ENVIRONMENTALITY PUBLIC ART STUDIO AT THE FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO

ENVIRONMENTALITY PUBLIC ART STUDIO

            This year at the Eno was a little bit extra challenging for me, but by the same token, in the end it was also a little bit extra rewarding!

            Why is that? Well, because this year, I decided to bring to the Festival For The Eno a whole other operation in addition to my Reptire Hut, and that was the EnvironMentality Public Art Studio!

What is the EnvironMentality Public Art Studio?

Well here is my vision, and how it came to be formed…

BACK GROUND

            As you probably are aware, our water supply in NC is gravely threatened at this moment in time.

            While such disasters as the Duke Energy dumping of many tons of toxic coal ash (a byproduct of burning coal) into the Dan River, in the Northern portion of the State have appearently been going on for decades here in NC, our water, soil and air quality/safety now faces a threat beyond our worst nightmares, presented by the Hydraulic Fracturing Industry, and our colluding lawmakers.

            This process of extracting gasses from shale rock deposites had been proven fatally flawed by its own inventor, Geologist Tony DeGraffi, who has publicly spoken out against the industry’s rush ahead with the technology, with out solving its crucial problems. The result in places like Pennsylvania and Wyoming: poisoned wells, flammable tap water, radioactivity, poisoned wildlife, and people imprisoned in homes which have become unliquidable industrial nightmares.

            And what is perhaps almost as disturbing, or maybe even more, is witnessing the erosion of Democracy around this issue. A viewing of Josh Fox’s documentary GASLAND 2 will leave you reeling with the (more or less startling) realization that our supposed protectors in the US Government have been insipiently corrupted by the powerful lobbyists of the Gas and Oil Industry.

            Democracy blitzing tactical maneuvers have become wholly characteristic of this powerfully lobbied industry, it seems from day 1! For a great example, recall Dick Cheyne, a Haliburton Gas and Oil Extecutive, rising to the second highest office in the United States of America, to carve out the ‘Haliburton Loophole’ in the Clean Water Act, by which he and his billionaire cronies can rape our country’s land without impunity, exempting themselves from the Clean Water Act, and dozens of other hard won protections to our environment. (Never mind his oil tycoon ‘boss’!...)

            And sadly, our state has followed this money trail, hook line and sinker. Passing bill B____

The haste and stealth with which this was bypassed through our legistlation by powerful interests led one writer, to ask poignantly: “So, in North Carolina, are we living in a Democracy, or a Dictatorship?” (Charles Ritter, in letter to Chatham County Line, Volume 12, Issue 6 July/August 2014).

It is unfortunately, a fair question at this juncture in our states history, and our sad state of affairs, I am afraid, here in North Carolina.

            With looming feelings of powerlessness in the face of disasters at work in the highest reaches of office, I realized that, if nothing else, I wanted to engage young people in a discussion of these issues. After all, it is they who are going to be living their adult lives in the midst of this problem that we are creating now. They will be left to raise their own children on tainted water supplies.

            So that is when I started to wonder how I could engage young people in that discussion.

            I thought of the young latino high school students, that I worked with on a collage project with at El Vinculo Hispano in Siler City, about how they would be effected by this too. We think we feel alienated from this process that we will be mortally impacted by…I wonder how they feel!...

            So then I realized that maybe I had to do some art projects with young people.

But I didn’t know what or where, or when or how.

            But then, at an Earth Day festival in Durham, I ran into Reclaimed Materials Artist Extraordinaire Bryant Holsenbeck. I floated the idea to her, and she loved it, and encouraged me to do it. I also floated the idea to Ann Woodward, a long time friend, and Director of The Scrap Exchange, who was very encouraging also.

And so I called the Festival For The Eno right then and there, and made them my proposal.

Elaine Chioso, Nathalie Worthington.

Site question.

Carrie Fields (had worked collage with Youth Group)

Jessica Wilkins- worked with kids at CIS, studying art at UNC Greensboro

Elizabeth Cox- first met at Haw River Festival, Shakori Kids Tent

Phil Cox- High School Science Teacher in Chatham County Public Schools

Rachel Cohn- great collage Artist.

Ruben Gonzales- good collage artist too.

INDOOR TIRE FURNISHINGS FOR THE FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO

INDOOR FURNISHINGS: TALKING TREADS

            And so, on the same note, I also had a great time devoting some serious time this year to a line of Reptire indoor furnishings that I have recently been longing to get back to.

That is my Talking Treads series of ‘wall mounted artful furnishings, encapsulated within the resplendent rind of the tire’.

            These were an original member or my original Reptire Brood / Pantheon.

They were star hitters at the Grand Opening of Reptire Designs in 2006, and they have performed well over the years, including winning second prize at the Spriritual Visions Exhibition at Hermitage Museum and Gardens

which eventually led to RECLAMATION at the same venue.

            In 2008, I flirted with a great fundraiser project with NCATI (The North Carolina Art Therapy Institute), incorporating these into an art show at a bar, though sadly, this wonderful idea never quite made it off the ground.

            But I recently realized that these have a lot of potential to get fun and beautiful tire art out into the world, that is not being realized. And so I have been focusing my efforts on developing these into an array of product lines.

            It has truly been a pleasure watching these bold but eloquent furnishings come together again, realizing new heights for play with comfort and color in fabrics a bicycle tire ‘leather’.

REPTIRE FASHION COUTIRE FOR THE FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO

....continued from previous blog

River Coutire Corner

And SO, this year, I chose to make a top priority of creating the Fashion CouTire corner, right up front. As I worked on this, I had a blast, and it really began to come together. A few interesting developments evolved from this…..

MICRO- Intricate Formal aTire

From the Reptire Fashion Coutire Corner has sprung several new product lines (or at least, these were given a chance to develop). A few star examples are ‘Orouboros Street Snake Belts’, and ‘Reptire Formal aTire’ such as ‘Flo Ties’ and ‘Flat Tire Suspender Sets’. My diminutive little Alligator Grabbors friends found their place there too, and I’m holding out a place for my HeLLO holsters, and several other Fashion Coutire product lines!....

ON THE MACRO BOOTH SCALE

On the macro scale, having a consolidated corner of fashion couture (The Fashion Coutire Corner?...) also helped me to finally create a more over arching organization to my booth space. Opposite of the Coutire corner is the Garden Porch section, which features Reptire’s Outdoor Furnishings, such as planters and the like.

And inside of the Reptire Caravan/Hut, one can find (appropriately) indoor furnishings.

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to come to this over arching principle (and who knows, it is just an ongoing experiment), but for the time being, it seems like an approach towards the user experience which seems worth trying and persuing.

PREPARING for the Festival For The Eno!

Last year, I did really well with such outdoor furnishings as my Tirarium Planters and Dragonz Eye Talismen.

 So this year, I was confronted with the question: do I try to...

REPEAT SUCCESS?....

You would think I would attempt to repeat this success this year, and perhaps I should have. But instead, I chose to focus on a spontaneous development that happened last year, when some kind angel

(or two?) gave me some feedback, and suggested that I bring some of my smaller items right up to the front of my booth. While I had flirted with this here and there in the past, I had always imagined this corner to be more in the back, near a rear check out counter. This idea of moving it up front was kind of game changer and a epiphane for me. Its not something I would have thought of, but when I tried it the next day, it made sense and fell/locked into place, the more and more I looked at it.

KEEPING OPEN

This is a good example of why I try to keep myself open to and welcoming of suggestions from others. It’s so easy for an artist to get tunnel vision; sometimes an outside perspective can offer such valuable insights. Taking criticism and suggestions can be difficult, and it is a skill/ability that I am still developing (read "struggle with, and take poorly"!). But I know that my booth has benefited immensely from several great suggestions over the years at the Festival For The Eno. This kind of customer feedback and audience trial-by-fire is part of the reason that I keep returning!

SNAPPING TURTLE SOUP 2- Sharing The Love

Both last night (Saturday), and the night before (Friday), I had the occassion to attend two seperate very special potlucks, shared by some great people, who I already knew, or am happy to now know.

Of course this was a good oppurtunity for me to share this New Brew- Snapping Turtle Stew!

I have to say that it was much better recieved than I ever could have expected. While it was certainly not for every one, I was pleased to discover that from many, it was met with curiosity to try something new!

I am glad to know that my friends appreciate a special oppurtunity when it lands in front of them,
as this is much the spirit in which I undertake these adventures also.

As they say, sometimes life drops a miniature godzilla in your lap.
You gotta be ready to make godzilla stew! 

"AUTOPIA"

Autopia

            I just recently stumbled upon a great, big, fascinating book at our local library, entitled Autopia.

            The book takes a sweeping look at the place and influence of the automobile on human culture, from a variety perspectives, both within American culture, and also in other cultures around the world. Literature, Economics, Popular Music, Urban Planning were just a few of the angles discussed.

THE AUTOMOBILE AND THE VISUAL ARTS

            Of course, one of the chapters that I was most curious about was the influence that the Automobile has had on the Visual Arts, as well as the influence that the visual arts have had on the automobile. Indeed, from the automobile’s conception, there has been an intimate and reciprocal relationship between the visual arts and the automobile, that of course continues to this day.

           

ORIGINS OF THE AUTOMOBILE

It might be telling that the first sketches of such a motion machine are found in the sketchbooks of none other than Leonardo Di Vinci.

Then?

Futurists- grabbed onto idea, raw energy of speed. Some good paintings came out, that appeal to my eye. Serpentine.

           

            However, the main thrust of frenzy that the Futurists were tapping into has led to one of recent histories sadder chapters. Futurism carried over into Fascism. Nazism. Carnage.

It is quite telling that Hitler (as the author reports) was a great admirer of Henry Ford.

For indeed, one could darkly posit (yet correctly, I think), that the holocost was in essence an industrialized pogrom.

As the poisonous dusts of war cleared, and the world began to reexamine itself,  the next generation of artists to pick up on these ideas stirred up by the automobile looked at them from a slightly different angle. Far less frenzied, but still with plenty of energy, and more curiosity, Artists such as Marcel Duchamp began to dissect the automobile, in much the same way, the author points out, as the Renaissance artists of Di Vinci’s time took to dissecting the human body.

            Of course, it wasn’t so much the automobile’s parts that they were dissecting, as the experience of velocity that the automobile afforded. Such cool and graceful dissections as Duchamp’s Nude Descending A Staircase stand out against the rash brutality of many of the Futurists expressions, however, such a painting does resonate I find with some of  Giacomo Balla’s paintings (such as Abstract Speed, 1913), in their mesmerization with rhythm, frequency and form.

            And of course, this novel, dizzying, and somewhat fragmented experience of seeing the world in fast forward was a major interest of, and influence on the Cubists (which I was supprised that the Author did not mention).

            One thing that I was amused to see mentioned was a comparison by the Futurists, of classical architecture to the automobile, which they proudly touted as far superior to the former. This immediately called to my mind a photograph that I recently took while on a visit to Central Europe, to explore my Jewish family roots, as well as the European cultures that they had been feeding for the past several centuries.

            One of my very first experiences of Germany was stumbling across an antique car show in Cologne. There, in row upon row layed out before that fair city’s graceful Gothic Cathedral, a milleu of proud car owners, and other fanatics had assembled to worship their idols of design and speed. “Clearly, the Germans worship the auto” I poked at several of the German bystanders I met there, who all nodded in sheepish agreement.

“Not only that; they touch their cars more than they do their wives” muttered an attractive woman, whose husband was busily buffing a head lamp.

So, I must ask myself. If there is a long tradition, and relationship between the visual arts and the auto, where does the artwork made from tires that Reptire Designs creates fit in to this long tradtion or story?

Ironically, I can’t say that I personally identify very much with the Futurists, at least the Futurists of their own time.

Well before I was born, their Futurist ‘Future’ had already become my family’s ‘History’. And it was not one that we had the privilage to revel in; for it was our people, like many others, who were squashed beneath Fascism’s frenetic, ravenous wheels.

Also ironically, as the author points out, many of the Futurists themselves ended up dying on the front at their own proverbial wheel.

I do admire Balla’s painting, and I am curious to learn more about his series.

Ultimately, this leads to one important aspect of the automobile that I did not see directly referred to in the book, the relationship of the automobile to wildlife, specially those creature who find their life cycles disrupted, and often terminated on our highways.

Poem about dead possum.

Road kill- my own fascination with it.

The holocost.

Tire Art. A way of reclaiming the tire?..

Box Turtle, in decline. Davidson University.

Do I feel compelled to pull a slain animal off of the road, because I am of Jewish heritage?

Snapping Turtle Soup!