~JOSH HARRIS makes ARTFORUM
yep, 12 years after the fact, cutting edge, NOT!! Artforum has finally caught up with JOSH HARRIS.
LORETTA FAHRENHOZ, “an artist and filmmaker who lives and works in Berlin and New York” . . . put JOSH HARRIS on her TOP TEN list – in the mag’s MARCH 2012 issue.
‘View from within JOSH HARRIS’S QUIET: We Live In Public, New York, December 31, 1999.’
Photo: DONNA FERRATO, c/o Artforum
that’s the photo that accompanied the article.
JEFF GOMPERTZ, now based in Thailand, designed and built that pod hotel structure – which housed 99 artists over the 2 week run of this huge million dollar+ blast-out millennium 2000 artist party / installation – which was open to the public 24/7.
that’s JUDGECAL, mostly know as CAL – the (now) deceased king of the Vampires, in the gas mask. and yes, that is the ubiquitous party crasher and long time art world fan, STEVE KAPLAN, bottom right. guess we’ll never stop hearing about how he made Artforum, from now on. he is wearing an in-house crew work shirt that had been silkscreened with a red ‘target’ by the, also now deceased, and much missed artist, MARK ENGER of EXPLODING SKY.
this the article’s text:
see: Loretta Fahrenholz, ‘Top Ten’, Artforum, MARCH 2012
in fact, QUIET does not QUITE just live on as: “clips of undressed, drugged-up subjects in baby pools humming off-key tunes (which) haunt the Web like howling ghosts of the prophecy QUIET performed.” In fact it became the ‘hard’ core of a widely, as in globally, acclaimed documentary: the notorious ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’, (2009). Written and directed by ONDI TOMINER, the feature-length film kick-started its run with a huge huge win – a coveted SUNDANCE GRAND JURY PRIZE DOCUMENTARY, in 2009. ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ then went on to have its New York City premiere at the MUSEUM of MODERN ART/MOMA, in the spring of 2010, and was later honored by that museum by being formally added to their prestigious film collection.
After the huge Sundance win, it beat out “THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE” the heavily publicized doc on Anna Wintour and her Vogue magazine (!!), ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ toured the globe, hitting all the top film festivals – and every small indie one in between !! – all over the world – to much popular and critical fanfare, generating tons of international press and discussion. In fact, ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ still pops up in cutting edge film, technology, future science, social networking conferences, and art festivals. About the only place it didn’t blow up big, despite the MOMA premiere – was it’s hometown – NYC, and this likewise despite a huge series of glowing write-ups in the New York Times. don’t even get me started on that. you know, the same old same old – the mainstream art press here can’t seem to make the intellectual leap to the top 1%. let’s just say, 12 years after the fact in Artforum ? ghost clips on the web ? and leave it at that.
or we could re-direct back to Ms. Fahrenholz herself, with her ‘last words’ reference to “the prophecy QUIET performed”. what’s that they say, about the prophet never being recognized in his own homeland. some (Biblical) truths never die. and now you know why. circa 2012.
you can watch ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ . . . for free on Hulu, now !! . . . and it’s also out there everywhere else, from iTunes to Netflix.
you can also browse the film’s official website: WE LIVE IN PUBLIC – where there are some fun photos, including these:
JOSH HARRIS, at ‘QUIET’ – the artist/producer, money-man, and founder of ‘QUIET’ & the then evolving ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ concept, 24/7 surveillance projects – live streamed to the web.
when the web was not quite so much yet, circa year 2000 !!
ONDI TIMONER, the film’s writer and director – built up on a ton of archival footage of JOSH HARRIS, starting with ‘QUIET’ – his blow-out million dollar+ year 2000 millennium NYC downtown artist party, and on through the next 7 years – to bring his story to the big screen – as ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ – “the story of the most famous web entrepreneur you never heard of”.
ONDI TIMONER is distinguished by being the only filmmaker, so far, man or woman, in the entire history of Sundance to win the Grand Jury Documentary Prize – twice. She won with ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ in 2009, and, earlier in 2004 with ‘DIG!’ the story of the American-as-pie rock’nroll bands, the Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre – focusing on the rivalry/friendship between their two, super intense, frontmen: COURTNEY TAYLOR of the Dandies, and ANTON NEWCOMBE of the Brian Jonestown.
NANCY SMITH at ‘QUIET’.
yep, that be me and my kid in the pod hotel – in the top row of photos offered up on the ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ website. I wore many hats in the ‘QUIET’ game, and the JOSH HARRIS universe, just like I do now. artist, archivist, art world liaison, talent scout, production crew member, canary bird. you name it. I actually got a starring role in the film, because I’m the rowdy one – who got in a fight, and kicked out. what else is new . . .
I guess it was my MOEBIUS moment – come true, and as such, I’m super proud of the digital scars my photo seems to have accrued on the right side (photo-wise) of my brain – so graphic !! almost looking like for real: hi-tech in-brain wiring, but just the apt, but very accidental result of so much popular uploading, I guess !! but a good MOEBIUS-like metaphor, for the advance radar, I bring as a co-pilot. yeah, they used to call me “canary bird”, among other things. you know, like the small bird they used to bring into underground mines to advance signal, small, but essential issues, like: losing oxygen.
this image was used as the full screen poster for the film’s MOMA premiere – which was pretty freaky for me, sitting in the audience . . . how stunned I was. believe it.
the MOMA/MUSEUM OF MODERN ART programs brochure for JULY 2010 – with Josh’s photo on it, he’s in the public, communal, and very transparent shower at ‘QUIET’ !! it had super nice hot water, and tons of it, bye the way. and yes, it was on 24/7 live streaming surveillance – the whole 2 week party run.
I know for a fact – this MOMA brochure is Josh’s most prized possession – hey, why not !!
leave it to Artforum to come up with a brief paragraph on JOSH HARRIS, in an obscure Euro filmmaker’s top ten list – 12 years after the fact.
as the father of a ‘ghost’ clip, no less !!
well, I guess better late – than never.
the mothership comes in.