Khhhh.
Say it out loud. Khhhh. Does it remind you of the sound of static? Khhhhhhh. Does it provoke anxiety? Discomfort?
This was one of the thoughts exposed in the exhibit called 'Project 98: Slavs and Tatars' at the MoMA this past week. Slavs and Tatars is a collective of presentations, writings, booklets, scholarly work, aesthetic arrangement. It presents diversity within different cultures, languages, phoenetics, and other forms of radical thinking through a non-conventional scholarly approach.
That, the Khhhh sound, was a theme discussed in a section of the literary, research-based work provided in the exhibition. It was a sound that, phoenetically disturbed sectors of people due to their linguistics background, yet was completely normal to others.
A specific example of the employment of the Khhhh sound is the simulation it creates of static in a television set. ((-I want to explain this, yet not ruin it. Within the exhibition's written copies, this was explained in such an off-beat way that it's a bit hard to describe.-)) This generation of instant gratification is often perturbed by the static presented on a television screen. Those who are not used to images appearing instantaneously upon the sceen would take time to look at the black and white dots boogie on the screen. This society acquires anxiety with lack of content and understanding. The television screens cannot do what they want, they cannot boogie in peace. The humans are controlling what they present; a form of having their tongues removed and be inallowed to protest.
This was the most fascinating interpretation I got from the exhibit. I wish we could have stayed there for longer (and I wish I wouldn't have arrived a bit late to enjoy it longer.) The exhibit was very off-beat, for sure. I had never seen anything quite like it. It provided a very witty approach to a new form of ideas and knowledge. Also, the presentation was very well executioned. To enter, the viewer had to pass along the doorway, which was covered with massive rugs, specifically with middle-eastern designs. A whole different world unfolds within the exhibit itself. It looks like you just stepped into some rave with all the fluorescent lighting and darkness. I frankly enjoyed the space greatly and was brought back by the colors it produced.
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Second visit: Brand X Editions
I want to emphasize how dirty Long Island City was, at least the section towards Brand X. Man, you walk from one block to another and the whole scenery changes. Trash everywhere, strip clubs, sketchy people and abandoned areas. Yes, it was a hidden jem in a pile of shit, but really now! I thought the professor was going to take us to get killed in a back alley as some kind of initiation test in some gang! (Just kidding, I hope all of you can take a joke.)
Finally, the studio so many artists have mentioned that we must attend to. Brand X Editions is a high end printshop that produces prints for other (quite well-to-do) artists. The workers there are divided into sections based on their skill and knowledge, much like a factory line. One dedicated himself to re-creating the layers of color (they mostly work in silk-screen) on acetate to imitate the piece that needs to be reproduced. Another to shoot the screen, others can edition, and others to print. This division, based on knowledge and skill, gives way to amazing (and quick!) print processes where they can produce so many editions under such little time. No wonder many artists go to them.
Before Brand X, I had never thought of producing another artist's work was a possibility as a career within printmaking, yet upon going there, I saw an option I could enjoy. The thought of producing artwork, yet not being pressured to create your own work is somewhat appealing. Despite this, I still believe this could serve more as a 'day-job' (that also helps better your printing technique) to later on focus on your own artistic endeavors. Obviously, I'd have to get better at making crisp and identical editions, but this is actually helpful because it's a do-able option that I don't believe I'd be unhappy with. Let's see...Who knows.
Enough future planning here. Another good quality of our visit to Brand X was that the people were very friendly and made the smell of chemicals and fumes more tolerable! Oh yeah! It seemed like a friendly, yet professional, work area. I now understand why so many artists we visited recommended we saw the place. That is a day-job I wouldn't mind.
Cheers! Bettina
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