so, there’s v1 + v2 of the cover concepts for Provocative Objects: debriefed … one a bit raw + sensual, i guess, right? a little Victoria’s Secret + cheesy, but perhaps a bit ribald for the design + new media community … too ‘wardrobe malfunctiony’ i think, right? + the other stays tried + true to the original postcard + deceptively elegant ‘wedding invitation’ brand concept for the event

i’m pretty certain we’re goin’ w/ v2, but what say you oh provocateurs? any votes to post up here on the comment gallery? hmMMmmMM?

but seriously, folks … David + i work away at calling all participating artists, provocateurs + gallerygoers to collect the forensic evidence of what happened at Provocative Objects … we’re collecting reflections, like raindrops in a conchShell, and attempting to make a beautiful + cool retrospective catalog to Provocative Objects called ‘debriefed’ … my literal visual translation of what debriefed could mean is a little naughty, no? but then again, i’m a bit more in tune w/ that reptilian walnut at the base of my neural epicenter than most … the man w/ the x-ray eyes … Donovan’s Brain … Creature Double Feature

so far — we have audioCaptured interviews from Tania Ostorga, me { for Laugh Foundation } + Dwayne Butcher … i almost have Laura Amador lined up for a chat, and we sent out an email to get the conversation groovin’ — but drop us a line if you want to share what you experienced at Provocative Objects … we’re really trying to capture a multi-threaded perspective of the show to get at the spirit of the people involved from every angle

looking forward to hearing from you + to putting this amazing little book together

cheers!

okay, hey hey + Happy New Year to you ;]

its been a bit, i know … but here’s the dealio … David + i want to get some momentum goin’ on regarding post-show reflections + documentation from | for Provocative Objects: the extradition … we previously asked each artist to write up an essay or some prose { or other } response to the show, but i think the way we might proceed, as a way to make it fun + social even — we may set up a little meeting of the minds + invite all those that participated in making the night what it was

what does that mean? you may ask

so, a little call out to each participating artist would invite all y’alL to an evening of both local + remote conversation … i would also want to invite anyone that assisted in any way in setup + breakdown as well as the management of the show … + then, to make the context of the evening complete, i would want to also invite any gallerygoers, those that might’ve been there to see the artwork + performances, to eat + converse, to celebrate + make the artist-audience exchange complete

so, the Bureau of cyberSurreal Investigation will be tapping into the old calendar here for 2011, looking for dates to consider … any suggestions, you’re more than welcome to comment here or email either of us … + then, the ultimate goal of alL of this is to compile a professional + thoughtful exhibition catalog that nicely encapsulates Provocative Objects, hopefully expressing: the breadth of work shown that evening, the excitement + buzz of the room, the food + drink + fun, and anything else the larger community brings to the catalog

stay tuned :]

its a little over a week after Provocative Objects at The Doran Gallery at MassArt + David + i are busily trying to catch up + readjust to our normal, everyday program whilst also whittling away at some sort of thank you communication to the many wonderful artists + volunteers that participated in making this show an amazing success … expect to see something via email verySoon, but until then { maybe Sunday evening, maybe early next week } i wanted to send out a very special thank you to some amazing individuals that go a bit unsung, but that always go over + beyond to help ‘make it happen’ out at MassArt + especially, in this case, for this show …

… in no particular order …

firstly, i definitely need to thank David for this wonderful collaboration … i think we both subconsciously knew this would be a fun endeavor … + we’d been already collaborating on hawtSeat for months + months over the Summer … but David truly helped bring this experience to an entirely different level that i could’ve never imagined possible if this were not a co-curatorial effort … i have the utmost respect + admiration for his continual generosity + professionalism, and for this everStreaming thoughtfulness throughout … so much work + planning, but just so much amazing, amazing, amazing fun … thanks so much David ;]

we had a lot of help up front, well before we were putting our little provocative objects into the big box … Alison Kotin put together a fantastic press release + coordinated with all the appropriate + super-helpful forces at the ready … Sonia Targontsidis, Joe Quackenbush, Jan Kubasiewicz,Jenny Gibbs, Nadia Savage, George Creamer, Brian Lucid, Saul Baizman and others that helped put together + send out the official postcard + get the word out via HTML email, official news promos + links on the DMI and MassArt websites + just jumping in wherever needed to get the word out about the show.

thank you to Kellian Adams at SCVNGR for giving us access to their incredible geolocation gaming technology … looks like several gallerygoers hopped on to the Official Provocative Objects SCVNGR Trek throughout the evening, + we now have the data to prove it ;]

Sondra Grace + Robin Chalfin of MassArt’s Fashion Department donated 2 Giorgio Armani mannequins to the show … these came in handy, nicely showing off Stacy Scibelli’s piece Sabotage … thank you both for coordinating with me the entire time via email + cellphone, hopefully i didn’t ruin a long weekend for either of you

on the technical side of life, i know that there are many unSung heroes that continually pour their energy + expertise into the actual projectwork for the students at MassArt … Alex Wang, Fred Wolflink, Brian Lucid + Colin Owens deserve a few songs each for their contributions to some of the unique, intriguing project work on display throughout the space at Provocative Objects … thank you for all of your support … i know you all not only contribute to the electronics side a things, but also to deepening the potential of all of these projects … your collaborative involvement in these projects is invaluable to DMI, MassArt + the Boston-area new media communities … thank you

on the floor, both on Thursday + Friday, we were extremely fortunate to have Alex Wang, Yaoming Hao + Joseph Liberty … each tirelessly installed pieces in the gallery, helped transport materials + other items from the Tower to The Doran, + quickly came to the rescue whenever i was pulling out the very little hair i might have left back there ;] … thanks, you guys are the best! … i got your backs ;]

Jennifer Oliver + Jennifer Juliano are always too cool to us when we need access to Ward Street parking to help make these shows happen … i know i can just stop by or shoot off an email + we’ll be taken care of … it’d be next to impossible to get some of the objects + materials we needed for the show into The Doran with some sort of cyberSurreal parade of fools limping in from Mindoro … besides parking, your advice + assistance in coordinating some of the more unusual requests for this show helped make the blurring start before even entering the gallerySpace … thank you so much once again …

we also had many double-secret provocateurs wandering The Doran that night, helping keep the finely oiled machine well-tuned + running like a kitten’s purrings … Daniel managed the stageSpace + other gallery responsibilities the entire night, which made for a smooth night, thank you … Kent Millard + Andrew Ellis not only helmed the video + photographic captures for the night, but also jumped right in to set up the foodSpread { sorry for just dumping that one on you both, but thank you for making it looks so good + gettin’ it all together } … + then all of the DMI seemed to just be there, helping in one manner or another … this was a fairly chaotic evening with so many pieces, so many artists, + i appreciate all the assistance + support our little family threw into this … thank you, thank you, thank you

+ then, of course, for all of you lucky enough to stay alL the way to the end of the exhibit-event, we need to give thanks + praise to Stereo Soul Future … what a fantastic way to cap of the night … SSF put on an amazing set under the metaDome { intriguing projections of each member of the band seemed to watch down upon the performance in a very cyberSurrealistic manner … head + shoulder shots, all in black + white ( or is this simply my memory playing tricks on me? ) faded from one bandmate to the next as each seemed to talk or stare directly down on the band + the audience } … i don’t think the evening could have felt as complete without this performance, the wonderful sound of the band in this space, i think it really brought the entire room together as a microCommunity of spectators to round out the evening nicely with this ritual of live music listening that is extremely important to me + apparently equally important to many a Bostonian ‘out there’ in the artmosphere … Stereo Soul Future, thanks for putting on a rockin’ show … + thanks for making the performance an interesting musicSet within a video installation … just what the doctor ordered ;]

i’m sure i left out a few names + faces here, but hopefully that’s not the case … please know that i truly appreciate everyone that pitched in to make this wonderful event such a fantastic success … such a dream come true for me

its now a few days after the official exhibit-event Provocative Objects out at The Doran + i am already finding it difficult to catch up … i want SO badly to post everything i have ‘out there’ for the amazing artists, designers, musicians + performers to grab + share — for those that came out to the show { or not } to take a look back + see what a wild + crazy scene this show was … i mean, it was exactly what i dreamed last year’s American Cheese: an introspection would be, + SO much more

+ even with all that might be documented { i just saw some amazing photography that Andrew Ellis posted up to our Facebook Group for Provocative Objects, just amazing work } … there are certain experiences + sensations i will never forget that capture some of the incredible excitement of the night

i needed to use a bullhorn at certain critical junctures of the evening to communicate out to the crowd what might be happening next … even that first half hour of delay, the crowd out in the foyer area { Ellen + Pleo on the pristine shaggy rug off to one side, the Beta for hawtSeat with pornistic soundtrackings just across the way } + then that fated moment when i got to open the box { The Doran became a box to me, a giant container perhaps, an object in itself for the gallerygoers to explore + enjoy } + give the Willy WonkaeSque + emotion-filled but simple ‘Welcome’ salutation with a simple wave of the hand … to see SO many people jammed in that space, waiting to come in … i can only begin to explain the incredible joy + delight i felt … the immense gratitude + happiness for the participating artists just about to reveal their brilliant works

we had a fantastic turn-out at Provocative Objects on Friday thanks to the multithreaded efforts of the students + faculty of The Dynamic Media Institute, the MassArt Graduate Office and SO many people that came together to put together an amazing cyberSurreal exhibit-event out at The Doran … thank you thank you thank you … this is the stuffing dreams are made of

in our scurrying about, we did manage to put together a Provocative Objects SCVNGR Trek … we didn’t have a lot of time to really put the word ‘out there’ on our website for the night of the event, but i am delighted to report that some of the quickly-posted signage led to a decent amount of participation in this amazing new geoLocation-based, mobile gaming experience

super special thanks to the folks at SCVNGR for letting us play with their incredible technology for the night … + to those that partook in this additional layer to the Provocative Objects experience … interesting little pieChart we got here so far … very interestig … hmmMMmmMMmm ;]

looks like someone crumpled up a bunch of our posters, sometimes ripped them, turn them upsidedown, stuck ‘em in toilets, just totally disrespected the pristine design of our poster + the feeling of calm divinity we’re trying to instill through this exhibit-event … totally infuriating … we won’t let them get away with this … we’ll definitely seek them out + bring these bastids to justice by any means necessary

here are the images these rapscallions posted to a strange website called:

. | W | E || L | i | K | E || T | o |
| M | A | K | E || T | H | i | N | G | Z |
| H | A | p | P | E | N | .

this is definitely uncool … heads will roll, just you wait + see!

i just saw this video clip up on Facebook … Mobius Artist Liz Roncka posted a piece called Inherently on YouTube … here it is …

i’m hoping we can get this particular piece into Provocative Objects 2 in the Spring of 2011 … David + i really got SO much incredible work in the submissions to Provocative Objects + i am super excited about the opportunity for us to continue this theme in the Spring at The Doran … we have at least a half dozen artists that we just couldn’t fit in the space, there was THAT much amazing work coming in … + so much of it was ‘spot on’ regarding the theme of the show, totally fitting the level of blur + provocation we solicited in the original calls for work out on Rhizome, ProArts, Dorkbots + beyond … anyhow, i know that i’ll be personally reaching out to a lot of the amazing artists we couldn’t fit in this time around to see if they’ll consider the fun-augmented exhibit-event we’ll have in the Spring

i have to say, Liz’s work in the above video hits an amazing universal nerve of disturbance, darkness + emotion … there’s a sense in the performance, for me, of ritual … something between baptism + the blood, water + the wine … self-humiliation, humanness, vulnerability, a peer-to-peer one-to-one iPhone video-confessional as only a true timeless artist could deliver … i don’t know whether to reach out in some way to offer comfort + friendship or to ‘share’ the clip with thousands of people + congratulate her on the depth + authenticity her delivery conveys

perhaps there’s occasion to do a bit of both … amazing, truly amazing work

okay, so its now official … there’s now an official artist bio up on the Provocative Objects website for Laugh Foundation, one of the feature performance art acts slated to ‘do their thing’ this Friday, November 12th at The Doran Gallery

we’re looking forward to posting similar pages for each + every artist participating in Provocative Objects One { details on the Spring 2011 follow-up show to come } … images, bios, artists’ statements + other material will help deepen the experience for those coming out for free food, art + fun on Friday … we’re really looking forward to it … such an amazing array for this function, if you know what i mean ;]

see you soon provocateurs!

this is it! … the countdown to Provocative Objects: the extradition … alL the work is lined up + the emails are flying … work will be coming in from New York, Barcelona, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Tokyo, Memphis and even Boston { heh heh } … i mean, we’ll even post the listing of all the participating artists and titles of the work soon … imagine that? { no seriously, imagine that, okay? hmmMMmmMMmm … yeah, i can almost see it now, you walk into the Artist’s Residence at MassArt and as you approach The Doran Gallery … mmMmmMMmm }

we’re mounting the excitement … + the excitement is mounting … otherSuch announcements wilL pop up here + there + any last minute details + plans are coming together in a nice + provocative way

feel free to drop us a line w/ any questions … spread the word if you can … email + call + tweet alL about it, aight?

+ if i haven’t mentioned it yet, don’t forget … there’s gonna be free food ;]

aight … phew! … finally … after working day + night with the cyberSurreal curatorial committee to jury all the submissions for Provocative Objects, we’ve finally nailed it down + i’ve finally reached out to contact all the amazing artists, designers + performers about the results of the jurying

we had close to 40 artists submit from alL over the world … i’m trying to coordinate all the technical needs as well as the more comfort-related aspects of the show as we quickly approach + David is setting up task forces to document the show as well as muscling each participating artist for bios, pics, statements + other intriguing information to post here on the website … the Provocative Objects website itself will become a living, breathing document of the show … a book of sorts to catalog the concepts, work, thought + other sundries collected along the way … everything that will go into the show { or exhibit-event as i’m calling it }

i am extremely excited about all the work that came in … + i feel that a lot needed to be cut along the way due to the limitations of one night + one room … The Doran is a wonderful space that i had the pleasure of working in last year, and i wouldn’t have it any other way for this first installment of Provocative Objects, but there’s only so much artwork you can get in … we tried to use the loosely defined themes of ‘provocation’, ‘object’ and ‘blur’ to help us determine what got in this time around + we hope — with even as provocative that we aspire to be — that in the end, even submitting artists that did not make it into the show realize still somehow come out of our jurying process with a good feeling + the encouragement to submit to Provocative Objects 2 in the Spring of 2011

that said, i need to strip down, shower up + get the fnck outta the house to go vote + get into the lab with Alex + Fred to get some prototyping time in … all the best to the best … hope to see you out at Provocative Objects soon ;]