Blaine is amazing in his willingness to, literally, put himself in such strange positions. He looks so vulnerable here, even surrounded by security. He takes ten minutes per hour upright to get medically checked and pee. The park closes between 1 and 6AM. Who keeps an eye on what is going on then? But even with the breaks this stunt looks extremely uncomfortable, and yes dangerous to his health. Like a boxer, his career involves injury to his body. I hope his special tonight involves more street magic than his last one did. I like the guy.
live ABC primetime special, “David Blaine: Dive of Death,” Wednesday, September 24th (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET).
Creative Time’s year-long program Democracy in America: The National Campaign culminates in the Convergence Center: a major exhibition, participatory project space, and meeting hall mounted in New York City’s Park Avenue Armory just in time for election season.
My video includes an interview with Chitra Ganesh talking about Index of the Disappeared. The show goes from playful to thoughful, to terrifying to silly with everything scattered throughout the huge Park Avenue Armory. I enjoyed exploring the building, you have access up to the fourth floor. I shot it early Sunday afternoon before the performers and speakers were scheduled. The unknown Karaoke guy at the end was the only person with guts enough to lay it all out on the line while I was there.
643 Park Avenue at 66th Street, Manhattan
Noon to 10PM - $free
Continues through September 27
creativetime.org/programs/archive/2008/democracy/convergence.php
Swoon had help from 75 collaborators in putting the show together, and the result of all that collective labor is spectacular. Get to the gallery before sunset. It is best in natural light.
This film won third prize in the 1967 Kodak Teenage Movie Awards, senior division. An edited version was shown nationally on NBC. It was the last stop-motion film I made. The transfer to video tape from the original 8mm was done about 25 years ago, and the tape has deteriorated a bit. I did my best to improve the image quality, and I think I did a good enough job to let the story come through, but yes it is a bit hard on the eyes.
The story is a combination of Metamorphosis and The Incredible Shrinking Man. The film was originally silent. Emphasizing the teenage angst and Freudian overtones, I composed music and foleyed sound effects for this release to the web. There is one sound effect I didn’t create, you alert film buffs will recognize it.
The figure was an action figure called “Captain Action.” His extremely muscular plastic body was carved down to allow a more lifelike range of motion. I sculpted a head to resemble the actor, my patient friend, Tom Newman, but Tom looked enough like GI Joe, for me to use that toy’s head instead. The hands were made of wire and masking tape. My aunt Mary, an expert seamstress, sewed his shirt and pants.
The figure was held upright mostly from the use of sticky wax on the feet. At other times it was held in off balance positions by black threads from above. At other times glass microscope slides, placed carefully to avoid reflections helped to keep the figure in position.
I rigged a harness to hold the camera firmly against my chest while I rode. I figured this would be the steadiest place to put it. It worked adequately. This event was a lot of fun. I hope the city does this more often.
