Due to beautiful weather I went on yet another picnic in the park with some alumni from the Art Institute. We stayed out till midnight without a trickle of cold weather! We had a bbq and played lawn games.

My friends introduced me to this game called "Kubb". Basically, Kubb (pronounced koob) is tossing sticks at another teams wooden blocks (Kubbs) and the first one to tip all the other teams wood, wins. Kubb is a traditional Swedish yard game game played by Vikings over 1000 years ago. In fact, Kubb has even been called Viking Chess due to the strategy needed to really play.

The last event of the evening was a men's wrestling tournament...

Posted by Samia Mirza at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, the sun has come out of its hiding spot and Chicago is absolutely ecstatic! When the sun is out BBQ's are what's happenin'....

This weekend I attended a neighborhood barbecue at "The Plaines Project". A fairly new space, the Plaines Project is an experimental work/live gallery space and artist residency located in east Pilsen. They are currently hosting several artists from the Bay Area and Oakland, California.

Posted by Samia Mirza at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On Friday night I went to the closing reception of a show at Alogon entitled "Stonings". The show had work by artists Ben Fain, Max Schubert, Justin Swinburne, and Bless Tive. Alogon is a gallery space in Bucktown/Wickerpark that shows work by emerging young artists. The gallery is owned and run by students of the Art Institute. The photos below show the work of Bless Tive, whose remaking of the Pyramids of Giza, consisted of sugar cubes and colored sand. In the background the electrifyingly red painting by Max Schubert radiated with a strange optical intensity.

The next opening reception at Alogon is Friday May 4, 2007. Alogon will showcase the work of Clint Jerritt Bargers, the show is entitled "Where I Lead Me". Alogon is located at 1049 N. Paulina 3rd Floor to all who are interested.

Posted by Samia Mirza at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday I went on yet another fascinating field trip with my Nothing class. We went to the sensory deprivation tanks located here in the Lincoln Park area. The procedure starts with a shower, so everyone was given their own room with a tank and a shower. You then enter the tank for a 45 minute session. A worker then enters the room and knocks on the door of the tank to let you know that your session is up and you are to knock back. The experience is concluded with yet another shower.

What's in the tank, you may ask?

The tank is sound and light proof and it is filled with 800lbs of salt. The water is at a controlled temperature of 98 degrees which makes it nearly impossible to feel the difference between your own body and the water it is submerged in.

The experience was absolutely amazing. I interviewed several of my classmates about their experience, this is what they had to say:

"I've done this before but this time i had a very different experience. I feel so relaxed and tired now..."
-Wiley Hoard (also just to add...Wiley chose the "ego" room which is the largest of the three and is very similar to a bath house, Wow Wiley!)

"When I first entered the tank I investigated the space around me and had fun with the space, and then my mind started to think think think, and I may have NEARLY hallucinated! Oh, and not to mention my ears have dried salt in them..."-Erik Dell

"I expected more of an outer body experience, and every time my hand touched the tank, i snapped out of it. I wish it would have been more intense, also, i have salt in my ears..." -Andrew Campbell

As for myself, I absolutely enjoyed the experience. It made me very aware of my mind and heart in relation to the rest of my body, near the end, i experienced what may be described as an OUTER body experience. It was wonderful and I am interested in doing it again.

Posted by Samia Mirza at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earlier in the week I went to visit the new and refurbished Hyde Park Art Center with my Advanced Sculpture class. Located in the South side of Chicago near the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Center's mission is to "stimulate and sustain the visual arts in Chicago. It is the oldest alternative exhibition space in the City and boasts a long record of education outreach in the community." You can find more info at http://www.hydeparkart.org/

And for now, here are the pics....

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So to start off i am in a class entitled Nothing taught by Ken Fandell of the Photo department, and if you'd like you can read a summation below:

"Through making, looking and thinking, this interdisciplinary class (based in the photo department) will examine artistic, personal, scientific, political, and philosophical ideas of nothingness. Critiques will be around open projects determined by basic guiding principles and questions (example: “The Ephemeral - create a piece that literally becomes nothing while it is being viewed”). And although this is primarily a production class, films, television shows, lectures, readings and excursions will supplement production and guide discussions and need to be taken seriously."

For this class we have gone on many excursions, last week we actually visited the Red Gate Woods which as this blog is titled, holds the remains of the world's first nuclear reactor. It was rebuilt at these woods and buried beneath this monument! Located a mere 30 miles outside of Chicago it is an absolutely AMAZING sight to see!!!!!!!!

here is a link you can go to for more information about this site
http://www.lm.doe.gov/documents/sites/il/site_a/inspecrpt/site_a_inspect2005.pdf

and of course... images are below

Posted by Samia Mirza at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here's a jingle for ya'll:

Whether the weather be hot, whether the weather be cold, the botanic gardens will be around for everyone young and old! hahhaha

This weekend i spent sometime at the botanic gardens located in a nearby suburb of chicago, up north. The sights we saw were beautiful and inspiring to all of us artists.

here is a link to the gardens: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/

The image below truly captures the awe inspiring image of the gardens and their powerful impact upon us...

Posted by Samia Mirza at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amy Mayfield, a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, had her museum debut with the Museum of Contemporary Art's 12x12 emerging artist program. Amy's paintings can be viewed at:
http://www.amyemayfield.com

The MCA also has a photography exhibit which includes but is not limited to works by Tony Tasset, Cindy Sherman, Thomas Demand, Giuseppe Gabellone and also work by a photography professor here at SAIC, Ken Fandell, his work can be seen at this site below:
http://www.kenfandell.com/

The 12x12 opening coincided with the MCA's first friday "singles night" which prohibited any person under 21 to enter because of the MCA's strict guidelines in regards to their alcohol policy. This left some individuals angry because they were not allowed to view the art, which was their sole purpose of attending the opening.

Just a minutes away from the Art Institute, students have the opportunity to visit museums and galleries throughout Chicago, quite easily and frequently.

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The Landscape Narratives class run by Olivia Petrides involves a rigorous work schedule of drawing and painting from 9-4. The class begins with morning critiques and continues on throughout the day with individual critiques and art making. Included in the images are examples of students working on laptops, conversing with one another, and discussing ideas with the professor.

Posted by Samia Mirza at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)