Industrial Appeal

Antique steam roller used for paving early asphalt roads.

One Saturday in October I sped down to San Diego county where I met my good friend Mike Anderson for the harvest fair at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum (AGSEM). I have made several visits to this establishment over the years and each time I feel both amused and comforted by the place. Have you ever seen a parade of antique John Deere tractors in front of a crowd that equals the number of those in the parade? How about a wheat threshing demonstration? Did you know that Ferrari got its start in farm equipment? Ever heard of a garden equipment graveyard?


Early stationary steam engine once used to power a factory. Built in England and transported by ship to California, which had to travel around Cape Horn at that time.

The air is abuzz with PFFFT, CHUG CHUG CHUG, and CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK of hit and miss engines, idling motors, and humongous steel wheels lumbering over the dirt. (One should not think too long on the air quality as this would easily ruin the experience.)


An experimental kerosene-powered engine.

What I look forward to most are the engines once used to power the threshing machines. The large spoked wheels and the upright posture of the design lend an elegance to the design.


Threshing machine, connected to and powered by the kerosene engine above. The man in the wagon is placing bundles of wheat onto the conveyer belt.


The chaff is being spit out at the far end.

Mike grew up on a farm in South Dakota. His grandparents had the equipment above sitting neglected on their property as it had been eclipsed by new farm technology. He remembers they pulled out the machinery one last time to harvest oats. All of the neighbors came and pitched in. I could see why one would be nostalgic for the equipment. I find comfort in the exposure of and access to all of the moving parts. It is clearly unlike technology today. And these things were built to last.


Ta-da! The grain is ready to go.


I came across this painting at the Crocker Art Museum today. The threshing process in action, circa 1870s.

One-of-a-kind Bookmarks

During the off-hours I often find myself at a loss for what to do. The urge to watch TV is all too easy, and to be honest, the options are usually pretty boring. And yet I want to sit still, not only physically, but mentally as well. Hand-sewing is the right combination of physical labor and focused attention for me.



I am always thinking of ideas for sewing projects that will produce nice gifts for my friends. To me, a hand-made gift is more meaningful than any blouse by Marc Jacobs. Ok, well maybe not more than the gift of a Marc Jacobs blouse, but close! Every night I read before bed and the usage of a torn piece of paper is less than inspiring as a bookmark. So of course I thought to make my own.



Here are some early bookmark ideations.



I immediately learned that bookmarks are usually made of plastic, as the stiffness of the material is good for sliding between pages. Yet, I still love the feeling of fabric. I think of these bookmarks as mini quilts. My friend Andrea's now-deceased Kentucky-based great-grandmother made her a quilt for her graduation from high school. Andrea still uses the quilt as her bedspread. It was sewn by hand, which blows me away, not only because it must have taken her many months to construct, but the stitching is as good, if not better than done by a machine. Those Kentucky grandmas! My stitching is of no comparison, but as my boyfriend says, the imperfections is what gives the final product character. Take that, sewing machine!



I think I'm going to give this one to my mom.

The Most Labor-Intensive Hammer Project

This image of artist Linn Meyers has been on my computer desktop for quite some time. I interviewed Linn the last week of April this year, while she was drawing on the Hammer Museum's lobby walls. All by herself. For two weeks straight. She never seemed to tire and was kind enough to allow us to interview her while she was drawing.

To watch the video go here

My assistant Miriam and I poised ourselves on the scaffolding at the height at which she was working, which was probably a good 20 feet from the white marble floor below. Talking with artists about their process, the concepts behind their work, and the trajectory of their work over time is the most gratifying part of my job.

VIDEO CREDITS

Directed & Edited by Amanda Law

Interview - Amanda Law, Miriam Newcomer

Camera - Amanda Law, Miriam Newcomer

Lunchtime at the Graveyard

Westwood is a strange place.Where else can you walk across the street from the building that your contemporary art museum workplace shares with Oxidental Petroleum and find a graveyard tucked between towering office buildings, in which the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Farrah Fawcett are buried?

His "other half" - don't worry, he was cremated - is buried in New York.

I'm not a morbid person, but I do like a nice graveyard. As one of my co-workers once told me, "If you're down and out the best place to go is the graveyard. No one will question why you're crying."

I guess I'm not getting away as much as I think I am- former president of Oxidental Petroleum and director of the Hammer Museum is buried here. (I just discovered that he had a private escalator that took him from the building's loading dock to the galleries on the 3rd floor, where he could take a gander at his art collection before heading up to his golden toilet on the 16th floor.)

This sure isn't the space befitting her iconic status, if you ask me. And those oily lip stains? Gross!

There's an interesting story behind the fellow buried above poor old Marilyn. His widow, still very much alive, decided to sell his crypt in order to pay off the mortgage on her home. She put it up for sale (on eBay for goodness sakes) a few years ago. Some Japanese dude bought it for $4.6 million. Then he couldn't pay it. I don't know what happened with the other bidders, but Mr. Poncher is still above her in his casket, face down. I guess when he said "If I croak and you don't put me upside down over Marilyn, I'll haunt you the rest of my life" he meant it!

Nineteen-year-old Norma Jean Baker during WWII and her later invention, Marilyn Monroe.

There's a great article in the New York Review of Books on Marilyn Monroe, called Marilyn. Knowing her background helped me understand her life trajectory.

Hold the phone- this one looks pretty old! Didn't know that there were people settled in the Los Angeles area during the Civil War! Must have been paradise back then.

Best epitaph ever:

Jack Lemmon

in

J.B. Blunk House

This bronze sculpture is by one of J.B. Blunk's sons.

On the way back from our vacation in Oregon this July, my boyfriend Jesse and I stopped at his parents' home in Pt. Reyes Station. Ever since I first started dating Jesse in 2010 I had heard about this artist's residency in nearby Inverness, former home to the artist J.B. Blunk. We finally visited on this trip, and the house was just as incredible as everyone had told me.

It may look like a hobbit hovel, but there are many exquisite details. Apparently Blunk spent some time in Japan, which is evident in the sliding front door, my favorite feature. Blunk built the house by himself over many years.

The living room

Jesse is friends with Mariah, daughter of J.B. Blunk, who runs the artist residency. She told me that she was born on this couch back in the 70's. The coffee table displays Blunk's rough-hewn sculpting technique that can be seen throughout all of his work. After he died, the famous L.A. gallery Blum & Poe scooped up what remained of his work and now officially represents him. I am told that there is not much work to be had, although the gallery received a phone call recently from a British woman, the widow of an art collector. She wanted to get rid of the twenty-some pieces in her possession. The estate was not even aware that this many pieces were owned by a single person. I love how artworks can disappear and reappear mysteriously.

Mariah and Jesse

Tragedy on the Sea Nymph

Starring Simone and Oh Papa! as clandestine lovers shipwrecked at sea.

Last fall my friend Elizabeth asked me if I would be the cinematographer for her opera–a dog opera. The film, called Tragedy on the Sea Nymph is a 10 minute silent video starring an all dog cast.

A page from the storyboard, drawings by yours truly.

Elizabeth and I met a couple times before the shoot to determine the storyboard, but besides that, all dogs, owners, and crew showed up on a Wednesday evening to shoot from 6-11pm. It was complete havoc.

Intern Sasha helps me choose the next location.

The location of the shoot was the storefront of a local community arts organization called Machine Project. The inspiration for the story of the two dogs castaway at sea was a sinking ship, The Sea Nymph, which was installed in the space.

The mermaids are my favorite part of the film.


The inaugural screening at Machine Project, featuring live music on Sunday, May 15, 2011.

On July 21, 2011 the opera travelled to The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis for a packed outdoor performance. I have a feeling that the opera may enjoy other screenings in the future as well, especially since it is not available online.

MORE PHOTOS

More photos of the dog opera shoot can be found here

Photos of the Walker Art Center performance can be found here

CREDITS
Written & Directed by Elizabeth Cline
Composer - Lewis Pesacov
Cinematographer - Amanda Law
Editor - Emily Lacy
Photos - Marianne Williams

Friends & Relations Open Studio

Friends and Relations is a special event consultation company, of a certain, specific, special flavor. My Hammer Museum co-worker and friend, Corrina Peipon is one of the principles of the organization. Last summer we co-hosted a barbecue at a park up the street from our respective homes in Culver City. For the occasion I sewed my first pennant banner from fabric that has been sitting in my closet for years. Corrina liked it so much that she asked me to contribute to the Friends & Relations open studio in December, 2010.



I made the original pattern by cutting an elongated triangle out of a letter-size piece of printer paper. For this second round of banners, I made the entire pattern 3/4 the size of the original, which made the design much more sophisticated. I sold no banners, but they did end up making excellent Christmas presents for my sisters.



Photos by Jesse Fleming.