Last night I attended the Inflatable Sculpture Show @ 3rd Ward. I was curious to check out the show mainly because of the Air Bear sculptures built over the subway grates a couple years ago that swept across the Internet.

The sculptures at the show last night were produced via the inflatable sculpture class that 3rd Ward offers for people who want to learn the tricks of the trade. There was certainly some interesting pieces at the show, although what I missed was the incorporation of motion that was present in earlier pieces like the Air Bear and other subway grate sculptures.

There was one standout piece from the show, a hybrid cross between an inflatable sculpture and projected light art. Looking forward to seeing what the next round of students produce.

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It sounds as ambitious as Sufjan’s former 50 states project, but James Gulliver Hancock is is drawing every building in Manhattan. Here’s more about his project: [via]

HOBBY: James Gulliver Hancock, Drawing All Of the Buildings in NYC from Harvest on Vimeo.

Trying to decide whether you wanna leave your house today or not? The weather’s actually quite nice, so turn off Season 4 of whatever you’re ‘trying to catch up on’ and go check out some art & music.

Stroll over the bridge & catch Abrons Art Center: Henry Street Settlement’s open studios today, with works themed around René Daumal’s novel Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing. Yep. That means the one and only cult classic (based on Daumal’s book), Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain, will be screening at 7pm.
Exhibition 12-9p, free, 466 Grand St (Manhatten)

If you need a different kind of insanity, or the snow is making you too lazy to leave the hood, get your fix at Rabid Hands’ Sequence of Waves. With performances and ephemera throughout the day, this convent at 21 Monitor St will have an electric gamelan orchestra, a giant zither connected to a mural, and a (Parts + Labor)-curated ‘House Show’ (whatever that means).
2-9p, free(?)
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If you wanna get a little daytime dancing in, hit up this chip music event off Graham:
“The biggest I/O dance party yet will feature five chip musicians performing dirty, lo-fi dance music from 6-10p whilst four visual artists project motion graphics on every surface of the venue (audience included).”
Can’t argue with that.
26 Bushwick Avenue, 6-10p; $5

…and later tonight…

A new space in town, Good Units (356 W. 58 St) launches off 2011 with the re-up of DARK DISCO (remember them?). I hear to expect crazy art installations, pretty people, and lots of debauchery.

Love or hate post-dubstep, d’n'b, & the sounds of sister London, their diffusion into the world of music is undeniable. Burial to James Blake, we are seeing electronic music that constantly reinvents itself and for that I have to give credit. Tonight two of the leftfield’s maestros, Jakwob and Falty DL, should give a pretty good idea of where its heading .
Oh yea, and Blaqstarr plays a live set.
$15 if you buy online, $20 door

Have you been to Brooklyn Oenology’s wine bar? You should, its got a nice vibe and it’s totally affordable. They get to sell wine on the cheap since they are actually a tasting room, and can sell you a bottle at retail that you then get to drink on the spot. To further distinguish themselves in the crowded Brooklyn wine market, they have art as their wine labels-and now want your pretty little project to grace their bottles.

From the release:
Since 2005, Brooklyn Oenology, a unique urban winery using local grapes and production, has been showcasing and supporting Brooklyn-based artists by featuring local art on their eclectic wine labels. Each vintage, blend, and varietal highlights a new work selected by winemaker Alie Shaper from some of the borough’s brightest creative talents.

In celebration of the new year, the opening of BOE’s new Tasting Room in Williamsburg, and the upcoming spring debut of some exciting new wines, Brooklyn Oenology is thrilled to announce an open search for the artist to be featured on our next release, the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc- a refreshing varietal sure to be a summer hit!

I’m not so much of a white wine type of artist myself but, who knows? More details on how to get your art on a wine bottle are at NYFA.

c/o Olivier Zahm for the Purple Diary

Williamsburg-based tattoo and fine artist, Scott Campbell, got into a heated showdown with the folks who organized his sold-out show at Mexico City’s Vice Gallery (yes, that Vice) last week. Offended by an overbearing sponsorship and personal attacks, Campbell dismantled the show, dragged it to the sidewalk and lit the lot on fire. Maybe he was overreacting, but it was also kind of badass. Read the full story from Scott via Interview Magazine online.

Poster Boy dropped a dancing banana on the Greenpoint Ave G platform. Love the shadow effect.

h/t josh morrissey

The Work Book Project has a video up of loved/hated Brooklyn icon and street artist, Dickchicken. We contacted the reprobate to see if he’d answer a few questions.  Interview after the jump.

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The whole point of tagging, as I understand it, is to get noticed. So when UK cops got the bright idea of taking pictures of graffiti tags around town and posting them to their Facebook wall in a “Wall of Shame,” wouldn’t that just encourage the artists into throwing their tagging efforts into overdrive?

Police logging and photographing tags, seen as a badge of honour amongst graffiti artists, which will be kept on record and used when offenders are identified.

And a wall of shame has been created on Facebook so the public can also see the graffiti tags.

Yep, good luck with that, Halesowen PD.

Image c/o Slant Magazine

Hot on the trail of worthwhile Halloween happenings, I kept coming across events on Thursday, all kicking off at 8:00 pm. Resting up for the weekend shit show that is Halloween in NYC is overrated, so go get your Brooklyn on. All vital information is below.

Eric Drooker and David Rovics performance
A free evening of music from Rovics (called “the musical version of Democracy Now!” by Democracy Now!, so they should know) and visualizations from Drooker (New Yorker illustrator and Howl animator extraordinaire) presented by In Our Hearts (an anarchist collective) at the Brooklyn Free Store (222 Walworth St.).

“Grow a Pair” Party with Hornitos Tequila
Free tequila ’til 11:00 pm at Bar Matchless with RSVP on their Facebook page. Live sets by Titus Andronicus (you should start listening to this Jersey-based band now) and So So Glos.

Murder Poses
Torture porn from the big screen brought to bone-chilling life in the form of performance art at Galapagos Art Space. Tickets are $12.

On View: A Visual Artist Showcase
Local artists show off their work, including two films and photo slide shows at Zebulon. Free artsy mingling and music (no word on booze) afterward.

Reefer Madness
The Gallery Players stage the classic, anti-pot propaganda film turned comedy musical for one weekend only. Tickets are $18. Sorry, smoking weed in the theater is (most likely) frowned upon.

The Ring Cycle
The Bushwick Starr’s reimagining of Wagner’s classic opera with wrestlers and rock ‘n’ roll has been written up in the Times and the Voice. Check it out for $15 before it closes this weekend.

Over at Scouting NY there are some photos of a shopping cart with a very legit looking install over at Macri Square.

Such a breathe of fresh air after the onslaught of Dick Chicken’s quick public art. Anyone want to take credit for this piece?