10.30.2010

Went to the Irving Arts Center today to see a sound installation by the artist Mineko Grimmer. She creates these sound sculptures where ice and rocks are suspended above wooden sculptures usually with guitar strings, bamboo tubes, and metals. Over a period of time these blocks ice melt dropping water, ice chunks, and rocks down on the sculptures below. Beautiful. I got there as they were replacing the blocks of ice but I walked around the building for a good hour and went back in to catch some of the sounds as the rocks began to fall. It was stunning. I just sat there, along a wall, and waiting with anticipation for rocks to fall just to hear what everything sounded like.

I was really inspired after leaving this show. Earlier in the day I was feeling a little depressed about how I felt about the current state of art and music, feeling that most current art/music is mediocre. After seeing her sculptures I didn't know whether to give up creating art or to go home and work on some of my own art.







































I've been really exploring music, which we take for granted here in the States like hip hop and punk, but created in other locations. Today I watched, "Taqwacores", about Muslim punk musicians, the book is more about a fictional house or community
of Muslim punks. Recently, I watched some stories about Iraqi hip hop emcee's and their fight to get their music heard.