The Lardner Report

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Graffiti — Art, Crime, or Both?

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(Pic #1) Stunning wall of distressed doors and windows from Brazil — “Art In The Streets” – MOCA

New exhibit demands our attention.

The debate is raging in Los Angeles right now, where the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporay Art has launched a comprehensive, controversial exhibition called “Art In The Streets,” which will remain open through August 8th. That should give you plenty of time to judge for yourself on how the exhibit – showcasing 50 world-famous graffiti artists’ life work – should be defined, or positioned in art history. Check out this small sampling, and  then get downtown.

Calligraphic installation by “Retna” named after a Wu-Tang Clan song (aka Los Angeles-based artist Marquis Lewis)

"Cosmic Cavern" neon installation by Kenny Scharf

Mister Cartoon's "International Ice Cream Truck" 2010

Paper installation by "Swoon"

Street art by "Andre" extends into Geffen Ladies' Room. "Anabelle" said to be his GF.

Installation in a dark corner by "Neckface" considered "the scariest" in the exhibition.

Henry Chalfont documents subway car art -- "a way to overcome our faceless anonymity."

Painting by Dondi White - "Born Again" (1986)

Los Angeles street art pioneer Chaz Bojorquez

"Pissing dog" installation by Banksy

Banksy wall sculpture - fine print on bottom says: "...to the nearest art dealer."

Banksy enlisted the help of 8th and 9th graders at City of Angels School for his floor-to-ceiling "Stained Glass Window."

Vibrant abstraction by "Futura" (Leonard McGurr)

An authentic urban voice

Personally, I find this kind of raw visual ambien expression packed with high energy and substance.  It reminds me that so much great art comes from unexpected places. Our culture would never be as diverse or as rich if it were not for the countless new voices from the inner city — showcasing themselves through rap, poetry and dance.  MOCA’s street art show, much like rap, allows for those authentic voices to be heard in a public forum.

However — Saying the MOCA show “glorifies graffiti,” the L.A.P.D. and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department both report that instances of vandalism are up in the surrounding area, Little Tokyo.

But MOCA Director, Jeffrey Deitch says the LAPD is overreacting and that the “anarchy” displayed by the street art subculture was to be expected. He also reminds street art critics that MOCA is cleaning up after the renegade artists.

Censorship or Sensitivity?

In the meantime, Deitch has done some “cleaning up” of his own. The former NY art dealer ordered a $13,000 museum-commissioned mural by Italian street artist “Blu” white-washed off the side of his own building.

A brief appearance: Anti-war mural by Blu, white-washed by MOCA

The anti-war image (seen at right) pictures a line of coffins covered in dollar bills. Critics call the white-wash “censorship.” Deitch calls it being sensitive to the neighborhood, home to a Veterans’ hospital and a war memorial to Japanese-American soldiers. The work, therefore, was considered “inappropriate.” And it’s gone.

The irony is obvious. As the L.A.Times points out—Street art is inherently “fugitive by nature, and vulnerable to being destroyed by angry shopkeepers who just don’t appreciate the creativity.” But here, the same museum that commissioned the radical work — also wiped it out. Apparently, Deitch had not asked to see a sketch.

Now that’s art.

 

 

“Barbie Cam” – Big Hit On Campus

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(Pic #1) Capture what Barbie sees — with “Video Girl”

Mattel’s new “Video Girl”  enthusiastically embraced by UCLA Film School –  in its first annual Barbie Film Festival

(Pic #2) “X-ray” Barbie — inside a pop icon. TSA, eat your heart out.

This is a story about a great marketing idea and the completely unexpected ways it can go viral.  More on that in a moment, but first a little background:

Mattel recently launched the new “Barbie Video Girl” doll targeted for girls ages 6 – 10. A toy designed for girls to tell stories through Barbie’s eyes  — uh, rather, chest. At least that’s where you’ll find the miniature lens and all the necessary recording tools in the iconic bombshell.

Check out Barbie’s “specs”  to the left.  Mattel designers cleverly conceal a digital camera inside  her necklace — and an LCD video screen on her back (above) that allows a little moviemaker to record and view movies instantly. The doll includes a USB plug-in cord, and is Windows-and Mac-compatible. Her batteries are built into her sleek supermodel thighs.

(Pic #3) Video Girl’s “necklace cam”

According to the Director of Marketing for Barbie, Rosie O’Neill, the idea emerged out of a brainstorm session where Mattel’s most creative minds “mashed two ideas together” — just because. They had also noticed on YouTube, that there were countless examples of “Barbie at play” videos, and Mattel needed to ask “how can we enhance their storytelling?” The company’s Product Design and Engineering teams made it happen. “Video Girl” was born. Bottom line, says O’Neill — “Video Girl is a fun tool to inspire girls to become filmmakers.”

Apparently the plan worked. Girls as young as 6 are entering their own short films in a Barbie video contest on line, and learning to edit their films on downloadable Barbie software.

Here’s where the unexpected part comes in.  Amused by the new product, a visual artist named Brandon Bloch posts on YouTube a tongue-in-cheek review, comparing  the high-end Canon 7D digital SLR (retail price $1800.00) with the high-concept Barbie Cam (retail price $50.00).  That caught the eye of UCLA Professor/cinematographer Tom Denove,  who also vice chairs the Department of Film, TV, and Digital Media at the school. His reaction was simple “Let’s get Barbie Cams for our students and staff.”

Next stop: Toys R Us.

Tom bolted buy ambien online over to the nearest toy store to evaluate the merchandise. Would the camera really work? Could his students make decent short films with a Barbie Doll? He began to “inspect” the doll’s parts in the store, and had to field questions from onlookers. “It was weird” said DeNove — “I had to shout back — It’s okay, I’m a cameraman!” He tested  the camera, and it worked. While he said the resolution wasn’t great, it would be an important lesson for his young directors to learn — “It’s not about the equipment. It’s what you do with the story.” He then called Mattel to see if the the company would sponsor his idea for a Barbie  Film Festival.  Mattel jumped on board — and agreed there would be no censoring of content.

The task was simple: Students had one week to produce and direct their 2-minute films on any subject they wanted — but they had to be shot with a Barbie cam. Typically, with a fast assignment like this, “they stress out.” But with “Video Girl,” he said, “they were totally into it.” The affable prof said he sensed that the task “brought out the kid in all of them.”

The films covered all the genres…horror, comedy, animation, and “Barbie Noir.”

(Pic #4) Spotted!

I saw all 31 entries. They were refreshingly good. I never know what awaits me in the theater –especially when the event is billed as “The First Annual” anything. But Barbie pulled through.  Doesn’t she look proud sitting in the seat  across from me? (Pic #4). To her left there, is Scottie Bookman, who directed her in a short called  “A Barbie For All Of Us” — which won the festival’s “Barbie Bruin Spirit Award” that night.

Check out the festival’s Best Comedy — “Audition For Barbie” —  directed by MFA Director/Cinematographer Judy Phu.  It’s a slice of everyday Hollywood casting, where this time, the auditioning actor (Justin Wescoat Sanders) is asked to play a scene opposite an actress who comes off  — “a little plastic.”

Click here to view clips from the UCLA Barbie Film Festival shorts.

This just in: Mattel Inc. reported its quarterly global sales of Barbie products UP 14 %.  This is the first time the Barbie brand has had double-digit sales growth in the first quarter since 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fearlessness: Tips Kids Already Know

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How one young Apple customer rocked a store and the internet

Trevor Michael is one of the latest YouTube sensations racking up over 2 million viewers by just being Trevor. He’s a 12-year old Temecula California boy who frequents “as many Apple Stores as he can” to make dance videos. He has his own YouTube channel and thousands of enthusiastic comments from fans who praise him with words like “EPIC.”

In the video above, the pre-teen from So-Cal energetically lip syncs the pop hit “Check it Out” by will.i.am
 — featuring Nicki Minaj. He’s completely oblivious to the world around him, but manages to re-set the camera, stay in the shot, and glide effortlessly through the crowded store aisles.

How does he pull it off? Surrounded by a storefull of strangers and Apple employees—Trevor is nonplussed. He is focused on the music—and his passion for pure expression—no matter what others think.

Professor Jeff Nelsen of Indiana University may not have known Trevor when he wrote ‘Ten Tips On Becoming  Fearless” but he probably could have saved some time on research by watching the young cyber-star at work. The author describes “fearlessness” as “a mental state of complete faith in the moment at hand and any task ahead.”

Why are kids so fearless?

Kids play in the present. They have no fear of consequences. No fear of failure. We can learn from that—and we can consider these tips from Professor Nelsen– whether you perform on stage, on a playing field, or in a corporate boardroom, you can use these methods to replace your nerves:

Tip #1:

“Flawlessness” is not the primary goal. An error-free performance is not the ultimate test of your abilities, Nelsen says, “What makes a performer good is that he or she is human, and brings to the art something more than what is written on the page. Otherwise computers would be doing all the recordings.”

Tip #2:

Believe the audience is rooting for you. When it comes time to perform, “Don’t choose the mental trap of thinking they’re waiting for you to mess up,” Nelsen said. “Instead, choose to believe the audience wants you to do well. Whether they really do or not, thinking they are a supportive group of listeners can constructively affect your performance.”

Tip #3:

Sell the story, not yourself. Rather than aiming to showcase your talents, allow your enthusiasm to infect the audience. Nelsen warns that you may want the audience to love you, but instead –“make them an audience that loves what you love.” This requires a constant effort to stay focused on what you are doing, not how you are being perceived. “It’s about now. Now. Now.”