Part Time Pittsburgh Artist, Swoon @ The Brooklyn Museum

Swoon's Brooklyn show returns to the familiar ground (and water)- idealized life size prints, & intricate cutouts creating an ethereal magical environment while attempting to build human links and political awareness.

Centered around a huge cosmic "tree of life" reaching into the infinity of the museum's domed roof she docks segments of her swimming cities raft projects.

The show does lack some of the gritty, earthy, street qualities that kept it from feeling trite. I also wish she included more videos explaining her projects.

Swoon: Submerged Motherlands

Brooklyn Museum of Art

April 11–August 24, 2014

Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, 5th Floor

Some previous posts about Swoon.

http://diggingpitt.blogspot.com/2010/04/famous-part-time-braddock-resident.html

http://diggingpitt.blogspot.com/2009/07/swoon-opening-of-new-carnegie-library.html

http://diggingpitt.blogspot.com/2009/06/swoon-junk-boat-city-floating-into.html

http://diggingpitt.blogspot.com/2011/03/callie-curry-aka-swoon-ted-talk.html

2013, Carnegie International List is out & includes Transformazium Artists actually living in Pittsburgh area

Off hand this seems like an interesting list, with lots of artists I don't know, from a wider range of places.

Artists include Ei Arakawa/Henning Bohl, Phyllida Barlow, Yael Bartana, Sadie Benning, Bidoun Library, The Collection, Nicole Eisenman, Lara Favaretto, Vincent Fecteau, Rodney Graham, Guo Fengyi, Wade Guyton, Rokni Haerizadeh, He An, Amar Kanwar, Dinh Q. Lê, Mark Leckey, Pierre Leguillon, Sarah Lucas, Tobias Madison, Zanele Muholi, Paulina Olowska, The Playground Project, Pedro Reyes, Kamran Shirdel, Gabriel Sierra, Taryn Simon, Frances Stark, Joel Sternfeld, Mladen Stilinović, Zoe Strauss, Henry Taylor, Tezuka Architects, Transformazium, Erika Verzutti, and Joseph Yoakum.

Of course, any show that includes Zoe Strauss gets my attention.

I may check back with more thoughts.

See the list and a video about the choices here.

http://ci13.cmoa.org/artists-projects

A Few Pictures From The Transformazium

The Transformazium











Lot across from Transformazium



Mysterious Building/Art Project on lot (A prototype for the Haiti project?)



Swoon piece outside Braddock's Unsmoke Systems

Yesterday, Artist Image Resource's Industrial Legacy symposium gave a bit more insight into some of Pittsburgh's DYI printmaking scene. Dana Bishop Root, of the Transformazium spoke about the Braddock Library Screen printing shop but didn't give an update on progress of Their space. Here are some images we took when we were by there more than a month ago.

Callie Curry aka Swoon: TED Talk

Swoon, the street artist some of you may know from her works around town, involvement in projects like The Braddock Library print studio, the Transformazium or Braddock Public Art Projects, gave this talk last year. I think it gives a great idea of her motivations, and creative process.

I've had conversations with a few people who point out that her work, comprised mostly around wonderfully crafted block print portraits doesn't break a lot of new ground. On some level, this is true. I myself think she part of an ongoing trend toward artists interested in sincere engagement with something beyond just the art world.

It works both ways, the the free form collaboration she triggers helps her to do things beyond what a single person could alone. She also is less defined and controlled by the need to please a tiny group of dealers, collectors and curators.

She talks about her major projects, like the raft journeys and her recent earthquake resistant house/public space in Haiti.





FYI, I have little new info on how the Transformazium is going or when it might open. Swoon follows a pretty organic process tending to use the efforts of collaborators and grass roots fundraisers, selling prints and some income from her art sales for funding. They did get a modest grant recently as far as I know.

New Levi's Ad Campaign Focuses Cash and Attention On Braddock

Image of Levi's ad as seen on New York Times Website

Regular television viewers have seen plenty of the tough dedicated mayor of with the local zip code tattooed on his arm. So far I've been sort of ambivalent about the effects of all this. Often, Fetterman is photographed at Carrie Furnace, which isn't even in Braddock or really all that close while the actively working clanking, belching ET Works is rarely shown (actually I've never seen it in a national story about Braddock)

If one was going to shoot the mayor at nearby landmarks not in Braddock, why not Kennywood? Why not the busy, if ugly Homestead Waterfront mall? Even worse, most stories skip over the positive wonderful assets Braddock does have, like the Landmark Carnegie Library, or Unsmoke Systems or the thriving urban farm, the mayor helped start. Or that it's just a few short miles outside of Pittsburgh. The media is clearly portraying Braddock as a hopeless dying place, and Fetterman ("he went to Harvard") as saintly (white) hero for being there. The rest of the town's residents, are hardly seen.



This long PBS interview is pretty typical.

Of course, some positive press in the art world has followed Swoon, the famous, talented and attractive, young (white) street artist, helping to launch the Transformazium in North Braddock. This isn't to say the mayor and folks like Swoon, are not playing critical, interesting and likely leading roles, but this is clearly a team game. Anyone comparing the town they see today with what was there five years ago can see the sweat and care of lot's of people.

Now, a new Ad Campaign by Levi's will both bring more than a million dollars in cash for projects in Braddock, and hopefully put a more realistic spotlight on the town and the people working everyday to make it better.

"The town will also be featured in video clips and an hourlong show, sponsored by Levi's, to appear online and on the IFC and Sundance cable channels.

The idea to use the residents of a real community, shown trying to overcome tough times, was prompted by the introduction of a line of Levi's work wear, which includes jeans, corduroys, shirts and jackets. The print ads and billboards will carry headlines like "Ready to work," "Everybody's work is equally important" and "We are all workers."

"We wanted to engage consumers in a conversation about real work," said Doug Sweeny, vice president for Levi's brand marketing for the Americas at Levi Strauss headquarters in San Francisco.

"The apparel category can be about posing, about being somebody you're not," he added, whereas the Levi's brand promise is that "you always feel your true, authentic self when you put on a pair of Levi's jeans."

Pending further info, I give this a big thumbs up. The ads will begin appearing on TV next next week.

Transformazium Update In POP City: Braddock Deconstruction Workshops Tomorrow and Friday

Pop City has a long piece about progress on The Transformazium in North Braddock. I'm sure lots of us want them to just get it over with and get an exiting new art and community center up and running.

But these folks are not just talking the talk about sustainable reuse, they are using the building as a lab project and lesson in building deconstruction. The goal is to save as much of the building as possible and adapt it to reuse through as few steps as they can. If you've been to Construction Junction you know what that's about and also have a clue as to the precious quality unique material and craft went into buildings here.

"All reuse is a form of recycling, but not all recycling is reuse," says Brian Swearingen, the head of Construction Junction's deconstruction crew. "In deconstruction and reuse, we're taking that same material, but using it for the same purpose, or slightly altering it for another purpose. When you do that, you're saving energy, because you have less transportation costs, less energy costs, and no remanufacturing costs, which are high. A good example is a metal table. If you recycle that at a landfill, you have to put it on a truck, probably put it on a train, possibly put it on a ship, and send it maybe halfway around the world to make what is oftentimes a similar product."

Construction Junction was set up eight years ago by the Pennsylvania Resources Council to spearhead a movement in Pittsburgh away from disposing waste in landfills without exploring its other purposes. They operate a store, which accepts donations of reusable materials from individuals and businesses renovating or demolishing buildings, and sells those materials at a low cost so they can be repurposed.

Want to learn about this process, and the emerging industry developing around it? There's are workshops tomorrow and Friday.

Update--Crap, the link on POP City didn't work and I can't seem to easily find the details. One has to realise just how broke and pressured many of the organizations and people involved are.

Perhaps you can hunt this info out?

Braddock Redux

Transformazium

Construction Junction

Reuse Consulting

Braddock Public Art: Points Of Interest Project

Leon Reid IV







Swoon

Jean and me took some nice shots of The public art a group of artists put together in and around Braddock a few years ago, many of whom are linked to the emerging, Transformazium project--then known as Braddock Active Arts. I should have put them up long ago, but surprisingly a very high percentage of this work is still around in very pristine condition. An art drive or cycle around Braddock is well worth the trip! The Swoon work has almost surely deteriorated but who knows.

These are pretty much ties as favorites with a slight edge to the Swoon and Leon Reid IV works.

There's even a great online map you can follow. Remember, however that a few of these works were meant to be temporary.





Maya Hayuk





Polina Soloveichik






Mary Tremonte

Update: It's Official, Deitch Projects Will Close

I suppose it's sort of self evident, but Jeffrey's appointment to head LA Moca will result in the closure of his gallery. As of June, this important innovative space which played a big role in the contemporary and street art community will be closed for good.

Not to insult Jeffrey on any level, but one has to wonder if he would have done this in a stronger and less freaked out and conservative art market. A most elegant way to bail and yet live on as a power player.

Transformazium co-founder, and street art creative genius, Swoon as well as CMU alum, Jonathan Borofsky both showed at Deitch.



A few words from Jeffrey about the auction houses and role of fame and money in today's world.

Links About Braddock

This is a follow up post the one about the Obscurae fundraiser. It's also put together for the out of town press and other "tourists" brought here by the G20 and stories about the "Mayor of Hell".

All of these links relate in one way or another to happenings and life in Braddock.
But, you say the Transformazium is in North Braddock? Well,then you are more likely to part of the problem.

15104.cc Braddock: Create Amidst Destruction
Unsmoke Systems
Community Wood-Fired Oven
Fossil Free Fuel
New Guild Studio
Points of Interest by Braddock Active Arts
Transformazium
Braddock Journey blog
Bill Daniel, Hobo Filmmaker
Braddock Farms
Braddock Youth Project
Delicious Donations

I found this info on Obscurae, which is also a good source of info.

Swoon @ Opening Of New Carnegie Library Silk-screen Studio

Sorry for the late heads up. Swoon, the legendary roving street artist with a love of Pittsburgh, will be speaking about her work and talking up the new screenprinting studio at the Carnegie Library in Braddock tonight. She will likely also fill us in on progress on the former church in North Braddock being turned into a community arts center called The Tranformazium.

There will also be a screenprinting open studio with demos and the ceramics studio housed in the building will also be open.

From what I can tell on the poster-- the screenprinting and ceramics open studio runs from 5:30-7:30 and the Swoon artist's talk will start at 7:30.

More info on the Transformazium and how to support it can be found @ Transformazium.org

"Efforts to use the arts to grow Braddock continue with the grand opening of the Neighborhood Silk Screen Studio, a community resource facilitated by the artist collective known as Transformazium. The collective is based in an old church it's renovating as an art center, but the silk-screen studio is in the ever-more-bustling Braddock Carnegie Library. At tonight's reception, enjoy silk-screening demos, an open house at the library's ceramic studio, and a conversation about art in the neighborhood featuring Transformazium's Swoon. A renowned, New York-based street artist, Swoon's beautiful life-sized portraits graced underused Pittsburgh buildings for months after an exhibit she did in Braddock a couple years back."

Images Of Swoon's Swimming Cities Of Switchback Sea

I've been meaning to post these photos I was able to take last September of Swoon's wonderful floating city and her collaborative intstalation at Deitch Projects. Better very late than never.You can see how she reused many of the print images one see's on the walls in Pittsburgh as well as in her amazing instalation at the Mayor's house in Braddock.Deitch's LIC space is absolutely huge, giving Swoon a freedom she has rarely had before to create elaborate instalation interiors.

I was not able to get too close to the Junk boats docked outside but here are some shots looking into the late afternoon sun setting on the East River.They may give one some idea of what the Venice Junk City might look like close up.

Swoon Junk Boat City Floating Into Venice

Here are images of The latest mad, free form floating Junk boat city led by the artist, Swoon as it floats into Venice--to gate crash the Venice Biennale!!

"This week, Swoon, a 31-year-old Brooklyn artist whose name is Caledonia “Callie” Curry, is leading a waterborne invasion of the Venice Biennale (she didn’t bother to try to get in officially) with a crew of 30 artists, musicians, and miscreants in tow. Though they have raised some $150,000 for this crash party, the money won’t show in the boats they’ll travel in, because the boats are made of trash—a symbol of the freedom that comes with radical self-reliance, and one that is meant to effect change. “Throughout history, pranksters have been looking at fences and then pushing them aside,” Swoon has said (the name came to an ex-boyfriend in a dream, in which he imagined her future as a graffiti artist long before her career began). “Through action, you can move the perception. It’s almost like a magic trick.”"



Oh yes they are "Art Stars Now", but I think most of the root energy remains.



I think I always latched on to the anarchist,utopian nature of their projects, which are designed to push the border between what's possible,allowable, safe and unsafe. This line is where IMO, all true art lies as well as all real human progress and fun.

Will-it work?
Will it float?
Can we work together?
Will we kill each other?
Is it worth it?
Will we die?
Is it art?
Is it Ugly?
What is Ugly?
Who says's so?
Is it Beautiful?
Who says's so?
Is it finished?
Is it ever finished?
Is it about the journey?
Is it about the destination?
Is it just about us?
Is it important?
To me?
To others?
Who decides?


EMBED-BURNcast.TV #44 - A Conversation with Chicken John (Part 2) - Watch more free videos

Chicken John, talks about stuff like that here.

Obviously, in a world in which too many think the freedom to make these choices and decisions shouldn't be allowed- Swoon's gentle transgressions have become more and more special.

Brooklyn Fundraiser For Braddock Project

This was the week, I finally got around to taking a tour of the "Points of Interest" tour of collaborative murals and other projects done by local and international artists and the kids in the Braddock and North Braddock area. I will try to post on that later since me and my freind saw almost all the remaining works by great artists like Swoon, Lady Pink, Maya Hayuk and Mary Tremont.

The whole thing, brought me around to thinking about Braddock again. As you might know, Swoon and a group of other artists have been involved in forming something called Braddock Active arts which I think will be centered around a church in North Braddock. I still am not sure where this place is yet, which reflects both the free form, open collaborative nature of the project, it's early stage of life, and just how out of the loop I am. Coursing through this little known and neglected area are little groups of artists, working on the Braddock Farm, rehabbing a small number of homes and involving themselves in a range of floating creative projects.

So anyway, one of them seems to be called -- The Transformazium, and they are held a series of events to support the project last week in Brooklyn, one of which was an auction of art by a long list of internationally known artists like Swoon, Barry McGee, Paper Rad, Lady Pink and Kiki Smith as well as a long list of locally known folks like Mary Tremont, Josh Tonies and Thad Kellstadt. Larger Poster -- Here

Swimming Cities Of Switchback Sea

I found this video about Swoon's Hudson River floating art town.

Swoon Project Floats Down The Hudson River

The internationally known street artist known as Swoon and a group of collaborators, from musicians to writers has built another floating art project. In 2006 and 2007, their floating art city called the Miss Rockaway Armada made it's way down the Mississippi. A new project called Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea involving seven vessels built in Troy NY is making it's way down the Hudson to NY giving performances along the way. It's final landfall will be at the Deitch Studios in Long Island City, Queens, where it will stay during Swoon's NY solo.

"Dark Dark Dark provides a live score, including a work sea shanty. A film crew is following the band for “Flood,” a fictional piece that features the musicians as main characters on the Switchback Sea. The film is another example of how these artists, who come from the Bay Area, Minneapolis, Troy and Brooklyn, have created a kind of expanding collective in which one work grows and morphs into the next."

The Times story says the group resists being called hippies, but the project hearkens back to the free form collective actions and idealism of that era.



This video is about the Miss Rockaway Armada project.

Braddock Active Arts

Polina Soloveichik


I'm NYC, which I always get to by train. One treat was looking out the window and seeing part of a wonderful mural by Polina Soloveichick from outside the window.It was done as part of a project by Braddock Active Arts involving artists from all over making works and interventions throughout Braddock and North Braddock.

Braddock Active Arts is the project put together by artists like Swoon, and the Toy Shop Collective working in locations chosen by kids in the community.

"Points of Interest is a public art project instigated by Just Seeds member Swoon & her cohorts in Braddock Active Arts in Braddock, Pa (a steel town just outside of Pittsburgh). Just Seeds artists Swoon & Mary Tremonte, as well as 10 others, are making site-specific out-stallations at sites selected by Braddock youth. Public events over the next week include a Swoon lecture at Carnegie Mellon University and Shake Your Money Maker, an all-ages danceparty. Read on for event details. Who: BraddockActiveArts, a collective of artists and fledgling farmers are contributing to the latest population boom in Braddock, PA. We have moved to Braddock from Brooklyn, NY and Tallahassee, FL with a commitment to using artistic practice as an accessible tool for confronting the challenges of the post-industrial urban center. BraddockActiveArts aims to provide living models of possibility and transformation in order to catalyze sustainable growth and revitalization. We envision a community in which all residents are considered artists, empowered to change their own environments, and able to translate that empowerment into tangible social and economic benefits. What: Points of Interest began in January as a way to actively introduce ourselves to our new community as well as create meaningful opportunities to listen, meet and build diverse relationships. In response to the memories of the past and the realities of today, with deep faith in our collective internal ability to create growth for the future, we have invited twelve artists to create public art in Braddock and North Braddock. They are coming from Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago, Portland, and as far away as Russia. The project will continue as we talk with neighbors about the impact the sculptures, murals, and installations have on their lives. When: Nearly twenty people will be in Braddock from April 6 -13 to build and document Points of Interest. Where: Points of Interest will be located on corners, walls, underpasses, and lots throughout Braddock and North Braddock."

Unsmoke Systems in Braddock

Carly Parrish

Unknown Artist

Chris Kardimbikis



Ed Parrish





I got over to Unsmoke Systems the new art space in Braddock on Saturday. Unsmoke is a raw studio space in an old catholic School and the opening combined an exhibition of art and installations throughout the 3 floor building as well as a number of artist open studios.

A number of artists made great use of the unique history and vibe of the space. My favorite work was a site specific installation by Carly Parrish(It's the first image) in an old classroom cloakroom which involved a large old mirror at the end of the room who's wall's were covered by strange shadow cutouts of children and whirling black paper which implied a strange unknown narrative, at once playful and disturbing. Part of the works power comes from the weird way one views the room by looking down from a window perch above it sort of like a distant memory, you can't fully grasp. Yes, you do think of Kara Walker, but I think it transcends that.

I also liked Ed Parrish's equally strange dark room of mysterious crude designs that often involved materials like tape and debris.

Chris Kardimbikis's studio was another standout, filled with work that combined narrative and abstraction in unified by a great sense of linear beauty.I also liked the paintings of Stephanie Arbruster, but the paintings that most moved me are way too subtle for me to shoot.

There was also a lot of great work by artists, I can't properly identify.Another, not entirely unexpected treat was some nice work by Swoon right by the entrance.

My Carnegie International: Prospects And Thoughts

Ok, so here are some working notes and artist prospects for my Carnegie International which I see including at least 100 artists or projects spread throughout the city. No, I am not going to try and stuff the Carnegie with all this stuff, I am imagining using at least two other ofsite venues like Regina Miller, The Mattress Factory, The Center For The Arts or perhaps even The Westmoreland Museum. I also see at least 25 site specific sculptures, instalations, screenings or performances spread throughout the city/region. The list will tilt towards artists known for this kind of thing like David Byrne, Yoko Ono, Kim Jones, Julianne Swartz, Nina Katchadourian, Swoon, and Paper Rad.

This is just a working list and fails to include enough non American Artists. I liked Doug's inclusion of dead artists and older artists. Mark Lombardi, Eva Hesse,Gordon Matta Clark and Margaret Kilgallen are included. All four died far too young but left an ever growing mark on the art landscape.

Vija Celmins
Kim Jones
Martin Wilner
Mark Lombardi
Julianne Swartz
Diana Al Hadid
Nancy Rubins
Dawn Clements
Daniel Zeller
Yoon Lee
Yun Fei Ji
Roxy Paine
Joseph Beuys
Paul Thek
Kate Gilmore
Gordon Matta Clark
Tony Feher
Joanne Greenbaum
Yoshihiro Suda
Rei Nato
Liz Craft
John Waters
Astrid Bowlby
Joyce Pensato
Nina Katchadourian
Adam Fuss
Martin Puryear
Thad Mosley
Deborah Fisher
Sarah Sze
Swoon
Paper Rad
Wolfgang Tillmans
Lucien Freud
Ellen Harvey
Laylah Ali
Tom Sarver
Jedediah Ceasar
Adler Guerrier
Arturo Herrera
Wangechi Mutu
Jeff Koons
Joe Coleman
Mindy Tucker
Neil Farber
Zoe Strauss
Polly Apfelbaum
Dana Schutz
Eva Hesse
Lari Pittman
Caroll Dunham
Margaret Kilgallen
Tim Hawkinson
Josiah McElheny
Do-Ho Suh
Jessica Stockholder
Mark Bradford
Biko
Yoko Ono
David Byrne

I have also included a number of artists living full or part time in the region with the goal of having no less than 10% and no more than 25% of the artists from within 300 miles.

The New Ashcan School

The Bellow's show at the Frick got me thinking about some of my favorite artist's today. Bellow's was part of "the Ashcan School", a group of early 20th century American painters. These artist's rejected a lot of the formalities of the academy and tried to make work that represented, celebrated and was relevant to people.

They also tried to take control in other ways. "In 1908, as a protest against prevailing restrictive academic exhibition procedures the "Eight" organized a history-making exhibition that became a symbol of rebellion in American and modern art. The show was revolutionary in that it was the first exhibit that was self-organized and self-selected by a group of related artists, without a jury and prizes."

Anyway, there seems to a big group of artist's today,looking for new ways to do that; Swoon, Barry McGee and Zoe Strauss come to mind.

Review OF Swoon Show

By the way there was finally a well written and insightfull review of the Swoon show in the City Paper. From what I can see, that was about it in terms of coverage here.

"Stain and Swoon, derive their inspiration, and in which they define their creative practices. Put simply, they see the outside world of pedestrians and walls as a more potent display space for their ideas than the comparatively sterile pretenses of art patrons and the white cube. Swoon, in an interview with The New York Times, once said that outdoor display avoids the "quiet, boring preciousness" of the gallery world."

You can see very clearly in the show how much all three artists valued and loved the tragically sacred setting of Braddock.