Movie Night @KOS 2018 /  by chris fiore

Massively grateful to everyone who made it to the screening of The Ken Stones: Miami at Ken's open studio. It was a bigger crowd than I expected and would have been a disaster if Taylor Kuhn hadn't saved the day with her excellent bluetooth speaker. Even though it was a super friendly crowd, seeing the films with other people for the first time was hugely insightful. A 1am screening of Trip And Go Naked, in which 5 dudes showed up (I was chastised for doing a crappy job of advertising) and sat scattered around the barn as the indomitable Mistress Otter (of 23 years ago) did her thing, had a wonderfully surreal edge.

Showing up with a projector and screen is one of the most fun ways of getting your movies out there!

TKS.M_screening_01

The Ken Stones: Miami Soft Premiere /  by chris fiore

The Ken Stones: Miami Poster_Smiley

 

I was going to screen this film last year as part of my CRS show, but postponed due to the fact that Ken was working on a stone in Japan. That turned out to be quite fortuitous as this new cut is radically improved over the previous version. We'll be premiering the film at Ken's open studio in Andes NY on the weekend of July 28. If you're upstate, swing on by!

Worlds Strongest Man 2018 /  by chris fiore

My stint on World's Strongest Man ended yesterday, and I have to say, its become a favorite summer edit gig. Most of the strongmen have that Thanos physique, no CGI needed, but instead of eliminating half of all life in the universe, these genial dudes want to lift heavy shit and chill with their girlfriends. Halfthor Bjornsson, the Icelandic beast who plays The Mountain on Game of Thrones, won this year and his post awards interview is pure geek manna. Will post after it airs.

The only downside is the event tends to be hosted by fascist run countries, last year Botswana and this year the Philippines, because a carnival of oiled up Tom of Finland man-children reveling in acts of brute strength is irresistible propaganda for right wing tough guy wannabes.

What can I say, educating the youngsters ain't cheap.

 

The Work 1: Limited Edition Denominations /  by chris fiore

Folks who  know me primarily as a filmmaker have been asking what I'm showing.  Here's a brief explanation. 

Irradiated By Fukushima, 2017, 20x30, ethereum, archival ink on acid free paper

Irradiated By Fukushima, 2017, 20x30, ethereum, archival ink on acid free paper

The main body and newest work in the show are the  Limited Edition Denominations. These are prototypes of art made with cryptocurrency. Inspired by several of the activists I was privileged to work with on recent documentaries, they are an attempt to make art that has a positive and direct impact on the world. 

In this experiment each print is a document representing a unit of cryptocurrency, in this case 1/100th of an Ether (1 eth = $273.59 as of this writing). Eth is the name of the currency associated with Ethereum and is connected by the QR code located at the bottom center of the piece to data representing the cryptocurrency. When the work is complete, 1 set of the edition is for sale to the public and another set of the edition is donated to organizations such as the ACLU or the International Relief Fund for use as collateral or for sale. If the value of the cryptocurrency or artwork increases so does it’s ability to directly benefit others.  

In this case the beauty of the flower acts as a lure or trap, drawing the viewer in close enough to read the “fine print,” examples of the devil's bargain we unthinkingly make through the course of any given day. 

Run Down By A Nazi, 2017, 20x30, ethereum, Archival ink on acid free paper

Run Down By A Nazi, 2017, 20x30, ethereum, Archival ink on acid free paper