Here is a ten minute video highlighting some of the readings from the opening reception of Book Passages: A Visual Journey. Thanks again to all those who attended and made this the largest opening reception to date for the Tenth Street Gallery.
Showing posts with label Book Passages Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Passages Series. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
OPENING RECEPTION February 12 6pm-8pm
I hope that you can join me for the opening of my exhibition "Book Passages, a visual journey." It promises to be an exciting and interesting evening. During the opening an actor from the In Tandem Theater will continue the participatory nature of this series by dramatically reading out loud the twenty book passages while standing near the coinciding visual interpretation.
William Zuback, Book Passages, a visual journey
February 12 - April 9
Tenth Street Gallery
628 N. 10th Street
Milwaukee, WI. 53233
Opening Reception:
Friday, February 12
6pm - 8pm
Cash Bar: Wine & Beer
Gallery Hours 10am - 5pm Monday-Friday
414-271-1371
The Book Passages Exhibit is a photographic journey of conceptual thoughts culminating from brief Book Passages that I asked readers of my blog to send in for this project. This journey began in February of 2009 with a blog post, "What have you read lately".
Twenty passages and a year later I present the exhibit, Book Passages - a visual journey.
Twenty passages and a year later I present the exhibit, Book Passages - a visual journey.
If you have any questions in regard to this up-coming Exhibit Opening please feel free to email me.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Two out of Three ain't Bad
Does the mail carrier deserve a tip? He did deliver some great news this week. Don't know why but when I saw the envelope letterhead of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center I thought for sure is was going to be one of those thanks but...
To my surprise two of my three Book Passages images that I submitted for the Eight Counties Juried exhibition have been excepted for this years show. Juror's seem to be responding to two images more than others in the series. Although, most of these Juried show's you can only submit 2-3 images and I do usually submit the same three images?
This year, 520 artists entered work for this competition culminating in over 1,550 individual works of art? The two selected are Hello...Farewell (the cemetery scene) and What The (the hotel) from the Book Passages series. The one that was not selected was Visual Haiku (the shopping cart)? That is one of my favorites from the series so I'm always interested in how and why people respond to certain pieces more than others. Oh well? One step at a time.
To my surprise two of my three Book Passages images that I submitted for the Eight Counties Juried exhibition have been excepted for this years show. Juror's seem to be responding to two images more than others in the series. Although, most of these Juried show's you can only submit 2-3 images and I do usually submit the same three images?
This year, 520 artists entered work for this competition culminating in over 1,550 individual works of art? The two selected are Hello...Farewell (the cemetery scene) and What The (the hotel) from the Book Passages series. The one that was not selected was Visual Haiku (the shopping cart)? That is one of my favorites from the series so I'm always interested in how and why people respond to certain pieces more than others. Oh well? One step at a time.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Blinded by the Light
Welcome to Chapter 17 of my Book Passages series. This image is an interpretation of a passage from a yet untitled novel by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier. Mary is the voice behind the words at a wonderful news and review blog for art and culture in Milwaukee called Crickettoes. From the brief passage that she provided to me for my Book Passages series I cannot wait to someday read her finished novel. Until then, we have this brief passage and my accompanying images. Enjoy and always think and act by sharing your thoughts on the images. Some behind the scenes images are also available by stylist Addie Kidd. Thanks to both Addie and model Kristin Sutter for creating such an enjoyable photo shoot.
"Untitled Novel" by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier:
"There are some who view the world through a very small lens and though they live in three dimensions they perceive only two. Armed with this outlook, they operate daily with a fundamental conviction that all that exists does so solely in relation to their own existence and all that happens serves a purpose of meaning.
She is not a small lens viewer, but lying there on the floor, unaware of her surroundings, her subconscious mind begins to replay a scene from her childhood. It was a time long before she had wholly grasped the truth that she was just one on a planet populated by billions, before she had fully realized that the culture she was growing in was just one in an enormous, divergent sea of traditions and beliefs. It was a time when her lens was very, very small and she needs to be back there again, if only for a moment.
"Untitled Novel" by Mary Dally-Muenzmaier:
"There are some who view the world through a very small lens and though they live in three dimensions they perceive only two. Armed with this outlook, they operate daily with a fundamental conviction that all that exists does so solely in relation to their own existence and all that happens serves a purpose of meaning.
She is not a small lens viewer, but lying there on the floor, unaware of her surroundings, her subconscious mind begins to replay a scene from her childhood. It was a time long before she had wholly grasped the truth that she was just one on a planet populated by billions, before she had fully realized that the culture she was growing in was just one in an enormous, divergent sea of traditions and beliefs. It was a time when her lens was very, very small and she needs to be back there again, if only for a moment.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Mass Nothingness
An excerpt from William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury completes Chapter 16 of the Book Passages series. This passage provided my biggest challenge yet in this photographic series. Heavy on character development this excerpt was very difficult to interpret without getting a better idea of the background of each character mentioned in the passage as well as an overall summary of Faulkner's complex intent of the novel. So for the third time in this visual journey I had to get some brief information on this book so that I could proceed with the interpretation. Below is my interpretation of the submitted book excerpt. Your feedback is always appreciated.
William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury:
"I could smell the curves of the river beyond the dusk and I saw the last light supine and tranquil upon tide flats like pieces of broken mirror, then beyond them lights began in the pale clear air, trembling a little like butterflies hovering a long way off. Benjamin the child of. How he used to sit before that mirror. Refuge unfailing in which conflict tempered silenced reconciled. Benjamin the child of mine old age held hostage into Egypt. O Benjamin. Dilsey said it was because Mother was too proud for him. They come into white people's lives like that in sudden sharp black trickles that isolate white facts for an instant in unarguable truth like under a microscope: the rest of the time just voices that laugh when you see nothing to laugh at, tears when no reason for tears."
William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury:
"I could smell the curves of the river beyond the dusk and I saw the last light supine and tranquil upon tide flats like pieces of broken mirror, then beyond them lights began in the pale clear air, trembling a little like butterflies hovering a long way off. Benjamin the child of. How he used to sit before that mirror. Refuge unfailing in which conflict tempered silenced reconciled. Benjamin the child of mine old age held hostage into Egypt. O Benjamin. Dilsey said it was because Mother was too proud for him. They come into white people's lives like that in sudden sharp black trickles that isolate white facts for an instant in unarguable truth like under a microscope: the rest of the time just voices that laugh when you see nothing to laugh at, tears when no reason for tears."
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Oil Painting
Wow! Welcome to chapter 15 of my Book Passages series. I can't believe that I've been traveling this visual road now since February. It has definitely been one of the best road trips I've ever taken to date. The excitement and enthusiasm of discovery is still there but I must admit to some road fatigue. Five more chapters left after this one. Hope you have enjoyed being a passenger on this visual journey as much as I've enjoyed being your tour guide. Enjoy the ride as we begin the last leg of our journey together. Please keep the dialog coming, it's like buying the audio tour at a Museum exhibition and I really appreciate it. Thanks!
Chapter 15 is a passage from the book, Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford.
"How far we have come from the hand oiling of early motorcycles is indicated by the fact that some of the current Mercedes models do not even have a dipstick... There are now layers of collectivized, absentee interest in your motor's oil level, and no single person is responsible for it. If we understand this under the rubric of "globalization," we see that the tentacles of that wondrous animal reach down into things that were once unambiguously our own: the amount of oil in a man's crankcase."
Chapter 15 is a passage from the book, Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford.
"How far we have come from the hand oiling of early motorcycles is indicated by the fact that some of the current Mercedes models do not even have a dipstick... There are now layers of collectivized, absentee interest in your motor's oil level, and no single person is responsible for it. If we understand this under the rubric of "globalization," we see that the tentacles of that wondrous animal reach down into things that were once unambiguously our own: the amount of oil in a man's crankcase."
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Slice of Heaven
Welcome to Chapter 13 of my Book Passages Series. For anyone new to my blog and wondering what this "Book Passages Series" is all about? Please visit my first blog post introducing this idea to readers of my blog. Once you reach the bottom of that first post in February you can click on the newer post link to scroll one by one to the most current blog entry. All the posts do not pertain to the Book Passages series but you will be able to easily recognize which belong to the series. Some good news since my last Book Passages post and that is I received confirmation that the Steenbock gallery in Madison, WI. will be exhibiting this series beginning December 4, 2010 and run through January 15, 2011.
This visual interpretation is presented a bit different than the other twelve chapters. My friend Tom, from college, asked if I would except an audio file excerpt from (wish I could tell you, I've been told to remove it from my blog)? I think it's an interesting request and it really isn't that different than a book passage so I was like, sure. So here is my visual interpretation from a monologue titled (can't believe a creative person would be so petty to request I remove this association from my blog). As always I appreciate honest criticism of the interpretation. It really becomes a forum for us all to discuss, debate and learn so please consider leaving some insight for us all to contemplate. To leave a comment click on the comment link at the bottom of the post. Type in your conversation, highlight one of the choices such as anonymous, enter the encrypted word in the box and click OK. Enjoy! Tough to enjoy this interpretation since I had to remove all references to what the source material was that I interpreted. Bah.
This visual interpretation is presented a bit different than the other twelve chapters. My friend Tom, from college, asked if I would except an audio file excerpt from (wish I could tell you, I've been told to remove it from my blog)? I think it's an interesting request and it really isn't that different than a book passage so I was like, sure. So here is my visual interpretation from a monologue titled (can't believe a creative person would be so petty to request I remove this association from my blog). As always I appreciate honest criticism of the interpretation. It really becomes a forum for us all to discuss, debate and learn so please consider leaving some insight for us all to contemplate. To leave a comment click on the comment link at the bottom of the post. Type in your conversation, highlight one of the choices such as anonymous, enter the encrypted word in the box and click OK. Enjoy! Tough to enjoy this interpretation since I had to remove all references to what the source material was that I interpreted. Bah.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Backyard Soul-O
What I find most interesting and challenging about these book passages is not knowing the context of the passage in relation to the larger scope of the book. So when I would read and re-read the passage from Dreams of Leaving by author Rupert Thomson I was challenged by the details of the passage. Unlike other passages that I have worked on, this passage seemed much more literal with characters and place, making my own personal interpretation a bigger challenge. My solution to a passage that has many descriptive details about a very specific act, the saxophone solo, led me to pick out some key words that I was drawn to. The title, Dreams of Leaving, the words "abandoned mansion, saxophone and solo" around the larger significance of music is what I used to build my visual interpretation.
I grounded the visual interpretation's sense of place with the abandoned mansion. It dominates this passage so much that not including it, I felt, would leave the viewer too disconnected from the passage. The rest of the interpretation deals with the physical and emotional sensitivity that can be experienced through the power of music.
Here is the book passage that inspired my visual interpretation Backyard Soul-O.
"Gloria was introducing the band. If he didn't listen to the saxophone this time, she'd murder him. He only had to wait until halfway through the next song, then Malone unleashed a sixty-second solo, and played with such raw soaring power, assembled such an intricate structure of notes, that listening to him was like being led through some extraordinary abandoned mansion. It was as if Malone somehow knew of Moses's anxiety and was building a house specially for him, a different kind of house, a house where policemen would never appear at the door. The saxophone scaled the facade, dropped into an upstairs room, tiptoed across the landing, opened a door with rusty hinges, tripped, stumbled to the edge of a parapet, peered over, stepped sharply back, ran down flight after flight of stairs, through ballrooms peopled by the ghosts of dancers, through echoing cloisters and claustrophobic passageways, past windows with vistas and hushed rooms no longer used, tore through curtained doorways and out, finally, into the open air, paused to breathe the air, ran on through gardens with peacocks and fountains, along spacious landscaped avenues, past sudden explosions of plants from South America, and back down a sweeping gravel drive to the road where Gloria was waiting with the rest of the song."
I grounded the visual interpretation's sense of place with the abandoned mansion. It dominates this passage so much that not including it, I felt, would leave the viewer too disconnected from the passage. The rest of the interpretation deals with the physical and emotional sensitivity that can be experienced through the power of music.
Here is the book passage that inspired my visual interpretation Backyard Soul-O.
"Gloria was introducing the band. If he didn't listen to the saxophone this time, she'd murder him. He only had to wait until halfway through the next song, then Malone unleashed a sixty-second solo, and played with such raw soaring power, assembled such an intricate structure of notes, that listening to him was like being led through some extraordinary abandoned mansion. It was as if Malone somehow knew of Moses's anxiety and was building a house specially for him, a different kind of house, a house where policemen would never appear at the door. The saxophone scaled the facade, dropped into an upstairs room, tiptoed across the landing, opened a door with rusty hinges, tripped, stumbled to the edge of a parapet, peered over, stepped sharply back, ran down flight after flight of stairs, through ballrooms peopled by the ghosts of dancers, through echoing cloisters and claustrophobic passageways, past windows with vistas and hushed rooms no longer used, tore through curtained doorways and out, finally, into the open air, paused to breathe the air, ran on through gardens with peacocks and fountains, along spacious landscaped avenues, past sudden explosions of plants from South America, and back down a sweeping gravel drive to the road where Gloria was waiting with the rest of the song."
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Postcards from Hell
The Wood Brothers are one of my favorite bands. They have a wonderful organic sound and very creative lyrics. One song that I can't get enough of is called Postcards from Hell. I have been thinking of another way to give back to the wonderful people that have enjoyed following along with my Book Passages visual journey and here is my solution. Postcards from hell, OK - maybe not hell but possibly purgatory. You know that place, neither here nor there but somewhere in-between that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Well that is just what my postcards will be.
This is not a new idea in fact part of my inspiration comes from my friend Frieda's hub in which she explains how to create personal postcards for yourself, family and friends (http://hubpages.com/hub/Picture-Perfect-Postcards). The other part comes from this cool Wood Brothers song, i got a soul that i won't sell, i got a soul that i won't sell, i got a soul that i won't sell and i don't read postcards from hell.
Depending on the response I may have to limit the postcards to a manageable amount for both time and money. These postcards will have one of my Book Passage images and a little note that may not make a whole lot of sense if you know what I mean. So how do you get your very own postcards from hell? You need to send me your mailing address by emailing it to limit2hours@yahoo.com. Please be patient and I will create my list on a first come first serve basis so get your address to me early and if the list gets too long and you don't get your very own postcard from hell, well then you can just tell me to GTH.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
What the?
Wow! This becomes the fun part of not knowing or researching the book before creating the visual interpretation from the excerpt provided. When I read the passage I certainly began to go on my own visual journey based on the words. The end of my visual journey is what you see below. After looking on-line to find some information and links to the author and to the book I am surprised to find what the book is about. That is the true joy of doing this project. ENJOY!
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer:
He said, "We exist because we exist." "What the?" "We could imagine all sorts of universes unlike this one, but this is the one that happened."
I understand what he meant, and I didn't disagree with him, but I didn't agree with him either. Just because you're an atheist, that doesn't mean you wouldn't love for things to have reasons for why they are.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer:
He said, "We exist because we exist." "What the?" "We could imagine all sorts of universes unlike this one, but this is the one that happened."
I understand what he meant, and I didn't disagree with him, but I didn't agree with him either. Just because you're an atheist, that doesn't mean you wouldn't love for things to have reasons for why they are.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Excerpt from: Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
I will be very interested in peoples critique of this image. I find myself personally liking the visuals that are more abstract in thought and less literal in interpretation. This one follows the camp of abstract but I will defend it as being a very successful visual interpretations of the submitted passage. So here is "Evolutionary Teething", Chapter Nine of the Book Passages Series. Enjoy, digest and comment. Thanks.
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut:
Speaking of teeth: there have never been dentists on Santa Rosalia or any other human colonies on the Galapagos Islands. As would have been the case a million years ago, a typical colonist can expect to be edentate by the time he or she is thirty years old, having suffered many skull-cracking toothaches on the way. And this is more than a blow to mere vanity, surely since teeth set in living gums are now people's only tools.
Really, Except for their teeth, people now have no tools at all.
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut:
Speaking of teeth: there have never been dentists on Santa Rosalia or any other human colonies on the Galapagos Islands. As would have been the case a million years ago, a typical colonist can expect to be edentate by the time he or she is thirty years old, having suffered many skull-cracking toothaches on the way. And this is more than a blow to mere vanity, surely since teeth set in living gums are now people's only tools.
Really, Except for their teeth, people now have no tools at all.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Spotlight on Book Passages Series
Hey folks if you haven't already, please check out this great article at CricketToes that Mary Dally-Muenzmaier wrote about my Book Passage visual journey.
If you are new to the blog the series begins with the post "What have you read lately" from February of this year.
Still looking for book passages so feel free to provide one in the comment section below or email me at wmzuback@backtothezu.com
Thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy the journey as much as I have.
If you are new to the blog the series begins with the post "What have you read lately" from February of this year.
Still looking for book passages so feel free to provide one in the comment section below or email me at wmzuback@backtothezu.com
Thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy the journey as much as I have.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The State of Desire
Welcome to the seventh chapter of the Book Passages Series. This visual interpretation is based on an excerpt from Tom Robbins, "Another Roadside Attraction". Before I get to the passage that I created my visual from I absolutely must praise the talent that was SO generous with their time and talent.
Like most artists, I create because I have to. It's who I am and how I move through this life. Also like most artists I rarely get any monetary reward from my creations. I rely on talent that understands the creative process and I often trade for prints, and portraits. The group of talent that surrounded me on this creative endeavor was simply amazing. From make-up to the final capture, these talented and generous individuals dedicated eight hours of their Saturday for this project. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for each and every person involved. Thanks to Ashley for her assistance on this project. Thanks Tracy, Nate, Niko and David for their visual and expressive talent. Thanks Daniel for your make-up artistry. Thanks to Mary for allowing total strangers to invade her private property for ten hours and thanks to my wife who has the patience to put up with an artist. She said she would never marry an artist yet she constantly provides me the space and time to create.
Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
"There are three mental states that interest me," said Amanda, turning the lizard doorknob. "These are: one, amnesia; two, euphoria; three, ecstasy."
She reached into the cabinet and removed a small green bottle of water-lily pollen. "Amnesia is not knowing who one is and wanting desperately to find out. Euphoria is not knowing who one is and not caring. Ecstasy is knowing exactly who one is - and still not caring."
As always I appreciate your comments. I always learn from others insight and viewpoint.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Chapter 6, not yet....
It may be a couple of weeks before I get the next installment of Book Passages ready to view. I have a few idea's, need props, models, and son's coming home for the holiday. I do want to slow it down a bit anyway because it is about the images and I don't want to compromise any of them for the sake of the blog. So, in the meantime I will post things like I have in the past. I hope I don't loose any new readers who have tuned in for the Book Passages series. Please keep checking in, make comments, email me a fascinating and challenging book passage.
Friday, March 27, 2009
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