Boonville brings together images from six iconographic American towns of the same name in an effort to present a single, unifying view of America. Whether in New York, Indiana or California, each Boonville possesses archetypal American qualities.
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I was fortunate enough to take a break from Syracuse recently with a weekend outing in NYC with a couple of friends. We did lots and lots of walking and exploring around Chelsea with the intent of checking out galleries and new works. It was wonderful. I encountered a great variety of incredible work by artists I'd never known, including Timothy Briner and his photographs. I remember having somewhat of a visceral reaction to his latest series, Boonville. There was a quality to the composition of those photographs that confronted me, but I still can't quite place what it was that struck me. The images were difficult to ignore.
The following day Jeff and I headed to midtown to see the ongoing exhibitions at MoMA and the Guggenheim. Both were fascinating and really exciting for me, personally. One of the events I encountered at MoMA was the Tim Burton exhibition, an expansive retrospective of his life and work. I've never really been a Tim Burton enthusiast, but I've enjoyed a number of his films and always appreciated his uncompromising and unique vision. The exhibition was staggering in the amount of work on display. There was a ton of great memorabilia, sculpture and photographs that was fun to approach, but what I thought was most fascinating was his earlier (amazingly elaborate) sketches from his alienated youth in Burbank and later how some of those earlier ideas were fully realized in bigger projects. I have to admit that I was hoping they would have Pee-wee's bike on display from Pee-wee's Big Adventure, but unfortunately it was not on hand. Maybe there's only one left in existence and Paul Reubens has it locked in a bunker somewhere down in the Earth's core. I like that thought.
Stray notes from my notebook over the weekend:
- # of times I said "This place will eat you alive." = 12
- # of times I heard someone earnestly say "Meat is really popular right now." = 2
- # of times I forgot to pack underwear = 1
- # of times I heard a homeless man sing "Kiss from a Rose" while riding the subway = 1
- # of times I ran into Kristin Allen-Zito = 1
- best hipster accessory I saw in Brooklyn = Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket
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4 comments:
i heard they store that bike in the basement of the alamo.
also, great to have you back.
Hey Dave. This post was accompanied by Danny Elfman umpa music in my head.
Meat IS really popular right now.
i was gonna say what jimmy said. always one step ahead, that guy.
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