VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA....8.5/10

by Aaron Mannino of Blue Key Reviews

"Everything I do affirms life" -Juan Antonio (Bardem)

When I think on Vicky Christina Barcelona I do not wallow in the mire of a pointless existence, even though there are underpinnings of this attitude in the finale of the film, which brings each character, principle and peripheral, in spite of their actions, right back to where they started, stifling their actualization, slave to their old moralities, emotional trends, and life decisions. It's a powerful note to end on, the futility of our efforts as emotional irrational individuals, but again, I don't remain on it too long. This feeling, intentionally or not, isn't made to resonate as deeply and lastingly as the films overarching elements of sensuality, complex love, the challenging of our moralized concepts of love (ie commitment, marriage, exclusivity, orientation, etc), and the vulnerability we experience in love being so close to the kind we experience in travel. However ironic, I felt affirmed of life after watching this film. And even though I sometimes have little sympathy for the woes of the wealthy, especially those that can summer in Spain without batting an eye, I'm continuously interested in Allen's dissection of the subject, and his career spanning reveal of the cross-class inevitability of emotional starvation.

Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), the empassioned, intrepid, and quite forward Spanish painter who boldly propositions single Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and engaged Christina (Scarlett Johansson), two friends on summer holiday in Spain, to join him for a weekend in his hometown, speaks of love and life as transient, and so this translates into the unfolding of the film itself. Things never feel constant. But no matter the brevity of experiences, they are still had, emotions are felt, and we are changed in accumulation, no matter how concealed we are about it. Vicky Christina Barcelona doesn't follow a straight narrative path. Rather it deviates and accumulates, allowing things to fall in and out of sync with one another.

Read my full review at http://bluekeyreviews.blogspot.com/ where I discuss the character complexity of Allen's newest film, and how VICKY... fits into his new and old cinematic stride.

[Aaron Mannino is an installation/video artist with a BFA from Tyler School of Art, who among many disciplines, is a fervent explorer of the cinematic medium through watching and writing.]

Bad at Sports:Chicago :: Funnel Pages:Philadelphia

We've been looking forward to this for weeks!

Remember the Bellwether show at Vox? Remember those little slogans running the length of the whole entire space? The artist, Duncan MacKenzie (pictured above at the bottom right), runs BadatSports.com with a few other Chicago folk, and came to town to install his show and hang out with Funnel Pages, thanks to an email he received from our own Dustin metz. The podcast, which is posted here with sincere thanks to BadatSports, features interviews with Bambi, FLUXspace, Little Berlin, Kelly & Weber, Space 1026, Vox, and PIFAS, and includes mad props to Roberta and Libby.


Direct download is available from BadatSports.com

Again, many many thanks to Bad at Sports and those who they thank at the end of the podcast, and do email Duncan about his sister. If you have yet to subscribe to their show, we highly suggest that you do so, as each week they publish some entertaining and enlightening interviews. And for the love of god, make sure you stay tuned for the last 2 minutes after the closing.

[Bad at Sports is a Chicago Based Contemporary Art Podcast, which is published weekly. Dustin Metz is a contributor to Funnel Cast, which is the podcast arm of the Funnel Pages.]



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The man Inside City Hall

This post is taken from the universe-famous Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof's Artblog, written by Funnel Pages contributor Dustin Metz:

[We've been waiting for this for six months--the re-establishment of the Office of Arts and Culture and the appointment of its head. Then, neither of us could make it to Mayor Nutter's announcement. So we asked Dustin Metz to go. Here's his report. (If you want to skip to the all important who, it's down after the subhead "Drum roll please...").]

As I entered the Reception Room for the Mayor in City Hall the TV cameras were in the process of setting up and there were still a few seats open, so I jumped in one. For the next 20 minutes a river of people flowed in, quickly filling up the setting and proceeded to fill the room until standing room was a luxury. There were suits and babies, men and women, boys and girls all with smiles and an air of giddiness, filling the place.

Surrounded by portraits of old men, some in wigs, all looking towards the grand chandeliere hanging in the center of the ceiling, we waited for Santa- aka Mayor Nutter to present our long awaited gift to the arts community.

Finally Mayor Michael Nutter and his entourage entered the room; actually they had to squeeze in past the crowd. He started his speech by thanking his board of advisers and the arts community at large. He then proceeded with the task at hand. "Philadelphia cannot become the strong center for the arts recognized nationally without an arts office in City Hall."

Walking from the podium to the desk where he would sign his executive order to recreate the Office of Arts and Culture, the Mayor received a roar of applause and standing ovation from everyone one in attendance. Once he sat down he jested, "What are you going to do when I actually sign the thing?"

He then went on to describe what the newly reinstated Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy will be responsible for:

• Improving access to the arts for both residents and visitors
• Expanding arts education for young people
• Overseeing all the City's arts programs
• Supporting the growth and development of the City's arts, culture and creative economy sector, by promoting public and private investment in the creative economy sector
• Coordinating with relevant City agencies to unify the City's arts efforts
• Serving as a liaison between the City's many cultural institutions

After the Mayor laid all of these details out, he signed the order and received yet another standing ovation. Returning to the podium he commented on the how the arts community expected him to create this office in January, between his inauguration and lunch the same day...then he looked at his watch and said, "Well its before lunch today, only 6 months later". He said that he understood the importance of this office and wanted to give it the respect it deserves by working hard to put it together rather than doing it hastily.

He then went on in announcing the Chief Cultural Officer, who will head the Office, and sit directly on the mayor's cabinet.

Drum roll please......

The new Chief Cultural Officer for the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is Gary Steuer!!! Steuer was former Vice President of the New York based non-profit Americans for the Arts. Here's a link to his bio.

" After an exhaustive national search, I am tremendously pleased to have Gary Steuer join my Administration," said Mayor Nutter. "His experience both as an arts manager and as an arts advocate will give him a unique perspective on how to best grow the arts community--an important step to creating a healthier and more vibrant Philadelphia."

As Steuer took the podium, he too received a warm welcome in the form of a standing ovation.

"I am extremely happy and looking forward to meeting and working with all in the arts community of Philadelphia," said Steuer. "I am thrilled by the opportunity the Mayor has provided me to work with him, his team and the great arts and civic leaders of Philadelphia to serve this City. ...With the growing recognition of the importance of the arts in workforce development, business attraction and retention, community revitalization, civic engagement, and tourism, it is more important than ever that cities integrate the arts into City programs and policies. Mayor Nutter understands this and I look forward to serving him and the people of Philadelphia."

He kept his speech short and sweet commenting on the work ahead of him and on his switch from a Mets hat to a red Phillies cap.

Nutter then announced that the Executive Order also re-established the Cultural Advisory Council which will serve to advise the Mayor and Administration officials on issuses relating to arts and culture. Mayor Nutter introduced his appointee to head this council- Joe Kluger. Kluger is currently an Associate Principal at the arts consulting firm WolfBrown and previously worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra and has served on other regional art boards. Kluger said that the rest of his team is still forming and asks anyone interested in being on the council to send in their resumes!

In the Q and A after the speeches a reporter asked if the Mayor could comment on the inferiorty complex the arts has in Philadelphia. Nutter said that he was "unaware that we had one." He proceeded to point out that Philadelphia has the most public art in the country and is constantly breaking records in exhibition attendance and other notable areas in the arts. He reminded us that people are constantly coming down from our "little sister city of New York" and moving to Philadelphia for the arts.

He concluded that the newly created Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is not just a created for a financial need (which he doesn't deny the need for funds to the arts) but also as a way to coordinate and unite the city's vast art communities.

[Dustin Metz, originator of the Funnel Cast, is an artist and curator who lives and works in Philadelphia. If you are interested in participating in the Funnel Cast project by conducting your own interview, or have an idea for an interview, contact pages@funnelstudio.com]


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Christopher Davison's Had

Contributed by Andrea McGinty
Had, Showing at Jenny Jaskey Gallery
Through July 31st, 2008

Currently showing in the Cabin Project Space of the Jenny Jaskey/Tower Gallery in Northern Liberties is the work of Christopher Davison. The Philadelphia artist is showing twelve works that feature a variety two dimensional media, such as ink, pencil, paint, and cut paper, as well as one sculpture.

The project space, existing in the very back of the gallery, provides a private, intimate locale to delve into Davison's show. The pieces fill the walls, overtaking both the viewer and the space. At first glance, most of the works are seemingly simple, featuring one scantily clad or naked figure that dominates the page. Painted in a pared down style, the intricacies are reduced to bold streaks of color. On further inspection, the viewer discovers delicate details, in the face or extremities. Soon the eye discovers even more levels of hidden detail as entire line drawings, covered by layers of bold paint, peek through the figures and background. The depth of detail exhibited in Davison's work soon become as overtaking as their installation in the space.

Furthering the reach of his work, Davison's titles are comically dualistic. They are bluntly descriptive, "Man With Church" shows a man physically holding a church, though this title brings up many other conceptual connotations. The titling also actively omits the innumerable details not mentioned directly, thus calling attention to them by way avoidance. This also echoes his method of painting bold streaks of color to conceal elaborate line drawings. The paintings pose as portraits, while existing as dark, open-ended narratives.

His sculptural "Yellow Doll", made up of fabric scraps, wood, and string, is a natural three dimensional realization of his two dimensional works. Jagged portions of cloth, crudely attached together, are accented by drawings created with marker. The individual works as well as the show in its entirety, are as layered as they are deliberate. While this show on its own is well worth making a trip to the gallery before July 31, you can also visit the new show opening in the main gallery space on July 10th, from 6 to 9pm.

[Andrea McGinty is a South Florida expatriate and artist living and working in Philadelphia]



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