This Thursday, September 27th, 2012 at 8 pm, Charles Stankievech will be giving a talk entitled, "Over the Rainbow, Under the Radar". The event coincides with the opening of a new work, "Homeland Security (It's hard to find a good lamp)", which we've installed at the Marfa Shade Structure. It's our first outdoor / public work and we're very proud of it. The work will be on display until October 9th, 2012. (Columbia University's Interventions Journal has posted a conversation between Charles and I, and have also posted many additional photos of the installation.)
The work consists of 36 Flowtron Insect Killers, arranged in a large grid, and hung from the rafters of Marfa's central public gathering space, known locally as the Shade Structure. Each of the objects hangs 8 feet from the ground, considerably lower than ordinary lighting, even a little uncomfortably so. And yet, they're just out of reach. The artist turns the lights on each evening, at around 8 pm.
We've also produced a small booklet, in association with Paper Pusher, a small batch, mostly risograph publisher based in Toronto, to accompany the show. The edition is limited and the cost is very low. If you're interested in obtaining one, call or come by quickly.
"Homeland Security," 2012.
Charles Stankievech is an artist who creates “fieldworks.” His diverse body of work has been shown at such places as the Palais de Toyko (Paris), International Symposium on Electronic Arts (ISEA2010, Germany), Xth Biennale of Architecture (Venice), Eyebeam + ISSUE Project Room (New York), the Musee d’art contemporain Montreal and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. He has curated such unorthodox exhibitions as Magnetic Norths, A Wake For St. Kippenberger’s MetroNet, and the series OVER THE WIRE with Lawrence Weiner, Gary Hill, Tim Hecker, Centre for Land Use Interpretation, Lize Mogel and others. His writings range from academic journals, such as Leonardo Music Journal (MIT Press) and 306090 (Princeton Architectural Press) to experimental texts for art publications. Stankievech holds an MFA in Open Media with a thesis on sound and architecture and a previous critical theory thesis on Slavoj Žižek and Franz Kafka. He currently is artist-in-residence with the Canadian Department of National Defense with a sortie to CFS ALERT—northernmost settlement in the world and active Signals Intelligence station. Upcoming projects include a public art commission by the government of Washington, D.C., the exhibition Oh, Canada at MASSMoCA, and artist-in-residence at Marfa, Texas. A founding faculty member of the Yukon School of Visual Arts in Dawson City, Stankievech splits his spacetime between the Yukon and Berlin.