It’s called The Pit.

This isn’t precisely why we’re headed to Berlin, but it is indicative of a free-wheeling artistic culture that we find attractive.

While it’s not unusual for critics to suggest the imbibing of illicit substances to make atrocious artistic performances and events more bearable, it is less usual for the producers of a theatrical piece to promote drug use in a bid to enhance the audience’s enjoyment of their show.

But this is exactly what the artistic director of the Neuköllner Opera House in Berlin is doing. Bernhard Glocksin is encouraging members of the audience to smoke joints while taking in performances of “La Princesse Jaune (The Oriental Princess)”, the one-act druggy opera by Camille Saint-Saens.

— Taking High Culture Literally, Deutsche Welle

Yes, I am aware that the literal title is “The Yellow Princess.” The production’s subtitle appears to be “Or, in the cat skin of the Manga Queen.”

[image from the Neuköllner Oper]

Jason Fox’s Jeff by Michael Cambre

Check out mentions of James’s “Free the Art” project at Tom Moody’s blog and in artnet news.

Remember that this was actually Michael Cambre idea, which he suggested as a comment to this blog post. Michael contributed five(!) color drawings.

Come on people! We only have two images in the gallery of PS1 Greater New York artist sketches so far, now that I just added Tom Moody’s entry.

Let’s get some more up there! You can email images or links to James or me.

It’s a rather slow art week, but we’re going to an opening tonight in the East Village of a 2-person show that includes our friend Derick Melander. He curated an awesome group show in DUMBO last summer, which is how we met him.

Derick Melander, Wedge

His description:

One of my new works is called Wedge. It is made from ordinary folded clothing that cascades from the wall to the floor. The clothing is arranged so that the actual brands embroidered on the clothing tags are displayed one below the next. As you read the tags, they spell out the following “Brand Poem”:

No Boundaries | 2 | Ecko | 2 | Discus | s

So… | U | And I | Underscore | A Line | Barely There

U | Breakaway | Access

And I | Report | Zero Exposure

My apologies to anyone who had trouble reaching bloggy in the last day or two. I messed up the home page while doing a bit of re-engineering so that really old links to my site (from when I used different software) end up at the proper monthly archive.

source

A priest who says gays are ruining society and the church shows up in a divorce case. He has a house in Amagansett? So much for that humble servant of God concept. That’s for losers. Msgr. Clark hung out with the rich Catholics. See the quote from Newsday below.

From a NY Times article, titled Accusation of an Affair Leads Priest to Resign:

The rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Msgr. Eugene V. Clark, resigned yesterday amid accusations that he was having an affair with his longtime personal secretary, a married woman who is 33 years his junior.

“It appears to me,” he said in a statement released by his lawyer, “that events and circumstances have been portrayed in such a false and sensational manner that I will no longer be able to effectively serve the archdiocese.”

Monsignor Clark’s employer, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, said in a statement that he had resigned “for the good of St. Patrick’s and the archdiocese.”

On Monday, Philip DeFilippo, who is married to Monsignor Clark’s secretary, Laura DeFilippo, filed court papers alleging the relationship as part of his divorce case against his wife, who has worked for Monsignor Clark for more than 25 years. Since then, newspapers and newscasts have carried videotape images provided by Mr. DeFilippo that show Monsignor Clark, 79, and Ms. DeFilippo, 46, entering a motel in the Hamptons last month and walking out five hours later in different clothing.

…

In the pulpit, Monsignor Clark has sometimes been outspoken. In 2002 in a Sunday homily at St. Patrick’s, he attributed the epidemic of sexual abuse by priests in part to the immorality of American popular culture and to the willingness of seminaries to admit homosexuals into the ministry.

…

Mr. DeFilippo, 46, an insurance investigator who lives in Eastchester, in Westchester County, said his wife frequently spent weekends with Monsignor Clark at his beach house in Amagansett on the South Fork of Long Island, sometimes bringing the DeFilippos’ two children along. She would sometimes accompany her boss on vacations out of the country, even skipping vacations with her family, Mr. DeFilippo said.

From Newsday:

The charges have been particularly devastating since Clark has used the pulpit at St. Patrick, as well as his frequent appearances on Eternal World Television Network, to rail against a “sex-saturated” American culture and to defend the idea of mandatory priestly celibacy. He is a top player in the archdiocese, with close connections to Legatus, a group of wealthy Catholic businessmen, as well as to the Knights of Malta, and has worked as the private secretary of Cardinal Francis Spellman, as well as a spokesman for Cardinal Terence Cooke.

James has invited artists to submit sketches of the works in Greater New York at PS1, since photography is not allowed, and there are few images available on the lousy flash web site.

I set up a gallery for the images, and just put up the first image, by M. River, of Frankie Martin and Cory Arcangel’s video in the elevator.

Installation detail

Entrance to larger room of installation

The show is only up for a few more days, so head down to Soho ASAP if you haven’t seen it. We weren’t able to get into the main room at the opening, as it was too crowded. I’m very glad we went back. The Barry McGee show at the other space is diverting, but pales in comparison to Swoon’s installation.

James will probably write about our visit to Queens today to see the rest of Greater New York, plus Sport at Socrates Sculpture Park. The show at Socrates was the most cohesive (and fun) show I’ve seen there. I particularly enjoyed the work by Type A and Alix Lambert.

I’m writing about the awesome meal we had later, at Mundo Cafe & Restaurant, run by an adorable male couple – one Argentine and one Turkish, with some tasty food from both countries, but primarily from Turkey. It’s still BYO, so it’s quite the bargain.

Some highlights of our dinner:

Bunny’s Fever
Carrot dip w/creamy homemade yogurt & garlic served w/warm pita</p>

Red Sonja
Pureed red lentil balls w/bulgur, scallion, parsley & spices on a bed of romaine lettuce w/lemon

Tango
Fried Argentinean Empanadas filled w/ground beef, raisins, olives & eggs or w/feta cheese

Ottoman Dumplings
Homemade Turkish dumplings w/ground beef in garlic-yogurt sauce w/melted butter &mint

Pasha Mundo
Semolina & cheese (ewe’s milk) balls in syrup w/vanilla custard cream</blockquote>

Finally, given the historic animosity between the two countries, I really appreciated seeing a coffee on the dessert menu described as “Turkish/Greek Coffee.”