Work has progressed on what is now called A Market. Two events have been held at the Watermill Center in the Hamptons bringing farmers and community members together to "think tank" the project to assure its usefulness to those whose participation it seeks. The project now has three parts with a 4th on the horizon.
The Market: a farmer organized market place dispersed through the Watermill Center's site and schedule
The Smokehouse(s): a group of 5 smokehouses in Sullivan County, NY free for use
The Bunker: A concrete structure set below the freeze-line at the Poor farm in rural Wisconsin where Kimchi and Miso paste will ferment, pickles and charcutterie will age and be stored to be made useful by groups involved in the project.
Through the developments around A Market a re-invigorated painting practice has cropped up. A Market will both provide source material for structuring paintings and allow for painting to escape the need to "re-perform modernism" or be defined in any critical capacity.
Back in December I worked with Thor Audio and Spiral Groove in presenting A Stereo as part of Arcadian Night, a night of performance and video at the Raceback Lodge in the Berkshires. The show was curated by Andrea Hill and Kalika Farmer. I built custom furniture for a collection of amazing stereo equipment and spent the night listening to my record collection, guests of the show were free to listen along. The show provided an opportunity for Thor Audio to meet with and educate an audience totally foreign to what they do and how extreme an experience a stereo can provide.
This past weekend, July 16th, 2011, I sat-in as guest chef at Mildred's Lane with the dinner A History of Foie Gras and it's Ethics. The dinner featured an all duck menu and a lively discussion of the ethics, issues and history of foie gras.
