Sept. 14- Reading by Doug Kearney

You can find work by Douglas Kearney on his website:
http://www.douglaskearney.com/

Sept. 14- Forum: Engaging the Other

Forum:
Engaging the Other: Art, Activism, Social Responsibility and Community Engagement
With:
Karen Atkinson, Micha Cardenas, Erik Ehn, Vicky Grisse, Sam Durant, Mary Sutton, Theresa Masangkay among others

Sept. 13-Zombies, lunatics and soil-eaters

Reading by Matthew Barraza, Nadine Rambeau and Caribbean Fragoza.

Sept. 13- Forum: The Other in Contemporary Art Discourse

The Other in Contemporary Discourse: Owning, Speaking and Being "The Other".
Forum with Shadi Harouni, Douglas Kearney, Tom Leeser, Niki Rousso-Schildler, Alina Skrzeszewska, Ingrid von Sydow among others.

Sept. 13- Town Hall Meeting

Forum with Santa Clarita Arts Advisory Board, City officials, and CalArts representatives
This forum brought together the above mentioned organizations and members of the community to talk about furthering teh connections between the Institute and its immediate communities.
Several steps were suggested by those involved and some have already been implemented.

Sept. 13-Performance by Goh Kurosawa

This versatile guitarist performed original compositions inspired by the soundscapes and reflections of Asia and by folk rock, jazz, flamenco and Balkan rhythms.
Links:
http://www.happysad.org/goh/
http://www.myspace.com/myspace2goh

Sept. 13-Performance by Jan Smail

Researching Santa Clarita: The colonial genealogy of real-estate
By Jan Smail
Contact Jan Smail at jsmail@calarts.edu

Sept. 13- Forum:Making it Happen: Artists Partnering with Community

This forum, led by CalArts Community Arts Partnership (CAP)'s Director Glenna Avila and representatives and instructors from 4 CAP partner sites focused on strategies employed by CAP instructors to sucessfully engage youth and their communities.

Find out more about CAP here:
www.calarts.edu/cap

Sept. 12- Concert by Runa

Performance by Damian Berdakin, Drew Jorgensen, Nick Kello, and Chris Payne
Runa performed iconic songs from Argentinaand Brazil, and original compositions by Nick Kello.

For more information about Runa contact Nick Kello:
www.myspace.com/nickkellompb

Sept. 12- The Attempters

In 2006 The Attempters (James Melinat, Kara Tanaka, Saul Alvarez) came together formally for the first time to initiate the "Project for the Birth of an Emergent Aesthetic", an intense 24-hour continous think tank. For The Other Project they undertook their most daring assignment after being charged with the delivery of a mysterious payload of uncertain origin.

Kara Tanaka: http://www.uber.com/kara
Saul Alvarez: http://www.uber.com/alvarez
James Melinat: http://www.uber.com/243252561

Sept. 12- The Other Lullaby

As it is said, to sing in another language is to possess another's soul. We shared some delicious tea and joined Haruko Tanaka in learning a song in Arabic.

ANASHEED: ARAMU HAIRON (transliteration)
Anasheed: Oh, confused world

Chorus (transliteration):

YA AY YU HAL IN SA NU HAL
Oh human being

TA BE KEE LEE MA AH BA KA AH NI
do you cry for what makes me cry?

ARA AY TA MA DA HA DU HOAH SOL
Do you see what has happened

FEE LA LA MIL HAI ROA NI
to this very confused world

ALYA TSU YA BA THU BIL AMAL
despair plays with hope

WA YA HU ZU KUL LA KEE YA NI
and shakes all of my being.

Verse (transliteration):
AL FAIBU FA RO KO HU WOROA

WAL KU LU YA BATHU BIL AMAL

AL FAIBU FA RO KO HU WOROA

WAL KU LU YA BATHU BIL AMAL

O ANA HUNA

FI JO BATI MALI BI HEE NATI HIN YADA

MALI BI HEE NATI HIN YADA

(back to chorus)


Haruko Tanaka's website:
http://kissoftheworld.net/

Sept. 12-Inhabiting the Gaze

Tijuana-based visual artist Ingrid Hernandez talked about her work with neighbors in several "asentamientos irregulares" (irregular settlements) throughout her city.

Links to Ingrid Hernandez's work:
http://ingridhernandez.com.mx/english/main.html
http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/november18-05/ingrid.htm
http://lebodegon.org/ingridhernandez.htm

Sept. 12-How to Jumpstart Empathy

Therapist Linda Hoag guided us in this empathy workshop to learn three different methods and strategies based on Buddhism, meditation, Constructive Living and Non-Violent Communication.

Non Violent Communication: www.cnvc.org
Constructive Living and Naikan: www.todoinstitute.org

Sept.12-Reading: Between the real and the imaginary

Reading with Tijuana's Colectivo La Linea and with Omar Pimienta
All the readings took place in Spanish.
_______________________________
IV

Entre la cañada norte de La Libertad y el primer cerro gringo: Tierra de Nadie.
Los migras se acomodan en su parte alta.
Nosotros en esta y parecemos cigarrillos al filo de un cenicero:

consumiéndonos,

deshumándonos.


Lejos, en la fiesta, se carcajean los labios, se rozan los dedos
invitados que hablan de fronteras
mientras encienden otro cigarro.



V

Julio afirma que cruzar marihuana nunca le dio miedo.
Lo que le aterraba era que lo mordiera el perro.



VI

El Pareja recuerda sus partidos de fútbol en Tierra de Nadie.
Nos cuenta su infancia antes del muro.
Se queja de las lámparas que ahora iluminan su ventana
y no lo dejan dormir.

Le gusta platicar de sus goles con un seis de Tecates
y una línea cortada con mica falsa de encargo.


VII

El Vale cruzaba mota para estrenar Air Jordan’s en los partidos.
Al último juego de las finales simplemente no llegó.
Le dieron un día por cada libra.

Ganamos de cualquier forma
el Pato andaba ON FIRE .


By Omar Pimienta
____________________________
For further info about the great writers check out these sites:
On Omar Pimienta
www.omarpimienta.blogspot.com
www.fotodefronteradiaria.blogspot.com
www.lalibertadesunaestatua.blogspot.com
www.libreria-omarpimienta.blogspot.com

On Colectivo La Linea:
http://feariseffective.blogspot.com/
http://lalineainterdisciplinario.blogspot.com/

Sept. 11-Ask a Mexican!

OC Weekly's Gustavo Arelano talked and answered questions about his experience with his nationally syndicated colum in which he answers questions sent to him by the public about America's largest minority. The award-winning column has a weekly circulation of 1.8 million in 28 newspapers accross the United States.

Find the weekly column here:
http://www.ocweekly.com/columns/ask-a-mexican/ask-a-mexican/19246/

SEPT.11- The Other As Enemy

In Conversation with Martin Plot
The Other as Enemy: The neo-Schmittean inspiration behind the neoconservative foreign policy
9/11 created the conditions needed to speed up the implementation of the neo-conservative vision on foreign policy and al-Qaeda's claim of political and intellectual leadership in the Muslim world. This presentation exposed connections between the current US foreign policy and the ideas of German jurist, political theorist and professor of law Carl Smitt.

The United States has been a far more recent problem for Latin America than Eu-
ropean imperialism and colonialism. “Latin America’s Two Lefts,” guest-edited by
Martín Plot, attempts to provide a political map of its new situation, often described
in terms of two distinct patterns of political change: a liberal left that dominates Chile,
Brazil, Uruguay, and perhaps Argentina, and a populist left that has become dominant
in the Andes and is also strong in Mexico. Plot and Ernesto Semán argue for a common
process in all of Latin America, one of democratic politics responding to neoliberalism
at home and imperial neo-conservatism in the world. Specific issues and cleavages in
each country determine whether this politics takes on a single-issue, populist, autarchic
turn that risks authoritarian reversion or a pluralistic, democratic form that can provide
long-term hope for left politics without polarizing societies.

More about Martin Plot:
http://www.calarts.edu/faculty_bios/criticalstudies/faculty/martnplot/martinplot
LInk to articles by Martin Plot:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8675.2007.00451.x

SEPT. 11- Performance: Embroid, Embroil

By Elana Mann
During this 1.5 hour-long original performance, the artist embroidered a mass circulated image of an Abu-Ghraib prisoner into the skin of one of her hands. The performer proceeded to shake hands with all in attendance.

Here is Elana's site:
http://www.uber.com/mypage/?entity_id=243285451

SEPT 11-Forum: Locating the Other

Forum
Locating the Other: Context and the ethics and politics of identity in LA's contemporary arts discourse
With Diana Arellano, Bulbo Collective, Ed Gomez, Rita Gonzalez, Loren Hartman, Juanita Menses, Cindy Santos Bravo, and Haruko Tanaka

++Excerpts of this dialog will be posted soon.

Links:
Juanita Meneses: www.jmeneses.com
Bulbo Collective: www.bulbo.tv
Ed Gomez: www.zemogde.com
Loren Hartman: www.laurenhartman.com
Cindy Santos Bravo: www.uber.com/csantosbravo
Haruko Tanaka: www.kissoftheworld.net

SEPT.11- How to organize a large-scale interdisciplinary art project at CalArts?

The first event open to the public was this workshop led by Theresa Masagnkay and Elana Mann. They, among with other collaborators, were responsible for the very successful "Exquisite Acts and Everyday Rebellions (EAER): CalArts 2007 Feminist Exhibition and Symposium". Elana and Theresa walked us through the process of putting an event of such magnitude together: from finding funding and managing the dynamics of a collaborative enterprise, to curating an exhibiton, coordinating efforts and moderating a high caliber symposium.

Here is a link to the EAER site:
http://alum.calarts.edu/~feminist/exhibition.html

SEPT. 10-MOVING IN

After the tent was installed I went to pick up a UHAUL truck for the move. I also hired help. I found two helpers among a group of day laborers that were "waiting for work" on San Fernando Road, a few miles from my project's site. Newhall, a community neighboring Valencia, is home to many Latin American immigrants and many of them look for work, everyday, on specific spots throughout the city. There they gather in large but scathered groups waiting for somebody driving by to solicit them. Most of the time they are hired for a day or a few hours to work on the fields or do construction work for amounts well below the minimum wage. These two men I hired had been day laborers for a few years and expected to continue doing this as long as they could avoid deportation. They work every day of the week. One of them is father to a little boy. Both have families in their countries of origin and send them money regurlarly.

We loaded the truck with many pieces of furniture (bed, chest of drawers, an armoire, chairs, etc) and boxes of books, food, water and clothing. The entire process took about 4 hours.

The same men help me move out of the tent on September 14.

TENT AND PROJECT SITE

Here is the tent on site. From the project site one could see and hear the traffic on Tournament Road, the I-5 freeway, the many planned neighborhoods of Valencia, Stevenson Ranch and beyond populating the valley and the hills in the distance. One could hear children playing at a park right next to the hill where the tent was installed. At night, the traffic's drone was both strangely soothing and eerie: it was a constant reminder of the suburban setting in the midst of a repertoire of muffled sounds of the hill's wildlife. I had been told, repeatedly, to expect "visitors" (coyotes, rabbits, ground squirrels) at one point or another but the four nights I spent at the tent were remarkably uneventful.

SEPT 10- TENT INSTALLATION

It took these two men a little less than an hour to put the tent up. I was absolutely fascinated by their efficiency. It was quite evident that they had done this many times before and that they were following the steps as in a well-rehearsed choreography. The short installation time and the relatively simple steps required to put the tent up is a testament to the great design by the Canadian company Tentnology. This model is used extensively for relief purposes in refugee sites in Afghanistan and other countries around the world. These tents (400 sq feet) can accomodate large groups of people.

POSTER

DOWNLOAD FLYER

Click on the image to download a pdf file for the flyer:

PROJECT DATES

September 11, 2007-September 14, 2007
(Project coincides with 1st week of classes at CalArts, Fall Semester)

Programming will take place from 8am to 11am and from 4pm to 8pm

Installation: Monday September 10, 2007 (all day)
De-Installation: Friday, September 14, 2007, afternoon

MAP AND DRIVING DIRECTIONS

All events will take place in FireValley, a vacant lot on one of the hills neighboring the facilities at CalArts.

CalArts is located at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355. See driving directions and project site map below (click on image to zoom in):

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The refugee tent, originally designed to provide temporary shelter at emergency sites in Afghanistan and other parts of the world, will be set up on one of the hills in FireValley, an un-developed lot adjacent to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) school buildings. The organizer will move in the tent with her IKEA furniture, her grandmother's crystal vase and other domestic paraphernalia and will inhabit this tent (to the best of her ability) for five days. During this period, the tent and the surrounding area will serve as a context for a series of conversations, forums, performances, workshops and readings. The events will be lead by a wonderful group of inspired visual artists, writers, anthropologists, musicians, performers, community leaders, activists, curators and educators. The formal gesture of bringing together "under the same roof" two contrasting paradigms will serve to frame the events that will take place at the site.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• To open a forum for minority artists, writers, performers and educators from many different parts of the world to share their work, views and experiences
• To further expose CalArts students to art practices that are context and audience based
• To create a forum for dialogue on matters of great relevance to artists today such as community engagement, social responsibility, strategies for engaging institutions, collaborative practices, and the “Other” in the context of contemporary art and in the context of Los Angeles
• To create a forum for artist and non-artists to come together and engage in dialogue about issues relevant to all the constituencies involved.
• To further the connections between CalArts and its neighboring communities in Santa Clarita

PROJECT SITE

(Click on pictures for a larger image)

Site can be reached from entrance on Tournament Road. Site is a short hike from the street:

Path to project site:

The tent will be setup at this location:

View from project site:

INHABITING/VISITING THE TENT

• No electricity will be available at any time
• No smoking will be allowed at any time for safety reasons
• No cooking will be allowed at any time for safety reasons
• All furnishings will be available to artists and audience
• Parking will be available at the project site
• The tent will be open to the public during the following hours:
• 8:00am-11:00am and 4:00pm-8:00pm
• All performances, workshops, readings, conversations and panels will take place during those hours.
• From 11:00am to 4:00pm there will be very limited programming at the tent due to high temperatures at the project site.
• There will be no restrooms available at the tent site. Restrooms for guest artists and visitors will be available at CalArts facilities.