Ceci n'est pas a Booth, Kiosk or Gazebo...

and other Radical Shacks



Performance artist-sculptor Laure Drogoul, winner of the 2006 Julie and Walter Sondheim Prize and founder-director of Maryland Art Place's 14 Karat Cabaret, is curating a show at this year's Artscape that spoofs the arts festival's reputation as being nothing more than "Foodscape," a place for Baltimorons to eat bad food.

Hence we have Ceci n'est pas a Booth, Kiosk or Gazebo and Other Radical Shacks, a play on the title of surrealist painter Rene Magritte's picture of a pipe that he called Ceci n'est pas une Pipe (This Is Not a Pipe).
The point being that, just like Magritte's painted pipe that viewers can't smoke, the booths occupied by the artists in the food court don't sell food, they only look like they do.

Anyway, I came, I saw, I interacted with the art. This kind of thing usually isn't my bag, but I have to admit that everyone was really nice (especially the LEXI MOUNTAIN BOYS, who are in fact lovely ladies) and I really enjoyed Dan Van Allen's TREE HOUSE FOR AN AUTUMN MOON and the video installation and synthesizer sounds provided by SNACKS (Tom Boram and Dan Breen, the later of Trockenis) at their YE OLDE ELECTRO-MATIC SMOOTHIE SHOPPE booth. The Snacks boys also played tubas that generated power to run blenders filled with red and white wine, which they then dispensed to lines of supplicants in a sort of performance art Holy Communion.

OK, enough talk. Here are some photos of the exhibit.


The Entrance Gate
Abandon all hope of real food, ye who enter.


Tim Scofield's kinetic AERIAL SCULPTURE at rest


Fly guy Tim Scofield prepares for takeoff


Tim Scofield getting high as a kite


I've run out of high jokes. But he is. Very.


Tim Scofield gets a rise of out of the audience


Whatever you do, don't look down!


"Fuck! There goes my bus fare!"


Tim demonstrates his World's Highest Yo-Yo Trick.


Tim does his Puppet-on-a-String impression


"And this is how I do the back stroke."


"Here we go Allez-Oops!"


What goes around comes around. (We hope!)


"Clear the landing strip!"


"Damn! My socks don't match."


"Ha! From up here you humans look so puny!"


R.L. Tillman's COTTON SALTY stand


Dan Van Allen's TREE HOUSE FOR AN AUTUMN MOON


TREE HOUSE Close-up


TREEHOUSE extreme full frontal close-up

Girls just wanna have Treehouse fun



TREEHOUSE long shot


Dan enjoys an upskirt view of his TREEHOUSE


Dan Van consults with Dr. Angela about the green slime on his chin


Dan Breen in front of the his Snacks Video Installation

For me, this was the highlight of Artscape 2007, a simple yet clever video that seemed to feature every artist or "scene-maker' in Baltimore.


Odd in Quad: Snacks Videos Loop Mismatched Tops and Bottoms


Snacks: Iron(ic) Chef


Birthday girl Spoon and roomate Uli send a shout out. (Spoon must have gotten a grant because she's drinking Bud instead of Natty Boh.)

The "#$%@!!" Gnome Hut
created by Melissa Webb, M. Jane Taylor & Co.


The "#$%@!!" Gnome Hut Redux


>#$%@!! Gnome Icon


Imus would call these tough-looking gnomes "Nappy-headed"


I'd jump through hoops for this gnome
(the lovely Paige Shuttleworth)


Mama's got a squeeze box


Girls will be LEXI MOUNTAIN BOYS.
Here they are in front of their CLEARAMID.

Related Links:
Ceci n'est pas review in Baltimore Sun
Dan Van Allen (Soweboarts.org)
Snacks Review (City Paper)
Lexi Mountain Boys (MySpace)