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An article by Steve Benen on Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” speech was posted by a friend on Facebook and it generated a lot of comments from both sides of the argument. It allowed me to codify my own thoughts on the situation. As follows:
“On the Grid” invitational exhibition
August 21st - 29th, 2010
Camel Art Space
• On the Grid • is an invitational exhibition comprised of artists, national and inter-national, that have submitted work for consideration by Camel Art Space over the past year. These artists have been invited to submit work to be placed on a grid formed on the walls of Camel Art Space. The artwork’s location on the grid is randomly determined by lottery.
Hello friends,
I hope everyone’s had a wonderful summer thus far. I haven’t sat down to update you all in some time, but expect a couple more emails from me in the next few weeks as there’s a lot to catch up on both personal and creative. This email has a little bit of both.
First is creative. In the next month my artwork will be in two shows in Brooklyn. The first is called “On the Grid” and is hosted by Camel Art Space. It’s located just blocks from my apartment on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg and runs from August 21st to August 29th. The opening reception is Saturday, August 21st from 6-9 pm. I’ll have one piece on display, Brooklyn 2009.
The second show is called Perceptions of Character and will be held at the Littlefield in Park Slope. It’s located on Degraw St, near Union, between 3rd and 4th Av. You can find directions here. The show goes from September 1st to September 26th and the opening reception is Wednesday, September 1st from 6-9 pm. The piece on display will be “All You’ve Ever Wanted Has Always Been Right Here.”
Second is a part 1 recap of my recent travels. I spent a week in Texas and a week in Vermont just recently, and you can find a write up and videos of my recent Texas trip here.
I hope to see some of you out for the openings and expect more updates in the coming weeks.
Regards,
Mike Varley
The following are some highlights from my trip to Austin, San Antonio, and the Gulf Coast of Texas, July 2010. It was the first time I had visited Texas in two years, and only the second visit since I lived there in 2006-07. With me as always was my girlfriend and traveling companion Erin Welch. Note: All the following videos are available in HD.
Highlights
Click below for more.
Vermont was beautiful. In the eight years since I’ve been there, I’ve shed many histories. There to meet us was solitary love - spiritual, infinite and ours. We caught sight of simplicity too good to be real, too free of our self-impositions. A vacation from life or a life of vacation? My radio broadcasts it’s last country station and we’re free to go back to our manacle-dreams. How impossibly beautiful to wear lead-free sleeves.
May our lives be lost to time yet never depart from emotion.
Footage from the Feast of our Lady of Mt. Carmel and San Paolino in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, July 2010. Williamsburg is stereotypically known for its Hasidic Jewish community, but there is also vibrant, old school Italian community firmly entrenched in the area. Visit Youtube to watch the HD version.
A reposting of the Bruce and Dom trailer as we get closer to completion. The past month, I’ve been working on scoring the film and I’ve enjoyed it a lot.
A video recount of both the work I displayed at BOS 2010 and the story of the most my most interesting visitor of the weekend, Prince Sharuk:
The recent work of artist Mike Varley will be on display for Bushwick Open Studios 2010. Selections include pieces from his clothing to canvas series, a listening station for his spoken word album “The Events of Election ‘08″ and the public debut of his recently completed Twin Canvas Project. His works are mostly mixed media, using everything from 1960’s road maps and sweat stained tee-shirts to stolen track work signs and gallons of craft glue.
Where: 14 Bushwick Avenue
When: June 5th-6th, 12-7 PM
For more information, visit the following:
http://www.mikevarley.com/varley/art/art.html
www.theeventsofelection08.com
“On Joe the Plumber”
http://www.vimeo.com/3124126
An article dealing with the allure of the facebook phenomenon. From the article:
One wonders if this is a good thing. It is difficult to imagine Aristotle or Caillois celebrating Farmville as essential to citizenship. Indeed, when one measures Farmville against Roger Caillois’ six criteria for defining games, Farmville fails to satisfy each and every one. Caillois stated that games must be free from obligation, separate from ‘real life,’ uncertain in outcome, an unproductive activity, governed by rules, and make-believe.[12] In comparison:
(1) Farmville is defined by obligation, routine, and responsibility;
(2) Farmville encroaches and depends upon real life, and is never entirely separate from it;
(3) Farmville is always certain in outcome, and involves neither chance nor skill;
(4) Farmville is a productive activity, in that it adds to the social capital upon which Facebook and Zynga depend for their wealth;
(5) Farmville is governed not by rules, but by habits, and simple cause-and-effect;
(6) Farmville is not make-believe, in that it requires neither immersion nor suspension of disbelief.