TAG SALE COSMOLOGY

The Lounge - Online Exhibition

Several of my videos are featured in an online show that opens today at No Commercial Value (.org) called The Lounge, curated by Natasha Chuk and Cat Mallone. The show will run for two weeks. Please check out the show description below!

This show is a presentation of work by six contributing creators and thinkers who uniquely probe the complexity of how we construct, inhabit, and share our living spaces. The body of work we selected collectively illustrates a collapse of one’s personal and private living spaces and the objects that occupy them. Individually, each work invites users to engage in a unique experience of mediated access and contemplation.

The term “lounge” was selected to describe a broadly defined space of relaxation, exploration, creativity, production, and domesticity, from which a range of activities and the allusion to a complex system of memory and objects emerge. The shifting contexts of living spaces are addressed through new and purportedly obsolete media as a means of channeling the dizzyingly abstruse notion of imagined and realized spaces of dwelling and habitation.

Participating artists include:
Amy Casey
Gregory Fenton
Brian Knauer
Erica Magrey
Hollis B. Thornton
Ann Toebbe

Best Worst Movie, Troll 2, and Nilbog finery

photo courtesy of Kelly Sepulveda

For those of you who haven’t been blessed with at least one viewing of Troll 2, allow me a brief introduction: it’s a mesmerizing, god-awful, hilarious, bottom-of-the-barrel budget film of rare form. As kids, my brother Aaron and I screened it over and over, rewinding the tape to review favorite scenes of unspeakably bad acting, wardrobe malfunction, and the remarkably “special” effects. There are countless bad movies out there, but few are as captivating and bold. We felt we had discovered a secret little nugget of inept genius and that no one else had ever seen this movie; and yet, as it turns out, many, MANY kids had a very similar experience. Over time they indoctrinated others into the fold. And so began the rise of Troll 2 to cult status.

This past weekend, my pal Jen and I attended a screening of Best Worst Movie - a documentary about Troll 2 directed by its young star, Joshua (Michael Paul Stephenson). We were unaware that we’d be treated to appearances by members of the cast so were happily surprised to meet George Hardy (the dad) and Jason Steadman (Drew). (See photographic proof below.) At the center of the movie is Troll 2’s father figure George Hardy, a super friendly and likeable guy who has a successful dentistry practice in Alabama. He and some of his Troll 2 cohorts ride the wave of notoriety that’s kicked off by a Troll 2 screening at the Upright Citizens’ Brigade in 2006, and we witness their unlikely celebrity. The movie truly was very touching and inspiring in addition to being incredibly funny, and I feel confident in saying that viewers new to the trash masterpiece will agree.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Sepulveda and Kris Lozanovski who made these AMAZING goblin costumes based on the creatures in Troll 2. They became a part of the documentary as well after attending a Nilbog Invasion event in Morgan, UT in full regalia. Kelly was kind enough to share some information about how and why the goblins came to be.

I was surprised to hear that the soon-to-be pharmacists had never sculpted anything before this ambitious undertaking (though Kelly does some embroidery, sewing, and scrapbooking). They started their journey with a mask-making kit from Monstermakers.com that included basic instructions. Using still images from the movie for accuracy, Kelly tackled the heads and Kris made the hands using plasteline clay. Here are some excerpts from Kelly’s note about the process:

As far as a technique for figuring out the sculpting process, it was basically trial and error…The sculpting tools I had never used before, so I just had to get used to which tools would be best in working with any particular part of the masks I was currently working on. I am pretty anal about my art, so I did want the masks to look as close as possible to the originals with the time I had to sculpt them…I actually sculpted one of the ears and then cut it off in order to sculpt the other ear so they would both look similar. The hair, eyes, and teeth were all purchased from ebay. The hair is goat/llama hair, eyes are real WWII prosthetic eyes, and the teeth are real shark teeth. I also sewed two burlap sets of shirts and pants and a pillow-case sort of stomach that you could strap around your waist to help complete the costumes. We made spears from some fallen tree branches and bought spearheads from ebay.

The pair met while interning together during college and found that they shared a passion for B-movies, and so Troll 2 came to play a role in their developing romance. When they heard about the costume contest at the aforementioned Nilbog Invasion, they got to work.

I’m all for tackling totally new mediums and am inspired by their story. And their artistry! In addition to the trolls, the couple has also made a board game called Alley Cat inspired by a cat they adopted from the streets. If the pharmacy biz doens’t work out, I’m sure you guys will have plenty of other options.

The goblins are touring the country to help promote the doc and have been seen in Austin and NYC with an upcoming stop in LA. Go see this movie!!
Awesome process shots of the goblin masks below courtesy of Kelly Sepulveda.

Performance at U Wisconsin-Madison’s Starlight Cinema

I’m performing along with artist Shana Moulton this Thursday in Madison. In addition to some, er, classics, I’ll be performing a new piece, for which I made a new costume (see above). I have to admit - I’m pretty impressed with myself. My costumes are actually beginning to turn out as I had envisioned them!

Here are the deets:

Shana Moulton & Erica Magrey
a night of live performances

Thursday, March 26, 2009
8 pm - 915 pm
Starlight Cinema
Memorian Union: Fredric March Play Circle
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI

nyc video and performance artists shana moulton & erica magrey will each
perform individual sets and then come together for a rare, starlight-only
surprise collaboration. this is sure to be an evening of full impact head-on
collision wizardry so don’t miss it!

shana moulton will perform a piece titled “body ÷ mind + 7 = spirit.” in
this performance, shana brings her alter ego, cynthia, and her strange world
to life through an innovative use of props, costumes, live-action and
projected video. the performance weaves an abstract narrative out of
exercise equipment, carpal-tunnel therapy, goddess worship, the new-age pop
music of enigma, angela lansbury, the thousand-hand bodhisattva dance and
brian de palma’s carrie.

erica magrey will appear as her alter ego, metalmags, in a performance
titled “window.” here, a collage of personas, reflections and realizations
emerges as stories of transformation and empowerment are told through
movement, light, and sound. using performance, video, and songs, she creates
a psychedelic journey of self-discovery, engaging themes such as self-doubt,
nostalgia and personal mythology.

p.s. this event is free

Nakedly Screening - Sat 8/2

I’m participating in a screening at Monkeytown in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, tomorrow, August 2nd. I’m showing a video that I’ve never shown before called Kristin and Linda, shot in 2005 and recently re-edited. Here’s a brief description:

A teenage girl cathartically portrays her own mother in a familiar household scene. The energy behind her performance brings home the amplitude of her frustration and of her mother’s lack of control.

The screening also includes work by friends Jennifer Sullivan (who is also the curator), Brina Thurston, Collin Cunningham, and Jake Borndal, as well as many others whose work I’m unfamiliar with. Come check it out if you’re interested!

Here’s the drill with Monkeytown:
2 screenings: 8 and 10:30
It costs $5 to get in but then you’re supposed to spend $10 while you’re there on drinks and/or their eclectic menu.
Make reservations online beforehand if you want to go.

From Jennifer’s description:

Favoring verité over virtuosity, the videos collected in Nakedly are simple works that bare their own devices, bodies and/or souls…[they] comprise a meandering mix of misty-eyed moments, awkwardness, experiments, humor, vulnerability, longing, sensuality, personal revelation and nudity.

See full description and more info HERE.

Below: Still from Kristin and Linda, 2005, 2008; photo: Kristin looking corporate, 2000

More Troubadour on MNN Cable Access!

The friendly folks at Manhattan Neighborhood Network liked my video Troubadour enough to give it its own time slot. It ran this past Wednesday and will play again this Sunday April 27th at 10 pm, and again on Thursday May 8th at 10 pm. After these scheduled time slots the video will also be played as a filler between other scheduled shows on the network. Strange but cool, eh?

You can watch it on TV in Manhattan - Time Warner #34/ RCN #82 - or streamling live worldwide at www.mnn.org. To watch it on my mac, I went to mmn.org and scrolled down on the left to Watch MNN Live. I then chose “mms” for 34/82.

Check out Troubadour and my other videos on youtube.

Troubadour on MNN and online this Sunday

My video Troubadour will be streaming online and airing on MNN (Manhattan cable access) this Sunday, February 3rd. It’s part of a video series called Eye Am: Women Behind the Lens and will be shown with videos by Katja Straub, Lili White and Hilda Daniel.

If you miss it Sunday, I’m planning to finally put this video on youtube
in segments in the near future. To see what I’ve got up there now, go to
my youtube channel.

For the full episode breakdown, please see the Eye Am blog.

Here’s a bit of info on the series and how you can see it:

Eye Am: Women Behind the Lens is a short film series showcasing women’s memoir spanning across all genres of film and video. EA airs @ 9:30-10:30pm the 1st Sunday of the month on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Time Warner #34/ RCN #82 (in Manhattan) & Streaming Live Online at www.mnn.org (Worldwide).

* To watch it on my mac, I went to mmn.org and scrolled down on the left to Watch MNN Live. I then chose “mms” for 34/82.*

Troubadour on MNN Cable Access

Eye Am, an organization dedicated to showcasing women’s films, just announced their 2007-2008 Winter Season lineup on MNN. My video Troubadour will be included in Episode 15, airing February 3rd. It’s also going to be running as a filler program with the hopes that many a manhattanite will find it while flipping through the channels.

The full schedule for the 07-08 season is as follows:

Episode 13 - Sunday December 2nd 9:30-10:30pm MNN.org/TWC 34/RCN 82 (in Manhattan): Giovanna Chesler, Naiti Gamez, Kim Kheilhofner, Margie Schnibbe

Episode 14 - Sunday January 6th 9:30-10:30pm MNN.org/TWC 34/RCN 82 (in Manhattan): Kim Kheilhofner, Lili White, Diane Spodarek, Katarina Jack

Episode 15 - Sunday February 3rd MNN.org/TWC 34/RCN 82 (in Manhattan):
Katja Straub, Lili White, Erica Magrey

Episode 16 - Sunday March 2nd MNN.org/TWC 34/RCN 82 (in Manhattan):
Selected works from the Female Eye Film Festival

Read the Eye Am blog for details about the films being shown.

Check out MNN’s website for info about their programming and how you can air your work on the channel.