Going to the gym early helped me a bit. I got there at 8:20 and upped my cardio to 1:15, did weights and machines, and managed to get back by 10:30. Had a lot of planned for the studio, but did not get to do too much of it until the afternoon. The time between gym and lunch was spent making hotel reservations for the trip back home (it is weird to think the end is indeed near). After lunch, with Ellen and Aimee, later joined by Amy and Myriel (Cobi went to Colorado to visit family for the weekend, Ellen was not feeling well, the studio was extremely empty), I got back into the studio and redid the drawing that was wrong, the T for typo drawing (which will now become my official donation to the institute at the end of this residency - lucky them, it is a beauty). Went to Aimee's studio, and we decided to have some of the left-over ice cream from the brownie night. Ellen joined us and together we polished the container, while a little girl from the art camp ogled at us and we ogled her camp counselor (too young for any one of us, rumored to be stinky albeit cute).
It was then, around 3 pm, that I had the brilliant idea to walk to Smith's (to offset the ice cream extravaganza), and get some stuff for dinner. It was probably close to 90 degrees. Grabbed my hat, sunglasses, water bottle, and tote bag, and decided to walk the long way there (instead of awkwardly jumping over the 4.5 feet tall wall). Halfway there I realized how hot the day was, to the point that my water was getting warm. I did get a random compliment on my hat by some gangsta dude driving an old car (which made me reconsider once again if walking was the best idea - because Santa Fe is so small, one thinks it is so safe, which probably is). Finally got to the store and the cooling inside helped. Got my stuff and walked out. Considered jumping the wall, but was not even sure how to get there (I now think one has to walk south of the store, and not north as I did), so took the long walk back again. By the time I got back I was in full overheat mode, so I put my stuff in the fridge, got some cooler water (there is no cold water in the institute, just room temp, and no freezer in the kitchen, so no ice cubes), and went to my room to take a nap. Stayed in the room until almost 5 pm, feeling like complete crap (it was probably 85 degrees inside, even with a fan). I then understood what everyone else was feeling (Marisa had written saying she was not feeling well either). I was so overheated that getting up to wet my face was difficult, it was the weirdest sensation. Drank tons of water, went back to bed for a bit and then got the energy to get up and get out of the room. Ran into Aimee and talked about going to Currents 2012 (everyone bailed out but her), ran into Marisa, who said she was a maybe, and then into the studio to work on some small paintings (got two sort of done by 6:30 pm). Went to Aimee's studio to wash my brushes, we both walked to the kitchen and ran into Marisa and prepped our dinners (I had toast with humus, and an arugula/tomato/mushroom salad). Ellen joined us once again, she even brought us some strawberries, which was nice. The evening was beautiful, we all felt like we were at the beach, or a cruise, sitting by the shade, enjoying the breeze.
We convinced Marisa to come along, just for an hour, and off we went to the Currents 2012, at the El Museo in the Railyard district. The sun was setting, as we drove there, and we all realized that we all had not seen many sunsets there, because we are always cooped up in the institute. We found a parking spot right away (surprise surprise, not a lot of people out), and after getting a bit lost, walked our way there. We meandered through the buildings, ran into the studio place Marisa take dance classes, and acknowledged how beautifu New Mexico was, nature-wise, even if ridden with strip malls.
Currents was housed in this mid sized warehouse, or train depot, right by the train tracks. There were some videos being projected on the side of the building, but it was too light still (around 8:15 pm) for any of it to be seen (they had crappy projectors, not suited for outdoors projection), so we went inside the building, which was filled mostly with video installations. One piece, centrally located, was titled eState Sale, by Hillerbrand+Magsaman, was the most fetching piece. Looking at the list of artists now, I recognize a few names, such as Max Almy and David Stout (the first an artist I use in class some times, and the second an acquaintance from the New Media Caucus). Almy's work I do not remember seeing, David's for sure, as he had a beautifully installed room. As we entered the space, I heard a familiar voice calling my name, and turning around I see Rachel Clark, a fellow board member at the New Media Caucus. We all chatted a bit and I told her to come see me at the institute before she leaves town (she was curious about it). It is a small media world. We all went on different directions, and I ran into Cris and Annica, who finally finished their piece installation. We briefly talked and off I went to explore the exhibition. It was very difficult to take pictures, as it was all so dark, but I managed some video footage. Ran into Aimee, and together we walked to Rachel's piece (a very simple but interesting video piece, and eventually Marisa found us there, and the three of us sat on the little couch and watched it for a while. I decided then and there that I'd come back on my own to see the stuff in my own time, as the whole thing was a bit overwhelming and disorienting for people not used to this kind of art exhibit. The event overall was pretty cool, and I hope/imagine in some years they'll get proper funding and better exposure (as it was full/busy in attendance for Santa Fe, but empty for Detroit standards - maybe we should start something like that there?).
It was dark by the time we walked out, but now the video projections were visible now, and some interesting stuff were shown, most fetching to me was a three-channel piece that was narrative and synchronized. It was difficult to experience it though, because the place was super dark and still the projection, too dim. I remember one moment though, when a young man was walking in the woods, right to left, and at the same time a man walked in front of the projection (you had to do so if you were on that side of the tracks to go to the museum), almost in unison. Magic moments like that stick with you.
We got to a point in the Railyard where a DJ was spinning outdoors, and some people dancing. We acknowledged that just leaving the compound (aka institute) made us feel better, and the breezy night felt really good too. We randomly decided to drive to the Rouge Cat, as it was Pride night, and have one drink if it the cover was not too high. Using Aimee's GPS, we got there in no time and found the perfect parking spot. The cover was reasonable, but the drinks totally expensive ($7.50 for a vodka tonic). The bartender started nice and ended up being a jerk, Aimee commented that some complaints on Yelp were similar. We sat at the bar and we got a chance to talk about personal stuff. It was nice seeing Aimee and Marisa (and myself, for that matter) opening up to one another, specially since they will be together another month (and I want them to have someone to talk to when the new group arrives, so maybe now they'll have each other?). The Rouge Cat, for lack of a better explanation, looked like a brand new apartment, with new carpeting and a granite bar that looked like a B grade kitchen countertop. Everything looked new and artificial and clean, which is nice, but a part of me wished that was a bit of a dive bar in it. It was very small, and the crowd seemed varied (mostly ladies, mostly 30s to 50s), which was refreshing. While people were not outwardly friendly (I'd say shy), they were definitely polite. In the lower level they have the dance floor, with a live DJ playing your average gay club fare (though I'd not really know as I have not been to one in ages). I'd describe the lower level as a very nicely finished Michigan party basement. We saw a young man (the crowd there was younger, mostly 20s and 30s), who outside had asked us for a light, awkwardly dancing shirtless on a stripper pole by the mirrored wall, and I admired his lack of self-consciousness that comes from being young (as he was neither a good pole dancer or in great shape). We found a seat for Aimee (her foot not completely healed yet) and Marisa and I danced for a few songs. Agnes showed up, out of nowhere, and joined us for a bit, but we were ready to leave, so we left and headed back to the institute. I hope the better level of energy continues through this day.
- posted via iPad
Location:Cerrillos Rd,Santa Fe,United States
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