Tuesday, December 30, 2008

auld lang syne

When I lived in Denver, my apt/studio was very near one of the city's drunk tanks. The facility sat behind my place, in the same block and offered no shortage of amusements in my six years there. When I first moved in I was puzzled by the human sized dog catcher's truck that constantly pulled into the alley adjacent to my building. Eventually, the truck was upgraded to one that had six or eight individual cells in the cargo box, each with its own private door. In the early days of my residency, there were still relatively few folks who called the neighborhood home, and given its proximity to downtown, the coming of evening saw a mini exodus of peoples from the area. There were nights (particulary Fridays) when the scene took on the semblance of a zombie flick with inebriants making there way from points unknown to this central point as if called by some unknown beacon. One of my initial vivid memories of the area came on a walk to the nearby grocery store. One individual, propped up by a no parking sign had a very apocolyptic character. Bent at the waist (almost at 90 degrees), the top of his shoulder met the sign in such away that body and pole took on the appearance of a lower case 'h'. His arms hung straight to the ground. It was so weird. So very "Dawn of the Dead." He was one of the undead - on his way, but he needed just a wee rest before making it those last two blocks.
Those were good times, there on 11th Ave.
The photo above is from that time and I found it recently, thinking it a suitable New Year's Eve missive. I imagine the dumpster belonged to another apartment building on the block - which in and of itself would seem an excessive amount of beer boxes (not that the dumpster is completely full of Corona boxes. The fact that this dumpster sat in very close proximity to the drunk tank's back door put the scene over the top.
I have not explanation for this occurance. Perhaps it wasn't from some frat house apt, but an assertive hair of the dog treatment for the dt'ers.
Good Times. Happy New Year.

Monday, December 29, 2008

"Art" as poor imitation of life

I'm currently wrapping up my Christmas sojourn in great plains country. Making my way out here last week, I was struck by the proliferation of windmill turbines in western Iowa. I find their presence to be elegant. These turbines were not moving when I passed by. The pairings of these towers share certain characteristics with Jonathan Borofsky's dancers sculpture in Denver; they're towering, slender and white. The shared qualities, however, end with those basic elements. The self concious artsy-ness of Borofsky's representation of dance/movement renders the work lame while the stately and graceful turbines, even when still, speak to the potential of motion, implicating the whole of the Earth's invisible breath in their raison d'etre. These fine, utilitarian forms demonstrate what the Borofsky might have been: strong, rythmic, and profound in their presence.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Oh Christmas Thing 2008


The Christmas season is waning. Though not at home right now, before leaving I snapped a few photos of this year's version of the Christmas Thing(s).
Not particularly adventurous, these quick contraptions were destined for more development......which never happened......exhibit the ad hoc sloppiness inherint in so much of the Christmas aesthetic. I fully expect next year's Christmas Thing to be distinguished in its removal from the typical seasonal look. Studio 360 solicited a proposal for a redesign of xmas which illuminated some of my original, and has me thinking of a much more concious and provocative offering for next year.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Website redux

If you've been directed here looking for my main website, , www.christopheralbert.com, I'm trying out a new platform for it and I expect to have the in-progress site back up later this week.

Stay tuned.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Weather Report

We received the first significant snow of the season this weekend. Matt Hereford's Cairn/barometer indicates the presence of snow.
My crappy nature painting takes on a quaint flocking making it merry.
Peter's sculpture in the present climate above, and back in July when the
lilies made their response.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Synchronous found sculpture

I had to make a quick run into the city on Sunday morning to pick up some paintings, and I found this little cardboard and packing tape 'sculpture' on the street. It didn't smell like urine, so I thought it was good to go. The tape has a funky yellow hue that was just odd enough to catch my eye. It seemed a fortuitous find as for several days prior, I was laminating a stack of cardboard for use in a piece. My laminated stack is sitting in the background.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

PS 122 Gallery Benefit Exhibit

Genesis 29, 2007.


Genesis 29 is my contribution to PS 122 Gallery's annual benefit exhibition which opens on December 13. All the work in the exhibit - 150 artists worth - is priced at $122. This should prove to be a
a great opportunity to pick up some artwork and a ridiculously low price. The proceeds will, of course, benefit PS 122 Gallery, which is located at 150 First Ave in NYC.
There will an opening reception on the 13th from 5-7, and the exhbit will be on view for one week, through Dec. 21.