Food fight in the name of art | Video | Reuters.com
25 Feb 2009 1 Comment
in Art, Food, Food art, Humor, Life, News, Performance art, videos Tags: Food fight
In case the video doesn’t run, go directly to the Reuters UK video to check out this crazy food fight performance art work staged in the vast Red October Chocolate Factory.
Visitors to an art gallery ensconced in a former Moscow chocolate factory are drawn into the surreal world of a very messy dinner party. In their performance titled ‘White Rainbow over the Table’, show directors Bochavar and Bartenev play with the idea of a banquet-gone-wrong. Two ‘teams’ of white-clad performers staged a food fight across the room, throwing cakes, flour and other products. The ensuing chaotic theme is meant to show ironic echoes of wasted plenty and wayward consumerism, in a time of crisis. The global financial crisis has hit the Russian art market particularly hard, with prices falling between 30 to 50 percent, according to market analysts.
Red October Chocolate Factory
VIDEO SCRIPT:
This chaotic food fight was the brainchild of Russian performance artists Andrei Bartenev and Katya Bochavar. Their display, inside a former Moscow chocolate factory, played with the idea of a banquet-gone-wrong, an apparent swipe at wayward consumerism. Members of the city’s art elite watched intently as two teams of combatants threw cake and yogurt at each other. It was a scene of chaos and comedy, with ironic echoes of waste and over-indulgence in a time of crisis. Maria Baibakova, the gallery’s project director, sees the recent credit crisis as something of a silver lining for artists.
[Director of Baibakova Projects, Maria Baibakova]
Artists actually enjoy times of crisis because they feel that again they can make work that doesn’t need to be commercially viable. They can be more free and I find a lot of artists have this romantic idea that their creative genius needs to suffer for something great to come out, so a lot of people that are frustrated with their output I find are very happy that they’ll have this chance.
As the floor grew slippery, some performers stripped down to their underwear. At the finale two black-clad teams appeared, looking like riot police in welding helmets and plastic masks. They destroyed the table-like structure with blow torches and crowbars, giving the performance a darker, more sinister feel. Having dusted flour off their designer black outfits, the audience seemed impressed by the performance, although perhaps a little hungry as well.
Heiress Maria Baibakova has commissioned 15 contemporary Russian artists to make work in response to Moscow’s vast Red October Chocolate Factory. Via the Telegraph.co.uk
Related MadSilence posts:
food + creativity = art
The art of fruit and veggie
~MadSilence
Teacher Art Exchange: Food for creative thought
24 Feb 2009 4 Comments
in Art, Education, MadSilence Tags: J. Paul Getty Trust, Teacher Art Exchange
Here’s something interesting. MadSilence has been posted to the TeacherArtExchange, an online listserv for teachers and educators, as an “interesting art site.” The J. Paul Getty Trust supports the Exchange which is described as:
An online community of teachers and learners that discusses issues related to art education through e-mail. Share lesson ideas, teacher resources, and network with colleagues from across the United States—even around the world. Your e-mails will be archived so that you can benefit from insights and ideas shared in past discussions.
The post an be found at: MadSilence website food for creative thought
Here’s what it says:
Here is an interesting art site, food for creative thought.
I especially like the Art of the Chair. I can’t wait to show my students the balloon chairs.
This might have been posted before, but it bears repeating.
http://madsilence.wordpress.com/
MadSilence
A father and daughter explore art, culture, and whatever else catches our fancy from different sides of the globe.
Hope this inspires,
Christine Besack
Check out the Getty’s Teacher Programs and Resources that help incorporate the study of art into the classroom.
~MadSilence
The Trouble with Tofu
22 Feb 2009 13 Comments
in cooking, Food, Japan, Japanese Culture, Recipes Tags: Food, Japan, japanese cuisine, Recipes, tofu
So what exactly is it about tofu that strikes terror in the hearts of Americans? I don’t think I realized just how much my attitude towards it had changed during my time here in Asia. It’s only the new, incoming JETs that remind me of this change (and their bitchin and moaning about the lack of meat on their plates!!). Back in American I was part of the teeming multitude of tofu-haters. Tofu was weird, tasteless white goo that vegans and vegetarians ate (forgive me, Kristina!!!), not something smooth, delicate and tasty in its own right. Tofu was, well, hippie-food. Of course I had only tried it one time. Thank god I give people more chances then I did tofu! Of course it doesn’t help that most tofu in the US is crap. Unless you’re getting fresh tofu from a dedicated tofu maker (like the amazing Ithaca Soy Company) you’re not getting anything like the fresh flavor we get out here in Japan. The tofu you get in America is spongy, old, squeaky, stale. Tofu in Japan is a whole new universe.
The best way to eat tofu - by itself with a dash of seasoning.
So this is what we’ll do: Tofu Challenge! Go out and buy yourself a small package of tofu from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods (since it’s hard for most people to drive out to Ithaca, NY just for a tofu fix, and they’re pretty good I’ve heard!). Open the package, grab a spoon and gently scoop out a niblet of the tofu. Look at its creamy, porcelain complexion. Give it a little sniff. Good tofu smells green and amazingly fresh. Not like a freshly-cut lawn but a very gentle, healthy smell. Then stick it in your mouth. Depending on the kind of tofu you bought (which runs from solid extra-firm down to the extremely delicate silken) you’ll have different textures, but one thing will be the same no matter what kind of tofu you buy: a subtle, umami-filled taste will slide over your taste buds. This is not an American food with flavors that will whack you in the head with a baseball bat. It’s subtle, it’s gentle, it’s kind and ultimately it’s addictive.
Aburage - fried tofu that goes great in miso soup.
Tofu is essentially soy bean cheese. It’s made the same way milk-based cheese is made: by adding a curdling agent to a liquid. The texture of the tofu depends on the water content of your final block. The most delicate of tofus, silken tofu, has the highest water content. It’s great for blending into other foods or in miso soup. Then you have firm and extra firm. They hold up well to being stir-fried or baked. In Japan we have a horde or other tofu products like aburage, fried tofu blocks, koyadofu, essentially freeze-dried tofu that’s reconstituted in different things to change its flavor, and yuba, tofu “skin” which is a thin sheet used to wrap different fillings. In Japan tofu generally retains its original form, it’s never processed into “Tofurkey” or “Tofutti” or “Tofu dogs.” I urge you never to try these products. Tofu should be eaten as-is and doesn’t need any help (especially if it involves squeezing it into fake meat product shapes).
Tofu truffles made by the lovely ladies over at Ishikawajets Blog!
So what exactly do you do with tofu? Lots or nothing, depending on your mood. Grab a block of high quality silken tofu. Stick a small square in a bowl. Garnish it with a little soy sauce, green onion and grated ginger. (Attempt to) eat it with chopsticks without destroying it or dropping it on yourself. You now now have 1/4 of an official Japanese breakfast (all you need is some rice, miso soup, and barley tea and you’re set!). It’s also good with some katsuoboshi (dried fish flakes – don’t look at me like that!! It’s like fish bacon! It’s delicious!!). Or, chop some silken into your miso soup. Do a nice veggie stir-fry and toss in some cubes of firm. Dredge it in corn starch or flour and pan-fry till crispy (this goes great over rice with some fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter and say sauce). Marinate it in teryaki sauce and bake it. Blend it up with some cocoa powder and turn it into the smoothest, richest chocolate truffle you’ve ever eaten (credit to the new Ishikawa JETs blog!). Tofu is wonderful, versatile, delicous and good for you! Japan doesn’t have the highest life expectancy in the world for nothing!
Fun links!
- Do you tofu? – NYT article with recipes
- NYT Tofu Reference Section
- ChowMag’s Make Your Own Tofu Project
- Gourmet’s Teriyaki-glazed Tofu with Broccolini
- La Saveur’s Miso Soup with Tofu and Wakame
~MS the Younger and tofu-obsessed!
PS: For those of you who like tofu, what’s your favorite way to eat it?
Sky Shishiku
18 Feb 2009 4 Comments
in Culture, Japan, Japanese Culture Tags: Japan, shishi, Travel, tsurugi
Sky Shishiku is a Japanese resort located in Tsurugi, Ishikawa and known for its snow skiing, paragliding and shishi lions. On a recent visit there may have been no snow, but we were still able to enjoy the ski lifts, paragliding, and shishi lore and history.
Apparently Sky Shishiku is an international destination for paragliding. A long lift ride to the mountaintop offered a view of my apartment in the distance (and on less misty days, a beautiful view of the ocean):
What I enjoyed most was the Shishi museum, a museum housing a large collection of these Shinto and Buddhist objects.
Shishi is translated as “lion” but it can also refer to a deer or dog with magical properties and the power to repel evil spirits. A pair of shishi traditionally stand guard outside the gates of Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
Illustration of a Shi-shi from the Manga, Vol. 14
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849)
1815
Leaf from a bound book, woodblock print, ink on paper
Pacific Asia Museum Collection
~The MadSilence Team
Perfect storm unleashed: a Fairey story
13 Feb 2009 8 Comments
in Art, art criticism, Life, News, politics, Thoughts Tags: Obama, ObamArt
The recent addition of a painted version of Shepard Fairey’s portrait of President Barack Obama into the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery represents a perfect storm for the American art world, an “extreme situation created by a rare convergence of several forces.”
It’s perfect in that the poster provides an ideal representation of contemporary art. Here’s why:
– First, It’s stolen. The portrait, a mixed-media stenciled collage that depicts Mr. Obama above the word “hope,” was created by Fairey utilizing an image he obtained off the Internet, an Associated Press photograph taken in April 2006 by Manny Garcia on assignment for the AP. Fairey breaks the rules.
– It required little artistic skill to create. The portrait is a mixed-media stenciled collage.
– It’s democratic. Anybody could’ve done it. The image was pulled from the Internet.
– It’s viral. The poster gained notoriety and an international audience through the Internet. The ”grassroots” image spread virally, with the Obama campaign selling prints of the poster on its Web site. The image has spread to cover t-shirts and mugs.
– It’s commercial. Fairey has cashed in with his graffiti street art.
– It’s ephemeral. This isn’t great or important art we’re talking about.
– Finally, It’s political. Fairey’s a street artist from the skateboarding scene, known for his “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign. His success is due to his use of themes that are politically and socially charged.
Fairey’s poster is a perfect example of contemporary art. Further, the forces that shape the contemporary art world have converged into a storm, a tempest, a veritable tornado, that have lifted and deposited the poster, much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, into the National Portrait Gallery, a mirror of the national zeitgeist.
What does it say about America and its art, if Fairey’s portrait captures the mood of the nation? Should Americans aspire to a greater image, a more powerful icon? One that is not stolen, ephemeral, commercial? Or does Fairey call it fairly as it is?
For another view of the art of Shepard Fairey, visit Slow Muse here.
For an insightful article on ObamArt, read Sharon Butler’s essay, Moving Beyond ObamArt.
Valentine’s Day UPDATE:
Check out The Obama Art Report blog that provides:
“daily reporting on the world of Barack Obama artwork, prints and auctions.” Includes material about Robert Indiana’s reworking of his “Love” artwork into a “Hope” sculpture, Shepard Fairey’s Obama posters, and the temporary change of a San Francisco street sign from Bush Street to Obama Street on the morning the inauguration in 2009.”
Via LII
~MadSilence to&w
More Valentine’s Day Fun
11 Feb 2009 3 Comments
in Art, Holidays Tags: valentine, Valentine's Day
Happy St. Valentine’s Day to all our readers! And just what is Valentine’s Day all about?
Opinions abound as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome in spite of Emperor Claudius II, who felt that marriage weakened his soldiers. In any event, in A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I declared Feb. 14 as Valentine Day. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages, and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for selling the first mass-produced valentine cards in the 1840s. The spirit of love continues today as valentines are sent with sentimental verses, from and to young and old romantics.
Source: Census.gov
Here’s a fitting image that captures the “spirit of love”:
Look familiar? LOVE is a pop art image created by artist Robert Indiana.
According to the MOMA:
Few Pop images are more widely recognized than Indiana’s LOVE. Originally designed as a Christmas card commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art in 1965, LOVE has appeared in prints, paintings, sculptures, banners, rings, tapestries, and stamps. Full of erotic, religious, autobiographical, and political underpinnings—especially when it was co-opted as an emblem of 1960s idealism—LOVE is both accessible and complex in meaning. In printed works, Indiana has rendered LOVE in a variety of colors, compositions, and techniques. He even translated it into Hebrew for a print and a sculpture at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Interested in finding a love match? Try pairing up these famous lovers from history.
Looking for that perfect Valentine for that special someone? Then look no further. These unusual Victorian valentines are the antithesis of the lacy, sentimental valentine greeting. “In mid-Victorian England the custom of sending daintily printed valentines, overflowing with hearts, cupids and poetical posies was generally understood to consist of an exchange of missives between special loving friends. Yet beneath the sweet exterior and tender words of these lace-paper beauties lurked something far more sinister – the comic valentine!”
Here’s one of the most unusual Valentine’s Day cards I’ve ever seen. This paper creation is available at xlessthan3′s Etsy shop. Talk about holding my heart in your hands!
Image via The New York Times.
Other sites of interest:
“I Love You” in Many Languages
From Arabic to Zulu, find the way to say “I love you” in more than sixty languages. Simple site, perfect for finding a phrase for Valentine’s Day or any romantic moment. From TravLang, a provider of language instruction and travel information.
Celebrate! Holidays in the USA
Information about national holidays celebrated in the United States. Provides brief histories of holidays such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Flag Day (first proclaimed in 1949). Also includes information about “fun” days such as Valentine’s Day, April Fool’s Day, and Halloween; and selected ethnic and regional celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras, and Cinco de Mayo. From the Embassy of the United States of America, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Sweet Science of Chocolate
This site contains two features related to the science of chocolate: the video archives of a 1999 Valentine’s Day event at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and an interactive feature that “takes a closer look at the sweet lure of chocolate.” Discusses the history of chocolate, the chocolate-making process, possible health effects, and more. From the Exploratorium.
RobertSabuda.com: Simple Pop-Ups You Can Make!
This site provides patterns and detailed instructions, illustrated with photographs, for making more than a dozen pop-up cards. Includes cards for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Thanksgiving. From a pop-up card engineer and author.
Everything Valentine’s
Hundreds of ideas for Valentine’s Day crafts, gifts, cards, games, and treats for the classroom, spouses, and others. Includes illustrated instructions. From FamilyFun magazine.
Related post: 10+1 Best Links Ever for Valentine’s Day
~MadSilence the older & wiser
When the wisdom of the crowd fails
09 Feb 2009 2 Comments
in Art, News, Thoughts, WordPress Tags: Collective intelligence, crowdsourced innovation, crowdsourcing, customer made
WordPress has joined the “crowdsourcing” bandwagon, teaming up with the crew at Infectious for the first-ever “I <3 Blogging” design contest. Check out this page for more details. It lays out the steps for submitting a design concept to the contest.
MadSilence posted previously on the phenomena of “crowdsourced innovation” and “customer-made.” According to TrendWatching.com:
The ‘customer-made‘ phenomena enable manufacturers to co-create with their customers. Tapping into the collective experiences, skills and ingenuity of millions of consumers around the world is a complete departure from the inward looking, producer-versus-consumer innovation model so common to corporations around the world.
‘Customer-made‘ allows corporations to create goods, services and experiences in close cooperation with experienced and creative consumers, tapping into their intellectual capital, and in exchange giving them a direct say in (and rewarding them for) what actually gets produced, manufactured, developed, designed, serviced, or processed.
Crowdsourcing is related to the concept of collective intelligence, the idea that their is a synergistic element to group thought, that a special kind of knowledge and understanding emerges when large groups of people harness their collective understanding and perception around a problem or topic. An idea inherently suited to the magic of the Internet, collective intelligence has a tempting common-sense appeal, paralleling the direction of the zeitgeist of contemporary world culture. Two well-known examples: Wikipedia and community tagging.
The obvious question: Can the intelligence of the crowd be harnessed in the creation of art, especially the fine arts and literature?
The obvious answer: It already has.
Some early examples: There’s Komar and Melamid’s painting entitled America’s Most Wanted, designed based upon the survey responses of over 1,000 people, asked what they want most in their art. And A Million Penguins, that web-based, collaborative novel with a multitude of authors.
Spoonflower.com is an example of artistic crowd-sourcing. Bon Bon Kakku, recently launched by Helsinki fabric and interior manufacturer Vallila Interior, is another.
Question: Is crowdsourcing, whether wielded by WordPress or some retail site, a shining example of Web democracy, harnessing the power of the Internet’s intelligent crowds? Or is it cynical gimmickry meant to boost market share? Crowdsourcing provides the merchant a self-selected customer base primed to purchase crowdsourced merchandise. A tempting strategy to increase sales.
Komar and Melamid’s painting, as well as Penguin’s novel with a million authors, are examples of art works created using collective intelligence. Unfortunately, neither project can be considered an aesthetic success. Crowdsourcing Art? provides an additional example: Zoomquilt.
Applying collective intelligence to the art world is a daunting concept. How much skill and knowledge can the crowd supply? I’m reminded of the maxim that a camel is a horse designed by a committee.
Significant fine art, painting and sculpture, and great literature, are usually the products of individual genius. I’m not sure if I want my great art to be a product of Web democracy. There are artists with aesthetic vision and imaginative insight whose artistic powers far outstrip the cumulative power of the crowd. And that’s as it should be. Crowdsourcing may have its place within the decorative and commercial arts. But when it comes to the art of Picasso or Monet, of Frederick Hart or Hiram Powers, the wisdom of the crowd fails.
~MadSilence to&w
Tech support – The New Book(tm)! Now with pages!
05 Feb 2009 1 Comment
in Books, Humor, Technology, videos Tags: computers, foamy the squirrel, funny, Humor, techsupport
Mid-week fun! I was inspired to share these videos about the wonders of tech-support when my friend’s computer freaked out XD
Disclaimer: The next video is politically incorrect – and with bad language! I love the Foamy clips because they’re so outspoken, rude, and funny ~}-)> so apologies in advance.
~MS the Younger (and infinetly less PC)
Sweetfern Meme – And Valentine’s Inspiration
04 Feb 2009 5 Comments
in Life, meme, Poetry Tags: Life, meme, Poetry, sweetfernhandmade, Valentine's Day, winter
A very belated meme from the wonderful Sweetfern!
1. Started my own blog (thanks, Dad!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Irish, sadly dissolved)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (with a good friend out in the Hamptons)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (pennywhistle!)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (at the Japanese equivalent of Denny’s, ugh >_<)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Greece, four years ago.)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These kinds of memes are nice, because sometimes you need to be reminded just how many things you’ve seen an experienced, even when you’re just a young’un like me! Oh, and I tag ArtandLife to do this meme next! And speaking of things we’ve done, you should go over to Sweetfern’s blog and read the little excerpt she’s posted about not losing faith in winter. January and February are the hardest months for me, when I’m just too grouchy and missing green, but that little excerpt reminded me why I should be enjoying it while I can! My students often ask “What’s your favorite season?” but I can never answer why because all of them are wonderful in their own ways!
~MS the Younger
PS: Here’s a little pre-Valentine’s poem to get your poem-writing skills ready and raring to go; a poem by the amazing Roman poet Catullus:
“You ask, my Lesbia, how many of your kisses
are enough and more than enough for me.
As big a number as the Libyan grains of sand
that lie at silphium producing Cyrene
between the oracle of Sultry Jupiter
and the sacred tomb of old Battus;
Or as many stars that see the secret love affairs of men,
when the night is silent.
So many kisses are enough
and more than enough for mad Catullus to kiss you,
these kisses which neither the inquisitive are able to count
nor an evil tongue bewitch.”
Volcano!
02 Feb 2009 5 Comments
“Volcano erupts near Tokyo raining ash down on city.
TOKYO – A snowcapped volcano northwest of Tokyo erupted early Monday, sending up a huge plume of smoke and gas and raining fine, powdery ash on parts of Japan’s capital.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption of Mount Asama, which is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Tokyo.
The volcano erupted at 1:51 a.m. (0451 GMT, 11:51 p.m. EST) Monday, belching out a plume that rose about a mile (1.6 kilometers) high, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency. The plume was still roiling over the volcano’s crater late Monday.”
The rest of the story over at Yahoo news…
~MS the Younger (and not at all close to Tokyo)
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