"Dancing By the Marsh," an excerpt from "Presidio Sites"

Christopher Reiger
"View of Crissy Field from near "Presidio Sites" Site #4; The Presidio, San Francisco, CA; November 2013"

An adapted excerpt from my "Presidio Sites" project is featured at The Center For Humans & Nature blog, City Creatures. Click here to read it.

Photo credit: © Christopher Reiger, 2013

"Presidio Sites"

Laurie Halsey Brown (senseofplaceLAB)
"Christopher Reiger at Quadrat Site #1;  Presidio, San Francisco, CA; October 2013"

In December 2013, I led a walking tour to three of the four sites in the Presidio that were the focus of Nomadic Nature In Situ, a collaborative art project curated by senseofplaceLAB. At each stop, I read a short reflection on some aspect of the site, and the walking tour concluded with a reception where recent photographs of mine were on view. In the course of 2014, I'll lead more of these walks as part of my “Presidio Sites” project.

See photos from the December outing and read about the “Presidio Sites” project here.

Sign Fail

During my August trip to Arizona's Tonto National Forest, I encountered the sign pictured below near a trailhead. I found it notable for two reasons.

First, while Tonto visitors should certainly be informed of the simple precautions they can take to avoid antagonistic American black bear encounters, the sign seems to play up the threat posed, an approach better reserved for regions that are home to grizzly or brown bears.

I also tripped over the sign's closing quip, "A Fed bear is a dead bear." Is the Forest Service threatening stout, hirsute homosexual men employed by the federal government? Careless copyediting strikes again!

Forest Service sign; East Verde River; Tonto National Forest; Arizona
August 2013

Image credit: sign snapshot, Christopher Reiger, 2013

Antennae #26 Feature

I'm pleased to announce that several of my paintings and drawings are featured in Issue #26 (Autumn 2013) of Antennae: The Journal of Nature In Visual Culture. Accompanying the images, the editors printed a statement I wrote about the featured body of work.

While I'm not currently working on that series -- my attention is more focused on the hybrid project I described in April -- I'm delighted to have my work appear in Antennae, a journal that, as an artist and writer preoccupied by all things "nature," I've long been a fan of.

Image credits:: Antennae, copyright 2013

Snapshots From Home Ground Chapbook

Snapshots From Home Ground Chapbook, 2013

Snapshots From Home Ground, the limited edition chapbook I produced in conjunction with the Aggregate Space Writer-in-Residence and Featherboard Writing Series, was released in early August 2013. A meditation on my rural upbringing on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the book is comprised of eight vignettes and a selection of photographs taken by either me or my father.

Copies are available through both Aggregate Space and Featherboard. (I also plan to release a free e-chapbook version later this year.)

Below, I've published "Good Boy," the chapbook's opening sketch, and also include a number of "snapshots" of book spreads.

Featherboard Writing Series Reading

George Reiger
Heron Hill cemetery, Locustville, Virginia
Circa 1975

This coming Saturday, August 3, I will read selections from the chapbook I've produced in conjunction with the Aggregate Space and Featherboard Writing Series Writer-in-Residence Program. The chapbook is a meditation on my rural upbringing; along with my text, it features photographs taken by either me or my father. A limited edition of the chapbook will be available at the reading. (I will also design and release an e-chapbook version later this year.)

If you're in the Bay Area, please consider coming to Aggregate Space for the event.

FEATHERBOARD WRITING SERIES
Saturday, August 3rd @ 5pm
Aggregate Space Gallery
801 W. Grand Ave. (enter on West St) in Oakland
Exhibition on view: CINDERSCAPE: New Work by Jaime Lakatos

ABOUT THE READERS:
FARNOOSH FATHI was born in 1981 and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Her first book of poems, Great Guns, was just published by Canarium Books.

CHRISTINE CHOI passes time lollygagging in matters of the heart, navigating human-animal-machine relationships, considering video games, and dreaming in sounds. She holds an MFA from the California College of the Arts, and her writing has appeared in Paul Revere’s Horse, In Posse Review, BANG OUT, or was performed with Soundwave, NOMA GALLERY, POW!POW!POW! Action Art Festival, Small Press Traffic’s Poet’s Theater Extravaganza, and Bay Area Poetry Marathon at The Lab.

CHRISTOPHER REIGER is a writer and artist originally from Virginia's rural Delmarva Peninsula. Before moving to the Bay Area, he lived and worked in New York City for a decade, where he graduated from the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts (NYC) in 2002. He has exhibited his artwork in the United States and abroad and has contributed art criticism to a number of print and online journals. Additionally, essays and short-form pieces about art, natural history, and miscellany have been published in various books and magazines as well as on his long-running blog, Hungry Hyaena. In 2011, he and artist-curator Selene Foster co-founded the non-profit organization BAASICS (Bay Area Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions).

Image credit: copyright, George Reiger

Commonplace Book Time Machine #1: Novus Ordo Seclorum

One of the two chapbooks I initially proposed creating in conjunction with my Aggregate Space & Featherboard Writing Series writing residency will not be produced. Because the residency is only five weeks long, I've decided I must devote the lion's share of the period to the more substantial of the two projects, a meditation on my childhood comprehension of death and killing. Still, rather than let the preliminary work I'd done for the commonplace book chapbook go to waste, I thought I'd share a few of the scanned pages here, on Hungry Hyaena, along with some editorializing. The first of these posts follows.

+++++

2-page spread from one of my commonplace books, 2000

Just after my twenty-second birthday, I began a new commonplace book. At the time, I was living in the basement bedroom of an Alphabet City apartment in Manhattan, laboring five days a week at a Soho art gallery and, nights and weekends, drawing and painting in my bedroom or working on a solipsistic vampire novel titled, appropriately, Me. My income was meagre; I'd grown used to dinners of white rice (generously seasoned with soy sauce) and I socialized just one night a week (not counting too many hours spent watching recorded episodes of Mr. Show with my roommates). Necessarily thrifty, then, I elected not to purchase a new journal to use for the commonplace book; instead, I picked up a journal that I'd cast aside a couple of years prior after filling its early pages with adolescent agitation.

Homicidal toys, dot matrix printers, and the 3D printing vanguard

Man with dot matrix printer and computer, circa 1985

Sometime in the late 1980s, I started taking writing seriously. Given my age (I was ten or eleven years old) and the content of my stories, I probably took it too seriously.

In Harness at Aggregate Space

An Aggregate Space "Selfie"; West Oakland, CA; June 2013

I'm grateful to both Aggregate Space and The Featherboard Writing Series for granting me time (and a desk away from my home office/studio) to focus on new writing and photograph projects. Having begun work on my two e-chapbooks (described in more detail here), I'm even more enthusiastic about the possibilities. I spent most of today in Aggregate Space's second floor office and editing area, where I wiled away the hours ruminating on some of my early hunting experiences in dove fields.

Disappointingly, it seems unlikely that the e-chapbooks will be available by the time the residency ends in early August, but the kind folks at The People's E-book have agreed to let me be a part of the second wave of Beta testers for the platform. Currently, I plan to produce two limited edition print (i.e., non-digital) chapbooks in partnership with Aggregate Space and The Featherboard Writing Series, and then I'll turn those limited editions into freely distributed e-books after the residency's end.


Image credit: copyright, Christopher Reiger, 2013

Aggregate Space Summer Writer-In-Residence

Miscellaneous chapbooks

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be the Aggregate Space Writer-In-Residence this summer. I'm honored to be the first participant in the artist-run space's new program and I'm looking forward to my time in West Oakland! (For readers unfamiliar with Aggregate Space, I recommend reading Kelly Inouye's interview with Conrad Meyers II and SD Willis in SFAQ. As Inoyue writes, Meyers and Willis "basically created a gallery, artist studios, metal and wood fabrication shop, small theater, and office space out of an empty warehouse.")

When It All Comes Together

Christopher Reiger
"Brewer's blackbirds"
2013

I recently promised this blog's monthly email digest subscribers that I would begin sharing updates about BAASICS (Bay Area Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions), the non-profit organization that I co-founded and co-direct. Indeed, most of April's Hungry Hyaena posts are synopses of conversations had with some of the artists and scientists participating in BAASICS.3: The Deep End, our upcoming program on neurodiversities, mental illness, and creativity. (Readers can expect more of these vignettes in advance of the Monday, May 6 event.)

I've come to regard BAASICS as an important arm of my creative endeavor; it's a long-term project that provides me with a platform to help make contemporary art and science relevant and exciting to a broad audience. In many respects, BAASICS is a descendant of Synoddity, the cross-disciplinary organization I co-founded with my friend Michael McDevitt during our undergraduate years at The College of William & Mary. Synoddity made a case for conversation and interaction across professional boundaries and was, like BAASICS, animated by curiosity and wonder, something both Michael and Selene Foster, my BAASICS collaborator and co-founder, have in spades. Working on a project you're passionate about is invariably a good thing, but it's a particular pleasure when you team up with fantastic people.

Heide Hatry's Provocative Flowers

Heide Hatry is not a household name, but the New York-based German artist's reputation is blossoming. She has smartly positioned herself at the intersection of the art world and popular culture and, as a result, is of particular interest to me, convinced as I am that the fine arts need mass reach (if not necessarily mass appeal -- see Thomas Kinkade) in order to play the vital cultural role they're intended to.

Heide Hatry, right, with Paris Hilton at the Guggenheim Museum

In September, Hatry performed "Schrodinger's Cat" at Lady Gaga's Guggenheim Museum perfume launch. Although Gaga's arty public appearances and carefully cultivated persona evidence how readily pop culture co-opts and/or draws inspiration from the fine arts, most people view Gaga as a pop star, not an artist. Hatry, on the other hand, is always identified as the latter, so when she is photographed rubbing shoulders with the likes of Paris Hilton or her work is written about by the scientist and popular writer Steven Pinker, I'm heartened. The art world isn't usually so accessible.

Naysayers might dismiss Hatry as the art world equivalent of a shock jock, insisting the popular attention she has received is only the result of her pushing our buttons. Certainly provocation plays a part, but Hatry has so far managed to balance titillation with thoughtful questions. (Arguably, Damien Hirst managed to do the same for a time...before he jumped the preserved shark.)

Platte Clove Residency: Encounter On Devil's Path

Devil's Path Trail; Catskills; NY; July 2012

I value solitude, but prefer not to hike alone. In the event of an injury, it's always better to have a companion. Moreover, since moving west, I've learned that even an ambitious mountain lion is unlikely to consider two or more humans fair game. Simply put, a duo or small group is afforded greater peace of mind. Sometimes, though, in order to take advantage of a window of opportunity, hiking solo is the only option.

Frankly, as I set out from the Platte Clove cabin on my first morning in the Catskills, safety concerns were far from my mind. I'm a confident hiker and I was excited to explore the 7.5-mile route I'd plotted the night before. My planning, though, had been cursory. I didn't realize that Wikipedia describesthe longest segment of my loop as "the toughest hiking trail in the Eastern United States." (In retrospect, I should have been clued in to the trail's difficulty by its name, Devil's Path.) I also shrugged off wildlife precautions. Though they may be the region's namesake, mountain lions were extirpated from the Catskills by the early 20th century; American black bears, however, are plentiful, and regional trail guides encourage hikers to wear bells and to talk at a normal volume so as to alert the animals of their presence. That's good advice, but amateur naturalists like myself shun bells and, when on trails, frown upon extended conversation. We don't go into the woods or up mountains for a constitutional. We go to see other animals, be they birds, porcupines, snakes, squirrels, or bears, and the less noise we make, the more creatures we're privileged to see.

Platte Clove Residency: John Muir and the View From the Precipice

Winter view of Platte Clove's Bridal Veil Falls;
Catskills; NY

“Many people have been killed after falling and sliding off the edge. Especially in areas where there are pine needles. Dangerous conditions exist in many locations. The number of deaths over the years is staggering. Be overly cautious when in this region, and do not take un-necessary risk.”

- “Upper Platte Clove” page of Catskill Mountaineer website

I hesitated before deciding to investigate the unmarked spur of the Platte Clove Nature Preserve's Plattekill Falls Trail. Having recently read a bit about the geology and topography of the Catskill Escarpment, I knew that the preserve is located near the top of a deep ravine that tumbles suddenly down and eastward to meet the Hudson Valley (clove is the Dutch word for a mountain gorge). I’d also learned that each year a handful of foolhardy or unlucky hikers fall to their deaths on Platte Clove area trails. An online trail guide I’d browsed prior to the residency urged hikers to be “overly cautious.” Nevertheless, once I’d stepped off the main path and advanced a few steps down the spur, I was self-assured; I wouldn’t be one of 2012’s casualties. Prudent types like me don’t fall off cliffs.

Platte Clove Residency: Some Remove

Plattekill Falls; Platte Clove Nature Preserve;
Catskills; NY; July 2012

On the first afternoon of my residency at Platte Clove, after settling into the cabin and familiarizing myself with local trail maps, I decided to explore a short path that begins a few steps from the cabin's porch and winds its way down one of the valley's uppermost gorges to Plattekill Falls. It was a lovely reintroduction to the Catskills. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the mixed forest's overstory, unevenly illuminating a floor decorated with eastern hemlock cones. Hidden from view in the canopy above, red-eyed vireos ceaselessly repeated their lilting questions.

Platte Clove Residency: Report

Platte Clove cabin; Platte Clove Nature Preserve;
Catskills; NY; July 2012

It was much too short a stay, but my residency at the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development's Platte Clove cabin was otherwise terrific. In the coming weeks, I'll post photographs and a number of short essays about my time there. Some of the experiences I'll share with readers provided quality grist for the art mill, and I expect to begin work on new pictures soon.

As a side note, I'm grateful for the generosity of Jeremiah Teipen and Eun Young Choi, artist friends of mine who graciously lent me their car for the drive from New York City to Platte Clove (and back), and for the thoughtfulness of Katie Palm, CCCD Education Director, who went above and beyond in her role as the coordinator of the residency program. Thank you!

View from Sherman's Point; Devil's Path Trail;
Catskills; NY; July 2012

Image credits: all photos, Christopher Reiger, 2012

Platte Clove Residency: Prologue

Platte Clove residency cabin, Catskills Mountains

Early this coming Wednesday morning, I'll land at New York City's JFK airport, borrow a car from friends, and drive north to an attractive cabin located in Platte Clove, a valley at the eastern edge of the Catskill Mountains that was etched by glacial meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age. Each summer, the mountain side cabin is home to a revolving door of visual artists, writers, composers, and ecologists selected by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development's Platte Clove Residency team. I'm honored to be one of the Platte Clove 2012 Artists-In-Residence.

Square Cylinder: Sarah Walker

Sarah Walker
"Mount Meru"
2012
Acrylic on panel
28 x 26 inches

My review of "EYEFINGER," painter Sarah Walker's current solo show at Gregory Lind Gallery, is published on Square Cylinder.

Read it here.

Image credit: courtesy, Sarah Walker, 2012

Art From Goodland

The view from Meredith Trombles' Holiday Inn room; Goodland, Kansas

Yesterday, Bay Area artist and writer Meredith Tromble launched Art & Shadows, a new blog that received the 2011 Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation Arts Writer Grant in advance of its inception.

In her inaugural post, Tromble introduces several of the challenging questions she plans to ruminate on at Art & Shadows.

"As I look out towards the prairie from my hotel room, it seems right that this first Art & Shadows should come from Kansas, and from a small town. The questions I want to explore in this blog, questions about the art world and about what art is, how we know art when we see it, and what it means in our lives, are my questions in part because of where I grew up. I am passionately involved with contemporary art, but I've never gotten comfortable with the disconnect between art now and art here. For example, there's a lot of talk about 'community' in the works I encounter in my everyday life as an artist, writer, and teacher; but the thinking doesn't always seem to encompass the kind of community consciousness shared by the rural people who live here."

Perhaps I respond so positively to Tromble's Kansas hotel room musings because of my own rural upbringing -- I'm similarly uncomfortable with the disconnect she describes -- but I believe that the questions she raises are urgent and universal, and that they must be part of the general art conversation. If we approach them earnestly -- as objectively as our subjective realm permits, and with as little posturing as our egos will allow -- we could shape a sustainable and robust 21st century art world, one that might even incorporate both "art now" and "art here."

Image credit: Meredith Tromble, 2012

Rest in peace, Mr. Hitchens

"I personally want to ‘do’ death in the active and not the passive and to be there to look it in the eye and be doing something when it comes for me."

- Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, like G.K. Chesterton, was one of the best polemicists of his day. Given his penchant for stridency, I frequently reacted against the moralistic lengths to which he took his arguments, but I was always impressed by his erudition and craft. He was a joy to read.

Also like Chesterton, Hitchens had unconfronted dragons; his robust ego and his tendency to bully intellectual inferiors (as he too often did when wearing his New Atheist hat) were significant shortcomings, but they didn't stop me from relishing his work.

Hitchens died yesterday of pneumonia, at the age of 62, after a prolonged fight with esophageal cancer. Writers and readers should lower their flags to half mast.

For a nice collection of Hitchens' essays, visit Tablet's roundup, "Just Enough Hitch, For A Day."

Addendum: I opened this brief eulogy by likening Hitchens to Chesterton. Two days ago, when I wrote the above, I didn't realize that one of Hitchens' final deadlines was a review of the new biography of Chesterton by Ian Ker. I learned this fact in the course of reading Ian McEwan's moving tribute to Hitchens in the New York Times. For those who, like me, mourn the loss of a keen, energetic spirit and intellect, I can't recommend the McEwan piece enough.

Image credit: ripped from Philebrity.com