art words from a to i
art, artefact, artefactual, arterial, arteriosclerosis, artery, artesian well, artful, arthritis, arthropod, arthurian, artichoke, article, articular, articulate, articulation, artifice, artificer, artificial, artificial insemination, artificial respiration, artificial intelligence, artificiality, artificially, artillery, artillerist, artilleryman, artisan, artist, artistry, artiste, artistically, artless, artlessly, artwork, arty, artier, artiest, artiness, bartender, barter, cart, carte blanche, cartel, cartelize, cartesian, cartesian coordinates, cartesianism, carthusian, cartilage, cartilainoid, cartilaginous, cartography, cartographer, cartographic, cartographical, carton, cartoon, cartoonist, cartouche, cartridge, cartridge-belt, cartridge paper, cartwheel, dart, dartboard, earth, earth-closet, earth sciences, earth-shattering, earth shatteringly, earthward, earthwards, earthbound, earthen, earthenware, earthling, earthly, earthliness, earthquake, earthwork, earhtworm, earthy, earthier, earthiest, earthily, earthiness, esparto, fart, farther, farthest farthing, farthingale, garter, garter-belt, garth, half-hearted, hart, hartebeest, heart, heart failure, heart-rending, heart-searching, heart-warming, hearted, heartache, heartbeat, heartbreak, heartbroken, heartbreaker, heartbreaking, heartburn, hearten, hearteningly, heartfelt, hearth, hearthrug, heartily, heartland, heartless, heartlessly, heartlessness, heartsick, heartsickness, heartstrings, heartthrob, heartwood, hearty, heartier, heartiest, impart, impartment, impartial

Culture of Display
I am taking this class in which we are considering the many cultures of display. As I go around town checking out this show and that the murmurings of this class are always on my mind. Really for every show in which an artist shows in he or she should be designing his own space in which to show his or her own work. In the perfect world that is. So as artisits basically we have to make due with what is at hand. So I'm thinking should I now design my work around what I know is the space it's going to be displayed in? Should the Gallery setting be what I am gearing my work to and be always a consideration? I wonder if al artists have such dilemmas? Or do they just ignore it? Look at the show that's in the Illingworth Kerr right now? Cramped slightly? Hmmm I have missed works on my returning visits being overwhelmed by others. Each of the works in that gallery could stand alone. One of the other things I have been prompted to think about is the history of the culture of display, and it's comparisons to the modern science museum. So I took a trip down to the science center on thursday and had a critical look at how they are displaying. After the racing packs of yard apes had cleared it was really an eye opener on how we are displaying science these days? The gimic is in! And acutal science is out. The exhibits do not explain anything to you. Mind you half of the exhibits don't even work.... my nine dollar entry fee was ringing in my head..... I paid for this crap? Whatever... it's really interesting in what they are choosing to dispaly there. Alot of pointless, half ass stuff... with zero content. I think they should get more artisits down there and do a big rethink.. and maybe a good clean ..... on what they have going! Nonetheless adnd sarcasm aside..... I learnt nothing..... it is all a sham.. with glorified toys fro interactivity and not alot if anything really about science. So is this when artisits come into play? I imagine if some artisits got their hands on the science center it would be alot more entertaining with alot more content. Of course I don't think that Shell, Chevron, Husky and all of our other friends... would have their names so prominently displayed.......hmm wonder why. A little trip in the oil section might give us a hint I suppose. Our culture of display is so rife with corruption that is so blatant... that noone bothers to say anything or mind? We are bent over so far now that it seems it's impossible to stand up?

Wicked Web Museum Site
http://www.archimuse.com/mw98/beyond_interface/index.html

I am interested in Online works these days and I am writing a few papers about the trials and tribulations of the New Media Artist. Having show's involving New Media and it's considerations's of web based works are an interesting prospect to me. Anyway if it isn't one battle it's another.

The Untitled Gallery Show
So this past weekend I went and checked out the show at the Untitled Gallery. Fantastic. I am liking all the artisit spaces I am learning about in town. The untitled Gallery has a bunch of little studio spaces that artisits can rent for cheap... which is right on! ha It's really just giving me lots of ideas etc for my own sound show.

About La Grande Bouffe,
a movie not to my taste at all...... sorry, but I am not a fan of old movies. I can appreciate them but still I just can't bend my head around them. I always think they are tooooo long.. and I will say that about most movies made today as well. I think it's probably from my time spent in Europe watching shitty television...... and some really CRAP old movies. When you have 5 channels you are forced to watch what you otherwise would not. I think my favorite movies which I recommend are
1. Hedwig and the angry inch (I LOVE musicals)
2. Moulin Rouge (I REALLY LOVE musicals)
3. Ma vie en rose
4. The Sound of Music Sing a long
all are girly central I know...... and i doubt anyone would care to watch them in succession with me.....ha!
OK I have yapped enough...

Media nerds
So I've been not hanging out on the 4th floor AT all this semester. Why not? Because it sucks.. ghost town... hahah I am spending alot of time working down in the basement these days! So if you are looking for me that's where you can find me! Maybe because it's hands on, maybe because people actually seem to be working and creating down there? Maybe because it is not a ghost town unlike the haunted 4th floor! I am liking it... although they could use some internet connections down there. It does however feel good. I am taking a Ceramics class for fun this semester and really enjoying the hands on experience of it. I am no longer staring at a computer screen for hours.. alone up in the lab..... I am however doing a fair bit of screeb staring at home ha! Maybe I am jjust a basement dweller at heart? I have been living in a basement for 4 years now? I like the basement... and it's cave like attributes I guess. Whatever... my little rant for the week I suppose.
ON to what the hell I have been up to latley.... spending some time in Banff checking out the goings on at the Banff centre
http://www.banffcentre.ca/wpg/exhibits/2004/2004-01-17_kiyooka/default.htm
you have to check this show out!!!!! it's wicked!!!! It it fits right in with what I am taking in all my liberal studies classes.. a weird coincidence I must say.
Banff PACKED right now woooooooo Spring Break, good snow if you ride, if you ski don't go it sucks....... a have a vendetta against skiers at the moment as one took me out on the hill. My compatriates and I are thinking about starting a vigilante group against skiers....... yet to be determined what we are going to do about the problem?
CIAO sommer

The Flavin Andre Judd Show at ACAD
The opening of this show was hilarious! Steve Marsh was putting on an 80's wedding party at the same time as this show was on. So at you went through the Gallery looking at serious works .. a couple of 80's brides would walk past you and all seriousness was gone. Which was a good thing really. After taking a look at AA Bronson's work of Felix Dead, I needed a breather. I have seen that piece in books before but to be in front of it, and the scale of it, it's really overpowering. On that side of the gallery there was some cool stuff. "Reality Check" had a bunch of different artisits. Some I liked some not. Hiroshi Sugimoto's work the picture of a diorama was exciting and funny.

the Paul Butler Show Feb 5th
ON Feb 5th headed downtown to the AGC to check out the Paul Butler show! and it was SWEET. Paul is a collage artist. All of the works were some kind of variant using collage. The best part about the AGC is the space!! HUGE which is awsome! Paul had a few different series of Collage. I think my most favorite was the CD rack image.
Other artists had their works on show as well. Carl Ayling had a video piece called Love and Evil. It was really interesting. The 2 video's were projected differently. Evil on the floor and love on the wall above it. Both were of a man tracking in the snow the two words, one per video, one LOVE and the other EVIL, in the evil piece you could walk around and track evil yourself ontop of the projection which I really thought wa good. Interactivity in video is really interesting to me, and I live checking out how other artisits are going about it.

Hi
Ok... so just a little info on me and what I am up to. This past year I have been checking out tonnes of show's around Calgary. This is predominantly going to be what this blog is about "my comments on the differnt shows around Calgary". Galleries I usually recommend going to are the Trepanier Baer.... they have some interesting art (and of course the free drinks sweeten the deal), the Sugar Estate (they always have a good party going on during an opening), and the New Gallery are some of my favorites. The best show I went to recently was in the first week of Decemeber at the St. Louie hotel. CRAZINESS is how I would describe it. At first we didn't even know if we were in the right place, we went upstairs in the hotel and were invited into one of the hotel rooms where there were some Chris Cran works. The room overpowered the works at first and we didn't even realise they were there? Mostly I think it was the shock of the rooms. I have stayed in better shoddy hotels in India to be sure. It was quite the party atmosphere which was an extra bonus.. a few scarey residents of the hotel were cruising in and out of the show rooms, there was some sort of scuffle with the COPS as they arrested some dude for Coke, and the guy who was running the show was serving us some VERY strong punch while we rested in the beds with the other viewers taking it all in. Moving into the different rooms aroud the hotel and checking out the different works was really fun. I usually never think of shows as fun. It was like a treasure hunt, looking around trying to find the different works. The mens bathroom was even a room where they had some paintings displayed and while I was in their checking it out one of the residents was taking a shower. I don't think I have finished processing the show. Every time I think about it I have a different idea for what most of the works meant. The burn hoes in the carpets were artworks unto themselves. Most of the works were really provocative! If they ever put on a show there again I am taking everyone I know........
Art and music are my main interests at the moment. I went to see Groove Kicthen at SOHO last night and danced up a storm. They are a new group of DJ's playing some slammin funky house.... I thought house was dead but apparently it isn't. If you like St. Germaine... then check out Groove Kicthen! They are playing at The Mirage tonight.. an after hours bar so I may just go and check them out again.
Alright.. I have blogged enough for today....
I hope this fricken tripod dosn't shut this down again... a royal pain in the ass.... like can I swear? Or will I be terminated? NO previous bloggin experience.
CHOW Sommer