How the World is...

Missmc has seen it all. From Primrose Hill to Shoreditch and many points in between, the Frieze Art Fair has cannily provided a glimpse into how-the-world-is. In Primrose Hill, the Museum of Everything is a shrine to the art of everyone the Frieze Art Fair is not devoted to. Inside an ex-recording studio used by the likes of Madonna and Paul McCartney, an exhibition of 'naive' art is hung salon style over the ramshackle space. It is like stepping into the looniest part of the brain, the Freudian zone of things-that-should-be-kept-in-the-back-of-the-mind. Intense obsession reigns. At the MoE I was lucky enough to see the screening of MAKE, a movie made by my friend Scott Ogden. If you see MAKE, you will develop a love for these uncomfortable and sometimes absurd works of art. The touching humanity he lends to the portrayal of four 'outsider' artists is contagious.

It was in keeping with the spirit of the Frieze VIP tourbus that whisked Missmc around to East End Galleries last evening. The highlight was the bus itself. The drivers were 'outsider' drivers who seemed to have been given command of a bus for the very first time. We nearly toppled into Maureen Paley's understated digs as our driver careened over the curb. Nettie Horn's gallery provided a fantastic Mojito to enhance our journey. Anselm Kiefer's M-o-n-u-m-e-n-t-a-l pieces at White Cube provided a fitting last stop before we headed off on foot to dinner.

The hushed bus conversations provided opinions about this year's art fair. Everyone was in near agreement. The humour, the follies and the absurdities were gone. And, everyone was craving the escapism of yesteryear. No one wanted to be prodded into seriousness. But the contemplation side of a folly-less universe is no doubt spurring things full circle back. Get ready for the return of the Sincerely-Absurdly-Dry (SAD?). Al Taylor, we need you back.

Do It Yourself

At the UBS sponsored Long Weekend at the Tate Modern the theme was "Do it Yourself".  It is a reoccurring theme as of late, with implications beyond the Economic Crisis.  We joined in with thousands to transform an enormous mound of clay into a sculpture.  We played on Robert Morris' incredibly interactive sculptures to make an experience.  It was all a bit literally off-the-wall and the innovative spirit worked with even the most-resistant personalities (yes I am talking about you child number 1).

The "Do it Yourself" idea has lately mutated into the overarching idea of "Make".  There is a Make festival upcoming in California - see here for details.  Old-time spirit meets innovation. A great marketing umbrella that hides its capitalism under a egalitarian guise.  There must be a long German word for that.

The Make trend is on the web by instructables.com where one can learn to do just about anything.  I learned how to make a booster for my wifi router dull girl that I am.  I will issue a caution on viewing the site - one can get terribly lost looking at ridiculous things.

But, back to the Tate Modern.  Philosophically, the legacy of 1960's performance and action-based artworks was a lean toward a utopian vision of experience that was self-created and free.  It was anti-consumerist consumerism.  And we are back there again.

Realities Helmet?

An Outsider Economist?

Missmarketcrash is headed off-topic for a moment today to link to The New York Times featuring an article on a film made by an old friend, Scott Ogden.  A film about four unknown "outsider" artists made by an artist who is surely on the "inside" is an interesting thing.

Could one imagine an "outsider" economist?  It seems impossible but perhaps there must be a few out there...

Missmarketcrash herself with her mad internal dialogues probably fits that slot fairly well...if she were only more analytical and obsessive...

Ok.  Just analytical.  But a few crazy charts are clearly needed.  I'm working on them.