Funky Sour Cream

The Final Install, part 1

2009-11-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

Chene Street and Pierce, November 15, 2009

The Final Install, part 2

2009-11-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

Chene Street and Palmer, November 15, 2009

Krysta, Blake and Jane survey the scene...

The girls step in...

...and begin sweeping.
Blake takes out the Sawz-All to remove the fallen awning piece...

Then one by one, in go the cakes.

Gino stopped by, too. Thanks Gino.

Thank you all.

Altered Clothing and Music at the YES Farm

2009-11-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

First, there was clothing...

(Diana played the Cello...)

And then there was music...

Lissen:(Monte doing the vocals- Tim on Guitar, Drew on Drums, Blake on Bongos...)

Detroit: Illustrated

2009-11-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

Ben made a comic! in color! and it hung on the walls! (hey, check out A Family Affair at the reception)...

The D-Install

2009-11-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, to prepare for the upcoming show, the girls set out and retrieved the cakes from the storefronts...

The cakes weren't in their best shapes, anyway...

A Family Affair at the reception

2009-11-14T14:06:00.001-08:00

November 12, 2009 was certainly a Family Affair...

...Baby Nai at the center of attention...

Happy Birthday, Blake.

We sold things out the freight elevator...

The show was a great success! Thanks to all who came and made it such fun! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Preparing the Affair

2009-11-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Preparing the Space...

Ben saws the storefront to size...

Krysta puts up some photos as Ben's characters watch...

The Cupcakes

The Massive Cake
Jane frosts...

...then cranks it to height.

Ben's Installation
view #1 (with finished cake)

view #2

Krysta hides the Thank You Cakes...

All done!

Revisiting the Past

2009-11-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Jane returned the next morning to the storefront with our friend Michelle. This is what they saw...

A Night of the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Beautiful

2009-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 6, 2009... Some shit went down that night.

Farnsworth has an annual Harvest Party, and luckily for us, this particular weekend held it. The night was beautiful- unnaturally warm, the sky filled with stars, the moon was high. Christmas lights of all colors ran down in lines from trees; candles lined porch steps, and everywhere mini people (kids) ran. It was a ginormous potluck, a block party that reached past its neighborhood, and that night we all ate (and drank) well, seated around the various bonfires. The only thing to be cautious of was being run over by Paul's tractor-driven death wish hay ride, but the screams of twenty excited/terrified adults and children seated in the back wagon as they pulled out of ditches and hairpinned turns could be heard blocks away, so there was lots of time to move out the way.

By 10 pm, everyone that was getting drunk was, everyone that ate was satisfied, and the kids were ready for bed. The parents could go home. The night was winding down, and everyone was feeling good.

Ben, Jane, Krysta, KT sat on their porch steps, watching the people slowly walk to their cars. "Did you see the building burning over there?..." was heard among the noise... "No, where?" ... "Oh, just over there on Chene Street..." By now our ears had perked up and in unison the girls asked, "Where on Chene?!!!" When the response was "Palmer..." it was unusual to see the three of us move that fast. We quickly pulled ourselves into KT's truck and hurried away.

If you've never seen a building burn, I don't recommend it.

We parked two blocks away and for that first block the answer to the question, "which building was actually on fire?" was blinded by the amounts of smoke that poured out, and we walked on through.

From the corner of Chene Street and Palmer we watched three fire engines and many many fire fighters try to douse the flames that poured out from what once was Van Dayke Pastry Shop, the second of the installations. Questions filled our heads, emotions filled our bodies. Some of us cried. (For those worried about the cakes, don't; the cakes had been removed from the window fronts just two days earlier to prepare for the upcoming show. As a result, more questions quickly spawned...)

Then we spoke to the firemen. Apparently, they had been on their way to the Farnsworth festivities when they got the call for their fire, so they had to turn around. They consoled the girls, and agreed that they would see you us later at the YES farm whenever they could go. As we left, a line of fully equipped firemen was formed outside the smoldering building, and one by one they filed into the blackened storefront.

We went back to the other world on Farnsworth, confused, angry, sad.

The YES FARM held an album release party for Farnsworth resident Jenny (band poster above), and between her voice and the band behind her we were all presented with a mountain music jubilee- feet stomping knee slapping yee-hawing good time. The beer flowed, the dancing got rowdier, and before long the positive energy of earlier in the night filled the room. The firemen did show up, and even stayed for a little while before getting another call. It turned out that the firemen had been watching that storefront, and had even rescued and rearranged some of the cakes just a few weeks earlier.

It was a very confusing night.

Jane went back the next day. See the following post for pictures.

A Family Affair

2009-11-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

They're at it again... a group show... Ben's showing some comics, the girls are showing their cakes- with two new surprises! Come one, come all!

Chene Street Installation 3, Day 1

2009-10-27T12:53:00.001-07:00

Theatre Bizarre

2009-10-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 24, Ben and Jane went to a wild Halloween party- Theatre Bizarre. (theatrebizarre.com- check it out!)

Workin'... (a halfway point of sorts)

2009-10-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

The girls are making more cakes... They've decided to remove the cakes that were destroyed in the second storefront (Chene & Palmer, Van Dyke's Pastry Shop, Chene Street Installation 2, Day 1), as well as the surviving cakes from the first storefront (Chene & Pierce, Taylor Dry Cleaning; these cakes have remained intact since the last visit- Chene Street Installation 1, Day 4) and reinstalling the two storefronts, in one day, with some funky cakes (see A Cake-A-Licious Occassion: An Invitation)... Here are some:

On November 6th there will be a group show at 555, where the girls will be displaying all surviving cakes... Thursday, November 12th will be the closing reception.

Meanwhile, the three are lonely, so Ben is making some friends.

just kidding. He's making his characters, preparing for the photo shoots... and looking very Parisian:

We've also moved out of Erin & Monte's and are living in the studio now, trying to cut down on cold bike rides and lost time in the studio. Now we can work wherever, whenever, and forever!!!

Night At The Yes Farm

2009-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, the Yes Farm had a show. We three painted on the walls. It was great fun.
Thanks Yes Farm.
Thanks Wigwam.
Thanks Two-Prong...*
*(they changed their name to Brain Storm halfway through the show...)

The flyer for the show. Poster design by Blake...

Our installation...

...(at a later point, inside that orange box would read: " maybe. " )...

... with Blake in the doorway.

I moved. Jane didn't. Krysta was somewhere else...

Then there were bands:

The first Wigwam performance, ever. She's (Barbara Schauwecker), once from Brooklyn. He's (Tom Hohmann) from Michigan. They did solo projects all over the country. Now, they've come together in Clinton, MI, to form Wigwam. Check out their solo projects. She's animental. He's BlackElfSpeaks (he's also The USA is a Monster, but I couldn't find a real nice link to that... google it.)

www.myspace.com/animentaltheband

www.myspace.com/blackelfspeaks

Two-Prong played, as the audience stayed close to the wood burning stove. Two-Prong is the monicker of Eli Winograd (left, guitar and vocals). For this tour he is being backed by drummer Will Berney (of Horsespirit Penetrates from Northampton, MA) and bassist Scott Rideout (of Genesis Climber from Oakland, CA). Good music. Good people.

www.myspace.com/2prong

www .myspace.com/horsespiritpenetrates
www.genesisclimber.org

A Cake-A-Licious Occassion: An Invitation

2009-10-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

They're at it again. And this time, there's gonna be more. Come one, come all...

A Proposal

2009-10-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

...and some tests.

The city of Detroit is a collision of histories and presents. Its recent desperate and abandoned façade is as real as the soul and exuberance its history holds. To the outsider, the abandoned buildings and empty lots tell a certain story, but once the top layer is scratched, a whole new Detroit is revealed. I hope to conduct a project based around this layering of collisions that, when viewed, can help to peel away that top layer (or perhaps just flatten it) and let the stories of the past live again. I am proposing a short film, a documentary of sorts, which uses drawings as characters and the current Detroit streets as the backdrop and soundtrack.

The figures will be made out of a durable material, such as wood or cardboard. Drawn on and cut out, these characters will stand upright; their poses, costumes and expressions will be determined by the location they will be placed in. They will be drawn in a simple, black and white line, humorous way. Abandoned buildings, empty streets, and deserted lots will once again host the people and tell the stories now seemingly forgotten.

The figures will be filmed in real time, allowing their lifeless, stiff postures to combine with the movement of a live city. Their distances apart, however, will be calculated to be in direct correlation with their actual size; the intended effect is that the space that they sit in, once photographed, will flatten- or perhaps be given depth. Regardless, the perspective will be awkward and the image, hopefully, will be jarring. Once these scenes are edited together and combined with sounds of the city, it is my hope that a simple film, telling the simple story of a complicated city, will emerge.

-Ben Bunk (September 2009)

Take the Time (to color outside the lines)

2009-10-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

Created in a style reminiscent of a children’s coloring book, this 85 foot long drawing depicts every building seen along my seven-mile bike ride through Detroit, from my east side home to my Michigan avenue studio space (555). In its stylized crooked lines and tight details the city is abstracted, yet still familiar, becoming funny and friendly and thus invites a closer viewing, without the usual distractions and intimidations of a harsh reality (as the drawing is absent of cars, people and trash), at a city in need of some attention. Notice the short expanses of inhabited housing followed immediately by uninhabited housing, all intermixed with uninhabitable housing inhabited, and even the empty lots, once inhabited, sprinkled throughout. In a country where cities (such as Detroit) can be devastated and deserted, then quietly sold off, perhaps the previous methods of community and city development have grown stale and, quite possibly, malignant. The title, then, (coming from the oft-said phrase of early education teachers towards their students, “color inside the lines,” and the punishing of some for thinking “outside the box”), refers not just to the beautifying act of coloring, but ignites a plea to question the inane and constipated methods of community development certain American cities have allowed. Enjoy the drawing and please, do take your time… there’s lots of room outside all these lines.

-Ben Bunk, October 6, 2009

The completed drawing spans 85 feet, taking up three rolls of 90 lbs paper, ran out 4 Micron 01 pens, and using hundreds of reference photographs. It was installed with found piping and cables. Special thanks to 555, Carl, David, Drew, Jane and Krysta for their help with installation.

ATTENTION! If you're interested in purchasing a limited edition coloring book of the final drawing, contact Ben Bunk for pricing and shipping information... bunkhead85@gmail.com

Art Detroit Now!

2009-10-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the annual Art Detroit Now Gallery crawl, and the drawing Ben had been working on was installed in the 555 gallery. The drawing ended up being 85 feet, taking up three rolls of paper, four Micron 01 pens, hundreds of photographs and memory power, and lots of patience...

Guest Artist, Site 2: Hiroyuki Someya

2009-09-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hiro.

Guest Artist, Site 1: Juice

2009-09-28T14:55:00.001-07:00

Juice.

Chene Street Installation 2, Day 1

2009-09-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

After some searching, the second storefront was found, just a few blocks away. Van Dyke's pastry shop, on the corner of Chene Street and Palmer:

We showed up at noon, and immediately began cleaning. Hiro, a friend from Alfred University, showed up (now a grad student at Cranbrook University) to help with this installation.

Once "cleaned", the installation began...

Decisions, decisions...

This time around, it was decided to use more found objects from the abandoned business...

The Yes Farm crew showed up to help as well.

Finished.

Farnsworth, where we live

2009-09-24T11:50:00.001-07:00

That's the house where Krysta Jane and Ben live. That's the stoop where we sit at night. Upstairs we live with Monte and Erin, newbaby Nai, and their two dogs Ozzie and Gauguin. Behind that house lives a pig, some chickens and a few dogs. Vegetables grow, too.

The One Minutes

2009-09-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

For the past week, Krysta Jane and Ben have had two new roommates, Katherine and Hagen, filmmakers from Amsterdam and Germany, respectively. Their project is to gather footage from Detroit to create a portrait of this American city. However, the catch is that the documentary must be 24 minutes long, where each minute represents a specific hourly activity characteristic of Detroit. They are working through 555, with backing from Expodium, and have asked Detroit artists to participate.

Check out their the project's website:
www.theoneminutes.org

Chene Street Installation 1, Day 4

2009-09-24T11:16:00.001-07:00

When we returned several days later, we happily discovered that not much had been rearranged since our last visit...

There was, however, a new tenant.

We decided to rearrange the windows ourselves, placing all the surviving cakes into a single window. We set to work...

and left it like this:

Chene Street Installation 1, Day 2

2009-09-24T11:15:00.002-07:00

We went back the following morning to find the arrangement had been changed: cakes were broken, turned upside down, several were missing, and the candles had been stolen and/or burned.

Within minutes, a man came by with a plastic bag. He apologized for "the idiots" in the neighborhood... then opened the bag. Inside the bag were the stolen cakes.

Juice returned... followed by Ana Marie... and several other community members returning home from church. We discussed the project, the neighborhood and Detroit in general, then took some pictures.

Chene Street Installation 1, Day 1

2009-09-24T11:15:00.001-07:00

Taylor Dry Cleaners, the interior.

Monte cleans the glass off the sidewalk.

Jane discusses the window plan with a curious neighbor...

More discussion, this time with KT and Juice...

...while Ethan supervises.

Krysta manhandles a 20 lbs cake.

Done, for now...

The YES Farm

2009-09-24T11:14:00.005-07:00

The Yes Farm is a group or artists and urban farmers committed to living and creating in Detroit. They believe the arts play an important role in the community and work to bring art into the lives of the people and places around them. Another side of their work involves growing food and contributing to the greening of Detroit. They hope to contribute something positive to the community through art and agriculture. contact them at: theyesfarm@gmail.com, or view the blog at theyesfarm.blogspot.com...

Jumbo's

2009-09-24T11:14:00.003-07:00

On the way home from the studio, just blocks from the Avalon, is Jumbo's, a friendly bar with outdoor seating and a pool table. It's another convenient stop, halfway between studio and home, on the long ride.

The Hub

2009-09-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

When Ben's back tire got flat, his wheel ran off the rim and the spokes got bent, he went to the Hub, Detroit's local bike shop and cooperative, and quite possibly the friendliest bike shop in the whole United States (and Ben says this with confidence). In exchange for a new tire and inner tube he volunteered his time upstairs, in their Back Alley Bike program, which builds bikes from scrap parts for the neighborhood kids and adults.

Check out The Hub:

TheHubofDetroit.org

3611 Cass Ave
Detroit MI 48201
(313) 879-5073

email:
shop@thehubofdetroit.org

The Avalon

2009-09-24T11:13:00.001-07:00

Almost every morning, The Avalon sponsors Krysta Jane and Ben's coffee time. Halfway between studio and home, it's a convenient stop on the morning bike ride.

7 Mile: In the Studio

2009-09-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is Ben's studio space, where he works and occasionally sleeps...

The drawing...

Details from the drawing...

(Jefferies Street, about 2 miles from studio)

(Michigan Ave, about 1 mile from the studio)

555

2009-09-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios is a volunteer artist-run arts organization providing affordable studios and workspace, gallery space, exhibition programs, arts education programs, and an artist in residency program.

555arts.org

Preparing the Cakes

2009-09-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

Cupcake Twins, in the studio:

7 Mile: The Drawing

2009-09-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

Experience Detroit as you never have before: flat and hung on a wall.

To get to the studio, Krysta Jane and Ben must ride their bicycles through 7 miles of Detroit. Ben is going to draw that ride, each and every building, over an approximate 50 feet of paper.

After the Detroit Now! opening, the drawing will be made into a limited edition artist book.

Chene Street Cement Cakes

2009-09-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

For the next 3 months, Krysta Jane will be decorating abandoned store front windows along Chene Street in Detroit, Michigan, with beautifully frosted cakes. Cement cakes. Delicious bricks.

The classic American bakery returns to the American dream.

Funky Sour Cream

2009-09-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Funky Sour Cream. Weird name, huh? That's okay.

We three are Krysta Jane and Ben. Born and raised in various regions of the beautiful state of New York, we have come together under the watchful wing of 555, a Detroit-based gallery and studio.

This is our blog, our life, and our work. Enjoy.