By The Beard of Zeus!

The Dada exhibit at the National Gallery is right up my alley. Everything about it says liberal, sarcastic, envelope-pushing art. For this reason I took my naturally sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek approach to taking notes on several pieces within the exhibit. The marrionettes caught my attention more than any other piece on the first floor. Much like the children that surrounded the glass case, I too peered into this little world of puppets with a look of wonder and splender. They were so intricately designed and meticulously concieved that even without the political metaphors applied to them they were worth a good once over. In fact, I took a picture of one with my cellphone, which is probably against there rules. Oh well.

All in the Dada spirit, I guess. The cellphone picture is so anti-art--low resolution, bad lighting, random candid shots-- that its artistic, much like Dada. This excursion to the National Gallery has prompted me to start an electronic portfolio of cellphone pictures. I usually edit them in ImageReady and then save them to the archive. It's a work in progress, of course, but I feel it will eventually start to form a scatterbrained narrative, much like a life-long hypersituational tour. Ready-made pieces like the toilet in the Dada exhibit have inspired me to include everyday tools, objects, and people in my artistic gatherings. With or without the help of ImageReady I feel these natural and man-made occurances can be works of art under a certain context.

Agency is the true engagement of the audience in an art form. In fact, in true agency the audience is really an active participant, controlling their own findings. Murray contrasts the classic novel and the more interactive art forms of recent times. Whereas novels have predetermined outcomes with the audience left only to sit back and listen, three-dimensional computer games, for example, engage the participant in active wondering in a constrained reality. Sure, 'constrained' is a stressed point, but ultimately, it is the fact that the participant is finding his or her own way about the virtual world that sets apart the mediums in their level of agency. I came to the realization that agency has a lot to do with mazes of different levels of intricacy. A typical novel, for instance, would be the simplest maze imaginable as it is a straight, linear path, with no options given to the participant. A two-dimensional video game would be a slightly more complicated maze and, of course, a three-dimensional game would be even more complicated. I think the higher the level of agency, or the more complicated the maze, the more the participant feels accomplished when reaching the endpoint. Part of the reason for this feeling of accomplishment stems from the fact that the user determines their own endpoint and isn't just going along for the ride from point a to point b as in the typical novel. The audience really makes the art an experience of their own, while they wander as please about this artistic maze of imagery.

I had no idea what to expect on my way to the Interface show at the Frasier Gallery in Bethesda. As far as I can remember, I have not really been exposed to a mixed media art exhibit. The show really blew my mind. LCD screens, sounds, machinery, sculpting, electronics, and just about anything else you could imagine were combined to make some pieces that pushed the boundaries of art. Sometimes I really felt as if certain pieces weren't art as much as they were physics experiments. For example, Claire Watkins's "Flock of Needles" seemed like science experiment that just had stunning visual results. Essentially, she used electricity and magnets to control harnessed needles with a rotating electromagnet. Cool, however, it reminded me of 8th grade science class. This brings up the recurring question though of "What is art?" After seeing Interface, I have certainly found this question to include alot more than I originally thought. Moreover, I also feel that there is no need for strict divisions of art forms. Some of the best pieces can really be found in between genres, sharing the best of different worlds, or at the least bringing to the light a new angle on art.

Today started out as a nice little Saturday with my father in town to visit for the day. We made our usual trip to Steak-n-Egg for lunch, walked around campus, and finished by touring the Katzen Building art exhibits. The first two floors were rather tame--a nude piece of art here and there among the collection of mostly abstract works. The third floor, however, was something else all together. Specifically, the "America's Grave" exhibit was shocking, to say the least. My father and I must of observed the piece for ten minutes. The use of electronics and alternative media really just captivates the audience, engulfing you in the artist's vision in such a way that a simple sculpture or painting may have trouble competing. The roughly 8 by 5 foot mound of mulch that formed the grave was denoted by a tombstone engraved, "R.I.P. America" with the date of the country's formation and ending date (January 2003, I believe) inscribed below. There were six LCD screens playing either news, press conference, or battle footage pertaining to the country's date of 'demise.' Surrounding speakers along the ceiling provided ambient noises that put the observer in the necessary 'on-edge' mood for viewing the piece. The compilation of mixed media and physical art is amazing when constructed properly and the "America's Grave" exhibit demonstrates the best of this genre.

Last Friday I walked from the Marvin Center at George Washington University to Village A apartments at Georgetown University. It was a long cold walk where I encountered very little of interest. Perhaps, because so much was on my mind, I failed to take in all the activity around me. These pictures are the sullen images burned into my mind as I take the most depressed and heartbroken walk of my life.

This is a picture of grown men playing soccer with an empty soda bottle on K Street.


I felt like leaning against this wall until it would eventually give out on me.


Times like this, I wish I were more religious.

2nd place and i'm still in the hole for $20.

Rest for the weekend.

I need to feel her again.

My eyes burn.
Everything Hurts.
Haven't seen her in 2weeks.

Negative $80.

I HAVE TO win this show.

What am i doing with my life?

"From the top"

"Three times perfect before you can leave"

Empty pockets.

Snapping fingers.

Lean with it.

Rock with it.

Work is not getting done on time.

Tasks are slipping through my fingers...

Still in pain.

My body is aching.

I'm running on 4 hours of sleep.

My eyes hurt.

Lingerie party.

There were many hot, scantily clad women, alcohol, and music.

Only one woman is on my mind.

We never spend any time alone together.

Sure we see each other once a week or so and spend some time, but its not enough for me sometimes.

I want more of her.

Burroughs is a very "different" man. If not from his past, one would realize this upon reading one of his works. His take on the novel and other artforms was simple: breaking up the chronological order in which they're traditionally presented and rearranging events to produce a work that is percievably different. For example, Burroughs would take two poems with some similar themes and intertwine them by splicing lines together here and there, forming a "new" piece altogether. Burroughs felt the simple logical order that literature adheres to was outdated as all other artforms moved toward more extract ideas while literature stayed at its logical standards.

I need to sleep... really bad.

Every night this week I've slept for less than 6 hours, two of these times less than 4, and continue to go through every following day without a nap.

Tonight, I would go to sleep early... but my girlfriend is coming over... who needs sleep anyway?

There's something about getting a haircut that makes a man feel like he's on top of the world.

I went all the way to Howard University today to go to "Best Cuts" Barbershop.

It was a long trip through the cold, but, alas, I am looking clean, and that's what is most important.

Ebay rules.

I got a new cellphone, books, a 160gb external hardrive, phone accessories, shoes, cologne, and 3 magazine subscriptions for under $500.

I think as I try to wait patiently for all my stuff to arrive, I will look into getting a job, because I'm damn near broke again.

Step team currently owns my life.

I'm in the gym everyday trying to get some muscle for the next show.

Not much progress has been made in gym, sometimes I think I'm not supposed to be muscular... just pretty.

I am a tired, tired man.

I woke up, went to the gym, pushed myself like crazy with lifting, ate, and then went straight to step practice for FOUR hours.

To make matters worse, the 'old-heads' (alumni) were there, making practice 5 times harder than usual.

I don't think I've ever wasted so much time and gas in one day.

I went to Catholic and George Washington University to publicize my fraternity's upcoming party, but was definitely let down by the lack of activity on both campuses.

As if this wasn't a big enough waste of time, I finished the day window shopping in Pentagon City... Why?

Party tonight at Georgetown.

Three different apartments, vertically stacked, all joined in throwing one big, ridiculous party.

Wet-campus, good times.

I am more than just another suit and tie.

Today I went to the shadiest interview for some random basement-operated "marketing" company that sells... cutlery?

I didn't know what the hell to expect and, in fact, I'm still at quite a loss.