Classical Music, Showmanship and Popular Appeal
Do on-stage theatrics cheapen the art?


(note about video: My inclusion of this is a bit unfair to Lang Lang, as this is not a formal performance. Truth be told, it’s wonderful to see such joy and delight in the act of making music. Nevertheless…)

My good friend Melissa sent along an article that I missed yesterday from the New York Times.

When Histrionics Undermine the Music and the Pianist
By BERNARD HOLLAND
Another reason classical music is not reaching more young people: not because of how it sounds, but because of how it looks.

It’s a great article – but then, I’m sympathetic – and Melissa was curious to hear what I thought about it. I jotted off a quick response and, after sending, realized that it would be perfect for discussion here as well.

I’ve removed the personal details from the message and tidied it up for display on the web (adding some links and whatnot), but what you’ll read below is largely my quickly jotted thoughts on the subject.

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Lang Lang has for a while now been the “hot young thing” on the classical piano scene, but in truth, I’ve had a hard time appreciating him and find much more in the older performers, either now dead or significantly more mature than Lang Lang.

With the exception of Gould, I’d say that most of the performers that I revere are indeed less demonstrative (and keep in mind that I’m young – not some old fuddy-duddy with romantic thoughts of more sane times).

As a performer myself I fully and entirely – intimately, even – realize the need for theatrics. On stage, one is “putting on a show” and must deliver. Yet I can’t help but sympathize with the feelings that the author expresses and find wisdom in his questions. In the case of music – and classical music in particular – is the performance getting in the way of the music? I find it hard to believe that excessive movement would not directly impact control of expression (that’s a bit of a rhetorical statement, for everyone knows that it does), and by control I don’t mean to imply any sense of hard-nosed, tight, restricted or conservative control, but rather control of subtlety, color and refined touch – the very foundation of an artistic palette. The author himself even touches on this:

“Technique is not about muscle building but about optimal allocation of resources. More happens faster and more clearly with the minimum of gesture. Weight and relaxation, not force, make big sound. So much energy is squandered on these melodramas for the eye — and so much attention diverted — that it is a wonder our pianistic thespians can hear themselves at all. “

Instead, a hugely demonstrative player sacrifices the communicative power of his instrument – his very voice – in favor of attention grabbing communication of the self as art – not just artist.

Most classical music is marketed today not by composer or composition, but by performer, and what you purchase is not Beethoven – As Performed by Lang Lang but Lang Lang – Plays Beethoven. That’s not to say that historically the industry downplayed the performer – it didn’t, as can be seen by people specifically seeking out Rubinstein, Horowitz, et. al. … – but in this latter case, it’s typically the delivery of the work itself as presented through the mature interpretive eyes of the individual performer that listeners sought, not, as is the case today, the performer qua performer, who happens to be playing some composition or other…

Did I state that clearly?

Reminds me of a line from Marilyn Manson’s [s]AINT – “I’m not an artist, I’m a fucking work of art.” Performers today tend to be demonstrative on stage in order to sell themselves as a “fucking work of art” – regardless of what they are playing – much to the expense of the actual music – or truly authentic artistic voice, for that matter.

Its seems like reaching. Trying too hard.

Am I being too hard?

It’s not necessarily the artists that are to blame, though. It could be the general public. It’s almost a “dumbing down” of the material to appeal to a wider audience, something that is often necessary to make ends meet financially. I speak from experience here.

But then, perhaps there’s nothing wrong with being specialized and niche, a rarity to be fully appreciated by a select few and not the hoi polloi. Perhaps the classical industry is taking the wrong approach by trying to widen their net and should instead concentrate on securing their core?

Virtuoso performances are of course exceptional in many ways – the author even cites Liszt – but it’s usually without fail that the more physically expressive or unusual a performer is, the more the general public is attracted to them for non-musical reasons. The author’s use of Liszt is a perfect example, for Liszt had throngs of followers, mostly woman (though many notable men as well), who would literally swoon over him, even collect his cigar butts, following him from concert hall to concert hall, and were obviously attracted to him not for the refinement of his music – though his virtuosity undoubtedly represented some sense of power and perfection to them. Historically, the less demonstrative the virtuoso, the less widespread public following they developed, though amongst music lovers their reputations soared. The inverse for more demonstrative players.

The irony is of course as the author pointed out – today’s players may actually be alienating the general public, because their performances make them seem “weird.” Then again, he could be wrong – sales have indeed improved and the industry is not in nearly as much trouble as people commonly suspect.

To each their own, I suppose. It really is a matter of personal taste. There’s nothing wrong, in my mind, with wanting to watch a performer because you enjoy the way in which they perform. Neither is it wrong – and Gould would endorse this – in wishing to take the performer visually out of the equation because they are a distraction to the music, a barrier.

I don’t like the music, but I love watching Madonna and Michael Jackson perform. Likewise, I could care less what Stephen Kovacevich looks like or how he moves when he plays – his Beethoven sonatas sound divine.

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[tags]artists, Bernard Holland, classical music, Lang Lang, performers, performing, piano[/tags]

Classical Guitarist Plays With Himself on Stage and Film

Anything to get people to read, right?

In follow-up to the last post entitled Bach, Fugues and Britney Spears, I thought that I would share more of my love for the self-referential/reflexive art (would that be conceptual, perhaps? Nah… Bream has skill.) that has so influenced my own theater work, as can be evidenced in my creation and performance of Sketches, a humorous and reflexive commentary on modern art delivered through the vehicle of satire and, well, mindreading.

The literary and musical influences to which I am in debt are innumerable, but the subject of this post is the legendary classical guitarist Julian Bream. Please let me extend my apologies to Mr. Bream for potentially belittling him in the title of my post, for he has every last ounce of respect that I can possibly give. I can not say enough good things about this man and his work, and the video posted here is testament to his genius. He truly is a giant.

NOTE: This post was authored months ago but publication was delayed as a result of the above referenced video being removed from YouTube due to copyright issues. Seems that as of last month it’s back up. I do not condone copyright infringement, but this video may serve to introduce Julian Bream’s work to those as of yet unfamiliar with it. Enjoy it while it’s still up, and if you like it, purchase the video from which it’s taken – Guitarra! A Music Journey Through Spain.

Daniele mentions, over on the Classical Guitar Video Archive that “it’s a shame that YouTube plays back everything in mono sound. The original video in two audio channels showcased the distinct sounds from the two guitars of Julian Bream’s much better and made the music that much more interesting to listen to. Even with only one channel, however, this wonder piece of work still sounds amazing, so please do enjoy!”

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[tags]Boccherini, Classical Guitar, Classical Music, Duet, Fandango, Julian Bream, Musicians, Spain, Spanish Music[/tags]

A Magician After My Own Heart

marx
The Summer 2007 issue of Cabinet Magazine features an article by two London-based authors, Sally O’Reilly and Ian Saville, entitled I Can See Your Ideology Moving. From the start it grabs the reader with its droll humour, setting the scene as follows:

    The scene: A windy seaside town in England. An arts festival (entitled, perhaps pretentiously, The Windy Seaside Town Biennale) is in full swing. An audience of skeptical locals, theater-seat-radicals and bloodthirsty performance-art lovers, sated after fish and chips and lashings of warm ale, is watching a man speaking to a picture of Karl Marx. More unusually, the picture speaks back to the man, for this is Ian Saville, socialist magician and ventriloquist, demonstrating his revolutionary art.
    At the back of the hall, the art critic Sally O’Reilly watches curiously, almost unable to contain the questions that crowd her mind. The audience is laughing …

Not only does the story continue on to introduce the characters of Engels and Brecht – you have to adore anyone that can conjure such figures to not only prove a point but to provide humour – it more importantly serves to introduce us to the still-living figure of Ian Saville who, as it turns out, is a very real performer that has been performing a very real show, a “socialist magic act”, for the past 25 years.

I can report on nothing more than the impressions that I’ve received from reading the article, Mr. Saville’s website and watching the introduction to his show on YouTube (available via his site), but all that I’ve seen indicates that this is a hilarious, intelligent and very British show that should be getting much more attention than it has to date.

Nevertheless, Mr. Saville has garnered some tremendous reviews, such as:

    “Would make the hardest liner laugh …. Ideologically sound and magnificently bonkers.”

    -The Independent

    “Ian Saville’s one-man show is a gloriously witty and consummately theatrical manifestation of what could become a whole new concept in political theatre. [...] Saville has taken the tired old tricks of the magic brigade and given them a whole new subversive meaning….An astoundingly funny display.”

    -Time Out

Magnificently bonkers! A whole new subversive meaning! Great quotes, and only two of very many found on his website.

His shows have also won numerous awards, and he’s performed in some bizarre and grandiose venues, from picket lines to the Royal Albert Hall!


Though his Magic for Socialism website is not much to look at, and his awards and 25 year resume have not attracted the attention of the broader media – at least on this side of the pond – I for one pay my respect to anyone that successfully performs a show that bears the title Brecht on Magic.

Kudos to Ian Saville for creating, performing and continually pushing forward with such an unusual show for so many years. One has to wonder if it’s even possible to do here in the States.

Find Ian Saville’s Magic For Socialism website here.

Many thanks to Cabinet Magazine for the original article.

See also Private Thoughts and Other Lies for more politically and socially motivated magic.

*photo: Ian Saville holding his talking picture of Karl Marx. Photos Jonathan Allen. Via Cabinet Magazine website.
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[tags]Bertolt Brecht, Brecht, Brecht on Magic, british comedy, Cabinet Magazine, Ian Saville, Karl Marx, magic, Marx, performance art, Sally O’Reilly, socialism[/tags]

Genuine Steampunk Arm
Rockets and Steam and Valves, Oh My!

vanderbiltarmFollowing up the recent story on mechanical arms, I bring you the Vanderbilt Arm, the DARPA-funded, Vanderbilt University-developed prosthetic arm that is powered by rocket fuel, steam, valves and springs.

From the Vanderbilt project page:

…[the] power source is about the size of a pencil and contains a special catalyst that causes hydrogen peroxide to burn. When this compound burns, it produces pure steam. The steam is used to open and close a series of valves. The valves are connected to the spring-loaded joints of the prosthesis by belts made of a special monofilament used in appliance handles and aircraft parts.

It’s truly a wondrous development, promising to be the most human-like prosthetic arm ever created, weighing in at about half the weight of a real arm, mimicking 21 of the natural arm’s 26 motions and with the goal of being so thoroughly integrated into the nerve structure of the wearer that it can be controlled by thought alone.

The coolest part? It’s totally steampunk, in the truest sense! We need to get the folks over at The Steampunk Workshop working on an aesthetic design for this device pronto, pronto!

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Artificial Limbs, Bionic Arm, Bionics, DARPA, Prosthetic Arm, Prosthetics, Steampunk, Steampunk Workshop, Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Arm, Vanderbilt University

Indie Film Wrap-Up

DSCN4154I’m very excited to report that the filming of the new indie short Cupcake has wrapped, editing is complete and the film is off to it’s next destination. Though I am not at liberty to divulge any more at this time, there will be an announcement made here on this site when the time is appropriate.

I was invited to participate in the film by writer and director Cheryl Cambras, and after exploring the script – and being stunned at the uniqueness of the project – thought that this decidedly bizarre film would be a good match.

Cheryl invited me to take part and to play – um – shall we say a pivotal role in my capacity as a sword swallower. We met in Stamford, Connecticut on the 28th of July and work commenced with the fantastic cast and crew.


Thanks to Alex Exum there are some fun production stills available to view on my Flickr page.

I suspect that this curious film will go to some even more curious places, so keep your eyes open for announcements!

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*featured photo is of the star of the short – Gigi – played by Andrea Saenz

[tags]Alex Exum, Andrea Saenz, Cheryl Cambras, Connecticut, Cupcake, Independent Film, Indie Film, Movies, Roderick Russell, Shorts, Stamford, Sword Swallower, Sword Swallowing[/tags]

I’ve been postponing this post for a couple of weeks now in anticipation of a slightly larger announcement, though as the date of that announcement may be a ways off, I could not justify holding this any longer.

Steampunk Love

steampunkflowercloseuppetalswideMy good friend Scott spends his days working as a machinist in a large shop (I just recently forced him to watch the Christian Bale flick, too.) – which means that he often has a great deal of idle thinking time and occasionally time to turn those ideas into reality.

This week, he emerged from his day job with a fully completed, loosely Steampunk-styled flower to give to his girlfriend.

Made entirely from industrial refuse that he collected from around the shop – machine inserts, wire bundles and ball bearing doodads – it’s a great little piece of industrial art that measures about a foot in height. Though extremely heavy, due to so many dense metals being used, it’s surprisingly delicate in appearance. I love the added touch of the single thorn, and the portion of the stem from thorn up to flower is designed to sway a bit with vibration or movement, completing the contrast between industrial harshness and organic fragility.

steampunkfloweroverviewangled steampunkfloweroverview steampunkflowerthorn2 steampunkflowerbase steampunkflowerangledpetals

The pictures are my doing and are unfortunately not the best. I take full responsibility. Nevertheless, they give you a decent idea of how this piece turned out.

Here’s the full Flickr set…

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Want more info on Steampunk? The Steampunk Workshop has some brilliant examples of the style (I am in love with the LCD monitor!), Boing Boing is always covering Steampunk design (you should read them everyday anyway!) and the Wiki entry for Steampunk will tell you a bit about the literary genre for those not in the know.

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Art, Flowers, Industrial Art, Machinist, Sculpture, Steampunk

Interview with Sword Swallower Roderick Russell (Part 3 of 3)

WARNING: Sword swallowing is a life threatening activity. Many deaths and serious medical complications have arisen from attempting this most dangerous and demanding art form. Sword swallowing should only be attempted by a skilled, trained professional. The author of this text will not be liable or accountable for any injuries sustained by readers who are attempting any of the acts described and depicted within. It is the professional opinion of the author that nobody who is reading this should attempt these stunts under any circumstances.

Interview with Sword Swallower Roderick Russell (part 2 of 3)

WARNING: Sword swallowing is a life threatening activity. Many deaths and serious medical complications have arisen from attempting this most dangerous and demanding art form. Sword swallowing should only be attempted by a skilled, trained professional. The author of this text will not be liable or accountable for any injuries sustained by readers who are attempting any of the acts described and depicted within. It is the professional opinion of the author that nobody who is reading this should attempt these stunts under any circumstances.

Interview with Sword Swallower Roderick Russell

WARNING: Sword swallowing is a life threatening activity. Many deaths and serious medical complications have arisen from attempting this most dangerous and demanding art form. Sword swallowing should only be attempted by a skilled, trained professional. The author of this text will not be liable or accountable for any injuries sustained by readers who are attempting any of the acts described and depicted within. It is the professional opinion of the author that nobody who is reading this should attempt these stunts under any circumstances.

Pricing Artwork – For the Independent Artist

My good friend Courtney over at Twisted Stitches just recently posted a great two part series on how to price your own artwork. She had the pleasure of speaking with Reed A. Prescott III, a Vermont-based artist who has succeeded in making his work very commercial, and she summarizes very well his words of wisdom.

While Mr. Prescott is a painter, his advice is equally applicable to many types of art and even “craft”. Cruise on over to twistedstitches.net to read the two part series.

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art, art market, painting, pricing art, Reed Prescott, Vermont, Vermont artists

Mind Reading as Social Commentary

routinesetupMost artist statements are bunk. With a few stellar and authentic exceptions, the art world seems awash with inauthentic pretentiousness, poppycock and piffle when it comes to artists’ statements of their own work.

Though many would argue the point and counterpoint to their grave (and do, and do, and do and do…), I think that it’s hard to disagree with a statement like Matt Linderman’s over on Signal vs. Noise (original post here):

The thriving art scene here in NYC has exposed me to a lot more art shows than I ever experienced before in my life. And I’ve gotta say, the art statements that I read generally make me a bit nauseous. Sure, they can sometimes be helpful. But all too often they have that grad-student-thesis-feel, full of impressive-sounding words and pretentious ideas but somehow there’s no there there.

Somehow, there’s no there there. They tend to lack a certain, ahem, je ne sais quoi.

Video Stills from Sketches
from Private Thoughts and Other Lies
written and performed by Roderick Russell
listen to voiceover extract

Utilizing my training as a mentalist and mind reader, this routine is a satirical look at the contrived pretentiousness of the modern art world, specifically in regards to the artist statement.

puttingonglasses

blurringpainting

contemplatingpainting

swish

lookingfromafar

thankingspec

A member of the audience is invited to privately concoct a visual image of their own design and to imagine it vividly, never revealing the thought-of image to anyone.

Meanwhile, I don a paint spattered coverall and thick black glasses in caricature of the modern visual artist at work in his studio.

A voiceover track continues the caricature with an ego-indulgent, self-reflexive interview by Roderick Russell The Critic with Roderick Russell The Artiste. On-stage I begin actively painting in a highly affected manner, on a canvas facing away from the audience.

Painting and playacting continue throughout until the conclusion of the voiceover track, whereupon the audience member enlisted at the beginning of the routine is invited up and asked to verbally describe the image that he or she has been privately envisioning.

Following the detailed description of the image that has merely been thought of, I reveal the freshly painted canvas to the audience and upon it is an image that perfectly matches the description just given.

All that to say that when the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts awarded me an arts grant and I suddenly found myself charged with the task of fusing my performance techniques together with my social criticisms, I used my many hours spent slogging through the Chelsea galleries as inspiration.

Until now, the routine born of that inspiration – Sketches - has remained an exclusive piece known only to those who have participated in one of my live shows. No audio, video or still pictures have been released, save for the very few video stills available on the Private Thoughts and Other Lies website and the passing references made in printed material such as the show’s own accompanying statement, press releases and several media interviews.

As this material will not be featured in the stage show within the immediate foreseeable future – a shift in market concentration and resultant modifications to the routine having rendering it entirely different in theme – I am here sharing with you a wider selection of video stills as well as the audio from the voiceover portion of the routine – the voiceover being that around which the work revolves.

I have spent a great deal of time with artists of all mediums, mingling with the haute monde, the cognoscenti, of the art scene. At innumerable openings I’ve stood staring at wall after wall of paintings, prints and photographs, navigating static installations and experiencing interactive, multimedia exhibits of “fine” art . Some of these shows have been positively profound, deeply moving and enormously inspirational. A small handful of the statements have been truly impeccable. But one cannot contest that the majority of statements are written in a decidedly contrived fashion, with an eye towards sprinkling in as many metaphorical hooks, ten cent words and obscure references as possible – all in an attempt to imbue import.

Having invested so many candid hours with artists and creators, I know that the truth of their work is often more in keeping with Jörg Colberg’s reflection on fine-art photography:

It’s interesting (and a bit sad) that when you look at what is commonly called fine-art photography it always comes with a statement, which typically contains some sort of explanation or motivation for the photography. You never get to see something like “I just wanted to take some beautiful photos” or “I liked the way those rubble piles looked, so I took a bunch of photos.” I wonder why. I have no way of actually proving this, but I am convinced that many photographers do not have all that stuff from their statements in their heads and then go out to shoot the photography…I personally find it perfectly understandable and acceptable if somebody does not want to write a statement. But that’s not how the art world works.

Sketches represents my response to the pretension and aims to be critical while also remaining farcical, self-deprecating and, in the end, downright entertaining*.

No archive video of this routine will ever be posted (not authorized copies, at least). Please enjoy the stills and the voiceover – and if you do, watch for your chance to see it live. While it has been replaced for the time being, one never knows where it will pop up again.

Perhaps the Guggenheim would be interested…
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*On a humorous note, a group of colleagues attended the premiere of Private Thoughts and Other Lies. When asked for his opinion, one member of this clique spoke out strongly against Sketches.
His name: Art

I can’t make this stuff up.

Art, Art Galleries, Art World, Artist Grants, Artist Statement, Chelsea, Culture Jamming, Flynn Center, Mentalism, Mind Reader, Mind Reading, NYC, Painters, psychics, Psychological Illusion, Roderick Russell, Sculptors, Social Commentary, Sword Swallower, Theater, Transhumanist Art, performance art

THOTH : The Power of Performance

Students have left school, employees are taking vacation and the cities are filling up with tourists from all over. Now that the warmer months are here I’m republishing my earlier article on Thoth and NYC entertainment – a gentle reminder to get off your arse and see something interesting. Enjoy!

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Thoth, Photographed by John Freeman
photo © 2002, John Freeman
used with permission

Being a traveling artist myself, I have the opportunity to see many remarkable – and many more less-than-remarkable – performances in cities throughout the world. New York City, of course, presents a profoundly high incidence of these works of public and private art, being the cultural center that it is.

Street performance is one particularly colorful and active scene in NYC, and though I would be hard pressed to draw a comparison between the juggler on the corner and Andras Schiff at Carnegie Hall (unless that juggler is Michael Moschen), I do delight in some uniquely fun, witty and original shows – and I’m happy to show my support.

In the spring of 2002, however, I was stunned into silence and awe at the true power of street theater when I happened upon, by sheer chance, a performance by Thoth in the tunnel at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, directly across from the Bethesda – or “Angel” – Fountain.

I’m hesitant to describe what I saw for fear of destroying the magic for other first-time viewers. But what I witnessed – nay, experienced – in the tunnel that day stopped me in my tracks and frankly, despite frantically wondering what in the hell was happening, moved me to tears – quite literally. I didn’t know what I was watching, nor did I know what it could possibly mean, but I did know that it was beautiful, soul-stirring and transporting. Mesmerizing in the truest sense of the term. This, I believe, is part of the power of Thoth’s work.

Marjoe DVDSo powerful is this street artist’s work that it caught the attention of documentary film director Sarah Kernochan – the same director that in 1972 won the Academy Award for Best Documentary with her film Marjoe – and the film that emerged from their collaboration won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject! (Coincidentally, I have a particular interest in the work of Marjoe Gortner as well. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the connection! How convenient that these two films are bundled together…)

Thoth Documentary

The documentary is truly remarkable and, though I recommend it highly, do yourself a favor – order the DVD now, put it on a shelf and immediately get on a bus, plane, car or subway to the Angel Tunnel in NYC’s Central Park to witness a performance for yourself. I’ve intentionally been slim on the performance details, and until you see this remarkable performer in action, live and up-close, the DVD, website or any description that anyone may offer will not do him justice.

But do order the DVD now, because when you get home, the first thing you’ll want to do is put it in the player.
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ADDENDUM
Lest the reader feel that my adamant demand to see Thoth in person is a bit “over-the-top”, please know that despite an excruciatingly demanding schedule – and even one unfortunate stuffed-mushroom-caps-and-digestive-problem incident (no, I won’t blog about that) – I make it a point to travel to see him live as often as I can, and have been doing so regularly since my first encounter in 2002. He really is that good.

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b&w photo credits go to John Freeman from his 2002 series NYC Bounces Back, available on his website at:
http://www.jou.ufl.edu/people/faculty/jfreeman/freeman.htm


RESOURCES
Thoth’s Website – Don’t read too much, you need to see him live first!
Thoth & Marjoe Documentary
Sarah Kernochan Website

Angel Fountain, Bethesda Terrace, Documentary, New York City, Sarah Kernochan, Street Performance, Thoth

The Beauty of Silicone
Greg Kennedy, Bounce Juggling and Innovation

I met this gentleman a few years back in Baltimore and was intrigued with his setup – which involved a large, clear hemisphere – and his work with silicone balls. By sheer happenstance I came across a YouTube video of his and that was all it took to push me over the edge to share his work with you here.

Greg Kennedy is a two-time Gold Medal-winning IJA juggler with a particular interest in working with surfaces. From his website:

In an effort to redefine people’s preconceptions about juggling, Greg Kennedy fuses logic and creativity to synthesize new forms of juggling manipulation. In the early 1990′s, Greg spent several years working as a professional engineer, in addition to his juggling career. His fascination with the geometry and physics of object manipulation lead him to ground-breaking work with original apparatus, expanding the realm of juggling. “He is a visionary who can see the possibilities in props and movement that are obscure to the masses,” writes Bill Giduz, Jugglers World magazine.

Clearly building upon the bounce juggling innovations of Michael Moschen from the 1980’s, Kennedy has subsumed and expanded upon those early building blocks to create dynamic routines that utilize unorthodox surfaces.

Whereas Moschen blazed the trail with his triangle, Kennedy combines his juggling and engineering prowess to give us hemispheres, circles and – my favorite – cones.

While some of his ideas – by their very nature – seem to emphasize the props, his best work has created a stunning balance between simplicity and visual beauty, allowing the motion of the balls to speak for themselves. Of course, the balls wouldn’t achieve the level of stunning beauty that they do were it not for Kennedy himself as facilitator, and towards that end he rightly blends a perfectly understated sense of movement and pose into his routines. Movement is essential and most of his routines would not achieve the sense of balance and visual appeal that they do were it not for Kennedy’s certainty of movement, restraint and placement – yet he is able to achieve it all without calling undue dramatic (that is, overplayed or unwarranted) attention to himself.

The above included cone juggling video – wherein Kennedy juggles up to 7 balls – is not a performance clip, but it nevertheless gives the viewer a glimpse into his work – and for someone who loves bounce juggling (like me and Cliff) it looks like a hell of a lot of fun. The second video is a performance clip from his 1997 IJA performance of Orthogonal.

Read more about Greg Kennedy on his website ( www.innovativejuggler.com ) and by watching the rest of his videos – available on his YouTube page.

bounce juggling, contact juggling, Greg Kennedy, IJA, Innovative Juggler, juggling, Michael Moschen, silicone, silicone balls, YouTube, YouTube Videos

Performance Artist Stelarc Implants Ear

Stelarc with Implanted EarSince the 60’s, Australian performance artist Stelarc has been publicly exploring the boundaries of the human body and human experience while simultaneously investigating means by which to extend and transform it. His latest exploration involves the implantation of an organic ear on his forearm.

Much has been written in the blogosphere about the ear implantation and the soon-to-be realized modifications of Bluetooth integration and subsequent ‘net broadcasting of heard sounds, with many writers questioning – through posts and comments – the utility of the ear, placement of the ear and choice of technology. As interesting as those particular “innovations” may be, however, they are secondary to the thread of significance that has connected all of Stelarc’s work from the beginning.

Utilizing both primitive as well as sophisticated technologies, from flesh suspension to ingested/implanted stomach sculpture, third arms, exoskeletons and user controlled remote muscle stimulation, Stelarc calls our attention back to the role of the body in the creation of our world view – and consistently shows us how flexible and extendable it truly is. Particularly in our highly connected information age, Stelarc suggests that “the body is biologically inadequate” and he presents to us the possibilities of how “electronic space becomes a medium of action rather than information”, thereby extending the preconceptions of even the latest technologies – preconceptions that are, again, rooted in our sense of physiological self.

Stelarc’s work will always be subject to the latest technologies and his critics will undoubtedly forever lob their attacks at the seemingly freakish way in which he explores the human sense of self through cyborg-like enhancements, but his questions remain timeless. Through his own modern lens of artistic exploration, Stelarc brings to the fore the perennial questions of the human condition, encourages us to explore them and, most importantly, shows us that we can reconsider and extend them in radical ways. His work is a powerful reminder that man is fundamentally characterized by possibility and freedom – and that we need only change our minds to change our world.

Australia, Bluetooth, Body Mod, Cyborg, existentialism, flesh hooks, freaks, Implants, metaphysics, ontology, Performance Art, philosophy, Posthumanism, sculpture, Stelarc, suspension, Transhumanism

Bill Bailey’s Brilliant Kraftwerk Tribute

In late 2003 and 2004, comedian Bill Bailey toured a show entitled Part Troll, which featured a good deal of his brilliant musical humour. Among the gems of musical mash-up, satire and spoof was one piece in particular – an encore actually – which deserves mention here (they all deserve mention, actually). It is a tribute to the groundbreaking German electronic group Kraftwerk.

Of course, the clip is best if you watch the entirety of Bill’s show and – if you are not familiar with him – get to know him as a person, but it stands on its own quite well too.

I’m not going to give away the punch line, but after you watch the video, visit this site to read about how David Bamber (who passed away this week) of the Telegraph thinks that the original of this tune is a parody of the Catholic Church’s Latin Mass.

Stay tuned for more wonderful British comedy posts.

VIEWING NOTE: The YouTube version of this clip is lower quality than the Daily Motion copy. If you wish to see this in higher quality (it’s worth it) either 1.) watch the entire show on DVD or 2.) visit the Daily Motion page for the clip and fast forward to the spot where you see Bill come back on stage in a black suit.

Bill Bailey, British comedy, David Bamber, electronic music, German, German music, Kraftwerk, Latin Mass, Music, Musical comedy, Part Troll, stand-up, stand-up comedy, Telegraph, theater