New York Vibes!

To say there is plenty to do in NYC is an understatement. There is an abundance of fun things to do in the “City that never sleeps”. Even a lot of free stuff, if you do your homework and search numerous websites & blogs covering cheap & free NY.

I’ve been having a blast here! Catching up with friends, numerous art show openings - a group at the Gallery House in Clinton Hill (Brooklyn) the most notorious so far. Sitting in the backyard of a historical Brownstone, on a warm evening, sipping a glass of wine, chatting with artists, discussing art and world travels, just wonderful.

Another superb evening was the Dance Theatre Workshop pre-season party, where I met the young Australian dancer/choreographer Ian Colless, doing an internship at the Battery Dance Company. A descent of an Australian aboriginal tribe –the Gundungurra Nation – he’s in the process on creating a dance opera on and with them. How intriguing!

Highlight last week was the screening of the Belgian film “The Misfortunates” – not exactly a literally translation of the Flemish title “De Helaasheid der Dingen” which is beautifully poetic – at the Flanders House. Enjoyed the humoristic, very Flemish feeling film a lot and the delicious appetizers and libations hit the spot. Stunning view over the Big Apple from a 44^th floor in Central Manhattan – unbeatable!

From LA to NY

What a couple of full days it has been!

Last Friday my birthday with (my last for now) First Fridays on Abbot Kinney, followed by a nice treat at Hama Sushi by two good friends.

Farewell old neighborhood! I had lots of fun here, and you were an important part of my life.

Sunday some “artistic” friends of mine joined me in a lovely, sunny garden for great conversation, BBQ delights, and a glass of wine. Creating art, writing, expressing anger by female writers vs. male writers, what brought us to and inspired us in the City of Angels, were hot topics. Go figure.

Thanks for a wonderful time, friends. I will miss you … but will be back some time.

In less than 2 days I am heading to New York. Curious what my explorations there will bring. Very excited to organize a retrospective evening of Broad Humor shorts in Brooklyn (on August 29), in collaboration with Malesha of the Musesalon Collective. Any New York peeps out there, check it out and spread the word!

Up to my next adventure!

For more info on the retrospective: http://www.broadhumor.com

Caravan Palace at Grand Performances

One of the things to do before leaving Los Angeles?

Catching a (free) Grand Performances show at California Plaza on a warm summer evening. Hot bill on Friday evening was the Parisian sensation “Caravan Palace” … and I had no idea to what extend it was going to ignite the massive audience!

Its unique sounds combine flapper swing, gypsy/jazz arrangements and generous scoops of electro pop wrapped with weird, energetic lyrics all held together with virtuosic performances on guitar, violin, double bass, trombone, clarinet and electronics. Name it “electro-swing a la francaise”!

An amazing show this “troupe” gave. One couldn’t sit/stay still by its enticing, wacky vibes, they called for a dance party! Even I shaked my booty (see video below)!

In the midst of the second set the crowd was going completely wild.

Some overheated shakers and groovers were running barefoot through the ponds at the plaza … to dismay of the organizers who stopped the concert for a few minutes until these peeps had left the fountains. It couldn’t stop the amused “bande” to play and sing to mesmerizing tunes and make for a superb and memorable evening. Merci, Caravan Palace, you have me hooked!

ArtInsight

Last Sunday afternoon I joined artists Michael Baroff and Norma, curator Jacki Paddock and friends at ArtInsight for an informal conversation about their work. The venue on the Westside is currently showing a photography group show, featuring nature inspired photographs by Norma, video art by Michael Baroff, among others.

In the inspiring discussion similarities as well as differences surfaced.

Norma is persuaded that training and technical expertise makes for a great picture, and that there should be standards. Others think that “a good eye” is all it takes. Who will tell?

Michael, who presented his aesthetically unique “Movement Series” – eight short videos capturing unscripted in the moment physical movement and ambient sound in local public environments – pointed out some interesting and personal thoughts. “Creating art is a process. It reflects one’s view of the world, combined with attitude, and mastering one’s technique of choice. I find satisfaction in the process. The fun part is to share my work with other people and friends, and feel validated.”

Jacki added: “Being creative, in whatever medium you choose, allows you freedom to do something else, and can be very therapeutic.”

Writing it is for me.

Photo credit: video still from “Moving Sunset” by Michael Baroff

For more info on this creative community:

http://www.meetup.com/Art-InSight

Video: “Boardwalk Beat” (Michael Baroff 2010)

How Do We Experience Art?

That was supposed to be the subject of this lecture.

As Geoff Dyer, author of The Ongoing Moment and, most recently, Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, took the stage at the auditorium at the Getty Center, he insisted: “It’s important that you don’t know what this talk is going to be about.”

I was all ears and didn’t know what to expect. One hour later I was even more confused and amused.

Dyers’ talk was mainly about landmarks. He recalled landscapes from his youth. Next, unable to find Gauguin’s “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Instead he came across “The Questioner of the Sphinx”, by Elihu Vedder. It seemed to Dyer an emblematic way of experiencing a landscape.

His wanderings brought him further to a square with poles and land art. He described Walter De Maria’s The Lightning Field, one of the great Land Art projects of the 1960s and 1970s … a sensational bit of marketing, an experience “almost unphotographable.” But unlike most art, it permits “freedom of behavior and response.” “And do not expect to see God appear at the field, there is no room for God”, Dyer ended his lecture.

Mesmerized by his words, now I have to read his books.