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Costume Design: Katja Loher’s Video Planets

Just wanted to share some information about a recent costume design project I did for a Swiss artist named Katja Loher. Katja’s recent work involves video projected onto weather balloons and shown inside video sculptures, respectively called video planets and miniverses. The video depicts activity from a birds’ eye view, involving choreographed movements that spell messages to the viewer. In this newest work Sculpting in Air, human bodies form letters that when composed into words and then sentences communicate simple questions aimed at the viewer or some unknown observer. Their movement takes place on a spinning hard drive which occasionally abruptly stops, and we are informed of a system error. The questions posed by the arrangement of bodies go unanswered as the divide between virtual space and reality cannot be bridged. Or at least that’s my interpretation.

My job was to create the costumes for the piece based on the concept of a futuristic worker, keeping in mind that the work would primarily be seen from above. This meant that there was a greater emphasis on the shoulders and headgear to help shape the silhouette as seen from this vantage point. This was the first time Katja and I had worked together, as suggested by a mutual friend Gin, and we soon found that we were both space nuts and had a common understanding of the visual language of science fiction. Katja was great to work with and very inspiring as an artist and as a director. I had only a couple of weeks to design and execute the costumes before shooting started, but it all came together. Katja’s assistant Luke Emery was also incredibly helpful in gathering materials and completing the helmets. All in all, an excellent project that I feel super proud of.

The piece is now on view at the Maxxi Museum in Rome through December 2010. You can watch it online at maxxi.katjaloher.com. For a project description, the script, cast and credits, and more photos see Sculpting in Air.

Below: Video stills from Sculpting in Air and photos from the shoot taken by Marco Monti

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.

Metalmags and the Alien Ambassador: Synchronicity

Lo and behold, the long-awaited sequel to An Opportunity for Social Engagement has arrived. Join our alien friends as they get down in the outer reaches of space. As always, the characters are played by myself and by Collin Cunningham.

Watch the video on my youtube channel, Mags to Riches.

View the growing Metalmags and Alien Ambassador playlist on my channel.

Two more Metalmags and the Alien Ambassador projects are in the works, so you’ll be seeing more of us! Look out for a preview of the upcoming long form project on my website.

Kate Bush Dance Troupe at The Kitchen

The Kate Bush Dance Troupe performed at The Kitchen November 5, 6, and 7 as part of Chase Granoff’s piece The Art of Making Dances. Chase’s piece featured himself and Jennifer Sullivan as the main dancers as well as a group of dancers who performed during several segments. Our contribution fell at the end of the piece and we performed just one song - The Dreaming. I made an additional costume for Renata, as she rejoined the group for this performance. The evening also included i need more by Nancy Garcia and was curated by Matthew Lyons. Matthew also conducted an interview with me, Jennifer Sullivan, and Samara Davis about The Kate Bush Dance Troupe that is included in the book Chase produced as part of his piece. The book is also titled The Art of Making Dances.

We were really stoked to be included in this show, and it was funny, because we had earlier joked that KBDT was blowing up and that we’d be at The Kitchen before we knew it. It was an awesome opportunity and really cool to perform in that space, so “big time” compared to the loft/party type locations of our previous performances. Unfortunately I don’t yet have any photo or video of the performance to share save for a mobile phone pic and some photos of us before and after the show. Check out the review from the NY Times and check back for more documentation in the near future.

Also see posts on our first and second performances.

photo by Timothy Hull

pics by me and Collin

See the full set on Flickr HERE.

New Halloween Costume for ‘09

This year I had an idea for a costume a few weeks before Halloween and decided to throw it together to become some sort of space rocker, a slight variation from my normal Halloween attire. I originally envisioned this costume being long-sleeved and totally covering the wearer in striped material, including a big hood or collar that would come up over their head. At first I tried to use some plastic tubing to form a circle, but it was nowhere near strong enough to support a collar. I decided to explore the world of foam and ended up stitching together several strips to form a sort of hood/half-helmet shape. I then covered it in the same material as the rest of the costume. The main bodice was copied from a pattern I made for a similar jumpsuit, though the arm pieces were a new addition. It ended up working out really well except that the seam tore on my upper thigh on Halloween nite. Luckily it wasn’t terribly noticeable as I was without a long coat.

See more pics from Halloween 2009 in my flickr set.

Bonus pics of me with my coworker Michael Armstrong as Lady Gaga. Photos by Michele Crowe.

Recession Runway at Nada/Fall Collection at the NY Art Book Fair

I’ve participated so far in two art runway shows that Jennifer Sullivan organized. Last May she mounted Recession Runway hosted by NADA at Bumble and Bumble, and I showed off the costume I created for my performance last March in Wisconsin. After wearing it a few times, I practically forgot that one of my breasts was nearly exposed and I felt more confident in it. I made the whole ensemble for under 40 dollars, including the fabric and applique. Not too shabs.

Pics below also include Jennifer Sullivan and Monica Abend. Photographed by Brina Thurston, who made Monica’s costume.

I was away on my honeymoon when Jen hosted Fall Collection at PS1 in October, but our fellow Kate Bush Dance Troupe member Kate Scherer modeled one of the costumes I created for the troupe. Kate did an amazing job and clearly represented the spirit of KBDT on the runway. Photo of Kate below by Dan Perrone.

W.A.R.E.S. Goddess Headdress Workshop with Jennifer Sullivan

In August, Jennifer Sullivan had a show at Heist Gallery called Manhattan Miniseries (With Sweaty Palms) during which she hosted many collaborative events. Jen and I worked together on this workshop, where we led participants in the creation of goddess headgear. Here was the description of our venture:

Wearable Art Research Empowerment Studio (W.A.R.E.S.) Episode
In this episode, artist Erica Magrey and I will guide a free Goddess Headdress-making workshop in the gallery space. Beginning with an informal discussion and a PowerPoint presentation offering some inspirational source imagery, we will guide participants through the process of using simple materials to make their own empowering wearable art. Emphasis will be placed on the expression of each participant’s unique inner strength and beauty through their creation. The workshop will culminate in goddess portrait photo shoot in the gallery space. Additional accessories, props and costume items will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring craft materials that inspire and interest them.

The workshop ended up being super fun and we got great results. Here are a few of the participants headdresses (Renata Espinosa, Kate Scherer, and Brina Thurston).

See the whole set HERE.

Jen also included the photos in the first issue of her new wearable art zine http://www.jennifersullivan.org/threads.html, made in collaboration with Jenn Brehm.

We had made this cool promotional image that I forgot to post in advertisement of the workshop, so here goes:

Finally, an auto-tune experiment worth watching

“We Are All Connected” is the second in a series of auto-tune compositions by the Symphony of Science. The creator John Boswell used clips of Carl Sagan from the Cosmos series, as well as Bill Nye, Richard Feynman and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Cosmos in itself is an amazing series that should be viewed in all seriousness. Impressively, this video succeeds in making such observations jovial without casting an irritating ironic shadow over the whole production. Bravo! Go to Symphony of Science to download the songs and videos. As seen on Geekologie.

We Are All Connected

Also check out the first video A Glorious Dawn, mostly comprised of Cosmos footage, enhanced by a verse by Stephen Hawking.

Woven in Time - Evelyn Roth

Behold Woven in Time, the super-cool-in-its-own-right filmic showcase of the amazing work of Canadian textile artist Evelyn Roth. The film’s protagonists are costumed bodies engaging in animalistic rituals, acting and reacting on instinct and natural rhythms. Through costume and movement, these beings are transformed into mythical life forms, writhing playfully to an ambient soundtrack of clicks, creaks, pops, and the occasional whiff of a sweet little melody. This lil old piece of media proves that Roth is a verified goddess of wearable art, though surprisingly, there is not much readily available info online about her work. Thanks to Jen for sending Evelyn’s work my way, and look out for more goodies in the near future. Thanks also to John Stone Davis, whose youtube channel is the source of these videos and several related works as well. Such beautiful, poetic, and moving work should not go unseen! So go forth, my friend, and view the videos below.

First, first feast your eyes on this, and crank the volume, as the levels are rather low.

Woven In Time (1977)

Below are two videos featuring interviews with Roth from 1971 and 1974, respectively.

This one goes into detail about her work crocheting video tape to create car cozies, wearable art ensembles, and an interactive sculpture/costume titled The Video Trap.

Good stuff!!