weekend links: activist dancing, Abbi Jacobson, artistic neon
Tracey Emin, The Kiss Was Beautiful (2013). Image courtesy Let There Be Neon/Hyperallergic.
Dancer Lil Buck and choreographer Jon Boogz are founders of Movement Art Is (MAI), an organization exploring the relationship between dance and activism. Their aim is to confront subjects like prejudice and injustice and bring about social change, as well as educate the public about dance as an art form—bringing more meaning to “Dance Dance Revolution.” [The Atlantic]
BAD BOY, Megan Christiansen's debut photo book about the libido of New York City, went on sale yesterday. The strange and sensual mostly-nude portraits are printed alongside anonymous and raw writings about the artist from the men she encountered during her time “living and fucking in New York”—an experimental Yelp platform for one-night stands, one might say. [The Creators Project]
Broad City actress and art school graduate Abbi Jacobson is joining forces with WNYC Studios and the MoMA for a podcast about contemporary art, wittily titled “A Piece of Work.” The show sounds like an entertaining MoMA audio guide for those who can’t exactly afford (time and/or money) to go to museums, especially since Jacobson will be inviting fellow celebrities like Hannibal Buress and RuPaul to join. [Vulture]
Let There Be Neon, founded by Rudi Stern (the man who revolutionized “artistic neon”), is one of New York’s last surviving neon workshops. The shop has worked with Keith Haring, Robert Rauschenberg, Dennis Oppenheim, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and has also been involved with installations at both the New Museum and the Guggenheim—a true testament to the value of customized art decorations. [Artsy]
Lindsey Jordan, the 18-year-old front-woman of suburban rock trio Snail Mail, discusses driving to New York to hang out with older friends, sports, and the stresses of choosing a studio to work with. Snail Mail is in the process of recording their first album, so stay tuned for more of their sleepily devastating music. [Fader]
The artist Paul Ramírez Jonas is being honored by a 25-year survey of his work at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. One of the exhibition’s interactive pieces, Public Trust, asks museumgoers to consider the weight of their words by asking them to make a promise, which is then enshrined in the exhibit for all to see. If only we could get some of our public leaders to attend… [Hyperallergic]
—Jae Lee