Iceland Day 4: Hellissandur to Akureyri

A couple things to note about the above photograph: 1) the road in the background is a main thoroughfare (dirt) and 2) the economy of one pole functioning as a sign post, stop sign and mailbox holder. After leaving Hellissandur and backtracking over territory explored the previous day, we reached Breiðabólsstaður (pronounce that quickly). Our road atlas mentioned that Holger Cahill, the national director of the WPA and the briefly the acting director of the Museum of Modern Art, was born in a church here. This fact fascinated us because it was such a remote area so far away from the art world in the United States during the Great Depression.

The church was closed but we were able to experience the full force of the wind. I am standing next to a flag pole where the metal cord never ceased hitting the pole. Soon after, my brain was bouncing in unison with the noise that created.

We covered a lot of territory this day. We learned about tuyas here at a rest area overlooking Hunafjordur and Skagfjordur. They are flat topped volcanoes formed when lava erupts through an ice sheet (frosted angel food cake).

My first view of the Arctic Ocean was seen through a bathroom window in a coffee shop in Dalvik.

I didn't get the impression that much English was spoken here. It was a charming place and produced the most interaction with locals that we had experienced thus far.

We drove to this peninsula to see the Arctic Ocean and after a much needed cup of tea, we headed north to Ólafsfjörður. I obtained a clear water sample and tossed another chunk of Camden's Rock here.

It took a long time to talk myself into walking into the sea (one of the most intimidating experiences with water). [Photo by Donna Goedhart]

I never expected to collect water from the Arctic Ocean when I first began this project. It opened up a whole new avenue on how to finish the remaining bottles (hopefully completed by the end of 2016).

Cold and sandy feet (the things one does for Art).

It was also in Ólafsfjörður where I channeled my inner Alexis Pike and documented a mural in less than ideal light before departing.

Snowy mountains near Dalvik on the way to Akureyri.

If I had to do this trip all over again, I would have stayed an additional night in Akureyri. It was a charming city (second largest in Iceland) but we never broke the surface. It was used as a departure point and roaming around after sunset was all we were truly able to do. This bowling alley was a happening spot late in the evening and one of the few places open after 10 PM.

The letters H•O•M•E were popular window decorations throughout the country. I spotted them in the larger cities and smaller villages, always pointing to the living room inside.

The Fraud Issue: Idaho Center for the Book

Thanks to Stephanie Bacon, Faux is featured in the latest Idaho Center for the Book newsletter.

"Faux" Featuring "Claimed" and "Nine Fake Cakes and Nine Bodies of Water"

Two years in the making... so happy to have this show with Alexis.

Boise State - Visiting Artist Gig with Alexis Pike

The posters and the contracts.

Alexis discussing we sagebrush folks in Jonathan's class (photo by Laurie Blakeslee).

Where I fell in love with photography and changed my major from English to Art. It hasn't changed too much since 1995.

The only Jobo left in the old color lab.

The first time I exhibited the cakes with an "archive" in a vitrine. More exhibition documentation coming soon.

"Faux" at Boise State University with Alexis Pike

I started packing today and am currently formulating a 30-minute presentation where I talk about nothing except cakes (and Ed Ruscha) and more cakes. 

I don't have an official announcement yet but here is the information for the exhibition, Faux, at the Hemingway Center on the Boise State University campus.

Frustrations in the Packing Department

I have dreaded this week for two years and it proved to be as challenging as I suspected it might. An exhibition that was scheduled 22 months ago is occurring in September. For the first time Nine Fake Cakes and Nine Bodies of Water must be shipped to Idaho. Here is an excellent way to drop too much money on shipping materials, obtain a giant paper cut, and utter several strings of swear words when I discovered the dimensions of the boxes were incorrect despite my being assured the contents would fit. A few photos from the behind the scenes frustration follow:

Everyone always ask me if I took a class in box building. I would like to say "yes" [translation: this type of thing was taught in the schools I attended] but no, I had to learn it on my own with some thanks to working at Texas Gallery. It's the only time I enjoy math unless I have unexpected deposits in my checking account. Here all nine photos spread everywhere, packed with bubble, corners and foam awaiting cardboard boxes to cut down and size to my measurements.

The photo lab at school is under massive construction and I haven't been able to work as much as I would like this summer (hence my favorite printer covered with a tarp and random furniture throughout the room). This will change as soon as school starts as I have great plans to conquer a lot of unfinished business this fall, start a new series, and work on the collaboration with Brent.

Enter great swearing when I had to haul these to the UPS Store for four days while they custom build four boxes for me because nothing would work or fit in my car = a great waste of time and energy given that my lifting and walking abilities aren't up to par post surgery.

Fortunately, one piece is done. When artwork fits this well into a box I made, I can't help but feel happy. Maybe I should build boxes for the next faculty show = a great foray into sculpture = imagining that will not go over well with anyone other than me. Now I patiently wait for the phone call from the UPS Store. In the meantime, I may go look at some artwork.

SFMOMA

My second visit to SFMOMA in 2006 featured seeing Matthew Barney at a press review prior to the opening reception. He came down the main staircase into the foyer with a crowd of reporters, answering questions about his Drawing Restraint exhibition. I could not help but search the crowd for Bjork (who was not present). I always remember the remnants of this piece below that he created for that show and this time sought out the exhibition placard to read the details.


Matthew Barney, Drawing Restraint 14, 2006

From the wall card: "The remnants from Barney's performance inside the museum's turret. He scaled the wall and navigated a system of carabiners under the bridge until he reached the opposing wall and commenced drawing. He was dressed as General Douglas MacArthur, who oversaw the American Occupation of Japan after WWII... A plastic cast of the general's corncob pipe rests at the foot of the climbing wall; the pipe also figures in the drawing."

The 2012 visit to SFMOMA resulted in meeting Alexis Pike and some of her 27 students that she brought from Montana State - many of whom I had met during my visiting artist gig last November. Another surprise visitor was Laurie Blakeslee who I hadn't seen since 2008. Here's a BSU (as in Boise State University) portrait of the three of us in front of the Dijkstra exhibit by Amelia Morris.



One of my favorite works of video art ever: Rineke Dijkstra's Buzz Club. It is a two channel video installation depicting teenagers dancing in a make-shift studio at the back of the Buzz Club in Liverpool. It was utterly mesmerizing. Alexis, Amelia and I learned some new dance moves from this participant at the beginning of the video clip which were featured prominently during the last evening of the SPE conference.



Jim Campbell's Exploded Views in the foyer was an equally fascinating installation reflecting the traffic and pedestrians outside the museum onto a light show that resembled the decoration in the conference hotel (coming soon).





Yet another instance of old technology elevated to a higher status as previously seen in Luther Price's slide carousel installation at the Whitney Biennial. Needless to say, Alexis and I both wanted this device from Tris Vonna-Michell's GTO: hahn / huhn, variation 1.



I also fell in love with Colter Jacobsen's watercolors in the 2010 SECA Art Award Exhibition. Check out more of his work here (particularly the photo influenced drawings on book covers).



Colter Jacobsen, Bridal Veil Falls, 2007 [Image via.]

Upon returning to Indiana, I immediately purchased the Rineke Dijkstra catalog and The Elements of Style Illustrated so I will never forget when to use "whom" vs. "who" (and so on). Plus who could resist a book cover that looks like this?

Dessert Tour of San Francisco (while on the subject of "Real Cakes")

The nastiest cake of the trip on display in Chinatown. Any guesses how old this is?


The most beautiful breakfast appetizer: Pepple's Donuts in the Ferry Building at Embarcadero (see that blueberry one in the front row second from the left? Buy that one).


Stella's Pastry in North Beach was on Alexis's list. I caved to peer pressure and bought the dessert below that Amelia and I shared late one night after portfolio reviews.


It was a Mixed Berry Tart Slice. My dessert quota of the spring was met.


Because we haven't discussed chocolate yet: Amelia imitating Janine Antoni's Lick and Lather at SFMOMA. We were contemplating how (and why) on earth someone would want to bite off the nose of this artwork.

From a Bomb Magazine interview with Antoni: "The first time it happened was in Venice. Lick and Lather, self-portrait busts—seven in chocolate, seven in soap—were shown at the Venice Biennale. Halfway into the show, a young woman, a teenager from Czechoslovakia who was there with her parents on vacation, bit three noses off my chocolate heads! One after the other until the guards stopped her. The Italian newspapers went nuts, they had these funny little drawings of a very fat woman with a fork—with my nose on the tip. And they talked about the history of work being destroyed, like the Pieta. Another article talked about Stendahl’s Syndrome-how this teenager was so overcome by beauty she couldn’t help herself."

Needless to say, we were not compelled.

SFMOMA's Blue Bottle Cafe

In addition to the trip to Berkeley, I really wanted to visit SFMOMA and more specifically, the Blue Bottle Cafe. Fortunately, everyone was equally excited and midday desserts were ordered and extensively photographed.


Alexis selected the Thiebaud Layer Cake (butter cake, buttercream and citrus curd) from Wayne Thiebaud's Display Cakes, 1971.


Eventually it turned into the Leaning Tower of Thiebaud (probably my favorite dessert of the ones I tried).


I purchased the Mondrian Cake after Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930. It was a white, blue, red, and yellow velvet cake with chocolate ganache. Amelia ordered the Dijkstra Icebox Tower from the photograph De Panne, Belgium, August 7, 1992. It was a difficult to eat, black cocoa sable with whipped cream. Everyone wanted Amelia to get it so we could see what was on the coaster underneath.


Slight disappointment at not seeing a portrait but a souvenir nonetheless.

I was very tempted to get the portable "Build Your Own Barnett Newman" (chocolate sables with postcard and building instructions) and probably would have purchased it if it was the Richard Serra version instead. The Sculpture Garden Cookie plate was very pretty. Does one buy the dessert for the concept or for the taste? Oh difficult decisions!