Image of the Day

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Rineke Dijkstra: Still from The Buzzclub Liverpool/Mystery World, Zaandam, NL, 1996–1997 (Two-screen video projection with sound) – on view in the Dutch photographer's solo retrospective on view at SFMoMA through May 28th. I had the chance to visit when I was in town for a hot minute the other day, and granted I am a semi-fragile muhf*cker these days, but I found the show extraordinarily moving.

Got It In My Mind

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Twerps "Dreamin" (2011, Underwater Peoples)

(photo: SFMoMA, March 2012)

Image of the Day

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The New Norwegian Opera and Ballet, by Oslo-based architecture firm Snøhetta – from this angle at least, I like how it evokes shards/sheets of ice coming out of the water (click to enlarge). Snøhetta was recently chosen to build the forthcoming new addition to SFMOMA – see more of the firm's projects at snoarc.no

Is Photography Over?

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Alright alright, I've been meaning to mention this too and didn't get to it in time, but since most of us don't live in San Francisco we wouldn't have been able to go anyway:

Unknown, Untitled (Man Reflected in Mirror). Photograph, undated. Collection of SFMOMA

As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, yesterday the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art kicked off a major forum on photography, wherein guests such as Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Peter Galassi, Vince Aletti, Jennifer Blessing, and other experts in the field weigh in with answers to the question "Is Photography Over?" Here's part of diCorcia's answer, which I enjoyed:

William James said, "Wisdom is learning what to overlook". We now look at everything, including the invisible. Photography, a mechanical form of looking, is intrinsically limited in what it can show. There lies the wisdom. The current crisis is partially caused by attempts to extend Photography's capability. Maybe it will succeed and show us something new we don't really need to see, or maybe it will fail and be the wiser for it.

Read the rest, and everyone else's initial responses to the question, here – and follow SFMOMA's blog throughout the month for more on the topic.



Serge Gainsbourg "Negative Blues"

On a Roll

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The Incredible San Francisco Artists' Soapbox Derby, 1975. , a short film by Amanda Pope, posted by Mike Haeg on Vimeo. [via Swiss Miss]

This would be so fun, either as a participant or a spectator – imagine sitting on the side of the road in a lawn chair and enjoying a refreshing beverage while all of these amazing creations roll by you. 104 artists built 75 cars and 32 trophies. A sponsorship for each car was $250. The artist got $100 of it to use toward materials, and the rest was donated to SF MoMA. After the race, the artists could keep their car or sell it.

Hmmm... we live in a hilly city...

Image of the Day

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Tom Marioni Free Beer – an installation made from the detritus of his beer party salon as it was exhibited/hosted at SFMOMA in 1979, under the title The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends is the Highest Form of Art.

Watch a 2-minute video about it at SFMOMA.org.
More Tom Marioni here.