Art+Practice recommendation: "Hollow"

This week Art+Practice recommends "Hollow": a hybrid community participatory project and interactive documentary where content is created “for the community, by the community" - in this case, by and with residents of McDowell County, West Virginia. By using a variety of media, "Hollow" is building engagement and social trust and empowering a community to work together for a better future in a region that suffered the boom and bust economy of coal: an industry that left behind dwindling populations, broken economies, and environmentally decimated landscapes. Unlike any project we have seen, "Hollow" is a fascinating portrait of the possibilities of new media and community engagement. Go to hollowthefilm.com

"Walter" Meets His Fans

Art+Practice would like to thank The Palace Theater in Lorain, Ohio, and The Community Foundation of Lorain for sponsoring the local premier of Walter, last Saturday, as part of Follow the Fish: a public art campaign celebrating Lorain County’s local artists, communities, business, and natural environment. After the screening and a short discussion with Walter A. Frey Jr., fans waited in line for autographs and snapshots with the star of episode #12. Other Amerikans, including Felix Caban (#2), Kaori Mitsushima (#3), Danilo Vujacic (#5), Ethel Moyers (#7), and Don Matis (#10) - also attended the screening and drew their own crowds in the spirit of local cinema. Photos below from Saturday's screening.

Walter A. Frey, Jr. at Palace Theater 

Felix Caban, Haydee Caban, Kaori Mitsushima, Ethel Moyers, Walter A. Frey, Jr., Don Matis, Danilo Vujacic (front)

Walter A. Frey, Jr. & Don Matis

Ethel Moyers & Walter A. Frey, Jr.

Walter A. Frey, Jr. with artist & poster designer Kaori Mitsushima

Art+Practice recommendation: England Your England

This week Art+Practice recommends "England Your England": an ongoing documentary series showcasing powerful stories from real people across the UK. Beautifully shot and artfully scored, this poetic series, named after an essay by George Orwell, presents a series of diverse portraits that define England as individuals, communities and as a nation. With five portraits online, and a short called Visions of Albion, this series is a must see. 

"Walter" goes to China

As part of The Amerikans in China, episode 12 of The Amerikans, a portrait of Walter A. Frey, Jr., went live today on youku.com and  tudou.com: the two most popular video hosting services in the People's Republic of China. 

Please support The Amerikans in China by watching “Walter” on youku.com at: http://tinyurl.com/lctxrey

The Amerikans in China

Did you know that in the People's Republic of China, the government has blocked over 2,500 websites, including Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Blogspot, IMDB, Vimeo, and The Amerikans? To overcome the Great Firewall, Art+Practice is proud to announce The Amerikans in China: a project led by intern, Yinyu Zhan, to upload select episodes of The Amerikans, in translation, to the People’s Republic of China’s two most popular video hosting services: youku.com and  tudou.com 

Please help support The Amerikans in China by watching “Double Feature” on youku.com at:  http://tinyurl.com/k4egcqc

Screening of "Walter"

Oberlin College student, Ariane Walder ('14), and Art+Practice graphic designer, Kaori Mitsushima, work together to print silkscreen posters for a local screening of Walter, episode 12 of The Amerikans, at the Palace Theater of Lorain on Saturday, August 24, 2013. The episode's star, Walter A. Frey, Jr., and the filmmakers will be present at the 2PM show to discuss the making of Walter. The films, however, will play continuously until 8PM. This screening is part of Follow the Fish: a public art campaign celebrating Lorain County’s local artists, communities, business, and natural environment. The Palace Theater of Lorain is a glorious Movie Palace dating from the 1920’s, and hosted the first “talkie” shown in the state of Ohio.

Click photo to see gallery

Music for "Who Lives There"

Episode #14 of The Amerikans, titled "Who Lives There," will feature music by Alexander Overington: a composer and producer specializing in a genre-bending approach to recorded music. A native of New York City, currently living in Brooklyn, Alex holds dual degrees from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is faculty of Composition and Music Technology at California State Summer School for the Arts at CalArts. He is the co-founder of the new record label Rest Assured. 

"Who Lives There" is a portrait of Dawn Reese, owner of Dolls and Minis: a full service dollhouse and miniature store with an inventory of over 18,000 miniatures. Describing the music, Overington says he "wanted the music to embrace the architecture of Dawn's dollhouses and the miniature landscapes within them; to do this I used the sound of the solo acoustic guitar and the bell-like ring of a Celesta, weaving these melodies together with a repeating piano ostinato along with very low bass notes from an organ and high pitches from a synth." Episode #14 of The Amerikans will premier at the Apollo Theater, in Oberlin, Ohio, on Sunday, August 25th. To hear more music by Alexander Overington, go to alexanderoverington.com

Photo from "Describe the Fauna"