Tony Oursler at Metro Pictures

I am not usually one for the new media in art, but some of it stands out, and Tony Oursler has been doing video installations now for years, and is the master of the genre. His new show at Metro Pictures, up until April 11, is well worth a look. The illusions he conjures are very compelling and are as much a testament to the rapid evolution of video technology as Oursler's incredibly imaginative use of it. Below are photos I took on my iphone, the simplest camera in the world, and if they are compelling on these, you know they are in person.

A forest of burning cigarettes greets you as you enter the gallery. As they are video projections, the tips appear to burn with a moving red glow of embers, and smoke rise. Pretty great, very compelling.

On the floor are projected scratch of lottery tickets with a hand vigorously scratching off the numbers. Again, pretty great illusion, it reads really well.

I have not been writing as much about contemporary art in my blog lately, partly because I have not been doing the Chelsea galleries as much in the winter months, but I will post when something moves me to. I will be interested to see how the galleries weather our current economic storm.

My taste is vindicated

Dear Readers, for those who have been following my blog, you may recall that I was doubting my own impeccable taste, a very rare admission of a possible failing on my part. This mild anxiety attack was brought on by Ugly Betty, which as much as I love the show, certainly would not want to be tainted with any commonality of taste with its protagonist. Please see my earlier post below to remind you of the issue at hand, my love for pearl or other bead dangles or drops from pendants or earrings.
Upon watching the Other Boleyn Girl and seeing the B pendant with pearl drops that Ann wears, which is nearly identical to that worn by Ugly Betty, I was doubting the art direction of the film, and wondering about my own taste. A crisis of faith in my own instincts.
Intrigued by the story in the Boleyn Girl movie, and wanting to better understand the history, I did a quick google on Ann Boleyn and imagine my enormous relief when in the Wikipedia entry on her, I found two paintings of her dating from her time, below:



See the B pendant, with the three pearl drops? So the art direction of the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl, was accurate, my doubts have been put to rest and my enjoyment of the movie legitimized. Most important however is that my love of pearl drop pendants is vindicated, my faith in my own impeccable taste has been restored. What a relief. I am sure my readers will be relieved as well!

Whats with the three pearl drops?

After an absence from this blog, I feel moved to write again. I guess with getting the gallery going I have been distracted and truth be told, not very inspired. But the other evening I was trying out Netflix Instant Watch on my computer, in an attempt to figure out how to do without my cable bill, as I cannot see continuing to spend $80. a month for content I hardly ever watch when so much is available through the internet now. I have switched to DSL, which is fine, not super fast but fine. However my connection is not fast enough for satisfactorily using the Netflix service, strange because it is fine with Hulu or watching through the networks websites. Anyway, I digress, back to the intended subject. I was trying out Netflix online watching The Other Boleyn Girl, with Natalie Portman, among others. While the screen freezing up, starting and stopping and I was missing a third of the action, I saw the pendant that Ann Boleyn was wearing was a lot like some pieces I have made, and wait, just like that worn by my favorite TV character, Ugly Betty.

Here is a pendant I made with a green tourmaline and three suspended pearls:

Pretty isn't it? I thought it was so tasteful and reminiscent of antiquity, I was proud of my work.
Until I started watching Ugly Betty, see below:

Can you see it, that B with three pearls pendant under it? Did the stylist steal my idea? Or is my idea really that unoriginal and banal as to be featured on that paradigm of bad taste, my beloved Ugly Betty. I was mortified.
So there I am watching The Other Boleyn Girl, and this is what I see:

Its the identical pendant as Ugly Betty wears. Can you believe it? I hardly can. While I was enjoying the movie, and am going to have to rent the DVD, I cannot watch on my computer it turns out, this sartorial touch is a bit suspicious. I mean if Ugly Betty is wearing the same thing, can it be historically correct? I doubt it. Makes me question the rest of the art direction on the movie, I have to admit. I am going to have to research 16th Century costume and jewelry in England to get a handle on it.

What am I to do? Abandon the three pearl drops?

What dear reader do you think?