Saturday, January 31, 2009

period

- bleeding for the first time in four years. (cleansing feeling)

Friday, January 30, 2009

Day 1

- a man (facility) starts the process, primes the wall white, tapes the seam in the middle (upon my request) and spackles.

- I work on the middle seam (the middle of me) and sand the blemishes.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Grounding


Sanded 40 postcard in preparation for school. All are from Montpelier and are returning to Vermont.

Handwritten on the back,
"Please write down what it is you truly want."

I have a feeling these grounds will in the future be passed on to visual artists- who perhaps will lay a new landscape?....

I'm tidying up all the odds and ends. Clearing space for the next half of the year- seeing what seeds I want to sow.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Mr. President

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as delivered.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Friday, January 16, 2009





Thursday, January 15, 2009

Collab proposal

Artist Statement:

Angela Rose Voulgarelis’ beaded works are three-dimensional drawings that can also be worn. She uses Morse code to translate particular texts, transforming them into physical objects of adornment. Her intention is to transcend Morse code’s original use as a vehicle for military code breaking to offer new possibilities of communication. The cyclical - at times arduous - act of creating each piece underscores repetitive activities typically
associated with “women’s work”. At the same time, the process reveals a common thread between meditative practice and everyday actions. The beads and/or stones chosen are equally important to the work, as the spiritual and mythical significance of the materials respond directly to each written work.

Both a poet and visual artist, Maya Pindyck uses text, visual imagery, and sound to subvert each other. Often drawn upon or next to a text, visual imagery is employed to rupture or question her written poems. Her work can be viewed as an evolving reinterpretation of what is written on the page. She does this, in part, by having different readers of various ages, backgrounds and ethnicities read the same text. The act of reading her poems while listening to recordings of different readers gives distinct voice to the poem and provides space to draw new meaning upon the page. She collaborates with Voulgarelis to bring yet another dimension of meaning to her poems and to ground them in a particular physicality.

Voulgarelis and Pindyck work collaboratively to translate Pindyck’s poetry into physical objects, using Morse code as a tool of transformation. By translating Pindyck’s words into three-dimensional objects, the media of poetry, drawing, and craft are set free from their traditionally accepted categories. No longer rooted in a linguistic system, Pindyck’s poems have the possibility to be understood in a different way – by the hand and by the body. The viewer is encouraged to bring his/her own experiences to each piece, as it exists as many things simultaneously: object, text, adornment, drawing. The act of writing, the process of translation, and the dynamic that is created between the artists transforms the way in which their work can be understood. Their collaboration encourages new connections to be drawn between the physical and the ephemeral, between the body and the mind, between language and communication, and between time and space.


Project Proposal:

We propose a site-specific performance at Articule gallery, where the gallery is transformed into our studio, and work is created in a collaborative way around the concepts of time and space. Articule Gallery becomes an intersection—a site that both facilitates the transparency of the artist’s process and encourages dialogue between the gallery and the public for a two week period.

When the performance begins, the only thing on view will be displayed on the gallery windows: photocopies of literature and visual investigations on the theme of time and space. The gallery itself will appear quite minimal, as there will only be two working tables facing each other in the middle of the space. The concepts of time and space will be placed in the proverbial center, around which both artists will generate work. As for the work, we plan to create poetry on the concepts of time and space, and translate the poems into three-dimensional strands of beads using Morse code. We will meditate upon, expand, challenge, and share ideas on a daily basis. As one never knows where the artistic process can lead, only time and space will tell what work will result. The gallery doors will be open to the public each day for these two weeks to encourage discussion
and participation on the themes of time and space.

We plan to have video, audio, and photographic documentation recording the daily progression of work created in Articule’s space during this time. The work and the artists would be on view throughout. At the end of the two weeks, all the work will be removed, leaving only the two desks as a visual marker that anyone had been there at all.

























Sending this into the universe - wish us luck

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Monday, January 5, 2009

an important word in these times

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Accountability

ac·count·abil·i·ty

Pronunciation:
\É™-ËŒkau̇n-tÉ™-ˈbi-lÉ™-tÄ“\

Function: noun
Date: 1794

: the quality or state of being accountable ; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions

Friday, January 2, 2009

Found great cotton muslin today.
One step in front of the other
Making curtains and trying to contain my enthusiasm, maintain my focus, and not get too distracted by infinite options...

Thursday, January 1, 2009

mail


I'm sending you a sanded, pre-addressed and pre-postaged postcard.

Please, write down your want.

And send by January28th.


I want to be happy more often

Can I write that on your postcards?

clearing



" The space is airy, warm and cool breezes alternate; it is a space within nature; it is a joint space of the heart and mind balancing. There are sounds, imprinted, continuously altering the landscape. It is alive; “instead of putting his life into his novel, as is so often maintained, he made of his very life a work for which his own book was the model.” (254) Barthes talks of Proust. There is no ending; no death, and no beginning. In Barthes’s case it takes shape in the written form; “a writing that can know no halt: life never does more than imitate the book, and the book itself is only a tissue of signs, an imitation that is lost, infinitely deferred.” (256)


It is rich with nuance and variety in the words of Zohar and Marshall. It is multidimensional. “[A]…space in which a variety of writings, none of them original, blend and clash. The text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centers of culture.” (Barthes, 256) It is a space of creative dialogue. It is a quantum reality both indeterminate and probabilistic. “A world of both/and…a plethora of often mutually contradictory possibilities, a spread of coexisting contradictions all equally real, all equally true, in their potentiality..” (Zohar and Marshall, 20)


It is a space between the sexes; between “man and woman, hot and cold, low and high tones, red and blue.” (Irigaray, 114) It can never be a truth of one. Therefore one, alone, cannot find the truth. It is ambiguous. Zohar quotes Asher Lev from his novel, The Gift of Asher Lev, on ambiguity, “Riddles, puzzles, double meanings, lost possibilities, the dark side of light, the light side to darkness, different perspectives on the same thing. Nothing on this whole world has only one side to it. Everything is like a kaleidoscope.” (Zohar and Marshall, 19) "



The above will be a five by seven or so foot painting on wall- medium; wall paint in specific landscape colors based on the painting above. The painting process will begin with tracing 'wants' (in the penmanship of the author) onto acetate and then projecting them onto the wall. Then words will be pushed, pulled, spread, erased creating a line which will then merge within the landscape.


An installation will accompany the painting process. Viewers will be invited to write their wants on sanded-image postcards, then asked to place it in an unnumbered male box mounted next to the painting surface. These wants will also be incorporated altering the landscape.


Process will end when mail stops coming. Surface will be sanded, cleared, cleaned.