[splash image]
MTAA-RR:
May 31, 2003
MTAA art idea of the day
posted at 18:33 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
Background Context: Who needs summer? Sure, we all know that it is the best time of year. We all know it is the time to get away from the world and have some fun. But…What will happen if the world continues to grow warmer? What happens when we archive the “Endless Summer”? How will we get away from paradise?
Idea: MTAA would like to set up a outdoor space that one may hide away from summer.
Set up a family size tent outdoors. The inside of the tent will be painted out black so that there is no outside light. The light of the tent will come from a single blue light bulb. In the center of the tent will be a single blue bean bag chair on a blue area rug. In front of the beanbag chair will be a monitor showing looping video of an icecaps. On each side of the bean bag chair will be a large air conditioner set to full (note: the units will vent the hot air out of the tent trough flexible air ducts). Playing from a boom box in the tent will be ambient electronic music. Over the music MTAA will gently tell the visitor how to forget summer. This audio will be a mix of “relax, chill out and give up summer by hypnosis” style voice over and rambling poetic fictional descriptions of your new life on an empty ice cap. permanent link to this post
Idea: MTAA would like to set up a outdoor space that one may hide away from summer.
Set up a family size tent outdoors. The inside of the tent will be painted out black so that there is no outside light. The light of the tent will come from a single blue light bulb. In the center of the tent will be a single blue bean bag chair on a blue area rug. In front of the beanbag chair will be a monitor showing looping video of an icecaps. On each side of the bean bag chair will be a large air conditioner set to full (note: the units will vent the hot air out of the tent trough flexible air ducts). Playing from a boom box in the tent will be ambient electronic music. Over the music MTAA will gently tell the visitor how to forget summer. This audio will be a mix of “relax, chill out and give up summer by hypnosis” style voice over and rambling poetic fictional descriptions of your new life on an empty ice cap. permanent link to this post
Haven’t Had Any Ideas
posted at 11:15 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid/politics
Looks like we haven’t had many art ideas the past few days.
Things are looking mightly ridiculous here in the USA though. First, our BIG tax cut. If you have kids, you get a $400 credit per kid, unless of course you’re one of the poorest in our country, then you get jack. Seems that people earning under $23,000 dollars a year won’t get the credit. Those Republicans have some stong family values.
And now, the FCC is poised to make our already practically state-run media into officially state-run media. It’s scary as hell. Stay tuned for more jingoisism, militarism, and out-right lies to fill our news. You can read a bit about it HERE, HERE and HERE. This won’t affect me personally. I get most of my news from online sources that I trust. But it will affect my family. In Ohio earlier this year, I was appalled and depressed by what I saw as conservative, militaristic views of my family. They had been watching way to much CNN and MSNBC and were parroting the lies of the Bush administration. They looked at me as if I was traitor for being against the Iraq war.
The most depressing thing regarding the FCC vote is that there isn’t a damn thing any of us can do about it. All of the main media outlets will fall into the hands of huge cooperations who will push the line of the conservatives who gave them the power. Look for not just Fox, but NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN et al to be calling the race early for Bush in 2004. permanent link to this post
Things are looking mightly ridiculous here in the USA though. First, our BIG tax cut. If you have kids, you get a $400 credit per kid, unless of course you’re one of the poorest in our country, then you get jack. Seems that people earning under $23,000 dollars a year won’t get the credit. Those Republicans have some stong family values.
And now, the FCC is poised to make our already practically state-run media into officially state-run media. It’s scary as hell. Stay tuned for more jingoisism, militarism, and out-right lies to fill our news. You can read a bit about it HERE, HERE and HERE. This won’t affect me personally. I get most of my news from online sources that I trust. But it will affect my family. In Ohio earlier this year, I was appalled and depressed by what I saw as conservative, militaristic views of my family. They had been watching way to much CNN and MSNBC and were parroting the lies of the Bush administration. They looked at me as if I was traitor for being against the Iraq war.
The most depressing thing regarding the FCC vote is that there isn’t a damn thing any of us can do about it. All of the main media outlets will fall into the hands of huge cooperations who will push the line of the conservatives who gave them the power. Look for not just Fox, but NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN et al to be calling the race early for Bush in 2004. permanent link to this post
May 26, 2003
MTAA art idea of the day
posted at 20:19 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
custom surfboards
permanent link to this post
MTAA art idea of the day
posted at 07:27 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
4 sheets of 4 x 8 plywood are cut to create the letters HTML. The letters are then painted white and hung on a 2 x 4 framework like the Hollywood sign.
permanent link to this post
May 25, 2003
Day Job
posted at 16:11 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
If you’ve ever wondered what the hell I do in for a living (I’ve been wondering about it myself), then check out these links:
Here are a couple stories about Wavexpress, the company I work for, in Newsweek and Wired.
You should feel free to download our client as well. It’s called TVTonic and if you have a Windows PC that meets the requirements you can watch videos in interesting interfaces. It’s kinda like TV, but delivered over IP. We have some free channels to watch, including a music video channel, a news channel (with video from the AP) and a channel with movie trailers. There’s a bunch of other stuff too, but you need to pay for it.
I would be glad to hear any comments at all about any of this stuff. Feel free to really let loose. Whether you think it’s brilliant or stupid or whatever, you can post your comments anonymously here. I’ll share anything relevant with the management. permanent link to this post
Here are a couple stories about Wavexpress, the company I work for, in Newsweek and Wired.
You should feel free to download our client as well. It’s called TVTonic and if you have a Windows PC that meets the requirements you can watch videos in interesting interfaces. It’s kinda like TV, but delivered over IP. We have some free channels to watch, including a music video channel, a news channel (with video from the AP) and a channel with movie trailers. There’s a bunch of other stuff too, but you need to pay for it.
I would be glad to hear any comments at all about any of this stuff. Feel free to really let loose. Whether you think it’s brilliant or stupid or whatever, you can post your comments anonymously here. I’ll share anything relevant with the management. permanent link to this post
MTAA art idea of the day
posted at 08:40 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
On a 8 x 8 plywood stage, a computerized player grand piano is suspended in air by a framework of 2 x 4s. The player is slaved to a lap top with a airport internet connection. The lap top is suspended above the platform is a similar manner. The laptop is running a programed web crawler looking for sound files. The files are then translated to piano and played.
permanent link to this post
May 23, 2003
2 conversations
posted at 15:36 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
1.
mriver - So twhid, the blog is not art. Right?
twhid - No, it is just a blog
mriver - And there is no way it could end up being art?
twhid - No.
mriver - But what if I started recording our phone conversations and posting the text on the blog?
twhid: Nope, it is still just a blog.
2.
paul from work (not his real name… right): So, I was looking at your blog.
mriver: Gulp (swiging beer as a delay tactic)
paul: The posts are not very personal.
mriver: Ummm…What do you mean?
paul: You never say anything about yourself.
mriver: Oh, (gulp gulp gulp) I am getting around to that soon.
permanent link to this post
mriver - So twhid, the blog is not art. Right?
twhid - No, it is just a blog
mriver - And there is no way it could end up being art?
twhid - No.
mriver - But what if I started recording our phone conversations and posting the text on the blog?
twhid: Nope, it is still just a blog.
2.
paul from work (not his real name… right): So, I was looking at your blog.
mriver: Gulp (swiging beer as a delay tactic)
paul: The posts are not very personal.
mriver: Ummm…What do you mean?
paul: You never say anything about yourself.
mriver: Oh, (gulp gulp gulp) I am getting around to that soon.
permanent link to this post
MTAA art idea of the day
posted at 15:05 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
1. Buy pirated movie. Maybe it will be the new pirate movie from Disney. 2. Use software to: A. make the movie black and white B. silent and C. run at 1/2 speed. 3. show the film one night (maybe with a live band playing along)and charge $.01 per person. Sell beer without a permit to raise cash. Yo-Ho-Ho.
permanent link to this post
May 21, 2003
The Matrix or Sweet Sixteen
posted at 22:05 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
If you’re trying to decide which film to see, The Matrix Reloaded or Sweet Sixteen (strange paring I know) then you might want to go with Sweet Sixteen, directed by Ken Loach.
This is coming from a fairly serious sci-fi geek, but, the Loach film is a fairly incredible work of art, where The Matrix is an incredible work of technology masquerading as art. Sweet Sixteen follows the life of a 15-year-old scottish kid as he’s waiting for his mother to get out of prison. He ends up becoming a herion dealer to try to gain his mother’s love. It’s fairly bleak. The actor who plays the boy, Martin Compston, is amazing, all of the actors are actually. All totally believable.
The scottish accent is extremely aggressive so it’s screened with sub-titles which you’ll need (unless you’re scottish I suppose). permanent link to this post
This is coming from a fairly serious sci-fi geek, but, the Loach film is a fairly incredible work of art, where The Matrix is an incredible work of technology masquerading as art. Sweet Sixteen follows the life of a 15-year-old scottish kid as he’s waiting for his mother to get out of prison. He ends up becoming a herion dealer to try to gain his mother’s love. It’s fairly bleak. The actor who plays the boy, Martin Compston, is amazing, all of the actors are actually. All totally believable.
The scottish accent is extremely aggressive so it’s screened with sub-titles which you’ll need (unless you’re scottish I suppose). permanent link to this post
May 18, 2003
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
posted at 23:21 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
WOW! Talk about a hardcore nostalgia kick, if you’re a male geek in the late 20s - 30s age range, I’m sure you would be familiar with playing AD & D.
Chris Fahey and Peggy Jameson organized a game last night at their place in red hook and all the über-geeks were in full effect. Chris had pre-rolled some great characters for us and Peggy provided a scrumptious vegetarian buffet of grilled veggies, sauteed chick peas and toasted pita bread.
I have to admit, the geek in me came way out. It was great fun, but I’m like a junky who’s been clean for 20 years—I’m hooked again. Now I’m watching some auctions on eBay, looking to score the original Player’s Handbook and the Fiend Folio. permanent link to this post
Chris Fahey and Peggy Jameson organized a game last night at their place in red hook and all the über-geeks were in full effect. Chris had pre-rolled some great characters for us and Peggy provided a scrumptious vegetarian buffet of grilled veggies, sauteed chick peas and toasted pita bread.
I have to admit, the geek in me came way out. It was great fun, but I’m like a junky who’s been clean for 20 years—I’m hooked again. Now I’m watching some auctions on eBay, looking to score the original Player’s Handbook and the Fiend Folio. permanent link to this post
May 14, 2003
Way To Fuckin’ Busy
posted at 17:50 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
It’s my blog, I’ll use profanity if I want to.
Things are hitting a head at work and, as I state in the title of this post, I’m way to fuckin’ busy. Usually, I’m reading my web sites, posting interesting things here, keeping up with the lists, that has all been disappeared this week.
Seeing The Matrix Reloaded tonight though, yeehaw. permanent link to this post
Things are hitting a head at work and, as I state in the title of this post, I’m way to fuckin’ busy. Usually, I’m reading my web sites, posting interesting things here, keeping up with the lists, that has all been disappeared this week.
Seeing The Matrix Reloaded tonight though, yeehaw. permanent link to this post
May 12, 2003
New Art Idea
posted at 17:43 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
And this one looks like it really will be fabricated.
First, unfortunately, due to variables outside of our control, we won’t be able to wall in Rome gallery like we were hoping to do. Our plan was to wall in the entire gallery with plywood, like a construction barricade, then curate a show of artist flyers to wheatpaste to our new plywood wall. It’s a drag, but, what are ya gonna do? There were problems with the landlord. Williamsburg is definitely not what it used to be. No big deal.
We came up with a some good replacement ideas though. The one we’re leaning towards has to do with taking the iconic gallery announcement postcard and turning that into art itself. I won’t go into details yet, but a novelty-sized (as Letterman would say) postcard, playing with scale and location, and circular logic all are part of it.
Making the postcard into art isn’t new for MTAA however. For a solo show we did back in ‘00 we treated the postcard like an object d’art. In that show we took the postcard and made a painting out of it. People could also turn in their postcards for free ‘customized’ beers at the opening. We were emphatic that the beer was NOT art, but people treated it that way anyway. I think they just liked the idea that they were gettin’ free art (or free beer, can’t decide). permanent link to this post
First, unfortunately, due to variables outside of our control, we won’t be able to wall in Rome gallery like we were hoping to do. Our plan was to wall in the entire gallery with plywood, like a construction barricade, then curate a show of artist flyers to wheatpaste to our new plywood wall. It’s a drag, but, what are ya gonna do? There were problems with the landlord. Williamsburg is definitely not what it used to be. No big deal.
We came up with a some good replacement ideas though. The one we’re leaning towards has to do with taking the iconic gallery announcement postcard and turning that into art itself. I won’t go into details yet, but a novelty-sized (as Letterman would say) postcard, playing with scale and location, and circular logic all are part of it.
Making the postcard into art isn’t new for MTAA however. For a solo show we did back in ‘00 we treated the postcard like an object d’art. In that show we took the postcard and made a painting out of it. People could also turn in their postcards for free ‘customized’ beers at the opening. We were emphatic that the beer was NOT art, but people treated it that way anyway. I think they just liked the idea that they were gettin’ free art (or free beer, can’t decide). permanent link to this post
May 10, 2003
More on the Over Media lifestyle
posted at 09:47 GMT by M.River in /news/mriver
Person A at an opening last night - Hey, M. River, saw your Blog. Very funny, I read it for, like, 2 hours. How do you find the time to do that?
Person B at a bar on hearing about what Person A said. - Blogs…who has time to read a Blog? When you can read a Blog sitting on a toilet…
Plan for art project - Bathroom Blog Install permanent link to this post
Person B at a bar on hearing about what Person A said. - Blogs…who has time to read a Blog? When you can read a Blog sitting on a toilet…
Plan for art project - Bathroom Blog Install permanent link to this post
May 09, 2003
To Much Media?
posted at 21:34 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
Hell yes.
I can’t get to all my media. I know, I know, many people have much more pressing problems then not being able to consume all the media in their lives, but this is definitely a new and contemporary concern.
It’s impossible for me to work full-time, freelance, keep my studio practice current and keep up with my media. I have to many bookmarked web sites unvisited, playstation2 games unplayed, unread books on my palm, unread books on my table, unread magazines both offline and on, filtered email lists un-browsed, TV shows missed, openings skipped, panel discussions avoided, news to catch up on, trailers un-downloaded, movies unseen (catch ‘em on DVD), DVDs gathering dust, MP3s unplayed, CDs stuck in a drawer, and radio shows neglected.
Does anyone have time to experience all this stuff? I certainly don’t.
It’s not like it’s recreation either. I’m an artist/designer, working on the web with new technologies and I NEED to keep abreast of this stuff, practice due diligence regarding the mediascape. How am I supposed to make work involving this stuff if I’m not up-to-date? bah! permanent link to this post
I can’t get to all my media. I know, I know, many people have much more pressing problems then not being able to consume all the media in their lives, but this is definitely a new and contemporary concern.
It’s impossible for me to work full-time, freelance, keep my studio practice current and keep up with my media. I have to many bookmarked web sites unvisited, playstation2 games unplayed, unread books on my palm, unread books on my table, unread magazines both offline and on, filtered email lists un-browsed, TV shows missed, openings skipped, panel discussions avoided, news to catch up on, trailers un-downloaded, movies unseen (catch ‘em on DVD), DVDs gathering dust, MP3s unplayed, CDs stuck in a drawer, and radio shows neglected.
Does anyone have time to experience all this stuff? I certainly don’t.
It’s not like it’s recreation either. I’m an artist/designer, working on the web with new technologies and I NEED to keep abreast of this stuff, practice due diligence regarding the mediascape. How am I supposed to make work involving this stuff if I’m not up-to-date? bah! permanent link to this post
May 06, 2003
WEBSITE UNSEEN OPPORTUNITY RE-OPENED FOR A LIMITED TIME">WEBSITE UNSEEN OPPORTUNITY RE-OPENED FOR A LIMITED TIME
posted at 22:56 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
MTAA bored, fat, drunk and out of the loop make a desperate ploy for the net art audience’s ATTENTION!
WILL THESE SENSATIONALIST TACTICS WORK?
We sure hope so.
~please, read on~
On August 16, 1999 MTAA launched their online project “Website Unseen”. The project offered one hundred titles for art web sites that MTAA promised to build for $US 100.00 per website. On August 06, 2001, after 15 commissions resulting from the original “Website Unseen” opportunity, MTAA withdrew the offer. Since the close, one new site has been commissioned by special agreement. This brings the total number of completed “Website Unseen” commissions to sixteen.
To celebrate the Fourth Anniversary of “Website Unseen,” MTAA is offering one more project for sale under the “classic offer”, that is, it’ll only cost you one hundred bucks.
If you’re interested in purchasing one of the “Website Unseen Titles”, please consult the “Website Unseen Title List” to pick your title and then contact .
MTAA will complete only one title under this new offer. How will we decide who to choose from the overwhelming response we’re anticipating? We won’t divulge the process but each petition will be sufficiently vetted, you have our assurance.
We’ll contact our new patron before June 15th and launch the title on August 16, 2003, the Four Year Anniversary of “Website Unseen”. permanent link to this post
WILL THESE SENSATIONALIST TACTICS WORK?
We sure hope so.
~please, read on~
On August 16, 1999 MTAA launched their online project “Website Unseen”. The project offered one hundred titles for art web sites that MTAA promised to build for $US 100.00 per website. On August 06, 2001, after 15 commissions resulting from the original “Website Unseen” opportunity, MTAA withdrew the offer. Since the close, one new site has been commissioned by special agreement. This brings the total number of completed “Website Unseen” commissions to sixteen.
To celebrate the Fourth Anniversary of “Website Unseen,” MTAA is offering one more project for sale under the “classic offer”, that is, it’ll only cost you one hundred bucks.
If you’re interested in purchasing one of the “Website Unseen Titles”, please consult the “Website Unseen Title List” to pick your title and then contact .
MTAA will complete only one title under this new offer. How will we decide who to choose from the overwhelming response we’re anticipating? We won’t divulge the process but each petition will be sufficiently vetted, you have our assurance.
We’ll contact our new patron before June 15th and launch the title on August 16, 2003, the Four Year Anniversary of “Website Unseen”. permanent link to this post
May 05, 2003
Summer Shows
posted at 16:30 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid
So, MTAA haven’t been all that busy so far this year. But it seems that that may be about to change. It looks as if we’re going to do two summer installations, one at Rome Arts and one at 31Grand. Both are galleries in Williamsburg, Brooklyn only blocks away from my home.
We’re also planning to continue a series that seems to be developing in our work which could be called the ‘Walled’ series. The first in this series would be In Preparation For The Over-Running Of White Columns By Hordes of Bloodthirsty Barbarians (AKA Bunker Flood). I won’t go into the details yet, but the two installations we’re planning take a similar strategy.
We’ll post more details on time and place when we have them. permanent link to this post
We’re also planning to continue a series that seems to be developing in our work which could be called the ‘Walled’ series. The first in this series would be In Preparation For The Over-Running Of White Columns By Hordes of Bloodthirsty Barbarians (AKA Bunker Flood). I won’t go into the details yet, but the two installations we’re planning take a similar strategy.
We’ll post more details on time and place when we have them. permanent link to this post
May 02, 2003
window.opener
posted at 18:10 GMT by T.Whid in /news/twhid/geek
That’s what I learned today.
If you want to reference the main browser window from a pop-up window via javascript you use
I needed to do it at work and couldn’t remember how to do it. Interestingly enough, if you use
Now you too can reference the main browser window from a pop-up window via javascript. If you feel like leaving comments on why you might want to do this, feel free. permanent link to this post
If you want to reference the main browser window from a pop-up window via javascript you use
window.opener. I know, I know, all you code monkeys out there are like, "of course you doofus!" but I’m no javascript master so bite me.
I needed to do it at work and couldn’t remember how to do it. Interestingly enough, if you use
target="main" in an anchor tag (after naming the main window via javascript window.name="main") then MSIE Windows and Mac will load the HREF in that main window. But Gecko browsers don’t seem to get it (at least not Mozilla 1.0/Windows). What works is onclick="window.opener.¬
location.href='yerhref';". That seems to work in everything I tested: Safari, Mac IE 5.2, WinIE 6, Moz 1.0. I don’t test in NS 4 as much as I should. I think in this case I will however.
Now you too can reference the main browser window from a pop-up window via javascript. If you feel like leaving comments on why you might want to do this, feel free. permanent link to this post