Home-Cooked Meal, #22

Oklahoma Joe's BBQ, Kansas City, MO

Thanks to Kevin and Tiffany (below) for the hospitality while in KC! They didn't make me a home-cooked meal, but we sure did stuff our faces while I was there.

Kansas City, Urban Culture Project, FRIDAY, February 15, 2008

I am currently held up at Brad's place just outside of Boonville, Missouri. I am coming down from my fantastic Minneapolis experience, and from a short-but-sweet visit with Andy Adams of Flak Photo fame, in Madison, WI.

I am slowly making my way to Kansas City for a event-filled night at the Urban Culture Project Space this FRIDAY, February 15, 2008. If you are in the area, please come on by! I will be starting off the events at 5:30 by giving a talk (babbling my face off), and showing some new work.

Urban Culture Project’s Third Friday Art Downtown February 15, 2008, 5:30-10pm, features a talk by New York based artist Timothy Briner about his Boonville project; the opening of Wild Reserve: Kelly J. Clark and Christa Dalien; a live electronic music performance by the Kansas City Electronic Music Alliance; the second reception for Locate | Navigate: exercises in mapping (Part 1), and open studios. All free and open to the public.

The Urban Culture Project Space
February 15, 5:30pm
21 East 12th Street
Kansas City, Missouri

Art Shanty, 2008

Art Shanty Project, Medicine Lake, MN, Feb. 9, 2008

Boy was that fun! Cold. Like -20 with wind chill, but a lot of fun! This is the 5th year for the Art Shanty Project, held on Medicine Lake, in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

"Art Shanty Projects is an artist driven temporary community exploring the ways in which the relatively unregulated public space of the frozen lake can be used as a new and challenging artistic environment to expand notions of what art can be.

The environment in Minnesota is challenging; cold being the harshest. Lakes are an often-used medium for recreational activity in Minnesota; winter does not stop this use, but transforms it. One of these uses; ice fishing is a popular winter activity in Minnesota and indeed throughout the world, people often fish from a structure commonly known as an ice fishing house, shelter, shack or shanty. Make shift communities position themselves over the best fishing spots. Deep in winter, the lake ice can get to be 2-3 feet thick, more than enough to support trucks and cars."

There are a number of different Art Shanties. The Shanty of Misfit Toys, the Norae (Karaoke) Shanty, the Pin-Hole Shanty, The Snap-Shot Shanty, The Knitting Shanty, the Giant Robot Shanty, Etc.

Peter Haakon Thompson, Auto Ethnographic HQ Shanty

The Art Shanty Projects are organized by David Pitman and Peter Haakon Thompson (My wonderful host -- Pictured above).


Moments after world record attempt

Yesterday, Robert Marbury organized an attempt to break the World Record for the longest bunny-hop-on-ice. Although we were 1,700 or so people shy of the record, we were still champions!


End of day, Art Shanty Project, Medicine Lake, MN

The wind was harsh and the air was cold, but the shanties were all welcoming and warm. If you are in the area, check it out, it is definitely worth it.

Make sure you stop into the Postal Shanty to send of a postcard, get warm, and have a shot, or two, or three.

The Walker

still life w/ serial killers, 1991, JoAnn Verburg

I made it over to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN yesterday to take in the hype, and the new show by JoAnn Verburg. I've never been a great fan of hers, but that changed yesterday. I was drawn to the color work she did in the early 90s. It really amazed me -- Three works specifically, I couldn't stop exploring them.

One of the images is above, titled still life w/ serial killers, 1991. This image was taken in Italy while vacationing with her husband (I believe they always split the year between MN and Italy). She had gone to the market to get some flowers, and when she returned, she noticed the paper that was chosen to wrap her beautiful bouquet had a cover story about Serial Killers in America; The article discussed why such things happen there (here), and came complete with a photo of Jeffery Damer and Charles Manson. The irony and composition, along with the juxtaposition of the selection of postcards, the reflection of the bed, and the paper, continues to amaze me. Listen to her speak about the piece, here. My favorite image could not be found online, but her explanation of it might be just as effective. listen to JoAnn Verburg discuss Secrets: Iraq, 1991, here. Stunning.

Most of the work that I was greatly drawn to were images that she has taken of her every day surroundings. One thing that I have struggled with (or maybe have a lack of interest in) is capturing my daily and repetitive actions. This has changed a lot on this trip. But normally I have a difficult time with this while I am home. These images were very inspiring.

A performance piece (if that is the correct term) by Tino Sehgal was also very moving. The piece was titled Propaganda, 2002. I went back to experience it five times. It was beautiful and I continue to hear it in the back of my head. You can hear about his process, here.

Minnesota

I am leaving my parents place in IN, and the comfortable bed and edible food for the road again. I am off to visit with Peter Haakon Thompson and the Art Shanty Project in Minneapolis, and I will be giving a talk at the University of Minnesota on Thursday. If you are in the area, and want to attend, it is open to the public. Email me for information (timothybriner@gmail.com)

Influence & Inspiration

From Vacancy, 2004-2005

I recently had a conversation with someone about influences and inspirations, and the fine line they both inhabit.

I struggled before this trip to wipe away all my previous influences. I was having a creative block for a few years, and started to be greatly influenced by (copying) other artists’ (diCorcia's) shooting styles, without really even being aware of it. (example above)

“A student might see a great work of art and say to himself, 'This is a great work of art. I want to make a great work of art, too.' And so, the student sets out to try to do so. And if he has some talent, he might produce something that looks just as though it were a great work of art—almost convincing. If one didn’t know any better one might actually mistake it for a work of art. The only problem is that the great work of art that the student so admired was not a product of these same motives. It was the by-product of these same motives. It was the by-product of the artist’s personal quest.” – Stephen Shore

Many people say, "it has all been done before anyway, so how can you not be copying something, somewhere down the line?" Maybe I believed that once, especially when I moved on to my next big influence after diCorcia, and my work started to look like everything else being created at the time. But I don't believe that anymore. And I do believe there are many talented and unique voices out there doing very original things. Whalead Beshty and David Claerbout are my go-to unique voices. Not that they aren't being inspired by art before them, because they obviously are, but what they are doing, along with many other people, is truly inspiring and always changing.

My current work is not without a level of influence either (did I just contradict myself?). During this trip I have often referred back to and even explored the philosophy and vision of some of the photographers I greatly admire (Evans/Frank/Sander/Soth/Winograd/Tice). But I now understand that the fine line that is inspiration and influence is actually a paradox. And that the "personal quest" isn't something that you can copy or create, it is a state of mind. It is your inner most thoughts and fears. And inspiration and influence, at that point, is simply that.


Connie & Carla, 2004

I spent a few months before this trip looking at the work I created over the last eight years, and I tried to find that early voice, the one that screamed "Go out and create something original, make mistakes!" Because what is the point of just doing it safe? Those moments for me were priceless and inspiring; The times that I went out because of love and curiosity, and the times I made mistakes, which opened up the possibilities of something new. Lycanthrope was created in 2004, and I feel it was probably the last original and exciting thing I created.


Self-Portrait from Lycanthrope, 2004

The beginning of the Boonville trip was extremely difficult because I found that I had truly lost my voice. And the journey quickly turned into a vessel for me to find it.

The work that I was producing in Boonville, Missouri, in August, was good but not great. North Carolina showed improvement, but I was still lagging behind my expectations. Boonville, NY was a leap; I produced some stuff that I was really excited about, and it was turning point in my thinking, my work, and my ideas. But it wasn't until Boonville, Indiana that I started to feel my own ideas and vision really come together as one. I have not felt this way for years. I'm excited about the work, the future and my ideas. And I am excited to wake up everyday and explore new subjects and to make mistakes.

After a long journey, and a few psychological hurdles over the last couple of years, the work is finally my own, again.

NW Indiana

Mom + Snowblower, Westville, IN, 2008

I am back at my parents place in NW Indiana for a few days. I was going to spend one night here and then I was supposed to be off to a few engagements and to meet a few new friends. But I could not resist the warm food, warm shower, real bed, and Cable TV. I also have a submission deadline on Monday, and will now have a comfortable place to work for the next few days. I am going North to Minnesota after that. I hope it keeps snowing. I love this time of year!

Film Developing, Louisville

Film & Film-Changing Bag

My friend and film developer, Drew, was away for 5 of the 7 weeks I spent in Boonville, Indiana. Today I arrived in Louisville, KY and dropped off 200+ sheets to him, and we are currently working on developing sheet numbers 23 - 34 from that box. I think I shot 500 sheets of film this time around, about 100 more then NY, and 250 more then Missouri. And I have only seen about 60 of them, so we have a lot of work to do.

It is great to see him at work, to smell the chemicals, and to see the entire process unfold. While loading and unloading film in my changing bag, which I do A LOT, I have nothing to do but think. And normally all I can think about is the wonder that is photography and its development process. When loading each sheet of film, I think about its possibilities and what the future may hold. What stories will it tell? Whose likeness will it capture? And so on. But I also think of the latent image as I download it. What did I do wrong? Did I focus you? Was my exposure correct? Will you be my greatest achievement? It sounds weird, yes. But most of the time I am all alone, and who better to talk to then my film? And as those many latent images are beginning to magically appear, I have been both amazed and disappointed. So continues the normal cycle.