+ My photos are still up at Arario Gallery in Irrelevant until the Saturday after next: August 6th. There’s also an Art Walk in Chelsea tomorrow night (29th) where twenty-five galleries have teamed up to combat usual summer-gallery-sluggishness with a night of performances, events, food and drink.
+ I’m curating the next Pictory showcase, with the theme Bodies of Water. Submit a photo, with a caption or little story till August 11th. Really looking forward to see what comes in.
+ Got to shoot a super neat TBA project with Lena Corwin and Caitlin Mociun … excited to share photos in coming months.

More soon on thoughts + adventures from abroad.

Arario Gallery
521 W. 25th Street 2nd Floor
On view: July 1st – August 6th, 2010

You can read lots more about the exhibition on ArtCat and Stacy put up a nice write-up about my work + the exhibit over on the 20×200 blog. Hope to see you at the opening!

There, you can get:
Winter Flags (East Village, New York):
10″x8″ edition of 200 ($2016)
14″x11″ edition of 500 ($5040)
20″x16″ edition of 20 ($200160)
30″x24″ edition of 10 ($1,000800)

Salmon Hole (Chico, California):
11″x14″ edition of 500 ($5040)
16″x20″ edition of 20 ($200160)
24″x30″ edition of 10 ($1,000800)

And, let me just point you to a few of my favorites: Ringside by Jason Burch, Fourth of July #2, Independence, Missouri by Mike Sinclair and Recollection of the Battles Fought Maintaining the Home Front by Colin Blakely.

Have a great weekend. We’re headed to two weddings, one in New York and another in Boston.

A few to share:
+ The cutest polka dot balloons
+ Banners for draping across an altar, doorway or between trees.
+ Easy ice cream sandwiches wrapped up and tied with twine
+ Beautiful little cloud cookies for eating or looking at
+ Vintage plant leaf prints for stamping on napkins or tablecloths or totebags
+ Hand-strung free-form confetti by Confetti System

Back soon.

Way back in April of 2007, Jen Bekman emailed and asked me to participate on “a little new project” she was working on with Raul & David called 20×200. I had the good fortune of releasing the first photo ever on the site that September, which was able to bring my images to audiences much further and wider than I could have ever anticipated. Who knew that three years later, I’d be part of the awesome (awesome!) 20×200 team and have the opportunity to release a second photograph on the site.

My new edition will come out this Wednesday, February 24th and if you’re interested in picking up one of my prints and hearing what Jen has to say about my work, then make sure you’re on the 20×200 mailing list before noon or so on Wednesday.

My photo aside, if you haven’t perused 20×200 before, there is some REALLY. GREAT. ART. on there, much of which I covet. Some of my recent favorites include:

VHS by Hollis Brown Thornton
offset #29, New York by Lacey Terrell
Dandelion Clotheline, Santiago, Chile by William Lamson

If you do pick up one of my prints and it makes it up on your wall, please send a photo to mail(at)youngna(dot)com; I’d love to see it up.

After a long drive Friday night, we arrived to watch the un-momentous finale of the Olympics, then woke up Saturday and headed off on our own Nordic adventure at the cross-country ski center my family has visited for the last twenty years in the humble village of Benson, New York. The “resort,” that centers around a tiny lodge with a wood burning fireplace and two worn and weathered leather couches perfect for a post-aerobic pass-out, is owned by a former Finnish Olympian–Olavi–and his family.

Jacob and friend Viki were first-time cross-country skiers, so we headed out on Lake Trail, the flattest of treks that ends in an alcove that juts out to a private lake. The lake was frozen, ice inches deep, casting an undoubtedly opaque surface on which to explore. Four of us headed across the lake–perhaps a mile wide and surrounded on 350 degrees by pine trees in myriad shades of idyllic forest green. Two thirds the way across the lake we turned around to return to shore, realizing we were the lone souls left gliding across the snow-speckled ice. Jacob beckoned for me to pause and enjoy the view while it remained unadulterated for this one short moment.

Sam and Viki continued to ski on towards hard ground while Jacob stopped to “take off his sweater,” and then his skis (much to my confusion), and then turned in my direction, and confidently and gently asked me to marry him. Out came the ring, I cried and exclaimed “I can’t believe it” five or six times, uttered a “yes” at some point, then fumbled to get my gloves off. We hugged and we kissed — and occasionally, a skier would pass, letting us revel in what was an apparent celebration. After 10 minutes we clumsily skied our way back to our friends at the shore, then back to the lodge to greet my informed-and-smiling parents.

We spent the rest of the day skiing through the woods, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream in 10 degree weather, observing this magnificent sunset, sipping champagne in front of the fireplace and playing round after round of Bananagrams until we dissolved into an elated stupor. The thrill of it hasn’t at all started to wane, and even as it inevitably will, if what has passed is only as good as what’s to come, i’m beyond excited to be part of it.

p.s. CONGRATULATIONS KATIE + WILL + BABY RUBY!!!

1 head cauliflower
1 cup of pearl barley
1 small red onion
1 lb kale, cut into small strips
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 lb Greek feta
1/2 lemon or lime
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp plain greek yogurt (I like fage)
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
cumin
cayenne pepper
chili pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut cauliflower into small pieces. Add salt + pepper to taste + 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toss and roast for 30 minutes, tossing once.

Meanwhile, boil 1 1/2 cups barley in 3 cups water with pinch of salt, teaspoon of cumin for 1 hour, then cool for 20 minutes.

Finely dice red onion. Put in a big bowl. Add the roasted, cooled cauliflower.

In a separate saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil, garlic. Add chopped kale, pinch of chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Toss for 2-3 minutes until slightly wilted. Add to cauliflower and onions.

In a separate bowl, make dressing. Mix together: vinegar, yogurt, pinch of cayenne, salt + pepper to taste, 2 Tbsp tahini and the juice of half a lemon/lime. Slowly add 1/4 cup of olive oil until emulsified and thick.

Add cooled barley to kale + cauliflower, onions. Toast pine nuts in a pan and add. Once salad has cooled, add crumbled feta + dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy. Watch Saints win.

However, since Wednesday I’ve come to the conclusion just like trying to resolve national health care (kid-ding!), there’s just no one solution to this semantic quandary and people fall along all points of the spectrum. I’ve broken down the differentiating views on the seltzer/carbonated water/soda debate for you here below:

Whether you believe seltzer is soda seems to come down to:
+ whether you believe carbonation is the foundation for soda
+ whether you believe any canned beverage is soda
+ whether you believe carbonated beverages are either beer or soda
+ whether you look up “carbonated water” or “soda water” in wikipedia
+ whether you believe carbonated water can both be part of soda AND soda at the same time
+ whether or not you are David Yee
+ whether a beverage with zero sodium, carbs or calories can be anything but a variation on water
+ whether or not you’re from Texas
+ whether or not you believe in the Principle of Identity Indiscernibles

Winter storm’s a-comin’. Enjoy the weekend.

I haven’t been writing here very often*, in large part because I’m spending a lot of energy in a Soho office loft with lots of smart people working on art-related stuffs like 20×200. Today we’re releasing two prints from Mr. Wegman, and I can only highly recommend that you sign up for the 20×200 mailing list — the prints will be released there first at 11 a.m. (EST) — (an hour before they hit the site). I have the feeling they will fly fast, so consider this warning (on very short notice).

*resolving to change this!

Head to Kill Devil Hill in Greenpoint, Brooklyn today from 3-9 p.m. for the launch of Subports’ new Portal sites. (170 Franklin St., Brooklyn, NY 11222 — near Java St.)

Refreshments by Kill Devil Mark | Baked Goods and Snacks by Krupnick&Park (that’s me + Jacob!)*| Vinyl Snacks by Other Music

More info right here.

*We’ve got homemade rocky road bars, chocolate covered salted cashew rice krispy treats and cranberry jalepeno chutney for sale!

This year Jacob proposed our families meet on Thanksgiving, in Brooklyn, at our apartment. At first the idea seemed foreign—not the challenge of cooking a massive turkey or preparing enough side dishes or even the logistics of the seating arrangement or the fact that our siblings/parents would be meeting in-person for the first time over the course of a 10-hour afternoon. No, none of that was as stressful as my ache for the sentiment of routine—of leaving the city, heading to quiet, leaves-and-dew-covered yards, sleeping in my uncomfortable and perpetually creaky childhood bed, preparing and eating the large and celebratory holiday meal and then enjoying the lethargic worry-free days that would inevitably follow.

But, after some consideration and nudging and poking and gentle reminders that tradition is not lost just because it skips a year, we had Thanksgiving at our apartment, on a bizarrely warm and sunny November day here in New York, with a morning visit to The Meat Hook and a 1 p.m. jog up Franklin Avenue. My mom chopped purple carrots and parsnips and celery and onions into a fine dice even before I’d arrived home from work on Wednesday, and had come with an enormous pot of split pea soup and tupperwares full of salads and Korean food for reheating for dinner on Wednesday night so we wouldn’t have to fret about night-before-big-food-holiday-dinner. And then, my parents woke at 5 a.m. to assure the tenderness of the 22 lb. turkey cooking overnight at 270 degrees so that at breakfast-time the smell of perfectly browned bird was already divine. So, by the time my brothers arrived with homemade potato skins and pecan pie and bottles of wine and loaves of bread and Jacob’s family arrived with salad and cheese plates and more wine and candles and flowers…all of which added to the dishes upon dishes of vegetables and desserts we’d prepared ourselves, it simply wasn’t possible that it could be anything less than memorable because everyone was there to help us make it so.

In the end, this was our menu, many times fretted over, deliberated upon and revised by myself, but ultimately better by the contributions of all:

Starters:
Little bro’s homemade potato skins
Steamed artichokes in lemon and olive oil
Cheeseplate with figs, black pepper crackers, various fruits
Korean seafood + kimchi pancakes

Big Dinner:
Roasted sweet potatoes, purple carrots and parsnips with maple syrup + bacon
Roasted brussels sprouts with parmesan
Krupnick family caesar salad
Fresh-from-the-oven gougeres (cheese puffs)
Grandaisy semolina bread
Roasted cauliflower with chili flakes + toasted hazelnuts
Slow-roasted turkey
Mushroom, leek and parsnip stuffing
Jacob’s cranberry sauce
Wild mushroom gravy
Mashed potatoes
Grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

And last but not least:
Krupnick family cheesecake
Spiced pumpkin pie with roasted hazelnut tart crust
Pecan pie
Homemade, hand-churned chai ice cream

You’re all invited over for leftovers + Hope you all had happy and memorable Thanksgivings as well.

We have lots of great sponsors who will be doing demos and giveaways including Arlo/Artists, Crumpler and Kickstarter. We’re also giving away a handful of 20×200 prints.

The Jen Bekman Projects‘ team and lots of artists, panelists, contenders, and friends-of Hey, Hot Shot! will also be around to mingle. Come by tonight and say hello!

Hey, Hot Shot! Confab & Print Trade!
When: TONIGHT, September 29th, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: White Rabbit, 145 E. Houston Street (between Eldridge + Forsythe) in New York City.

RSVP at RSVP@heyhotshot.com.

Gates of Heaven (Errol Morris, 1978): Morris describes the American Dream through the two experiences of entrepreneurs operating pet cemeteries. He interviews the owners, the employees, the investors, and a number of the families who lose pets who chose to bury their animals in such cemeteries, interspersing the characters so their interviews operate like a dialogue with one another, though two people are never talking to one another within a frame. There are equal parts seriousness, irony and humor throughout and like in all Morris films, you think, “What in the hell could he possibly be asking his interviewees?”

Vernon, Florida (Errol Morris, 1981): Morris interviews individuals in Vernon, Florida, a Northwest town in Florida, highlighting its eccentricities. Featured are an avid turkey hunter, a man with a giant pet turtle, and so on. Interesting to know, is that the film was originally titled Nub City, named after initially focused on residents of the swamp-town who cut off their own limbs to collect insurance money (2/3 of all loss-of-limb claims in the 1950s and 60s came from the Florida Panhandle), but was changed after Morris received numerous death threats. This film is a follow-up (though not a sequel) to Gates of Heaven. A recent article about Vernon, Florida, was published in the St. Petersburg Times and suggests that Morris’ characterization of its eccentricities is not so far off the mark.

Encounters At The End of the World (Werner Herzog, 2007): Herzog and his cameraman travel to Antarctica. Herzog narrates with typical dry, German humor and explains this will not be a penguin film, but one about the dreams and lives of the people who live there. Herzog portrays nearly all men (one woman?) and the stories of how they ended up there, also comparing the construction-zone like living quarters at McMurdo Station a far cry from the conditions endured and way of life of the first Antarctic explorers, primarily Ernest Shackleton. The film is a combination of highlighting natural beauty with the irony of how in our desire to know it better, we also destroy it.

Also, unrelated, but also recommended! Shootbooth (Jacob + Dustin) & friends will be on Prince & West Broadway tomorrow, September 18th from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. in two sod-filled spaces for Park(ing) Day. Also in their space: Brooklyn Raga Association, an original piece by artist / architect / furniture maker Hugh Hayden, beautiful hand-carved booksafes filled with unusual wares courtesy of Subports, an impromptu accordion performance, and Shootbooth’s 10K ballpit making prints for passersby (and jumpers-in). Go stop by and say hello!

Cherry tomato
Baby Idaho potato
Sungold tomato
Cheese puffs
Radishes
Concord grapes
Whoppers
Husk Cherries
Roasted brussels sprouts
Quail eggs
Fresh mozzarella balls
Mini watermelon
Baby gherkin cucumbers
Inferno peppers
Roasted baby eggplants
Roasted globe carrots
Glazed doughnut holes
Roasted baby beets

More photos on facebook.

Food/drink/bars:
Prater Garten bier garden: Great outdoor beer garden in Prenzlauer Berg with both indoor and outdoor seating. Perfect place for classic and reasonably priced German food.
Cafe Ostfee: Cute cafe with lots of outdoor seating in Prenzlauer Berg. Big German breakfast with lots of fresh bread, jam, and coldcuts. This is where we first encountered the “wespen” — the wasps that have plagued Berlin this year and show up to hover around your jam every time you have a meal!
Pappa e Ciccia: Great Italian spot that was down the street from where we were staying. There’s an organic ice cream spot next door, but not as worth your while as actually eating the pastas available here. I had a great ravioli with fig and ricotta filling in a sage butter sauce. In the mornings, there are delicious “toasties,” breakfast sandwiches, and fresh bread, butter, and jam, which you can slice and fill up your own baskets with.
Privatclub: This is a downstairs club with nightly djs and parties. Our friends were headed here to go to a Balkan Electro night, so we joined and had a great time. It’s a very intimate (read: sweaty!) place once the dancing gets going, but also a very comfortable size.
Bonanza Coffee: Recommended to me by Bryan Boyer, this is a super hip coffee joint on Oderberger Strasse right next to a great used vintage bike store. Not much food, but Class A coffee and good people-watching.
Kuchenkaiser: Classic German food in an old world garden setting. Popular spot in Kreuzberg for families/all ages. Huge portions of food.
Ankerklause: “Anchor Bar” that is right on the canal that runs through Kreuzberg. There is a covered outdoor area that hangs over the river and the interior is decorated with lots of anchor/sailor themed kitsch. Popular hang-out spot for drinks and young people.
Alpenstuck: An Alpine restaurant with a super super sleek interior, also recommended to me by Bryan Boyer. This was the trips very best (meaning we had multiple) wienerschnitzel and spaetzel. A wee bit pricey compared to an regular-night-out dinner. Located on a quiet street in Mitte.
The T Room: Amazing cafe run by a couple from Holland. Exposed brick interior with gorgeous natural light, beautiful furniture, and homemade tea and scones with clotted cream served on mismatched vintage dishware all day long… great music playing from the record player with stacks of records you can put on if you feel like, and piles and piles of amazing art magazines for you to read everywhere! Many were Dutch photo magazines, but there were selections, both old and new of publications from all over the world.
Cafe am Neuen See: If you go to Teufelsberg (see below), then on your way back you’ll ride through Tiergarten. In the middle of this big park, there’s a great cafe that feels a lot like the Boathouse Cafe on W.72nd Street. There’s a cafeteria with yummy pretzels, salads, pizza, all kinds of drinks, and it’s a lovely place to hang out.
El Burai: Berlin has a huge Turkish population so the city has a ton of donner kebab spots, but our favorite was a tiny place on Torstrasse called El Burai. The owner fried falafel to order and the tahini sauce and fillings were extra flavorful.
Rodeo Bar: Upscale restaurant/club that’s in Mitte in an old domed bank building. The interior is grandiose and worth peeking into even if we don’t eat there. One of the Junior Boys was dj’ing so we went to check it out; the food is pricey and probably not the best bet for a meal at that cost, but interesting if you want to experience the space and listen to some music.
Meierei: Amazing, amazing Alpine bakery that serves gorgeous (and delicious) apple strudel and plum tarts (among other sweets). There’s a big, beautiful backyard with tea lights and the interior of the bakery has a sleek design. On one wall they sell specialty products (jams, honeys, oil, vinegar, etc); it’s really a place you’re meant to sit at all day with a good book and a cappuccino.

Shops:
Kwikshop: A very kiosk-like spot with curated trinkets and objects for the home.
Do you read me?: A fantastic magazine shop in Mitte featuring the most comprehensive international collection of art and design magazines I’ve ever seen. I could’ve spent many more hours here browsing (and wish I had!).

Culture:
Hamburger Bahnhof: We got to see a neat collection of unusual Andy Warhol pieces here even though the main gallery was closed as the museum was preparing for a Paul Pfeiffer show. Also saw a Josef Beuys exhibit that was a bit of a drone for a beautiful day.
Pool Gallery: We went here specifically to see the work of graphic artist Andy Gilmore (Rochester-based), whose work we’d come across before leaving. Nice space in the middle of Mitte (big gallery district).
FIT: Berlin’s oldest petrol station, which is now a rotating installation arts and events space. Our host had her birthday party here and over the course of our trip, the installation revolved from neon pieces to a cello performance and more.
Bauhaus: Take a day trip down to Dessau to see the original Bauhaus school building as well as the “meisterhauses” of Paul Klee, Walter Gropius, Wassily Kandinsky, etc. The town isn’t all that exciting, but the architecture is fascinating.
Mauer Park Flea Market: Berlin has tons of great flea markets that trump any I’ve seen in New York or the states for every category except clothing. They are massive with tons of fresh food, music, and a hot stop for furniture, kitchenwares, and tons more. Mauer Park is one of the bigger ones; we found great old glasses frames there, vintage kitchen stuff, and had delicious Turkish crepes.
Frank Gehry’s DG Bank: Gehry designed DG bank, located right next to the Brandenburg Gates and the American Embassy. From the outside, the building looks pretty ordinary, but from the inside, it mirrors the shape of a giant whale. (Personally found this underwhelming, but Gehry fans may like).
Holocaust Memorial: Officially known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (whoa, heavy), this is one of the most remarkable memorials I’ve visited. Word is that many Germans dislike it, but I found the experience of walking between the “tombs” moving and thought-provoking. Interestingly, the graffiti-preventing substance used to coat each of the stones is controversially made by Tages-Anzeiger, a company that persecuted Jews and also made a chemical used in gas chambers during the Holocaust. Read the wiki entry for more info…
Clarchens Ballhaus: Both a restaurant and an all-ages century-old ballroom. We went here on our last night and it was the perfect ending to our trip. A few people mentioned to us throughout the week that this was really one of the only places in the city that appealed to people of ALL ages, and was genuinely fun and cool; the center of the room is open to dancing with a stage up front, there is a big garden out front with tables and food served during the day, and there is food and drink also served inside. The earlier crowd tends to be a bit older, then around 11, a younger hipper crowd comes in. We found this to be exactly the case when were were there. The food is so-so, but definitely stop by for the dancing/scene.

Other Must-dos:
Bikes: Rent bikes as much as possible! We rode hours every day, and it enabled us a lot of freedom on top of the fact that the city is SO so so bike friendly. You can take bikes on trains, there are tons of spots to cheaply rent bikes for the day or week, and there are bike lanes on every street in the whole city.
Potsdam: Take the train to Potsdam about 30 minutes outside of Berlin to see Sanssouci (Sanssouci Palace), which is larger than life and Versailles-esque. Also in Potsdam, ride your bike to the swimming spot sandwiched between the Heiliger See and Jungfernsee. There are great bike paths all around the lakes.
Drive: Rent a car and take a drive through the German countryside from Berlin heading South and avoid the autobahn. Make sure you stop at a German rest stop and be amazed at the astounding quality of food and cleanliness.
Badeschiff: Head over to the Badeschiff, a shipping container dropped into the river in the middle of the city. There’s a makeshift beach, food available, and the cost of entry is only 3 Euro. It was a beautiful day when we went, and crowded, but we could hop right in the pool without a line at all times.
Grunewald Forest/Teufelsberg: Take a LONG bike ride to the Grunewald Forest. In the forest, you’ll first come to Teufelsee, a small lake with a nude beach/grassy area, then if you follow the signs in the forest, you’ll find your way to the magical / creepy / amazing structures of Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain) and make sure you climb up to the top of the tallest tower! These are former radio towers that were used while the wall was up to intercept Russian and East German radio signals (and also has a Nazi camp buried underneath the mountain which was used during the wars). Since the wall came down, the towers have been abandoned, and now showcase a lot of graffiti worth seeing, and one of the best views of all of Berlin. It’s rumored that David Lynch is trying to buy the property to change it into a University of Transcendental Meditation.
Go to the grocery store: I love going to foreign supermarkets and Berlin’s were no exception. Try and find a “bio” market, which is something equivalent to an organic grocery or Whole Foods (but much more common). Make sure you check out the yogurt aisle in particular. The variety and quality of German yogurt was astounding to me (though I can’t say anyone else quite shared my enthusiasm). The flavors are also more natural tasting. We had: hazelnut, vanilla-poppy, mango, strawberry rhubarb, and straight vanilla.

I was last in Berlin in February of 2004 and my experience of the city was largely dictated by a cold apartment with a beautiful clawfoot tub that I couldn’t bear to even undress to get into because the coal oven heating the apartment wouldn’t light. I spent the week alternately shivering and having a blast at parties taking place during the Berlin Film Festival and eating donner kabab in the middle of the night. I’m excited to revisit in the summer, when I’ve heard it’s some version of urban heaven.

Please let me know if you have any to-do, to-eat, to-wander, or day trip suggestions. [mail AT youngna DOT com]

But first, if you happen to be in Philly tomorrow, I’ll be with the Shootbooth team working a photobooth like you’ve never seen before at the Mad Decent block party (featuring dj Sega, Diplo, Toadally Krossed Out, Maluca, Dirty South Joe, POPO, Brick Bandits, Blaqstarr, Nadastrom, Sammy Slice) all afternoon. Featuring: on-site photos, a giant multi-colored ball pit, and a Major Lazer giant photo-op head cut-out, and likely lots of sweaty dancing. Come out and say hi!

p.s. RSS is full of spam. Sorry! Need to upgrade!

Salad #1: Wild arugula with halved red grapes, toasted pine nuts, grape tomatoes, grated Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinaigrette
Salad #2: Baby spinach with blueberries, toasted pine nuts, fresh goat cheese, and a slightly sweet citrus vinaigrette (lemon-grapefruit combo?)

I’ve picked up a wild arugula, pea shoots, and a bunch of my favorite green, purslane, as well as a box of blueberries form the farmers’ market to try my hand at a variant of salad #2. If you have any of your own summer salad recipes, please do pass them along to me as well. I’m on a kick, and it’s produce season at its best.

1. Last Friday, we caught the School of Seven Bells at Bowery, a trio that features the Guatemalan-born identical twin sisters, Alejandra and Claudia Deheza alongside Benjamin Curtis, formerly of Secret Machines. Their album Alpinisms has been a favorite all year since it came out, but the live performance is stunning — tight compositions with the pixie-sized Dehezas adding layers of undulating dynamic voice. See them in person if you have the chance.

2. On Sunday I had the pleasure of hearing an accoustic performance of Adron Parnassum in our friends’ Ben and James’ living room. She is, “a girl slash company who makes healthy melodic tropical music and pictures.” That healthy melodic tropical music is a set of tunes whose delicacy will unravel you; she uses her guitar and voice as instruments of percussion and sound effect in addition to the tunes she plays on the fingerboard. From time-to-time she plays in the city, but check her myspace page for live performances elsewhere.

3. And then last night, I had the privilege of seeing the amazing Max Zbiral-Teller, national hammer dulcimer champion, perform one of his five dulcimers in friend Zach’s apartment. Aside from the only other hammer dulcimer I heard having been played by a man in the 42nd St. subway station, Max is outright phenomenal on this instrument, which sounds partway between a harp, a piano, a cello, and a drum. He explained that he’s been playing since he was 7, and played us a series of pieces inspired by Senegalese music and sound — where he’d gone to study their left-right separate hand-drumming a few years back. He’ll be performing Friday night at 8 p.m. at the Chelsea Art Museum alongside a cellist and is well worth a trip out thre to see. See him performing here on youtube.

Cell phone trees are fake trees that mimic real trees to mask cell phone towers. They are made, and placed (usually) with attention to regional tree growth, so in the Pacific Northwest you find many Douglas Fir cell trees, in the San Diego area you find broad-leafed, evergreen angiosperm tree varieties like the magnolia or avocado, and in the Northeast, you would fine short-needled pine cell trees. It has been suggested that there are 128,000 of these fake trees across the United States, which survive in any soil type, and are often un-discernible from the trees surrounding them. Church steeples, flag poles, and water towers also serve as common disguising zones for cell towers.

I’m have to admit I’m impressed by the effort exerted on part of cell phone companies to mask their trail.

N.B. [cell-phone tree art edition]
1. John Hogan Brighton’s Cell Trees
2. Cellular Phone Trees on Polar inertia

Holdt’s journey through the United States is in and of itself remarkable, but what caught my attention most, was the way he has visited recurring persons throughout his life–people who have become friends and his subjects, an extensive cast of characters that includes former lovers, a young boy with a proclivity for leaning on one arm, or a Klan member, and a man who went to jail for murder who Holdt helped get out and later became one of the directors of the American Pictures documentary (video and sound).

Many photographers make a single strong portrait of a person they only meet once, but I think many stronger and more intimate portraits are often born out of subjects photographed over a long period of time. I think of Wolfgang Tillman’s images of his then-boyfriend, the painter Jochen Klein, of Annie Liebowitz’s images of Susan Sontag, of Tierney Gearon’s photographs of her mother (The Mother Project), and of Mary Ellen Mark’s ongoing relationship with Erin Blackwell (aka Tiny), a woman she first met as a 14-year old homeless street kid in Seattle while making the documentary Streetwise in the early 1980s. Whether it is the photographer’s investment in the person (most of the examples above being significant others or family-members), having a collection of portraits of a single person—taken by a single person—nearly always translates into a surprising store of memories for recounting how both parties lives have had weaving paths that intersected again and again during moments the photographs were snapped.

Holdt’s series is most surprising, however, because there is always a power struggle happening between the photographer and subject, and here one could easily see his images as exploitative or humiliating as he captures many in their decrepit shacks, laying drunk, naked or caught in sexual acts. What makes it not feels exploitative is that he shows commitment to the people by participating in their lives over the course of sometimes 30 or 40 years, revisiting these same shacks and same people, with an outward dedication towards seeing who they have become and how they are doing. I recommend taking a long look through his website (and go hear him speak if you ever get the opportunity). I, myself, am on a hunt for a copy of his book, which has been out of print since 1977 when the KGB revealed they were trying to use it in a battle to cease humanitarian aid programs in the United States. If you find one, let me know.

N.B.
1. I suppose this is where I’ve been.
2. Two good shows opening this week: Christian Chaize’s Praia Piquinia at Jen Bekman Gallery (5/20, 6-8 p.m.) and Drawing Contemporaries @ Eyebeam (5/21, 6-8 p.m.)
3. Do not miss the excellent collection of American Museum of Natural History diorama scans from the early 1900s that are now available online.
4. The work of Estelle Hanania