Quickie Art

The following are a few images from the latest show the student gallery put on. It was put together quickly, hence the show title: "Quickie." It's so quick, it might already be down (since I was out last week for the ETEK trip, I'm not sure -- guess I'll find out tomorrow). So head out to the library, and get the full experience -- or alternately, savor the bittersweet knowledge that the show was quicker than you were.

(EDIT: yeah, the show's down. For more info and pics, see Logan's blog and Becca's blog.)

Babs' Butterflies

Babs Laukat recently posted up some nice work on her blog. Click here to get a little background, and to see a video of the intallation piece, which involves some projected animation.

Outside of the MOCA.

Inside the lobby of the Millennium Biltmore, L.A.


Approaching L.A.

In Death Valley.


Manzanar, the WWII Japanese American internment camp in Owens Valley.




A Fine Arts Special Topics course traveled to Los Angeles for the entirety of spring break. We returned early Sunday morning (1 am or so?). Five students along with myself, J. Damron, and Russell Dudley drove to L.A. via Death Valley, camping over night in the valley. We stayed in downtown Los Angeles. One of the hotel rooms became our studio of sorts while we made notes, placed art objects and images on site in L.A. and examined art and the urban environment. The other aspect of the trip included staying downtown at a large legendary hotel that plays a role in the culture and history of L.A.; for example, the Alvin Ailey dance co. was staying at the hotel along with the Korean, Japanese, U.S. and Venezuelan baseball teams playing in the WBC finals. And then there was the driving. Thanks to those who rode in the back row of the suburban.
The course will continue beyond the trip after students, and faculty, digest the trip. Some presence of the course and the work done will manifest itself in the coming months. Here some images from the trip. More will be on there way as they are compiled.
j.

"Waltz with Bashir" at the Century Riverside

There's only one more day to catch this in Reno, but I just took the animation class to see "Waltz with Bashir," an animated film written and directed by Ari Folman, recounting his experience as a soldier during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, eventually focusing on the events of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. It's a very intense, disturbing film, and also a very good one. The last shows are on Thursday, at 11:45 am, 4:15 pm and 8:50 pm. I'm grateful that the Century Riverside makes room for adventurous films like this.

Here's the trailer:

Congratulations are in order for graduate James Nagel

The Fine Arts Department would like to congratulate James Nagel for his acceptance to the graduate program at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for Illustration. James graduated this past fall semester with a BFA in two-dimensional practices.

New Review: Dave Lane's universe

My review of the extraordinary Dave Lane show in the Nelson Gallery at UC Davis is currently up at the Shotgun Review. This is the last week of the show -- so if you're craving something that's both enervating and mind-boggling, drop everything and get thee to Davis.

A camera on a sushi conveyor

Hypnotic piece of video of a camera set on a sushi conveyor. I got a link to this from a friend, Trane DeVore, who wrote:

This is one of the most beautiful bits of video I've seen for some time. Spontaneous documentary with camera motion directed by machine. Watch the whole thing. It kind of reminds me of Sokurov's Russian Ark.

It reminded me of Standish Lawder's experimental short "Necrology" (the longest clip I could find of that is set to music by Radiohead)

It's amazing how much the whole thing seems choreographed.



More on "Necrology" here. Not to make too much of it, but it's funny how "Necrology" is vertical and didactic, whereas this sushi conveyor clip is horizontal and adventurous.

you decide