Wednesday, November 17, 2010

artist as accidental activist

my article artist as accidental activist on artist-as-social-sculptor and sustainability in the arts is now available in the australian network for arts and technology's filter magazine issue number 75 - habitats for public engagement.

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

soundwave: green sound: change of plan

in light of the state of the environment and the clear effect of humanity's impact on it, i can no longer justify traveling long distances to perform for just a few hours. instead of appearing live at this weekend's "soundwave: green sound" festival, i offer you this special virtual presentation.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

makers: DIY agents of social change

i've got another article published at truthout. this one is called makers: DIY agents of social change" and it's very much inspired by joseph beuys' concept of "social sculpture".

Monday, May 24, 2010

hydroponic dress and curtain




the hydroponic dress and curtain were debuted at my first-ever art opening at as220 in providence, rhode island back in 1995. i used a kind of colored gelatinous hydroponic soil in the pockets, and made fruit juice gelatin to match.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

how to cultivate synchronicity and inspiration

i was just asked an excellent question by a student in my friend elizabeth demaray's advanced sculpture class at rutger's university - how can one best cultivate a sense of connectedness and synchronicity in life and work?

this has got to be one of the Ultimate Questions. for the answer, i can only offer clues, since the methods for achieving this are bound to vary with every individual.

clues:

1. the "subtle reality technologies" of shamans and holy people. in particular, i have studied some of the profoundly elegant rituals of tibetan buddhists and peruvian shamans. symbolic acts are ways to connect with invisible, subtle dimensions that are not immediately accessible to the "rational" mind. our culture with its emphasis on scientific analysis and insistence on the rational and quantifiable neglects and discounts all parts of reality that do not "make sense". however, the parts of reality that do not make rational sense are the very parts that are engaged in the effective making and appreciating of all acts of creativity - this is why art and music (and love, intuition, inspiration, etc) "move" us. as humans, we crave a sense of connectedness - many people use and abuse substances in the quest to achieve non-ordinary states of consciousness. these states are available to us all via:
2. meditation, participating in brainstorms, improvisational musical ensembles, other collaborative acts of creativity.
3.experiencing nature and consciously connecting with the overwhelming sense of the miraculousness, utter improbability of, and ultimate creative power of it.
4. the writings of joann wolfgang von goethe ("goethe's way of science" and "the wholeness of nature") and his techniques for cultivating intuitive senses.
5. art and writing of joseph beuys and the concept of "social sculpture".
6. radionics. please see duncan laurie's work, and my interview at his website.

to name a few...

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010