Hrag Vartanian

• Radar - Inside the World of High-Class Hipster Hookers
  I guess it was inevitable….ATTACK OF THE HIPSTER HOOKERS!
  (tags: nyc popculture)
• Single Family Homein Detroit Sells for $1
  4 Bed, 2 Bath, 1,249 Sq. Ft.
  (tags: usa)
• Huong Ngo - Department of Defense Font Set
  "These icons were extracted from Department of Defense and Air Force Insignias. While the full DoD seal is protected from misuse by law, the parts are open and available to the public."
  (tags: design usa)
• Telegraph - Giant beach items in Rimini
  "Like Lilliputians spotting Gulliver's possessions, beach goers in the Italian city of Rimini have been bemused and amused by the overnight appearance of giant beach objects."
  (tags: popculture publicart)
• Towleroad - Berlin Mayor Condemns Attack on Gay Holocaust Monument
  "The kissing scene shown in the monument evidently hit the mark. Even in a democratic society there are people who can't stand the sight of men kissing in public."
  (tags: lgbt publicart humanrights)

Last Saturday, English Kills’ “Maximum Perception: Contemporary Brooklyn Performance” opened with no fewer than four…actually five…maybe even six if you count James Kalm’s video report (which I’ve always considered part performance/part reportage)…performances.

Official performances:

• An all-day performance by Marni Kotak;
• A 6pm performance by Ximenga Garnica + Shige Moriya (which I missed);
• A 7pm performance by Holly Farout + Sarah H. Paulson;

A “guerrilla” performance:

• all-day by Rob Andrews in front of the gallery building (see photos below); and

A spontaneous performance:

• by Huong Ngo & Colin McMullan who while they were chatting with Veken about their non-conventional performance style then informed him that they were in fact performing as they sat and chatted with him. Veken was understandably confused.

THE GUERRILLA PERFORMANCE

What would a delightful afternoon of performance be without a guerrilla performer….out front Rob Andrews, pictured on the invite postcard, was chained to a light pole wearing a blue latex bull mask.

For hours on end, Andrews lay on the ground in front of a covered garbage storage bin barefoot and with his belly hanging out like a heroin addict or drunk (maybe a little of both) in a state of half-slumber and half-homelessness.

I personally found it interesting not only for the bizarre setting and mask but also for the reaction of people walking by and coming across the artist vagabond. And because it was Bushwick the only thing that tipped me off that it was an art performance, as opposed to some bizarre drug lord sex slave,  was the mask.

For “Maximum Perception” full weekend performance schedule look here.

Curator Peter Dobill told me that next Sunday is sure to be intense as he will perform all day by cutting himself once a minute for hours on end.

Also, check out James Kalm’s excellent & concise video report from “Maximum Perception” on BlipTV here or watch it below:

• Dodge & Burn - "Henequen" or the Mexicans of Korean Descent
  "Formerly the superpower of Latin America, people immigrated to Mexico instead of vice versa. Back in 1905, a group of Koreans who were fleeing Japanese rule were 'lured in 1905 by ship to plantations on the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico. Instead of finding a better life, they were sold to plantation owners and forced to cultivate henequen, a plant whose tough fiber was used to make things like rope.'"
  (tags: multiculturalism)
• Kamil Pasha - Muslim Veils Increase Sexual Harrassment of Women
  "Surprisingly, some Egyptian women say that their veils don’t protect against harassment, as the lollipop ads argue, but fuel it. A survey released this summer supports the view."
  (tags: humanrights)
• Strange Maps - Generic Names for Soft Drinks in the USA
  Americans have an amazing ability to forget that the English language varies across the country. When I arrived from Toronto, New Yorkers would taunt me that I sometimes used the word "pop" instead of "soda" for soft drinks and justify it by saying "My friend in California uses "soda" too so it's an American thing. They dismissed it as a Canadian-ism…but now I have proof that it wasn't…New Yorkers can be so provincial sometimes.
  (tags: usa popculture)
• Towleroad - Berlin Memorial to Gay Holocaust Victims is Vandalized
  "…a sign informed the visitors that the film wasn’t showing correctly due to a 'technical problem'."
  (tags: lgbt sculpture publicart humanrights)

Hugh Atkin, the mind behind the brilliant Barack Obama rickroll (vid here), released this clever video last month that replaces photographer Bill Henson’s art/kiddie porn controversy with Muppet god Jim Henson and his “secret passion” for his furry friends….gasp!

As the video suggests: “Why can’t we allow muppets just to be muppets“…indeed.

The only thing that peeves me off about the video is the propagation of the myth that sexual abuse leads to “homosexuality.” What a load of crap! But otherwise the video is a fascinating “through the looking glass” view of the controversy down under.