ILLUSIONS of the PHOTOGRAPHER: DUANE MICHALS at the MORGAN: Review By Polly Guerin

Self-Portrait Asleep in a Tomb of Mereruka Sakkara

Contemplative, confessional and comedic the six-decade retrospective of photographer, Duane Michals, ILLUSIONS OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER at the Morgan Library & Museum, transcends the  conventional audience of photography and is an emotional tour de force.

       On view through February 2, 2020 the exhibition features the artist's choice selection of works from all corners of the permanent collection.  The exhibition takes viewers on a tour of the artist's mind, putting work from his expansive career in conversation with Old Masters and modern drawings, books, manuscripts, and historical Objects. Imge:

Self-Portrait Asleep in a Tomb of Mereruka Sakkaram 1978, The Morgan Library & Museum, 2018.42 (c) Duane Michals, Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York.

       A storyteller, Michals is known his picture sequences, inscribed photographs, and more recently films that pose emotional, conceptual  and cosmic questions beyond the scope of the lone camera. Since the early 1960's, Michals worked past what he sees as the limitation of the camera. He writes in the margins of his prints, creates sequences of images that explore intangible human

dilemmas (doubt, mortality, desire), and derives poetic effects from technical errors such as double exposure and motion blur.

     

A Letter From  My Father 1960-1975

In this first retrospective on Michals to be mounted by a New York City institution, the exhibition is organized around animating themes in the artist's work: Theater, Reflection, Love and Desire, Playtime, Image and Word, Nature, Immortality, Time, Death and Illusion. It showcases his storytelling instincts both in stand-alone staged photographs and in sequences Image: Duane Michals A Letter From My Father 1960-1975. Gelatin silver print. The Morgan Library & Museum. Gift of Duane Michals, 2019.78 (c) Duane Michals, Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York. 

       For Michals photography is not documentary in nature, but theatrical and fictive: the camera is one of many tools humanity uses to construct a comprehensive version of reality In his imaginative, visually rich photographs, the artist exploits the medium's storytelling capacity. For example, the six images in I Build a Pyramid (1978) find the artist in Egypt, staking stones in a modest pile that, from the camera's perspective appears to reveal the scale of the ancient pharaoh's monument. Michals reveals that the scenario echoes his childhood habit of  building stones in his backyard in McKeesport, Pennsuylvania  

      

A Story About A Story 1989

In the exhibition, Michals staged scenes are juxtaposed with those of his creative heroes, who include William Blake, Edward Lear, and Saul Steinberg. In his dual role as artist and curator he matches wits with writers, stage designers, toy makers, and his fellow portraitists of the past an present. Image: Duane Michals

A Story about A Story, 1989 The Morgan Library & Museum, 2018.47 . (c) Duane Michals, Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York. 

      Since 2015 Michals has focused his creative efforts on filmmaking, a natural outgrowth of his directional habits as a photographer.  On a screen in the exhibition, three short films are featured amid a cycle of over 200 photographs  from the series

Empty New York (1964-65), the project through which the artist first recognized his theatrical vision of reality. Illusions of the Photographer: Duane Michals is accompanied  by a 88-page soft-cover catalog featuring a wise ranging interview with the artist and illustrations of seventy works, including his selections from the Morgan's collection and the previously unpublished 1969 title sequence.

      TA TA DARLINGS!!! Just to on view till February 2, it's time to view Duane Michals artistic storytelling in photographs to amuse, entertain, and bewilder. Fan mail pollytalknyc@gmail.com. Visit Polly's other Blogs visionary men, women determined to succeed, fashion historian and poetry at www.pollytalk.com, click on the links in the left-hand column.

POWER MODE: The Force of Fashion: Review By Polly Guerin

"Clothes make the man." The old adage, attributed to Mark Twain, rings true. From ancient times to today we distinguish ourselves in society by the peaceful or protest clothes we wear. From "Power Suits" and "Power Heels" there is a plethora of power symbols to consider.
     The Museum at FIT presents POWER MODE, The Force of Fashion in an engaging FREE exhibition that is on view through May 9, 2020. POWER MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE AT DIFFERENT TIMES. Consider the rules for court dress in the royal courts of the bygone centuries. The opulent fashions of the time made it perfectly clear who had the power and who were the peasants. Today, people and entertainers go to extremes to express powerful statements, but one point is clear, POWER means different things to different people at different times. The role fashion plays in fashion dynamics both historical and today is POWER MODE's most fascinating theme.       

Uniforms and Transformation into Fashion 

     The exhibition is divided into five thematic sections, each devoted to a certain sartorial "power."  The first section considers military uniforms and their transformation into fashion items, which calls to mind the Chanel suit jacket that Coco Chanel appropriated from military uniforms. Image Right: Burberry by Christopher Bailey, fall 1210
Gift of Burberry. Here it is the association with the military that gives the fashion garment its suggested power. The second section looks at status dressing from ermine
capes and luxurious brocade fabrics to contemporary "it" bags. Accessible luxury is a status symbol that anyone can obtain for the exorbitant price. From status dressing the exhibition moves on to consider the history of the suit. In courtrooms and offices, the suit isn't just a symbol of authority, it is also a sign of blending in--submitting to established norms and dress codes. The relaxing of the rules with casual Fridays gave way to the absence of men's ties and an
open neck shirt, yet politicians and senators still adhere to the well-suited-tie rule. Another section
considers the role of resistance dressing. Fashion can also be a vehicle for protest as in the recent work of Kerby Jean-Raymond for his label Pyer Moss.       

Most interesting is the fifth section, which analyzes objects associated with sex and sexuality. Corsets, leather, lingerie, high heeled boots and killer heel shoes are but a few examples. The power of dynamics of these garments are inherently complex. POWER MODE aims to let the visitor understand the complex nature of power in fashion as ways in which fashion can be key to a broader understanding of the power dynamics in culture.
     Ta Ta Darlings!!! POWER MODE, The Force of Fashion is an eye-popping revelation that what we
wear each day is an expression of the power we wish to convey in the workplace and then, too, even to our family
or social events. Some of us go to extremes to express our
outlook on life, while others choose to conform to current cultural influences. No matter the case, there is much to be considered when making fashion choices each day.  Fan mail welcome pollytalknyc@gmail.com.
Visit Polly's other Blogs visionary men, women determined to succeed, fashion historian and poetry on the links on www.pollytalk.com. 
             

STANLEY FELDERMAN Design Visionary By Polly Guerin

Trees in a window draws attention of nature.

It's astonishing to think that an environment that incorporates nature into its environment can resonate in such a positive and creative manner that such spaces 'elevate the spirit.'  It has even been said that people feel better, dress better and tend to linger longer in such places designed by the Los Angele-based dynamic duo Stanley Felderman and his wife and partner Nancy Keatinge. The center core of their oeuvre provides installations with unique nature-centric environments. Felderman's interest in trees lends a unique dimension to his current creative expressions. 
       Keynote speaker, Stanley Felderman, recently presented at the Molly Barnes lunch time cultural meeting at the Roger Smith Hotel, which, by the way, is known for its patronage of  art and sculpture installations. The full house audience was populated with artists and aficionados of the art world, who sat riveted in their seats to view Felderman's image presentation and commentary.     

        An architect, designer and artist, Felderman  is a  pioneer of the "Total" design concept, mixing art and design for cutting-edge residential projects, tech-forward work spaces, product design for renowned brands and manufacturers, award-winning restaurants and large installations for Creative Artists Agency, Universal Pictures, Fabrege, Disney Studios and Viacom. His work has been shown at the Whitney Museum for Product Design and in 2018 won the "IIDA "CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE AWARD. Their trendsetting oeuvre has won them recognition by MoMA, The Whitney and Newport Harbor Art Museum.
       

Tech Office Reception, push button for monitor 

Felderman states "Our designs address the requirements of technology, communication and interaction. We want people to work anywhere, without having technology be the focal point.
We create spaces (image right) that look visually non-tech driven, but things are available when      ---push a button and monitor pops up."
     Felderman is a native son, born in the Bronx
inspired by Buckminster Fuller, creating the maximum out of the minimum. "Since I was a kid I always loved art and wanted to be an artist. Then there was Italy: The New Domestic Landscape which introduced Italian Modern Design to America.
      His creativity has a chameleon quality, it is never stagnant, always changing into fresh areas of expression. The latest is his love for nature, particularly trees that he feels communicate and have a life worth listening to. His prolific tree designs respond like sculpture, mosaics and fine textile designs. "I'm always reinventing, looking at things with a fresh eye." Felderman works in
Southern California and the weather has a lot to do with a positive outlook. "When there's beautiful weather almost every day there are more days to bring the outside in. "I'm a native New Yorker, so I bring an East Coast sensibility to the West Coast, It's always about strong design and color.  
     

The Secret Life of Trees

The team of Felderman-Keatinge stay open minded. They take potential clients on a tour of and have them talk to past clients. "We create vision boards for them to show a different way, An ideal client understands that a space is an extension of they are." Yet, this dynamic duo is still reaching for the stars and creating world-class environments that resonate with nature and tech-centric purpose. Contact: Felderman Keatinge + Associates, 5976 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. 310.449 4727 or 310 721 7048
     Ta Ta Darlings!!! Nature, Art and Architecture what a perfect environment to live and work in. Fan mail welcome at pollytalknyc@gmail.com.  Visit Polly's other Blogs at www.pollytalk.com and click on the links in the left-hand column to visionary men, women determined to succeed, poetryand fashion historian. 

  

MARK TWAIN and the Holy Land: The First Tourism Trip in American History: Review By Polly Guerin

The Legendary American writer Mark Twain 

JOURNEY ABROAD WITH AN AMERICAN LEGEND on THE FIRST ORGANIZED TOURISM TRIP IN AMERICAN HISTORY. The quintessential American writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910)--known professional as Mark Twain---set the bar with high standards in his legendary travelogues. With keen observations, "He set sail from New York for a great adventure abroad whilst capturing the feelings and reactions of many Americans exploring beyond their borders and thereby inspired generations of travelers to document their voyages," stated Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New York Historical Society where the exhibition is on view through February 2, 2020.

      The new exhibition, MARK TWAIN AND THE HOLY LAND, traces the legendary American humorist's 1867 voyage to the Mediterranean and his subsequent 1869 book--The Innocents Abroad or, The New Pilgrim's Progress---through original documents, artwork, photographs, and costumes as well as an interactive media experience. MARK TWAIN departed New York harbor on the steamship QUAKER CITY for a five-and-a-half-month excursion, the first of its kind in world travel. Known at that point for his biting satire and humorous short pieces on California and the West, Clemens had serendipitously discovered a "pleasure cruise" to Europe and the Near East,  and successfully inveigled his way onto the journey with an assignment from the San Francisco newspaper Alto California. Twain was to supply the paper with weekly columns about the trip and his fellow passengers. THE QUAKER CITY TRIP WAS THE FIRST ORGANIZED TOURISM TRIP IN AMERICAN HISTORY . The steamship was opulently outfitted with a library, printing press, piano, and pipe organ. A Quaker City passenger list, an oil painting of the ship are on display as well as a journal entry by Mark Twain.

       

Mark Twain's /Quaker City Ticket

THE INCARNATION OF THE INNOCENTS ABROAD When Twain returned to New York and then to Washington, D.C. he began reshaping those columns and other notes made during the trip into a book, The Innocents Abroad (1869), It was this work that catapulted Twain to national fame, selling more copies during his lifetime than any other book he ever wrote. Musing about the voyage in a passage later published in Innocents Abroad, Twain so aptly noted: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness." That his travelogue espoused such a liberal sentiment is the very reason we can find Twain;s biting perspective as relevant today. THE HOLY LAND After stops in Europe travelers were greet in Beirut by a grand caravan of horses and mules for a journey of 155 miles to "Baalbec, Damascus, the sea of Tiberias, and thence southward by way of the scene of Jacob's Dream and other notable Bible localities to Jerusalem. But the pomp was in strong contrast to the reality of a small barren land, which was not the vast and monumental landscape suggested by the Bible.  image: THE HOLY LAND

Twain was disappointed that "a fast walker could go outside the the walls of Jerusalem and walk entirely around the city in an hour." Then too, adding to the artifacts on display a manuscript leaf features Twain's withering satirical soliloquy about the Tomb of Adam at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. "The Tomb of Adam how touching that it was here in a land of strangers, far from home, and friends, and all who cared for me, thus to discover the grave of a blood relation."  TWAIN'S CAUSTIC VIEW OF THE HOLY LAND WITH ITS NOMADS, BEGGARS AND RUINS WAS THE AUTHOR'S WAY OF PROCLAIMING THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW AMERICAN TRAVELER, SOMEONE WHO SAW THE WORLD FOR WHAT IT WAS, WITHOUT THE DISTORTING LENSES OF TRADITION AND PERCEIVED AUTHORITY. TWAIN HAD SAMPLED THE GUIDES AND TRAVEL VOLUMES AND FOUND THEM ALLWITHOUT FOUNDATION.

    TA TA DARLINGS!!! After this incredible trip to the Holy Land I'm just about ready to fly

back home.  Fan mail welcome at pollytalknyc@gmail.com. Visit Polly's other Blogs at 

www.pollytalk.com and click in the left-hand column to links to visionary men, women determined to succeed, the fashion historian and poetry.

         

DESIGNS FOR DIFFERENT FUTURES at Philadelphia Museum of Art: Review By Polly Guerin

Phoenix Exoskelton, suitX

We often think of art museums as places that venerate past art treasures but the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibit, DESIGNS FOR DIFFERENT FUTURES, brings to light the fact that museums can and should also be places that inspire us to think about the future. This enlightening exhibition, which runs through March 8, 2020, "Offers visitors an opportunity to
understand how designers are imagining---and responding to---different visions of the future, but also an opportunity to understand just how profoundly forward-looking designs contributes in our own time to shaping the world we occupy and will bequeath as a legacy to future generations," stated Timothy Rub, Director and Chief Executive Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Image: Phoenix Exoskelton , designed around 2013 by Dr. Hom- ayoon Kazerooni for suitX (courtesy of the manufacturer) Photograph (c)suitX . Image courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art 2019.
       Thinking about the future has always been a field of inquiry by designers and architects. whose speculations on this subject---ranging from the concrete to the whimsical---can profoundly affect how we imagine what is to come. Among the many forward-looking projects in view visitors will encounter lab grown food, robotic companions and textiles made of seaweed. 
       

Recyclable and Rehealable Electronic Skin 

The exhibition is divided into eleven thematic sections. In Bodies, designers gribble with choices about how our physical and psychological values might look, feel and function in different future scenarios. Featured here is one of the world's lightest and most advanced exoskeletons, designed to help people with mobility challenges to remain upright and active. The EARTHS section of the exhibition speculates on the challenges of extra-terrestrial communication in Lisa
Moura's alien nation installation and showcases typeface from the 2016 science-fiction film Arrival. Image: Recyclable and Rehealable Electronic skin, designed 2018 by Jianliang Xiao and Wei Zhang. (courtesy of the
designer). Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Additional sections of the exhibition focus on the future of jobs and how cities will function and look 100 years from now, with robotic
baby feeders, driverless cars, and other developments offering a glimpse about how we might navigate living beyond this planet.       

       In a section devoted to MATERIALS on view are shoes grown from sweat and POWER looks at how design may affect our citizenship. INTIMACIES explores how technologies and online interfaces may affect love, family and community. Through Internet generated devices, designers explore the possibility digitally meditated love and sex, suggesting what advanced digital networks hold for human sexuality.                                                      Image: CIRCUMVENTIVE ORGANS
Electrostabilies Cardium (film still) designed by Agi Haines (Courtesy of the designer). Image courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art. FUTURES THERAPY LAB: Weekly programs, many of which occur on Pay-as-You-Wish Wednesday Nights, will connect visitors with designers, artists, and locally based creatives. The Futures Therapy Lab contains a crowd-sourced Futures library that includes everything from science fiction books to the exhibition catalogue. The Futures Therapy Lab is a place for conversation, and critique and creativity in which visitors can imagine their own hopes, fears and solutions for the future through reflection, discussion, and art making.  www.philamuseum.org.
       TA TA DARLINGS!!! I look forward to meeting you in the Futures Therapy Lab where we
can discuss our destiny into future. Send Fan Mail to: pollytalknyc@gmail.com. Visit Polly'a other Blogs at www.pollytalk.com and click on the links in the left-hand column.

WATERFALLS, Sparking "AWE!" in Central Park By Polly Guerin

Waterfall at the Loch in Central Park 

Ah! Wilderness!!!                                       The breathtaking views will spark "AWE!"  As you contemplate the beauty of nature, the powerful waterfall engages our senses and help us to feel less stressed out. No need to trek up to the Adirondacks, go no further than Central Park to get that "AWE" feeling.
       Nature is the healer and the health benefits of waterfalls is due  negative irons that are released as  the water cascades down the rocks. It leads to fresh cool water that creates a feeling of calm for serene contemplation or meditation. Central Park's waterfalls allow escape from the cacophony of the city with it blaring orchestra screaming at us with daily sirens. Just sitting still and listening to the cascading water helps to reduce that stress and even depression.
         In Frederick Law Olmstead's plan he sculpted meadows, knolls, ponds and waterfalls At the entrance to Central  Park West between 101st street and 106th street in the North Woods , you'll find water flowing from the grassy banks of the Pool and the ravine of the Loch in the center, before connecting o the Meer on the East Side.
       "It's not an area in the park that is as visited as others," Central Park Conservancy guide Juan Jesus said. "And they are kind of hidden in the sense that they are shrouded or like hidden by this canopy of trees that we have all around us."      

Another view of the Lush Cascading Waterfall

The man-made stream called the LOCH  contains several dams, which have created  three magnificent cascades or waterfalls that have gone surprisingly unnoticed for years. Take the challenge and go to west Central Park and find your special respite.
      There are several components to the waterfalls that have made it some of the greatest features of engineering and art. "The big boulders of Manhattan make up a schist, which happens to be the foundation  that we have on the island of Manhattan," Jesus said. "There's also elements like coconut husk fibers that are used to maintain the edge of the LOCH---of this continuous stream--and regular New York tap water."    

Contemplating in the Ravine

Waterfalls are a gift of nature providing the soothing sounds of birds chirping and the flowing water that continues our stream of consciousness to become refreshed and invigorated with a new sense of peace and harmony in our life. What the sound of waterfall does is rather magical, too, it allows us to enjoy the beauty of the people and the pulsating city and, at the same time, to escape the madness going on around us.  It's free, it's nature's gift where peace and solitude provide refuge and restoration, to feeling connected with the cascading rhythm of the waterfall and life itself.
Ta, Ta DARLINGS!!! It's time to get back to the simpler joys of life where waterfalls transcend the
ordinary and bring us to heights of greater enlightenment.  Fan mail: pollytalknyc@gmail.com.
Visit Pollys other blocks at www.pollytalk.com.  .

A WONDER T0 BEHOLD: Craftsmanship and the Creation of BABYLON'S ISHTAR GATE: By Polly Guerin

Reconstructed panel of bricks with a Striding Lion

A little known treasure, and one of my favorites, is The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW). It's fascinating exhibition A WONDER TO BEHOLD: CRAFTSMANSHIP and the CREATION OF BABYLON'S ISHTAR GATE, is a new venue for understanding the most spectacular achievement of the ancient world. On view through May 24, 2020 at 15 East 84th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenue, the exhibition is a time capsule of ancient history with Free Admission. It will illuminate your vision of the spectacular and the extraordinary achievements of old-world craftsmanship. It features 180 objects that bring to life the masterful craftsmanship and ancient beliefs that transformed clay, minerals, and organic materials--seen as magical potent substances---into this powerful monument. Image: Reconstructed panel of bricks with a striding lion. Neo-Babylonian period (reign of Nebuchadnezzer 11, 604-562 BCE). WONDER OF THE ANCIENT WORLD is an eye-popping demonstration of how the master craftspeople who designed and built the Ishtar Gate and its Processional Way were not merely skilled technicians, though they were certainly that, but also artists, historians, and ritual practitioners known as "experts"(ummanu).  They were capable of creating artworks that manifested divine powers on Earth, and the Ishtar Gate, offering entry into the imperial city of Babylon. The exhibition opens with an introduction to the gateway with a variety of archival drawings, photographs, and objects that demonstrate the immense  of this undertaking.  A 1901 watercolor by archaeologist Walter Andrae, for example, shows the Babylonian system of fitters' marks that he deciphered, revealing the painstaking process through which the monument was created. This process began by marking out the design on a wall of unadorned bricks, and continued with he molding, glazing, and baking of each individual bricks before fitting them together, a task that is something like designing and assembling an intricate puzzle.

Replica of the Ishtar Gate at the Berlin State Museum

      Travelers to Ancient Babylon were met with an astonishing sight--a gate nearly 50 feet high and 100 feet wide--made of jeweled glazed bricks and adorned with bas-relief lions, dragons and young bulls believed to be powerful beings associated with the king's role as protector of the people. The beasts are depicted in bold relief, projecting the space of the viewer, as they intimidated unwelcome visitors while protecting the inhabitants. A colossal undertaking it was built over the course of King Nebuchadnezzar 11 reign,
         The Ishtar Gate (named in honor of the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, goddess of fertility, love and war, was at the epicenter of a major empire that extended from present day Iran to Egypt. In its final and most spectacular phase, imagine the stunning edifice, the monument was built with brilliantly glazed bricks, molded in relief to depict hundreds of dragons, lions, and bulls--all set against a background  the color of Lapis Lazuli.        

Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar

Treasures within the exhibit include a cuneiform tablet from the Middle Babylonian Period (ca, 1300-1200 BCE) which records a recipe for making red glass that sheds light on the secret alchemical knowledge of ancient Middle Eastern craftspeople, while an Egyptian glass vessel from (ca. 1400-1300 BCE) showcases the range of brilliant colors that these experts were able to achieve.
      The Institute for the Study of the Ancient  World (ISAW) is an independent research center within NYU for advanced scholarly research and graduate education with the aim of forming a new generation of scholars who will enter the global academic community and become intellectual leaders. GALLERY HOURS: Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm and Friday from 11an to 8 pm with free guided tour at 6pm.
      TA TA DARLINGS!!! This exhibit is a golden opportunity to realize the tremendous talent and production of the ancient world's craftsmen, It's a "Must See!" cultural experience. Send fan mail to pollytalknyc@gmail.com. Visit Polly's other Blogs on www.pollytalk.com.