LADYBUG’S – SECOND SHOW . . . !!
‘JAKE SHORE’
OPENS – SUN OCT 15 / 7 – 9 PM
AND RUNS THRU . . . NOV 12, 2023
LADYBUG GALLERY, 35 BOWEN STREET, APT 2 / PROVIDENCE, RI / RHODE ISLAND
see: @ladybugpvd
~JAKE SHORE / LADYBUG GALLERY / PROVIDENCE, RI / RHODE ISLAND | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 13th, 2023, 9:18am
SHOUT OUT TO: JEFFREY TRANCHELL / and . . . DONUTS & CIDER !!
‘FUEL, POWER, GLORY!!’ . . . .
SUNDAY SERMON by young RALPH HILL / ACCOMPANIED by JONNY COMPOLO
who also made – the fab flyer !!!!
SUN OCT 15, 2023 – 2 PM
with . . . CIDER & DONUTS !!!!!
LAVENDER COUNTRY, DETROIT / @lavendercountrydetroit
12333 MACKAY, DETROIT
on the right, young RALPH HILL, accompanied by . . . JONNY CAMPOLO
Photo via Instagram @jeffreytranchell
~JONNY CAMPOLO . . POSTER ART / SUNDAY SERMON by RALPH HILL / LAVENDER COUNTRY, DETROIT | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 13th, 2023, 8:56am
‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ / GROUP SHOW
INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS
Perpetual Screw ?
be careful – what you wish for / as the world turns,
towards the end game of a future entropy.
this, fairly ‘cold-hearted’ exhibit, and, I say that with admiration, but . . playful exhibit /
takes talk about craft vs design vs art – to the wall, so to speak; despite the folksy, text-driven exhibit mission statement hand-out, with it’s brief, vintage tales of the first ‘found objects’ to be exhibited for their own intrinsic shapes, and consequent beauty, and, not so much for their utilitarian, everyday function.
for me, the work presented here comes more heavily down on the side of design, rather than craft / even though the over-all theme would be: tools. when you are talking about de-construction, up-cycling, mutation, and customization, to me that is design, and contemporary design at that. and, seriously, what’s wrong with that ?
craft, or design . . done well = art.
I personally, regard craft more as older determination, or label / coming from the days when ‘objects’ were truly hand-made, i.e. crafted / as opposed to mass-made, and, then industrial meaning by factory, which still could mean man-made decoration, etc. Early European ‘art’ was a much more glorified, religious-based expression. going back further, to earlier civilizations / I don’t think there was much difference between art or craft, except perhaps some things were more functional, others more decorative, and still others, more ritualistic.
I think the concept of design comes in, with the growing ‘fanning out’ of art, such as portrait painting, stenciling, calligraphy, and highly skilled porcelain, just to name a few. It’s a kind of less ‘spiritual/divine’ / and involves a more self-conscious human mind-set, of vernacular ‘invention’, and ‘function’.
A lot of the objects in ‘Perpetual Screw’, case-in-point: Max Heiges’ taped chairs and bench . . celebrate ‘De-construction’, and also, often; it’s sister concept of ‘sustainability’. these are both fairly new concepts, or ‘creative conceits’; within the vast history of art, and craft / both, bottom-line focused on ‘the making of…’ / with no inkling of global ‘end game’.
Deconstruction and sustainability, are fairly contemporary, newly-birthed topics, and in my mind that makes them lean more into design, and consciousness / vis-a-vie craft, in that they also concern less purely ‘artisanal’ skill / and, more ‘intent’.
though it’s also curious to think, that tools, and the crafted / objects which they can make, carve, incise, spin, melt, and cobble together / especially in years gone by . . and by especially indigenous peoples, were said to hold ‘spirits’; while many of the ‘twisted’, or manipulated, customized, and up-cycled tools, and/or their results / which we see in this exhibit / just might be talking about ‘entropy’, and the ‘new now’ / as opposed to encapsulating ‘spirituality’ / though things take a turn more to the playful, than the dire, this time – around.
and turns out a short week later, the world can take a turn to the dire, all on it’s own.
MAX HEIGES, ‘Tall Chair, (Lime Green), 2023.
steel, plastic ratchet straps / 47 x 16 x 22 in.
so great, how this was placed, almost hidden /
like a . . second thought /
and, then when you catch sight of it – you wonder:
well, is it safe to sit on ?
knowing a few previous works by this artist, I would venture to say that the apparent ‘fragility’ of the chair is a mere ruse, and a much hoped for (design) illusion / and, that its underpinnings are indeed, fairly stout, and strong. it’s a bit of an ode, to the history of a specific kind of chair-making, starting with early twig / basket-inspired woven cane, to the more fabric-driven Shaker chairs, with their handwoven-tape seats, and backs, peaking in the 1930s. as well as tip-of-the deconstructed hat – to modern garden / patio furniture. it’s all about . . illusion and disorder / fun and decorative ‘vernacular’, high design . . of a lowly object.
MAX HEIGES, ratchet chair, 2023.
again, the staging was totally forlorn and yet, conceptually playful..
when everything is all cold concrete, and steel, of a very minimal utilitarian architecture, a tab ‘futuristic’ too, you do want some . . . ‘secrets’, some incongruent tangents.
and, perhaps a touch of ‘romantic’, or non-sentimental ? . . insouciance, anybody ?
MAX HEIGES, ‘Yellow Bench’, 2023.
steel, plastic ratchet straps.
Photos: NANCY SMITH
@shakermuseum: “No. 3 production rocking chair with arms, South Family, Mount Lebanon, NY / ca. 1875-1900
Object ID:2008.8.1. / Chair constructed of maple, with taped seat and back of bright red. Turnings stained dark. ‘Production’ refers to the fact that this chair was produced for sale, rather than (Shaker) village use. All Shakers were matched to some kind of handwork to benefit the community, which includes making items for sale. The Shaker Chair industry was an important source of income, and the South and Second Families at Mount Lebanon were particularly known for their chairs.”
image & text / via Instagram @shakermuseum
~MAX HEIGES . . TAPED CHAIRS / ‘Perpetual Screw’ / with a side of Shaker | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 10th, 2023, 1:44pm
WHEN INDUSTRIAL meets CRAFT, and lovely music resounds.
subtext: ARTISTS’ CRAFT – TOOLS
‘PERPETUAL SCREW’- opens Pandora’s Work Box,
and out falls a world of tools: be they functional, destroyed, mutated, imaginary, and even, ‘customized vernacular’.
ANNAKA OLSEN, graphic designer, and a founding partner [one of 4], of International Objects,
made the totally ‘pro-diy’ . . sign for their current exhibit, ‘Perpetual Screw’.
‘Perpetual Screw’ . . serves up a kind of ‘multi-layered’ question re: Industrial Design / whether shredded, re-purposed, outright distressed, adored, or sometimes just plain ole revered – the ‘tool’ is both the object & the subject, here. and that . . . makes it: art.
Vernacular, Utilitarian, or absolutely thrown-to-the-wind Destructed, often Decorated, far-out Imaginary and often Contrarian, possibly Futuristic; Machine-made, Hand-made, Factory-made / ‘tools’ become a world unto themselves.
yo, it’s that type of ‘infinite’/ ‘creative’ thinking, a quirky trait for such a finite physical body such as ours, no? / which probably takes ‘Screw’, above and beyond it’s utterly simple / purely industrial functional: a small tool, for ‘extreme’ fastening, just another excellent ‘design’, we take for granted in the carpenters’ tool box. or do we ?
we don’t say ‘nailed it’ – for nothing.
same with / he got ‘screwed’.
strangely both sentiments . . with quite opposite meaning.
Annaka’s well-inspired sign, crafted simply upon naked, commonplace ‘Dry Guard’, with seemingly DIY, but obviously skilled, hand-calligraphy, of (again), a basic, commonplace, ‘info-media’ – ‘stenciled’ nature, manages to express a lot of those confrontational and competing thoughts, all the while basking against Industrial Objects biggest visual punch / and, that would be it’s cold-edged ‘heart’; of futuristic, minimalist metal ‘caging’, meets bare concrete, in a perfect 2 step / of ‘indoor-outdoor’ architecture.
Even though we are often talking DIY, here / even if mutated . . there’s no mistaking this gallery space, for a retro showroom, let alone a white box, cube.
that sign says: Viewer Beware / you are about to open the door, to a Pandora’s Box of Tools / art, design, and thought – in progress.
and yeah, the green wave border – nails it.
note: ANNAKA OLSEN . . “is a graphic designer who leads creative projects for art, design, and cultural organizations. Her making & research practice explores software & online communities. She has taught
at RISD, MICA, & The New School.”
~ANNAKA OLSEN
PHOTOS & TEXT: NANCY SMITH – SEPT 30, 2023
~ANNAKA OLSEN, DRY GUARD SIGN / ‘Perpetual Screw’ | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 6th, 2023, 11:41am
so, is a truck – a tool ?
way YES !!
esp., when it’s . . . a U-haul.
I was so lucky – to arrive, just in time to catch some real – favs.
EMILY JANOWICK, and SAM COCKRELL.
Sam had a large painting in the show / well, unofficially.
it’s up on the 5th floor, near where the opening after-party bar was.
blame the photo ambiance, on the night sky / up, on the 5th floor outdoor terrace.
well, Sam’s one to appreciate the mystery of ‘auto-focus’, so all’s good, I figure.
EMILY JANOWICK, and PETER RAFEAL SHUGART ORTIZ.
Peter installed the show, seamless. lots of room between – the diverse displays.
very nice.
SAM COCKRELL, ‘U-haul’ painting.
it’s actually quite large, though not exactly life-size.
waiting on dimensions, now . . .
something like 5 x 3 ft. ?
it was nice to see, after all those out-of-focus ‘butterflies’, that Sam could zero in on the – focus,
when he wanted to.
note: his painting isn’t technically part of the show, which is on the 2nd floor.
it could be found on the 5th floor – near the bar, on the night of the after-party.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH / ‘Perpetual Objects’ opening / International Objects, Bushwick, NYC, NY SEPT 30, 2023
~EMILY JANOWICK, SAM COCKRELL & PETER RAFEAL SHUGART ORTIZ / ‘Perpetual Screw’ | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 5th, 2023, 9:56am
MY FAM . . . at the opening:
from left:
NICHOLAS STEINDORF, my son-in-law :), perhaps better known as, 1/2 of the NYC-based, forward future-looking,
Blinn & Lambert digital art collab; and father to my little, but way spunky grandson, Jules Simon Steindorf,
next gen art collector, maybe ? if not, then: world explorer / oh, ok.
make that . . worlds, plural !!
my son, THEO CERIGO, who survived being the 12 yr. old kid, shooting off Alfredo’s big ‘prop’ guns, in ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’, the Sundance 2009 Grand Jury Award Winning Documentary . . which told the story of our Big New Year’s Eve Party of the milestone Millennial / DEC – JAN 14th, 2020. an explosive, downtown, way, way rebel indie, $1 million dollar+ cutting-edge / nascent web-tech / surveillance-wired Art Party. An Installation which was Interactive, often Adults-only XXX-rated, and, open to the public 24/7, with open bars, meaning free, back then.
we had a 90+ resident-artist crew, some international / which was a Josh Harris – Pseudo.com funded & led production.
needless to say Theo, was not only the youngest kid to participate in ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’, but, the only one.
and apparently, even though he has long held a very useful Masters Degree in Financial Science, please check out the hat / he has never lost that inward ‘flair’, and questing, that his early brush with cinematic stardom, a kind of ‘INDIANNA JONES meets Downtown NYC art scene’, an, blows-up.
he says, he’s going to open a pop-up gallery in Chinatown, next year, and you know what ?
I wouldn’t want to be the one, who bet against him. stay tuned.
as well:
a heartfelt, recent RIP, goes out to: Alfredo Martinez, aka ‘the Real Fake Basquiat’ / artist, forger, & gun-maker, who left us – a few short months ago.
and, a big . . shout-out to JOSH HARRIS / our intrepid web entrepreneur, who some mainstream critics even call the ‘Warhol of the Web’, our fearless, or is that
and, I guess, another lol, is in order here, though I seriously – try hard, not to fall into that trap.
at right: my KATE CERIGO, is a professional creative; currently in the media & fashion world,
with an SVA degree in Graphics, from about a decade ago.
unlike the rest of us, i.e. her family, she prefers to keep things, on the down-low.
see: Nicholas Steindorf on IG / @nchlsstndrf
see: Blinn & Lambert on IG / @blinn_and_lambert
see: Kate Cerigo on IG / @katecerigo
‘PERPETUAL OBJECTS’, A BIG GROUP SHOW / at INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS ART GALLERY, BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, NYC /
OPENED SEPT 30, 2023.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
JUST, FYI:
so, what do we know about . . Industrial Design & ART Installations /
THEO CERIGO . . aged 12, in his pod, at ‘QUIET’ / ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’.
DOWNTOWN NYC, DEC 15 – JAN 10, 2020.
btw, he’s wearing the standard issue – WLIP in-house production crew uniform: orange work pants, and gray button-up utility shirt. this uniform might not be considered radical now, but coming out of the disco 80s, and then the jeans & flannel 90’s, it was.
the fully-wired, ‘QUIET’ Pod Hotel, inspired by Japanese pod hotels, was designed & fabricated by JEFF GOMPERTZ.
‘Quiet’ was the original name for the Millennial bash plus art installation; as it grew & evolved, and as its social media / frontier implications became more defined / esp with 24/ surveillance, and live streaming / the ‘party’, morphed into a brand: WE LIVE IN OPUBLIC, I mean even the ‘community’ shower, was transparent & live streaming.
Archival Photo: NANCY SMITH
so, just what do we know about . . craft, DIY design, & on-site sustainability ?
not to mention . . ‘insider/outsider’ roles ?
and, not to forget, artist-made lighting fixtures / vernacular objects turned folk art . . in what was essentially a sci-fi setting, let loose upon 4+ floors of an old warehouse on Lower Broadway, a ‘social experiment’ as Josh liked to call it. And which Ondie Timoner, the filmmaker behind the the documentary, likens to the ‘birth of social media’.
NANCY SMITH, ‘PAPER LANTERN’, ‘QUIET’ / ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’.
while I was hired on at first, as a participating artist – supposedly leading a Quilting BEE for Techies (!!)
I quickly became a part of the Production crew, and didn’t have much extra time, or materials – to make my own art for the approximately 3 week event.
so, I improvised with whatever was at hand, including ordinary typing paper, and other stuff just lying around, like the exhibition invite card above, and ‘Xmas red’ sparkles, grabbed from the then nearby Pearl Paint, on Canal St.
at night, some mystery pro lighting designer would come ‘zap’ up, the newest installations, and Josh had them light up my lanterns, too. that’s how fluid things were: dramatic, dramatic, extreme sport / spontaneous creative, and . . more dramatic, dramatic, dramatic / literally dramatic, from the lighting on down, to the outsize egos, Drama was a big part of the mix / on every level.
like one big . . paper, rock, scissors / craft, industrial, ego blow-out.
Archival Photo: NANCY SMITH
~MY FAM . . at the opening / ‘Perpetual Screw’, International Objects – UPDATED WITH 2 ARCHIVAL WLIP / WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, PHOTOS | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | October 3rd, 2023, 4:45pm
ARTIST CRAFT MONTH in NYC / SEPT 2023 – TOOLS
INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS, ‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ – BIG GROUP SHOW
OPENS – SAT SEPT 30 / 6 – 9 PM
for list of participating artists / mission statement, see: ‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ – EXHIBITS
JEFF WILLIAMS, ‘Broken Arm’, 2019
image courtesy International Objects
~JEFF WILLIAMS . . ‘BROKEN ARM’ / ‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ / INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 28th, 2023, 11:26am
ARTIST CRAFT MONTH in NYC / SEPT 2023 – TOOLS
‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ – OPENS SAT SEPT 30 / 6 – 9 PM
INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS
DAVID BORDETT / ‘Excavator Oasis’
~DAVID BORDETT . . ‘EXCAVATOR OASIS ‘ / ‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ / INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS / | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 28th, 2023, 9:49am
ARTIST CRAFT MONTH in NYC, SEPT 2023 – CRAFT & TOOLS . . !!
INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS – ‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ – a big blow-out / build-out / group show
OPENS SAT SEPT 30, 2023 / 6 – 9 PM
INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS, 53 SCOTT AVE., 5th FLOOR, EAST WILLIAMSBURG / BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN, NYC 11237
viewing hrs during exhibits:
THURS / 12-10PM
FRI-Sun / 12-6 PM
or by appointment
also, see: International Objects on IG @internationalobjects
POSTER IMAGE by SHAUN KRUPS, ‘Boat Propeller’, 2017.
water soluble oil on canvas / 21 x 21 in.
~SHAUN KRUPA . . ‘BOAT PROPELLER’ / ‘PERPETUAL SCREW’ . . GROUP SHOW / INTERNATIONAL OBJECTS / BROOKLYN / OPENS SAT SEPT 30 | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 27th, 2023, 4:30pm
ARTIST CRAFT MONTH in NYC / SEPT 2023 – TOOLS
GARDENING ?
ARTIST-LED, COMMUNITY GARDEN ?
definite . . a CRAFT !!
SHOUT OUT TO: JEFFREY TRANCHELL
LAVENDER COUNTRY DETROIT / GARDEN SWAP
GIVE TAKE TRADE / PLANT SWAP / SEEDS STARTERS BULBS CLIPPINGS / HOUSEPLANTS / TOOLS
12333 MACKAY ST, DETROIT
SAT SEPT 30, 2023 / 4 – 7 PM
~LAVENDER COUNTRY DETROIT / PLANT SWAP, SEEDS, HOUSE PLANTS, & TOOLS / DETROIT / SAT SEPT 30 | Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 27th, 2023, 4:02pm
