6-6-6 and the devil’s got nothin’ on me today. I played hooky this morning and met the talented “
creative reuse” specialist Jack Nixon (commission him to make you awesome modern furniture from recycled materials!) for a trip to the new
De Young
museum, a walk through the botanical gardens, and a bite to eat. The
theme du jour: social consciousness and civic duty. Jack filled me in
on environmental/political issues that will undoubtedly carry over as I
continue the theme and vote this afternoon.
Architecturally, the new De Young leaves me a bit cold. Angular,
monochromatic, and boxy, I didn’t find that it was conducive to a fluid
art-viewing experience. Collections ended abruptly and I didn’t feel
particularly drawn into the next room. And from the outside, it feels
equally unwelcoming to me, almost like a postmodern abandoned
warehouse. That said, it has some lovely art in the contemporary wing,
which we visited. I was particularly drawn to one
piece
(couldn't find a good image- this up-close shot is from a random blog)
which incorporated the charred remains of a southern Baptist church
which had been
torched in
one of the racist arson incidents in recent history. The coal black
(effective on a few levels) burnt pieces were suspended in box form in
mid-air, like a freeze-frame of violence, emotion, energy. Extremely
visceral and effective at capturing the immediacy of an event, like
watching a bomb explode in slow motion. I also liked that they had a
few pieces by
John Cage, whose ideas I have always admired, and dug a photograph of William S.
Burroughs with a gun, the creepiness of which was significantly heightened by my having seen Burroughs’ The
Black Rider down in L.A. a couple of weeks ago (OK, so maybe the devil made a
cameo
today). The crowds of schoolchildren (it was free to the public today)
made the experience a bit too harried to properly reflect, but I’ll go
back on a quiet day.
I’m off to vote. My ritualistic pact at the altar of futility to choose
between the people who have already sold their souls to the devil.
Happy 6-6-6!
