April 2004

Skated with Kev today after a Cherry Blossom Parade with Jacquie…

We hit up Wallenberg, and it was the perfect day, not too hot, but warm enough to wear shorts in SF!!!

That doesn’t happen too often so we were stoked. I did a few ollies and tried to work on pop shuvits and then Kev asked me if I could Ollie 180…

I never tried, so he showed me how to wind up, and after a few falls I GOT IT!

sooooooooooo happy.

I also met one of Nate’s friends named Anna, and her folks collect contemporary Chinese photography and video…I think she’ll like my art show!

Final Review was yesterday…Tony Labat, Jon Rubin, and let’s call him, Mr. X.

I took a cab and set up rather quickly, when I didi so I had the Pops video in the left corner, followed L to R, California Home Koi, the installation rendering, and then to the right was the Hypermodern Anaglyph in Negative Space maquette. After the folks looked around, I asked if they would like to see a section of YUK…this was a mistake, as it totally dominated the conversation of the other two reviewers besides TL who hadn’t seen it.

They spoke of irony, and sincerity, and questioned them…and as always Warhol came up. I successfully defended myself, though a few times I felt that the statement was mis-interpreted to mean “I use computers for everything.”

If one really reads it it’s ” touched by some aspect of mediation through the mechanical or digital” which means ANALOG is fine too…

I still will make art no matter what (more or less)…

Here’s my statement…

Hypermodernity is the conceptual groundwork for my present body of imagery and videos, insomuch as it serves not only as a thesis, but also as an explanation.

HYPERMODERN: pronunciation: ‘hI-p&r’m�-d&rn. From Latin hyper-, and modernus, also from Latin modo, just now. 1 : above : beyond : SUPER- involving recent techniques, methods, or ideas : UP-TO-DATE.

In my own words: A forum for expression and research influenced by technology.

Whether the work manifests itself as a website, performance, action, sculpture, video or two-dimensional piece, it is likely touched by some aspect of mediation through the mechanical or digital. This mode of production has lead to an artistic practice and a series of works that speaks to the personal, yet maintains an open avenue for viewer affect.

Pete Ippel
2004