101 reasons to stay online…

For Art POP 2009, Michelle Lacombe and Sheena Hoszko, two dynamic Montréalers with a plethora of interesting relationships with the visual arts (as coordinators, outreach workers, educators, conceptual artists in their own rights and much more) came together to do a visually incredible, conceptually witty, poignant and wise piece for the first time as a collaborative pair.

Entitled 101 Song Scores, this interview with them about their project and process speaks enough for itself that my introduction can hererby be sent straight to the guillotines like so many other overly flowerly representations that the Jacques Louis Davids’ of the past have spout forth.

But! Just to highlight that as part of this years’ Atelier Portes Ouvertes, this fascinating duo will be giving an artist talk at Agence Topo at 2 p.m. this Sunday the 18th. More info to follow.

1. Could you explain a little about this project?

Sheena: 101 Song Scores is a project that stems from the 2009 Art Pop call for submissions, which really got us thinking about our art practices in relation to music. We decided to base our proposal on lyrics, and pull scores/text-based performance directions from songs.

The results of this ended up taking two specific forms: The first was a series of images or “ads” that list the score, song title, year, and length of the song (we did not include the band name to avoid any immediate associations with genres).

Pop Montréal graciously gave us access to the festival design files, so the scores themselves look like Pop content, despite the vague/oblique text. These scores were placed within the Art Pop and Pop Montreal websites/publications, in spaces usually reserved for advertising. We then began working with Agence TOPO, a Montreal-based new media artist-run-centre, and together created an amazing online database of all the 101 Song Scores content from our scrappy (but effective) google docs spreadsheet.

2. How did it come to light?

Michelle: Having followed each others’ practices since university, we had an interest in working together but lacked a context. Art Pop, an initiative we both wanted to submit work to, provided that context. Over yucca fries and beer we brainstormed areas in which music and art overlapped. We wanted to work within the content of the festival but in an indirect or conceptual fashion. Performance scores, text-based instructions developed through experimental music compositions but quickly adopted by visual artists, were selected as the starting point of our project.

Engaging with song lyrics as instructions seemed like a simple proposal to work with, but one that could shift away from the music towards larger issues such as the subjective interpretation of meaning, collective memory, and the role of music in social action/identity. There was also a playful “can-you-guess-that-song” element to the work that we felt would suit the diverse public of the festival.

3. Have you worked collaboratively before? What has the process been like?

Sheena: We’ve worked together on art-related coordination before, but this is our first time collaborating on a work. It went really well, especially for a process-based project that required many fast and on-the-fly decisions - always the ultimate test! I think it solidified the fact that certain elements of our practices - mainly the conceptual framing of our individual performance and intervention work, which often deals with the body, language, and emotion - overlap in ways that make collaboration quite seamless.

4. What are some of the thematics you are touching on the most with 101 song scores?

Michelle: The project is primarily about the subjective way in which we engage with “popular” western music. It is only through experience that we develop a relationship both individually and collectively with music, its lyrics and its meaning. Think of the way music often creates a brief intimate moment of connection to something also simultaneously being proposed to countless other anonymous listeners. The project however also became about how those experiences are mediated by language, action and time.

5. What do you think poses challenges for participants? I mean specifically around issues of engagement. If you could discuss this decision to make the website durational and what it represents for you that would be great.

Sheena: As we don’t have tons of experience in web-based work, we agreed keeping the site simple would be key. One thing we kept going back to was ensuring the site would highlight the, “I want all the info, and I want it all now” culture of the web. Thus the database was setup in a way that would provide access to only one score at a time, and each score would stay visible for the entire duration of the song. At the beginning the song title, artist, album, and year appears, and that info fades out about 10 seconds later. Besides that moment of contextual framing, there is no way to find more info, skip ahead, refresh, or see the database content as a whole.

Thus it sets up a decision making process for the viewer: to choose if they are going to engage, wait for the next score, or move to another site altogether. Some people have let us know that they access the work by keeping 101 Song Scores open in another tab and continuously checking back.

This is an unexpected but really interesting way of negotiating the idea of duration, as the project then exists in relation to all the other content being viewed at that moment. So the project asks if the audience will to give over their time in a way that is generally avoided online, and accept a certain lack of interactivity. I find this poignant if in relation to the minutes and hours spent tirelessly checking email, viewing status updates, searching for torrents online, etc.

6. Is this your first web-based project? What considerations did you have when constructing concepts and aesthetics within this site specific space and time?

Michelle: Yes this is the first web-based project for both of us. Sheena however, has integrated social media sites (myspace, email, etc) into previous projects.

The durational quality of the internet was something we wanted the web page to consider as it was the only space of the numerous sites 101 Song Scores occupied offering the possibility to play with time. Up until that point, the duration of the scores was proposed but never imposed. Because of the possibility of linking action to duration in a direct way, it was decided that the web page would host our database in its entirety (over 170 scores).

To keep with the conceptual concerns of the work, we wanted the database to be accessed only one action at a time, requiring that the visitor wait the time it takes to experience the proposed action before seeing the next one. To highlight this, the design was chosen to make the time-lapse or duration of each score a prominent element of the site. It was also a sort of shout out to the culture of webtime such as “death clocks”.

It was a logistical challenge to create a web space that required waiting, (ie. no refresh possibilities, no scrolling forward, no opening numerous pages to access more scores) as it goes against what the internet strives to be (interactive, immediate, controlled, etc.) We worked with Vincent Archambault who found a way to program a database of actions that are continually counting down, whether there is a public present or not.

Similar to how one might experience a video installation, the viewer comes in at a specific time but has no control (aside from waiting) as to what content they are accessing.  If someone else comes in, they see the same thing and are also faced with the choice to wait and see the content or leave. Although this element of the project can be overlooked, it is to us the most successful and exciting part of the work.

7. What are the plans for the website once Pop Montréal is over?

Michelle: The project will be presented as part of Agence Topo’s open studio on Sunday, October 18th at 2 p.m. There we will be giving an artist talk and discussing 101 Song Scores. Vincent, the programmer, will also be present to answer the more technical questions.

Although the web page will remain online forever, a very generous act on the part of Agence Topo, we have yet to decided if we will continue to promote it or further develop the databases’ content. We are giving ourselves the time to get some distance and get back to our respective practices before making any final decisions.

8. What next?

Sheena: I would suggest to anyone reading this to try out creating some song scores of their own, be it by listening to their music collection, via youtube, via the radio. The whole process has really changed how I engage with lyrics, and has setup an ongoing space where I reflect on what actions I focus on, and why.

Let’s build a giant room-sized theremin with 16 antennas!

We would like to invite the tag-team of artist/engineers David Beaulieu and Christian Pelletier to this year’s Pop Montreal International Music Festival (September 30 - October 4) and see them build a Theremin room in our special Art Pop and POP Symposium headquarters.

The duo was last seen breaking musical boundaries with their loud-speaker suits worn by Patrick Watson and his musicians at this year’s Festival de Jazz de Montréal.

The installation of massive proportions we want them to build will invite festival-goers to participate (alone, or in groups!) in the creation of on-site, mind-blowing, improvised music as they interact in a room with 16 antennas suspended above and around them. As they are activated, the antennas trigger psychedelic sounds that are bound to excite and solicit interest from all sorts of human beings

It’s gonna be spontaneous, it’s gonna be an immediate and visceral experience, it’s gonna be communally created art instantly diffused, IT’S GONNA BE SO COOL! We’re asking all lovers of theremins, lovers of art, lovers of interactive experiences, lovers of electricity, lovers of music and lovers of the world everywhere to help us make this project happen. Your money will be used to pay for David & Christian’s hard work and the equipment they will need to make this happen.

Check out our kickstarter page, where you’ll see all the amazing REWARDS we’re offering to people that back this project. Among those, you’ll find:

• a limited edition DVD of animations made by local animators
• a DIY theremin kit
• a hand silk-screened limited edition t-shirt with a theremin on it
• an mp3 of an exclusive track from Gentleman Reg or Dishwasher
• a FULL PAGE photo of you in the Pop Montreal segment program
• a VIP Festival Pass to the Pop Montreal International Music Festival
• a personal festival friend and a cozy bed to sleep in
• a musical about you and 3 of your friends, written and performed by us. we will tape it in Montreal in front of a live audience, and send it to you.
• a custom-made Loudspeaker Suit built by Beaulieu and Pelletier

For The Blog of Love

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I just found out that the remarkable quarterly arts magazine Bad Day has an equally remarkable blog. It’s fresh and constantly updated with badass art: just on the frontpage, I see wool fetischists, Amy Lockhart, Fever Ray, Asher Penn, Aiden Shaw and a post on Butt magazine. Hard to be instantly totes’ sold.

June 18th: Thoday is Thrazy Thursday

Brace yourselves, there are (at least) three art openings to go to today (Thursday the 18th). They all start at 7pm, and I hope you can find a way to see everything without missing Corpusse’s performance at Zoobizarre later tonight. Details below:

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1. Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo at Galerie Push (7-9pm)

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of his intense and riveting creatures (see Kit’s post below). His Bestiairies show is staying at PUSH (5264 St. Laurent) until the 26th of July.

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2. The Emporium State of Mind (7-11pm)

The product of a collaboration between The Emporium Gallery (3035 St. Antoine Ouest #74) and Montreal State of Mind: a “media spanning group exhibition that will exemplify Montreal State of Mind’s mission- to promote the inherent creativity of those who live in Montreal done through the Emporium Gallery’s curation”. The exhibition features the work of Fangs, Amber Albrecht, Sean Orena, Alexi Hobbs, 123Klan, RAGE5, Robb Jamieson, Kit Malo (!), Julien de Repentigny, Astro, Dave Arnold, Ben Pobjoy and Danielle Levy. They are 13 Montreal-based visual artists, who will each be exhibiting one artwork priced at a maximum of $200CAD

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3. A Red Bird Studios Group Show at General 54, 7pm

General 54 (54 St-Viateur O) is hosting a group show put up by the artist-run arts space Red Bird. The exhibition showcases the work of its diverse group of painters, sculptors, graphic designers and silk screeners, each one exploring their individual practice and methodology within the material constraints of a 10″x10″ canvas board. There will also be cake supplied by Cocoa Locale (best cupcakes in town, and I know what I’m talking about) and 10% off everything in the store!

Artists include: Sarah Courtemanche, Dan Buller, Kit Malo (!), Oksana, Rebecca Rosen, Jayce Yam, Mark Dixon, Julien Ceccaldi (!), Katie Earle, John Player, Andrea Kastner, Colin Lyons, Corrie Peterson, Kim Kielhofner, Naomi Cook, Lisa Wilson, Daniel Nessler, Rachel Berger, Becky Emlaw, Shannon Kelly, Konan Cook, and others…

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4. Where you must be after all the art and cake (Zoobizarre, 9pm)

Starting at 9pm, Suoni per il popolo presents Corpusse (TO), The Unireverse (Mtl) and Knurl (TO). There will be everything you could need by then (besides art and cake), i.e. synth action, confrontational performance and raw noise.

I’m especially looking forward to seeing Corpusse do his thing: it will be primitive hardcore punk with a synthesizer, and it will involve glitter and nice make-up. Here’s a video of his last performance at Zoobizarre (6388 St-Hubert) in October 2006.

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New Lova

I gotta admit I am pretty much blown away by aladda the artists at the Richard Heller Gallery.

This image here is a work by Amy Bennett, one of the people on their roster. I highly recommend spending ten minutes taking a look at the rest of the work.

Amazzzzinnng.

Simon Schubert

Artist Simon Schubert creates 2-D scenes by folding paper slightly: http://www.simonschubert.de/papierarbeiten.html

(via @MuseumModernArt via @jkottke) (Spread the word and make the “via” chain longer)

More polls, vote or die!

In association with the Saatchi Gallery, the Times is inviting readers and visitors to vote here for their Top 200 Artists of the 20th Century to Now. Already more than a million votes have been cast to find out who the most influential artists of the period are.

In an article previewing the results of the poll, Times Chief Art Critic Rachel Campbell-Johnson notes: “All that we want is for you to make a completely impossible choice. Artists are not like pedigree dogs. There is no breed standard. And how can you rank passions and emotions and visions?” Some (I?) might miss the point of this poll, but it won’t kill to see and learn about the famous artists who already made it to the top 300. 

Ultimately, it’s obviously very irritating to have artists getting ranked when it’s done by anyone but yourself, but I can at least see the point in voting for living artists, just for the sake of not snoring too loud when the results are in (on the 12th, there was only one living artist in the Top 20). Voting closes on May 2.

GIVEAWAY!!!

FREE STUFF! YOU LOVE FREE STUFF!!
Okay folks here it is the first ever official giveaway on The Frozen Mammoth. You can’t say we’re cheap, maybe lazy but not cheap.

I was reading lately about the amazing Museum of Contemporary Craft (another reason Portland is a superior city to most) and saw that they were showing a collection of illustrations by Kate Bingaman-Burt who illustrated the Handmade Nation book, the companion to the documentary.

I remember seeing her work before in the form of an amazing set of zines she made documenting her purchases for 3 years called What Did You Buy Today?.

What I want from you is to tell us what you bought today and how much it costs. If you are creative I would love for you to attach a visual representation of your purchases (just cause it’s fun, and if you’re an awesome artist, who knows, maybe we’ll blog about you in the future). One winner will be chosen randomly on Friday April 17th and that person will win 4 of Kate’s zines. Fun!
Make sure to include your email in the comments section.

Paper and Pine Open House

Paperandpine.com is having an open house. We’ve transformed a room at P&PHQ into a ’shop’ and Jenny and I invite you to come drink wine and eat snacks while checking out the beautifully made items. You’ll get to touch real live items with your real live hands (please use a napkin after eating the tasty snacks). Some great local artists and crafty peeps (Pinpals, LittleHouses, HoneyFlower) sell on our site so come give them a little pocket change by taking home something special. Out of towner Vancouver based PoodleBreath is going to be coming and bringing some of her amazing ceramic pieces like the brooch below.

The Facebook event is here.

Saturday April 4th from 3-6pm

email paperandpine@gmail.com for the address (it’s in the Mile-End).

Store 1026 Now Open!

In a post about Expozine 2008, I briefly mentioned the awesome Philadelphia-based art studio/community Space 1026. Well, they just opened an online store and it’s fabulous. Picture the Expozine booth of your (my?) dreams that makes you really cream your pants, but bigger and open 24/7. I’ve already got my eyes set on this great Mr. ET print by Andrew Jeffrey Wright (pictured above), as well as colorful rainbowy Wu Tang logo print by Crystal Stokowski (pictured below). I’m sure you’ll find something of your liking over there, so shop around and encourage a sweet bunch of artists!