Archive for May, 2008

Burning Flipside

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

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Burning Flipside (or Flipside) is an annual alternative arts and performance festival staged in the RUGGED Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Modeled on and loosely associated with Burning Man, Flipside is one of several Regional Burns around the USA.

Many of the core values of Burning Flipside are borrowed from Burning Man, and the same short, memorable terms are used for them, namely:

* No Spectators. Every attendee is expected to participate in some way for the event, with a performance, art piece, other form of creative expression, or volunteering to help.
* Radical Self-Expression. Art and gatherings at the event have few restrictions; many emphasize taboo subjects, politics or alternative lifestyles
* Self-reliance. All participants are responsible for their own food, shelter, water, and other necessities at the event.
* No Vending. Flipside is a non-commercial event; sales of any commodity (the one exception being ice) for cash is not allowed and may cause eviction from the event. Instead, a gift economy is used. Giving one gift in exchange foranother is considered good form, but any kind of quid-pro-quo is a violation of the gift-economy rulesflipside-054.jpg

* Leave No Trace. An extension of the self-reliance principle applied to outdoor living, requiring all participants to respect their environment and clean up everything they bring in. Since the event takes place on a rented campground,
used by other events during the year, participants try to leave the site cleaner than they found it rather than in an identical condition.

Theme camps

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Groups of participants build a structure or area for public entertainment with an underlying theme. (Example: The Art Car Camp has many cars lining the playa.)

Interestingly enough within the many tribes there seem to be some clans which hang and play together but seem abit separate from the whole but which come together when needed. A sociologist would have a hey day here!.
All night and day camps sponsored games and fun aand people were gifting things from food to things that glowed or blinked in the dark. A good story or joke was genrously accepted and applauded. The vibes of good will abounded.

You could take a nude yoga lesson, learn how to belly dance or spin fire or have a free massage during the sweltering afternoon hours or go for a swim at Hippy Hollow. People lined up every am at the Ice camp to refurnish the ice in their coolers. Monday morning the Ice camp put on a snowball fight in the playa. Coolers of crushed ice were eagerly plundered by ice warriors looking to make the perfect snowball and score a coupe on their friends or enemies!

Performances — Flipside has a number of performance spaces that are used by musicians, theatre groups, DJs, pageants, and interactive performances many of which go on all day and night. OK my favorite was not the 80’s music that started at 4 and went to 8 am when I wanted to sleep <G> but she did go after “Beat It” by Michael Jackson with gusto!

Art Installations
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Flipside community members bring art to the event for display, including large freestanding works, fire art, and interactive pieces. This is an event staged by the artists, for the artists and of the artists. Lookey Lous are discouraged by a limited number of tickets sold through a controlled system and a need to prove your contribution. After securing a coveted ticket you must show you have what is needed to survive for the duration and must also be accompanied by a sense of adventure depending on which group is volunteering at the greeters station. You may be asked to play a game or spank a bottom for admission. A sense of play is needed at Flipside, if you are hot and bothered or easily offended this is NOT your our event!!
One guy sat up on what I can only describe as a perch or throne most of the weekend, bursting out into an awseome light show and huge fiberoptics music driven diplay when night fell. . He was obviously indomitable for I never could not catch the perch empty no matter when I looked, and I can go without much sleep fairly well during the warm months since I store sleep up like a bear in the winter. <G>

Parade Pics

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008


Find more photos like this on ArtsHouston

Photos at the Parade Geoffrey Hartnett
Photos the night before the parade by Jesse Jones

Art Houston

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008


Visit ArtsHouston

Women and Art Movements

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

The Pattern and Decoration Movement is very interesting movement full of women who were alienated from mainstream styles like minimalism in the 70’s
Miriam Shapiro is associated with this movement.

A cool article in the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/arts/design/15patt.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

and a slide show
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/01/14/arts/20080115_PATTERN_SLIDESHOW_index.html

Number 7 of the slide show mentions QUILTS

Want to be featured on my blog?

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Want to be featured on my blog?

Send me

Pics of your work sized 360 pixels in width/height as much as needed to show me the work

Details (sized 360m pixels in width/height as needed) of a SELECT few pieces. What are the pieces you want featured?

Your statement about context: why you make art/what are your inspirations/what do you want to convey? /WHY should people connect to your work???

This is your chance to be quoted verbatim for your first 3-8 sentences. But go on too long and get a YAWN as your etc (GRIN) Make it relevant to your chosen pics and details!!!

for example “XXXX is important to me so my work reflects that”

ONE paragraph of your credentials. Include the most important things on your resume in third person voice ( Ritter did xyz) See above for when to stop talking! <G>

Think of and prioritize

Solos, publications by you and about you, traveling and juried shows, important collections.  I may cut off at any sentence so put the most important things first!!!

Keep in mind: readers mostly don’t care about this except to show how serious you are about what you do; they want to feel a sense of connection to your art

Your techniques (optional) unless trendy, unusual and noteworthy. You know if your work is outsider art, from an unexpected medium, gender surprising etc. Give me a sentence or two of why your techniques are important

A headshot (optional but recommended) (360 pixels width by whatever)

Working shot of you doing your art (recommended)(360 pixels width by whatever)

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

I want an easy job (like mag editors) so give me what I ask for <G> at least in sizes for pics.

Blow me away with some other format than my canned questions and become teacher’s pet

Pics MUST be 360 pixels in width, height whatever

Jpegs are preferred as Notions On Art is a web based blog

I advertise in Fiberarts Magazine and get lots of hits on the weeks when the mag comes out.

Send me something interesting and move to the head of the class

Cut and Paste is my friend!!!
BUT Use Word in any form and I am reading!

Fashion Show at the Art Car Bullock

Monday, May 19th, 2008

In Exile, a fashion show by vintage diva Dawn Bell, was a great hit at the Bullock, (which is a bull with no balls. Instead of a ball this year we had a bullock)


Find more photos like this on ArtsHoustonDawn’s newest project is a magazine Vintage

Pic on Chron.com of my car (#7)

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Click to see the pic

Parade Photos from Hookham Fotography

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

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Art Car Parade Photos

Monday, May 12th, 2008

My pics from BEFORE the parade at home taken by Jesse Jones

And those at the parade by Geoffrey Hartnett

Monday, May 12th, 2008

tom.jpg photo by delta niner

Saturday night, around 2 AM after the parade and illuminated cruise in Houston, Tom Jones, cartist, photographer, lead singer for the Floaters, curator at the ACM, and all around great guy, was standing out on the sidewalk when a young drunk driver (not an art car driver) hit a parked car, flipping it over onto him. He was rushed to Ben Taub hospital, where he passed away during surgery. Cartists have been out at the museum today, hanging tributes on the fence, burning incense, crying, and hugging each other.

Here’s the Houston Chronicle story:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5770875.html

Here’s an interview w/ Tom in his role of curator:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1546482726&channel=1485818067

Tributes are being shared here
http://www.houstonartcarklub.com/

More photos by delta niner
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/2484208860/