Since college years studying painting and design I've thought that one of the most wonderful careers would be an editor of movie trailers. I can sit through all those "coming attractions" just mesmerized by the editing....good commercials work for me too. My own work has been single images, often series of images creating a story or composite of sorts, but I'm getting more interested in multimedia....duh, me and a billion people....but whatever.


This is the first attempt, excluding the 7 minute documentary I did with a partner as part of a video production class, at what I hope is a new found source of expression both visually, audibly, and who knows yet, what else as it unfolds.


While roaming around NY over Thanksgiving I meandered into the Apple Store on Fifth Ave. The footage is one take, with no edits, shot under the transluscent stairs.

I was changed by this video - its been a year since I've seen it, last summer at the Conduit Gallery as part of the Dallas Video Association collaboration.

It was one of those rare moments when you feel both a stretch in a media and the technology in which we make art, and also are forced to think about our own human nature.

Why do millions of people take refuge in second life?
Why do they make the world like our own world?

And perhaps the strangest moment for me was why would anyone build a coffin - in a virtual world, that isn't real, where death can't exist, what is it about our humanity that would drive one to create a burial place?

I was lucky enough to orginally see it projected, in great resolution, and totally continuous.

Here are the Three Parts on youtube.

If you don't know Cao Fei, you should, she is sorta a big deal and will be featured on the next season of Art21 on PBS.


Here is an article with some good links to some of her other work and commentary on the video.

Enjoy.

OK...so when I heard the 808's & Heartbreaks album for the 1st time, when "Street Lights" came on, I immediately envisioned Grand Theft Auto (with a car driving through one of the cities during the night time). Fast foward 7 months later and my vision has turned into a music video!!! Kanye uses animation for this video just like he did for "Heartless", and honestly I really like how it was made. The graphics are very intricate and it matches the music perfectly (unlike some music videos that have been released lately *coughs Best I Ever Had*) What I also noticed is that in all the 808's & Heartbreaks videos, (except for "Love Lockdown") Kanye has limited to no appearances in it...I wonder if that was done purposely.

JAY IS TAKING A LOT OF SHOTS AT TRENDS IN HIP-HOP & LEBRON MAKES A CAMEO IN THE VID. THE D.O.A THEME DOESN'T SEEM TO BE STICKING BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY PEOPLE WANT TO DANCE TO THEIR AUTOTUNED OUT [POP CHAMPAGNE & ARAB MONEY] RECORDS. BUT I'M WITH HOV ON THIS ONE.

granted, i don't usually post about anything japanese or video game related, but i saw this and instantly felt the need to share.  it's not the many street fighter references at the beginning or the general absurd nature of the 2 minute street walking scene (what incredible music), instead it is the poor, helpless mega man that gets hosed by nintendo adventure after nintendo adventure (5:30 and after).  a must see but make sure you watch until the mario castle/flag jump fiasco with mega man.  comedy gold.  anybody have any idea who sylvia is? that bitch got spunk. 

ps... what was going with mega man and sylvia on that aerial high five? can i get a hand check?

also, mega man is coming to the wii and has a pretty sweet press kit to go with it.  yes i am a dork for saying a press kit is sweet but check it.  is that an old school cartridge?

no! it's a handy dandy holder for your music and random software. word.

First off what is up with the spinning circling shot!?
Diddy can afford better than this.

Diddy you can do better than this. Please.

As we wait for the video from the Artist's Night Out on July 17th, check out a video from the event two years ago...and let the anticipation build.




Hahaha My boy Will Richey is that fire. Faint Image is that truth.

and I am just a spark looking for gasoline.

Real recognize real.

Art Star is gonna be real as it gets.

Put that on everything.

Dallas Texas - Artist's Night Out is coming back soon and Art Star is going to do everything we can to make sure it survives.

For those who don't know - Artist's Night Out is a highly acclaimed multi-genre art event that transcends cultures, creeds, and races for a magical evening of art, music, and spoken word.

It was the rawest of raw events - most people who went there were artists of some sort or creative spirits.

We had the best improv jazz band this side of the Red River in Faint Image.

Poets from HBO Def Poetry would perform alongside high school kids who would perform alongside christian white girls who would perform alongside old militant black poets.

People like Amir Sulaiman who doesn't normally book a performance for less than $3,000 these days did a whole set for free. Just for the love. Just cause ANO is filled with people who understand - who are real - who realize that there are things bigger than money, bigger than politics, bigger than religion - that in the beginning there was art, and art was pure, and art was beautiful, for ever and ever, Amen.



And if this makes you feel uncomfortable - good.

"Whether you agree or disagree with him, he is profoundly frustrated, both with black people, and with America, and with the world - I can understand that." - Cornell West

And just for kicks: Sonny Weems

Hi Art Star pham, welcome to another edition of Art Star's Official relationship column "The Spray On Condom"

First, to set the mood for this column, listen to this poem/song by John Legend called "Again"



One of the things The Spray On Condom will do from time to time is to introduce new relationship terminology.

Today we will introduce the concept of "The Cup".

Some girls (and guys) are cups.

The girl in the John Legend piece is a cup, and the guy is also quickly on the way to becoming a cup.

A cup is a person who is emotionally empty and needs some sort of emotional nourishment from you.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being a cup - we all are to a certain degree.

Yet some people are larger cups than other.

Some people, for a variety of reasons, are really empty, and they feel that they need something in their lives, something to complete them, and that something might just be you.

You tend to have to constantly talk to cups, to reassure cups about themselves, how you feel about them, listen to their problems (cups always have problems), and just try to fix them (usually more like patch them together) emotionally.

Once again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing - we have all been broken from time to time.

However, the danger with cups is that you might become more concerned about their emotional well-being/recovery/growth than they are.

At this point you have set yourself up for hurt and disappointments.

You have invested so much of yourself into trying to fill this empty cup, that when they decide for whatever reason they don't want to be filled or that they are incapable of being filled by you - all you are left with is the drained shell of yourself.

Then you become a cup as well.

Which is the greatest danger of all - cups tend to create more cups.

So, the next time you meet a girl or a guy, no matter how beautiful, charming, witty, and intelligent they are, try to find out if they are a cup - and if they are take a long hard look at yourself and make sure that you have enough to give.

If not, it might be in everyone's best interest for you to move on.


Example of Cup used in a sentence:

Guy 1: That girl Kristin is really pretty and fun. I think I might ask her on a date.
Guy 2: Yeah she is a real cool girl, but be careful dawg, she's a cup.