.
Last week I made brief mention of a snooze at Feature -
"The Gentle Wind Project, at Feature - Paul LaFolley + Emery Blagdon.... without the magic, passion, or intensity ."
I knew it was a lame show, but... HOLY SHIT!... I did not realize what a bunch of complete crap it was. I've since received an e-mail about the group, and spent a little time yesterday researching them.
e-mail -
"We noticed your reference to Gentle Wind Project "healing instruments" which are, for some very strange reason, on display at a NY art gallery.
'The Gentle Wind Project, at Feature - Paul LaFolley + Emery Blagdon.... without the magic, passion, or intensity .'
We have no idea why these gallery owners, or anyone else, would want to call these snake-oil products art, but perhaps they have connections to GWP and are looking for ways to promote the group to others.
For more information, see Wind of Changes, which describes Gentle Wind as a cult and also follows their history of suing critics and former members.
Defense against Gentle Wind's lawsuits was assisted by Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and was eventually ended by the Maine Attorney General's lawsuit against the group for fraud, which put this rip-off group out of business in Maine.
For another commentary on this so-called "art exhibit" at Feature Gallery -- Disinterested Party.
Sincerely,
Judy Garvey
former member of gentle wind project"
Hudson would not remember it, but we've met and he's awesome, and I really like Feature and most of the artists they show... PLEASE EXPLAIN what this stuff is doing in the gallery. How did they get this show?? So aggravating. I hope no suckers bought that shit. Hudson, seriously... WHY?
Is this a rental? Are you, or were you, affliated with the "group"? What is the deal? All struggling artists, please puke together with me.
Related: 5/10/2007 Boston Globe article, Cult News from Rick Ross... so much more.
PS - Feature is not reviewing unsolicited artists' documents at this time. Please check back with this page in the spring of 2008. Thank you. Blech.
UPDATE: follow-up after talk with Hudson
I kind of like it. Those things are kind of cool. What is your objection? . . . The ridiculus purpose they are supposedly used for? . . . you don't like the way they look? . . . They are not made as art? . . . You don't think they belong in a gallery? . . . They are taking up precious gallery space? What? I like the 'functional' art idea of it, and the fact that the 'function' is so bizzare just makes it more interesting. Pick me up a healing bar and photon accelerator. My aura needs and adjustment.
ReplyDeletesay they are cool with your name, or a link to your identity.
ReplyDeletedid you see the show? it was a snooze... they are just lame, and then finding out the background, give me a break. there is A LOT of cool shit in the world, i don't want to see it all in art galleries (and that stuff isn't cool, sorry).
i would REALLY like to know how they ended up there.
ps - check this stuff out from a shop i visited in japan, this is similar and much cooler...
http://anaba.blogspot.com/2006/12/international-alien-society-power-kai.html
maybe it would be a cooler show in a shaker meeting house.
ReplyDeleteseems to me an example of the art world's colonization of other spheres in the name of cultural studies or material culture. Like taking a graduate seminar to a monster truck show.
ReplyDeletebut seriously, galleries do not exist to provide outlets for hard working artists whose work deserves to be seen and discused. Galleries are there to contribute to the "discourse."
Aaron - your cousin Aaron - I have no link to my identity except this 'name' thing my parents gave me.
ReplyDeleteI don't what to say, I think the fact that there is some sort of 'faith' or belief connected to these objects makes them . . . worthy of "discourse". (and I still like the way the look)
I so need to zap my ching with that Photon Health Accelerator and the maybe tweek it with the puck-puck.
ReplyDeleteoh! okay, i'm going to delete that comment with the other aaron's name, so it won't come up in google searches on him.
ReplyDeletei'm not sure that there is much belief/faith involved in these, otherwise i might be a little more chill. i think my initial post, noting the lack of "magic, passion, or intensity" was correct, and that was before i had any knowledge of where this stuff was coming from.
They do have the look of a graphic design, senior project.
ReplyDeleteWe doubt that the gallery owners are connected with gentle wind project's leaders (or "family systems research group," the Miller "family's" newest enterprise since signing a Consent Decree with the Maine Attorney General).
ReplyDeleteThere surely must be another reason that they are displaying these products.
At least now the owners can check out the facts on Wind of Changes - our former GWP members' website. And there are dozens of other websites with information.
The reason we defended against the Millers' multiple lawsuits for 3 years was to keep our website up, and for the right to tell our personal stories about what happened to us when we, unfortunately, became immersed with these people.
Wind of Changes website is at: http://www.windofchanges.org
ReplyDeleteThis seems almost too stupid to comment on.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet . . . you did . . .
ReplyDeletei love cults. Stop using my name aaron.
ReplyDeleteexactly,
ReplyDeletebrw
How this cult - Gentle Wind Project (and the Millers' newest spin-off "Family Systems Research Group") - was able to maneuver their plastic products into an art exhibit at Feature is partially explained here on Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at: http://anaba.blogspot.com/2007/10/three-follow-ups.html
ReplyDelete