Archive for July, 2009

A Dozen : Mark Khaisman

Welcome again to ART Fridays! To commence our new feature, A Dozen, MNP would like to share an interview that we had with Mark Khaisman- definitely a ninja. Orangemenace previously featured his brown tape art, and now Mark reveals what he’s up to, as well as introducing to the masses his newer video tape art. In addition you can now purchase his art on ContemporaryMNP! Enjoy.

How did growing up in the former USSR mold you as an artist?

As an artist, I believe in working against the system.

I was a part of the generation whose intuition, even when we were the school students, was anticipating the end of empire. In my case, along with the mistrust of authority and the values taught in schools, this anticipation meant an overall skepticism, disbelief in the possibility of a career, and an increased interest in the Russian past and the Western present. When I started walking on the other side of the world, I couldn't help observing the Paradox: there, in my old country, I experienced more freedom than the free one. The reason was the stage of the late decay of the dying empire with fewer people believing in the system and therefore less overall enthusiasm in supporting its conforming forces. People not buying into the official values felt less isolated, than in the realm of the "American dream."

How does your knowledge of architecture effect your perception?

My tape paintings are part calculation, part accident. My training as an architect gave me a slightly different perspective on art, to think about art in a broader way, tied to an historical context, and considered also as a construction, and a piece of consumption culture.

What materials do you find yourself using?

For the last 5 -6 years I am concentrating on packing tape. Now I am starting to introduce tape works in video.

What relationship does photography have to your creative process?

In a way my art is not original, only the material is original. I see myself more as a performer than a creator. My works are image based. That's why a photograph is usually my starting point.

Can you please explain what "Patternworks" is?

My Paternworks is a simple digital mirroring of selected slivers from found photographs, which transforms the original photograph into something very unexpected.

What is "Tapeworks'?

My tapeworks are large archetypal representational images, made from layer upon layer of translucent packing tape, applied to clear Plexiglas and placed in front of a light box to give the image shadow and depth.

Can you explain what you mean when you say you use an 'anti-matter' approach to the image?

I mean creating image out of packaging tape - Breaking the image into pixels, layers, converting matter into a visual illusion.

How accessible are your works to the average citizen?

I think that the interest in my works by popular culture publications, like yours for example, speaks for itself.

In what settings would you like to see your art displayed?

In MOMA.

What do you see yourself working on in the future?

Besides my tapeworks I am interested in videos, with the use of packaging tape as animating material.

Who inspires/d you to actualize your conceptions?

Good artists, also, pride, jealousy, mortality…

When do you think a piece is finally finished?

I feel that work is completed when I no longer understand how it's done.

:: images courtesy of Mark Khaisman ::

Bullet Proof Biker Shorts

For some reason I’ve recently found myself reading Linda Holmes’ Monkey See, NPR’s media and entertainment blog, over at NPR.org. If you enjoy yourself a sort of 80’s-traumatized take on the 2000’s - and coincidentally there is whole a lot of MNP readers living that exact life - then you’ll probably enjoy it too. I can’t claim that it’s substantive, but, if you read this blog then you probably don’t care, now do you?

Maybe what I like about it is the wealth of fresh content which, like fresh bread, is a low price alternative to a perhaps more substantial snack (I really hope somebody writes about this site like that, one day).

OK, enough. The real reason why I posted this was because Glenn Weldon wrote an interesting piece about Supergirl. I happen to remember being in a bookstore (not that kinda bookstore, you dirty ninja) and seeing the new re-launched Supergirl series. It appeared at the time that the transition of Supergirl to glossy, booby, post-Image-comics era vixenage was complete. That’s not to suggest that all previous iterations of Supergirl weren’t contrived male-fantasies, I suppose.

While the Monkey See article mainly focuses on the cosmetic changes in the Supergirl costume throughout the years (the author finds himself clearly upset by what he calls the "vampy-trampy aspects" of Supergirl’s appearance), there is however a little something for any self-respecting geek/comic book lover. The article has some good links, including histories of costumes and the like.

The thing that really caught my eye and consequently forced me to post this for ART FRIDAY! was a link to a livejournal discussion started back in 2007. This thread, the author of which implores users to draw their own supergirl renditions, has since become somewhat of a collab-art sensation, I mean… at least kinda, with about 100 different links to different drawings. The photo above is my personal favorite interpretation, amongst the many others.

I think there is a certain level of fantasy involved in all art, even art that plays the "real-life" angle. Bottom-line, there is certain mental distance that one has to cross to relate to just about ANYTHING (the term "relate" being etymologically connected to "carry back," ie. a carrying back of something originally not possessed with an implied distance or separation). On that note, looking at the panties on the outside of the costume, I found myself wondering ironically how as a child I so easily traversed the whole "undies on the outside" issue, like so many other young ninjas. I guess I was pretty much over Superman early-on though.

Then again, had they been fruit of the looms…

:: [ Check out the NPR blog and the LiveJournal thread ] ::

Absurd Time Covers

from the folks over at Reason- from Crack Kids to Dirty Words, there are some ‘classic’ Time covers from the last 40 years to be seen…

Ninja Homes: Courtyard House

I’m pretty sure I saw this project in April’s issue of Dwell - but regardless, it’s sick and had to be on MNP [I couldn’t risk any of you ninjas missing out - it would’ve been irresponsible of me]. Essentially an adaptive-reuse project, the project transformed a warehouse in a mixed-use neighborhood into a courtyard house [obviously, as the name suggests].

The Courtyard House was inspired by an ancient form of architecture and a new form of North American urban thinking - infill housing as an alternative urban typology.

By converting a contractor warehouse in a mixed-use industrial neighborhood, the ambition was to create a modern, affordable home and studio for a family of four - one which could successfully adapt to a mid-block or laneway situation, where there is no typical front or back. The design of the house is generated by an emphasis on the views and activities of the interior courtyards, where all the windows look inwards.

~ Studio Junction

My question is this: why are courtyard homes not more prevalent in ‘urban’ areas that are more dense than our suburbs, but still not so dense that single [or 2 family] homes aren’t practical? So many communities - the one I live in, for example - are ‘urban’, yet have an abundance of 1 and 2 family homes with yards, etc. These homes are on narrow lots and are often-times pressed for space - yet they still opt to pull back from the street so as to make a gesture to the American lawn, while facing the street like so many suburban homes [regardless of street traffic, etc]. While the project featured here is obviously a converted warehouse, and seems like it may be a little too disconnected [internally] from the street visually - the typology obviously works and makes sense. Use the volume of the house to create private, outdoor spaces.

::Photos by Rob Fiocca::
.:images and info via-> Studio Junction

Caffeine Reverses Memory Impairment

Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup. When aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease were given caffeine a€" the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day a€" their memory impairment was reversed, report University of South Florida researchers at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

:: continue reading the article here ::

Macheads - Documentary

Know somebody who loves their mac a little bit too much? …like, to the exclusion of normal social activities? …that talks about them constantly and belittles you for using anything else? Me too.

[UPDATE:AA This is a new documentary and its link got killed - sorry but, go buy it or rent it from Amazon!]

Muzak Video Sundays 7.5.09

Khoda - Reza Dolatabadi

Khoda from Reza Dolatabadi on Vimeo.

.::parsarts->

12 hours, 7 beers, and 2 glasses

Of what?AA OF TEQUILA.

Yes, my ninjies.AA After several long nerveracking and even insane hours, we have finally managed to get all of our sites to an acceptable level where we can sit back and take a look.AA You, the reader, may notice that MNP has changed drastically (and for the better, we hope!).AA Take a look around using the new navigation bars in the middle column.AA Admire the wonder that is MNP, and think to yourself:AA FINA-frickin-LY.

There are still many cosmetic changes to be made, but we believe, in the spirit of web 2.0, that you should be able to view the sites while we’re still working.AA In a week or so this will all look so fresh and so clean.AA We hope you enjoy the site.AA Big ups to all our peoples and thanks for your continued support and readership.AA Let us know what you think (as you always do) by dropping us a line at suggest@myninjaplease.com… or leave a frickin’ comment, son!