i am ____________

Austin Critics Table Awards

2008-06-05T07:28:00.001-07:00

We were nominated for Best Independent Project

And we won!
Here's our very official certificate.

And a link to the post that announced the winners.
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/seeingthings/index.html

We attended a very entertaining awards ceremony on Monday evening were we accepted the award. We even had to go up on stage and thank everyone (which we were not prepared for) but it was fun and we felt like stars.

Thanks Critics! Thanks Art Alliance! Thanks to everyone that let us take their picture and who shared a little a bit about themselves with us!

Full plus

2008-04-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday EOD. The cube is full.
Here's a picture from each corner.

And on the inside...

The artists and Sean (Director of the Cube)

What's next?
The cube has been taken apart and put away, hopefully not for long, we have a few leads on a home for the entire installation. We are picking up those conversations and will let you know where you can find it next.
We are also working on scanning (or finding resources to scan) all the images. We will eventually have all of them posted on the flickr. They will be organized by the dates they were taken so that you can search for yourself and others.

Thanks for all your support at Art City Austin. A special thanks to Allison, Meredith and the Austin Art Alliance for a uber sucessful weekend of art and festivities.

Saturday

2008-04-13T07:35:00.001-07:00

The project is a hit! We shot tons of pictures, we installed tons of pictures. We had crowds and a line all day. We shot more than our quota of shots by 3:30 and closed up shop for the rest of the day. The crowd didn't seem to mind, people want to get their picture taken, but most of all they just want to enjoy the project and read the collection we already have installed. After closing up we encouraged people to fill out a board and take pics with their own cameras- even that was a huge hit.

The Art After Dark Party was great. The cube attracted lots of attention.
We'll be out there again today. We have about 200 more exposures to shoot. Come early if you want your picture installed. We'll start shooting around noon, and I predict we will be through our film and the project will be complete by 3:00ish. If you want to be involved on an even more intimate level- we'll be disassembling and loading it back up at 6pm- any help will be of great value. And... uh... if anyone has place to store a lovely giant cube... it's looking for a temporary and permanent home.

Journey to the city

2008-04-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Tying the frame to the trailer.

Heading south on I-35

Pulling into the site

Mounting the plexiglas- Overall the installation was very smooth. We had to re-drill a few holes on one of the sides (probably the side we fitted during the late night session a few days ago). Thanks to our friend Jeff and Allison's boyfriend and Officer Steve- we had the strength to get everything in place without too much stress.

We left the site about 1:00am. It was hard to leave the cube, I almosted wanted to camp in it. We came very close to a disaster when the portable toilet delivery truck came within a couple inches of smashing the corner of the cube. Sean, Jackie, Jeff and I were all inside the cube peeling the protective paper off the interior when their tail lights appeared about a foot and a half from Sean's head. It was at this moment that we discovered that I could open the trap door and get out of the cube in a very very short amount of time (and that I was willing to risk getting my legs run over to save a sheet of plexiglas.) Other than that incident the set up was smoother than I had anticipated.
I did have a nightmare that we arrived on site Saturday morning and the cube was tossed in the grass in the form of bent up metal and shattered plexiglas. In my fitfull sleep someone had tried to steal the cube and then ditched on the side of the road. By the time we arrived back in the morning Meredith had recovered it, but it did not look good. I guess I had a little latent stress that needed an outlet.
Here's a clipping for the Austin Chronicle Arts Section from 4.11.08

The cube is complete!

2008-04-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

The cube is as ready as we can get it. Everything else we need to do will happen on site. Keep you fingers crossed that it will all go together smoothly. We've learned a few lessons in measurement and materials over the last few days. Steel is not nearly as rigid as I thought. When this is all said in done we'll write up a recap on the construction- maybe even include a post work session stretching regiment- our bodies are in a fair amount of pain. The cube is trying to get the better of us, we'll see how the weekend goes.
Here's a pic of the complete cube (it's still upside down and still has the protective paper on it.)

Here's a detail from the inside.

Drilling the plexiglas.

We also worked on the backdrop that Jackie will shoot infront of at the festival.
(It looks like it's snowing, but really the shop is just dusty.)

The weather looks like it should be nice- although the storm that hit late last night certainly has me a little fearful. I couldn't sleep thinking about how our cube was going to hold up to forceful winds and driving rain (not to mention lightening). Forcast says sun- again, keep those fingers crossed.

We are shooting a few pics on 2nd Street this evening from 5-8pm (last opportunity before the actual festival).

Construction by flashlight

2008-04-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

We worked until late last night and got 4 of the 8 sheets of plexiglas fit to the frame. In order to align the sheets we had to start with the top sheet of plastic- we decided the best way to do so was to work on the cube with it upside down. It was no small feat to flip it over, but once we got it turned the plexi installation went pretty well. One more work session and we should have it. We'll remove the plastic to transport it. Once on site we'll peel away the protective paper and so some touch up and fine tuning.

Less than a week until Art City Austin!

2008-04-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

It was a full weekend of shooting.
Check out the picture of the South Congress American Apparel store front. We shot about 200 pictures on site plus installed a bunch that we had taken at the Blanton Art Museum Friday.

Here we are in the hot hot sun at the end of the day Sunday.

Less than a week until Art City Austin!
We'll be doing the Art Talk on Tuesday evening and shooting (for the last time before the festival) on Thursday. Come out and see us!

A long day...

2008-04-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

We spent the day constructing the cube and the evening shooting 338 pictures at the Blanton B-Scene.

Sean and Cybil placing the roof pieces.

Sean fitting the trap door.

The cube has a floor and a roof! Early next week we will fit the plexi and be ready to transport it.

Austin American Statesman, March 31, 2008

2008-04-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Cube progress

2008-04-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

James and Brandon finished the welding of the cube frame last night. Thanks guys! Here are some pics.
The frame on the forklift

The perfectly polaroid sized brackets that will hold the plexi.

We are moving it to a workspace tomorrow where we can paint it, finish out the base and drill the mounts for the plexi.
A huge giant thanks to Sean too. His help has been crucial in this project.

Where we'll be...

2008-03-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to participate here is where we'll be for the next couple weeks.

Thursday April 3, 5-8pm= First Thursdsay on South Congress
Friday April 4, 6-10pm= The B-Scene at the Blanton Art Museum
Saturday April 5, 12-4pm= 2nd Street District
Sunday April 6, 12-4pm= American Apparel on South Congress
Tuesday April 8, 6:30-8:30= Art Talk Austin. For more info see http://www.artallianceaustin.org/art_talk_austin.html
Thursdsay April 10, 6-8pm= 2nd Street District
Saturday and Sunday April 12-13= ART CITY AUSTIN!

Another week (and 350+/_ pics) down.

2008-03-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

195 saturday + 146 sunday= over 750 total.
Cybil and Jackie at the end of the day March 30.

We had crowds all day.

weekend update

2008-03-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

We spent Friday afternoon at Jo's on South Congress and collected almost 50 pictures.
Saturday we were back on 2nd street and got over 200! Wow! Thanks everyone who joined us.
This week we will add a calendar of upcoming venues. We've found a couple additional store fronts to fill and have been invited to a few events... as soon as dates are confirmed I'll post them.)

Jackie and a young "someone"

People taking pictures of pictures.

One little girl continued the theme onto the sidewalk.

Also... the plexiglas for the installation piece we are building for Art City Austin was delivered today- I can't wait to fill all 256 sq. ft. with pictures!

4pm on Saturday

2008-03-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

A very very good day.
2 very tired girls.

We shot and installed 151 photos today- adding them to the 110 we shot on Thursday.
The window is filling.

We've started shooting!

2008-03-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

We are building up to the Art City event by filling a store front on second street with our community portrait. Come downtown and check it out. (2nd St between Colorado and Lavaca, across from Jo's coffee shop.)

If you want to be a part of the project we'll be working every Saturday until April 5th from noon to 4pm.

I am on flickr

2008-03-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

I am visible at http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am

I am _______

2008-03-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

I am you.
I am them.
I am everyone.

I am interactive.
I am photography.
I am a community collaboration .

I am Polaroid.
I am a large scale installation.
I am created by artists, I am created by the community.

I am a representation of individuals.
I am the story of the community.

I am on the web.
I am described in more detail at http://iamatx.blogspot.com
I am visible at www.flickr.com/photos/i_am
I am hoping you will be a part of my story.

I am an idea developed by cybil and jackie.
I am part of Art City a fine arts festival in Austin, Texas presented by Austin Art Alliance in Spring 2008.

What is "I am ________"?

2008-02-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

I am _______ is an interactive photography installation that combines an artists gift for collecting visual and written stories with a community collaboration that culminates in the creation of large scale installation work.
During the Art City festival in Austin, Texas in Spring 2008 artists will capture Polaroid portraits of festival goers. Participants will be invited to react to the prompt “I am ______.” and create a statement that describes themselves (in any context they wish). This written statement and image will be cleverly combined and presented with the photograph.

Once the photographic and written records have been made by the festival audience and photographer they will be displayed. A clear stark cube, 8ft by 8ft, that stands freely on the Art City site will become the display venue. Participants in the project will contribute their creation to the display. Inside the cube will be an performance artist diligently hanging the photos and statements, in a pixel- like arrangement, to be seen from the outside of the cube. As the festival and installation progress the surface of the cube will fill and the view of the performance artist will slowly disappear. The work will transform over time- as it grows as a community installation the view of the individual performance artist fades away.

Through this progression of the work the “I am_______.” statements find themselves together in the cube. They create a community of photographs where the “I am ________” becomes less obvious and together they grow into a statement about the community itself. The cube becomes a representation of “We are _______”. The installation demonstrates how the contributions of the individual create the community.

The project will not only occupy the time and space of the event. A web presence will be established to both promote and record the work. Prior to the event local artist and individuals will be photographed and asked to complete the statement “I am __________.” These images will live on the web as an encouragement for festival attendees to participate in the project.
After the completion of project, and in the true nature of displaying the work in a public venue, all the images will be displayed on the web.

For this project a local photographer with a unique eye and nostalgic lens captures the stories of people and places with the help of a special tool- the polaroid camera. The instant creation of the image in a Polaroid has intrigued people for decades. In today's technically savvy public, where instant creation of images is done with pocket sized devices from music players to cellular phones, the unique quality and imagery created by the polaroid remains appealing and intriguing. This artists desire to tell stories in this unique way is combined with a second artists desire to work on community based projects in site specific large scale settings. Audience participation and the unique manner of display allows this work, to explode in scale and become personally relevant to an entire community.

Cybil's Artist Statement:
I am a visual artist and educator by study and a dancer-choreographer by passion and practice. As an artist, I am primarily interested in creating unique works that incorporate and combine unconventional mediums to express ideas or realize artistic intentions or themes.
I’ve had the fortune of working in many mediums, from painting, metalsmithing, drawing, dance and sculpture. An inability to find artistic fulfillment in just one medium has led my work to continually experiment with mixing mediums. For several years Irealized this through collage and assemblage, more recently I have worked in the medium of site specific performance art and dance. The choice of dance has served my art in several ways: In addition to aligning with recent themes in my work, dance has allowed me to expand the scale and collaborative opportunities of my art. Through working on larger scale sight specific dance pieces with First Night Austin I have aspired to realize this type of a project beyond (but sometimes still including) the medium of dance.
Just as I am interested in combining mediums I am also interested in the process of collaborating with artists, the public, organizations and other entities to create works. My most recent work had a strong element of audience participation. The Bus Line Dance performance culminated in the community joining trained dancers in a line dance which they had several opportunities to learn prior to the event (YouTube instructional video, workshops, distributed print piece). Collaboratively generated work finds the delicate balance between compromise and individuality, between process and product. These elements add immeasurable depth and richness to a work.
Iam ________. is a community based creation combining large scale sculpture, the exploration of new mediums and collaboration not only with another artist but also with the audience- the Austin community.

Jackie's Artist Statement:
I am moved by finding treasures. Especially treasures that have a story to tell.
I have always been interested in people and objects that have a story to tell. Not
particularly stories with a beginning, middle and end, but rather timeless stories. The
first timeless story I remember “hearing” was through a collage I found that my mother
made when she was a teenager. It hangs in the backroom of the cabin her family bought
in the early 60’s.
It is a loud piece, boisterous in imagery, and water damaged. It is monochromatic, and
still hangs by its original tacks. The collage itself is hideous, but tells a story of teenage
longing, yellow thick sunsets, and sweaty palms.
The feeling of finding such a treasure and understanding its message years after it was
created is something I have always tried to emulate in my photographs.
I have a BA in English Literature and Photo Communications. Ever since I can
remember, I’ve been a collector of stories, both through words and images. I became
enthralled with shooting film in college, embracing digital technology, but only secretly.
I was too attached to the idea of handmade, hand processed, tangible photos to give in
completely. Losing my darkroom and spending hours combing through bins at Thrift
stores led me to shoot Polaroids.
The biggest test of my ability to shoot with the intention to emulate a time period
or feeling of nostalgia came to me when I purchased a land camera from the 1960s that
was fully loaded with 40 year old film. I am moved to create treasures, to shoot
photographs that make people yearn for a place in time, or a specific time in their life.