musings from the center for the improbable

third eye sunglasses

2009-05-14T09:20:00.001-07:00

exhibition in denmark

2009-05-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

the "voidness dress" will be appearing at the "fabric for thought - sustainable fashion" exhibition at koldinghus in denmark from may 7 until sept 6.

phish "musical suit" at madison museum

2009-05-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

the sonic fabric dress i made for jon fishman to wear and play on stage during a 2004 phish show in vegas is currently on display at the madison museum of contemporary art. "return to funtion" will be up until aug 24, 2009.

subtle reality technologies

2009-02-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST

As our society collectively awakens to the realization that it must devise ways to stem the hemorrhaging caused by years of denial and excess, and as the DIY (do-it-yourself) movement becomes proportionally more popular, I am constantly reminded of Joseph Beuys’ words “Everyone Is An Artist”. Beuys believed strongly, not that everyone should make (so-called) fine art, but that everyone can live a richer and more meaningful life by infusing any vocation or action with his or her own personal creativity.

Beuys believed that personal creativity could be cultivated and honed by reconnecting with nature, and by developing a more intimate relationship with it. He believed that individuals, as well as our entire culture could be healed by returning to a simpler way of life, and by becoming more attuned to the subtle, ineffable forces of the ecosystem we inhabit

EVERYONE IS A SHAMAN

Some call one who consciously connects to, communicates with, and elaborates on the intangible a shaman. Some called Joseph Beuys that. Most just called him an artist. Shamans, artists, cooks, gardeners, scientists, inventors and all others who bring imaginary things out of the realm of the intangible to help give them form could benefit from enhanced access to the mysterious force of inspiration. In this sense, everyone is a shaman as well.

And as people begin to seek ways to “do it themselves” they are exercising a form of personal creativity that has been largely neglected in our culture for far too long. A basic fact of existence that has been all but forgotten is that human happiness and the sense of freedom (the pursuits of which are among our so-called inalienable rights) depend largely on the ability to express personal creativity (Beuys also famously said, “To make people free is the aim of art. Therefore art for me is the science of freedom”).

THE JOY OF FLUXUS

I believe that the reshuffling of our collective deck, while discomfiting at times, will ultimately result in an overall increase in happiness as people come to realize that we were misguided in relating the ravenous, mindless accumulation of stuff to personal joy, and as we begin to experience instead the sense of simple, profound satisfaction that comes from planting a seed, sewing on a button, or cooking a meal from scratch.

AUTONOMY AS RADICAL ACT

Consciously creative types (“makers” as they have come to be known) are returning to the sort of DIY approach to the creating and sharing of their work that the fluxus artists of the 1960’s and 70’s pioneered – only now we have the internet. Websites, blogs, and social networks have made the white box/velvet rope gallery mentality virtually obsolete - now everyone has the same access to the same art and artists, from the comfort and privacy of their own homes. Sculptors can create installations in a basement, musicians can give concerts in their living rooms, writers can publish in an instant – and everything can be shared with millions of people across the planet.

DIGITAL PIONEERING

For many years, I have been interested in the internet as a by-product of the fundamental human longing to connect. The telegraph, telephone, and television are all apparatus devised to facilitate communication. The internet takes it all a step further – now we are able to pool resources, share information, and create tangible links. In 1998 I read a brilliant article on the subject by Howard Rheingold, an early internet researcher and pioneer, in the Institute of Noetic Sciences newsletter. In the article, called Thinking About Thinking About Technology
Mr. Rheingold posits that for new technology to develop into tools for enhancement of creativity and “mind amplification” as opposed to becoming merely a source of “disinfotainment” we must develop a philosophical framework within which it can evolve. That was 11 years ago. Now we know that technology has become everything that we are - enriching and distracting, elegant and dangerous, brilliant and ridiculous.

Shortly after reading Mr. Rheingold’s article, I became a member of “Brainstorms” a private experimental virtual community he was starting. I wanted to be among the early pioneers of cyberspace as a cultural phenomenon. The platform Brainstorms has run on since its inception acts very much like a modern blog. I was extremely excited and intrigued by the prospect that a written essay, much like this one, could have links, sound, and image files built right in.

Technology has arrived at a point in its evolution when it is exceptionally easy for the maker to direct all aspects of his or her own creation, from inception to publication, marketing, and dissemination. From Facebook, MySpace, and Flickr to Ebay and YouTube, it is an exciting moment for the DIY innovator.

INTERNET AS CAVE WALL

Technologies for the amplification and enhancement of imagination and conscious intent have existed in every aspect of human culture at least since the first cave painting was created. The development of modern western civilization’s fanatic rejection of the unquantifiable has, in many ways, done us a great disservice. I believe that a reenchantment with the intangible and an open minded acceptance of alternative modes of perception will make it possible for humanity to emerge from this period of economic, environmental, and social reevaluation into a more peaceful and contented era.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME

Electronic Shamanism at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Center in Toronto ‘til March 7
Philosoprops on Supermarket
New Videos on Youtube:
How to Explain Quantum Physics to a Dead Hare
Somewhere Sutra
Alyce's artwork on Flickr
Improbable Projects on MySpace

how to explain quantum physics to a dead hare

2009-02-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

somewhere sutra

2009-02-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

daily constitutional's soundcast

2009-01-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

my sound piece "revolution" is currently featured on SoundCast.

electronic shamanism

2009-01-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

i'm delighted to have a couple of pieces in a show opening tonight at interaccess arts in toronto.

some assembly required

2009-01-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

between stations, sound collages for sonic fabric, is the first feature of 2009 on the some assembly required blog! there's also a track from the album on this week's some assembly required podcast.

philosoprops as presents

2008-12-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

if you are looking for a unique gift this holiday season, may i humbly suggest a small investment in art? a few of my philosoprops are available through supermarket, including the homeopathic remedies for the 5 ills of society and the superhero-quality good-vibe-emitting sonic fabric tie.

samstag museum

2008-10-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

You are invited to join the Samstag Museum of Art and the Australian Network for Art and Technology to launch CODED CLOTH, an exhibition of 'interactive' textiles. Curated by Dr Melinda Rackham, Executive Director of the Australian Network for Art and Technology.

The exhibition will open on Wednesday 29 October 2008 6-8 pm, and runs from 30 October - 19 December 2008

the imaginative qualities of actual things

2008-08-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

the imaginative qualities of actual things opens at the price tower, frank lloyd wright's only skyscraper (inspired by a tree) tomorrow evening near tulsa, oklahoma. the sonic fabric silence dress will be part of the exhibition.

the green

2008-07-22T06:23:00.001-07:00

the sundance channel's "the green" blog has posted an update as to what i've been up to during the year since the "create" episode of "big ideas for a small planet" aired.

it isn't easy (being green)

2008-07-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

or is it?

i'll have a piece in this show about what it means to be green.

IT ISN'T EASY, exit art, 475 10th ave, nyc, ny
opening july 24th, running 'til aug 28th 2008

sonic fabric necktie

2008-07-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

the long-awaited necktie project (brought to fruition in collaboration with my designer friend julio cesar) has finally launched! to see the ties and some of the other available "philosoprops", please visit my etsy storefront.

the idea behind the tie is that the wearer becomes a beacon for other-dimensional, intangible, subtle forces of good...much in the manner of a superhero. only this part of the superhero garb can be worn on the outside in the most conservative environment without detection!

the fabric factory

2008-06-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

the art of the musical score

2008-06-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

i'm very pleased to be part of this show at the barcelona museum of contemporary art.

CHOOSE DETERMINISM

2008-05-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

i have a new blog where i will feature a philosoprop, one per week (or so). i will expound upon the piece and its origins, and may frequently digress. while the piece's conceptual spirit may be accessible in digitized form, its tangible, 3D incarnation will also be made available for acquisition by those who so desire. refreshments will be served.

WFMU

2008-04-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

i was fortunate to have grown up within frequency range of this wildly diverse and extremely inspiring station as a fledgling experimental musician. what a kick that some tracks from between stations got played on april 17, 2008 on WFMU's "strength through failure" with fabio.

please help tibet

2008-03-18T15:21:00.001-07:00

the tibetan people need our support immediately.
please sign the aavaz petition.

www.savetibet.org

evolution/revolution

2008-02-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

i've got a couple of pieces in the "evolution/revolution" show at the RISD museum in providence, including "the silence dress": infused with sound, but with a patch of ultimate voidness.

image above courtesy of museum of art, rhode island school of design. photography by eric gould.

bjork dress

2008-02-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

i was recently asked by people magazine to create a dress that bjork could, hypothetically, wear to the grammy awards. this pic appeared in the 2/6/08 "hollywood daily" issue of people.

between stations CD

2008-02-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

limited-edition copies of the between stations cd (the 14 music/sound collages recorded onto cassette tape before it is woven into sonic fabric) in one-of-a-kind sonic fabric sleeves are now available for $22 including shipping. please email for details.

also available for order or download through cdbaby.

M-PEACH NOW

2007-12-15T11:51:00.000-08:00

this administration must be held accountable for its blatant lies and other heinous crimes. my M-PEACH image, as well as good ol' DUMP W (upside down) are available on t-shirts and stickers at cafepress.com. the graphics themselves (copyleft) are available through me free of charge for use in whatever capacity you wish.

sonic sailboat sails at mcasd

2007-11-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

as a kid, i raced sailboats every weekend of every summer of my life. to me, racing sailboats fulfilled the same sorts of needs that going to chruch seemed to fill for others. through it, i developed a sense of community, ritual, and communion with forces greater than myself. my sonic fabric project was inspired by the small strands of cassette tape we used as tell-tails, or wind indicators. i recall imagining that, if the wind hit the tell-tails just the right way, i'd be able to hear music wafting off onto the breeze. years later i learned about tibetan prayer flags, small squares of fabric inscribed with images of mantras, or sacred sounds. this reminded me of the tell-tails, and i was immediately inspired to create a fabric woven from potential sound. to me, sails are the ultimate prayer flags. after years in the development and experimentation stages, i'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to finally create a set of sails made of sonic fabric. the installation is currently on view at the san diego museum of contemporary art, where it will remain until may 2008.

next, i'd like to create a set for an america's cup yacht, or an old wooden herreshoff.