Rob Ray

"Without You I Am Nothing" has gotten a thoughtful write-up by Albert Stabler in Proximity Magazine! The show features my "Undisclosed Locations #1" piece among others.

The show is curated by Anne Elizabeth Moore. The Chicago show is at The Green Lantern Gallery in Chicago, IL [map] The show is travelling to Providence this year as well.

Bert's comment on "Undisclosed Locations #1"

"Rob Ray, who ran Chicago’s amazing tech-art space, Deadtech, for about ten years, created a stunningly crafted 3-D paper piece extolling viewers to start their own DIY art and performance spaces."

An interview with me by Kelly Reaves up on her Art and Culture in Chicago site. Thanks Kelly!

Dormant Art: an Interview with Rob Ray of Deadtech (3321 W. Fullerton)
"Rob Ray was the proprietor and curator of Deadtech, a defunct Logan Square artspace that existed from 1998-2008. Deadtech was a venue for unconventional, electromechanical art and a community for artists ..." more...

I'm very psyched to be showing one of my new "Undisclosed Locations" posters in the "Without You I'm Nothing: Cultural Democracy from Providence to Chicago." show at The Green Lantern Gallery in Chicago, IL [map]. The show is curated by the mighty Anne Elizabeth Moore and opens March 27 and runs until April 25, 2009.

Out of money in Dubai? Just drive to the airport, park your car, and get the hell outta Dodge!

- via the Spectre Event Horizon Group
- via the almighty http://nonsensenyc.com

***** Dubai Skips *****

http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/dubai-skips/

Previously
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/dubai_jumps_the.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/dubious-dubai-tower-starts.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/rem_koolhaass_d.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/dubious-dubai-hits-pause.php#ch01

The Memory Hole has the downlow on filing FOIA Requests!

"As I like to say, borrowing the tagline from the game Othello, FOIA
takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master. The requirements for
filing a request are minimal, yet phrasing your request in just the
right way so that you get what you want is an art that can’t be taught
(although the above guides have some good tips and guidelines to get
you started). Also, if your request is rejected in whole or in part,
then you’ll want to file an appeal with the agency. Again, the basics
of an appeal are easy, but crafting an appeal that succesfully refutes
the agency’s reasons for withholding is tricky."

The robotic head lights up as each piece of the face pushes out and expands before retracting back into the shape of Jackson's face. It still animates at the push of a button

Photograph: Shaan Kokin/Julien's Auctions

 A cool database of U.S. airstrips in disrepair.

http://www.robray.net/erratt-musi-lowqt1.mov

I don't read TreeHugger as much as I'd like, but today I did.

Burts Bee's employee's save 25k a year by dumpster diving their own trash.

and a Congressman says something that actually isn't totally retarded.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a big proponent of cycling in Washington, brushes this off in the New York Times:

“They are burning calories, not fossil fuel, they are
taking up much less space, they are seeing the world at 10 miles per
hour instead of 20 or 30,” he said. “And even though there are
occasionally cranky or rude cyclists, they are no greater a percentage
than cranky or rude motorists.” Plus, he added, “they have really
fought for their place on the asphalt.”

Nance Khlem is an artist that only needs about 30 minutes to start
altering your idea of modern living. I had the opportunity to hang out
with Nance for a few days while out staying out at Simparch's Clean Livin' site and helping out at the Center for Land Use Interpretation's Work Party.

While at Southbase she was making tasty treats from the copious amounts
of food from the nearby casinos just before they would throw it away! 

Nance has recently been featured in the new The Sky full of Bacon podcast.

Sky Full of Bacon 07: Eat This City from Michael Gebert on Vimeo.

Some good (and bad) comments on BoingBoing.

Check out her site at spontaneousvegetation.net

Man, some of these are a riot.

The list of videos is pretty nuts. Scott Ian of Anthrax's video is pretty funny.
Neil Peart is SO not amused. The younger bands like Evile are like
"yeah, it's awesome. and are good at the guitar hero version too."
http://waxy.org/2008/11/musicians_get_meta/

oh man, The Devil Went Down To Georgia First FC 100% Guitar Hero 3 Expert With Hands Video amazing. The next Ned Troide?

I just shipped Deadtech's box for the SEED collective's BIN show in Chattanooga TN! Woo Hoo! The show opens Jan 9th 2009 at the AVA. The show runs through Feb 6 2009.

If'n you're in the neighboorhood definitely go check it out, there's a LOT of awesome collectives in the show!

Basekamp (Philadelphia), BLW, Common Places Project (Tampa), DeadTech (Chicago), Fugitive Projects (Nashville), Graffiti Research Lab (New York), Guerrilla Girls, InCUBATE-Chicago (Chicago), Mess Hall (Chicago), Paintallica (Washington), RTmark,  TEAM LUMP (Raleigh), 6+ ,  and The Yes Men..

This was an email I sent out back in 2005 when my cat jumped out the window. I can't believe I just found it, so I thought I'd post it. Those with cats might find this email particularly amusing. I'm happy to report Willy the Cat is still safe and sound.

Email from Rob to Chris (Rob's Boss) Regarding Why He Won't Be At Work Today.

---------

So while i have a cold, that isn't why i'm taking some time off today.

Willy, my cat jumped out of my window 25 feet down last night.
Yes. He's OK. I just got him out (6:21AM)

i went to bed and when i lied down heard this faint meowing.

after about 10 minutes of hearing it I realized willy, who is
normally crashed out next to me is not, in fact, crashed out next to me.

i look around for about 15 minutes wondering what nook/cranny he got into and realized

oh shit.... he's jumped out the window.

PANIC sets in. I just know as soon as I look down there he's going to be a bloody mess.

I'm racing around, falling down looking for a flashlight. I grab one and and peer down into the darkness.

There he is looking up at me. Pissed, but seemingly unhurt.

I realize at that point though, he has fallen into a sealed alley.
Essentially a crack between the two buildings about 60 feet long but only 3.5 feet wide and 25 feet deep.

So I take a bucket and and a rope (I have all sorts of crap like this at my place) and lower the bucket down. Willy is the kind of cat that jumps in EVERY empty box I have so this just might work.

The bucket is lowered down... down... down...

No dice. Willy looks at the bucket and then up at me. While Willy can't speak, he successfully mentally transmits the words.

"There's no way in hell I'm getting in that bucket and letting you haul my ass 20 feet up."

So I pull the empty bucket back up and put some food in a bowl in the bucket. Thinking this might entice him.
I also realize, at this point, maybe I should take some pictures of this. Not really in case he croaks but If I die falling out the window trying to save him, I can at least maybe be a Darwin Award runner up or something.

I lower the bucket with some food in it back down. He sniffs it as I plead with him for about 15 minutes.

Finally he takes the bait and he sits down in the bucket and starts eating.
But within 2 seconds of me pulling on the rope he has lept out.

I think to myself well, at least he won't go hungry while he and I are both panicking about this.

So I plead and plead and plead and pause to curse some and plead some more but nothing doing.

So at this point I break down and call 911. I try to be as reserved as possible becuase I'm sure the people who normally call 911 at 4 in the morning are definitely NOT reserved. I say.

"Hi, ummm. Hi... Ummm. This isn't an emergency really, I'm just not sure what to do."

My cell phone is of course cutting in and out. and I think to myself
"911 operators must HATE cell phones more than anybody else."

"Hi.. Uhmmm.. My cat has jumped out of my window and fallen about 25 feet down and it's a sealed alley so there's no way to get him out. Can the fire department or somebody help me?"

The lady literally starts busting out laughing at me. Like... cackling...

She says the fire department won't help me but she can put me through to non-emergency. Sounds good to me but as I'm on hold to non-emergency I realize this is pointless.

So I haul ass to home depot - and realize that the 24 hour home depot is no longer 24 hours.
So i pull over and start dialing. One opens at 6AM. Another at 6AM, I hail mary and call another and they open at 5AM.
This is only 15 minutes away! Woo hoo!!! So I haul ass down there and they open as soon as I walk up.

I get to the ladders section and realize i have NO IDEA how far down it really is. Is it 20 feet 30 feet? Further? I have no idea.
So i start looking at price and realize that is simply absurd. I'm not painting a house, I'm rescuing a cat!

So I'm trying to do the math and also start considering what the hell do i do if I can't get up the stairs of my place with a 20 foot ladder? I decide that there is NO way I can get a 30 foot ladder (15 feet fully retracted) up and around the stairs and out the little window. So I go for the 24 footer.

I learn at this point there is all kind of shit I don't know about something as simple as a ladder. They have class ratings and duty weighting and stuff. I also think to myself that you probably never want to crawl all the way up to the top of the ladder as you will surely fall off.

So I say screw it and go for the nice fiberglass one. It's 300 bucks but hell, some people drop $3000 bucks on their cat at the vet.
So I go to pull it off the shelf and realize that a fiberglass ladder, while not only incredibly long, is also insanely heavy. About 50 pounds or so. So I get the $99 aluminum one, which is only 40lbs.

Luckily I don't drive a Boxster or something. I throw the ladder in my pickup truck and haul ass home.

For some stupid reason I go and look down the hole to make sure he's still there. Duh. Yeah... He's still there.

I realize at this moment perhaps I should video tape this. Becuase now I'm going to be teetering out the window with 40 pound ladder trying to save my cat. This has You Tube's "Fatal Accident" section written all over it. I might as well get my 15 minutes of fame out of the deal.

I move the 200 pound desk and my turntables and stuff out of the way and  finally get the ladder wiggled down there. Trying to NOT hit a cat with a 40 ladder and not fall out the window is hard work.

So get the ladder down and get my big ass crawled out the window and the ladder starts doing that slapping thing against the wall telling me "Hey you idiot. This isn't a good idea." It also occurs to me. My brother-in-law had his ribs broken and his jaw wired shut TWICE when he feel of his ladder. I think to myself. Is this cat worth it? I swallow hard and start to go down the ladder when I realized Willy is actually crawling his way UP the ladder by himself and is about 1/2 way up. Now fully panicked I decide to let him keep going, becuase if I try to scoop him up, he and I both could fall. About the time I finish that thought is when he starts crawling up my leg, claws fully engaged and set to kill. Up the back of my leg and halfway up my back I decide to nab him. I grip him by the nape of his neck and lift him up over my head to the ledge, take a couple of steps, and he's made it!!!!!

I scamper up the ladder myself and then decide I should start breathing again now that I'm back on solid ground.

So anyway, that's the story.

It's 7:00A.M I'm sweaty, exhausted, and covered in pigeon shit.
I'm going to shower and crash for a little bit. I'll be in touch.

The new website should flip to our production server at 9:00. I'm feeling pretty good that it will.

If it doesn't, call me. 773 xxx xxxx

I think i'm going to make this a short film.
I think the name should be either.

"Free Willy"

"Operation Dumbo Drop"

or

"Curiousity: Scary and Painful, but it Probably Won't Kill You."

Just finished reading Canadian O.G. Michelle Kasprzak's "For What and For Whom?"

I'm
not convinced on all the points, but that doesn't mean it is not a
great read. She intertwines what two of my fav people, Kottke and
Shirky, are doing and thinking about quite nicely.

"There is no doubt that there is value to opening up and demystifying
the editing and selection processes most typically known to be domain
of the art curator. If this strategy is properly applied, it is
possible to encourage anyone who is interested to develop a deeper
aesthetic sense, to feel more closely linked to culture and heritage
institutions, and to develop stronger ideas of what culture means to
them. But if this is how the common use of the word curator is
evolving, what is lost?"