I always love Bloomsday, and tend to forget that it’s coming. But each year that it does come around and I remember how profoundly and deeply I love this book.
It is truly the ultimate novel, something for everyone – brilliantly complex, engaging and gorgeous. Joyce had a profound influence on my work, mostly through the early (in my life) lens of John Cage’s utter devotion to Finnegan’s Wake.
Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower is up in Reykjavík until Saturday. It is a stunning and interesting work, and there is a live webcam that is particularly amazing at night. Take a look around the Imagine Peace site. [via]
I’ve always been drawn to Ono’s work for its simplicity of vision and statement. As derided as she often is, I think she’s truly attempting to make change in this world. I have seen many of her works in person, and a truly breathtaking performance at the old Tonic on the Lower East Side a few years ago. Until you’ve experienced her work in person, and been allowed to interact with it in the way she hopes, it is difficult to see the power of her simple ideas.
The Third Mind is on view starting today at The Guggenheim
I attended the opening of this show last night, and it is truly spectacular, and there is a strong musical presence as well, from La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela’s Dream House to scores from the FLUXUS era, to a huge presence of works surrounding John Cage. The inimitable Margaret Leng Tan has done the audio tour and I’m very excited to go back and listen.
There are also a ton of performances and lectures set for the 3 months or so it is open.
Third Mind Performances and Lectures
There is so much amazing art on view during this exhibit that we were literally running at the end of the night to see a full room installation on the top floor that is not to be missed.
In December Ana Baer-Carrillo and I collaborated on Doleo Æternus, an evening-length work for musicians, computer, and video which was presented at the ISIM conference in Denver. This is a long and tumultuous work in the history of Avant Media, and it spans almost the entire duration that Avant Media has been in existence. From our first show in New York City in January of 2007, where we premiered what was then Anger, to our most recent performance, Ana’s work has been a powerful influence on my work and a guiding force keeping me grounded enough in reality to reign in, albeit ever so slightly, my penchant for the extreme. (more…)
I’m thoroughly disheartened by the news of Gerard Mortier leaving City Opera. And it’s seeming more and more that his departure means we’re losing what was really going to be an interesting season and future.
Of course, I was most looking forward to the revival of Einstein on The Beach which he had planned. This is a piece I’ve been obsessed about since I first heard snippets of it years ago in the interdisciplinary performance class where I met Ana.
But Mortier’s decision to leave is bigger than just one piece. (more…)
Last night I went to see Rosas Danst Rosas, or significantly less elegantly: Steve Reich Evening, at BAM. The program had a lot going for it, and for the most part it completely delivered.
The program contained two pieces I have heard of and knew well, but had never actually heard: Pendulum Music by Steve Reich and Poème Symphonique pour cent Métronomes by Györgi Ligeti (a Ligeti piece on Steve Reich Evening admittedly a bit odd, but it works as a really nice precursor to drumming). Pendulum Music opened the evening, and it was a beautiful realization with two speakers in a nice beating interval. Once the audience stopped snickering (same during the Ligeti, although that was to the point of shhshing the people in front of us) and we were actually able to listen, it was beautiful. (more…)
Last night I went to see 