Radar Redux.com is expanding the traditional concept of journalism, to cover a wide array of Baltimore Arts and Culture.
Collaboration is kinda like dating. There have been so many people I’ve wanted to work with, but more often than not, I misinterpret signals, come on too strong, or else the relationship just sprouts too slowly to compete with more pressing concerns and so gets washed away by the tide of time. Collaboration itself is an art, something about letting go of the ego, learning to listen, gathering courage to contribute and strength to persevere. In the wake of failed collaborations I feel remorse, embarrassment, and even a little angry.
Last Saturday night I drove into town to go see the Phuong Pham’s Baltidelphia show at the Hexagon . I asked a few friends whom I don’t know super well to meet me there. I’d never been to the Hexagon before– I love the homemade marquee and the prison-like facade. Inside the space heaters hadn’t made much of a difference (it was ten degrees below freezing that night) and the cement floor radiated cold. The place was pretty empty– a guy at the desk and some other guy walking around and looking at a spare show.
The premise of Baltidelphia is to pair twenty-one Baltimore artists with twenty-one Philadelphia artists. Over four months the artists were to collaborate in some way to produce work, or at least ideas, concerning communication and the various technologies that allow us to correspond over a distance. Half the work produced is at Hexagon and the other half at My House, in Philadelphia. I was aware that Saturday would be the “soft opening” and that most of the Baltimore artists had gone up to Philly that night for the grand opening (the festivities will move down here February 6th for the closing reception). Even so, I felt like I’d been left behind. I felt cold and confused by the lack of care, the mostly empty space, the silence, the lack of food or beverage. I felt like two hours up I-95 there were a bunch of hip kids getting wild without me. When my friends arrived I felt a little embarrassed that I’d asked them to come. After about five minutes they left (”Okay. Bye.”). I stayed behind to try to engage a little more effectively with the work.
Perhaps it was the resentment I felt at being ditched, but I had trouble with the show. I know that some of these works in Baltidelphia demand more patience. Maybe I will return to the Hexagon with an intelligent friend and we can give the works the credit they might deserve. We can talk about the constituent parts of each work, discuss the odd terms in each, and start to understand what was intended. I realize it’s too easy to write a piece off, chalk it up to poor planning and move on. There is so much work that is deliberately crappy and intentionally stingy. We can’t always expect automobiles hung upside-down from the ceiling. However, I would have been more likely to give these works more time if the presentation of the show itself had taken better care of the viewers. A better informed door man to answer questions, say, or a list of works. Maybe if those framed pictures weren’t simply perched on huge clumsy wood screws. Overall, the works seemed underdeveloped and unpolished. One piece, a sort of trash-heap light box, beckoned me down onto the freezing floor to peer inside, but the Christmas lights meant to illuminate its contents weren’t working, so all I saw was dark. Several of the pieces actually included text explaining that the artists found it difficult to collaborate because of their schedules.
It is a great idea, a show that encourages artistic liaisons between these two post-industrial cities where living is relatively cheap and where the art-scene is pretty much grass-roots and ours for the taking. Initiating such a liaison is a feat in itself. And there are some intriguing bits in the show: Sean Scheidt muses on internet-mediated communication today and the ways in which it might compromise the quality of our interactions. Megan Lavelle framed digitally printed screen shots of her Gmail inbox and Facebook page, pointing to the virtual interface as the new painting. These two artists have begun to enter interesting terrain. And Phuong apparently has a lot of energy and manpower at her beck. I hope for her next show her gallery and her artists give her more support. Come to the closing reception February 6th. It will be a good time to meet some kindred spirits from our brother city, to meet Phuong herself, and get the ball rolling for future collaborations.
Baltidelphia
Hexagon
1825 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 528-0007
http://hexagonspace.com
January 9 – February 6
Tags: Baltidelphia, Hexagon, My House, Phuong Pham, visual art
Filed Under: Feature Sights
Dear Mr. Boyce,
First, let me commend you for braving the cold, and taking the time to look at art on a evening when you might have been more comfortable at home.
I wanted to take this chance to commend Phu for her curatorial vision. Yes, collaboration is tricky, and she posed quite a challenge. However, That is often the mission of the curator; to challenge artists to experiment in unexpected directions, and I particularly appreciate that she encouraged embracing technologies such as Facebook . Additionally, as the months go by and I watch how collaboration is near-impossible in other places (ie. Congress, take the health-care bill for example), I must commend Phu and all the artists who participated for their willingness to take artistic risks.
January 16, 2010 5:41 pmHi Peter,
I’ve been sitting on your writeup for a week, not sure if Alex and I should be proud of our foray into experimental communication, or bummed that the project wasn’t so successful for all particpants.
But therein lies the thrill of this project… we did indeed release these artists to each other, and some raved about their newly-considered creative boundaries, while others bitched about any number of lack of chemistry or communication issues. The tricky thing with gallery spaces these days is the emphasis on product, so little embrace of process, and to that end, I do agree that there are moments where Baltidelphia leaves one wanting.
As with all creative experiments, there are trials and errors, and Baltidelphia being our first ever “soft opening” will likely be our last. Not to say that I think this show was unsuccessful; rather, our soft opening was a trial to see if we could quietly open to the public… but openings should always be as fun and raucous and celebratory as possible!
–
Collaborations are TOTALLY like dating. I suck at them. I am pushy, flaky, and stubborn. Sometimes collaborations are awesome and you examine your studio practice in a way you’ve never imagined. Other times, you’re left feeling like you’re being clingy or that your partner is all over you and you’re just not Feelin It. Our ultimate goal with this project was simply to encourage the artists to question their process and hopefully discover something new. Some loved it, some hated it. so it goes.
In any case, I do hope you (and your pals) will come out for the closing. We intend to do it up in our fullest Hexagon style, and many of the Philly artists will be visiting. Free tunes by Polygons and Mr. Moccasin, and I’ll be sure to get those space heaters going well before the doors open.
P
January 27, 2010 9:46 am