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Urbancode Issue #1.Indd Premiere Issue .:urbancode LiveLive byby it!it! Washington Color School Remix MODERNISM Corcoran at the Artomatic Ira Cohen E. Ethelbert Miller John Hanshaw of Guerrilla Filmfest plus Abbe Lowell • Nethers • Dawn of Man • Buck Downs • Hiram Larew • Miles David Moore 04> .:urbancode .:urbancode [it’s spring] 0 urbancode 0 issue one CONTENTS .: .. ::. ...: .::. 4 Letter From the Publisher 6 Decoded 10 Modernism at the Corcoran 14 Color School Redux 20 Artomatic 24 The Ritual Theater of Hallucination urbancode is published 8 times yearly by urbancode design. Its con- tents and its logo are subject to copyright laws of the United States 26 Natural (Dis)order at Transformer and abroad. In some instances copyright is retained by the contribu- tor to urbancode and is subject to copyright laws as well. 28 “E” Stands for Everything, an interview with E. Ethelbert Miller urbancode retains rights to the contents herein as compiled in “magazine form” and any use of the material contained herein 34 Abbe Lowell defends an antic state must be requested in a written correspondence to the publisher at [email protected]. Unauthorized reproduction of the maga- 36 Breaking Out, a review of Alex MacLennan’s debut novel zine is restricted to press releases and personal publicity purposes. Any other reproduction is not authorized without written permission 38 Poetry—Hiram Larew, Buck Downs, Miles David Moore from the publisher. Subscriptions may be obtained free by sending an email to 44 John Hanshaw of the Guerrilla FilmFest. An interview by Russell Nohelty [email protected] and requesting Add Me! urbancode believes in a spam-free internet and every attempt is made 48 Music—Nethers, Dawn of Man, Reviews to avoid unwanted delivery of our magazine or related products. If you have received urbancode in error and wish to be unsubscribed, please write an email with a subject line of “unsubscribe” to 56 Up Close, profiles Pass Gallery and its director Richard Siegman [email protected] 58 The Pirate Lafitte 2 PHOTOS: UPPER LEFT, AARON BAGBY3 OPPOSITE, JOANNE KENT .:urbancode .:urbancode .:urbancode PUBLISHER & EDITOR IN CHIEF STUART GREENWELL letter from the publisher MEDIA EDITOR Phoenix Rising CLAUDE SEYMOUR LITERATURE EDITOR I love, love, love spring in DC. I knew it was here when I witnessed three harbingers. The ELI RESNICK fi rst, was a tree full of robins. The second, the deciduous Magnolia blooming, and fi nally, COPYEDITORS during the third week of March I saw all I needed to see. The crocus, daffodils, and hyacinth SCOTT MCCOUBREY, ALLISON O’DELL, were up. I have offi cially declared it! Rebirth! Everything is new again. Spring has arrived and HEATHER PANKL, JULIA PASS, with it, Washington once again has a new art magazine! STEPHANIE SALTZBERG I want to welcome all to this, the fi rst edition of urbancode magazine. As you can see it’s a little different from a print magazine—and it’s a little the same. I thank all of you who have PHOTOGRAPHY ARMAND EMAMDJOMEH , SHERVIN enthusiastically embraced this project by being its fi rst subscribers, and I want to profusely LAINEZ, GREG WASSERSTROM ∆thank the dedicated contributors who have made urbancode possible. You, the reader, will come to recognize some very talented people on our staff who will be DESIGN contributing on a regular basis, just as I have come to realize their talent. Further, if I may, STUART GREENWELL I want to thank urbancode’s backbone, its copyeditors, for theirs’ is somewhat of a thankless ≈ CONTRIBUTORS position, but they have my undying gratitude. REBECCA CRUMLISH, DANNY FASOLD, In this fi rst issue of urbancode you will fi nd many surprises, and some not so surpris- JESSICA GORMAN, ALLAN GRAUBARD, ing inclusions as well. April is a month full of events in the Washington art scene and GEOFF HOPPE, RUSSELL NOHELTY, urbancode is right there with an astute review of the Modernism exhibit at the Corcoran by CHIS OPFER, ELI RESNICK, Geoff Hoppe. The Color School gets a much deserved look at the summer-long calendar of KAREN SAMI, CLAUDE SEYMOUR, retrospective and contemporary events, and the 60’s psychedelic era is revisited through Allan HEIDI SNOOTS, JAMES VERDIER, Graubard’s essay on famed photographer Ira Cohen’s ground-breaking mylar photographs. Also, April is Artomatic month! I’ll take a look at the controversial art extravaganza and note a few things they have done right. COVER IMAGE: Throughout the year urbancode plans to provide you with many insightful interviews and GENE DAVIS STREET HOMAGE COURTESY OF WASHINGTON, DC ∆ ∆ ∆ profi les and this months issue kicks off with a conversation with DC Poet Extraordinaire CONVENTION & TOURISM E. Ethelbert Miller who speaks with Eli Resnick about what makes him tick, and guerrilla fi lm CORPORATION festival organizer John Hanshaw talks to Russell Nohelty about this years fi lmfest. Plus poetry pages, music profi les and reviews, and much, much more! So please, enjoy the magazine. I believe the best is yet to come! ≈ ≈ ≈ Stuart Greenwell Publisher/Editor-in-Chief/ Designer The publisher standing in front of one of the dozens of his paintings destroyed in a January 3rd, 2003 studio fi re. Woo Hoo! Happy New Year! 4 5 .:urbancode .:urbancode .::. :. .: .. ..: BIG BRIDGE! WHAT’S A VRZHU? The online literary portal has a little bit of everything, well, VRZHU which stands for...“a new poetry press born of a conver- literary. Poetry, an in-house sation between poet friends who feel that there aren’t enough press, a list of like-minded venues for poetry to be published.” It’s first two books are More little magazines, fiction and Than Anything by Hiram Larew (read some of his work in this non fiction reviews. ���� edition of urbancode), and The Kimnama by Kim Roberts, which is Geez! How do they do it! ���� inspired by travels throughout northern India . VRZHU is looking One of this urbancode’s for poets and “believe every syllable is the first syllable of spring.” nimble contributors, Allan Sound like a nice bunch, don’t they? Graubard, has a new online Contact them at [email protected] or check out their web site at book out called Roma/Amor www.vrzhu.com. designed by this magazine’s humble publisher. Check it out because it truly is a RICHMOND’S GAS in that funky, beatnik, existential kind of way! You can find Big Bridge �������������� 1708 GALLERY at http://www.bigbridge. org/bbpress.htm and Allan NEARLY BURNS Graubard’s book Roma/ A rash of fires Amor can be read at in the Richmond http://www.bigbridge.org/roma-amor-by-allan-graubard-for-big- region nearly bridge.pdf. claimed the alter- Armand Emamdjomeh native, non-profit 1708 Gallery on Broad Street in ARTDC.ORG downtown Rich- READY, ACTION! FILMFEST DC Building Bridges mond on March Washington’s international Film Festival 11th. A three-alarm If you’ve never checked it out, can share techniques, promote Filmfest DC, Washington’s international There will also be programs free of charge blaze engulfed an have a look at Jesse Cohen’s site their works, and discuss many Film Festival will kick off its 21st annual for children and senior citizens. adjacent building, artDC.org. It provides a service themes of art. Aiding cross- SO YOU festivities this spring with a mix of films Filmfest DC’s Opening Night Gala will but did not result to the local art community communication, will inspire representing over 30 countries. Partici- feature La Vie en Rose, the new feature in any fatalities. and is rich with resources and new and different creative WANT TO pating films will encompass a global range highlighting the life of celebrated French “This is probably information. Its stated mission forces to blend. artDC.org gives of cultures, music, and politics from a enchantress Edith Piaf. Director Olivier one of the biggest is to “bridge communication individuals the opportunity to PAINT LIKE diverse collection of nations. This year’s Dahan will attend the screening. The fires we’ve had this between artists, galleries, and network and develop relation- 11-day festival, running from April 19-29, festival will close with Paris, Je T’aime with year,” said Rich- collectors through an online ships with others, thus allowing will feature more than 80 films, and a French star Fanny Ardant introducing her mond Fire and Photo Courtesy of Aimee Koch JACKSON venue. artDC.org promotes art community to develop. variety of special events, international latest work. Emergency Services Department spokesman Lt. Keith Vida. communication with bulletin The purpose of artDC.org is guest directors and panels. For the first Tickets for most screenings are $9 and Fortunately, the building was vacant, but its blaze left some POLLOCK? boards, automated galleries, and to aid in this process!” time, screenings will take place primarily in can be purchased at www.tickets.com or smoke and water damage to the nearby art space. It took 50 meetings. Well what more can we say? Then try this. It’s fun. one venue, located at 4000 Wisconsin Av- by calling 800-955-5566. The Filmfest DC firefighters using 12 trucks nearly three hours to get the fire The online forum contains Check the site out at, where http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ enue, NW, which will allow film enthusiasts public information line is 202-628-FILM under control. powerful tools where visitors else, www.artdc.org easy access to the festival’s many offerings. and its Web site is www.filmfestdc.org. .: .. : ::..: . : ... .: .. : ::..: .. : ... 6 7 .:urbancode .:urbancode .::. :. .: .. ..: INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR COMES TO DC CALL FOR ARTISTS CALL FOR ENTRIES DC makes its foray into the world of media. A unique new media installation featuring many local museum directors, of international art heavies this April area, Space provides a large-scale video curators, scholars and artists speaking on a EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITIES 27-30 when the First Annual Modern and lounge & bar featuring video and internet variety of timely topics.
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