Any Synthetiks-related news, Davecat? (May 2008)

typed for your pleasure on 3 May 2008, at 12.40 pm

Sdtrk: ‘Day out’ by Daisies

You don’t need a calendar anymore! Phoenix Studios would like to point out that it’s now May. Ladies and gentlemen, start your credit cards! Or your overactive fantasies, one or the other.


insert obvious ‘My, what big… eyes… you have’ line here

Apart from maybe Cinco de Mayo, I’ve no idea what possible event Miss May could be celebrating, apart from the Joy of Living. Well, whatever it is, she’s doing a remarkable job. Miss April’s still may favourite so far, though…

Next up: not just one, but two alert readers — Maisie Sedgwick Deely, who’s tipped me off before, as well as the lovely Rayschro aka Princessrachel — have clued me into a rather enticing new exhibit opening up at the bitforms gallery in New York City:


Ahh, the ‘GAH ALRIGHT ALREADY I’M AWAKE’ look

Lynn Hershman Leeson returns to bitforms gallery in NY with the first showing of a new series, Found Objects, April 26 – May 31.

Including the premiere of the sex doll installation, “Olympia: Fictive Projections and the Myth of the Real Woman,” a provocative and updated version of Edouard Manet’s notorious painting, “Olympia”.

February 2008, New York, NY – San Francisco-based artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman Leeson returns to bitforms gallery in New York for a new solo exhibition, Found Objects, running April 26-May 31. With a body of work that spans over 35 years and ranges from early conceptual and performance pieces to artificial intelligence robotic works and films, Hershman Leeson is one of the most influential artists working in new media today. Updating the notion of “readymade” introduced by Marcel Duchamp, Found Objects is a new series that features assembly-line produced female sex dolls to examine issues of projected fantasies and the mythology of artificial women. With the installation, “Olympia: Fictive Projections and the Myth of the Real Woman,” Hershman Leeson restages Edouard Manet’s “Olympia,” projecting images of the painting on a doll to offer a provocative, updated version of the notorious artwork. Also on display are several digital prints in which the dolls appear to be emotionally involved in their predestined situations.
taken from this site

In looking over her website, it appears that over the years, she’s done some interesting work with Mannequins and window displays, as well assembling quite a few installation pieces that involve either surveillance cameras, or artificial intelligence programmes. Huh! Might have to keep an eye on her, no pun intended…
So who wants to fly me and the Missus out to New Yawk for this? I mean, how else would we give the show a proper assessment and review? Don’t all volunteer at once, now.

As an aside, last night, my friend Mari mentioned that since she sees so many pictures of Synthetik women whenever she’s round Deafening silence Plus, she’s more or less conditioned to the point where, if she sees a somewhat blurry or otherwise unclear photo of a lass in her day to day affairs, she thinks it’s a Doll until proven otherwise. That’s… that’s pretty fantastic.

Finally, I found what may be the best review for ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ in existence. If you’re spoiler-averse, stay away from it, but gods, it’s a riot, as it’s written by someone carelessly wielding Babelfish, or perhaps a student of the book ‘English as She is Spoke‘.

Gosling stars as Lars, a quiet, anomaly teen Negro in a far Midwestern municipality who lives in his brother Gus’ (Paul Schneider) garage and avoids some ethnic interaction whatsoever, including unsure advances from his tall co-worker Margot (Kelli Garner). For a patch we’re not rattling trusty what’s up with Lars—is he depressed? sociopathic?—but every the customary bets are soured when Bianca arrives at his door. Bianca is a Real Girl, a life-size stimulate chick sequential soured the Internet. Lars gets the intent from his ruttish co-worker, but when Bianca arrives it’s country he’s not into her for her anatomically precise parts—Lars has institute love.

O, the unintentional humour, it kills me again and again

Technorati tags: Phoenix Studios, Boy Toy Dolls, bitforms gallery, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Found Objects, Lars and the Real Girl, English as She is Spoke

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7 have spoken to “Any Synthetiks-related news, Davecat? (May 2008)”

  1. SafeTinspector writes:

    Lars has institute love!

    Also, I must say that “Fictive Projections” as a verbal arrangement makes me want to vomit. Fictive Projections?!?
    I parse that to mean that the projection causes the observer to become fictional!
    Stay away, you might end up in a Barker or Grishom novel.

  2. Gina writes:

    I love these two dolls you posted pics of! Hot!

    What is with that review? Calls Lars a “negro”! First that is a word I would never use in a million years to describe anyone but it also the character of Lars is caucasian! So I ask “Wha…”?

  3. princessrachel writes:

    I second SafeTinspector’s vomit. Puh-leez.

  4. MontiLee writes:

    *we’re not rattling trusty*

    So help me god, I’m working that into a conversation as soon as I possibly can.

    Sounds a little like *we’re not whistling Dixie*

    *a life-size stimulate chick sequential soured the Internet*

    It’s like this guy knows my life …

  5. Davecat writes:

    SafeT
    If I personally materialised in a Grisham novel, I’d die of boredom. Which, really, would be preferable to being in a Grisham novel.

    Gina –
    I would agree; both lasses are lovely. Miss May reminds me of someone, although I can’t remember who, of course…

    That review, as you so casually dismiss it, is the greatest piece of prose in the history of writing. Machine translations make everything better. EVERYTHING. Take, for example,

    Nancy Oliver’s screenplay doesn’t go discover of its artefact to pathologize Lars—he is understandably traumatized by his mother’s modification during his birth, and feels fleshly discompose when grazed by added person, but there are no sweaty flashbacks or insight therapy moments.

    AWESOME.

    Rachel-hime –
    But imagine if the projection caused you, the reader, to end up in a Dr Seuss book? Wouldn’t that be fun? An amusing limerick would be written about you puking!
    My point is: don’t read anything until an hour after you’ve eaten.

    Monti
    ‘You’ve soured the Internet!!’
    Now that’s a bold statement. And yet, an admirable goal!

  6. Jaems writes:

    There’s something quite charming about the phrase, “Teen Negro”. The review was spot on, now I’m simply sitting back counting my “Teen Negro Synthetik Doll Fund” dollars, waiting for the next bit of politically incorrect fodder to fall from the Internet.

    Btw, if you want to head to that exhibit, let me know. We’ll go I need a vacation and have a reason to hit the area anyways.

    -J

  7. Davecat writes:

    ‘Teen Negro’ reminds me of either ‘Teen Wolf’, or ‘Turbo Teen’, that dodgy Eighties cartoon about a young lad who could change into a sports car. Who the hell greenlighted (pun) that show, anyway??

    I’d love to see that exhibit with you, but I need a plane! Or at the very least, plane tickets. Either or, I’m easy.

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