6X6 Relieves What Bothers You

Last night curator Sabrina Cuadra helped the 6X6 audience relieve their pent up doldrums through a little discomfort therapy. With assistance from musicians/noise smiths Bryan Poole, Aaron Jollay, Stephen Cramer, Nate Mitchell, and Alice Serres, Cuadra encouraged the audience to scream when they "couldn't take it anymore." And scream they did.

Selections for Relief:
1. Larisa David, The Room, Bucharest, Romania

2. Lindsey Klonoski and Jimmy DeRoth, relief relive, Athens, GA

3. Lara Salinas Alejandre, Endocrinology Nº3, Valencia, Spain

4. Nathan Lam Vuong, Untitled (Haircut), Valencia, CA

5. Andres Jurado, 2 48 minutos con la puerta, México

6. Houston Jimenez, (Re)conciliation, College Station, TX

Up next: Time, curated by Brian Hitselberger. Submit by January 21st.

6X6 Relief: Get You Some

Still from Nathan Lam Vuong's Untitled (Haircut)

There will be a lot to be relieved about once this 6X6 has its way with you: curator Sabrina Cuadra will help you have a cathartic meltdown this Wednesday, December 1 from 7-8pm at the Ciné Lab. Faster, funner, and freer than psychotherapy, Relief will feature works from Mexico, Spain, California, Texas, Romania, and little old Athens. Haircuts, soapsuds, deranged women -- when it's all over, nothing will ever bother you again. Or at least until the next 6X6.

About The Curator:
Sabrina Cuadra's work is a mixture of of performance art, sound art, and video art, influenced by her Argentine and Miami heritage. Under the moniker "Whistling School for Boys" she performs in rock show settings, combining light, color, found photos and footage with original music and audience participation, shining a light on the ordinary. She seeks to redefine artist-audience boundaries, shattering expectations that any audience might have. Since 2006, WSFB has had appearances at the New Art School's Rock vs. Art VII at the glorious underground pub Churchill's in Miami's Little Haiti, at Electronic SubSouth's first Women Of Electronic Music showcase in Gainesville, Florida, the Athens Popfest at Little Kings Shuffle Club, Flicker Theater & Bar, and ATHICA. WSFB has also projected videos during concerts by the Microphones, Everybody Everybody, 63 Crayons, Flash to Bang Time and Soul Spectacular dance parties in Athens. Her video collaboration with Connie Mae Oliver for Animal Collective's "Purple Bottle" has been viewed over 300,000 times on Youtube. Nobody leaves a WSFB performance without excitement and/or confusion.

Submit and Be Relieved

We are relieved every time a 6X6 event avoids excessive regurgitation, and we do so by offering specific suggestions and/or unapproved medical advice. So, we think we might have a handle on some of those qualities surrounding relief, which is both something you can feel and something you can provide. 6X6 reaches out to the world and the world gives back; we have received submissions from every corner of the globe. This relieves Athens of the need to generate all of the art for 6X6, although in some ways we wish Athens would. In fact, perhaps you have been thinking: "I keep meaning to submit to 6X6." And since you haven't done so, you are feeling a little pang of something very much like lameness. The absolute best way to get relief for this uncomfortable feeling is to submit. We hope that each of you will express your thoughts on relief, and submit to the upcoming event, curated by Sabrina Cuadra, by November 21. The event will not relieve you of any money at all on Wednesday, December 1, from 7-8 pm at Ciné Lab.

About The Curator:
Sabrina Cuadra's work is a mixture of of performance art, sound art, and video art, influenced by her Argentine and Miami heritage. Under the moniker "Whistling School for Boys" she performs in rock show settings, combining light, color, found photos and footage with original music and audience participation, shining a light on the ordinary. She seeks to redefine artist-audience boundaries, shattering expectations that any audience might have. Since 2006, WSFB has had appearances at the New Art School's Rock vs. Art VII at the glorious underground pub Churchill's in Miami's Little Haiti, at Electronic SubSouth's first Women Of Electronic Music showcase in Gainesville, Florida, the Athens Popfest at Little Kings Shuffle Club, Flicker Theater & Bar, and ATHICA. WSFB has also projected videos during concerts by the Microphones, Everybody Everybody, 63 Crayons, Flash to Bang Time and Soul Spectacular dance parties in Athens. Her video collaboration with Connie Mae Oliver for Animal Collective's "Purple Bottle" has been viewed over 300,000 times on Youtube. Nobody leaves a WSFB performance without excitement and/or confusion.

Consumed by 6X6

A Tolerance for Milk Drinking

We looked at Consumption the other night with 6X6 curator Lindsey Klonoski and a willing crowd. Really, it is not a flattering picture. Jennie Thing's world is full of the wrappers, chewing, and whirling flotsam-ephemera of our cast-offs; Ash Sechler fetishized the esophageal blooms shaped by our swallowing mechanisms; Ted Kuhn pushed those mechanisms to the brink by drinking milk in excessive quantity, but he also shared it with the audience via the tiny glasses of a communion set; Paige Mostowy contemplated a set of personal visions of all or part; Jimmy DeRoth drew comparisons between sloth, weight, and fitness; and Tom Ketteringham engaged a young teen in a thoughtful dialogue that scared one witless. You can consume for yourself:

Lindsey Klonoski: Curator Introduction
1. Jennie Thwing Plastic Landscape 1:37
2. Ash Sechler Consumption Junction 2:00
3. T. Kuhn Tolerance (performance)
4. Paige Mostowy thatsthewhole(andthatsthepartofit) 2:10
5. Jimmy DeRoth Relaxing Steps 4:33
6. Tom Ketteringham Does a Happy Meal Make You Happy? 5:05

Next up: Relief, curated by Sabrina Cuadra -- the deadline to submit is November 21.

That Which Eats Us Makes Us Stronger: 6X6 Consumption

Why do birds suddenly appear every time trash is near? When we are consumed with an idea, are we still ourselves, or have we become that which is eating us? Eat like a bird and consume half your weight in art and ideas on Wednesday night, November 3rd, from 7-8 pm, when 6X6 Student Prize Winner Lindsey Klonoski scatters the bread on the waters at Ciné Lab with her selections, including works by 6X6 interns Paige Mostowy and Ted Kuhn, Jimmy DeRoth (Athens), Ash Sechler (New York by way of Athens), Tom Ketteringham (Bristol, England), and Jennie Thwing (Glassboro, NJ).

About The Curator: Lindsey Klonoski is a multimedia video artist in Athens, Georgia. Winner of the 6X6 UGA Student Prize earlier this year, she is in her fourth year of study at the University of Georgia earning a BFA in Digital Media. Klonoski grew up on Saint Simons Island, a small town on the easternmost coast of Georgia. Her art is driven by the nostalgia of this town, specifically the juxtaposition of its beauty and inviting appearance against the deeper layers of heartache, mystery, and mysticism that resonate in the rural south. Her work explores human nature and emotions, seeking to understand the disconnection between the two; simultaneously invoking lust and discomfort, confusion and enticement.

Consuming As Fast As We Can

Consumption is us, and the us-ness of us is getting to be a little overwhelming: big box stores, holiday junk, landfills of fast food containers and plastic toys. Still, we cherish the cast off remnants of our culture looping through YouTube and out into space. How is it that consumption is both the act of consuming and the act of being consumed? Lindsey Klonoski will ponder this subject in the next 6X6, November 3 at the Ciné Lab from 7-8 PM. Submit your work by October 21.

About the Curator:
Lindsey Klonoski is a multimedia video artist in Athens, Georgia. Winner of the 6X6 UGA Student Prize earlier this year, she is in her fourth year of study at the University of Georgia earning a BFA in Digital Media. Klonoski grew up on Saint Simons Island, a small town on the easternmost coast of Georgia. Her art is driven by the nostalgia of this town, specifically the juxtaposition of its beauty and inviting appearance against the deeper layers of heartache, mystery, and mysticism that resonate in the rural south. Her work explores human nature and emotions, seeking to understand the disconnection between the two; simultaneously invoking lust and discomfort, confusion and enticement. More about the curator: http://www.oakandmoss.com



"

A Weakness for the Dice Games

Oh yes, it really was a fatal weakness that descended on 6X6 Wednesday night. But that was just the coordinator's tendency to over-engineer the proceedings. The audience had a fine time rolling the dice to determine which of the semi-finalist videos would get shown, allowing Chance to have its night all to itself. Once that ridiculousness was over, everyone settled down to watch the poetic, chaotic, and charming results.

Semi-Finalists and Finalists (*'d)

• Calvin Burgamy, Thought as Metaphor for Train, Atlanta, GA*
• Sarah Rushford, Alluvion, Boston, Massachusetts*
• Jim Bizzocchi, Rockface II, Burnaby, BC, Canada
• Wago Kreider, To Hug You and Squeeze You, Carbondale, IL
• Osvaldo Cibils, I Need Chance: Because I Don't Know Where to Put My Head Exactly, Rovereto, Italy*
• Derek Lerner, Absolute Horizon, New York, NY*
• Lemeh 42, The Scriptorium Trilogy #01 Feminine, Bologna, Italy
• Nick Briz, A New Ecology for the Citizen of a Digital Age, Chicago, IL*
• Melanie Beisswenger, Follow Me, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia*

Next up: Consumption, curated by Lindsey Klonoski. Submit by October 21.

A Random Experience

Still from Follow Me by Melanie Beisswenger

What is at the intersection of random and chance? Is it the impersonal detachment of a godless universe? Or the improbable providence of a winning lottery ticket? Or maybe, for many of us, it's just the neat trick of remembering where we parked the car? Test your hypothesis Wednesday night, October 6th, when 6X6 returns to the Ciné Lab with a new batch of dicey propositions. Semi-finalists include works from Chicago, Canada, New York, Atlanta, Italy, Boston, and Australia. How random is that? Everything will get sorted out when the audience takes over.

About The Curator:
The 6X6 Audience consists of seasoned professionals who understand the ins and outs of audience participation. They come, they buy beverages, they sit, they applaud, they volunteer, and they come back again. What a great group! They will bring their own signature style to the proceedings, one that mixes the experimental with the tried and true, the women with the men, and the unpredictable with the just plain unforeseeable.

Take a Chance on 6X6

It is chancy indeed to participate in 6X6. Submitters don't know whether they will be accepted; curators don't know whether they will like the work that is submitted; the coordinator doesn't know whether anyone will show up; the audience doesn't know whether to get a nice glass of wine or a refreshing draught of IPA; and on October 6th, it will be up to them to decide everything. Don't miss out on this chance to submit to the fickle finger of fate; the deadline for entries is Tuesday, September 21. Roll the dice and see what happens!

About The Curator for 6X6 Chance:
The 6X6 Audience consists of seasoned professionals who understand the ins and outs of audience participation. They come, they buy beverages, they sit, they applaud, they volunteer, and they come back again. What a great group! They will bring their own signature style to the proceedings, one that mixes the experimental with the tried and true, the women with the men, and the unpredictable with the just plain unforeseeable.

It's Time to Submit Again to 6X6

Submit to 6X6: Hypnotic Suggestion Video

Just when you thought it was over, 6X6 is returning for another round of fast, free fun. Will we be able to top the antics of sweatered rabbits, searching for Gina, and locating Paul? Will the door prizes get any better? What can we possibly do to keep 6X6 fresh and unexpected? Stay tuned, the answer will surprise you.

In the meantime, the 6X6 call for submissions has been posted. New themes, new curators, and new dates, but with some continuity -- the curators are artists whose work was submitted in the first round, so they know the drill, and are ready to put their own stamp on the proceedings. You can too -- submit your video, performance, and sound work now! It's free and easy to submit; all submissions are posted to the 6X6 YouTube channel; and selected artists receive fame and glory, or at least the opportunity to capture the perfectly short attention spans of the 6X6 audience, a faithful and enthusiastic bunch of novelty-starved Athenians. Get with it -- submit to one or more themes today through March 21, 2011.

6X6 Series II Schedule

Theme	Curator	Submit Date	Event Date, Wednesdays 7-8PM
Chance	6X6 Audience	9/21/2010	October 6, 2010
Consumption	Lindsey Klonoski	10/21/2010	November 3, 2010
Relief	Sabrina Cuadra	11/21/2010	December 1, 2010
Time	Brian Hitselberger	1/21/2010	February 2, 2011
Sentiment	Matthew Buzzell	2/21/2010	March 2, 2011
Escape	Lauren Fancher	3/21/2010	April 6, 2011

Stars Fell on Athens, Georgia

The first 6X6 series concluded with a bang on August 4th with the curation of "Disaster" by Lauren Fancher. After first forcing the audience to respond to videotaped questions, and then requiring them to fan her and hold her speech, and then alarming them with the prospect of enduring her reading each and every word on a half inch thick pile of papers, she got out of the way and allowed the work to take over.



In a first for 6X6, the band Ranch performed live, featuring the resonant baritone of Jasey Jones, Kevin Sims on bass, and Laura Morgan on drums. They flickered in the dark while videos made by Sabrina Cuadra and Christopher Childs filled the screen in counterpoint -- one developed just for the song, the other serendipitously apt. Seen together for the first time at the event by both the band and the artists, the evening ended on the high note of Jasey Jones refuting what is necessarily so while the oil deep under the gulf burbled up through the whale song.

Complete Disaster Line-Up:
1. Chris Basmajian, Moment Magnitude, San Francisco, CA, 4:21
2. Katherine Sweetman, Dating in LA, San Diego, CA, 2:00
3. Peter Rand, Altruistic Amoeba, Denton, TX, 3:21
4. Knut Hybinette, Crowd, Enkoping, Sweden, 1:30
5. Ranch (Music: Jasey Jones, Laura Morgan, and Kevin Sims) and Sabrina Cuadra (Video), Live Performance, "It Hurts Me Too,” Athens, GA, 3:30
6. Ranch (Music: Jasey Jones, Laura Morgan, and Kevin Sims) and Christopher Childs (Video), Live Performance, “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” Athens, GA, 3:30

At the end of the evening, the 6X6 UGA Student Prize was awarded to Lindsey Klonoski. Not only were her entries selected by multiple curators, but they were consistently original, personal, and beautiful, combining performance, video, sculpture, and place.

6X6 will return in October with new themes and curators. Stay tuned and get your entries ready. We can only hope to continue to be, as one attendee remarked about Disaster, "both so weird and so well-organized."

6X6 #6 Disaster: A Bad Star Rises

From Moment Magnitude by Chris Basmajian

Are we tired of bad news from the bad stars, the disasters that surround us, remind us of our doom, our frailty, and our helpless stupidity? Really, what can art do in the face of so much? Come on down to the Ciné Lab on Wednesday August 4 at 7 pm, get a beverage, and let 6X6 Disaster curator Lauren Fancher read your horoscope. Thoughtful, strange, personal, and provocative, the selected works include videos from California, Sweden, and Texas, the music of the Athens band Ranch, and the return of Sabrina Cuadra and Christopher Childs. It's the last of the first series, which will return from hiatus in October, and it's the time to award the UGA Student Prize (a Flip video camera) for participation, valor, and the ability to capture the attention of the 6X6 coordinator. Contenders include Denton Crawford, Brian Hitselberger, Lindsey Klonosky, Ted Kuhn, Sarah Laurentius, Dan Osborne, Rob Peterson, and Justin Plakas. It's written in the stars...

About The Curator: Lauren Fancher has a background in studio art (BFA, UGA) and instructional technology (MEd, UGA), and currently has a focus on interactive design and digital media. She is active in the instructional technology, library, and digital arts communities as a writer, presenter, and artist, as well as serving as the coordinator of the 6X6 Media Arts Events series held at the Ciné Lab in Athens. She really appreciates everybody who has participated and hopes to have more fun with 6X6 in the coming year. More about Lauren Fancher...

Who Dunnit? Why, 6X6, of Course...

For tribal man space was the uncontrollable mystery.
For technological man it is time that occupies the same role.
Marshall McLuhan

Our old friend McLuhan haunted the Cine Lab on July 7 when we gathered with curator Jeffrey Whittle to delve into the depths of his selections for 6X6 Mystery. Proving that "art -is- anything you can get away with," the pieces ranged from Aaron Oldenburg's first person drowning simulation to Elizabeth Leister's live performance streamed over the Net from California, in which a darkened room full of people in Athens, Georgia watched her hands draw in tandem with a ghost. Not to mention Lindsey Lawson's simulation of invisible hands making pottery on a wheel to the tune of "Unchained Melody." For those of you who didn't get it at the time, as curator Whittle pointed out, "That's a pop culture reference." We really have to hand it to him, these selections were terrific:

1. Aaron Oldenburg, Drowning, Germantown, MD, 3:04

2. John Keston, Chromatic Textures, Minneapolis, MN, 6:25

3. Lindsey Klonoski, (Subconscious) Grind, Athens, GA, 1:15

4. Lindsay Lawson, Das Ding, Berlin, Germany, 3:38

5. Denton Crawford, Eyeballs and Chicken Snakes, Athens, GA,1:51

6. Elizabeth Leister, Hand Drawn, Los Angeles, CA, 5:31

Next up: 6X6 Disaster, curated by Lauren Fancher. Don't we get enough of that these days? Better tell her off; submit your work by July 28.

6X6 #5: Mystery, From the Enigmatic Jeffrey Whittle

The word "mystery" derives from the Latin word "mysterium" which means "secret." But we use this word to describe things we don't understand, the ineffable, and the baffling. When we read a mystery, we are trying to solve a puzzle. And when we try to act mysterious, we want you to think we are up to something. And we are -- it's no secret you need to come witness the mysterious rites planned for Wednesday's event. The selected works come from Athens, Berlin, Minneapolis, Germantown (MD), and Los Angeles, including Denton Crawford's mystery of life, Aaron Oldenburg's plunge into asphyxia, and a performance streamed live over the Internet from California. Mysteries will be solved at 6X6, this Wednesday, July 7 at the Ciné Lab from 7-8 pm. Be a part of it; be there!

About The Curator: Jeffrey Whittle was born in Atlanta and raised in Powder Springs, Georgia. He initially studied engineering at Georgia Tech and transferred to UGA to study Drawing and Painting. He completed his undergraduate studies at The Cooper Union in NYC, where he studied painting and filmmaking. After living and working in San Francisco, and Oregon, he attended grad school at Cornell University, receiving an MFA in 1997. He has taught drawing and painting in upstate New York, Iowa, Texas and Georgia. He has received individual artist’s grants from the Georgia Council of the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council and has been the recipient of several artist-in-residence awards, including the Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain. His work deals with narrative, myth, the figure, and mixed media – in particular the idea and usage of maps. He is currently the Gallery Director at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at UGA.

Sweet Mystery of 6X6

Of course, everything about 6X6 is mysterious. Who will submit, what will be submitted, which submissions will be selected, who will come to the event, is the speaker really the curator? The answer to most of these questions involves YOU. Submit your mysterious work to 6X6 Mystery by June 21; Jeffrey Whittle, painter and Lamar Dodd School of Art gallerist, is the mystery man. The event will take place July 7, from 7-8 pm at the Ciné Lab. Come and understand...

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Paul Thomas

"I think to be a successful artist, you have to be able to see what you're doing and what you're painting. And if you produce something where, say a figure of human being and the head is in the right place, and it's not kind of over in one corner, and the body over in the other corner, and you can find it's a good bet that maybe they had the lights on and they were able to see what they were doing."

-- Paul Thomas via Paul Thomas, 6X6 Light, June 2, 2010

What weird wonderfulness transpired when all 90 of us crammed into the Ciné Lab on Wednesday night. Paul Thomas, the curator for the event, provided a radiant glimpse into his mind through the intermediation of his protégé Paul Thomas, who turned a phrase until it fractured like a prism, and actual film ran through an actual projector, and the audience was held captive in magic glasses by laser dancers, and in the dark we saw more kinds of light than we could have imagined, sent to us from New York, Italy, Ireland, and our own home town.

Selections for 6X6 Light:
1. Christopher Childs Untitled SP #1 5:32

2. Jeff Burns and Catherine Gilbert Thor's Lullaby 1:52 Brooklyn, NY, USA

3. Sabrina Cuadra Gazer Light Show 4:00 Athens, GA (live performance)

4. Paul O'Donoghue A Diamond Forms Under Pressure 6:13 Dublin, Ireland

5. Osvaldo Cibils Multimedia Head 5:00 Rovereto (TN) Italy

6. Lindsey Klonoski Repel 2:10 Athens, GA

Next up is Mystery, curated by Jeffrey Whittle. Submit by June 21!

6X6 #4: Light, Refracted Through The Mind of Paul Thomas

Light makes it possible for us to see and makes it hard for us to hide. We create great disasters to obtain it and we struggle with ignorance until it arrives. Paul Thomas has seen the light and it is beautiful like a rainbow. The selected works come from Athens, Italy, Ireland, and New York, including a performance by Sabrina Cuadra, a film by Christopher Childs, and more. Light will be shed at 6X6, this Wednesday, June 2 at the Ciné Lab from 7-8 pm. Be a part of it; be there!

Submit to Paul Thomas

You may ask yourself, what is this 6X6? You may ask yourself, why should I submit? You may tell yourself, this is not my 6X6. This is not my beautiful light. But it is -- don't hide it under a bushel. Submit and be seen.

Curated by Athens' own international art star Paul Thomas, the deadline to submit is May 21.

More About Paul Thomas
Paul Thomas has his hands in a lot of different things. Known to many as the proprietor of a series of salons offering vintage goods, conversation, and performance, he is now a full-time artist. His recent work includes being one of 14 contemporary artists chosen to augment the Dada Retrospective at The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in the International Dada Exhibition: "Born-Again Dada" at the District of Columbia Contemporary Arts Center, in Washington D.C.; the exhibit "Portraits of the American Subconscious" at the Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA; video and sound installations at the Contemporary in Atlanta and the AUX Festival, in Athens, GA; writings and collage work; and serving as curator/ consultant to the LM Gallery in Williamsburg, Va.

Paul Thomas on Facebook

Nature Swamped Us

It's the strangest thing. Last night, we were expecting Kim Kirby to come up front and preside over the 6X6 Nature event. Instead, this strange swamp creature emerged from the darkness to speak softly and surprisingly sweetly about how nature is our temple. No explanation was offered, but the work that followed was sweet (Sabrina Cuadra's Human Nature), funny (Dan Osborne's mockumentary about plastic cups in the wild), and snap-crackle-and popping (Ted Kuhn's performance involving massive quantities of Rice Krispies and PBR). Just when you thought it couldn't get any stranger...

Selections for Nature

• Bird Migration, Sol Rezza, Amecameca, Estado de Mexico, Mexico, Sound work.
• Human Nature, Sabrina Cuadra, Athens, GA., Video
• Plastic Cups: Life After Disposal, Dan Osborne, Athens, GA, Video
• Sound of Saturation, Ted Kuhn, Athens, GA., Live Performance
• Freikörperkultur,Lindsey Klonoski, Athens, GA., Video
• Anemophilous Formula for Computer Art, Joelle Dietrick and Owen Mundy, Tallahassee, FL., Data-Driven Computer Simulation, Video.
• Caralion, Eddie Whelan., Wilmington, Delaware, Video

Coming up next: 6X6 Light, curated by Paul Thomas. Be a part of it! Submit by May 21!

6X6 #3: Nature, Through the Kaleidoscope Eyes of Kim Kirby

Caralion, by Eddie Whelan

Nature is not for the faint of heart: it's beastly, chaotic, and in constant upheaval. And forget about those little bunnies and pretty flowers. Kim Kirby prefers her nature to be unnaturally colored, fragmented, computerized, and disposable. The selected works come from Athens, Mexico, Delaware, and Florida, including a performance by Ted Kuhn, a video by Sabrina Cuadra, and more. Nature blooms at 6X6, this Wednesday, May 5 at the Ciné Lab from 7-8 pm. Be a part of it; be there!

The Nature of 6X6

Nature is making a lot of noise these days -- the birds, the pollen, the explosion of color and scent -- Athens, Georgia in early April is drenched in natural phenomenon. What better way to be inspired -- it's nature's way of telling us to submit to 6X6! Get your camera, grab a friend, act out an idea, watch the passing parade, invent a new species, experiment. What is your true nature? Express yourself.

Curated by Kim Kirby, the deadline for 6X6 Nature is April 21.

More About Curator Kim Kirby
Kim Kirby was raised in Walterboro, South Carolina. She attended Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied Industrial Design; attended the College of Charleston, where she studied Illustration; and attended UGA, where she studied Digital Media. She has lived and worked in Berlin and New York City and is a published illustrator and graphic designer, having worked with Collette in Paris, Vice Magazine, Swindle Magazine, Nike, Adidas, Reebok, K2 Snowboards and packaging for Target. Her fashion graphics have been photographed on celebrities such as M.I.A. and Amy Winehouse and in magazines such as Nylon and ID Magazine. She has worked as an art director for numerous agencies and is now the owner of her own creative and web services company, Young Athenians.

www.youngathenians.com

What We Talk About When We Talk About Play

Mr. Performance Art (Ken Bullock)

Years from now, when you talk about 6X6 Play, and you will talk about 6X6 Play, you'll say, "you just had to be there." Or maybe "I was there." Lots of us were, including the mayor, the managing editor of our local alternative rag, and international art star Paul Thomas. Curator Didi Dunphy ran the show like a playground impresario, and made everyone play by her rules. In fact, she selected 7 pieces, two of which were performed live. Ken Bullock had the place in an uproar, morphing from OCD talk-show host to ax-wielding, slip-wearing, birth-giving, Gina-calling maniac in his piece "Mr. Performance Art At it Again." Who's Gina? Who cares? It was sublimely ridiculous. Then Leslie Burns plunged the room into darkness for her performance of "Playtime with Subterranean Termites." Described by one attendee as "elegant," her piece involved a blacklight under which glowing termites arranged themselves around a pheromone-traced heart, like a miniature Busbee Berkeley musical. Haunting, mysterious, hushed.

What a night -- artists from all over, audience of artists, fans, and friends, the Ciné crew helping put it all together in the wonderful lab, and over in an hour. Fast, fun, and free!

Selections for Play:

• Squirrels in the Land of Sweatered Rabbits and Lost Socks: David Waddell, Houston, Texas. Stop-action animation. Video.
• Antics of Thursday: Vienne Chan and Joas Sebastian Nebe, Berlin, Germany. Video.
• Trust Exercises for Lovers: Brian Hitselberger, Athens, GA. Video.
• Mr. Performance Art at it Again: Ken Bullock, NY and Athens. Performance, live.
• Playtime with Subterranean Termites: Leslie Burns, Athens. Performance, live and video.
• Folly & Error: Michelle Handelman, NY. Performance, video.
• Imaginary Friends: Christine McLoughlin, Newcastle, UK. Video.

Coming up next: 6X6 Nature, curated by Kim Kirby. Be a part of it! Submit by April 21!

Play Date

You are not going to believe the line-up for 6X6 Play -- a performance by Ken Bullock, Leslie Burns' love affair with termites, Brian Hitselberger's trust games, works from Berlin and Texas, the sock theme continues, and more. Just what is it about 6X6 and socks? Find out for yourself -- come to the Ciné Lab Wednesday, April 7, from 7-8pm. Didi Dunphy will be taking over the playground -- and you too!

Not Just Playing Around: 6X6 Play Underway

Thanks to all who submitted for 6X6 Play. Didi Dunphy, the high priestess of fun, is now reviewing the entries. No kidding, people submitted from all over -- England, Canada, Germany, Oregon, North Dakota, Florida, New York City, and best of all, Athens. Get your skateboards out and slalom down to 6X6 Play next week,Wednesday April 7, 7-8 pm at Ciné Lab.

And the call for the next event, 6X6 Nature, curated by Kim Kirby, is fast upon us. Submit your daring, thoughtful, meditative, disruptive creations by April 21st. Go on -- you're a natural!

Get Playful: Submit to 6X6

Coming up next with 6X6 is "Play," to be curated by DiDi Dunphy; submit by March 21st. Not sure what this is all about? Make pretend you do and make something; use your camera, your video, your voice, your thoughts, the things you hear and find. Get with your friends, have a good time, make art out of it. Submit!



More About Curator Didi Dunphy
Didi Dunphy received an MFA from SFAI in performance and video art. Selected exhibits and installations include, Playscape, COCA, St. Louis, Playscape, Atlanta Contemporary, Let’s Fall in Love, Ivy Brown Gallery, NY, Push Play, Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, A/D 2004, The Lab, San Francisco, AIM, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA, Georgia Triennial, Telfair Museum, GA. Ms. Dunphy also exhibits design objects at the ICFF, NY and CaBoom West Coast Indy Design Show, Santa Monica. A number of features have been written about Ms. Dunphy including Craft, CMYK, Southern Living, as well as reviews in the LA Times, SF Chronicle, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and more. Ms. Dunphy is a visiting Artist and Assistant Professor at the Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia in Athens where she teachings in the time-based arts, contemporary arts and professional practices. She lives in Athens GA with her husband, artist Jim Barsness and 15 year old daughter, Lucy.

www.modernconvenience.com
www.modernconvenience.com/dididunphy
www.the-clr.com

Fashion X 3600 Seconds

1/1800's of Ghost Ray, a 60 Second work by Dominic DeJoseph

Fashion kicked off the 6X6 series last night. An adventurous group of Athenian students, townspeople, faculty, artists, and friends gathered in the Ciné Lab and bore witness as Michael Lachowski revealed his six selections for his theme "Fashion," discussing his intentions as a curator and his reaction to each selection. He approached the topic from the standpoint that fashion is not only about "glamour" and our cultural preoccupation with style, but also refers to making things, and things that reflect making. The works ranged from the low-res compulsively repetitive video and music of "Cotton Crotch" by Sabrina Cuadra to the low-key humor of "Kai Reidl is Without Socks," directed by Matthew Buzzell, with music by the late Athens band Macha.

Selections for Fashion:
• Seven Days of Seven Curators in My Closet: Jacqueline Davis
• Ghost Ray: Dominic DeJoseph, Director; Sean Eden, Music
• Cotton Crotch: Sabrina Cuadra, Video and Music
• Transformation: Ash Sechler, Video
• Frau Fiber in Conversation With Pasteur Achille: Carole Frances Lung, Interview and Photos; Rob Peterson, Sound
• Kai Reidl is Without Socks: Matthew Buzzell, Director, Macha, Music

6X6 is a fledgling effort that with the help of Michael Lachowski, the artists, and sponsors just took a big step out into the air. The supportive crowd helped get the wings flapping, and while nobody liked everything, most found something to talk about. Diversity of opinion is a sign things are working: for many, "Cotton Crotch" was a favorite, but it also inspired some discussion about the potential and limitations of cell phone video. The event clocked in at exactly an hour, and one person reported that "I also like the short time frame." That's what we're looking for: Fast, Fun, and Free.

What is this thing called 6X6? Show up at the next event (April 7, 7pm, Ciné Lab) and find out for yourself. But think: anything that can happen in real time. Video, film, slideshow, performance, sound, projectable, disectable, thoughtful, obsessive, simple, or combination. With your help, 6X6 will inspire conversation and challenge all of us to make stuff and explore new ideas. The power of new media is it is accessible to everyone with our camera phones and video key rings and spy pen tape recorders and web-based editing and publishing tools. Coming up next is "Play," to be curated by DiDi Dunphy; submit by March 21st.

This is your chance to be playful, experiment, take a step out of the nest and into the air, fly to the playground, take some video of what happens, have your friends sing a song about it, and edit it on YouTube. Or find a picture of every toy you ever wished you had but never did and then record yourself asking total strangers if they ever had one and how they felt about it. Ask them to come to the event with their toys. The only limits are in your mind. Be a part of it. Submit.

6X6 #1: Fashion, March 3

Curated by Michael Lachowski, Wednesday, March 3, 7-8pm @ Ciné Lab.

Fast, fun, and free, each event in this monthly series of curated video, sound, performance, and multi-media works presents six, new media arts works, each of them fresh and unexpected, each no longer than six minutes. Michael Lachowski is curating the inaugural event, bringing his signature style to the topic at hand: Fashion, in all senses of the word. Entries have been received from all points of the globe; be sure to check out the YouTube channel; all submissions will be posted if possible, and it is already clear that it will be hard to pick six for 6X6.

Lachowski is long-time Athens resident, UGA graduate with a BFA in Art/Photography, and founding member of the legendary band Pylon, considered by many of us to be the best and most original band ever to come out of the Athens scene, shaping the aesthetic of Athens' life and music with the pure fun and irresistible beat of their DYI tunes. He continues to work as an artist and photographer, providing creative services for businesses under the name Candy, participating as a member of Athens Design Development, and publishing the art-photography-music-style-design magazine Young, Foxy & Free.

I think that time-based art can benefit from a punchy venue for exhibition, and that the presence of exhibition opportunities will engender more art-making. A fresh opportunity to show media based work will engage the audience and the artists to mutual benefit. I think the short and sweet format of 6x6 makes for a more vital experience for all, and I'm thrilled to participate as a curator. -- Michael Lachowski

Next up: 6x6 #2: Play, curated by Didi Dunphy, taking place on April 7. Anyone in the world can participate. Be a part of it; submit your work by the 21st of March.

Submit to 6X6

Call for Entries: 6X6 Media Arts Events

SHARE YOUR WORK, GET EXPOSURE, GET FEEDBACK, SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING

Athens artists working in experimental, digital media, film, performance, sound, or combination arts: 6X6 wants your work

The 6X6 Media Arts Events II will be held monthly from October 2010 to December 2010 and February 2011 to April 2011 in order to provide a forum for submission and curation of media artworks and build a community of participation, review, and response for both audience and practitioner.

The program title “6X6” refers to the structure of the program:

• Six events
• Sixty minutes long each
• Six pieces per event
• Six minutes or less per piece
  
• Six curators
• Six themes

Pieces are limited in length to six minutes, and no more than six will be selected for any one event. No limitations are placed on what type of work can be submitted except: it must be able to be projected digitally, performed, played via sound system, or some combination. Electronic files and support materials can be submitted via email (up to 5 MB's), CD, DVD, or internet download. Entries with technical problems need to be resolved by the artist or will be withdrawn or rejected. Terms of submission include permission to exhibit both live and online (whether or not selected for a particular event), permission to video tape performances, and permission to include selected work in a compilation DVD. No materials will be returned. Other than these uses, the artists will retain all rights.

Submit your work by the deadline for the month of the theme you wish to enter -- see the submission form for complete details.

Enter Your Work

6X6 People

Coordinator
Lauren Fancher

Advisor
Didi Dunphy

Curators

• Michael Lachowski: michaellachowski.com and suxsez.com
• Didi Dunphy: modernconvenience.com
• Kim Kirby: youngathenians.com
  
• Paul Thomas: http://www.myspace.com/pt_109
  
• Jeffrey Whittle: http://art.uga.edu/people.php?id=5036
• Lauren Fancher: www.laurenfancher.com
  

Friends and Helpers
Carl Martin, Carol John, Jennifer Hartley, Mark Callahan, Chris Cogan, Myung Cogan, Peter Fancher, Chris Cotter

Venue
Ciné
234 West Hancock Ave
Athens, GA 30601
706.353.7377

Sponsors
Athens First Bank and Trust
Ciné
Candy

6X6 Guiding Principles

1. Keep event schedule and duration moving quickly
2. Stay flexible with logistics
3. Keep the overhead low
4. Leverage community resources
5. Maintain quality in communications and curation
6. Provide recognition for point of view and artistry