Hustler of Culture

circle of friends. so best!

sunday dim sum brunch

i've just returned from one of the best trips to the bay area ever. aside from the shite weather following us west (word on the street was that san francisco just had the loveliest three weeks ever and that new york temps hit 70 degrees), i couldn't have asked for a better five days spent outside of the big apple.

gdc brought us to town. it was a great conference for us; finally getting a chance to demo our technology and to get some serious criticism about our game concepts. we rounded up with some of the most innovative people in our industry. our friends are more than kind and generous with their time and opinions. it was nice to see brian again. we ran into franck and buck. silvio worked with buck back in 1996 on pitfall 3d. i can't believe eight years have already passed. all our friends have slowly moved up the ranks. some even staying with the same company for longer than most of us have decided to live in any one city. this generation of game developers came from a variety of non-traditional gaming industries including math labs, consulting firms, comic books, the military, even, law school! the new crop of talent is graduating with bona fide game degrees! it's equally awesome and scary to watch the industry grow.

jump bay area!

souris, fennis, joel, silvionew san francisco jump pictures here

THE COUNTER CLOCKWISE CULTURE (03/27/04)

words from barry lyndon.

silvio and i watched stanley kubrick’s masterpiece, barry lyndon again today. it is a movie we have seen many times together. some poignant words before the end credits roll:

It was in the reign of George III

That the aforesaid personages lived and quarreled;

Good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor

They are all equal now.

they're idiots.

courtesy of the official bush-cheney website. thanks for the heads up chris.

BEIGE PRESENTS: JAMIE ARCANGEL AND THE ARCANGELS, THE 8BIT CONSTRUCTION SET, PAUL B. DAVIS, AND CORY ARCANGEL (03/19/04)

Using traditional musical instruments and machines derived from obsolete computers and video games, Cory Arcangel and his collaborative group BEIGE perform in a musical style he calls “video-game rock music.” This evening Arcangel and other BEIGE members engage in a DJ-battle using records made from Commodore 64 and Atari computer sounds and homemade music videos.

On select Friday evenings the Whitney presents SoundCheck, a series of live music and literary events by some of downtown's most adventurous talent. Cocktails and snacks are available for purchase, and all exhibitions are open for viewing.

This spring's Soundcheck series features performances by artists participating in the 2004 Biennial Exhibition.

Performances start at 7pm and are free with Museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6 to 9 pm.

she's crafty.

eminem by maria e. piñeres available at dckt contemporary

there's a lot going on in the arts and crafts world. and it's not just for old maids and summer camp anymore. hipsters have been knitting up a sweater vest storm. esteemed video directors are in on it too. i used to knit...when i was 12. i finished a few very crooked scarves. but this isn't about knitting. it's about needlepoint.

i attended an art opening for maria e. piñeres this evening. works of eminem, justin timberlake, debbie harry and bob dylan were mixed among portraits of friends and erotica. fun. inspirational. it was interesting to see home art showcased as high art. i think i found a gift solution for 2004. birthday portraits on the way. sorry if it's a year delayed. but friends, you know what you're getting now.

double take.

i saw both these images side-by-side and did a double take. one looked eerily like the other. their only similarity is that they were both taken today. made me look. that’s all.

CODY HUDSON: The Life and Times of Cody Hudson - Volume 1 (03/12/04)

four x four gallery presents:

CODY HUDSON:
The Life and Times of Cody Hudson - Volume 1
b/w an ambulance can only go so fast

March 12 - April 3, 2004
Opening Reception:
Friday, March 12, 2004, 6-10 p.m.

four x four gallery and Otto Design Group present new works by CODY HUDSON in his solo show, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CODY HUDSON - VOLUME 1. B/W AN AMBULANCE CAN ONLY GO SO FAST. The show will run from March 12 - April 3, 2004, please join us for the opening reception on Friday, March 12th from 6 to 10p.m. at 7922 W. 3rd Street in Los Angeles.

This show is a collection of paintings and large scale outputs based on late night emotional responses to lyrics and their connection to the human condition. Please join us as we celebrate with Cody in THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CODY HUDSON - VOLUME 1.

BACKGROUND
Born in 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Cody has been living and working in Chicago, Illinois for over 10 years now. He began exhibiting in 1995 and his paintings have been shown throughout the US and Japan. Cody creates images known for their satirical social and political content offset by pastel color schemes. His work draws on a variety of influences (from the lyrics of Dr. Dre to Neil Young, human emotions and French revolutionary slogans). His exhibitions include shows at Bucket Rider (Chicago), Compound (Portland), Camp Fig (Austin), FIFTY24SF (San Francisco), Alena (Montreal QC), and Rocket (Tokyo).

Cody is also known for his graphic design based work under the name Struggle Inc.

Cody's Art Work has been featured in magazines such as: Anthem, XLR8R, Arkitip, Complex, Straight No Chaser & iDn. His client list includes Chocolate Industries, Stussy, Syndrome, 2K, Burton Snowboards and Gravis. In his spare time he produces a small clothing line by the name of Headlock.

For more information about Cody Hudson please visit www.struggleinc.com

four x four
www.fourxfourthestore.com

Otto Design Group
www.ottodesigngroup.com

four x four is a retail and exhibition space dedicated to expanding our traditional notions of fine art, communication, and function by presenting work that blurs the boundaries between art, commerce and everyday life.

odg is a design collective with offices in Los Angeles, and Philadelphia specializing in identifying and directing new concepts in architecture, graphics and design. Otto Design Group's sister exhibition space is 222gallery in Philadelphia.

For additional information regarding four x four events, exhibitions, and press, please contact Amber Abramson: aabramson@odgla.com or call 323.461.4440.

peter hamlin (03/19/04)

more info: http://www.day14.com

put your money where your mouth is.

who are you going to vote for president? better yet find out who your neighbors are voting for. what kind of people live in your building? neighborhood? in new york city, conservatives live in the upper east side. liberals, downtown. no surprise, sure. but shit, this is absolutely amazing! eyebeam, the nonprofit new media arts organization has delivered us fundrace, an incredible tool that allows you plug in a name or address to search who has made presidential campaign contributions to whom. their mission statement: Eyebeam engages cultural dialogue at the intersection of the arts and sciences. mission accomplished.

i spent the last couple of hours checking out who my colorful neighbors have financially supported. what i found is that i have some pretty cool neighbors.

Wolf Kahn - Artist / Self employed
Howard Dean $2,000
217 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

Albert Zuckerman - Literary Agent / Writer's House, LLC
Howard Dean $2,000
234 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

Brian Sawyer - Architect / Self employed
Howard Dean $250
200 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

Chantal Bacon - Partner / Betsey Johnson
Howard Dean $1,500
222 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

Leora Barish - Writer / Self employed
Howard Dean $500
240 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

William Clark - Literary Agent / Self employed
Howard Dean $250
355 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

William Long - Costume Designer / Self employed
Howard Dean $1,100
349 W XXXX St New York, NY 10011

Edwin Schlossberg (aka Mr. Caroline Kennedy) - Designer / Edwin Schlossberg Inc
Howard Dean $2,000
641 XXXX Ave New York, NY 10011

if you've got more time to kill, look up who celebrities donated too. very interesting. very predictable.

Birth of Infantile (03/17/04)

Hello friends!

We're proud to announce that the day has finally come -- Infantile is open for business!

Infantile is a new brand of clothing for babies and toddlers. For our first season, we're offering a series of printed t-shirts featuring designs by a superstar collection of artists:

Tiffany Bozic
Jeremy Fish
Maya Hayuk
Evan Hecox
Jason Gnewikow
Dave Kinsey
Scott Sylvia

It's been a long time in the works and we're incredibly excited that our site is finally live. You can purchase shirts directly from our site, and we're working on establishing relationships with stores in the US, Japan and Europe. Grass roots, baby!

Thanks to all the people who helped us get everything where it is. And here's to a bright future for Infantile!

Robert Kissinger and Craig Melchiano
Infantile

http://www.infantile.com/

Aron's Bowery Birthday (03/18/04)

just another new york weekend.

we busted out some cab fare this past weekend. dinners, art events and one very special birthday to celebrate was on the weekend agenda -- lots to do, little time to do it all.

friday was spent mostly kissing danny's ass and making him feel like the king because it was his special day. don't get me wrong, kissing ass in this case is especially fun! the evening started by ordering too much tapas and white marguerites. pants were unbuttoned and the troops were ordered to march on to some busy bar. all the usual suspects showed up to pay birthday respects.

we have friends in common.

i've been scheduling conference calls for the last couple of weeks. a member of our board of advisors gave us a contact to a higher up at a well known executive search firm. writing emails, leaving voicemails, i was booking my calendar as usual.

i got a call friday asking for my first and middle name. huh, weird. the games industry knows me by my middle name. so i said, yeah this is she. rosamund, assistant to mr. higher up proceeded to book a conference call appointment for me this week. as we were about to hang up, she said, "wait. i wanted to tell you, i believe we have friends in common." oh yeah? i thought. and she went on to drop the bomb that she was engaged to my friend, greg in la! we immediately started giggling and chatting like old school mates. i hadn't spoken to greg in a little while but it was nice to hear such amazing news!

rosamund explained how she connected the dots. as she was sorting through her boss's messages, she came across mine and said my name outloud. another mutual friend, ruben, who just happened to be in her office was present and heard my name. he told her, "there's only one person with that name and i know her!" rosamund informed greg of our little star alignment and he explained to her that we were the games company he was talking about maybe four months ago (greg, by the way, pitched us some killer game ideas...ideas that cannot come to fruition just yet). another connection made. cross country. using business as a front. if work could be this fun always!

glad you were born.

we have too many friends and we don't have enough calendar days. dennis said it best last year when we tried to outlook a rendezvous. he exclaimed, "ugh! you have too many friends," as i struck down suggested dates due to birthday obligations. i believe birthdays are the one day you should show up at your friend's event barring tragedy and illness. looking at march, we have eight birthdays this month. not bad. for april...christ...we have 15 birthdays. no lying. i dare not look at may. i'm happy to know all these wonderful people. in order of event, happy birthday to danny, claire, robin, david, mike, jai, siwy, and elena. big ups and big love.

good night stephen sprouse.

photo of stephen sprouse property of the ny times

i got this email last week, "Your LV bag is now worth mucho. Big loss..." it came from a fashion stylist friend of mine who knows that i own a limited edition stephen sprouse lv purse. not one to rock the high end, when i caught wind that artist, photographer and designer, stephen sprouse was going to collaborate with louis vuitton, i decided, i must have a piece. they sold out over night. wait lists were closed. but i had the patience and i got myself a purse. i have used it maybe three times. friends ask, why did i purchase such an expensive item and not use it? my explanation, it's art! i collect from the street up. i saw it as a piece to time capsule for the future. i don't buy art with the intention to sell. i buy art to support friends and because i get great pleasure at looking at my pieces over and over again. i treat the satchel no differently.

stephen sprouse passed over a week ago. there has been very little news coverage. the ny times reports that he died of heart failure at 50. he was ill with lung cancer but kept it secret. like his cohort, keith haring, he was feverishly working to the end, creating clothes for target, art for nasa and fabric for knoll textiles. stephen had the chutzpah to mix high and low, marrying downtown with uptown. his true spirit and ingenuity will be missed. good night, punk prince.

ZOLTRON COLLECTIVE ART SHOW (03/14/04)

ZOLTRON COLLECTIVE ART SHOW 03.14.04
Sunday March 14th, Four to Seven PM
San Geronimo Cultural Center - 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd

Stop by the opening between four and seven and peruse the artwork of local artists Gabriel Parque, Ross Jones, Reuben Raffael and the enigmatic Zoltron. Enjoy the poetic ramblings of Josiah Luis Alderete and indulge in fine mexican appetizers provided by Fairfax's Casa Manana. The first 2000 guests will receive free admission and a hug from Ross Jones.

RICH JACOBS: WHAT INSTRUMENT DO YOU PLAY? (03/11/04)

EXHIBITION Catalog
RICH JACOBS: WHAT INSTRUMENT DO YOU PLAY?

Co-published by: 222gallery, odg / otto design group and RVCA Clothing
Edited and Designed by: Rich Jacobs and Jean Won
Introduction by: Jocko Weyland
Photography by: Tobin Yelland, Adam Wallacavage, Dave Delaney

6in x 6in, 24 pages, staple bound
PRICE: $10
[First 100 copies signed by the artist, while supplies last]

ON SALE at www.fourxfourthestore.com

RICH JACOBS: WHAT INSTRUMENT DO YOU PLAY? is currently on display at 222gallery, 222 Vine Street, Philadelphia. In celebration of Rich's first solo show 222gallery, odg / otto design group and RVCA clothing has teamed up to co-publish Jacobs' exhibition catalog in a limited edition series of 2000 copies. This catalog includes photography of the exhibition at 222gallery and portraits of Rich Jacobs from Tobin Yelland, Adam Wallacavage and Dave Delaney.

These catalogs are ON SALE at www.fourxfourthestore.com, please purchase them while supplies last. The first 100 copies are signed by the artist!

ABOUT RICH JACOBS
Rich Jacobs was born in Long Beach, California (1972). Jacobs is an internationally acclaimed artist who has exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He is also the curator of the on-going series of exhibitions titled MOVE. His work appears in magazines, publications, and on a broad range of media from fashion products, records and printed work. Rich Jacobs currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

ABOUT 222gallery and odg / otto design group
odg is a design collective with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia specializing in identifying and directing new concepts in architecture, graphics and design. 222gallery is a nonprofit exhibition space dedicated to expanding our traditional notions of fine art, communication, and function by presenting work that blurs the boundaries between art and everyday life. As a complement to odg's design studio and prototyping shop, the gallery is an effort to further explore the cultural landscape in which we work.
222gallery is located at 222 vine street philadelphia, pa 19106.

ABOUT RVCA CLOTHING
RVCA is a community minded clothing brand / art apparrel alliance that supports and works with young professional skaters, surfers, artists and musicians in various subcultures. The Artist Network Program is a division of RVCA that collaborates with various artists and charities. RVCA recently opened a gallery / store in costa mesa that features art products. limited artist books [zines] and clothing.
rvca is located at 919 sunset drive costa mesa, ca 92627

Giant Robot Issue 32 Release Party (03/12/04)