Anderson Gallery Submission: March 23, 2010

THEY WERE SO CLOSE TO ACCEPTING MY SUBMISSION!

Artist Lecture #5: Sanford Biggers

Yet another awesome guest lecturer to come to VCU this semester! It's even more exciting that Biggers taught at VCU, but currently works at Columbia University. Biggers was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. In the early 1990's he traveled to Japan, and its influence (Buddhism and is evidenced in consequent works. Although his lecture came off as very unfocused, I really enjoyed his enthusiasm for his work and sharing it with us!

I found this article while researching Biggers' work. The website can be found here:

http://www.sanfordbiggers.com/essays-publications-interviews/interview-valerie-cassel-2002-2007.html

"Sanford Biggers is not a hip-hop artist, but rather a contemporary griot who utilizes the language of hip-hop to magnify the

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confluence of world cultures. Through his conceptual work, Biggers provides a linkage between traditional African and African American cultural sensibilities and the sacred ritual practice of Buddhism, through a contemporary authentic American expression, Hip-hop (a synthesis of poetry, music, and politics) that emerged in the wake of the civil uprisings of the late 1960s and the urban nihilism of the 1970s. It is through the language of Hip-hop that Biggers allows his audiences to see the similarities, not the differences of what would be understood as disparate cultural expressions. To embrace the genius of Biggers’ conceptual work, his audiences must open themselves to three facts: first, that Hip-hop is not only an authentic African American aesthetic product, but now the pervasive and global language of an entire generation; the concept of spiritualism is present in the sacred as well as the secular; and third, materials have the ability to transcend its specific function, particularly in the face of an overarching aesthetic vision..."

I really enjoyed his installation of a dance floor in a museum that unfortunately I cannot find. Biggers said, "Dance is a place of communion...not hampered by the constraints of the museum." I also enjoyed hearing stories about his experiences collaborating with other artists and musicians. His work takes on so many forms...

Artist Lecture/Event #4: VMFA viewing of Sergeant Rutledge for Black History Month

I always enjoy the events the VMFA sponsor and host. The film and panel discussion were both held at the Virginia Historical Society, 428 N. Boulevard. I was unable to stay for the discussion, but listened to a brief introduction prior to the viewing of "Sergeant Rutledge."

The "Buffalo Soldiers" Motorcycle Club of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia attended the film in full MC leather jackets and vests. They arrived with their families to view the film. On my way into the VAHS, the group all gathered beside their motorcycles for photographs by VMFA's Jeffrey Allison. I really wish I had brought my camera!





http://www.buffalosoldiersrichmondmclive.org/2010nationalconference.htm

Sergeant Rutledge, a film made in 1960 by John Ford (in Technicolor) is the story of the court-martial of 1st Sergeant Braxton Rutledge, a "Buffalo Soldier of the 9th U.S. Cavalry. Jeffrey Hunter stars at Lieutenant Tom Cantrell, Rutledge's troop officer and defense counselor. The story is told through flashbacks, that include the testimony of witnesses as they describe the events following the murder of Rutledge's Commanding Officer, Major Dabney, and the rape and murder of Dabney's daughter, for which Rutledge is accused.

http://virginiamuseum.art.museum/black_history_2010.html

March 3, 2010: Idea/Research Post

After talking with Paul, I also want to photograph the spaces between homes...the fences and invisible lines that separate homes and making the space between each house seem more significant.


I just wonder if these images would be better served being shot during the daytime v. at night...something I will experiment with....

March 1, 2010 Artist Entry: Iveta Vaivode

I just came upon Vaivode's work after seeing artists featured on Seesaw Magazine (an online photographic magazine.) This was a blurb about her work and a brief bio of Iveta Vaivode:

I absolutely love her description of the series "terminus Riga" and it reminds me a lot of what I love to capture in my nighttime images:

There is a mystery to shooting at night. There is something about going out really late at night to shoot alone that is both calming and terrifying.

I am interested in where the lines of the civilized world (suburbia and subtle indications of suburbia) and the natural world intersect. I am trying to create a narrative by shooting things we wouldn't ordinarily take notice of (edges of homes, trees, sky, etc.) and the way the artificial light pollutes the natural world surrounding suburbia. I pay attention to the way the light creeps up and over each blade of grass through the yard and up the walkway, the way the porch light illuminates leaves from the trees, and where the televisions illuminate rooms in homes and creep into the night just outside the window. I want to begin at ground level and work my way up into the tips of houses, trees, and sky of the natural world and then right back down to suburbia. I want my images to be romantic...and eerie.

Vaivode's work is really stunning. I love the narrative she tells through her imagery and how her images of night are married with portraits of people and other scenes.

February 24, 2010: Idea/Research Post

Ever since I was little I have resisted sleep. I kicked and screamed my way up to my bedroom and whimpered myself into a calm, until I was sure the coast was clear to leap out of the bed and tiptoe silently down the stairs to join the party in the other room. Behind my family room was a sitting room where I lurked in the shadows watching shows like The Late Show with David Letterman and Quantum Leap (starring Scott Bakula) without my parents ever noticing my presence. As soon as I heard the loud clap of the television turning off, I bolted up the stairs to avoid being caught. I moved so swiftly and silently that I my secret was NEVER revealed. These stories are my memories of bedtime that seem to have morphed into slightly different ones as I have gotten older. But the fact still remains that even as a grown up I absolutely despise going to sleep. I would much rather stay up all night and sleep all day than sacrifice my love for getting things done at such a late hour. Sometimes, I try to go to sleep at a "reasonable" hour, but almost immediately revert back to my old ways. The second wind that I receive at 11pm every night is like a drug that keeps me coming back each evening at the same time for more...

This is my artist statement I submitted for our books:
"I was born of the "eveningness" chronotype. A child grown into adulthood who continues to protest bedtime and vehemently fight my tiredness and impending sleep..."

I found this article about being a night owl and though it was interesting:

Do you have the night owl gene?

A genetic mutation called the "after-hours gene" may explain why some people are night owls, it is revealed in Science journal today.

It could also hold clues for pharmacologists working to develop drugs to help people adjust to shift work or jet lag. There are further implications for the study of causes of some psychiatric disorders.

The altered gene, named "after hours" or Afh, is a variant of a gene called Fbxl3, which had not been linked to the body clock that keeps our metabolism, digestion and sleep patterns in tune with the rising and setting of the sun.

The discovery involved scientists from the Medical Research Council Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire, the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, Cambridge, and colleagues based at New York University.

Pharmaceutical companies are already beginning to study this class of proteins as potential drug targets.

By monitoring when and how often the mice chose to run on an exercise wheel the team spotted a change in some of the animals’ normal rhythms.

Instead of following the typical 24 hour pattern, some of the mice had body clocks that stretched to up to a 27 hour day.

Closer study of the DNA from the mice then revealed that those on a 27-hour-cycle had the after hours version of the Fbxl3 gene, one of a large family that controls the breakdown of specific proteins within body cells.

Dr Patrick Nolan, of the MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, who led the study said: ‘‘The internal body clocks of mice with the after hours gene run on a longer cycle than mice that have a normal copy of the gene, who like most of us live on a 24 hour schedule.’’

The “cogs” of the body clock consist of interlocked cycles of proteins that wax and wane in cells. One of the key components of this loop is a protein called Cry.

“We found that mice that carried the after hours gene also had a delayed Cry protein breakdown rate, leading to a slowdown in the molecular feedback loops and a lengthening of the body clock cycle.’’

In other research, scientists have identified a part of the brain that affects how we deal with seasonal change.

The research will help our understanding of the causes and consequences of seasonal affective disorder and could also shed light on why we crave more food in winter.

Dr Gerald Lincoln, of Edinburgh University's Centre for Reproductive Biology, said: "Surprisingly, the circannual body clock works on a 10-month cycle.

"We reset our body calendar every summer, when increased light inhibits the production of melatonin. This could explain why sunshine makes us feel happier."