Clusterbomb Bears: Hammerfest, Norway

New photos of the Clusterbomb Bears photo installation project during our trip to Norway for the Oslo Comix Expo in June 2010. I photographed the bears in Hammerfest, a small fishing village in the Arctic Circle and then sold all the bears at the Expo in Oslo.

The photos are in a Sami Burial Ground, near the shore of the Artic Ocean, in an outdoor facility for drying fish- which was historically a main industry of the town before oil refining companies took over, and on the summit of a mountain in the town of Hammerfest.

I will be showing these photos at the International Art In Response To Violence Confrence in Chicago, IL September 30- October 1 2010. I will also be giving a presentation about my personal and community art work in Baltimore as well as experiences and opportunities for like-minded artists in the city. I also will be giving a workshop on shrine building.

Ball Movement II: Mole Balls

7th Annual Transmodern Festival
April 15th – 18th, 2010 — Baltimore
Museum of Art + H&H Building, Baltimore



(where the moles learn to survive through waves of hellish laser beams of doom (made of ping-pong balls), veiled behind some alter egos (different character cut outs with a face hole). mean while, the exterminators works out their team effort to overcome disorientation and distractions of all natural and supernatural elements, and successfully score and eliminate the pests by unleashing velcroed thunder balls aimed at their head. head shots only. SEE VIDEO BELOW

A project of Michael Benevento and Andrew Liang

Contributors / Artists
Russell Hite, Katherine St Paul Hill, Elena Johnston, Sean Honey, Jeff Mcgrath, Jordan Kasey, Lou Joseph, Eamon Espey, John Bohl, Katie Rose, Gary Kachadourian, Kieran Gillen

Mole Sculptor
Lisa Krause

Harness Engineers
Melanie Lester and Risa Ono

Sound Engineer
Martin Kasey

Staff / Volunteer
Annie Gray, Steve Santillian, Miranda Pfeiffer, Krysten Watson, Joana Kopcyzk, Mitchell Goodrich, Megan Chin, Michell Porucznik, Bettina Yung, Maude Kasperzak

Photographer / Videographer
Monique Crabb, Emmanuel Nicolaidis, Andrew Shenker












This Just In:
Review on Charm City Current blog April 28, 2010
While I didn't get mentioned on the website for my work, there's some great photos of the molehelmets and a really good review of transmodern by the director of the Baltimore Museum of Art

Forum of 40 Champions- Curated by Gary Kachadourian

Forty champions, each possessing a special power, have been invited to create a warrior to enter the Minstallation Gallery and face the special powers of their peers.

Minstallation Gallery
Creative Alliance at The Patterson
3134 Eastern Ave. Baltimore, MD
Closing Reception, Saturday, April 10, 5-7pm
February 27 – April 10, 2010





Curated by Gary Kachadourian
Installation and Logo Design by Eamon Espey
Sound by Witch Hat
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=300706996682&ref=mf


I used this project as an opportunity to expand on my warriors that I had been making before. I added to the original 2 and made a bunch more. As with my shrines, I've been using stuff I pick up walking around. In this case some things include shells, seeds, stones, ground turquoise, cardinal bones, a humming bird's head, prize-winning chickens' feathers, and hair from rabbits, deer, and dog.

Shrines

I've been making small shrines from things I pick up while walking around the city as part of my job. I collect whatever looks interesting and bring them back to my workspace where I file them by color family in clear containers. I then use these things to construct small assemblages in little paper houses. I find I am enjoying the process because it's kind of like flower arranging, but also because I am making amulets out of trash- I am searching for something sacred and beautiful every day.

Dancers and Warriors

drawings of real and imagined Kachinas