Jonas Mekas

David Horvitz has a show at 2nd Cannon Publications in LA - centered on a video titled Rarely Seen Bas Jan Ader Film.

In 2007 a video of a few second black and white film was uploaded to Youtube with the title, "Rarely Seen Bas Jan Ader Film." The black and white film depicted a figure biking into the ocean. The posting claimed that the film was found in Ader's locker at UC Irvine after his disappearance at sea in 1975, and that the film was assumed unusable because it abruptly runs out just as the figure enters the water. Responding to a complaint by a thirdparty, Youtube deleted the posted video, saying that "this material is infringing."

The best part is that the video was presumably pulled because Horvitz's post claimed association with (and therefore the blessings of) Patrick Painter Gallery, which represents Ader's estate. A bold inclusion that supported the film's claims of authenticity.
Horvitz's 5+ second film is a grainy, cutting-room-floor clip of a lanky figure on a bicycle pedaling into the surf, instantly succumbing to the difficulty of aqua-dynamics. It's long enough to see that the effort is futile, but short enough to leave the viewer wanting to see how far he gets.

A newly rediscovered film by artist, Bas Jan Ader. This was found at UC Irvine where he was teaching. It is believed this work was disregarded by the artist because the film runs out just as he enters the ocean. A new official limited edition of this piece will be available soon.

So the very question of 'authenticity' is a huge facet of Ader's work - i.e. authenticity of visual signifiers (emotion) - in this case, questions are raised about all the posthumous editioning of work previously unreleased. Most of Patrick Painter's BJA offerings carry the suspicious '/' - like, "EDITION OF 3 (1973/2005)". It's kind of a shame, the posthumously-editioned works seem to echo BJA's contemporaries' work - neons or repetitive-action films (Naumann and McCarthy) - and really just seem like filler next to his seminal film works and installations that are so seductive.

I say that like they're not still awesome.

2nd Cannon website - Thanks Bert!

Instant nostalgia:

We have hundreds of digitals pics that we don't know what to do with, and now that Polaroid is a thing of the past, why not go for the washed-out, greenish Polaroid look, sans the waving, rubbing and otherwise useless efforts to get the thing to develop.

Now we can get our fix at Poladroid, a new site dedicated to turning all your pristine digital photographs into terrible-looking, but nostalgic versions of their former selves.

Flickr albums here.

Bas Jan Ader documentary on DVD

I just received my copy of Bas Jan Ader's documentary from AgitPop (!)-

Cult Epics and Agitpop Media proudly present Here Is Always Somewhere Else, the critically acclaimed documentary about enigmatic Dutch/Californian artist Bas Jan Ader (1942-1975), whose daring conceptual performances culminated in his mysterious disappearance at sea.

Film about the life and work of Dutch/Californian conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader, who in 1975 disappeared under mysterious circumstances at sea in the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic. As seen through the eyes of fellow emigrant filmmaker Rene Daalder, the picture becomes a sweeping overview of contemporary art films as well as an epic saga of the transformative powers of the ocean. Featuring artists Tacita Dean, Rodney Graham, Marcel Broodthaers, Ger van Elk, Charles Ray, Wim T. Schippers, Chris Burden, Fiona Tan, Pipilotti Rist and many others.

Brian Ulrich

Ulrich's Copia series involves a typical rhetoric of 'consumer waste' and abandoned buildings, but they really have an unexpected drama. The candid thrift store shots are lit suspiciously well and the store buildings particularly remind me of my own hometown. They're not overly political, some are even sort of sweet. Thrift store portraits are really great.

He says:

Through large scale photographs taken within both the big-box retail stores, and the thrift shops that house our recycled goods, Copia explores not only the everyday activities of shopping, but the economic, cultural, social, and political implications of commercialism and the roles we play in self-destruction, over consumption, and as targets of marketing and advertising. By scrutinizing these rituals and their environments, I hope that viewers will evaluate the increasing complexities of the modern world and their role within it.

Mischel Marshmallow Test

Heard this on the RadioLab podcast. Wish I could find footage of the original, but this is a reenactment of the Walter Mischel experiment. Kinda sounds mean and awesome. I think it shows greed more than self-restraint. 'Bird in hand...'

'Mr. Meany-Face' himself, after suckering some other kids into good behavior.

Big Gay Mayor

I think it's kinda sweet.

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The mayor of a West Texas city abruptly resigned Wednesday, picking love over his love of office.

J.W. Lown told the San Angelo Standard-Times in a telephone interview from Mexico that he was involved in a relationship with a man who does not have legal status in the United States.

Lown, 32, said he didn't want to take the oath of office knowing he was "aiding and assisting" someone who is not a U.S. citizen. He was to be sworn in Tuesday but did not show up for the ceremony.


"We had to do the right thing and come to Mexico and wait in line for a visa," Lown said.

The job of San Angelo mayor pays $600 annually. The mayor is elected at-large, serves a two-year term and has no additional power beyond that of other city council members.
More.