This publication is a documentation of the exhibition THE SLOW MOTION SHOW Visual Arts Gallery, New York City July 6 - August 14, 2010 Š 2010 THE SLOW MOTION SHOW, NYC 1 Irving Place, Unit U-9H New York, New York 10003 www.welikeitslow.com 2
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MEET THE ARTISTS We are Kevin Wang, Kirstin Huber, and Louis Liu. We are three graphic designers from New York City. We like it slow.
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Mission Statement The Slow Motion Show is a thesis collaboration between three design students, containing several self-curated, selfproduced art pieces. It is a synthesis of different points of view and forms of design thinking. The content of the show interprets slow motion as a device used to reveal the unnoticed, introducing a new facet to one’s experience. Each piece displays the entire life of an object or process in which the lens of slow motion alters our perception of the object’s generally assumed meaning. The purpose of this show is to present a broader viewpoint of simple moments, in order to better understand their importance. The pieces in the show range in medium–from video projections, to hand-written letters, to performance art. Our goal was to reveal some interesting interpretations of “slow motion” in an unexpected way. The Slow Motion Show was on view for six weeks at the Visual Arts Gallery in Chelsea, New York. It opened with a reception on July 6th which featured live performances by David Bernstein and Esmé Cartens.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY Watch closely and you’ll notice that Three of our twenty Happy Birthday performers sang the tune in a language other than english
This piece portrays the disconnect that slow motion may create between what we see and what we understand. A lack of audio and a 60 frame-per-second video format is intended to obscure the viewer’s immediate recognition of what each individual is saying (or, to be correct–singing): their version of the Happy Birthday song. Instead of being about what they’re singing, the piece has become an intimate portrait of a group of artists interpreting a classic song that is known and beloved by all cultures and peoples.
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slow motion exquisite corpse “Exquisite corpse” is a collaborative art game created by post-WWI Surrealist artists, in which an individual adds to a collective drawing without having seen or known what was drawn before (or after) his contribution. (Just one variation of the game; there are many interpretations.) This process is generally completed with all contributors in attendance. However, we decided to use today’s slowest communication medium, snail mail, to pass the drawing from each participant to the next, to add an air of anticipation to the project.
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MAKING GINSENG TEA This piece represents any and all of the traditions or rituals we hold dear but may sacrifice the integrity of it they are sped up. While this video is not actually recorded in a slow motion (high frame rate) format, the attention paid to each ingredient (as well as their respective viscosities) just, well... feels slow. In addition, after the process is completed it is played back in reverse, turning the event into an unending cycle rather than a terminable task.
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meanwhile, in new york What does it take for a country to realize the flaws in its infrastructure? A devastating famine? What does it take for an American to know where Haiti is on a map? Commercials about text messaging donations to the Red Cross? If, perhaps, we could expand time and analyze each moment, we could notice a lot more about what’s really going on around us. This collage is a visual study of 5 seconds, spread out and exaggerated to indicate the temperament of the scenario. It is juxtaposed with a supplementary timeline chronicling over 100 years of the worst natural disasters on the planet. Black tape bars represent death tolls, 1 inch representing approximately 20,000 people.
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current time These calendars are slow-motion flipbooks that served as a time record for the duration of The Slow Motion Show. Daily (left), hourly (center), minutely (right; to be updated during the Opening Night event on July 6 between the hours of 18:00 and 20:00 EST). This piece was performed at the Opening Night Reception on July 6, 2010 by EsmĂŠ Cartens.
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David Bernstein has created many public performances, including A symbolic walk on governors island in which he unrolled 10 rolls of toilet paper then cleaned it up.
What if the tasks we considered to be mind-numbingly boring– enough so that’d we’d compare them to watching paint dry–could somehow transcend their “meaningless-ness” and become rituals in their own right? This piece was performed live at the Opening Night event on July 6 by David Bernstein.
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tangible objects The entire set of photos can be viewed online at welikeitslow.com.
These single-use cameras were created for and installed in the Visual arts gallery for the purpose of documenting our show the slow motion way–on disposable film that takes at least an hour to develop. We asked gallery visitors to participate, reminding them that when using such out-dated technology, there is no opportunity to preview or delete any of the photographs taken. The results were a variety of wonderfully spontaneous candids of friends and family at the reception, along with some surprisingly beautiful shots of the work in the show. Thanks to everyone who took photos!
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CHECKLIST OF EXHIBITED WORKS Kirstin Huber, Louis Liu, Kevin Wang Meanwhile, in New York, 2010 Photocopy collage 45” x 100” Courtesy of the artists SVA design students directed by Louis Liu Slow Motion Exquisite Corpse, 2010 Ballpoint pen & marker on paper 11” x 8.5” Courtesy of the artists SVA students directed by Kirstin Huber Slow Motion Exquisite Corpse, 2010 Pencil on paper 11” x 8.5” Courtesy of the artists Family and friends directed by Kevin Wang Slow Motion Exquisite Corpse, 2010 Pencil on paper 11” x 8.5” Courtesy of the artists Kirstin Huber, Louis Liu, Kevin Wang Watching Paint Dry, 2010 Performance piece, video Performed on 07/06/10 by David Bernstein Courtesy of the artists
tha for SCR: A creative label for screen media Drop Clock, 2009 Screensaver License available online Courtesy of the internet Kirstin Huber, Louis Liu, Kevin Wang Happy Birthday, 2010 Video projection Courtesy of the artists Kirstin Huber, Louis Liu, Kevin Wang Making Ginseng Tea, 2010 Video Courtesy of the artists Kirstin Huber, Louis Liu, Kevin Wang Current Time, 2010 Flipbook calendars Performed on 07/06/10 by Esmi Cartens Courtesy of the artists Kirstin Huber, Louis Liu, Kevin Wang Tangible Objects, 2010 Single-use cameras 4.1”h x 2.3”w x 1.2”d
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© THE SLOW MOTION SHOW, NYC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission from The Slow Motion Show. The artists wish to thank Nick Alan, Kyle Avallone, Kira Bacak, David Bernstein, Richard Brooks, Zachary Brunner, Meagan Burns, Rocco Cambareri, Esmé Cartens, Liz Chan, Perry Chen, Matthew Christoff, Lauren Coats, Nolan Constantino, Tina Crayton, Stan Engelbrecht / Nic Grobler, Ernie Fang, John Fulbrook, Lynn Gamwell, Emily & Greg Herwig, Nick Huber, Terry & Mike Huber, Daniella Jaeger, Jiwon Kim, Matt Klein, Peter Kondratowicz, Eric Ku, Honkit Lam, Vanessa Lee, Eric Lendl, Michelle LeNoach, Brandon Lori, Spiridon Mitches, Amira Moodie, Yumi Nakamura, Deva Pardue, Saehoon Park, Dave Rivera, Fitgi Saint-Louis, Jonathan Serrano, Chris Shashaty, Marc Sifuentes, Daniel Tami, Keat Teoh, Danny Walton, Jenna Wang, Richard Wilde, Jared Williams, Michael Williams, Cat Yeh Photo Credits: Much of the photographic content in this book comes from the anonymous Tangible Objects experiment that took place at the show’s opening reception. If you are the photographer of any included image and would like to receive credit, please contact welikeitslow@gmail.com. Additionally, you may view the entire set of photos and claim credit for any at www.flickr.com/welikeitslow. Thanks again to all participants.
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Louis Liu, Kevin Wang, Kirstin Huber, EsmĂŠ Cartens, David Bernstein.
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