Images from the March 1, 2014 Ballroom Marfa’s Sound Speed Marker opening weekend concert by Grupo de la Paz and the Tish Hinojosa Band at Marfa’s USO Building. All photos by Alex Marks.
Images from the March 28, 2014 Sound Speed Marker opening reception at Ballroom Marfa. All photos by Alex Marks.
Giant, 2014
Production still
High definition video with sound
Sound Speed Marker
Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler
28 de Febrero de 2014 – 31 de Julio de 2014
Inauguración: 28 de febrero, 6–8 pm
Con tacos hechos por Fat Lyle´s y cerveza de Big Bend Brewing Company
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A Ballroom Marfa le complace presentar Sound Speed Marker, de Teresa Hubbard y Alexander Birchler. Las tres instalaciones de video y las fotografías relacionadas, cubren un periodo de cinco años de trabajo, exploran la relación de la filmación con un lugar en concreto y los rastros que dejan la realización de películas. La exposición incluye el estreno de Giant (2014), una obra comisionada por Ballroom Marfa. Se podrá ver la exposición en Ballroom Marfa hasta el 31 de julio de 2014, que será acompañada por un catálogo integral que se publicará en diciembre de 2014. Sound Speed Marker viajará al Museo Irlandés de Arte Moderno en diciembre de 2014 y luego al Museo de Arte Blaffer en la Universidad de Houston en mayo de 2015.
Grand Paris Texas (2009) toma en consideración el espacio físico y social de un cine muerto, una canción olvidada y los habitantes de una pequeña ciudad. El Gran Teatro, un cine abandonado y lleno de palomas en el centro de París, sirve como protagonista de una narrativa que explora París como una metalocalización construida a través del celuloide y las bandas sonoras. Grand Paris Texas conecta tres películas seminales del sudoeste: Paris, Texas (1984) de Wim Wenders; Tender Mercies (1983) de Bruce Beresford; y la memorable película muda de King Baggot, Tumbleweeds (1925).
En Movie Mountain (Méliès) (2011), Hubbard/Birchler exploran el emplazamiento de una montaña en el Desierto Chihuahuense cerca de la ciudad de Sierra Blanca. El proyecto genera varios hilos narrativos que entremezclan la memoria y el olvido. Movie Mountain (Méliès) presenta a un vaquero que escribe guiones así como a residentes cuyos familiares actuaron en una película muda original rodada en la montaña. El proyecto también encuentra un posible vínculo entre Movie Mountain y Gaston Méliès, hermano del famoso cineasta Georges Méliès.
Giant (2014) entreteje las señales de vida y las vistas de un plató cinematográfico en decadencia construido en las afueras de Marfa: la Mansión Reata de la película de 1956 de la Warner Bros., Giant, protagonizado por Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson y James Dean. Tras la finalización del rodaje se dejó en el paisaje la fachada de tres lados. Hubbard/Birchler exploran los restos esqueléticos del plató a medida que cambian las estaciones, el día se transforma en noche y partes de la estructura se balancean y caen desprendidas. Unas escenas de un equipo de rodaje que graba las actuales condiciones aparecen yuxtapuestas con un despacho de la Warner Bros. en 1955, en el que una secretaria mecanografía el contrato de localización para la película que aún no ha sido creada.
Teresa Hubbard, nacida en Dublín, Irlanda, en 1965, y Alexander Birchler, nacido en Baden, Suiza, en 1962, llevan desde 1990 trabajando en colaboración en el video, la fotografía y la escultura. Su obra se encuentra en numerosas colecciones privadas y públicas incluyendo el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo en Los Ángeles; el Museo Hirshhorn y Jardín de Esculturas en Washington DC; el Kunstmuseum en Basilea; el Kunsthaus en Zurich; el Museo de Arte Moderno en Fort Worth; el Museo de Bellas Artes en Houston; el Museo de Arte en Yokohama; y la Pinakothek der Moderne en Munich. La obra en esta exposición aparece por cortesía de la Galería Tanya Bonakdar en Nueva York y la Galería Lora Reynolds en Austin.
Forma parte de la misión de Ballroom Marfa hacer posible la creación de obras de arte que en otro lugar serían imposibles de realizar. Este proyecto –con sus raíces en el paisaje que nosotros llamamos hogar– cierra la trilogía de Hubbard/Birchler y esclarece el papel de Ballroom Marfa como una organización comprometida con el encargo de nuevas obras.
Philip Guston, San Clemente, 1975. To commemorate its closing on February 2nd, we’re presenting this series of essays about the artists featured in Comic Future. Previously we looked at Walead Beshty and Arturo Herrera. In this final essay, Adam Helms offers an overview of the exhibition as a whole. Helms is a New York-based artist whose work was part of the Ballroom Marfa exhibitions You Are Here (2005) and Every Revolution is a Roll of the Dice (2007). Comic Future will travel to the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio where it will be on view from May 17 through August 3, 2014. ——————————————– The Comic Presence After walking through the exhibition Comic Future, one work of art kept surfacing in my mind: Philip Guston’s San Clemente (1975), the grotesque lumbering caricature of Richard Nixon (fig. 1). In Guston’s later years, this single work (which metastasized into a painting from his drawing series From The Phlebitis Series (1975)) served as Guston’s vehicle for a gesture towards political satire, yet remained in keeping with his quasi-figurative language as a painter. Guston moved from his early years in the ’30s as a social realist into Abstract Expressionism; then finally to a mode of painting and draughtsmanship that incorporated personal narratives and symbols from within a cartoon or ‘comic’ figuration. The only painting of its kind in Guston’s oeuvre, San Clemente suggests that perhaps Guston had doubts about this particular piece. (1) Rather than the ambiguous identities of his Klansmen — or the heads, eyes and feet of his reoccurring figure subjects — this particular piece dealt with direct representation, Guston’s own anger and the politics of the time in which it was painted. San Clemente serves as Guston’s attempt to balance a work as both a history painting and a statement of political satire. In many ways, this Nixon cartoon caricature bridges the gap between Guston’s early social realist concerns — and politics — and the freedom he strove for as a painter breaking new ground rebelling in his departure from abstraction. For Guston’s intentions it straddles the issues of painting as much as it does political cartooning. Guston elevates the political and a mass cultural icon to the level of the sublime. It would be perhaps a form of alliteration to suggest that all of the artists in Comic Future directly reflect the bifurcation of Guston’s piece or intentions, but the spirit of San Clemente echoes throughout the exhibition. Beyond simply a selection of artists that deal with themes of ‘comic abstraction’ or even particular cultural references, Comic Future posits a multitude of questions surrounding political representation, archetypes and visual language, beauty and the grotesque and ultimately: painting and the materiality of objects through the prism of a ‘comical’ gesture. All of the artists represented here look to an appropriated and symbolic language to speak to the time and culture in which they find themselves and in which the works become a reflection or response. Though the intentions of individual artists may vary, the allure and levity of a visual comic language becomes a satirical and subversive conceptual strategy. 
Works on paper by Sigmar Polke, created between 1964-1969, All works courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery, New York and London, Photography © Fredrik Nilsen The grouping of Sigmar Polke’s 13 works on paper (1964-69), involves an abject and almost proletariat language of comic-like capitalist imagery. This period of Polke’s work was generated during the postwar years of reconstruction in Germany and “apart from their self-critical questionings of Polke’s identity, parodied a taste for the trivial fueled by the banalities of everyday German life in postwar years and ensuing “economic miracle” (2). Polke together with Gerhard Richter saw their work at this time as “Capitalist Realism”. Influenced as a reaction to American Pop, Polke’s works indicate an almost investigative approach towards what he and his colleagues at the time saw as the “authentic cultural phenomenon” of Pop in the imagery of both the mass media and economic system of the West towards an art making moving from the structures of the conventional art of the time (3). In these works Polke remains ensconced between the camp of a Dadaist-like subversion of consumerist imagery and an embracing the visual apparatus of a mass culture that he would help to elevate to ‘high art’.
Arturo Herrera’s 88 DIA (1998), photo by Lesley Brown.
To commemorate the closing of Comic Future on February 2nd, we are presenting a series of essays and readings about some of the artists and their work represented in the show. Previously, we featured Walead Beshty, and his 2012 work, Unmasking. In this post, Ballroom’s Gallery Manager, Rebecca McGivney, discusses Arturo Herrera’s works in the show, including 88 DIA, which was commissioned specifically for Ballroom Marfa.
Comic Future will travel to the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio where it will be on view from May 17 through August 3, 2014.
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On the surface, Arturo Herrera’s two works in Comic Future, 88 DIA (1998) and Untitled (2001), look quite different. 88 DIA is a large colorful mural composed of a number of images. Though they at first appear somewhat abstract, the images quickly come into focus. A large potted plant topped by a red, spiky flower sits against a bright blue background. In the foreground, three cartoon birds fly above the figure of a girl. Although her head is hidden (or has been removed), she seems familiar.
Untitled also transforms the longer one focuses on it. At first it appears to be a large, black and white squiggle, somewhat reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock drip painting. It quickly becomes apparent that the entire drawing is composed of various recognizable shapes — namely some of the same shapes seen in 88 DIA. This is because both works use the same source material: Walt Disney’s 1937 classic, Snow White.
It is impressive that Herrera is able to disguise, even momentarily, such iconic images; but what is even more interesting is why he uses them at all. It is nothing new for an artist to take a familiar image and place it in a work of art; often, when one does so it is to critique and criticize what that image represents. As Roland Barthes notes in Mythologies: “the idols of consumer culture, car, refrigerator or screen goddess, have a totemic power in the modern age.” (Translated in S. Greeves, “The Language of the Wall”(MA Diss., the Courtauld Institute of Art, 1995), 29.) The most direct and effective way to break that power is by changing and subverting it. (see Sergei Chakhotin’s The Rape of the Masses: The Psychology of Totalitarian Political Propaganda, 1940)
Herrera, however, does not use these images expressly for the purpose of negation. Rather, they relate to his interest in modernism and its ideal of universality. In addition to Herrera’s various aesthetic references to modernism (his use of collage techniques and found material, as well as allusions to various artistic movements including surrealism, cubism, abstract expressionism, pop-art, and the affichistes, to name a few), the artist confirms that he is strongly attracted to the conceptual ideas behind modernism, particularly the belief that art is universal. As he explains in an interview: “Modernism’s boundless optimism and idealism created exciting visual realities. Some of these propositions failed or are no longer valid…. The key is to have a critical dialogue with this legacy.” Thus, while Herrera is attracted to these ideals, he differs in how he accomplishes them. While the modern artist hoped to create a work that could instantaneously convey its meaning through abstraction, Herrera uses the figurative and familiar to establish a “connection” and give the viewer something of which to grab hold: Snow White.
It is important to note that when Disney was first founded, the company’s work was seen as extremely modern. So much so that Sergei Eisenstein once declared Disney’s animations to be “the greatest contribution of the American people to art.” Walt Disney also shared in the modernist’s ideal of creating a universal art by appealing to our shared childhood. As he explained while defending his fantastical stories and imagery: “Everybody in the world was once a child. We grow up. Our personalities change, but in every one of us something remains of our childhood…. It just seems that if your picture hits that spot with one person, it’s going to hit that spot in almost everybody.” Herrera uses the same technique to entice the viewer into his work, the difference is that once one enters, Herrera, unlike Disney, no longer guides you. As he notes: “My work actually tries to discourage a specific message. It tries to free a place up, to clarify through ambiguity….You read the image very easily, but in the end, you are on your own.”
For more information on Herrera and his process, be sure to read his terrific conversation with Josiah McElheny from 2005 in Bomb. An excerpt:
The challenge is, how can an image so recognizable, like a dwarf, or a cartoon character’s foot or nose, or the red and blue specific to Snow White’s dress, have another meaning that I impose onto it? Is it possible? Can I make something so clear ambiguous? Can I uproot it? In which ways is the baggage that we bring to the new image relevant to the vivid recollections within our cultural context? I am attracted to juxtaposing invented images and readymade images without establishing explicit relations between elements.
From Herrera’s interview with Tom Friel of Bad At Sports:
Using everyday printed materials which are instantly recognizable leads the viewer directly into the image and at once a connection is established. Crashing our invented, private meanings onto a newly constructed image only adds to the impact of the original source. This undoing of linearity is attractive to me.
Finally, to see what Herrera is up to now, be sure to check out the images from his newest show, Books, at Corbett vs. Dempsey in Chicago. From a review at The Seen by Shreya Sethi:
These works come across as strong interventions into the act of reading. Using the help of stencils, Herrera haphazardly covers up the content of every page to the point of illegibility. We are forced to consider the nonrepresentational shapes foregrounded by the contents of the book, as a kind of linguistic information whose meaning we are left to determine.
For our fifth annual free New Year’s film program, we hosted a screening of Philippe Garrel’s 1968 film Le Révélateur at the Crowley Theater, with a live score by Philadelphia harpist Mary Lattimore and synth player Jeff Zeigler. Read our interview with Mary here, and enjoy these images from Marfalite Studios‘ Lesley Brown …
In 2009, Green Mountain Energy Donated a Solar Array to Ballroom Marfa, making Ballroom the first place in West Texas to receive such an installation from the company. Since then, our solar panels have helped us reduce our Carbon footprint and promote cleaner energy, which is why we were so excited when the Green Mountain Sun Club stopped by the gallery back in November on their way to another Solar Array dedication ceremony at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute in Fort Davis.
Here are some of the images from their travels around Marfa and the surrounding area:
To read more about the Sun Club’s adventures through Texas be sure to check out their blog.
All images courtesy of Caitlin Conran at Green Mountain Energy.
The Daily Texan previews Graham Reynolds’ Marfa Triptych, which premieres here in Marfa on Saturday at the Crowley Theater. Click here for tickets.
Reynolds described his first composition as a mix of “West Texas, country music and Western movie sound tracks.” The piece will feature contributions from veteran guitarist Redd Volkaert and up-and-coming fiddle player Ruby Jane.
“I was fascinated by country. It seemed so other-worldly to me,” Reynolds said. “[The musicians] are so generous in letting me pull them out of their box and letting me explore their world a little bit.”
Lead guitarist Volkaert, who has worked with the likes of Merle Haggard, Tim McGraw and Trace Adkins, has played gigs in and around Austin for more than 20 years. In regards to “The Marfa Triptych,” Volkaert urges his audience to pay attention to the way the 14-piece ensemble works together.
“It’s a challenge, but that’s why I’m in it,” Volkaert said. “Reynolds, is a wonderful talent and I really enjoy working with him.”
Keep reading “Graham Reynolds creates music inspired by Marfa, Texas” at The Daily Texan.
Join Ballroom Marfa this Saturday evening for the premiere of the first installment of Graham Reynolds’ Marfa Triptych, an epic musical composition over three years in the making.
The Marfa Triptych Part One: Country and Western Big Band Suite is an instrumental suite for 14 players, described by Reynolds as “classic instrumental country meets Western soundtrack meets power jazz rhythm section.” The project was inspired by Reynolds’ trips from his base in Austin, Texas to the high desert grasslands of Far West Texas. His approach combines local musical traditions — from cowboy songs and Southern jazz to the norteño music of Northern Mexico — with a personal perspective that comes from years of scoring film, theater and modern dance performances. In addition to his music with Austin’s Golden Arm Trio, Reynolds is known for his award-winning soundtrack work with director Richard Linklater, including the films Before Midnight, Bernie and A Scanner Darkly.
Reynolds has spent the last three years working with Ballroom Marfa to coordinate research trips throughout the Big Bend in order to experience its culture and history firsthand. He’s been keeping an itinerary that includes visits with musicians, historians, storytellers, artists and local legends from Terlingua, Alpine, Presidio, Shafter, Fort Davis, Valentine, Marfa and other far-flung locales in the Far West Texas region.
Future installments in this ambitious project include a site-specific composition for layered piano and a bilingual chamber opera, scheduled to premiere at the Ballroom Marfa Drive-In at Vizcaino Park in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
We talked with Reynolds on the eve of the Marfa Triptych debut about his sneak preview performance at the Long Center in Austin, and he gave us more background on what we can expect from the main event here in Marfa on Saturday evening.
How was the Big Band Suite preview at the Long Center?
The band sounds great and I learned a lot about the piece. I’ve made some adjustments for the premiere.
How has The Marfa Triptych changed since your last visit to Far West Texas earlier this year?
The difference between each of the three parts is becoming more clear. And this first part has been composed. I was highly influenced by watching the Marfa sunset from a bench on the west edge of town.
What can you tell us about the players involved?
There is so much to tell! It’s a bit of an Austin all-star band. Redd Volkaert is one of the greatest living country guitarists. Ricky Davis is one of the leading experts on Sho-Bud pedal steel guitars, repairing instruments from the defunct but highly regarded brand. John Mills is a professor of saxophone at University of Texas at Austin and a fantastic live and studio player, having recorded with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Jonny Greenwood. Adam Sultan’s guitar work was recently featured in the film Before Midnight. Alexis Buffum was the lead violinist for the film Bernie. Ruby Jane is fiddler, singer, and songwriter, and one of the great young talents to hit the Austin scene in a long time. Utah Hamrick and Jeremy Bruch are the incredible players that form the foundation of my band and we play together all the time. On and on. It’s a great band that I feel lucky to play with.
Can you tell us more about your most recent trips to Marfa?
I’ve continued to do interviews, explore West Texas nature as well as its history, interview residents, and keep finding myself deeper in love with the region. We went to Big Bend Ranch State Park on the last trip and found some very out-of-the-way spots that I’d love to play music in some day.
What was your process for incorporating your field research into this chapter of the Triptych?
The process is hard to explain. Some is overt and some is very subtle. When composing I would think of different experiences I had and then try to translate them into music. I’m trying to create the soundtrack to the film of West Texas in my mind.
How has your impression of Far West Texas changed in the course of your research? What have you learned?
That it is the most beautiful area of Texas, that the history is deep and complicated. The border is blurry and it’s hard to explore Texas without also exploring Mexico and its history and culture.
The Marfa Triptych: The Country and Western Big Band Suite premieres at the Crowley Theater in Marfa, TX at 8pm on November 16, 2013. Tickets are available at the door and online at www.ballroommarfa.org. Half-price tickets are available in the gallery for all residents of Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties.
