DUTCH FOR THE BETTERMENT.

MARK GONZALES + COCONUT RECORDS

This is an older video, but it's one of my favorites. Can't go wrong with Mark Gonzales riding a skateboard anytime - much less a sorta longboard in an art museum dressed in a fencers uniform. ''I wanted to appear like a dancer but not too feminine,'' he said in a NYTimes article. ''The fencing uniform shows your body type but also means business.''




Though this is a music video for Jason Schwartzmans band Coconut Records (which has just released a new record called Davy, that I think is quite good) the footage is from Cheryl Dunn's film "Back World for Words" - which I would kill to see.

The next best thing however is this spectators vantage point that provides a little more connection with the performance.


I think this is a really groundbreaking 'piece' if it can be called that. I think architects, city planners, and curators could all benefit from thinking about this concept of the act of skateboarding (or other public sports that require equal parts cojones and finesse) as art. Not only the act, but the obstacle can hold more potential energy in their aesthetic than a Pollack. Bottom line: I'd love to see more integration of recreation into the cityscapes.

REDEFINING OPEN SPACES?

On my way to work in South Boston, I always pass a set of steps in Chinatown. Recently I passed these steps and they were covered in sod! This makes me go, "Hmmmm?"

When I went to the Fort Point Open Studios a few weeks ago I learned that in 2001, Boston artists Lisa Greenfield and Jennifer Moses blanketed the length of the Summer Street bridge with grass, creating a massive stretch of natural carpet. They called it Phase One of "Redefining Open Spaces," a public art project. I'm wondering if these steps are by the same artists, or if someone else has another idea in mind. Is this public art? Or did someone just have some extra sod? It's definitely not as impressive as the original project, but it still caught my attention.

Lisa Greenfield, 2001