GET HUBBIED

Most of my days and evenings for many many weeks have been preparing in some way or another for the wedding. My aim was to have my main list items done by the time my family arrived to help the week before. I thought I could impress them with my organization and planning acumen and then have time left over to show them a good time. I am apt to make things slightly (cough cough) more detailed and time consuming than they really need to be. There are certain details I planned that had to be let go for the sake of my family's sanity and also my own. For example, did I really need to make hanging mobiles of 'I DOs' two days before the wedding to adorn the bathrooms? No.

We were all focused and hard at work the day of install, which was the day of the wedding! I tried to maintain a positive air of frivolity and it worked for the most part. It all came together stupendously considering we only had that morning and early afternoon to do everything since there was a wedding at the Center the night before (X&Y’s eerily enough). Every hour Dad - lightening the mood but also intensifying it -  would proclaim how much time we had left: “3 hours left people! only 2 hours left now everyone!”  Kate Mayfield, Gordon Bowen, Joe Williams, Bolyn, Mom, Dad, and Tif were focused intently on trying to make it all work helping wherever needed. We even snagged some of the artists to help when they came to drop things off: Skip Arnold, Terri Phillips, Karen Lofgren - all saints. Bolyn had a huge job to get the photos blown up that she’d taken and affixed to the large rolling walls. They all were over-worked and there's no true way for them to fathom the depth of my appreciation for their help - an A-team.

At some point you just have to let things go, because the wedding was going to happen, and some details will be unfinished or relinquished.

Bec and Ruben were a little nervous to meet Barbara in person, since they were already such big fans of her work. We all fell into a really comfortable exchange, a nice dialogue which would not have lasted so long had we not been having such a great time. This was a good sign!

I had approached Barbara about the project, with the architectural aspects of it in mind, after re-reading Thomas Bernhard's ‘Correction’. Its not a 'date book,' like Fatal Attraction is not a ‘date movie.' I wasn't interested in re-capuring its tone. Rather, I was interested in approaching the idea of a house psychologically, the way the protagonist approached building a house for his sister. The main character, Roithamer, was obsessed with his sister, and set out on a project to capture her essence as a building, to depict her soul as architecture.

The main character, Roithamer, was a touch obsessed with his sister, and set out on a project to capture her essence as a building, to get her soul down as architecture. It didn't bode well for the character of the sister in the book since the mere sight of the building was too much for her brain to cope with - too much sight into self, but again, this is not the point. Barbara and I talked about capturing the essence of a couple as architecture - a psychological portrait of Bec and Ruben as a house...however loosely or directly she would want to deal with that idea.

Barbara and I talked about capturing the essence of a couple through architecture - a psychological portrait of Bec and Ruben as a house, however loosely or directly she would want to manifest that idea. An amazing writer, though not jolly - Bernhard’s mastery of rhythm and subtle shift in topic is like a wave hitting the sand over and over again that you don’t even realize the topic is changing.

Barbara interviewed Bec and Ruben about their relationship and history in a pleasant but thorough way. A couple of days ago, Barbara sent us images as an entryway into her thoughts about her approach to the project. These are a few of what she shared.  

Larry Eisenberg New York City September 15th, 2011

Getting Hubbied is really worthwhile, I-Doing puts 2 on the aisle, Hubbied for sixty years, My lovely spouse fears Getting Hubbied is now out of style.

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/seeing-things-getting-hubbied/

click here for her pre-thoughts on Get Hubbied

There's no way to express the sadness and shock that ensued at learning that we were sabotaged, within minutes of achieving Get Hubbied's goal for the 10 K fundraising effort, to pay the artists for their work. Imagine that, a group show that pays the artists. That's what I was trying to do.

Someone who called him/herself Roy Roosevelt took back his/her 1K pledge 5 minutes before the deadline. They were able to rescind it so that we lost all pledges thus far. Kickstarter has no protection for this sad turn of events. I think this needs altering. I'm unearthed by the cruelty an individual can impart. But I'm a weeble, and they wobble, but they don't fall down.

Onward forward

With the big day glaring at us from our calendars and screaming, "Hey, I'm only two weeks away!" we started getting serious... buckling down... pouring over the program and pulling out the stopwatch. People call this crunch time, but I've never really liked that expression. Though we're packing a lot into each day, I think we're still managing to have fun and find humor in things. (A glass of wine here or there helps) This past week has been packed with meetings, Barbara Bestor, Joshua Callaghan, Joe Sola, Karen Lofgren and suddenly I'm on the phone all the time with a woman named Alexandra whose making the cake. There have been so many events to blog about, but I thought this space could be better used for comic relief... keep things on the lighter side.

Check out this video! We can only hope something like this doesn't happen on the big day for Get Hubbied (in fact we can almost guarantee it won't since there won't be a body of water anywhere near where our ceremony will be taking place) but we know if there was some sort of wedding folly we'd take it in stride, because that's how we do things here at HubbyCO.

xotif

When I met William he owned and operated William Dailey Rare Books, on Melrose Avenue (which now exists as an extensive and impressive online bookshop instead of brick and mortar establishment); we befriended each other, and it stuck, to my continued delight. I've been lucky enough to have escaped a couple of time to the oasis he renovated in Desert Hot Springs called the Hacienda Hot Springs. He’s generously gifted the couple with a three night stay at his inn the week after the wedding so they can soak and revel. R&B were absolutely thrilled, since they hadn’t had sufficient time or resources to plan a getaway that is so vital after all this build-up and production.

click here

Today Tif and I visited Roger Herman. I'd worked for Roger, indirectly, when I worked at Black Dragon Society years ago. He and Hubert Schmalix, the owners of the gallery, were quite the dynamic duo; conversations about anything with the two of them were always provocative. They were the first, or one of the first galleries to open in Chinatown - pilgrims of that art scene.

His paintings covered the wall of his studio and the imagery was both brutal and joyful. He'd finished the goblets. They are beautiful, emotive and whimsical, aggressive, and quiet, etc.. He was working on a book project with Laura Owens, and as I gathered he only needed 20 images for the project at most and there was a tsunami of imagery that will be whittled to a chosen few.

To slightly diverge from the path, I would like to mention my admiration of the structure of Roger's own relationship. The literal architecture of it reminds me of Diego Riviera and Frieda Kahlo who had two separate houses connected by a corridor. It didn't work so well for them due to who knows how many complications (some known), but I am inspired by the arrangement and think it would work perfectly for many, but especially for me. Roger and Aika have two houses that are connected; they each are the king, and queen respectively. Its important to maintain individuality in a relationship, and in this way they come together as individuals, and have their own environments to escape to, work in, and be alone in. My admiration and advertisement of this arrangement is subjective, I realize.

R&B, Tif and I met Michele at The Center for the Arts. There was a rock n' roll show that was commencing when we got there, so we scuttled into the kitchen, shut the door, and talked over the now muffled din of guitar and amplifier. You never know what you'll encounter if you drop in at the Center - it could be kid's yoga, films, noise baths, lectures, animation, art and crafts - they embrace it all.  ave landed here.

We initially thought it might be interesting to have the backdrop for guests portraits take place in the elevator. The guests would get in with Michele’s vibrant backdrop behind them, and be transported to the basement. The door would then open and the camera would flash at that unaware moment. I do love that idea, but when Michele began talking about using the main large window as her stage, and also as the backdrop for the photos, the idea became more natural and cohesive. That prominant window wasn't being utilized in the least, and Michele will take it over as it begins to get dark outside. The imagery she'll be working with will be projected so that a colorful and potent illumination will be the focus for that room. I want the guests to be engaged with each other throughout the day and into the night. People will be looking on as others are being photographed and this will inspire much conversation and participation.

www.micheleomarah.com

I asked Geoff last week if there was any way he could/would mention the project in his online art column to help get some support. I was touched that his post this week was devoted to GET HUBBIED in his characteristically knowledgeable and charming voice. He sees more art and is devoted to it more than most people I know. So, a little mutual appreciation club is formed here and now.

For his Notes on Looking this week click here

The LA Gallery, The Country Club, will be housing a show about the infamous couple who's unique, controversial, powerful, and to some, disturbing approach to their art and their relationship resonate to this day.

I remember meeting Flanagan in NY at the New Museum show where he was laid out in a makeshift hospital room inside the museum, suffering in the late stages of cystic fibrosis, but in character, sharing his physical inclinations and suffering as art. All visitors to the show were invited to go in and talk to him about anything they wished. I went into the room, and there he was with tubes coming out of him, a respirator, and all the medical accoutrements that accompanied his condition. I began chatting with him. He welcomed my naive questions and made me feel comfortable to talk about whatever came to mind. He told me of the first time he acted on his compulsion to be controlled/constricted. When he was a child he used to crawl into the washing machine wrapped in a blanket and stay there for inordinate periods of time. It calmed him. He found, much later in life, a mate in Sheree who was the perfect ying to his yang. He spoke of his relationship with such reverence but also with a clarity and intellect that made his, what were to me severe choices, illuminated.

Here is the press release to this show:

Country Club | Los Angeles is pleased to present The Wedding of Everything, an exhibition of sculpture, photographs, installation, and video by Bob Flanagan and Sheree Rose. The exhibit highlights Flanagan’s groundbreaking resume of performance and visual art, as well as Flanagan and Rose’s collaboration as artists and as life partners. The Wedding of Everything offers a rare opportunity to view seminal work by one of the founding fathers of body and performance art, punctuated by landmark sculptures not seen since Flanagan and Rose’s museum survey Visiting Hours at the Santa Monica Museum of Art in 1992, followed by the New Museum in 1994. Major works include Flanagan’s “Gurney of Nails”, “Waiting Room”, and “Child’s Playroom”, all created in 1992.

The title The Wedding of Everything comes from a book of poems Flanagan published by Sherwood Press in 1983, featuring the poem of the same name. This piece will be integrated with objects in the exhibition. The cover of the book is a photograph of Flanagan throwing a bouquet into the air just as the flowers are leaving his hand. As with other works by Flanagan and Rose, The Wedding of Everything acts as a metaphor for the mixtures of themes in their work and lives: beautiful poetry mixed with S&M imagery; the celebration of life touched with the reality of death; people loving and working together to celebrate existence.

An artist, poet, performer, writer, and musician, Bob Flanagan was born in New York City in 1952 and moved to Los Angeles in 1958. He graduated from Costa Mesa High School, and received his BA from Long Beach State University. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s he helped popularize a style of performance that is now known as endurance art. He suffered from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that typically kills before adulthood. Bob was said by doctors to be one of the longest-living survivors, passing away at age 43. Flanagan attributed his ability to manage the pain and prolong his life by adhering to his credo “fight pain with pain.” Working with his partner and dominatrix, Sheree Rose, Flanagan explored ritualized pain as a means to absorb the punishment of the disease and to find a space that could bring a measure of peace.

Sheree Rose was born in Los Angeles, CA. She obtained her Master’s degree in psychology in the late 70’s, and was extremely involved in political activism and The Women’s Movement. She and Flanagan met at a Halloween party in 1980 and began collaborating in life and on artwork. She received a second Masters Degree in Studio Art from UCI. Since Flanagan’s death, she has exhibited new work “Bobaloon” in Tokyo, Japan, as well as other works at The Tate in London. She created a performance piece entitled “Nailed Again” at Arizona State University and Galapagos in New York. Rose continues to explore and collaborate with performance artists and recently performed in London with artist Martin O’Brien. A video of this piece will be screened as well.