on becoming a russian spy

This passport cover, given by my very own agent Marshall, was created by the design group Kikkerland.


As many of you know, I have recently been recruited by the government to work in Russia. Please see the below photo as proof. Real spies hold their passports upside down.


In the meantime my cover story will be that of a typical American student studying abroad in the United Kingdom. Home base is an inconspicuous flat in inner London called Langton Close.



I'm scheduled to depart on Monday, January 4th from Boston. I will use this blog to keep everyone back in the U.S. up to date on my non-confidential activities.

Note: museums in London are free admission... I will continue to post intermittently about contemporary art in much the same format as I have in the past.

anni albers

Anni Albers, wife of Josef Albers, was a student of the Bauhaus in the weaving workshop. She studied ancient weaving techniques and is responsible for some of the most beautiful textiles of the twentieth century. By combining modern technology and materials with traditional weaving she helped to create a place for weaving in the fine arts. Like many of the bauhauslers she was interested in applying mass production to everyday objects in an effort to create affordable products for the masses.

In addition to her textiles she also created jewelry with mass-producible items. She used items like hair pins and washers to create an industrial look that is both affordable and accessible to everyone. Using objects like washers demonstrates the plasticity of objects so common at the Bauhaus - students constantly explored the essence of objects outside of their functional purpose.

Since washers have holes, why not string them on a ribbon to make a pretty necklace?

this may be risky...

My latest argument for the contemporary influence of the Bauhaus: Lady Gaga.

Before you take me seriously, you should probably read this article published by Slate over the summer.

And then, watch the Bad Romance video, paying attention to the beginning and the golden costume about 3:30 minutes in:



The Bauhaus theater workshop was short-lived, but perhaps we are seeing an influence of Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet?



Or is the 'haus' reference just an attempt at conveying cultural proficiency, right along with her little French interjection... ?

bauhaus

When I tell family members I am taking a class on the Bauhaus and I get the inevitable, 'huh?' I curse myself for taking a class on something so random and then quickly explain to them that it was a German school of design in the interwar period.


That is a gross oversimplification. The Bauhaus was officially an architectural school, but it influenced modern art and design so greatly that it is not easily classified.

After World War I, Germany was searching for an identity in the facing of rising economic crisis and political upheaval. Europe was grappling with many of the same issues, and people felt that industrialization and new technology were partly to blame for the devastation of WWI. A movement had begun before the war emphasizing the return of the handicraft to return the integrity of the object.

In this climate, and with many other international influences, Walter Gropius started the Bauhaus in Weimer.

This woodcut was designed by Lyonel Feininger and exemplified the unity of art and the handicraft.

The curriculum included an introductory course where students were encouraged to learn about the essence of material. After this course they would begin in a workshop which was conducted by a master of form and a master of art. The idea was that until there were people trained in both art and craft, there would need to be teachers for both.

Over time, the Bauhaus, a state-sponsored school, faced political pressure from the growing German right and shifted its focus to technology in order to bring in some revenue. The objects created were from everyday materials.



A new logo was adapted to represent the unity of art and technology.


The Wassily chair created by Marcel Breuer became an iconic figure from the Bauhaus. It was originally created from bent metal from a bicycle with the help of a plumber.


The idea was that it would be an affordable, ergonomic chair for the masses. Now, not so much. But we are surrounded by bent metal furniture, just look around.

I don't know if anything like it could ever exist again without becoming commercial, but the idealist in me has hope. The teachers changed the way that art is taught so that students were engaged with the materials rather than forced into a hierarchy - something that we now take for granted.

Even this long rant is an oversimplification. If you want to find out more check out the MoMA exhibit. I had a chance to visit earlier in the semester, and it is a very well designed exhibition. Herbert Bayer would be proud.

Finally, keep your eyes open for a Christmas Bauhaus dyi object. I've just got to get through this thing called finals.

sad art

Although the art world has been hit by the economy, it is certainly not as serious as some other markets. There are constantly people arguing that everything in the art world is fine. Maybe true, but the tone of the art has definitely gotten lower.

I would like to call your attention first to Carsten Holler's 2006 installment in the Unilever series. He turned the Turbine Hall into a playful, visually challenging space. Everyone can relate to a slide - it brings up associations with joy and childhood, nostalgia. And these slides are large enough that even as an adult, who could resist the temptation?


Now in comparison I would like to consider the most recent addition to the Unilever series - Miroslaw Balka's 'box of darkness.' It is a massive, interactive steel box that could be considered sculpture or architecture. Visitors can either enter the box and experience total darkness, or they can walk under it and listen the experiences of those above.


It must be a struggle as an artist commissioned to deal with this enormous space, to fill it up or change it. I think it is so interesting that in the past couple of years the art has gotten so much heavier. This piece is related to Polish history and immigration, but it is also a mode of self-reflection. To explore total darkness, visual silence, is to experience heightened input from the other senses in a way that you cannot do out in a city. The emptiness and cold of the steel reflect a different period for art and sculpture where excess and frivolity are replaced by inward contemplation.

better than treasure

I came across a Shepard Fairey in Harvard Square, and was immediately compelled to point, shout, examine, and photograph. A photo by Amelia:


Some interesting observations:

• a scribble exclaiming 'f u fairy' -was the misspelling purposely meant as an insult?
• the work was made of two general areas which looked as though they had been ripped and overlapped - combined with the actual rips and tears it created a wonderful effect
• someone had written 'sell out' on the forehead of the woman in this print
• someone else had crossed it out

I was shocked that so many people walked by without even a passing glance - perhaps because I was beside myself with excitement. How often is it that I can actually touch the works that I study? I love public art.

In my opinion, all art should be this close to people - for them to interact with and observe. Does anyone out there think that Fairey is a sellout? How does being a household name change his message?

cell tango

An exhibit called Cell Tango is currently on view at the Davis Museum and Cultural Center at Wellesley. From artists George Legrady and Angus Forbes, it is a computer program running in real time that takes photos submitted by email (to submit send the photo as an attachment with related tags in the title of the email to pix@celltango.org) from anywhere in the world and pairs them with other photos from the internet with similar tags. They appear in webs and clusters based on the key words.


George Legrady spoke about the project at the opening earlier in the semester. He talked about how he believed it was art because he had created the program that was executing his idea. He also brought up the point that the project is open to the whole world, but generally only people who are involved in the community in some way are interested in submitting their photos. Along those lines, there is no editing or censorship involved - pictures go up within about 2 minutes - and so far 'they've been lucky.'

As I sat there I saw many different clusters of photos rotate through the screen, but I found myself thinking how much more interesting the work would be if there were more photos. Then again it is such a small community that I was directly engaged with many of the images that appeared.

Although technically they are supposed to be photos taken from a cell phone, I decided to submit a couple of my own from last year:

tags: friends, party, high school throwback

tags: holidays, trees, friendship

The implications of this work are very important as our society leans more toward technology. At what point to we draw the line between technology and art? Is designing a computer program enough?

It is also a social experiment - after the opening talk I spoke with one of my professors about how we both had the urge to whip out cameras right there and take a picture of the artist talking about the work to submit to the project. It supports the idea of common associations and the shared human experience. And I love that it is always in flux.