The Styrous® Viewfinder

Lee Malone and Converse

2012-01-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

Lee Malone has been chosen by Converse to go to it's recording studio, Rubbertracks, in Brooklyn, NY to record an EP. They successfully completed a Kickstarter project this month to fund this project and to help get them there.

Lee Malone began as a rad musical duo from Oakland California. Sivan Gur-Arieh & Chris Daddio write & record lo-fi indie-pop gems; surreal dreamscapes of epic proportions painted in layers of strings, guitars & harmonies. The group includes Bill Cameron on guitar, Tatiana Ecoiffier on viola, Celia Harris on violin, Brandon Werlin on drums and bassist, Kevin White.

Their first 11-song album is "Poor Malone Dies", written & recorded entirely in Chris & Sivan's kitchen. It has not been released to the public yet, but a few singles can be freely downloaded from their Facebook profile.

Born in Berkeley, California, Sivan Gur-Arieh was educated at Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem where she studied painting and sculpture. From there she went to Columbia College – Chicago, earning a Masters degree in Writing and Directing film. She is also an accomplished musician and music plays an integral part in her life and films. Her ultra-low budget music video for the Bobby Conn song “We Come In Peace” aired repeatedly on MTV Europe. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is crafting experimental films, directing music videos, recording music and finishing a feature screenplay.

Tatiana Ecoiffier, originally from France, is a doctorate candidate at UC Berkeley.

The photos by Styrous® are from a performance at The Rite Spot in San Francisco on September 11, 2011.

(Click on any image to begin slide show)

Lee Malone ~ photo by Styrous®

Sivan Gur-Arieh Chris Daddio

~ photos by Styrous®

Celia Harris, Tatiana Ecoiffier & Bill Cameron

~ photo by Styrous®

Celia Harris ~ photo by Styrous®

Tatiana Ecoiffier & Bill Cameron ~ photo by Styrous®

Sivan Gur-Arieh & Chris Daddio ~ photo by Styrous®

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lee Malone Links:

Congratulations to Lee Malone.

Styrous® - January, 2012

The Capital of Texas

2012-01-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

When I was in Austin in November one of the first things I came across was the capital of the state of Texas. From the very first sight of it I knew I had to photograph it.

It is truly a marvel of the Italian Renaissance Revival style designed by architect Elijah E. Myers. Construction was started in 1882 and it was completed in 1888.

The entrance tells you that you are entering a bastion of power; there's no way to deny it.

(Click on any image to begin slide show)

photos by Styrous®

The architectural details are wonderfully elegant.

photo by Styrous®

The interior is an amazing study in late Victorian detail.

photos by Styrous®

It has 392 rooms, the doorways of which are fantasies.

And there are lots of them!

photo by Styrous®

The senate chamber is the throne of power.

photos by Styrous®

Although the senate chamber is impressive, I couldn't help having a flash back to the desks of my early school days; although, my old desks weren't nearly as elegant as these.

photo by Styrous®

A couple of light fixtures in the senate chamber spell out, what else?

TEXAS.

photo by Styrous®

Looking across to the other side of an upper level of the rotunda.

photo by Styrous®

The dome of the rotunda is over 310 feet high . . . .

photo by Styrous®

And from the very top of the dome . . .

photo by Styrous®

. . . you can look down on the main floor in the center of which is a Terrazo mosaic of the seal of Texas (yes, those are people walking around on it) with the six flags or nations that ruled Texas from 1519 to the present: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate Texas & the present United States, in that order.

photo by Styrous®

It is a truly awe inspiring building!

Styrous ~ January, 2012

Austin, Texas

2011-12-31T06:37:00.000-08:00

I was in Austin last month.

A beautiful city with everything from funky to elegant.

The photos say more than words can.

(Click on any image to begin slide show)

photo by Styrous®

Next post, the capital of Texas in Austin.

Styrous® ~ January 31, 2011

Paul Simon at the Greek Theater

2011-10-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 20, I had the fortunate experience of attending Paul Simon's concert tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his "Graceland" album. It also was to promote his new album, "So Beautiful or So What", his first record in five years. The event was held at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. The theater is a stunningly rich acoustical marvel of an amphitheater built in 1903 that I have been to many times for everything from concerts (Talking Heads, King Crimson, David Byrne, etc.) to operas, e. g. "Aida" which featured the oh, so very young Leontyne Price in 1958 (I was also very young but I remember I enjoyed it tremendously as they had real elephants on stage during the triumphal march; they were crazy back then and you could do things like that at the Greek, don't know if they would/could do that now).

photo by Styrous®

We had an earthquake earlier that afternoon (a small one, 4.0) and wouldn't you know, as we were waiting for the concert to start, we had another one. The audience hooted, hollered, whistled and laughed. Incredible!!!!!!!

photo by Styrous®

Simon came on stage and said, “Hello, my friends. I hope I’m not being presumptuous with that greeting but it seems better than ‘Hello my ticket-purchasers.'" The audience loved it & at one point sang happy birthday to him!

photo by Styrous®

He did a cover of The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun,” and at the end said, “Thank you, George”. Some of his famous songs they performed were, "The Boy in the Bubble", "Mother And Child Reunion" and "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".

Simon was accompanied by guitarist Vincent Nguini from Cameroon, guitarist/drummer Jim Oblon, pianist Mick Rossi, saxophonist/keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, percussionist Jamey Haddad and talented multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras.

photo by Styrous®

Singing "Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes"

photo by Styrous®

Simon sang and performed a solo on guitar of

"The Sound of Silence"

and the audience was breathless.

photo by Styrous®

What an incredible concert it was. Thanks, Paul.

Styrous® ~ October, 2011

Chez Panisse 40th Anniversary Pt 2

2011-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

The extravagant Gala commemorating the 40th anniversary of Chez Panisse at the Berkeley Art Museum on the 26th of August was fashionably elegant, and beautifully showcased the finished, polished product we have come to call, slow food.

The following day, on the 27th in the museum gardens, the nuts and bolts to bring that slow food to us was featured by over a dozen small businesses and educational food initiatives that produce it. This as well as other events was sponsored by OPENrestaurant and the Chez Panisse Foundation.

I arrived early and got a chance to watch the producers set up. It was overcast at the beginning of the day but after a couple of hours the sun came out and it turned into a perfect, beautiful day.

I entered the gardens and the first thing I saw were the brightly colored bee hives of The Mobile Bee Observatory. It is a honeybee ecology classroom on wheels. Rob Keller furnished a 28-foot Airstream trailer with a floor-to ceiling observation hive and a honey tasting station. Keller shares his knowledge of beekeeping and extolls the beauty and importance of the honeybee.

photo by Styrous®

Keller shares his knowledge of beekeeping and extolls the beauty and importance of the honeybee.

photo by Styrous®

The next thing I saw was the Digger's Bread Bakery. In the mid-60s the Diggers in San Francisco proposed a form of "community anarchism" in which they offered free food, medical care, and street performance. They also baked and gave away bread, and were rumored to have introduced whole-wheat flour into US hippie counterculture. Artist Chris Sollars and Steve Sullivan from Acme Bakery bake Digger bread in cans while David Simpson and Jane Lapiner recount stories from their experience as Diggers.

photo by Styrous®

I tried to get a shot of the finished bread-in-can but every time I went back it had been eaten up by the audience.

photo by Styrous®

At the Edible SchoolYard Project, I was offered a tasty chapati made from whole wheat flour with a yogurt topping by a charming young girl.

photo by Styrous®

They had a weird contraption I first thought was some sort of exercise bicycle but I discovered it was used to grind the wheat for the flour.

photo by Styrous®

A young man kindly demonstrated how the process was done. Fascinating!

photo by Styrous®

Wandering down the path a bit I came across, of all things, goats at Goats Milk.

photo by Styrous®

Jeannie McKenzie raises goats in Oakland and teaches about urban homesteading. Jeannie is a circus artist, dancer, musician, and teacher. 72% of milk used in the world is goat's milk.!t is easier to digest for the majority of people who cannot digest cows milk.

photo by Styrous®

McKenzie milked a goat . . .

photo by Styrous®

. . . the kids were fascinated . . .

photo by Styrous®

. . . and they made the most incredible candy from the milk.

photo by Styrous®

On the lawn of the gardens were huge letters cut from corrugated cardboard. Alphabet Soup placed huge cut-out letters on the lawn as an invitation for people to rearrange the letters to form new words and redistribute them on the lawn.

photo by Styrous®

About midway, I found A Curious Radio. It was a week-long children's workshop A Curious Summer conducted that explores the radio: its history as an instigator of change, its inner workings, and its unique ability to deliver stories directly to the theater of the mind. Inspired by this experience, young journalists operate an FM station at OPEN education, providing live coverage, conducting interviews, and curating the content of a freeform radio show. The transmission was picked up on receivers scattered throughout the Berkeley Art Museum, as well as online. This was a collaboration with OPENrestaurant and Mutiny Radio.

photo by Styrous®

Next to A Curious Radio, appropriately, was the Free Speech Police Car. In 1964 the Free Speech Movement made world news when Mario Savio stood on top of a police car in Sproul Plaza in the midst of a crowd of student protesters. Now, the car is a stage for talks and conversations with educators, students, farmers, food activists, and eaters wrestling with the corporatization of our school systems and the industrialization of our food systems.

photo by Styrous®

The side of the police car was used as a chalkboard list of the day's speakers.

photo by Styrous®

One of the many fun & tasty stops, and perfect for the warm sunny day, was the Metas Lemonade Stand. Artist Alison Pebworth with students from METAS at Contra Costa College created custom sodas, lemonade, and aguas frescos with herbs, fruits, and honey from edible schoolyards. METAS students discussed do-it·yourself alternatives to mass-produced beverages. METAS is an enrichment program assisting latino students to achieve personal and higher education goals.

photo by Styrous®

Behind them the Lettuce Daybed thrived in the sun. Earlier this year, Latino protesters gathered in the streets, reminding us that there is no future without dreams. In South Son Francisco, Brooke Budner and Caiyn Galloway run Lime City Gardens, a functioning urban farm. They often ask volunteers to lie down between the beds, offering a different kind of service to the farm. The lettuce daybed provides a place to lie down and dream while browsing a library of seeds and political literature. To-go seeds and compost are provided by Hayes Valley Farm, a community-run farm and urban agriculture education project created on the site of a San Francisco freeway ramp.

photo by Styrous®

I found a curious set up with a pair of shoes smack in the middle of all the food.

photo by Styrous®

The culprit: Reheating Werner Herzog's Shoe. Werner Herzog made a bet with Errol Morris that Morris would never finish his first movie, promising to eat his shoe if he lost. For the premiere of "Gates of Heaven" in 1980, Alice Waters cooked Herzog's shoe with garlic, herbs, and duck fat for five hours. Herzog ate his shoe in front of an audience at the UC Theater, an event documented by Les Blank in the documentary "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe."

photo by Styrous®

Finally on the lawn level was the Obugs Pickle Workshop. Since 1998 OBUGS (Oakland Based Urbon Gardensl has been building healthy communities through experiential learning programs offered to children, youth and families. Functioning as a network of school and neighborhood gardens, green spaces, and farmers markets, OBUGS offers in-school and after-school programs as well as summer camp each year.

photo by Styrous®

Of course, Ms. Waters was there for the event.

photo by Styrous®

On one of the upper terraces I found a stand with the most incredible tamales . . .

photo by Styrous®

. . . and across from them was a stand with grilled corn that was out of this world.

photo by Styrous®

Further down on the terrace was the Four Barrel Ojer Caibal School Kitchen. Four Barrel Coffee works with a small community of 300 families in Ojer Caibal, Guatemala to grow coffee in 61 tiny gardens. The exchange of getting a fair price for their beans provides cooking appliances, clean water, and waste management. Four Barrel adds an additional 25 cents per pound to the retail price of this coffee and funnels the surplus toward building a new kitchen for the school in Ojer Caiba!.

photo by Styrous®

Across from Four Barrel was the La Cocina Salsa Kitchen: Salsa-making with the metaphorical harvest of the Three Sisters garden with Dilsa lugo from los Cilantros. Dilsa and Caleb Zigas discuss la Cocina, a business incubator designed to help entrepreneurs create successful small businesses.

photo by Styrous®

In back of them was a mini-library with food-related books from the Chez Panisse Library and Moe’s bookstore plus a copy machine to make reproductions. There were books, periodicals and magazines for reading and there was paper, pencils, coloring materials and all kinds of fun things for kids to work on.

photo by Styrous®

Of course, inside the museum the children were romping on top of the BAMscape.

photo by Styrous®

Not only was it a beautiful, sunny California day, it was an educational one as well.

photo by Styrous®

I had a fantastic time thanks to all who participated in the event.

Styrous® ~ September 16, 2011

Chez Panisse 40th Anniversary Pt 1

2011-09-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

After almost half a century of watching slow food from it's beginnings to it's growth and evolution, I had the wonderful pleasure of photographing the 40th Anniversary of Alice Waters' legendary, Chez Panisse restaurant, at the Berkeley Art Museum on the 26th of August. This and other fundraising events were held to support the growth of Edible Schoolyard programs across the country.

What an event it was! While still daylight, a procession of musicians and people dressed in costumes entered from outside the museum inviting everyone to the event.

photo by Styrous®

left: Steve Sullivan, owner of Acme Bread

right: Rafa on trumpet

photo by Styrous®

The costumes were playful but simple, mirroring the essence of slow food.

photos by Styrous®

Ms. Waters held court and the audience ranged from the political . . .

left: Alice Waters

right: Governor Jerry Brown

photos by Styrous®

to originators and gurus of the slow food movement . . .

Ruth Reichal & Tom White,

original members of the Swallow Restaurant

photo by Styrous®

to luminaries of the arts

left: Peter Sellars, theater director

right: David Byrne, composer & Larry Rinder, Director of BAM

photos by Styrous®

A recycle team performed maneuvers a marine would have envied.

photo by Styrous®

The apex of the evening was when Alice Waters unveiled a photographic portrait of her standing beneath a tree. It will be hung at The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.

photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

It was a momentous evening.

The next post will cover the celebrations held the next day. A totally different scene.

Styrous® ~ Sept 4, 2011

New York Times photo by Styrous®

2011-08-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

I was pleased when one of my photographs was used in the Art & Design section of The New York Times.

It was a photo I'd taken for the Berkeley Art Museum during a concert by Ellen Fullman performing her, "Compositions for the Long String Instrument". It was one of several concerts at the museum I was asked to photograph to advertise the Friday night, L@te series.

Mrs. Fullman is an avant guard artist who works with instruments she constructs.

Los Jardins de Centre de Documentació del Barcelona

2011-02-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

When I was in Barcelona I had the pleasure of photographing the botanical gardens for the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.

The day scheduled for the shoot was dreadful, overcast & dreary. Not a great day for shooting but I did the best I could. I went back a couple of days later when it was sunny, did another shoot & the pix turned out great. Here is the link to a press release page for the botanical gardens with one of my photos (below). The text is in Catalan but the page can be translated into english if your browser has that option.

photo by Styrous®

Located on Montjuïc, the gardens are beautiful, tranquil and the views of Barcelona are breathtaking; you can see the whole city from there.

The original gardens were created in 1935, headed by Dr. Font i Quer. The current gardens were created in 1999 and dedicated to the preservation of Mediterranean flora from around the world. They feature collections of Mediterranean plants distributed according to geographical areas (Australia, Chile, California, South Africa and the Mediterranean), see map below, and at the same time, grouped according to the landscapes in nature. There are about 1,500 species of plants.

map from Wikipedia

It's a part of Barcelona that many miss but shouldn't.

Click here for hours and admission and here for contact information.

Styrous®

Photography Masters Cup

2011-02-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

Hi, it's with great pleasure to announce I have won The Merit of Excellence award (second place) in the Abstract Division of the Photography Masters Cup, an international competition with the image above.

You can find info at The Abstract Winner's page and The Masters Cup home website.

It has been a great inspiration for me to continue with my work.

My best to all, Styrous

Styrous® Statement

2011-02-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

On a visual level, my earliest childhood influences were painters rather than photographers. Photographer awareness came to me later. They were Adams, Modotti, Muybridge, Lang, Strand, Brassaï, Mapplethorpe and Cartier-Bresson. As artists of the past have done, I took Styrous® as my "pen name" in the late '80s.

When I photograph something or someone, I see a complete picture or painting through my viewfinder. I compose and structure at the moment of the shot. I do not crop or alter my images after the shoot. The printed photograph is what I saw at the time the image was taken, always with the light available at that moment. The result is often more like a painting than a photograph; those are my successes and are wonderful to me.

You can see my work here. I hope you enjoy it.

Styrous®

about Styrous®

2011-01-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

Styrous® was born in Chicago and raised in San Francisco. He studied music through elementary and high school, and theory and composition at San Francisco City College and the University of California, Berkeley. He studied ballet from 1958 to 1962 and was in the corps de ballet and a character dancer with the Pacific Ballet from 1960 to 1962. He danced until 1977. He owned and operated his own production company for over 20 years, producing live events (company promotions, dance and theater shows, and performance art). He produced fashion shows for over 20 years for many stores, including Sandra Sakata's legendary art-to-wear boutique, Obiko, in San Francisco, and Kaisik Wong, Marian Clayden, Gibson Palermo and other art-to-wear designers. He was president of the board of directors of the San Francisco Fashion Forum, an association of San Francisco bay area based fashion designers, from 1993 to 1994 and was editor of the The San Francisco Fashion and Art News from 1996 to 1999.

He composed music for films, commercials, the San Francisco art-to-wear store, Cicada, and the theme song for the Asian American Arts Foundation’s 1999 Golden Ring Awards.

The contacts made through these various venues have been the inspiration for many of his photographic subjects. Styrous® has experimented with photography for the last 40 years. He converted from film to digital around 2001. His work, described as “formalist” and “romantic-realist”, is in collections in Spain, France, Switzerland, Greece, Mexico and the United States. It has been shown in group shows as well as solo exhibitions.

His work can be seen here.

Styrous® - prices/rates

2011-01-31T09:59:00.000-08:00

Prints of photographs are available, inquire with details of size desired & location to be shipped to here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rates for photo shoots are as follows:

Studio or Location* Rates: - $90.00 per hour

Editing and Post Production Rates: - $60.00 per hour

You can see my work here.

Thank you, Styrous®

*Travel expenses and time are extra.

The Pope in Barcelona

2010-11-17T05:08:00.000-08:00

17 de noviembre, 2010

El Papa en Barcelona

El domingo 07 de noviembre 2010 estuvimos en la plaza Jaume frente a la Catedral de Barcelona y la residencia del Papa BCN. séquito del Papa estaban haciendo su camino desde su reunión mañana por la mañana para almorzar en exclusivo Hotel Colón.

El Papa ha visitado a consagrar la iglesia de La Sagrada Familia, diseñada por el arquitecto Antoni Gaudí.

Styrous tiene algunas fotos de Lluis Martínez Sistach, Cardenal Arzobispo de Barcelona (que es el pez gordo de la iglesia en Cataluña). No había protección policial muy fuerte. Las caras de los policías están a oscuras para proteger su identidad, la policía es muy sensible acerca de las fotos de sí mismos - Lo sé porque Styrous se detuvo, y educadamente no.

No vimos El Papa pero se las arregló para conseguir algunas fotos de los arzobispos de Papa, Cardenales, pederastas, lesbianas, gays, víctimas, fiel y vigilante de seguridad del catolicismo, emociones diversas gobernó el día. Espero que estas fotos transmiten los sucesos del día y contribuyen a los cambios en la Regla ricos del Vaticano de un pasado no muy lejano.

~ Texto de bUtom.

English translation below photographs.

photo by Styrous®

Lluis Martinez Sistach, and one of his supporters, photos by Styrous®

photos by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

photos by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

photos by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

On Sunday 7 Nov. 2010 we were in Place Jaume in front of the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Pope's BCN residence. The Pope's entourage were making their way from their morning meeting to lunch at high-end Hotel Colon.

The Pope was here to consecrate the Sagrada Familia church designed by architect, Antoni Gaudí.

Styrous got a few shots of Lluis Martinez Sistach, Cardenal arzobispo de Barcelona (he is the big cheese of the church in Cataluña). There was very heavy police protection. The faces on the policemen are blacked out to protect their identity; the police are very sensitive about photos of themselves-- I know because Styrous was stopped, and not politely.

We didn't see El Papa but managed to get a few shots of the Papa's Archbishops, Cardinals, Pederasts, Lesbians, Queers, victims, faithful and security guard of Catholicism, Diverse emotions ruled the day. I hope these fotos convey the happenings of the day and contribute to changes in the Rich Vatican Rule of the not-so-distant past.

~ Text by bUtom.

Styrous® ~ November 17, 2010

El Raval, Barcelona

2010-08-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, España has been quite an experience. It is now two months since we’ve been here. We have a great apartment in El Raval, one of three barrios in an area called, Ciutat Vella, in the heart of old Barcelona. This is the view from our window looking down the street in both directions.

Though our street may look narrow, there are narrower ones.

It is right across the street from El Indio, a famous dry goods store from the late 1800’s (yep, it was raining in June) . . .

. . . . just a couple of blocks from Plaça Catalunya . . .

. . . and one block behind the fantastic Boqueria . . .

. . . which looks entirely different at night . . . .

The streets are busy by day . . .

. . . and mysterious by night.

And there is La Rambla del Raval!

To be continued . . . . . .

~ Styrous - Aug. 8, 2010

Illuminating Shadows @ Frisbie

2010-02-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Last month it was my pleasure to have been part of a wonderful experiment in a new way of viewing art. In darkness.

Only flashlights, provided by the organizers of the exhibition (Lanell Dike, Becky Jaffe and Carrie-Andrea Kaye), given to the attending public to view the art, lighted the artwork. It was a three-day event and the exhibition gallery was one of many venues of the Oakland Art Murmur event.

It sounds a bit wacky, or at least it did to me when I was first invited to participate; but it was that element of wackiness that intrigued me and tempted me to join in the experiment. I have absolutely no regrets.

Barcelona, 2 am, photo by Styrous®

The amazing thing is that my work took on a dimension it had never had nor had it ever occurred to me to try viewing it in that manner. I had four pieces in the show, street scenes at night. The strangest thing happened when my work was viewed with a flashlight. The image took on an eerie, other-world quality as shown in the photograph (above right) taken by Debra Jan Bibel by flashlight. They came alive, as I have never seen them do before.

There were 15 artists who participated in the show (that's me on the left.) The work ranged from sculpture, 2-D & 3-D art, photography and video.

The artists were:

Myles Boisen

C. Brooks

Mercy Calman

Kamran Golriz

Eli Jenkins

Elisa Salasin

photo by Styrous®

Across from me, Becky Jaffe showed her ethereal transparencies.

photo by Styrous®

JJ Fryzal was a big hit with her florescent, 3-D artwork.

photo by Styrous®

Lanell Dike showed her amazing filmstrip-body light sculpture.

photo by Styrous®

Kristen Hoard had her jelly fish/metal sculpture

on display in the middle of the room. It was remarkable.

In the backroom, Carrie-Andrea Kaye created an installation piece featuring video by Gustavo Porras.

photo by Eli Jenkins

My favorite work in the show was a photo by Eli Jenkins;

a delightfully playful optical illusion image that I found charming and engaging.

Cara Wick & Kim Lembo, photo by Styrous®

I wasn't able to attend the opening night on Friday due to my photo shoot of the BAMscape I had scheduled but I was there on Saturday evening to enjoy the great music of Cara Wick, on guitar, and Kim Lembo, playing violin.

On Sunday, it was beautiful and sunny and in the back of the building an outdoor living room was set up with drawing materials for people and children to create work that could then be brought into the darkened gallery to view under the black lights.

What a great experience it was. Good job Frisbie.

Styrous® ~ February 25, 2010

BAMscape at the Berkeley Art Museum

2010-02-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

photo by Styrous®

On Friday, January 29^th, during the ongoing L@TE series, the

Berkeley Art Museum unveiled BAMscape, an amazing

architectural sculpture designed by architect Thom Faulders, that was commissioned by the Museum.

photo by Styrous®

Designed to be people friendly, it was built to be interactive for people to climb, walk, sit & lay on.

photo by Styrous®

The children especially enjoyed romping around on it.

photo by Styrous®

Constructed of wood over foam, it is painted a wonderful, warm orange. Delightful to the eye and easy on the body when laying on it, it is a beautiful, colorful & huge construction that says, “Come, enjoy me.” It is a visual blend reminiscent of a stage set, waves, architectural plans, mountains or a children’s slide. Faulders says it creates, “dynamic relationships between users and environments.”

photo by Styrous®

Anne McGuire performing atop the sculpture and accompanied by sound designer, Wobbly, provided the entertainment for the event.

photo by Styrous®

What a wonderful and fun experience it was.

Styrous® ~ February 21, 2010

Ellen Fullman concert @ the BAM/PFA

2009-12-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

Ellen Fullman, photo by Styrous®

Last week I had the pleasure of experiencing and photographing the performance of "Compositions for the Long String Instrument" by Ellen Fullman at the Berkeley Art Museum.

The Long String Instrument is an installation of dozens of wires fifty feet or more in length, tuned in "Just Intonation" and bowed with rosin-coated fingers. Fullman began developing the instrument in 1981. She has also developed a unique notation system to choreograph the performer's movements, exploring sonic events that occur at specific nodal point locations along the string-length of the instrument. The sonic results are amazing.

photo by Styrous®

The performance began in darkness with only her hands lit with small video cameras mounted on each hand. The images from the cameras were then projected on the walls of the museum.

photo by Styrous®

The long, sensuous drones produced by the instrument were trance inducing, nicely accommodating the blanket & bean bag fitted audience.

photo by Styrous®

When the first piece was finished, she was joined by Emily Packard on violin & Theresa Wong on cello. A trio par excellence.

Ellen Fullman, Emily Packard & Theresa Wong, photo by Styrous®

Emily Packard & Theresa Wong, photo by Styrous®

Ellen Fullman, photo by Styrous®

Fullman was joined in the next selection by Gretchen Jude & Dave Douglas.

Ellen Fullman, Gretchen Jude & Dave Douglas, photo by Styrous®

Attending the performance was dancer Anna Halprin whose dance troupe performed "Parades and Changes," in celebration of the inaugural opening of the Berkeley Art Museum in November 1970, almost forty years ago.

Anna Halprin, photo by Styrous®

Anna Halprin's "Parades and Changes"

photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

Gretchen Jude with rosin coated hands, photo by Styrous®

Ellen Fullman with rosin coated hands, photo by Styrous®

The event was breath-taking!!!!

Ellen Fullman has collaborated with such notables as Pauline Oliveros & The Kronos Quartet. She has performed in venues and festivals in Europe, Japan, and the Americas including: Instal, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Other Minds, the Walker Art Center, The Whitney Museum and Donaueschinger Musiktage. She has an extensive discography.

Styrous® ~ December 9, 2009

Terry Riley: PIPE DREAMS @ the BAM/PFA

2009-11-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

photo by Styrous®

Earlier this month I was invited to photograph Terry Riley's PIPE DREAMS concert at the Berkeley Art Museum. It was a pipe dream come true for me since he has been one of my inspirations in my sound designs ever since I first heard his album, A Rainbow in Curved Air, in the late 60's.

Riley has worked with many of the best-known electronic composers: Morton Subotnick, Steve Reich and Pauline Oliveros, to name just a f

ew.

The gallery partitions on the main floor that had been put in place many years ago were removed restoring the museum, designed by San Francisco architect, Mario Ciampi, to its original, wide-open configuration; so, the resulting acoustics were sensational. it was not only a grand event but a spacious one!

photo by Styrous®

The concert drew over 600 people to the show. The crowd sat on blankets, sleeping bags, bean bags, pillows or just sat on the floor. It was a be-in.

photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

Riley played solo piano but was accompanied by his son, Gyan Riley, playing guitar on several selections until midnight with only one short break. What a fantastic evening.

photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®

Styrous® ~ November, 2009

VISUAL CONCERT by Strings

2009-11-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

Katrina Wreede, photo by Styrous®

---------------------

Strings is a house concert. The Wednesday evening performances are supported by the members of the Society for the Advancement of Acoustic Music Appreciation. The all-volunteer staff and the Strings' community have made these concerts possible for over eleven years. The philosophy of Strings is to provide a space that brings together outstanding musicians and artists with appreciative and respectful audiences.

Once a year Strings hosts a "Visual Concert", an evening of photography to the accompaniment of live music. "Visual Concert" is a multi-media event linking visual and musical talents. This year six photographers were invited to show their work and each chose a theme. It was my pleasure and honor to have been one of the photographers invited to participate in this year's concert and I chose "Performance" as my theme.

Photographers, their themes and the musicians:

Susan Fan-Brown, "Bel Marin" with Helen Holt, clarinet & Jim Passard, guitar

Suzon Murray, "Animals" with Molly Axtmann, Piano

Toni Ichelson, "New York City" with Joey Lent, Guitar

Charlie Lucke, "Alaska" with Nicole Milner, Piano

John Pearson chose three themes. "Everybody Knows" with Caren Armstrong, guitar & vocal. "Painting with Light" with Joey Lent, Guitar. "Water" with Molly Axtmann, Piano.

Styrous®, "Performance" with Katrina Wreede, viola

Megan Kincaid was scheduled to show her Peru and Bolivia images with Blair Kilpatrick, accordion & Steve Tabak, violin but technical difficulties prevented that from happening.

All in all, it was a fun, pleasant and memorable event.

Styrous® ~ November, 2009

Styrous® reviewed

2009-09-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Alameda Sun review:
2009

"Nuclear Tree Shadow" by Styrous® evokes a possible future. His oblique branches photographed in a burning sky have a fearsome kind of beauty. His abstraction, "Window on the Void", describes the uncertainty of our season of awareness in the midst of global changes."
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Mercury News review:
2008

"We also stopped to look closely at the photograph, “Open", by Styrous®. I found it stark but somehow warm and Bonnie just had nothing but praise for it."
- Laura Casey
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Matthew Shallenberger at Collect

2009-09-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

Photo by Matthew Shallenberger©

The first exhibition of a new downtown Oakland gallery, Collect, featured the extraordinary photography of Matthew Shallenberger. Shallenberger's work is the stuff dreams are made of; sometimes ethereal, sometimes surreal, sometimes scenic with just a slightly off-kilter view but all incredibly beautiful and stunning. I sometimes see a photograph and say to myself, "I'd kill to have taken a photo like that." I said that more than once while viewing his show.

Collect says, "Shallenberger's photographs depict beautiful, and often barren, landscapes that are presented as segmented stills. His prints act as windows, enabling viewers to peer out into the environments that he has so carefully preserved - and even invites viewers to feel as though they are standing in a vast expanse of water, rocks, and trees."

Photo by Styrous®

The grand opening of Collect's two gallery spaces served food and drinks provided by B Restaurant and Lavende. It also featured an extremely talented cellist, Mejil Lonjua, playing on the sidewalk in front of the gallery. This was quite an event! Congratulations to Shallenberger and Collect.

Styrous® - September 7, 2009

butohdrawing

2009-08-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tom White, an artist trained as a painter, has developed a visual program called butohdrawing; an interface of video, digital info and movement . . non static most of the time. He uses Japanese Butoh movement to perform site-specific drawings; Butoh discipline as a vehicle to investigate alternative modes of cultural production.

He has performed butohdrawing regionally & nationally; in Europe, Mexico, China, Jerusalem and as artist in residence at the Monagri Foundation in Cyprus.

He is an associate professor at the California College of the Arts (CCA) in Oakland, CA.

BFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art; MA, MFA, University of California, Berkeley.

More of his work can be seen in his Ovation TV profile.

Styrous® - August 17, 2009

Exhibitions by Styrous®

2009-08-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Solo exhibitions:

2009

JINGLETOWN ART WALK, photography, studio exhibition, Oakland, California

WIDE-EYED, photography, eyewise, Alameda, California
2008
JINGLETOWN ART WALK, photography, studio exhibition, Oakland, California
2007
JINGLETOWN ART WALK, photography, studio exhibition, Oakland, California
OLD SOLE, photography, Old Soul Co., Sacramento, California
2006
SILENT LIGHT, photography, C. G. Di Arie Gallery, Mt. Aukum, California

Group exhibitions:

2010

ART AL NORD, photography, Fornells, Menorca, España

ILLUMINATING SHADOWS, photography, Frisbee Street, Oakland, California

2009

JINGLETOWN ART WALK, photography installation/performance, Strings, Berkeley, California

VISUAL CONCERT, photography installation/performance, Strings, Berkeley, California

ESTUARY ART ATTACK, photography, Bridgehead Studios, Alameda, California.
SEASON OF AWARENESS, photography, juried exhibition, Alameda Free Library, Island Alliance of the Arts, Alameda, California
HEROES & VILLAINS, photography, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, California
ALAMEDA ON CAMERA, photography, juried exhibition, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, California

2008
JINGLETOWN ART WALK, photography, Kefa, Oakland, California
GRATITUDE ART FAIRE, photography, Bridgeside Shopping center, Alameda, California
POMEGRANATES, PERSIMMONS & PICKLES, photography, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, California
UNDRESSED, photography, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, California
CROSS CURRENTS, Photography, juried exhibition, K Gallery, Island Alliance of the Arts, Alameda, California
BE STILL, LIFE, photography, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, California
SHOWCASE ALAMEDA, photography, Perforce Software Gallery, Alameda, California
SKETCHY, video sound design, Autobody Fine Arts, Alameda, California
IGNACIO DE LA FUENTE, photography, campaign headquarters, Transit Village, Oakland, California
ALAMEDA ON CAMERA, photography, juried exhibition, Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, California

2007
A RENAISSANCE OF SPIRIT, photography, Herrick Medical Center, Berkeley, California
ART AUCTION/EXHIBITION, photography, Lobot Gallery, Oakland, California

2006
FREE PARKING, photography, Lobot Gallery, Oakland, California
COMMUNITY VIROLOGY, photography, Lobot Gallery, Oakland, California

Phillip Hofstetter & 360º panoramas

2009-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

An interesting site to check out is the photography of Phillip Hofstetter. A photographer of Mayan and other ruins, his are not the run-of the-mill images but beautiful 360º panoramic views of the sites photographed. They have to be seen to be appreciated.

He is an Associate Professor of Art at California State University, Hayward, California. He has worked in theater, documentary television, and with San Francisco Bay Area art museums. As a multimedia and video producer for archaeological excavations in Yucatán, his television & multimedia work has appeared on National Geographic television and the Discovery Channel.

His 17 year photographic journal not only includes Maya ruins but also Palenque and field work at the Yaxuná Project and at Chunchucmil, both in the Yucatán. He is currently designing new media documentation at the Kiuic Project in the Puuc Hills and for the El Perú Project in the Petén, Guatemala.

In 2006 & 2007 he expanded his photographic work to cityscapes and ancient archaeological sites in the Mediterranean basin. His most recent museum exhibition shows panoramas of both Maya and Greek ruins from Turkey to Sicily, from Guatemala to Yucatán. He has a new book of his images that will be published in a couple of months.

Check out his panoramas, pretty interesting.

Styrous® - August 5, 2009

Robert Frank, Georgia O'Keeffe & Ansel Adams

2009-07-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is an update to the article I posted in June, Robert Frank: The Americans .

Along with the Robert Frank exhibition, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA is showing, Natural Affinities: Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams .

quietAction has done a brief comparison on the show with a couple of good photographs.

Both exhibitions will run until August 23, 2009.

Styrous® - July 4, 2009

IAA Island Alliance of the Arts exhibition

2009-06-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

The IAA will sponsor an exhibition titled, "cross currents - Season of Awareness" from August 4 - 29. The show will focus on awareness of global issues.

Opening reception: Friday, August 7, 6 to 8 PM

Artists Talks: Saturday, August 22, 1:30 to 3:30 PM

Location:
Alameda Free Library
1550 Oak Street
Alameda, CA 94501

Artists featured are:

Bonnie Randall Boller
Mi'Chelle Fredrick
Joanne Clapp Fullagar
Teddy Goldsworthy-hanner
Joseph Halperin
Melissa Harmon
Miriam Infinger
Vakil Kuner
Charles Lucke
Marilia LutzLink
Peter Sanderson
Lynn Shephard
Styrous®
Jonathon Taylor
Brian Toll
Leah Virsik
Nicole Walters
Ya Chin You

IAA is a Public Benefit Nonprofit Organization in the City of Alameda, CA

History of the IAA

Past exhibitions

Contacts

ROBERT FRANK: THE AMERICANS AT SFMOMA

2009-06-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Robert Frank, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1955; gelatin silver print; 8 3/16 x 11 5/8 in.; Private collection; © Robert Frank

An exhibition of major importance has opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The exhibition entitled, Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans, organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, will be on display until August 23, 2009.

This is the extraordinary photography Frank produced from 1955 – 1956 when he spent nine months traveling across the United States. During this journey he took more than 27,000 images that he edited down to 1,000 work prints. He spent a year editing, and sequencing the photographs, then linking them thematically, conceptually, formally, emotionally and linguistically. The result was The Americans, a series of photographs that looked beneath the surface of life in the United States to reveal a culture on the brink of massive social upheaval and revealed a country that many knew existed but few acknowledged. A book of these photographs was first published in France in 1958 then in the United States in 1959.

Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans is grouped into four sections. The first examines the roots of The Americans, not only in Frank’s earlier handmade books, which include 40 Fotos (1946), Peru (1949), and Black White and Things (1952), but also in other sequences of photographs he made at this time, such as People You Don’t See (1952).

The second section displays Frank’s original application to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial (which funded the primary work on The Americans project), along with vintage contact sheets, letters to photographer Walker Evans and author Jack Kerouac, and two early manuscript versions of Kerouac’s introduction to the book. Also exhibited are three collages (made from more than 115 original rough work prints) that were assembled under Frank’s supervision in 2007 and 2008, revealing his intended themes as well as his first rounds of images selection. Assisting him with these collages was Sarah Greenough who co-curated the show with Cory Keller (SFMOMA Associate Curator).

The third section is composed of all 83 images from The Americans in their original sequence, often in the form of rarely exhibited vintage prints. These images changed the course of twentieth-century photography, and helped the nation see itself more clearly. The images showed a people plagued by racism, ill-served by politicians, and numbed by a rapidly rising culture of consumption. But in addition to exposing a darker side of the United States, Frank shed light on the beauty of overlooked corners of the country. His photographs of diners, cars, and even “the road” itself, helped to redefine the icons of America. These 83 provocative but often poignant photographs reveal “the kind of civilization born here and spreading elsewhere”. Often paired, they address urban and rural, black and white, military, political and civilian, rich, poor and middle class people and life. These pairings suggest the divisions that separate people and the ways in which some see but cannot act, while others act but cannot see.

The fourth section addresses the impact that The Americans had on frank’s subsequent career and includes a film Frank made in 2008 especially for this exhibition. Released at the height of the Cold War, The Americans was initially reviled, even decried as anti-American. Yet during the 1960’s many of the issues that Frank had addressed erupted into the collective consciousness, especially the pervasive racism in the country, the alienation of youth, a growing dissatisfaction of political leaders, and skepticism about the rising consumer culture. The book came to be regarded as both prescient and revolutionary. It soon attracted a cult-like following that included many photographers and other artists.

Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans is accompanied by a major publication of the same name. Published by The National Gallery of Art with assistance from The Getty Foundation, the softcover edition of the catalogue ($45) includes reproductions of all the work in the exhibition, 396 pages with 6 four-color, 168 tritone and 210 duotone images. The hard-cover ($75) is an expanded edition of 528 pages which add the contact sheets for images in The Americans, a chronology, a map, and two appendices. For more information visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Styrous® June 4, 2009

- June, 2009