I spent 2 weeks in new orleans this october helping to design a satellite event for the nascent biennial prospect.1. I agree that economic depression sure does something wonderful for bohemia. new orleans sparkles in it's make-do, post-katrina karisma. that it's been abandoned by the gentrifyers, the ikeas, the mcmansions and the 21st century suburban shopping centers, is its saving grace. venture capitalists see it as infertile and risky. insurance for property is ridiculously high. it hardly even has a market. . .it survives because of its vibrant art-filled culture composed of extreme characters and romantic materiality rotting away in the swamp. the people who are now drawn to it as it awaits it's future, have something other than money on their minds. to me it is an urban refuge which I am grateful to have rediscovered at this critical moment in history. . .and it's only 7 hours from the ATL.
I like the word gambiarra. it is a portuguese term which means to make-do with on-the-fly grace and resourcefulness. it's a true contemporary art. being a sometimes starving artist myself, I know it takes great character to stay positive, make stylish decisions, socialize and make art on zero budget. to be the ousider who solves problems with naive creative zeal despite also sometimes scraping or cheating to get what you need, or doing entirely without, without apology. meanwhile the parade of bells & whistles appear across every billboard, judgementally. . .every moving screen screams happily, every new upscale subdivision promotes a stale unsustainable dream. until recently in our culture, to make-do connoted failure. . .but in sao paulo, brazil, a "mega-city," a future of extreme capitalism. . . "gambiarra" is a commonly used compliment. . .in a place where the well-to-do drive armored suv's, and land private helicoptors on top of buildings to avoid the chaos and depression of the common streets.
-kt
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