Heesun Wee

It's Time

2011-06-23T00:08:00.001-04:00

I've moved.

High line

2011-05-21T13:44:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

9th av street fair

2011-05-14T12:07:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

R.I.P. Esprit on 5th Av + 16th

2011-05-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

PHOTO: Hunting for the World's Most Wanted Man

2011-05-02T19:48:00.012-04:00

Image credit: Pete Souza/The White House

Terrific White House photo (above) released. Members of the national security team get an update on Sunday's mission against bin Laden. See FPage of the Washington Post.

THE MAN WHO BLOGGED THE RAID

For those who missed, the guy who unwittingly live-blogged the raid from Pakistan, click here for details.

'GERONIMO-E KIA'

That was the code message used to convey bin Laden had been killed. From ABCNews: "Geronimo" was the code word for mission. "E" stood for the enemy. And "KIA" meant killed in action. That was the message from a Navy SEAL in Pakistan. President Obama later would say with certainty, "We got him," ABCNews reports.

COURIER CONNECTION

Amazing details from ABCNews about a courier, and likely confidant of bin Laden, who attracted the attention of U.S. officials. They tracked the courier and were led to a giant mansion in the city of Abbottabad, north of the capital of Islamabad. 12- to 19-foot walls. 8X the size of other homes. No phones. Click here for the full ABCNews story.

CNN has a more detailed look at the courier trail, go here.

Any reaction from the widow of Daniel Pearl, the WSJ reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002? I haven't seen/read anything ... Are her legal actions preventing her from commenting? Just curious.

Terrific Show at the Gagosian

2011-04-20T23:23:00.004-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Until June 25, 2011. And you'll have to check in your handbag, backpack, etc. Click here for details.

'The Journals of Musan' to Screen at Tribeca

2011-04-16T12:44:00.017-04:00

From LA Times reporter Barbara Demick's "Nothing to Envy" (nonfiction) to documentaries in pre-production, North Korea is a hot topic among writers and filmmakers.

The timing isn't surprising as the ranks of defectors have grown over the years. Storytellers are catching on, and slowly mining the tales of former North Koreans.

("The Journals of Musan," 2010, directed by Park Jungbum, 127 mins)

Adding to the canon of North Korean escapees is "The Journals of Musan," (pictured) a narrative feature about a defector struggling to assimilate in South Korea. The film is premiering in North America later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival. Three screenings at Chelsea Clearview -- April 24, 26, 27. Cick here for screening details and ticket information. Click here to view the trailer.

Written, directed and starring Park Jungbum, "Musan" is based on the life of a real North Korean defector Jeon Seung-chul who escaped from the north in 2002. As Park tells indieWIRE here, he made a short film "125 Jeon Seung-chul" about North Korean defectors' employment struggles. It was expanded into the "Musan" feature.

"Musan" is a quiet, unsentimental and ultimately powerful look at the bleak realities of North Korean escapees. Socially awkward and lacking work experience, they're often ostracized by South Koreans. The fact that Park even decided to make Musan is rare. In fast-paced Seoul, many Koreans, especially among the younger generation, don't care about North Korea. They don't want to be reminded about the Korean peninsula's painful past.

Click here to view my full write up on the 10th annual Tribeca Film Festival at NewYorkology.com. The 12-day festival begins April 20 and includes the premiere of "Jesus Henry Christ," written/directed by Dennis Lee and starring Toni Collette and Michael Sheen. Click here for times and ticket info.

++++++++

Indeed this post is somber. ... Park is among a handful of brave filmmakers who are documenting Korean experiences that threaten to be forgotten within a generation. On April 25, "Silence Broken: Korean Comfort women" screens at MOMA.

The documentary by Dai Sil Kim-Gibson and Charles Burnett explores the exploitation of women during the 35-year Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Girls from poor families were lured by promises of employment or outright kidnapped, only to find themselves as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers in military brothels. Click here for more screening info at MOMA.

Quit Debating Lightbulb Nonsense + Address This

2011-04-12T08:24:00.001-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Yellow Forsythias

2011-04-09T17:34:00.001-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

INSIDE JOB: 'A Wall Street Government'

2011-04-05T10:49:00.004-04:00

It's been two years since the global financial meltdown of late 2008. Yeah, U.S. unemployment recently edged below 9 percent but what really has changed during the past two years? Not much. Just watch Charles Ferguson's terrific, sobering documentary on the '08 crisis, how the crisis could have been prevented and the weak regulators who weren't watching what they were supposed to police -- and still walked away with millions in compensation anyway.

The film is available on AMZN (#1 in the documentary category) and for rent on Netflix. See it. But be warned. As an American, you'll be infuriated.

As Ferguson summarizes in the DVD outtake interview, the '08 crisis essentially was a bank robbery -- not by gun-totting outsiders -- but by highly-paid senior employees inside the banks.

An important point. This story is Not complicated for average Americans to understand. Ferguson uses clear graphics to explain the ponzi scheme that was high risk, subprime loans that were packaged and repackaged into financial products called derivatives. The winners: Bankers making fees off selling those products. The losers: Americans who were bullied by predatory lenders into signing ARMs they didn't comprehend.

Ferguson also takes to task American economics and those economists who co-authored papers supporting the benefits of a deregulated marketplace and that all was OK -- all for whopping fees, some $100K for a "deregulation is good" paper. From Harvard to Columbia to Stanford, why aren't academics forced to disclose other forms of income if it represents a conflict of interest?

Perfect Loaves

2011-03-29T17:05:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

FILM: Nostalgia for the Light

2011-03-26T10:02:00.008-04:00

A lovely film by Patricio Guzman that explores astronomy, childhood, nostalgia and the legacy of military dictatorships and war. Playing at IFC in NYC through March 31. See the trailer below.

I Googled my way to to this cool interview (below) with Guzman about the making of "The Battle for Chile" and French filmmaker Chris Marker's role. During Allende's rule and the coup in 1973, film imports were banned in Chile, you had to smuggle in canisters from Buenos Aires. At the clip's end, Guzman revealed he was seeing unexpired film in fresh, unrusted cans for the first time in his life. Amazing. Every dictator knows when you're trying to hide something, you must stop those documenting.

A Crane for a Brownstone Shot? Seriously?

2011-03-25T14:13:00.001-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Kim Young-Nam's "The Boat" Screens at KAFFNY in New York

2011-03-21T12:36:00.018-04:00

Korean trailer below:

"The Boat" (Korea/Japan, 2009, 114 mins)

New York City -- Among the highlights of the local Korean American film festival was last night's screening of "The Boat" (Korea/Japan, 2009, 114 mins), directed by Kim Young-nam. Not only is it a solid feature, the project also offers a unique glimpse into cross-cultural Korean/Japanese storytelling and filmmaking.

"The Boat" features two bottom-rung smugglers -- one Korean and the other Japanese. The loners become reliant on one another, when they're tasked with kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy Korean businessman and transporting her to Japan.

It would have been easy for director Kim to turn out a generic, buddy-cop-style film. Think gangsters, alleys and dimly lit rooms. But "The Boat" is so much more, offering a journey into how we define families and friendship.

The Japanese criminal Touru (played by Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a young gangster weighed down by a senile grandmother, an inept sister with three children and a Japanese girl he can't pursue because he has no money. The Korean gangster Hyung-gu is portrayed by actor Jungwoo Ha.

His performance is so watchable and physical, reminiscent of Javier Bardem. And like the Spainish actor, Ha has the chops to carry quieter scenes with minimal if no dialogue, yet still convey an unspoken, complicated interior life. Abandoned by his mother when he was a child, Ha's character slowly is drawn to Touru and his family.

In addition to the chemistry between the two actors as they strike up an unconventional friendship, the film is anchored by a terrific script by Aya Watanabe. He's also written "Maise de Himiko" and "A Gentle Breeze in the Village." And the script is rooted in reality. Everything from disposed goods and dead bodies land on Japanese shores from Korea.

Film Industry in Korea, Japan and Hollywood
The film was a rare joint production between South Korea and Japanese filmmakers. Watanabe had penned the script and producers were shopping for a director, explained director Kim, after Sunday's screening in New York.

Kim said shooting wrapped in about a month under Japanese production deadlines. He added some scenes/portions of the script were edited to fit the slim shooting schedule. The film if shot solely in South Korea would have taken about two months, said Kim, adding Japanese filmmaking is akin to Hollywood with a focus on efficiency.

Below is the Japanese trailer:

"The Boat" (Korea/Japan, 2009, 114 mins)

For a roundup of the fifth annual Korean American Film Festival New York (KAFFNY), click here. Congrats to Susie, Dave, Hosik and the many volunteers for a terrific event!

Why Do People Say Stupid Things Publicly Online?

2011-03-16T13:22:00.008-04:00

That's the question. In a case of brilliance and class overcoming ignorance, a UCLA student Jimmy responds to a female classmate, who made racist remarks -- THEN posted them online on YouTube. (Wha? You want a reality show deal for being ignorant?) For more, see my friend Tony's post here.

If I had a nickel for every moron who ever approached me in a supermarket/bookstore and asked me for a good Chinese food item or recipe. (Dude, Cup o Noodles)

Rock on Jimmy.

Korean American Film Festival New York Kicks Off Thursday

2011-03-15T11:34:00.018-04:00

Thursday, March 17, marks the kick-off of the fifth annual Korean American Film Festival New York (KAFFNY), a local, independent festival at Chelsea Clearview Cinemas on West 23rd Street (see map here). Among the highlights is filmmakers panel on Saturday, March 19. The discussion will showcase Korean-American storytellers from around the globe.

(Photo Above: "Wet Sand: Voices from LA," Dai Sil Kim-Gibson, 2004, 57 minutes)

Panelists include Dai Sil Kim-Gibson, a pioneer in Korean-American filmmaking. She has documented the stories of so-called comfort women for Japanese soldiers ("Silence Broken"), and Koreans in far flung locales including Cuba ("Motherland") and Sakhalin Island, off the coast of Russia ("A Forgotten People"). The later film profiles forced Korean laborers under Japanese and Soviet rule.

A retrospective of Kim-Gibson's work will be featured at the festival including her gem, "Wet Sand," that documents the aftermath of the LA riots, 19 years ago. The mother of the only Korean killed during the riots (her son) will participate in a rare discussion with the filmmaker. Click here for more details on the Kim-Gibson retrospective. (Multiple screenings on Saturday, 5-8 pm, followed by a discussion.)

Also featured on the panel, Peter Bo Rappmund, whose film "Psychohydrography" documents the Los Angeles river with a single DSLR. (Thursday, 10:45 pm at Chelsea Clearview, part of the opening reception, with additional screenings in Manhattan, click here)

Click here for more info on the panel.

Other festival highlights include "Red Chapel" about a trio of Danes, who traveled to North Korea under the guise of a cultural exchange, staging a variety show in Pyongyang. (Saturday, 3-4:30 pm at Chelsea Clearview)

In addition to a features lineup, there are plenty of short films showcasing filmmaking from around the world. Click here for info on the shorts competition. (Friday, 6-8:30 pm)

For schedule and tickets, click here. The festival runs through Sunday, March 20.

Pray for Japan

2011-03-15T00:04:00.019-04:00

Japan faces a potential nuclear disaster as radiation levels rise. People living within 18 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station have been urged to stay indoors, keep their windows closed and stop using air-conditioning, according to a NYTimes report. The plant is located about 150 miles northeast of Tokyo. One local Tweeter reported long lines at train stations with passengers trying to head west, away from the disaster.

Bloomberg News here reports the death toll from Friday's 8.9-magnitude quake and 23-foot tsunami have surpassed 2,000, with thousands missing and millions without power.

ECONOMIC EFFECTS

Investors are panicking. Japanese stocks are experiencing their steepest decline since the 1987 crash. Additionally, the country is moving to shore up food supplies, and tap its grain reserves. Japan is a large importer of U.S. corn and wheat. Latest Japan market news from Bloomberg, go here.

LIVE JAPAN NEWS UPDATES

For the latest next updates, check out the 24/7 activity on Twitter. It's amazing. Terrific Japan news updates from:

@gokatayama (photog in Asia)

@JaymesSong (AP editor based in Hawaii)

@TheoTypes (journalist based in Dallas)

@georgekiriyama (SF-based reporter) who recently landed in Japan

PHOTOS

For dramatic satellite images (via GeoEye) before and after the quake and tsunami, click here.

Large format photos of the aftermath in affected port cities, reaction in Tokyo can be found here on Boston.com.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Click on the Red Cross here for updates and how to donate.

Creme Brulee Doughnut: A Reason to Live

2011-03-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tribeca, Sundance Film Festivals Embracing More Video Platforms to Distribute Titles

2011-03-01T11:25:00.014-05:00

In case you missed, the Tribeca and Sundance film festivals are expanding their use of technology to distribute independent films to a national audience, the NYT reported over the weekend. The changes are fueled by the popularity of streaming video and VOD or video on demand services. Just as you have Netflix or YouTube channels on your DVR device at home, the idea here is, say, a Sundance- or Tribeca-branded channel on your iTunes/mobile device or Netflix or Amazon platform.

Flim festivals have long been in the business of generating buzz about specialty films. Now with VOD and related technology, the hurdle is lower for film festival firms to get into the distribution business. Tribeca, for example, has made new hires to beef up its distribution efforts.

Click here for the full list of 26 films Tribeca will release in 2011, more than double last year. Titles will be released theatrically and on VOD and other platforms.

APP NATION

Also in technology, a new report by Forrester Research forecasts the app market will explode to a $38 billion industry by 2015, as reported here by Fast Company. In 2010, apps on mobile devices pulled in $1.7 billion globally, meaning the market will grow exponentially in the coming years, the magazine reports.

(Is it really March? Deadlines, deadlines ...)

VIDEO: Filmmaker Huang Weikai Says I Don't See Myself as a Director

2011-02-23T23:29:00.015-05:00

Director Huang Weikai discussed the making of "Disorders" after a MOMA screening in NYC on Feb. 20, 2011. Only amateur video footage was used to construct the 58-minute film that features 20 different stories about life in southern China's largest city, Guangzhou. Huang, who possesses a fine arts background, talks about the intersection of nonfiction, fiction and experimental filmmaking.

"Disorder" Director Huang Weikai Speaks at MOMA from Heesun Wee on Vimeo.

RELATED STORY

"Disorder" Screens at MOMA

Huang Weikai's "Disorder" Screens at MOMA

2011-02-21T11:28:00.030-05:00

The official trailer for "Disorder."

RELATED VIDEO

Filmmaker Huang Weikai Says I Don't See Myself as a Director

When I heard about MOMA's 10th annual Documentary Fornight series, I scrolled through the offerings. Plenty of brave, hours-long documentaries about serious topics, people wronged in the world. Expected fare.

Then filmmaker Huang Weikai's "Disorder" listing caught my eye. The film portrait of the Chinese city of Guangzhou was compiled from 1,000 hours of amateur footage shot by various cameramen. What?! This sounded like an ambitious, artistic version of many newsroom's still nascent "you witness" video ventures.

(Look on any news site and most urge you to upload footage. Tell us your story! So far, with few exceptions like the London bombings in 2005 and local fires, etc., most of these video ventures usually yield pet footage and the like. American independent filmmakers also have dabbled in compiling collages of YouTube videos -- but to no where near Huang's singular effect.)

I'm so glad I made the effort (twice! see explanation below) to see "Disorder." It's one of the most original pieces of filmmaking I've seen in years. Part collage and documentary, Huang culled through the amateur footage to beautifully weave a tale of 20 not-so random stories about life in Guangzhou, southern China's largest city and China's third largest metropolis. Floods. Raging fires. An escaped pet alligator. A still-breathing baby treated like trash. A supermarket frenzy over illegal, frozen bear paws.

Footage by the Kilo

During a Q&A with the audience after the initial MOMA screening on Friday, Feb. 18, Huang explained the selection of Guangzhou is not important, but representative of any large, modern city in China. Indeed "Disorder" has a vast, apocalyptic feel. (Huang also revealed he bought local filmmakers' footage for his project. One filmmaker even sold his footage by the kilo.)

And the grainy, black-white footage only add to the film's surreal allure. Despite the lack of a clear narrative or identification of any of the characters (let alone their stories and motives), I couldn't stop watching. In fact you're lulled into watching. And Huang's mastery of editing, and in particular his rhythmic construction of seemingly unrelated images and sound is a major reason why "Disorder" works, and is such an evocative film.

Huang spent about a year (between 2007 and 2008) editing the film, which was released in 2009 by dGenerateFilms. Editing for Huang was a combination of child play's assemblage and entering a maze. A previous, longer edit made him "depressed and suicidal," he said.

But the final cut of "Disorder" (58-minutes slim) is a clear success. And despite the randomness of police scuffles, floods and fires, there's a feeling of hope and defiance that emerges from the chaos of the city.

"Disorder" is among 20 international films being showcased at MOMA's Documentary Fornight. The event ends Feb. 28.

VIDEO: Demonstrating Empires

2011-02-17T17:38:00.016-05:00

Demonstrating Empires from Heesun Wee on Vimeo. (Click on the video player, bottom right, to view in a full screen format.)

This project was sparked by the proliferation of "for rent" signs and shuttered businesses in NYC. What i discovered was a visual, local-global story about the financial transition to emerging economies from the industrialized nations.

Voices include Jim Rogers, author, blogger, investor and China bull; and Gerard Lyons, chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank and an expert on the international economy.

Special thanks to Michele Beck for her feedback and enthusiasm for this project.

Day to Be Inside

2011-02-05T16:33:00.002-05:00

MOMA ground floor/Heesun Wee

Just Enjoy Yourself

2011-01-25T12:21:00.006-05:00

(Above) Competition by Wang Qingsong. When Worlds Collide is on view at the International Center of Photography until May 8. Click here for more details at ICP.

Wang is known for his large-scale, elaborately staged photographs (some call them photo murals) that reference China on the precipice of old and new, the country's urban migrants. In Night Revels of Lao Li, Wang references an ancient scroll painting depicting the night antics of a government official. Click here to view the mural. Perhaps the best quote from the ICP show, Wang argues there's no way for intellectuals to save the government. So just enjoy yourself in private.

The ICP show marks the first solo U.S. exhibition for the Beijing-based artist. The exhibition includes short behind-the-scenes videos on how Wang and his staff produce the photos in giant warehouses in Beijing.

Ok, must bundle up and make my way to edit bay. Brrr.

Mobile Video: More Hype Than Reality?

2011-01-25T11:56:00.005-05:00

Video usage on mobile devices is overrated and overall traffic, 90 percent, is dominated by 10 percent of users, according to a recent study by Bytemobile, a wireless marketing firm.

Nielsen also reported in the second quarter of 2010 that only 10 percent of mobile users in the U.S. accessed video with their devices, according to the write up in Variety. Obviously download speeds for content and cost of mobile data plans need to come down in the US before mobile video becomes ubiquitous the way it is in Asia.

Content created specifically for mobile devices like short soap operas are a hit in Asia. If the story is good and I can easily watch at an affordable price, why wouldn't I? Based on my Twitter feed and news alerts, I get news updates when I'm roaming outside or sitting/standing in a subway car. (I'm canceling my last newspaper this winter. Gulp.)

In a recent profile in The New Yorker, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg says he doesn't own a TV. I understand the sentiment. With the exception of food channels, I rarely ever watch live television. My DVR is smoking and I'll get to programming when/if I feel like it. Besides, I'll just search for what I want online. The NYorker piece highlights Zuckerberg's strategy to make Facebook a platform/starting point to watch movies, chat with friends. We'll see how Facebook evolves. Click here for the full story.

New Funding Models for Photojournalism

2011-01-04T12:35:00.013-05:00

IMAGE CREDIT: Tomas Van Houtryve

Paris-based photojournalist Tomas Van Houtryve (and new member of the VII photo agency) caught my attention for some amazing images from North Korea, including the above. (Click here for his stunning, surprisingly intimate slide show on North Korea.)

Now he's involved in a new venture -- emphas.is -- a platform similar to Kickstarter that allows photojournalists to pitch the masses for money to fund a project. The new model cuts out the newsroom/editor/middleman and goes straight to the audience for support, as Van Houtryve explains here. Not surprisingly traditional newsroom funding for photojournalism has shrunk further. Even work for online slide show packages pay well under $1,000, hardly enough to foot the costs of major assignments, especially those abroad, Van Houtryve explains. (Click here for the Nieman lab's piece on emphas.is.)

Van Houtryve adds his North Korea images that became viral through blogs and other non-mainstream news outlets urged him to explore the possibilities of social media/web platforms for photojournalism. I like emphas.is' homepage question: What if you were on Robert Capa's email list in 1944?

Oprah's OWN registers OK start

In other media news, Oprah's OWN cable network launched over the weekend to OK reviews. I watched -- mostly the show chronicling Oprah's last season of her daytime talk show. The much hyped "Master Class" program faired below par, as Nikki Finke reports here. This isn't surprising. The highly produced show is too similar to the "60 Minutes" model featuring the same revolving cast of celebrities. Decades-old platforms and programming models don't guarantee success anymore. Just look at your ratings, traffic reports.

Great reads

Speaking of journalism, terrific journalism, I'm ploughing through "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea." LATimes journalist Barbara Demick (and National Book Award finalist) offers a fascinating chronicle of average North Koreans. She's now LATimes' Beijing bureau chief. One of the best pieces of nonfiction I've read about NK in a long time.

Okay, back to editing ... More coffee, please.

Digital Filmmaking Revolution Continues

2010-12-21T14:25:00.011-05:00

I'm off a spate of shooting in the cold (brrr!), and diving into post-production/editing. Some news bits.

Interesting roundup of recent projects shot using digital video -- versus Kodak film -- appeared in the NYTimes recently. Click here for the full write up.

Some highlights:

As I've written about here, director David Fincher used a few Red cameras to shoot "The Social Network."
While director Darren Aronofsky shot most of "Black Swan" on film, for the on-the-move subway scenes (often without permits), his team turned to portable Canon SLR cameras with video shooting capability. Ranging from $1,700 to $5,000 roughly, the cameras including the popular 7D model (pictured, above) were created for the "prosumer" market, as in professional/consumer. Quite a few of my filmmaker friends are fans. The cameras weigh about three pounds, much lighter than Panasonic video cameras. And the Canons look like normal still cameras so it's easy to be stealth and capture video.
Indie filmmaker darling/youngin' Lena Dunham's "Tiny Furniture" was shot with one of the less pricey Canon SLR/video models, the NYTimes reports.

Yes, there's concern about vanishing depth of images, texture of shots, etc. But if the affordable technology continues to mature and offers opportunities for more diverse storytellers and storytelling, I'm in.

In other news ... The challenges of film financing. Still.

"King's Speech" director Tom Hopper on trying to get funding for the movie in fall 2008, just as Lehman Brothers was collapsing. Click here for the audio report on KCRW.

New Film Distribution Models

2010-12-09T13:30:00.011-05:00

In case you missed, the new owners of Miramax - including new Miramax CEO and former News Corp. executive Mike Lang (pictured) - may be considering a distribution deal with Google, making some of its 700+ title film library available through YouTube, according to the LATimes. Thanks to Tribeca's film blog for the alert. Click here for the full LATimes blog post.

ATD's Kara Swisher has an item today on Lang and what the future movie company may look like. Click here for the story.

Interesting given my Sony DVD box came installed with YouTube, etc. As one consumer, I can report the last time I paid $14 for a movie ticket was to see "Crazy Heart" in (gulp) I can't recall when, and some $$ for an independent film's NYC debut a few months ago. That's it. And my non-flatscreen non-HDTV has been on the fritz and I'm nearly living off my laptop. Waiting for a DVD in the mail already seems so ... 2007. I want instant download access.

Plus, thoughts on Amazon studios. Would you want an entire web-audience making recommendations on your project?

And upcoming workshops in NYC on funding/the international festival circuit later this month by Women Make Movies. Have never been so I can't vouch for them either way. Click here for more info.

Okay. Back to deadlines!

You Can Learn to Drive, But Where You Gonna Go?

2010-12-08T10:39:00.005-05:00

Stumbled on this WSJ write up on Eisner, new media and the eternal question -- should one pursue a pricey art/advanced degree?

From WSJ:

"When my son wanted to go to undergraduate film school, I called George Lucas, who told him: Don’t go. Learning to make a movie is like learning to drive. Anybody can learn to drive. It’s where you drive that counts."

Eisner on the craft of storytelling.

"A lot of people can learn to write computer code and understand the inner workings of the technological revolution we’re going through, but if you’re going to be in content, I would rather you understand what makes a good narrative. To find people who can make you laugh or cry or smile or get upset or learn something about yourself. Those people are rare. They are rarer, frankly, than the others."

Click here for the full article at WSJ.

Related note, attended a cocktail event earlier this week (thanks Brooke!) with media types and unemployed journos, veteran and newly minted out of grad school. I asked a student if Columbia was worth the money. There was a pause (beat, beat) before his "yes, of course" answer. Interesting. Heck, I'd go to grad school -- if I had the money.

It's Brisk

2010-12-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dusk Along the Seine

2010-12-02T17:02:00.004-05:00

Paris Photo 2010, Carrousel du Louvre

2010-11-20T17:21:00.008-05:00

Photography lovers and buyers on a Saturday night at the Louvre for Paris Photo 2010. Galleries from around the globe were represented including Iran, and several NYC shops. I enjoyed the SFR young talents exhibit especially, click here for more info. The grand prize winner is Francois-Regis Durand.

Edward Hopper on Modern Life and His Times

2010-11-18T10:33:00.009-05:00

This awesome grandma was checking out Hopper's images and text with a small magnifier. People go to see art in NYC, darn it! @Whitney American Museum of Art.

Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time is a satisfying survey of Hopper's embrace of realism in America between 1900 and 1940, when industrialism was sweeping across America and a quieter way of life began to slip away. From his master of light to portraits of solitude, it's easy to dismiss Hopper as a loner. But Hopper clearly was engaged and a man of his time, so in tune with changing America.

He moved to New York City in 1900 and began capturing dramatic light and seemingly mundane subjects, focuses that would become his trademarks. Someone sitting at a coffee shop (see "Night Hawks"), standing on a porch, a desolate gas station or street. But so much is lurking in the details. Tall buildings reflected in a two-story shop window toward the left, signifying pending industrialism. (See "Early Sunday") Dark clothed workers making their way down Wall Street.

Hopper's images are surprisingly emotional, despite often being void of people. Many have admired and copied Hopper since including filmmaker Terrence Malick. Remember that house on the hill in "Days of Heaven" with Richard Gere years ago? (It's a nod to "House by Railroad" by Hopper, click here.)

American art for our time now?

It was a Friday night and the museum was full. But it didn't stop many from standing in front of a Hopper painting and just looking, for minutes at a time. It's more than a century since Hopper came to NYC and the images still resonate. I wonder what artists will say about our time now in America years from now. Surely there's substantial art being made as we speak. Something beyond thin newspaper stories analyzing the reach of Kim Kardashian, and how you can copy her lifestyle for a $30 bottle of perfume or pair of earrings made in China.

Why do you value art?

American painter and teacher Robert Henri, whose students included Hopper. From the exhibit notes: "Art cannot be separated from life ... we value art not because of skilled product, but because of its revelation of a life's experience."

Click here for more exhibit information. The Hopper show runs through April 10, 2011.

Note Friday between 6-9 pm is pay as you wish. Expect a line but if you show up after 7 pm the lines are much shorter with very little wait time. Generally though the lines move fairly quickly. The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day on Thursday. Click here for hours and directions.

Friedlander: America by Car also is on view at the Whitney until Nov. 28, as I wrote about here. Click here for some exhibit images.

Happy Foodie Holiday from Barney's Windows

2010-11-12T18:06:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ah, Monday

2010-11-08T12:37:00.001-05:00

The Brooklyn Bridge, Nov. 2010

Ai Weiwei, Art, Politics and Power

2010-11-06T20:14:00.009-04:00

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 -- Have been meaning to post for days but wrapped up in a cool video project. More details TK!

Superstar artist Ai Weiwei has been making headlines, again. Weiwei was placed in house arrest Friday, according to news reports, after the artist said he was planning a demolition party to mark the Shanghai-government’s decision to raze his studio, against his wishes. He shipped invitations for his demolition party to the media including the New Yorker's Evan Osnos, click here.

A combination artist, activist, publicity star and showman, he seems to be turning his real life into a kind of postmodern performance art. He even Tweets, in mad spurts.

SUNFLOWER SEEDS IN LONDON

Weiwei's latest installation features 100 million sunflower seeds at Tate's Turbine Hall (a converted power plant) in London. As ArtInfo reports: Each one of the 100 million sunflower seed husks covering the gallery floor are a unique porcelain replica. The 150 tons of miniature sculpture were made over two years by artisans in Jingdezhen, the so-called porcelain capital of China. The project raises reflections about mass production associated with "Made in China." Click here for more info at Tate Modern.

RAUSCHENBERG AT THE GAGOSIAN (Untitled Runts 07)

Heading to Europe later this month (for the annual Mois de la Photo and some vin chaud!), but alas no London on this journey. So I'm keeping myself happy with the galleries in Chelsea. The Gagosian has a smashing collection of Robert Rauschenberg's work. Click here for more gallery information. Gagosian is representing the artist's estate. The artist passed away in 2008, as I've written about here. I enjoyed his signature sculptures, giant paintings, assemblage of rusty pails. Of course there was a well-pressed man yapping into his mobile about his desire for "pewter" handles on a cabinet. "And what's the price? Good. Good." (I ran the NYC triathlon this summer and a guy next to me was taking photos -- of himself -- with his iPhone.)

GAGOSIAN IN HONG KONG 2011

And in case you missed, a profile on Gagosian himself last weekend in the FT, click here. The son of Armenian immigrants is owner of soon to be 10 galleries around the world -- including a new outpost scheduled for Hong Kong in 2011. A UCLA alum, he began his art sales career acquiring posters for $2, slipping them in cheap aluminum frames and selling them for $15.

DON'T BE PARALYZED ABOUT HITTING THE ART BULLS EYE, TAKE A SHOT

At 65 he's apparently reflecting on his legacy. From the FT article: “T S Eliot said that every new piece of literature alters what’s been written before, and you can adapt that to art,” he says. “Taste changes, time will tell. But you can’t freak out about it and you can’t be paralysed because you can’t always hit the bull’s-eye when it comes to art history. That shouldn’t stop you taking your shot. Art dealers feel they have to obfuscate the mercantile part of their profession but let’s not kid ourselves – it’s a business."

More Central Park

2010-10-24T19:16:00.000-04:00

Central Park Walkway

2010-10-24T18:58:00.001-04:00

Oct. 23, 2010 by Heesun Wee

VIDEO: Eating at New Amsterdam Market

2010-10-24T18:04:00.005-04:00

It was a gorgeous fall day to walk around the old Fulton Fish Market site and hit a farmer's market with a friend.

Dark-chocolate covered almonds

Fig vinegar

Beet chips with salt

Cup of butternut squash

What I didn't buy: Apple cider doughnuts, apple pies, lobster rolls, ham sandwiches, kimchee, beer, more chocolate, yellow heirloom tomatoes, lavender.

Happy fall everyone :D

The Upper East Side

2010-10-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Dusk nears, time to go home.

VIDEO: Protestors Take to NYC Streets After Antigay Attacks

2010-10-09T22:19:00.007-04:00

Click here for the NYTimes story on the antigay attacks in the Bronx.

VIDEO: "The Center of Their Universe"

2010-10-08T21:00:00.002-04:00

In late September I joined dozens of journalists, bloggers from around the world to cover a United Nations gathering on global health issues. The Millennium Development Goals or MDG summit coincided with several related events in NYC including Climate Week. The media event, featuring tech-savvy reporters, was as fascinating as the issues discussed.

From my video blog on Vimeo. (Below) Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace international executive director, at the 92nd Street Y in NYC, September 2010.

Is Film Dead? The Emergence of DSLRs or Guerrilla Shooting

2010-10-08T12:38:00.012-04:00

IAC building in West Chelsea, NYC. Vimeo Film Festival, Oct. 8-9, 2010.

UPDATE: Speaking of 3D vs. 2D, the last "Harry Potter" flick is going 2D, gasp! 3D has been cancelled by Warner Bros. See BBC summary here. Official statement goes on about maintaining "quality." Sounds like the studio ran out of money.

And see my earlier post on how financing films continues to morph.

+++++++

I'm in far west Chelsea today, Barry Diller's fancy IAC building for the 2-day Vimeo Film Festival. Lot of backpack/carryon luggage bloggers/shooters/digital types.

An interesting talk this morning on the DSLR camera. For you newbies, these new digital SLRs are equipped to shoot video. Costing roughly $2000 for a popular Canon model, the new technology has sparked a mini revolution of "guerrilla" video shooters.

Why guerrilla cameras? Unlike large Panasonic cameras hoisted on top of a shoulder or even a handheld obvious looking video camera, the new DSLRs look like regular still cameras. People have no idea you're shooting video. Panelists this morning added shooting with DSLRs naturally has prompted them to shoot more still images.

Some interesting FACTS about DSLRs and changing face of visual digital media:

+ VIDEOGRAPHERS

The DSLRs or addition of video to still cameras was prompted by news organizations including CNN and wire news services such as the Associated Press. Shrinking network news budgets sparked the trend of VJ journos or backpack journalists doing shooting, producing, editing all as a solo journalist. Budget-minded news executives subsequently wanted to send staffers out with all-in-one pieces of equipment. We're sending our correspondents out with cameras already, we'd like them to shoot a few minutes of video as well.

+ We're in the infancy of DSLRs. Newer models including an upcoming Panasonic AF 100 reportedly will feature better video quality and more audio output controls etc.

+ NEW FILM DISTRIBUTION MODELS

David Fincher's new "Facebook" film was shot entirely in digital format using RED cameras. (The RED camera system is a higher quality option for shooting in 2D and was created by the Oakley founder.) Interesting that Fincher is aspiring to higher quality 2D filmmaking while many studios -- panicked over shrinking theater audiences and $13+ ticket prices -- are betting 3D will create the next wow experience and bring in the crowds.

+ Speaking of distribution, "Facebook" also was distributed to theaters in DCP or digital cinema package encoding. Most films usually are dropped to your local theater via costly 35 millimeter prints. DCP technology uses servers and USBs == total cost about $2,000 a picture! As distribution costs come done, you can start imagining the implications. I hope this means more non-mainstream films will see larger audiences.

+ Panelists Vincent Laforet and Philip Bloom this morning discussed how small independent films may no longer be shown on big screens in the future. Maybe they'll go instead to your TV set top via Netflix or other on-demand technology.

+ But as anyone whose experimented with online video knows viewing quality depends on so many variable factors. Download quality, high vs. low broadband. Fellow panelist David Leitner, DP and producer, lamented the demise of uniform visual quality, adding, "Film's time has passed."

Is Architecture Getting a Conscience?

2010-10-04T14:05:00.012-04:00

MOMA exhibit, Oct. 4, 2010

Amid the hordes of European visitors trying to squeeze into the MOMA lobby before the Matisse show ends Oct. 11, there's a great new architecture exhibit. "Small Scale, Big Change" showcaes 11 architectural projects on five continents that respond to localized needs in underserved communities. That's a fancy way of saying 11 examples of creative, civic-minded people who joined forces to create inspiring architecture for poor people. Click here for exhibit info at MOMA.

And I don't use the word "inspiring" casually. Can your surroundings, the building you reside in, the buildings that encompass your neighborhood inspire and even transform? The exhibit answers with a resounding yes.

PARIS

Tour Bois le Prêtre, Paris, France (Frédéric Druot, Anne Lacaton, and Jean Philippe Vassal, 2006–11

This building is an example of low-income, high-rise buildings and why they can be so claustrophobic, soul-crushing for its residents. Few public gathering places. Narrow hallways. Little natural light. But instead of demolishing eyesores altogether, this team of architects won a Paris design competition with the idea of retrofitting. They retrofit includes wrapping the entire high rise with a skeleton structure of wrap-around balconies. So a renovated living room with floor-to-ceiling windows would open out onto a balcony. Brilliant.

ALABAMA

Rural Studio, Auburn University: $20K House VIII (Dave’s House), Newbern, Alabama, 2009

In rural Alabama, a prototype, 600-square-foot home was created for $20K. The project aims to bring affordable homes to Hale County in western Alabama. The house and building process were distilled to its most basic elements but final product still looked cool to me. Spare, industrial-modern. The home also featured mixed indoor-outdoor-patio space -- a nod to the region's varied climate.

VENEZUELA

Urban-Think Tank: Metro Cable, Caracas, Venezuela 2007–10

This project involves a mountainous community of immigrants and informal settlers. Mainstream urban planners had proposed building transportation/infrastructure/new surface streets to connect the communities closer to the city. But that would have meant wiping out many existing homes. Ingenious solution: A cable car system suspended above the residences. The five, new cable car stations connect the barrio to the city's main transportation system. Not surprisingly residents say they feel less isolated. And the cable car has sparked a resurgence of price among community residents. Homeowners are painting their exteriors and making updates. Community pride rises. Shocking.

In another example in Rudrapur, Bangladesh, builders made a school primarily out of earth! Unskilled laborers were trained to build the school. The campus features a clever system of interior caves that serve as a playground.

A great summary quote from La Jolla, Calif.-based architect Teddy Cruz on form + function minus fancy buildings for fancy buildings' sake alone. "Ultimately it does not matter whether contemporary [adjective here, i can't read my own crappy handwriting on my FT, but think word is contemporary] architecture is wrapped in the latest morphogenetic skin, neoclassical prop, or LEED-certified photovoltaic panels if all approaches continue to camouflage the most pressing problems of urbanization today."

The show is part of a museum trend that showcases "humanitarian design," as the LA Times' Christopher Hawthorne reports. Individual MOMA project details here at artdaily. The MOMA exhibit runs through Jan. 3, 2011.

Looking ahead to the future as developing nations' obesity rates on a graph chart just go up, up a hill, I wonder how architects/builders will have to respond. Nough thinking for a rainy Monday.

RIP: Gracious Home on 6th Ave in the 20s

2010-10-02T18:10:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Kara Walker at MOMA

2010-09-24T18:53:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Activist Journalism: Community Heroes Profiled From Around the Globe

2010-09-23T14:27:00.011-04:00

CNN 2010 "Hero" Program finalist Dan Wallrath. Based in Houston, Texas, Wallrath builds custom homes -- mortgage-free -- for injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Sept. 23, 2010 -- As President Obama this morning urged a Middle East agenda before world leaders at the UN General Assembly in NYC, leaders of NGOs and other groups spanning health and environmental issues gathered for day three at the UN Digital Media Lab at the 92nd Street Y.

Among the highlights, CNN senior executive producer Kelly Flynn announced 10 finalists for 2010's CNN.com's annual Heroes honor. Each hero will receive $25,000. The Hero of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in November and receive and additional $100,000.

Even for a network that features 24 hours of programming, "Heros" offers a global audience for stories that might otherwise not make it on the air, said Flynn, after the presentation.

This year's "Heroes" judges include Sudanese model/philanthropist Alek Wek. Olympic champion Anton Ohno also joined the session remote via Skype.

From building a community hospital in Juarez, Mexico to replacing smoky kerosene lamps with solar-power light in Nairobi, Kenya, the hero finalists represent community leaders from around the world. I'm wowed especially by retired Texas homebuilder Dan Wallrath who builds custom homes -- mortgage free -- for injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Hardly retirement. Amazing stories.

Click here and vote for your favorite CNN Hero. Voting ends 6 pm ET on Nov. 18. Now in its fourth year, the heroes project received more than 10,000 submissions from more than 100 countries.

Tackling Global Poverty in the Digital Age

2010-09-22T10:41:00.007-04:00

Photo credit: Heesun Wee

New York, NY, Sept. 22, 2010 -- About 80 bloggers, journalists are gathered at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan to cover a week-long UN summit on global poverty. Called the UN Media Lab, the journalists are covering the event remotely through live feeds, connections. The actual summit is happening at the United Nations on the East side.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is scheduled to speak beginning 2:30 Eastern today. Mr. Ban is expected to announce a jump in aid to improve the health of women and children, the NYTimes reports. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Review Summit marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the eight goals by all 192 UN member-states.

WHAT ABOUT MICRO FINANCING?

As a speaker from Africa noted this morning, micro financing in isolation doesn't work. A popular digital trend in which individuals can make small loans to impoverished people around the world, the concept has gained in popularity. But the speaker explained individuals face basic issues such as sanitation and a safety that micro financing alone can't combat.

There are also dozens of other professionals from the UN, NGOs and other groups spanning the issues of health, poverty and women's issues. Sitting next to a UN staffer from Brazil.

Tweets can be found under #unweekdml

Post Office

2010-09-21T16:23:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Uh Oh

2010-09-20T11:54:00.001-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Empire

2010-09-18T18:16:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Friedlander's America by Car

2010-09-17T21:39:00.007-04:00

California, 2008 by Lee Friedlander from America by Car, 1995-2009.

Postwar American photographer Lee Friedlander. I've seen quite a bit of his stuff over the years. So when Whitney announced a new exhibit, "America by Car." I paused. More Friedlander?

He's an iconic photographer for a reason. His clear images capture our nation, our feelings, our wit, our fears and obsessions. And the moody black-and-white shots of diners, average folk and open roads recall Kerouac's On the Road, a Robert Lowell poem, Coltrane. The stuff just brings in those hipster kids!

(Ok enough sass.) Friedlander's "America by Car" premise, while simple, turns out to be powerful and quite brilliant in the end.

The show features 192 BW images, square format, lined up tightly against one another with hardly any room in between. The show is housed on the fifth floor of the Whitney but you have to go down a flight of stairs to view the exhibit in two low-ceilinged galleries. It physically feels slightly claustrophobic examining the pictures.

CAR IN FRAME

Friedlander traveled the country in a Toyota and took pictures using the car's shape, door, windshield, windows, mirrors as framing devices. All 192 images feature some portion of the the car -- but no image of Friedlander himself.

A salt box house in Alabama, 08.
A suburban lady with dog in Cleveland, 09.
A strip club in Mississippi, 08. (A summary of the roadside sign -- with those old-school plastic letters you have to tack on and off: Hot women, cold beer. W-Sat, 7pm. Girls start dancing at 9 pm. $7 cover. "$7" appears in a different color, suggesting an upped price.)
A house in Mahwah, NJ, 08. Large plastic horse on its roof, and a sign announcing "PIZZA" above the front door.

I visited the gallery to the right first, then second gallery to the left. Lurking over the images, I felt like I was in Friedlander's car, traveling roads and watching America whiz by, frame after quick frame. Road. Families. Gas stations. Churches. Faith, sex, lack of faith, money to get close to sex. Friedlander specifically designed the show -- prints jammed together -- so viewers would be bombarded by multiple images and POVs.

By the time I reached the second gallery to the left, when I saw the driver's seat car door open in one print, passengers leaning into the Toyota, presumably to get closer to Friedlander, I felt relief! Fresh air! I felt like I had leapt out of the car. It's as if the people Friedlander met finally overcame the car as obstacle and just leaned into the open window. They're yearning to make a connection. A real, human connection.

A couple in Colorado lean into the car.
A man in Montana peers into the vehicle.
Three girls lean forward toward the window. Girls, smiles.

The show introduction text describes "America by Car" as a "heartfelt and truly strange" portrait of America. Doesn't that describe the US now? We're supposed to be in a recovery but we're not. America's middle class probably is changing irrevocably as I write this but we're not going to put down our SBUX drinks easily, I tell you.

Of course this is clarity through hindsight but some of the images in 08/09 seem to capture America's last gasp as business-as-usual. The pictures reflect a time, when we didn't have to worry about a double dip, spike in mortgage defaults, mid-term elections and a possible end to the American empire. I can still see the woman with her dog on her plush Cleveland yard. The American dream intact. For now. We're all nervous. So some of us will remain in the car and just look.

DETAILS

"America by Car" runs until November 28. Fridays beginning at 6pm are pay as you wish.

Dusk Near Central Park

2010-09-17T18:25:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

How to Finance Your Film

2010-09-16T09:37:00.008-04:00

Saw this Sept. 14, 2010 item in Variety by Tom Lowry that caught my attention. Hollywood finance types gathered for a confab on the state of film financing and liquidity, two years since the collapse of Lehman in late 2008.

Highlights include:

Heady days of private equity money that marked the last decade are gone, Lowry reports.
With capital markets still recovering = fewer releases.
But of course there was a "to be sure" bull on the panel, Ryan Kavanaugh, founder of Relativity Media. (Here's my earlier post on the global financial meltdown effect on Hollywood.) Kavanaugh says he's seeing interest from new venture funds and rich dudes and ladies, presumably.
In Asia, capital is around but interest seems focused on Asian content.

These bullet points, especially the last one, intrigue me. Sales of DVDS and movie theater tickets are down. Landscape of film financing is changing, in particular, what financiers are looking for.

If Asian entrepreneurs with capital are looking specifically to fund Asian content, that has interesting repercussions for film variety and work for actors. It's like the financiers are saying -- we don't need a release or distribution deal in North America to turn a profit or to reach our other goals, audience-reach or whatever else. The Asian market is lucrative, big enough. Let's hope this changing finance landscape = more kinds of stories in the marketplace. (Another "Resident Evil" film? Come on now.)

In other news, The New School in Manhattan is hosting a university event next week, Sept. 23, 7 p.m. on "Funding Your Feature Film." Have no idea if it's open to the public but passing along the 411.

Panel members include folks in charge of grant money to fund independent films/documentaries:

Tamir Muhammad, director of Tribeca All Access
Ryan Harrington, director of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund
Adella Ladjevardi, grants manager at Cinereach
Yancey Strickler, co-founder of Kickstarter
Moderator: Ingrid Kopp, director of Shooting People

Location:

Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor. And it's FREE!

Last Days of Summer

2010-09-15T16:57:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Window overlooking NYC

2010-09-14T17:57:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

First Generation: New Documentary Preview on AIDS in Romania

2010-09-13T12:02:00.007-04:00

Friend, filmmaker Tina Nguyen has published a preview of a documentary she's been working on for years -- teens coming of age with AIDS in Romania. Plagued by poor, unsafe medical practices, a generation of children in Romania during the '80s found themselves on the frontline of an emerging global AIDS crisis. The Romanian government denied the growing epidemic. Many ill children were abandoned by their families. Follow the teens' brave journey as they grow up in safe houses and come to grip with AIDS/HIV infection.

Click HERE for a preview of FIRST GENERATION, then VOTE for her film. Winning an online video contest will help Tina fund and complete her documentary! Get a cup of coffee, relax, register and watch. It will take a few minutes but it's worth it! You can watch more reality crap later. :D

More New York City Businesses Close Shop

2010-08-31T09:48:00.004-04:00

Crain's this morning reports Barnes & Noble on 66th Street (opposite Lincoln Center) on the UWS will shutter. The reason? High neighborhood rents, a spokeswoman tells Crain's. (I'm sure AMZN, online sales played a factor too.)

Downtown on 8th Avenue in Chelsea, another brick-mortar Blockbuster Video (oops I mean Blockbuster "Media," like that really helped) is going out of business. Rising rents, according to a store clerk. Sacco, a pricey shoe store, and Eros Cafe (a casual neighborhood standby) also recently shuttered on 7th Avenue in Chelsea. From mom-and-pop businesses to chains, seems no retailer is safe in this economy.

TOUGH TIMES FOR BUILDING OWNERS?

Complete speculation here but I wonder how banking woes/tough times among NYC building owners are prompting them to jack up RENTS. Say maybe your lender is stingy in this economy and you can't get credit as a building owner. And say one or two of your tenants can't make the rent -- again. Or maybe you inked a really tricky loan with your lender and now that lender is squeezed (fallout from the whole banking mess, risky loans). Next option: Jack up building tenant rents to cover your bills. This is not looking like a recovery to me.

Brooklyn Bridge

2010-08-18T15:37:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Orange County

2010-08-16T16:30:00.001-04:00

Photography by Heesun Wee, Orange County 2008

Crossing Fifth Avenue

2010-08-16T16:19:00.004-04:00

Photography by Heesun Wee, Spring 2010

Dennis Hopper at MOCA in Los Angeles

2010-08-08T14:52:00.008-04:00

Double Standard, 1961 Dennis Hopper

Aug. 10, 2010 -- Summer is careening forward. A dispatch from LA. Terrific trip. Loads of friends and catching up.

Another highlight: the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) and "Dennis Hopper Double Standard." The show is at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA near Little Tokyo so ensure you're going to the right location. The exhibit runs through Sept. 26.

Ten bucks gets you admission to both museums. So check out Hopper's work at Geffen, then hit the main museum via free shuttle and sit among Rothkos, Rauchenbergs, Jasper Johns and Pollocks. Lovely. The living room in my dreams.

RENAISSANCE MAN

"Double Standard" is the first comprehensive survey exhibition in North America of Hopper's artistic career. First impression: Hopper was true renaissance man and multi-faceted artist. The actor painted, took photographs, made installation art. From his installation pieces to photographs, I could see influences of Rauchenberg to Friedlander. Hopper straddled pop art, films and fine art and had a voracious appetite for art. In contrast, some young Hollywood actors today think referencing an '80s films ("Thelma and Louise"!!) shows depth and breadth. Come on now.

His humor and irony come across too in his art. When you leave the show, notice how a rusty, manufactured wall frames a life-size figurine of Hopper next to a giant green cactus. Perhaps a nod to his fame and now iconic performances in films such as "Easy Rider" and "Hoosiers." Look at me looking at myself, and making art. I couldn't help but smile. Oh Dennis.

MAN OF LA

Hopper also was a man of Los Angeles. His photographs document life in and around LA when towns like Santa Monica and Venice were small beach communities, not the sprawling mega malls and gentrified collection of boutiques today. (Abbott Kinney is a crazy pastiche of home design stores, bums and gourmet food trucks.) Hopper's photos document men hanging out in LA parking lots. Paul Newman enjoying an art show. Jane Fonda looking fabulous and armed with a bow and arrow.

A few years ago I purchased a Hopper book featuring all digital images. I'm not sure the texture in digital photography can emulate traditional print/darkroom work but again, Hopper was pushing the envelope. And he likes women if the book's subject matter was any indication. :D

MOCA vs. LACMA

For those of you keeping up with LA art politics (MOCA vs. LACMA), Vanity Fair has a good roundup of old vs. new art money in the City of Angels. Click here. Did Hopper's work deserve a retrospective at MOCA? Or was the nod to Hollywood the first strike by MOCA's new director, formerly from the (gasp!) gallery world and not academics? You decide.

Now where's that Korean taco truck? ...

You Can Photograph Anything Now*

2010-07-17T11:50:00.006-04:00

Photo Credit: Wolfgang Tillmans**

July 17, 2010 -- My FIRST triathalon is here! Tomorrow, Hudson River, 6:35 am, 31 miles. (It is really annoying NOT being able to drink wine or wear heels right now. I'm a monk girl, sipping Gatorade and munching on carbs. It's not the acts themselves that spark my desire, but someone telling me I can't, should not.)

As I continue my taper regime as instructed by my coaches ... came across a nice FT article this morning on modern photography. The piece includes a review of Cartier-Bresson's "The Modern Century" that's been published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition.

Two fun quotes from the FT piece:

+ TRAVELING CRETINS WITH CAMERAS

FT writer Jackie Wullschlager writes: "Cartier-Bresson, who hated aircraft (“a silly way of traveling, most unintelligent if not unsafe”), was prophetic about how ease of travel would create “generations of little cretins, especially in our line of work."

Can't find the exact quote, but Susan Sontag writes about photography as a way of "certifying experience" in her landmark collection of essays "On Photography." Me in Florence, Buenos Aires. See, I was there! Traveling without photo documentation seems unthinkable. And today I find my desire for fast turnaround even greater. It's not enough to get to a laptop and upload an image to a friend. I want to ship via my mobile ASAP. Look I was JUST here! This can't be healthy.

+ BETWEEN DEGRADATION AND GLAMOUR

German photographer Tillmans on the modern generation (of photographers) where "traveling between degraded and glamorous realities is part of the very momentum of the photographic enterprise." That's why Tillmans sets out to win back photo's authenticity by making any digital manipulations "super obvious."

* Robert Frank, photographer, recent show at NY Metropolitan

**He has a current show on view at London's Serpentine Gallery through Sept. 19. The show spans 20 years of his work; wish I was in London.

Against the Grain: Matisse's Radical Invention

2010-07-16T09:49:00.016-04:00

Henri Matisse, Piano Lesson, 1916

July 16, 2010 -- If you associate French artist Henri Matisse only with bold colors and nude women/bathers holding hands and dancing, you'd be mistaken. And what a shame that'd be.

A satisfying and stunning new exhibit at MOMA, "Matisse: Radical Invention: 1913-1917," explores the artist's full output when he returned from Morroco and left for Nice. During this important period, Matisse laid claim to his groundbreaking representations of reality through inventive use of colors and geometric shapes. His work spanned mediums -- paint, sculpture, printmaking -- as he carved a singular path in modern art, while artists including Braque and Picasso were entrenched in Cubism at the time.

Against the grain

Upon his return to France in 1913 from Morocco, Matisse began to aggressively explore what would become a trademark theme -- the language of color. Think variations of vivid blues. Texture. He wanted the capture the cafe scene/life in Tangier. In a letter to his wife Amelie in 1912, he included sketches of men sitting around, down to small markings (sideways "c's") representing the shoes the men had removed before entering the cafes.

But I really stopped in my tracks when I saw "Portrait of Olga Merson" (1911). Here Matisse wanted to go beyond capturing a cafe scene fixed at one moment in time. Closer examination of "Merson" reveals layers of compositions, changes and scrapings on the canvas. The result is dark lines, shadows hovering around the figure, suggesting time's passage, a sense of growth, of "becoming," as Matisse described.

By seeing the evolution (evidence, if you will) of the portrait in many stages, the viewer is invited to participate in the process, the accumulation of understanding the art -- along with the artist. I suspect few modern videos, film with audio achieve so much two-way communication, a shared sense of experience, so successfully.

Color and shapes

Over time Matisse's palette changed from pastels to blacks and greys amid cool, reductive geometric shapes. (Think "View of Notre-Dame" Matisse wrote the viewer probably wouldn't immediately know what the painting was about. But he didn't mind the ambiguity.)

I found Matisse's still lifes some of the most exciting pieces of the show. Fruit artfully placed on a bowl has been done for centuries. But the way Matisse approached organization ... he sliced a canvas into four quadrants with deftness and confident energy that declares -- this is my new view of reality and organization of it. My modernity.

And again the colors. How he managed a particular shade of luscious yellow to make a lemon truly pop, nearly jump off the canvas. The just-so red of a cherry so you want to reach out and pluck one off the table. Just one. That ripe, purple-brown of a pear.

Matisse also used inventive combinations of white, cream, grey and black -- and varying layers of those paints -- to convey light, as he does with a canvas featuring a bowl of oranges. The layers of white/cream/paint shimmer off the canvas. Light and sun from a glorious day tumbled into a room. On a table with oranges. In a room. In Paris. Before World War I.

Repeat and don't rinse, and do it again

Another item worth underscoring. Matisse repeated and revisited themes and subjects including his iconic images of goldfish in a bowl to dancers and bathers. Images sometimes were repeated, scratched, painted over. Other times he explored in different mediums, sculpture first, then paint. (The show features some lovely sculptures/busts of his wife Amelie, I believe. I was amazed Matisse captured the soft purse of a pair of lips. So lovely, I sighed.)

The point is I was jarred and reminded that art in many ways is about repetition. (I just read Larry McMurtry's memoir "Literary Life: A Second Memoir." He tells his students that sometimes it takes several efforts/stories/books before getting it right. I thought about today's young Hollywood, cough, actresses who are announcing their retirement. Retirement?! From what?!)

From Roberta Smith in the NYT: "Instead 'Matisse: Radical Invention' offers a view of a driven, even tormented Matisse, who second-guessed himself, rethought and reworked his images and often left them looking bracingly fresh and conditional, even unfinished." Smith describes the show as "extraordinary."

Climax

For many, the exhibit highlights will be the major, large pieces -- "Bathers by a River" and one of my favorites "Piano Lesson." I can't get the colors in the later out of my mind. Green, gray, pale blue, pink/salmon.

In "Piano Lesson," Matisse's son Pierre practices the piano. A metronome and candle suggest the passing of time. A green triangle on the left from a terrace window, light streaming in from the garden. And look closely at Pierre's face. Triangles of gray and pink/salmon obscure his left eye. The shapes force you to pause, to think and digest, before letting your eyes sweep past to another portion of the painting. That's Matisse. Pacing your experience of the piece of art. Brilliant.

"Matisse: Radical Invention: 1913-1917" runs through Oct. 11. And good news: MOMA is open until 8:45 p.m. on Thursdays in July and August (and on September 2 and October 7), if you want to avoid the crazy Friday night crowds.

Summer High Line Park

2010-07-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Does the Global Financial Crisis = Dumber Hollywood Movies?

2010-06-21T21:40:00.010-04:00

Sequel, Schmequel Summer 2010

Shall we review what's in theaters? Lets. "Toy Story 3," "Shrek 3" (4?), "Sex in the City II." Meanwhile teens already were lining up on Monday for Thursday's release of the next "Twilight" installment. And Jerry Bruckheimer's "Pirates 4" sequel has begun production. As the NYTimes recently asked, is originality extinct in Hollywood?

Sure the major studios like reliable franchises they can play out on multiple platforms -- theaters, DVD sales, cable, foreign markets. And securing financing for independent films always has been a task for the resilient. Now since the global credit crisis of 2009, securing foreign pre-sales to bankroll production of American films has gotten even more difficult, as writer/journalist Edward Epstein writes in "The Hollywood Economist."

Tough Times for Indie Producers

As Epstein reports:

+ Some banks' balance sheets hurt by bad debt have shut down their financial film units, or are demanding more onerous terms in exchange for financing.

+ Foreign buyers already were experiencing lower DVD revenues as online piracy is allowing many consumers to download a relatively new flick for free via the Internet.

+ And TV stations in Europe faced with budget woes are cutting back on their purchases of movie rights.

The foreign pre-sales route is under fire. Bigger picture, you know change is coming when average consumers like me are turning to Netflix and other outlets to download films via my computer/TV combination -- and bypassing theaters and DVD sales/rentals altogether.

The Waning Wal-Mart Effect?

And Wal-Mart (WMT) -- seller of roughly 1/3 of all DVDs in the US -- must be worried. How interesting that the distribution model for films is on the precipice of a sea change. If studio execs/producers no longer had to worry about whether their stories were PG, mainstream enough and portrayed the right political and moral ethos for Wal-Mart shelves, what other kinds of storytelling would we see besides another "Spider Man" sequel?

Stay tuned.

Happy Spring

2010-06-21T11:36:00.000-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dusk, Looking West

2010-06-15T10:35:00.003-04:00

June 14, 2010, Taken with Blackberry

Is Video Art?

2010-06-15T10:11:00.008-04:00

Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" (see below)

+++++++++++++

The Guggenheim, YouTube and HP are teaming up to discover the art of YouTube videos, the NYT reports. The companies have launched an international search through YouTube Play, a specially branded YouTube channel that will feature the entries. The submission deadline is July 31. Twenty videos will be featured AT the Guggenheim. Click here for YouTube Play -- warning the audio is loud and kinda annoying.

+++++++++++

Speaking of visuals ... The other day I saw Malick's "Days of Heaven." It's a story about transient laborers in the Texas panhandle. With visual nods to Edward Hopper (a favorite) and Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World," the film's cinematography and use of natural light are amazing. IBD says the notoriously private Malick is working on a new love story starring Rachel McAdams, Christian Bale and Javier Bardem.

As online video matures, the expectation for more stunning visuals will only rise. Whether its on a laptop or DVR/TV, I want to be mesmerized visually like I was when I saw Malick's wheat fields bathed in dusk's golden light.

A New Documentary on the Battle of Chosin Reservoir: Just in Time for the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War

2010-06-10T11:23:00.011-04:00

June 10, 2010 -- Ask a marine or any member of the military to recall famous American battles and the short list is likely to include WWII's Iowa Jima and the battle at Chosin Reservoir in 1950 during the Korean War.

While Iwo Jima has been featured in many films including those by Clint Eastwood, there's been decidedly less Hollywood treatment of the Chosin battle. Why?

Some military facts about the battle, and a new related documentary, "Chosin."

+ By the winter of 1950 (the Korean War began in June), the US military was underfunded after World War II. Many of the young men (18 or younger) were under trained and ill-equipped. As one veteran in a new documentary "Chosin" by Brian Iglesias recalls, I had never been to boot camp and learned how to load a gun on the ship heading to South Korea.

+ The number of US forces to Chinese People's Volunteer Army are staggering -- 15,000 American troops to 120,000 Chinese soldiers. You do the math.

+ Not only grossly outnumbered, the Chinese soldiers also were extremely well trained, many of them veterans of previous Chinese conflicts. US military personnel wrongly assumed the Chinese military were just a bunch of "coolies," the veterans explained in the film.

+ During the Chosin battle, more than 4,000 American soldiers were killed and wounded. Seventeen Medals of Honor and 70 Navy Crosses were awarded to the heroes of this campaign, making it one of the most decorated battles in American history.

+ Why now? Filmmaker Iglesias himself is a combat veteran, who was deployed twice to Iraq. After film school, Iglesias said it was only natural he explored the Chosin battle -- one of the most decorated battles in US history. (Iglesias made the comments at the NYC premier of "Chosin" at Symphony Space in NYC last night. The screening was hosted by the Korea Society.)

+ Time is running out. This June 25 marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean conflict and veterans soon will pass away. Iglesias said there was urgency to document veterans' stories -- get their first-hand accounts -- for future generations. The film subsequently was shot in 13 months across the US at veterans' homes. There was lots of free beer offered, which was appreciated, Iglesias said with a laugh.

+ No IDs. Unlike most military films that carefully ID soldiers and their platoons, etc. Iglesias and his team chose not to include banners identifying the men. As Iglesias explained, he couldn't include all the Chosin veterans in his film and thus wanted the film to offer a representative, collective voice of the Chosin battle veterans.

+ Harsh winter. The Chosin battle was also marked by severe temperatures, some 20-30 degrees below freezing. Many soldiers suffered frostbite or damaged internal organs due to the severe cold. Amazingly, US veterans did not receive benefits for those injuries until 40 years after the Korean War's 1953 armistice because those injuries were considered environmental -- not war-related injuries. (WTF??) (North and South Korea technically still are at war.)

Iglesias said when he was interviewing, one veteran couldn't feel a scalding cup of hot coffee in his hands. He kept dropping the cup of coffee.

+ Refugees saved. Finally, the marines not only faught bravely and survived Chosin, they also saved the lives of 98,000 refugees fleeing communist rule in North Korea. More than 1 million Korean descendants are estimated to be living in South Korea today thanks to those marines efforts.

A long story but my family, particularly on my father's side, was helped by American soldiers during the Korean War. I'll never forget what they did nor will my extended family.

"Freedom is not free"

For more details on the documentary, go here.

MOMA: The Modern Century Through a Camera Lens

2010-04-14T08:15:00.006-04:00

Henri Cartier-Bresson is a beloved photographer by many. If you don't know his name you know his iconic images -- for example, a man captured mid-air, jumping over a puddle. A boy proudly holding two bottles of wine for the family dinner. It's vintage Cartier-Bresson, a Frenchman who transformed modern photography with his (1) freeze-frame action approach and (2) elegant patterns -- shadows over city streets, people living life.

A new exhibition at MOMA, "The Modern Century" -- running through June 28 -- offers a satisfying retrospective of Cartier-Bresson's output, the first large look at his work in America in three decades. Armed with a hand-held, 35 mm camera, he traveled the globe decades before it was vogue to be global and international.

(Above image: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Behind the Gare St. Lazare. "There was a plank fence around some repairs behind the Gare Saint-Lazare train station. I happened to be peeking through a gap in the fence with my camera at the moment the man jumped." See Wikipedia for more info.)

Exhibit highlights include a '58 shot of Beijing citizens seeing a TV for the first time. (My late grandmother traveled to China from North Korea to see her first light bulb, a bare little thing hanging in the middle of a room ...) Prostitutes hanging out in a doorway in Mexico, their eyes challenging and judging you in some amazing way, not the other way around.

"TO TRAP LIFE." CB admittedly had little interest in tedious, darkroom print work. Many of his images remained unprinted until his first retrospective at MOMA in 1947. He was too busy and determined to "trap" life with his camera, Cartier-Bresson said, always moving.

PHOTOJOURNALISM. After the World War around 1949, Cartier-Bresson began to embrace a photojournalism style as a way to engage in a changing modern world, the realization that the colonial system wouldn't last forever. Stroll through the MOMA exhibit and it's clear Cartier-Bresson was skeptical about modern life filled with consumerism and little else. The people captured in these post-war photographs have a vacuous quality. A chic French couple discussing a sofa purchase.

But whether pessimistic or upbeat, Cartier-Bresson always was a witness of life and living. He photographed peasants, kings, saints, prostitutes, royal weddings, a poverty-stricken elderly man dragged around a metropolis in a make-shift wooden cart.

The exhibit text makes a great point that despite the huge possibility of such images, themes tipping into sentimentality (oh, Paris in the morning! look poor people!), Cartier-Bresson redeems his images by focusing on details and staying clear of sentimentality. Let the specificity speak for itself.

"It is through living that we discover ourselves, at the same same as we discover the world around us." Cartier-Bresson, 1952. Click here for more information on "Modern Century" at MOMA in NYC.

Night at the Museum: MOMA Picasso

2010-03-28T20:42:00.010-04:00

The Bull, state VII (Le Taureau). December 26, 1945. Lithograph. Composition, Picasso at MOMA.

I never associated Picasso with printmaking so the upcoming MOMA exhibit "Picasso: Themes and Variations" was a lovely surprise. (Click here for exhibit details.) The Spanish painter approached printmaking as a narrative process, layers unfolding. Picasso said he enjoyed printmaking because in contrast in painting, the evolution of a piece disappears on the canvas.

One of the print stars of the show is "Minotauromachy." It features a minotaur, an often used symbol of desire for Picasso.

From dry points to woodcuts, the prints spanned his life from his early days -- and early female muses -- to the tumult and violence leading up to and during the Spanish Civil War. It's no surprise by the end of the World War, Picasso opted for simple prints, near figurines in his work around 1946 (like the bull pictured above). Gone are the iconic, distorted images that we all associate with his landmark "Guernica" painting of 1936. I thought of the word "peace," when I walked through this portion of the exhibit.

MANY MEDIUMS. It was interesting to see Picasso explore and experiment with his themes in different mediums including paintings and printmaking. Made me think about whose to say the modern journalist is JUST a writer. Today's economy demands we have a diverse tool kit.

MANY WOMEN. And if you didn't know already, Picasso had a revolving door of female muses, I could barely keep up. Also, many of the prints were surprisingly charming and domestic. A lover, a ballerina with a bow in her hair. Lovers in Paris. Portraits of his many pets. He was an animal lover.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 30.

Tales from the Triathalon Training Frontline

2010-03-22T16:40:00.004-04:00

[Central park 3/21 Sunday post 4-mile run with Therese..headed to brunch at Landmark..a gorgeous weekend! Photo credit: Heesun Wee, VZ bbery]

Six-mile runs, knee pains, tiger balm and patience. Week 4 of 17. Click here to see my new fundraising page.

2010 Winter Olympics: Ladies Figure-Skating Competition Begins Tuesday Night

2010-02-22T11:37:00.008-05:00

2009 World Champion Kim Yu-na, the first figure skater to break 200 under the new scoring system.

Ladies short program begins 4:30 pm Tues 2/23; Long program Thursday 2/25 5 pm. I'll be scouring the Internet for results as lame-ass NBC will make me wait for tape-delayed coverage. Isn't it, like, um, 2010?? Helllooooo?

Click here for a NYTimes video on Kim.

North Korea Apologizes for Currency Changes? WTF?

2010-02-11T10:22:00.012-05:00

Striker Jong Tae-Se (see story below)

Currency, famine woes.
Under the file of "what's the REAL story here," NYT and several South Korean news orgs this morning report the North Korean govt. has apologized for its recent monetary policy blunder, lifting a ban on using foreign currency. Click HERE for the NYTimes story. In late November, North Korea nixed its old bank notes, the NYT reports. The exchange of 100 to 1 for the new currency essentially wiped out much of the country's private wealth. More broadly, it was a step backwards for democratic market forces trying to gain a a footing in the totalitarian country.

Economic chaos has ensued. From the Times: "In recent weeks, Web sites based in Seoul that collect news from sources inside North Korea have reported starvation in some towns in the North, a protest rally by elderly military veterans and arguments between women and the soldiers trying to shut down markets."

I think the REAL story behind the apology lies somewhere in the graph above. No. Korea doesn't apologize and this back-and-forth about currency makes me concerned about how devastated by famine the country really is. It's some kind of weak white flag aimed at the international community. Whoops. We like market forces, really. Um, give us money and food.

Korean, Japanese? Striker Jong Tae-Se.
Also from the NYT's goal blog, a closer look at Jong Tae-Se, a striker who will play for the North Korean team in this year's World Cup in South Africa. It would be the country's first appearance in the cup since 1966. Click here for the story.

Ethnically Korean and born in Japan, Jong's story reminds me of my parents and others whose identities are stamped by war and the region's history. My mom was born in Japan, raised in North Korea, lived in the South and fled to America after the Korean War. Another aunt had married a Japanese man (then a taboo). Ostracized from her family, she fled with a Catholic missionary group to Brazil = thus part of an Asian immigrant flow to South America.

Escapees from North Korea are haunted by their identities. Some (including my extended family) leave behind sisters, mothers, fathers, who refused to lose ties with the "Dear Leader." If your sister or loved one refused to leave -- and even returned to North Korea -- after a treacherous escape to freedom, would you stay with her or seek your own freedom? Me? I'm an immigrant, born of parents from North Korea and poverty and now living in NYC with a penchant for Murray's bagels and salmon. Who knew?! This is how history shapes lives. The generations-deep legacy of war.

Gonzo Journalist: The Real Deal

2010-01-24T19:47:00.010-05:00

Photo by Jean Chung for the International Herald Tribune

Who is this mild-mannered looking man pictured above? He's chief editor of Daily NK, the top news service reporting on North Korea with embedded journalists north of the 38th parallel. As the NYTimes reports here, DailyNK broke the story about North Korea dramatically devaluing its currency, and essentially cracking down on a nascent free market.

For context, the currency news is disturbing and seems part of a broader trend of cracking down in the north. When I attended a talk at the Korea Society last year, officials noted back-to-back severe winters and a desire to clamp down on any leaks. World food programs cut short. I'm no NK expert but it doesn't take a rock scientist to conclude more crackdown is the outcome of less money, less food.

Haitian Student Filmmakers Document Quake Damage With Flip Cameras

2010-01-24T17:57:00.007-05:00

Cine Institut is Haiti's only film school. When the quake damaged most of their equipment, students were dispatched with Flip video cameras. Below is just a sample of the students documentation post earthquake. You can view more of their videos here on their Vimeo channel. You can also visit them on their FB page.

The NYT tipped me off to the school. Bigger picture though, I'm noticing more storytelling innovation originating outside of traditional newsrooms. Why, why, why? And MEs fret and wonder why those crafty young tech kids are running from newspapers.

"DR Arrives" by Bayard from Ciné Institute on Vimeo.

First snow in nyc this season, happy holidays :)

2009-12-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Edward Burtynsky's Oil: Fossil Fuel Nation

2009-11-22T09:43:00.007-05:00

Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has been documenting the impact of the oil industry for decades. Giant color images of refineries. Gray, black oil fields. Gutted land. From California to Azerbaijan, some of the panoramic shots have been taken from helicopters. You can't help think: this is the price of consuming fossil fuels. Permanently scarred land. I thought about my last visit to South Korea and its national parks, riddled with noodle shops, gift shops, paved sidewalks. America's more pristine national parks indeed are a treasure.

The OIL exhibit at the Hasted Hunt Kraeutler gallery on 24th Street (10th Avenue) runs through Nov 28.

Guggenheim's Kandinsky: What's Your Color?

2009-11-15T10:29:00.008-05:00

How does one become an artist? What triggers the process, especially when your parents aren't artists?

For abstract painter Vasily Kandinsky, son of a Russian tea merchant, two moments as a boy changed his life. 1, viewing Monet's "Haystack" in 1895. Kandinsky was moved by the color and composition. 2, Wagner's music in 1896.

In both instances, Kandinsky realized he could have an emotional response to a piece of art without any knowledge, associations with the subject matter. Thus his life course was set to discover and pursue the transformative power of art.

All this is explored and much more at Guggenheim NY's large, rich retrospective of Kandinsky, a pioneer of abstract art. The exhibit (click here for more info) runs until Jan. 13, 2010 with contributions from the Pompidou in Paris and the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich.

CHEAP SATURDAY NIGHTS

FYI, pay-as-you wish was moved to Saturday nights (from Friday), 5:45 to 7:45 pm. There's usually a iine prior but moves swiftly and your even $1 donation includes the audio tour.

The curators did a beautiful job illustrating Kandinsky's early work and his transition and struggle into more abstract art. Shapes of familiar animals, people, pieces of the landscape become distilled into geometric shapes, lines.

WHAT'S YOUR COLOR?

And always brilliant colors. As my pal Amy at NYology warned me prior about the show, music was a big influence for the artist. Ask yourself, what does red SOUND like? or the color blue? Kandinsky said red sounded deep like a tuba. And yellow? "A disquieting color."

HORSE AND RIDER

The motif of horse and rider was a life-long theme for Kandinsky as he rode since he was a child. The motif symbolized unity and more broadly his battle against traditional aesthetic motifs and materialistic values.

Later in his career Kandinsky's work became more abstract and veered toward geometric shapes. The horse-rider was symbolized by a simple circle; even eventually moving away from the exactitude of a compass and opting to do it free hand. At the height of his abstract period and beyond, Kandinsky's shapes and colors though two dimensional seemed to leap off the canvas into space. Freedom.

"You Got Eyes"

2009-10-10T10:41:00.012-04:00

[Photo credit: Robert Frank, 1955, US 90 en route to Del Rio, Texas; courtesy Hamiltons Gallery, London]

That's how Jack Kerouac described Swiss-American photographer Robert Frank. The famed beat writer went on to write, Frank's photographs are the equivalent of poems on America -- on film.

Big, ambitious shows can disappoint but the NY Met's "Looking In," a look at Frank's "The Americans" series was vivid. (Click here for more exhibition information.)

INTIMATE STYLE, THEMATIC SEQUENCING

It's easy to miss Frank's ground-breaking vision as it's so prevalent today. Frank, who came to the States in '47, helped pioneer an intimate style of photography. Up-close and personal, sometimes the focus is below the subject's torso, slightly off focus, as if Frank didn't even bother to look into the viewfinder and just clicked.

Frank also pushed the thematic sequencing of images, lining up of images to tell a story, something that seems to basic today.

When Frank first came to New York he worked for Harper's Bazaar and other magazines, work he despised. Disillusioned he traveled to Europe and South America including Peru.

I know the show is called "The Americans" but my favorite image was "City of London" '52. It's a shot of men, bankers presumably, walking down a foggy city street. The man in a bowler hat (?) scowls slightly at the camera, as if angered he's been caught in the dirty act of making money. The city's buildings are sharp, looming. I loved it and had to go back to look at it again.

GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP; RETURN TO AMERICA

When Frank returned to the U.S., he applied for and received a Guggenheim Fellowship to capture the expanse of America from '55 to '57. His fellowship letter, drafts, along with letters from friends, supporters including Kerouac are on display as well. (Typed letters with pen edit marks! Ah the days of hand copy-editing. Remember those green visors?) Frank's art colleagues included photographer Walker Evans, who shot "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" that documented white sharecropper families in the South in unflinching closeness.

Side note, the NY Met show features edited contact sheets, with markings by Frank, illuminating his editing process, deciding which images were the strongest. This is a key reason why I think the show was such a success (and what was lacking in other big recent NYC shows like Frank Lloyd Wright at the Guggenheim). Detailed, meaningful curating lets the viewer in on the art-making, editing process. Very tactile experience.

Frank's "The Americans" indeed was the trip of a lifetime. Chinese cemeteries in San Francisco. Crowded Canal Street in New Orleans. A small-town view with smoke from chimney stacks from a hotel in Butte, Montana. A lunch counter in Detroit offering 10c(ent) orange whips to weary-looking blue-collar workers.

ART VS. REAL LIFE?

But there was a price, it seems. At one point Frank in '55 invited his wife Mary and two kids to join him on his epic project.

U.S. 90 en route to Del Rio, Texas. Mary sits inside a car with her child tucked against her, a moment of love, safety. But Frank -- the photographer -- captures the moment outside of the vehicle, the photographer on the outside looking. The curator text says it was the price (the separation) Frank paid for pursuing his art.

"I'm always looking outside trying to look inside, trying to say something that is true..." -- Frank, '85.

The show runs until Jan. 3, 2010; and the museum is open Columbus Day Monday.

Online Video: Raising the Bar

2009-10-05T13:13:00.011-04:00

Location: Iowa City, Iowa.
IMAGE CREDIT: Danny Wilcox Frazier, documentary photographer based in the Midwest. (Frazier spent four years chronicling the devastating economy in his home state. Click here for more info.)

It's fascinating to watch the bar for online video just get higher and higher. Check out a series by Frazier about small-town life in Iowa; a series produced with the help of the MediaStorm project, which recently won an ONA, Online News Association, award. Click here. The "Town Bar" segment is among my favorites.

It's clear Frazier spent quality time with his subjects and gained their trust (and thus incredible access to their private lives) in the tradition of great photographers and journalists. (Think Walker Evans and James Agee.) I laugh when folks want in-depth storytelling in today's budget-conscious, thinly reported blog world. You only get so much from Googling.

The photography, shooting is just amazing.

One wish: I wish the producers had thought to interview the actual migrant laborers for the story, get those different voices in the piece, even if it meant translators and subtitles. This is the value of diverse news talent in general, who speak various languages. Hispanics are outnumbering whites in America's Midwest, and nobody except migrant workers want to do this kind of work -- even for higher wages. Wasn't this the lede?

Pay Model for Media: Seeking the Holy Grail

2009-09-02T10:42:00.007-04:00

Have been surrounded by media shop talk lately with colleagues. Out west, layoffs pending at the SF Chronicle and OC Register down south (their parent will declare chapter 11). And you can't tell me the NYT will continue with business as normal as their stock hovers at seven bucks.

So as hopes for a quick, V-shaped recovery fades and media firms scramble to repair annual revenue numbers, I'm focused on Murdoch, Dow Jones and other media outlets that are dipping their toe in the pay model.

Interesting item from Popular Science that tried the pay model but didn't execute well and has abandoned the project. Pop Science publisher as quoted on mediabistro:

"...he blamed the low response on the buying experience. 'To go in and put in your name, address, credit card number for a 99-cent product they haven’t had before is really a challenge,' he said."

Bad product management, bad user experience. Innovate smartly, or become extinct.

"We're Going Right Back Into the Tank"

2009-08-27T13:58:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite TT guests of all time!

Heesun Wee, TechTicker: When retail expert and all-around economy watcher Howard Davidowitz appeared on Tech Ticker in February declaring the worst was yet to come for the U.S. economy and that Americans' standard of living has changed permanently, our comment boards lit up.

But surely with the latest rally off the March lows, bearish Davidowitz is more bullish, right? Not a chance. Look at your financial history books.

Two of the biggest rallies of more than 40 percent occurred during the Great Depression, says Davidowitz of Davidowitz & Associates,a retail consulting and investment banking firm. "People were sucked in and ultimately were destroyed," he says. It's a warning to today's investors, who are hoping to extend the rally.

Don't get Davidowitz started on the economy or fundamentals. "Barack Obama's numbers have all gone mad," Davidowitz says. The Obama administration recently announced the U.S. budget deficit will be $9 trillion during the next decade; $2 trillion higher than the original forecast.

And, the proposed price tag for health-care reform? "Minimum $3 trillion," Davidowitz says. "One trillion? Are you kidding?"

Stimulus binges? Roller coaster equity performance over years? Stubborn consumers holding out for sales as deflationary pressures loom over the recovery? Sounds like the U.S. economy is turning Japanese, Davidowitz says.

China's Solar Project: Economic Stimulus, the Right Way?

2009-08-25T17:04:00.009-04:00

[Addition on Aug 26: Biz Insider writer debunks the Times' story, click here.]

One of the most popular NYT's stories today is about China's solar energy growth. Click here for the story. Armed with subsidies and in some cases free land, China is outdoing the U.S. in solar production, despite Obama's pledge to go green.

Interesting graph:
Keith Bradsher reports: "Since March, Chinese governments at the national, provincial and even local level have been competing with one another to offer solar companies ever more generous subsidies, including free land, and cash for research and development. State-owned banks are flooding the industry with loans at considerably lower interest rates than available in Europe or the United States."

Construction? Jobs? Banking activity? Federal level down to local provinces? Sounds like a stimulus to me.

Keep in mind despite the appetite for Priuses and going green: 84 percent of all U.S. energy consumed in '08 stemmed from fossil fuels, according to govt. stats. Renewables accounted for 7.4% of consumption. Americans actually consumed MORE nuclear electric power than renewable energy in '08, according to the Energy Information Agency or EIA.

That renewables consumption figure (7.3 quadrillion BTUs to high sixes) essentially has remained flat the last 15 years = a concise summary of America's energy policy.

China: When Business, Politics Collide

2009-08-14T11:51:00.008-04:00

Interesting NYTimes piece this morning from Michael Wines amid fallout from the Rio Tinto arrests that focus on what's considered appropriate business practices in China.

From the NYT's Wines piece: “This is a country in the middle of a big transition in its global role,” said Kenneth Lieberthal, a veteran China analyst now at the Brookings Institution. “They’ve always looked in the past to what’s good for China, and they still do. But for the first time, added to that is the consideration that they’re in the position of being rule-makers, not just rule-takers.”

Click here to view the article.

During my first trip to China in June, I was struck by the region's leaps forward toward capitalism -- but always spiked with a few steps backward as demanded by the party. But despite the rules -- all around me there was a hunger -- for a better life, SBUX, a car, clothes, middle class. The energy is palpable.

This much I know. When businesses or individuals get a taste of freedom, push a boundary and there's no rebound -- it's nearly impossible to forget and retreat. You'll push a little more. And a little more. So businesses will continue to figure things out -- bribes or no bribes? Under, over the table or combination of both to ink the deal? This is the fascinating business experiment going on in the region as I write this.

American College Grads Fleeing for China

2009-08-13T13:05:00.005-04:00

Well, fleeing may be extreme.

But one of the most popular NYTimes stories this week -- American grads finding work in China as U.S. unemployment edges toward double digits. Click here for the story.

NYC's High Line Park

2009-08-04T21:23:00.047-04:00

[See video below]

Aug. 5, 2009 -- No trains have run on the High Line in western Manhattan since the 1930s. The elevated train tracks -- 30 feet into the air -- were designed to remove dangerous trains from street traffic, part of a massive public-private infrastructure project.

Fast forward a few decades. Preservationists and city officials joined forces to turn the area into a public, elevated park, which opened in June.

So go, take a walk. Stop texting/yelling into your mobile a moment -- and enjoy the walk/view, will ya?

It's gorgeous! Make the trek for the flowers, greenery and unique view of the NYC skyline.

It's FREE, and open 7am to 10 pm daily. (Click here for more park info.)

No dogs allowed, sorry. (I didn't make the rules.)

Yes, it's summer and there will be tourists. Be nice to them, we need their $$.

There was a gelato stand around 14th Street, yummy. $3 one scoop, $4 for 2 flavors.

No, you can't drink alcohol on the cute wooden chairs or anywhere else in the park. (Just exit on Gansevoort Street and hit one of the many restaurants/bars including Pastis, a favorite.)

Entrances/access are available at:

Gansevoort Street

14th Street (Elevator access will be available later this summer.)

16th Street (elevator access)

18th Street

20th Street

Head west toward 9th Avenue.

Click here for cool IMAGES from the architect.
Click here for details on public art at the park.

Navy Pilot Capt. Found 18 Years Later

2009-08-02T09:11:00.003-04:00

I'm up, drinking coffee and read this ... The remains of Capt. Speicher, who was shot down in 1991 during the beginning of the first Gulf War have been discovered -- ending the saga of the only American who remained MIA during that war.

Eighteen years. There was speculation he had been captured. I can't begin to imagine what his family has been going through. I reflected on my own family history, families separated by Korea's 38th parallel for 60 years.

The legacy of war.

Click here for the full NYT story.

'Spectacle' in Philadelphia

2009-07-27T11:46:00.008-04:00

[Image credit: Sebastiao Salgado]

My Philly adventure included a stop at the city's museum. (Note first Sundays of the month are pay as you wish. Regular adult admission is $16.) And yes the museum's steps are the Rocky steps, see video below.

Among the museum highlights: The Matisse exhibit runs through Oct. 25 in the Perelman building, located a block away from the main structure. There's a free shuttle that goes back and forth with departures from the back of the main museum.

Matisse moved to the French Riviera or Cote D'azur in 1917. He and others among the Fauvist group pushed the use of non-naturalistic, vivid colors.

+++++++

What I really enjoyed though was Spectacle, a collection of photographs that runs until Sept. 7. It's a small but worthy collection of prints about the desire to look and document. Many name photographers are represented. Henri Cartier-Bresson , Arbus.

My favorite images were by famed photog Sebastiao Salgado, who hails from Brazil. (See top photo) He's known for his epic projects and social issues he documents. One project focuses on hard labor around the world -- including the harsh realities of tuna fishing in Sicily. A few of these samples are on display at the Philadelphia museum. Click here for his bio.