Saturday, August 11, 2007

earth @ russell industrial


Here's the Russell Industrial Complex. For anyone not in michigan, it is a huge industrial center, some in use and other parts vacant or abandoned. In even the last year there has been a boom of artists moving into the building for studio use and new galleries like DIP, and CAID will be moving in as well. CCS even rented two giant raw spaces for the sculpture students' end of the year critique/show. Good news for the detroit community - more centralized galleries are always great! I have been in many parts of the center but just a word of advice: if you are having an opening in the center, please put up a sign or give a number unless you want the hunt to be part of the experience. When we arrived there was another lost group of art-goers trying to find the location but the security guard didn't even know.
Well, the above pic is what you see when you enter.

This is to your left.

This was just one drive/alley way to the right. It wasn't down here....

hummmm...maybe these doors? No.

OK, after some time we were tipped off about this door.

But don't worry there are only 6 floors...

...and many halls. Some like this.

Some like that.

...But wait!....do I see a chalk arrow?

Ta-da!

Here are the artists



























Just to clear up: it was right there. Can't you tell? Da!
All kiddin' aside, it still was a fun scavenger hunt:)

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i was weak-hearted. i gave up on the search and went to see Now That I Can Dance at DIA (DFT).

1:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

whatever, another weak ass offering from a dying scene.

1:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why does it sometimes seem as if art has to = unprofessionalism? Is it lack of experience, effort, or intentional?

8:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about."
Winnie the Pooh

9:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

points well spoken, but who actually got their beehind off the honey pot and made it to the end of the scavenger hunt to form a valid opinion?

11:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I didn't go. Were there clues to follow? Was everyone given clues before beginning the hunt? Did they even know that the search was part of the art, and when they made it to the show, did the search and the show relate? Or was it just a show that someone is now trying to pass off as an intentional accident?

"Hunt? Oh... oh yeah you were supposed to search for the space." Meanwhile, someone is getting the back of their hands slapped for neglecting their sign duties.

Seriously guys, I've been asking myself the same questions that m. asked, "Why does it sometimes seem as if art has to = unprofessionalism? Is it lack of experience, effort, or intentional?" If it's intentional, then stop. If there's no reason to do it, then don't. Lack of experience and effort are no excuse. Experience maybe, but my guess is that most of the people in these shows are at least second semester sophmores but most likely juniors. That's enough time to learn that if you are going to do something (with your art) then you have to know why.

But maybe this is just the natural process of experimentation. Students?

6:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I made it to the end. It was a good show. As far as I know the artists were Cranbrook graduates, U of M grad students and Ann Arbor musicians.

8:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think i,m just confronted with an aestethic i just don't understand, this work is so commonplace now i feel i should have a grasp on it, but i don't, maybe a bit of an explanation would be good.

maybe from some of the artists in the show?

12:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

dude, perhaps a combination of all three? To me, it seems, there is no excuse not to have (for instance) a decent website. If a 10yrold with a geocities html editor can do it....? I'm thinking specifically of the RRR website (which I think was intentionally a pain in the ass) and the Hilberry gallery (which I think is unintentionally a pain in the ass). I had referred a past professor of mine to the later and she'd responded with complaints as to how little information was there re: dates and hours and upcoming shows, "it's like you have to be in the know, or there's no way for you to know"... you know? :-)

The gist is that people in the professional realm will not tolerate this sort of frustrating facade that typifies much of the artworld's presentation. People in the professional realm = people with the $ to spend and can/will take that $ elsewhere. People in the artworld = people with art to sell. This should/could be a symbiotic relationship, but the presentation seems to get in the way alot. Of course, these are generalizations of what I have observed, and don't relate directly to this show.

Still, I am curious as to others' take on the whyfor?

2:05 PM  
Blogger kmbabl said...

I put the show together.

To set the record straight, we did not get a chance to set up proper wayfinding from the parking lot to our space on Friday. I regret this and would like to apologize to anyone who came and could not find us. There was certainly no intention behind the poor mediation and for Saturday we had signs up with arrows.

Our collective would not really consider itself to be part of any "artworld" as such. Really we are all ordinary people with day jobs who think it is great to make use of empty space to visually approach a theme, in this case the problem of our species in relation to our host, Earth.

I hope that anyone who could not find our space or did not bother because of its purported inaccessibility will consider giving it a second chance. We are open Friday and Saturday 12p - 12a.
Tim Flood performs a live P.A. set of big harmonic drones on Friday and on Saturday some Ghostly personnel will dj.

As for a website, not likely to happen this time around. You can direct any questions to me at kbabl@umich.edu.

Cheers all.

2:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

dylanspaysky.com

That is some damn good lovin.

8:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love the photo tour. Having been to Russell Industrial Projects I know how difficult it is to find what you are looking for.

It reminds me of the movie Hostel without the blood, vomit and ball gags.

7:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Give credit were credit is due,CCs did not rent the spaces for the students at the Russell show, it was done by two eager teachers and there students, thoughy there was talk of CCS making it official and coughing up some of the cash for this years students

8:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

art needs to influence.

hang it in the public's face. don't hide it in a shabby building.

11:06 PM  
Blogger Ashley Androgyny said...

A: Art needs to influence.

AA: No it doesn't.

4:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hmm... this is perhaps the only advantage of a virtual gallery online - no hunting whatsoever.

;)

2:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

www.wardarusho.com

2:34 PM  
Blogger DAVE HUDSON said...

yes Jane..

www.plasmajunk.com

1:43 PM  

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