hair: A History of Car Bombs in the Lebannon Wars (1975-1991) 3,641 car bombs during these years

New project:
Scratching on things I could disavow: A history of art in the Arab World
part 1/volume 1/ chapter 1

“Art as alternative asset class.” – Mutual Art and Artist Pension Trust

more on Walid Raad

“O’ Say Can You See” Installation by Laura Poitras

 “O’ Say Can You See” Installation by Laura Poitras at CDS
O’ Say Can You See? is Poitras’ first art gallery exhibition. Her installation features a projection of the imagery from Ground Zero in 2001, with audio recorded weeks later at the Yankees’ comefrom-behind Game 4 World Series victory on October 20. Poitras has said that “_O’ Say Can You See?_ returns to the moment of innocence when America waited for the dead to arise. It is a meditation on loss and revenge.” Interviews with recently released detainees from Guantanamo Bay are presented on flat screen monitors, adding new layers of information and emotion about the War on Terror. pdf with more info

Laura Poitras
from Women & Film site