Bailout Reminder (tomorrow night)

While I'm reluctant to encourage competition (as this is the first time I've been able to stand in line and buy), Mercer Union's annual member show/sale is tomorrow night at 8. Here are the full details:


BAILOUT
Mercer Union Members' Sale & Exhibition 2008

December 09, 2008 - December 18, 2008

Closing party & Sale: Thursday December 18, 2008
Hosted by Misha Glouberman

When there’s blood in the streets buy…art. Mercer Union does its part with a stimulus package to put the US bailout to shame. With drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures and multiples all priced at $149.99, the artworks in the 2008 Annual Mercer Member’s Exhibition and Sale will sell faster than you can say “Emergency Economic Stabilization.” No layaway plans…the art will be flying right off our walls!

Works for sale by John Abrams, Jackson Abrams, Sonja Ahlers, Melissa Bebee, Katie Bethune-Leamen, Stephanie Cormier, Tanya Cunnington, Taku Dazai, Mark Dudiak, Dave Dyment, Joan Dymianiw, Fastwürms, Harrell Fletcher, Brenda Goldstein, Katharine Harvey, Robert Hengeveld, Kristan Horton, Jen Hutton, Draga Jovanovic, Rita Kamacho, Suzy Lake, Micah Lexier, Arnaud Maggs, Sarah Massecar, Beth McEachen, Suzanne Nacha, Heather Nicol, Roula Partheniou, Tanya Read, Kerri Reid, Brian Rideout, Rupen, Kathryn Ruppert-Dazai, Gwen MacGregor & Sandra Rechico, Jon Sasaki, Chris Shepherd, Lisa Smolkin, Derek Sullivan, Ainslinn Thomas, Christy Thompson, Hannah Wachs, Christopher Walsh, Margaux Williamson, Laurel Woodcock.

View the wares between 9-18 December 2008 during regular gallery hours (Tuesday to Saturday 11AM-6PM).

Buy the art at the Closing Party on Thursday 18 December. Sale begins promptly at 8PM.

2000 year old computer, rebooted

A little over a hundred years ago a shipwreck was found off the Greek Islands which contained a rusted mechanical calculator, now considered to be the world's first computer. Named Antikythera, it was (recently) dated as being as old as 150 BC. Pictured above, in Xray, the mechanism contained several gears and is understood to have functioned by calculating astronomical positions as a sort of super-advanced calendar, and was presumably used in relation to ancient Olympic games.

The current issue of Wired Magazine documents how Michael Wright, a former curator at the Science Museum in London, has built a fully functional replica of the Antikythera. Click here for the full story, including video.

Cale to represent Wales

The Welsh pavilion was one of my favorites of the Venice Bienalle in 2005. The work by Bedwyr Williams was simple, unpretentious and very funny. It was worth the trip outside the main grounds to visit. Last Friday the Guardian reported that Wales will be represented in 2009 by Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale, who intends to collaborate with other artists (which is often what he is best known for), and will centre around "Cale's relationship with the Welsh language", says the Arts Council of Wales.

Cale was born in the village of Garnant and studied music at Goldsmiths College (under the tutelage of Aaron Copland) before relocating to New York, where he collaborated with artists affiliated with Fluxus, before founding the Velvets with Lou Reed. He contributed a film of blinking police car lights to a Fluxus festival and often played with La Monte Young and Tony Conrad. His solo career is large and varied, but if I had to narrow it down to three albums I'd say they'd be: Paris 1919 (for his accessible side), Music for a New Society (representing his pricklier side) and Fragments of A Rainy Season as a good career retrospective. The latter is performed live on solo guitar or piano, and features songs spanning the bulk of his career, including his cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which became the template for Jeff Buckley's cover, and every one that has followed since (they all omit the same verse that Cale does, as evidence). Fragments has a cover designed by Joseph Kosuth, who is good friends with Cale. Despite being best known for collaborating with Reed, they actually only made three studio records together: the first two VU albums, and the under-appreciated reunion record Songs for Drella, a tribute to Andy Warhol.

He has also worked with Patti Smith, Terry Riley, the Stooges, Siouxie and the Banshees, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, Brian Eno and countless others. His 1999 autobiography is titled What's Welsh for Zen?

Cale said he was "surprised and honoured" to be invited to represent Wales. He added, intriguingly: "It offers an occasion to address certain pernicious issues in my background that had lain dormant for so long. There are certain experiences uniquely suited to the exorcism of mixed media and I am grateful for this opportunity to address them."

A Drink To Us (When We're Both Dead) Launch Date

On Sunday December 21st from 3 to 6pm we will be launching the complete edition at MKG127 (127 Ossington Ave). The edition size is 25 (plus one artist proof), meaning there will be 12 released in North America (thru MKG) and 12 available for the rest of the world (through Glenfiddich).

A representative from Glenfiddich will be on hand, serving up Scotch.

Please join us.

www.davedyment.com/100.html
www.mkg127.com

Amazing Underground Ant Colony

Scientists take a Rachel Whitereadesque casting of an ant colony:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQERRbU23bU

Start your countdown at eleven

Scientists report that the earth is very gradually slowing down, throwing clocks out of synch. To compensate for this, the year 2008 will be one second longer than the year before. This time adjustment, a leap-second, will be added to December 31st, New Year's Eve, at 23:59:59, Coordinated Universal Time.

The planet's rotation around the sun takes 365.2422, which we round down for the sake of simplicity. The extra day in February of leap years compensates for this, more or less. Leap seconds function similarly - they are added (or removed) at the request of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. The last addition was December 31st, 2005.

Bailout, Mercer Member show

Mercer Union's annual member exhibition opens this week, with the closing party/sale happening on the 18th. As always, it's hosted by Misha Glouberman and all works sell for the exact same price (this year $149.99) on a first come, first served basis. In previous years line-ups formed as early as three hours in advance. Artists this year include Katie Bethune-Leamen, Fastwürms, Harrell Fletcher, Kristan Horton, Jen Hutton, Micah Lexier, Roula Partheniou, Jon Sasaki and many others.

I'm including an 8 x 10 print of the above photo, which I took in Scotland of the books I was reading about the future. I particularly liked reading predictions of one hundred years into the future from fifty years in the past.