A Question of Beauty

Submitted by dbra on August 27, 2009 - 9:32am.
2009/10/09 - 7:00pm
2009/11/02 - 9:00pm
Etc/GMT-4

showing at Mastrioani Arts 2688 West 14th Street (Tremont)  

along with

Answers in Abstract  work by Ron Knight.

September 11 - November 7, 2009

 

A Question of Beauty
Debra Shepherd

We impose cultural stereotypes upon our personal definition of beauty, often unconsciously. Cultural stereotypes of beauty have transitioned through the ages, from classical, stoic grace to more idealized and sexless forms to superficial concepts of female form, replete with cosmetic exaggerations. My work seeks to move the viewer outside any of these paradigms.

What is beauty but the body’s intelligence?

That intelligence can take many forms. My work sets aside the notion that female beauty encompasses naivety and passivity, as well as an irrational expectation of perfection.
I have created each image using color slide film that is then processed in color print film developer. This technique, commonly termed cross-processing, lends a delicate distortion to the body, rendering a more sculptural form. The cross-processing technique tends to neutralize or obliterate any background information, adding contrast and simplicity. That high contrast also increases the sculptural quality of the form.

 This series of nudes reflects my influence by Ruth Bernhard.

 

 

( categories: )

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

I look forward to seeing this show

Submitted by Norm Roulet on August 27, 2009 - 9:51am.

and your work

I think we can all remember that date - 9/11

PLACE: Mastrioani Arts 2688 West 14th Street (Tremont)

Is that the big gallery with the glass storefront? I'm trying to place it?!?!

Disrupt IT

thanks

Submitted by dbra on August 27, 2009 - 10:15am.

and yes - he does wedding and portrait photography and has the large images hanging in the windows... it used to be The Church - underground music/art venue...

I'm looking forward to showing with Ron!

This looks awesome!

Submitted by Eternity on August 27, 2009 - 11:05am.

Wow!  This looks awesome!

This exhibition is sure to be a success, touching on some the same theses that came up in one of my most recent interviews on AD Mag; with celebrated American artist Lisa Tuttle.

A big shout out to you and Ron on this.  You go girl!!!

Eternity

a slideshow

Submitted by dbra on August 27, 2009 - 12:48pm.

thank you - i'll try to send you a slideshow if you're not in this neck of the woods anytime soon...

you must be tired, have a seat.

Submitted by Oengus on August 27, 2009 - 10:53pm.

 

Louis Vuitton Electric Chair

Submitted by Jeff Schuler on August 27, 2009 - 11:46pm.

Louis Vuitton Electric Chair by Peter Gronquist

That piece belongs in MoMA

Submitted by Eternity on August 27, 2009 - 11:21pm.

dbra,

Holy smokes, who created that?

Absolutely brilliant, that piece belongs in a major museum...like MoMA or the Tate.  At the very least, it needs to be presented to a gallery like Saatchi, White Cube or Donald Young.

This is one of the most piercing, creative, representational pieces I've seen in a while!

Damian Hirst and Sheppard Fariey should hide their faces in shame.

Whatever you do, I strongly advise you (or whoever the owner is) do NOT sell this piece unless it's being purchased by a serious career collector or institution on the world stage.  Because, I could easily see some one being more than willing to pay upwards of 100k for that chair--the idea behind the chair.. 

All bullshit aside--no joke.  Although I would add this...in looking at the piece it seems more like a full-sized maquette; a really good working model.  Which is to say, that if the day arrises that someone does express a sincere interest in buying the piece, that's how this chair could be presented.  Thereafter, the artist could keep this (original) chair as part of their personal archives. to be included within their estate at their passing, while (for the purposes of selling the representational idea) another single chair, perhaps fabricated out of metal (with an even stronger resemblance of the real thing) and upholstered with pigskin (like the LV bags are) would in my opinion, resonate the death bell of capitalistic cynicism even louder.

But, whatever the case, this chair rocks (or roasts, as it were)!

Damn!  T.K.O.

Eternity

this image violated our terms of use...

Submitted by dbra on August 28, 2009 - 7:22am.

 wOw. i guess i'll have to repost it here.

now WHO in the world could have reported that to photobucket??? (a very similar - but more "explicit" image has been in my album for months and has never been flagged).... hmmmmmmm.... O... O.. Oe....

Oengus is a butt boil

Submitted by dbra on August 28, 2009 - 8:15am.

 

butt boil

Submitted by dwebb on August 28, 2009 - 10:01pm.

 dbra, this was diplomatic of you given what a pain in the ass the guy is.

i was trying to be gentle

Submitted by dbra on August 29, 2009 - 7:10am.

 thank you for noticing

his behavior is so sophmoric it makes one wonder....

Photobucket?!

Submitted by lmcshane on August 29, 2009 - 7:41am.

  Wow--who can keep track of all of these sites for storing, collecting, distributing images, photos, videos?...I must say that censoring Debra Shephard's photo does not bode well for my use of that site.
 

18th Largest Ad supported site in the US

Submitted by Norm Roulet on August 29, 2009 - 7:56am.

For now, I keep all my photos backed up and organized (sort of) on a network hard drive. I'm not ready to lock into any photo management application nor do I want my content held or owned by others unless I choose to release them, which I usually do on real coop's social network, REALNEO.

REAL COOP does need to work on its image strategy as it is the best place for us to store our intellectual property - even more important than legacy technology and censorship concerns about commercial sites like Photobucket is the theft and exploitation of your intellectual property... photo bucket is part of a commercial scheme so you know your photos are being assembled there for others' profit.

In your case, you are funding Fox and Newscorp, helping to keep those shitty businesses in business, and your content is intended to become part of their asset base rather than yours.

Welcome to 1984:

A Little History

Photobucket was founded in 2003 and acquired by Fox Interactive Media, Inc., a division of News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) in July 2007.

Photobucket.com

  • 25 Million unique site visitors/month in the US, and over 46 Million unique site visitors/month worldwide
  • #1 most popular Photo site in the US
  • #3 most popular Entertainment/Multimedia site in the US
  • #8 most popular Entertainment/Multimedia site in the world
  • #31 in Top 50 Sites in the US
  • #41 top 100 Global Sites*
  • 18th Largest Ad supported site in the US*

Disrupt IT

its actually web storage

Submitted by dbra on August 29, 2009 - 8:26am.

 i've had an account there for 5+ years, some images slightly explicit - never had a "censor" - someone has to report an image for it to be censored. my album is set to private - no one can view it.

i use it to store smaller versions of my images to enable me to post them on the web. the image censored was uploaded immediately prior to my posting it here, and for that purpose only - its been linked no where else. so it being reported happened from this site.

wHAtever - i have the "cooties" now!

good luck trying to censor the repost - its linked from the CSU Photo website - created and monitored by my professor whose class i created the image for.

 

Web storage at Fox News

Submitted by Norm Roulet on August 29, 2009 - 9:05am.

Dbra. From the terms of use... I haven't bothered to read all of them as they appear typically one-sided in favor of commercial sites:

Photobucket reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject, refuse to post or remove any posting (including, without limitation, descriptions, comments, images or videos) by you, or to deny, restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to all or any part of the Photobucket Services at any time, for any or no reason, with or without prior notice or explanation, and without liability. Photobucket expressly reserves the right to remove any or all of your images, videos, account and profile and/or to deny, restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to all or any part of the Photobucket Services if Photobucket determines, in its sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement or pose a threat to Photobucket and/or its Users.

Would it matter to you if Photobucket decided "to deny, restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to all or any part of the Photobucket Services at any time, for any or no reason, with or without prior notice or explanation, and without liability."

One such reason my be you are determined an unacceptable American by News Corp. And that you would probably never know... as News Corp is covered by this clause:

Photobucket may modify or amend this Agreement without notice at any time and such modification will be effective upon posting by Photobucket on the Site. Your continued use of the Photobucket Services after Photobucket posts a revised Agreement signifies your acceptance of the revised Agreement. It is therefore important that you review this Agreement regularly to ensure you are updated as to any changes.

So, how often and in what ways has Photobucket amended their terms since you joined, and how has that impacted your rights, if you ever read these terms in the first place or since.

But, as long as you wouldn't care if you could never access your account on Photobucket again, knowing News Corp still could...

From the News Corp website, other assets... Photobucket fits under Fox Interactive Media (and is just a subcategory not even worth listing on the News Corp website), showing how important you are in the big corporate interactive media world.

Is this where you want your intellectual property?

 

AmericanIdol.com
AskMen
Broadsystem
Beliefnet
careerone.com.au
CARSguide.com.au
Fox.com
Fox Interactive Media
FoxSports.com
FoxSports.com.au
hulu.com
IGN Entertainment
kSolo

 

Milkround
MySpace
National Rugby League
NDS
News.com.au
News Digital Media
News Outdoor
Rotten Tomatoes
Scout
Spring Widgets
truelocal.com.au
WhatIfSports

Fox Interactive Media

Company Information   Primary Press Contact MYSPACE PRESS CONTACT Description of Business      
Headquarters
FIM Corporate
407 N. Maple Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 969-7200		  
Dan Berger
Sr. Director Corporate Communications, FIM
Phone: (310) 969-7842
E-Mail: Dan [dot] Berger [at] fox [dot] com		 Dani Dudeck
VP Corporate Communications,
MySpace
Phone: (310) 969-7148
E-Mail: Ddudeck [at] myspace [dot] com
 

Fox Interactive Media (FIM) is an interactive services company dedicated to connecting, informing, entertaining and empowering consumers with the most compelling online media experiences. FIM’s business is structured into three arms: Web Properties, the FIM Audience Network and the Digital Publishing Group. FIM’s popular Internet destinations across social media and high-value content verticals reach the largest global audience of any major media company.

Web Properties

MySpace (http://www.myspace.com)
The world’s most popular social network for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world.

Photobucket (http://www.photobucket.com)
One of the web’s most popular creative hubs, where millions of users upload, share, link to and search billions of personal photos, graphics, slideshows and videos daily to hundreds of thousands of websites.

Fox Sports Interactive (http://www.foxsports.com)
FOX Sports Interactive is a leader in digital sports programming, offering sports fans a comprehensive mix of news, exclusive analysis, fantasy games and the Internet’s largest collection of online sports video. FOXSports.com’s video content ranges from event-based programming at major events – such as the BCS Championship, World Series and NFL Playoffs – to studio shows, which feature both FOX Sports Television talent and the site’s leading editorial voices, including Mark Kriegel, Jason Whitlock and Ken Rosenthal. FSI also manages Scout Media, a network of localized sports sites and the undisputed leader in both online and print recruiting information. The group also includes WhatIfSports, a community built around the Internet’s leading sports simulation games.

IGN (http://www.ign.com)
Leading Internet media and services provider focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. The IGN Network is comprised of IGN.com, the flagship review and video game content site; GameSpy (http://www.gamespy.com), a technology development division building social components used in online and console games; and Direct2Drive (http://www.direct2drive.com), a leading destination site for downloading online game content.

Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com)
Ultimate online movie destination offering the most comprehensive guide to movies. The opinions of more than 1,000 film critics form the industry’s trusted standard of measure – the “Tomatometer.”

AskMen (http://www.askmen.com)
The world’s leading men’s lifestyle website with daily features on subject matters that interest the general male population.

Fox Interactive Media Audience Network
First-of-its-kind online advertising network and technology services provider specializing in advanced targeting for News Corp. sites and third-party clients.

Digital Publishing Group
Technology and services group that provides content management solutions for the world’s top media companies.

In Operation Since: July 2005

 
Last updated: October 15, 2008

 

Disrupt IT

No Fox for Me

Submitted by Eternity on August 29, 2009 - 1:36pm.

Right Norm,

It is for all the reasons that you list above, Norm, that I do not use any of those Face-Space, virtual-peer groups.  Nor do I use Flickr or photobucked.  I rarely post comments anywhere, RealNeo being the biggest exception. 

And don't even get me started on that Mozy crap...yea, just mozy on over and upload your hardrive [to a mirror site @ the CIA] for free.  What a crock!  You might as well just put all your deepest, darkest secrets in a shoe box and mail it to Karl Rove.

Furthermore, if Bush (now Bushbama) tapped our phones, I'm sure they tapped our computers too.

Americans are gullible for all the wrong reasons.  We bitch and moan about our privacy, only to whore ourselves all over every square inch of cyberspace.  But just like environmentalists encourage us to leave a small [ecological] footprint, I take that philosophy to heart, leaving as small a [personal] footprint as possible.

The FBI just disclosed that its FBI file on Michael Jackson was over 600 pages.  What about the CIA--Mossad; I'm sure they had a big fat file too?  And they kept one on Dr. King and James Brown, etc.  And I would imagine those organizations keep files on all sorts of people.  You don't have to be famous, just intelligent, aware and vocal.

I think this is especially true for someone like me, because black men are automatically treated as suspect in this nation...the minute we roll from our mother's womb.  So, I really ain't trying to give prying (evil) eyes any more than they already have access to.

If only we knew hom much THEY knew.  It's a bunch of covert, fascist bullshit.

Eternity

dUDe!

Submitted by dbra on August 29, 2009 - 3:51pm.

 i use it to store my images for posting - nothing more - they dont get a dime from me - they can close it down anytime they want and it just means i have to find another source.

you KNOW my morals, Norm - give me a fricking break! if you have an alternative "politically correct" source that I can USE (being the operative term) to spring board (highly degraded versions of) my images do tell...

Mastroianni Arts--the buzz

Submitted by lmcshane on September 11, 2009 - 2:29pm.

  Congrats to Mastroianni Arts, Debra Shepherd and Ron Knight who are getting the buzz treatment at CoolCleveland and other media venues throughout Northeast Ohio.
 

A Question of Beauty is poised to get a lot of traffic and recognition this weekend during the Tremont Arts and Culture Festival and the regularly scheduled Tremont Art Walk is also tonight, including the also buzzed show of Anastasia Pantsios' photos documenting the raw westling subculture of America.

thank you -

Submitted by dbra on September 11, 2009 - 5:02pm.

 hopefully this will encourage me to get off my butt and get dressed...

I hAte openings...!

I'd go see Anastasia's photos, but the last time I went to Jean's gallery to see a friend's show she kicked me out... i wasn't even "drinking her beer or eating her food" cause when we dated I knew that really pissed her off - when people she didn't like would come to her gallery and "eat her food".

yo well....

has turned into a Halloween party...

Submitted by dbra on October 28, 2009 - 6:38pm.

 closing on saturday night.

i'll be late - i have to trick or treat some boys!