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.