~BAZAAR TEENS . . ‘TREE-TECH’
file under: PERFECT ‘PITCH’.
at . . . SPRING BREAK 2015,
although there were many combinations of exhibit presentations, from group to solo, cutting edge to soft contemporary, art historic, and archival as in the BASQUIAT rooms, and even some soft porn illustrations, as in the MARINA T. SCHINDLER presentation . . and, a few bonafide albeit ‘faux’, and sometimes, as in the case of BHQFU . . actually, real replica working offices – it struck me as strange – that there weren’t any working, or even fictional, as in prop ‘workshops’ per se ?
esp strange for such a devoted DIY generation.
BAZAAR TEENS – came the closest, . . their fictional but working ‘set’ installation – seemed like the work space of the not-so-fast-forward . . bio-hazard future !!
BAZAAR TEENS gave BHQFU a run for their money . . . with their install, a ‘work’ space, in action – with their ‘TREE-TECH’ showroom, office, and warren of ‘offices’ – which were really satellite exhibition spaces.
one of their their closest moments to presenting an actual workshop-in-motion – was if you caught a crew member nailing bread (dough ? money ? get it ?) to any entryway wall. the bread, esp as it rotted . . was a nice visual, sensual contrast to the ‘forever’ stable concrete blocks – in the picture frame, above.
note the ‘little’ nano – detail, the ‘TREE-TECH’ logo at the bottom of the concrete block image.
the ‘TREE TECH” organization’s . . inner sanctum – slightly rowdy, and chaotic, though actually a very deliberately placed, and curated chaos, was the epitome of futuristic – industrial, archival chic.
Blade Runner – watch out.
shabby chic, on a pedestal – or what ?!!
you can see the off-shoot exhibition ‘cubicles’ in the background. TEEN BAZAAR was a very complex installation, lots of depth, lots of intrigue.
just like the ‘working’ BHQFU office, BAZAAR TEENS had moved in tons of miscellaneous gear, which made their ‘TREE-TECH’ ‘office’ . . all the more convincing.
it breaks down to detail, detail, detail . . with the smallest unit – adding up, with the whole becoming greater than the parts. a classic idea when you think about it.
a ‘TREE-TECH’ worker – folds the company brochures and disperses the super well-designed, company . . logo / decals.
working (fictional) office – check.
this was the room, in the ‘TREE-TECH’ complex – that had generated a lot of pre-SPRING BREAK buzz, supposedly $10,000 worth of USA money / cash bills – cut up into tiny strips – and stuck, glued to canvas, in the form of conventional ‘painting / collage’. a brilliant stroke of showmanship, but as an ‘art piece – it kind of left me . . cold.
money, money.
I found the inner ‘office’ much more interesting. compelling, in fact. amazing, in truth.
kind of JEFF KOONS, fast forward if Koons was cool, and hip – again.
but I guess they needed a big-game art ‘product’ to sell, money, money, thus . . the money paintings.
they also were not that well conceived, the money paintings, done with just a little more imagination / guts – they might have rivaled DAN COLEN’S ‘Bubble Gum’ paintings – ?!!
if he were cool, and hip – again, too.
I actually found their free give-away, no money exchanged !! way eerie ‘TREE-TECH’ decal/logo – a much more fascinating, and better conceived – product / art object – in all-ways, as in . . . concept, metaphor, pure design and info graphics – and of course, as in . . ‘TRANSACTION’ – READY – AVAILABILITY.
it was all of 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches – in a right-on perfect shade of olive green that went beautifully ‘ombre’ in the middle, just like a tree . . casts its shade.
the decal shape was a gorgeous, perfectly balanced ‘oblong oval’.
the ‘ombre’ shading, and the tree shade lined up nicely, too.
in fact, metaphorically – it was very much a ‘nano’ – symbol of the entire BAZAAR TEEN install . . . casting ‘shade’ or ‘diss’ on the prospects of a healthy human-bio-future on the planet, that we love, but have . . ruined.
Pitch – Perfect . . . !!!
the give-away ‘TREE-TECH’ brochure – was right-on, too.
seamless informational graphics . . brilliantly replicated the every day commercial brochures that are shoved under our doors, or slipped into our mail – all the time, NYC 2015. brilliantly conceived and produced – these ‘mini-me’ commercial adverts – were full of double-talk gobbedly-gob !!
this is an actual commercial brochure that landed in my mail box – yesterday !!
so, dot dot dot !!
back to BAZAAR TEEN, ‘TREE-TECH’ . . read their mission statement – for yourself.
the back of the brochure with the . . ‘TREE TECH GUARANTEE !!
including:
“A supportive, transportive family program”, and, “A commitment to ongoing nonspecificity” .
more on the BAZAAR TEEN artworks in their satellite rooms, beyond the ‘money. money’ pieces . . posts next.
there were a few very contrarian statements, maybe NO surprise ?!!
with a brief introductory shout out, n-o-w – . . to DANIEL KENT, and JOHN GORDON GAULD.
that I liked, very, very – much.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH