Domesticated at Dashwood

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You can now purchase signed copies of my book, Domesticated, at the great Dashwood Books in New York. There are only a small number left, so hurry down and get while the getting's good.

Bird Breath

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Chilean Tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria)

I find these X-ray films of birds breathing rather hypnotyzing.

Looking for the Perfect Beat

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Marilyn Diptych © Andy Warhol

Over the past month or so an art appropriation perfect storm has been battering the cultural landscape. Richard Prince was sued for his use of Patrick Cariou's Rastafarian photos in his series, Canal Zone, and Sheppard Fairey was sued (and counter-sued) the AP for use of a photograph to create his now iconic Obama poster.

While those two incidents were being debated ad nauseum in the blogosphere, classrooms, and at cocktail parties across the country, the Beastie Boys reissued their landmark album, Paul's Boutique, without a hint of controversy.

Why mention Paul's Boutique?

Because in 1989 the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers created a work that stands as one of the single greatest concentrations of appropriated material in the history of popular culture. When it was first released, Paul's Boutique sent music fans on a decade long mining excavation to undercover the original source of every sample on album. Why the ruckus over Richard Prince and Sheppard Fairey appropriating work and nary a peep about the reissue of a sample-happy classic? Perhaps folks were too busy shaking their rump to muster the moral outrage.

It has been almost 50 years since Andy Warhol first exhibited work created from a publicity photograph of Marylin Monroe. It's been almost 35 years since the fair use doctrine became part of our copyright law. In that time we have seen countless examples of brilliant new work created by borrowing elements of existing material. And, we have seen countless examples of appropriated work fueling new interest and respect for the original artist.

As an artist, I understand the need for unlimited access to inspiration. But, I can also understand the desire to see your work remain as you intended and the potential for anger when someone else claims elements as their own. Which interest should prevail?

In searching for answers to this issue, my husband pointed me to this brilliant video on the history of the Amen Break. The author makes a remarkably compelling case that appropriation and flexible copyright laws are the foundation of cultural innovation.

The Sheep Market

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The Sheep Market is a project by artist/designer Arron Koblin. Arron enlisted thousands of workers on Amazon's Mechanical Turk web service and paid them two cents to "draw a sheep facing to the left." The sheep drawings were collected and printed on collectible stamps. The animated process of each sheep's creation may be viewed here.

UPDATE: Check out Ten Thousand Cents, another Arron Koblin project.

The Noble Beast

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Andrew Bird © Cameron Wittig

All Things Considered just interviewed Andrew Bird about his beautiful new album, Noble Beast. He is a fascinating guy who takes a unique approach to his creative process.

"I've always been obsessed with moss and moose's horns. The number eight, the sort of roundness of the number eight," he says. "The last record I made is a much more, like, pointy, toothy, jagged record. This one I wanted to make a more warm, bubbly, steamy record."

Listen to the interview.

Nicolai Howalt's Car Crash Studies

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© Nicolai Howalt

Nicolai Howalt's new series, Car Crash Studies, is a brutal survey of the violent allure of the automobile. The images speak to our dark romance with car chases, joy rides, and drag races. They are abstruse evidence of the ever present danger that draws you close during the "Chicken Race" scene in Rebel Without a Cause and carries the tension throughout Two-Lane Blacktop.

The reality behind these wrecks is probably more mundane and genuinely tragic than a Hollywood script, but Nicolai renders these images with an abstraction that allows us write our own ending.

If you are in Copenhagen you can see Nicolai's Car Crash Studies at Martin Asbæk Gallery beginning February 20.

Miss Atom 2009

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Alyona Kirsanova, sexy with cooling towers

Via Wired:

"Meet Alyona Kirsanova of Novovoronezh, one of the contestants in Russia's "Miss Atom" 2009. She is 22, works for Novovoronezhatomenergoremont, and loves "enjoying life." Don't you just want to take a dip in the cooling pond with her?"

I am casting my vote for Nicolina, the warrior princess of light water reactors:

Nicolina and her daughters, Stephanie and Faina

Rineke Dijkstra wishes she came upon something so wonderful at the beach.

I Love Gifts in the Mail: Dalton Rooney and Rob Hornstra

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Swans Nest, Brooklyn © Dalton Rooney

Dalton Rooney is a landscape photographer from Brooklyn. Like any wise, young photographer in this turkey burger economy he has taken prints sales directly to the masses with his Print of the Month Club. If you join the club, Dalton will send you a limited edition print each month and cover the cost of shipping. He was kind enough to send me a print of Swans Nest, Brooklyn. The subtle colors and rich textures of this image are beautiful.

© Rob Hornstra

Much has been written about Rob Hornstra's book, 101 Billionaires. Rob just sent me a signed copy and now I know what all the commotion is about. It is a powerful book in conception and execution. It makes me happy when photography is this good.

Ain't Love Grand

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Two Towels © Alec Soth

If you are looking for something to do with your beloved in the City of Brotherly Love, today is the final day to see my Domesticated show at the Print Center.

The Arts Are Stimulating

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Hedy Lamarr pioneered spread-spectrum communication technology

I believe art is its own reward, but that sentiment doesn't seem to win many converts when tough decisions are being made about dwindling economic resources. Michele and Robert Root-Bernstein take a crack at a timely new argument for the instrumental benefits of the arts.

"The fact is that the arts foster innovation. We've just published a study that shows that almost all Nobel laureates in the sciences actively engage in arts as adults. They are twenty-five times as likely as the average scientist to sing, dance, or act; seventeen times as likely to be a visual artist; twelve times more likely to write poetry and literature; eight times more likely to do woodworking or some other craft; four times as likely to be a musician; and twice as likely to be a photographer. Many connect their art to their scientific ability with some riff on Nobel prizewinning physicist Max Planck words: 'The creative scientist needs an artistic imagination.'

Bottom line: Successful scientists and inventors are artistic people. Hobble the arts and you hobble innovation. It's a lesson our legislators need to learn. So feel free to cut and paste this column into a letter to your senators and congressmen, as well as your school representatives, or simply send them a link to this column. One way or another, if we as a society wish to cultivate creativity, the arts MUST be part of the equation!"

But The Good News Is...

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Dad and Patty in the office, last days open, Trainer, Penna © Lisa Kereszi

Lux Interior is dead and my husband is a bit distraught.

But the good news is...

Friend and early mentor, Lisa Kereszi, finally has a Web site. When I teach my class about photographers who have mastered color, I show Lisa's work.

Sarah Sudhoff has made the Texas to New York trek this week so she can attend the opening tonight of Hysteria: Past yet Present at Rutgers University. Sarah's work will be featured prominently in this group show that explores "hysteria in relation to gender construction, feminine identity and pathologization, and sheer physical form given to the condition in the imagination of artists." If you are in the Newark area you should definitely come out for the opening.

The Life of Christ in Cats

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Via Feministe.

Colbert 'Nails' Amtrak Photographer

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Andy Guthrie In Lyon

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Andy Guthrie is a brilliant singer, songwriter, composer, pianist and guitarist. His last album, Milk and Waste, was one of the best albums released in 2005 and is still in heavy rotation in my house. His forthcoming album, Andy Guthrie In Lyon, features twelve mostly new tracks recorded live in France in 2008. Lucky for everyone you can listen to the whole album streaming now on Andy's site.

The Stefan Ruiz Connection

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La Paz, Bolivia © Stefan Ruiz

Jen Bekman's latest 20x200 photographic offering is two brilliant prints by Stefan Ruiz. You would be have to be a fool not to jump on these beautiful and extremely reasonably priced photographs. And, since you are reading my blog, I know you are not a fool.

Seeing Stefan Ruiz's name on 20x200 prompted an it's-a-small-world-after-all moment for me. He is among a handful of artists who have been asked to lead an intensive three day workshop in Mexico City put on by Tóxico Cultura. Tóxico has staged workshops by giants like Stefan Sagmeister, Martin Parr, Christoffer Boe and, this June, Amy Stein. Crazy, eh? I have a lot of questions for Stefan.