RATHER UNPLEASANT MARK image and text by E. Boniferro A rather unpleasant mark follows the crease of where my thumb meets my hand and curves a little, like a crooked smile looking up at me. Here is where | failed to open a window the way you're supposed to because | was tired, because it was raining because for too much rent the door still sticks shut and we're forced to find other ways to get inside. Maybe it's my body laughing at my efforts, wondering when | might stop taking it for granted. So my hands and | have been negotiating things like brushing teeth and unhooking bras, shoe laces have become foreign. Skin is dry, pulling, taunt along this funny mark, rough, strange, healing... numb in some parts. my hands are getting back at me. ©” O BROW reviewed by Eric J. Hogan Anthony Musick has the formula for your freedom. The Grand- opening of his art gallery, No Brow, gave people a taste of that free- dom - but if you want the whole biscuit, you've got to do a trick. “| wanted to create an atmosphere that was conductive to spon- taneity and the loss of inhibitions” | want to combine intellect with total debauchery." No Brow came about as a knee-jerk reaction to the Vancouver art scene. Tired of the postures and pretensions of this scene, Musick set about the arduous task of converting an old commercial space in the amphetamine-fuelled heart of Vancouver's downtown eastside into an ideal; a comfort zone for artists, critics, and the viewing public. A gallery that was non-exclusive, unpre- tentious, inviting, and essentially, “no brow." The need for such a space had reached a gnawing urgency in Vancouver. This became apparent by the overwhelming turnout to the opening which was announced only one hour prior. Musick decided on a whim to open the gallery only an hour before the artists arrived to mount their work. A few key phone calls and within two hours the room was burgeoning with young, hip, and energetic youth. The works, all the creations of Emily Carr stu- dents, displayed a range of talent, all demonstrating each individ- ual’s unique vision. We're they good? Be your own damn art critic. Kirsten Johnson, ECIAD student, had this to say: “Kim [Austin]'s piece was great. | really like intricate line drawings, and hers was exceptional. And Jude [Griebel's] masks, they remind me of the plays | saw on the hippie commune when | was a kid.” Jen Harvey, also an ECIAD student, wittily pointed out her favorite piece of art as “Anthony [Musick’s] hospitality. It was the most honest.” The simple commentary nature of their words shifted with the dropping of the proverbial bomb: “What merits good art." The conversation veered into the murky nether-realms of philosophical speculation. “Can we talk about our favorite TV shows instead?” pleaded Jen. Granted a comforting topic after delving into the deep and abstract world of the philosophy of aesthetics. But then, unexpectedly, Jen uncovered what was, in this writers opinion, the artistic gem of the evening: Fraggle Rock - that popular Jim Hanson children’s TV production of the mid to late 1980's - was an allego- ry! “The Doozers were communists, the Fraggles: capitalists!" The atmosphere of conversational capriciousness was not the only spontaneity of the evening. A dance floor erupted when Musick, who not only bartended but deejayed the event, dropped the nee- dle on a uniquely funky piece of vinyl. For guidance and inspira- tion, Musick harkens back to the buzz around the notorious Cabaret Voltaire of Munich Germany of the early 20th century. The Cabaret Voltaire was the main stage for an artistic movement, Dadaism, that essentially planted the seeds for artistic and civil dis- obedience which resulted in the spawning punk rock, Elvis Presley, and counter-culture as we know it today. Musick hopes to hold openings such as this one bi-weekly. The gallery is open to the public, pending Musick's schedule. You can call ahead at 874-3304, or take your chances and drop in at 139 Dunlevy Ave. photo courtesy of “No Brow” RATHER UNPLEASANT MARK image and text by E. Boniferro A rather unpleasant mark follows the crease of where my thumb meets my hand and curves a little, like a crooked smile looking up at me Here is where | failed to open a window the way you're supposed to because | was tired, because it was raining because for too much rent the door still sticks shut and we'te forced to find other ways to get inside. ‘Maybe it's my body laughing at my efforts, ‘wondering when | might stop taking it for granted. So my hands and 1 have been negotiating things like brushing teeth and unhooking bras, shoe laces have become foreign. Skin is dry, pulling, taunt along this funny mark, rough, strange, healing. numb in some parts. my hands are getting back at me. ‘0 BROW reviewed by Eric J. Hogan Anthony Musick has the formula for your freedom. The Grand- opening of his art gallery, No Brow, gave people a taste of that free- dom - but if you want the whole biscuit, you've got to do a trick “1 wanted to create an atmosphere that was conductive to spon- taneity and the loss of inhibitions” I want to combine intellect with total debauchery.” No Brow came about as a knee-jerk reaction to the Vancouver art scene. Tired of the postures and pretensions of this scene, Musick set about the arduous task of converting an old ‘commercial space in the amphetamine-fuelled heart of Vancouver's downtown eastside into an ideal; a comfort zone for artists, critics, and the viewing public. A gallery that was non-exclusive, unpre- tentious, inviting, and essentially, “no brow." The need for such a space had reached a gnawing urgency in Vancouver. This became apparent by the overwhelming turnout to the opening which was announced only one hour prior. Musick decided on a whim to open the gallery only an hour before the artists arrived to mount their work. A few key phone calls and within two hours the room was burgeoning with young, hip, and energetic youth. The works, all the creations of Emily Carr stu- dents, displayed a range of talent, all demonstrating each individ- tual’s unique vision. We're they good? Be your own damn art critic. Kirsten Johnson, ECIAD student, had this to say: “Kim (Austin's piece was great. | really like intricate line drawings, and hers was exceptional. And Jude (Griebel's] masks, they remind me of the plays | saw on the hippie commune when | was a kid.” Jen Harvey, also an ECIAD student, wittily pointed out her favorite piece of art as “Anthony [Musick’s] hospitality. It was the most honest.” The simple commentary nature of their words shifted with the dropping of the proverbial bomb: “What merits good art.” The conversation veered into the murky nether-realms of philosophical speculation. “Can we talk about our favorite TV shows instead?” pleaded Jen. Granted a comforting topic after delving into the deep and abstract world of the philosophy of aesthetics. But then, unexpectedly, Jen uncovered what was, in this writers opinion, the artistic gem of the evening: Fraggle Rock - that popular Jim Hanson children’s TV production of the mid to late 1980's - was an allego- ry! "The Doozers were communists, the Fraggles: capitalists!” The atmosphere of conversational capriciousness was not the only spontaneity of the evening. A dance floor erupted when Musick, who not only bartended but deejayed the event, dropped the nee- dle on a uniquely funky piece of vinyl. For guidance and inspira- tion, Musick harkens back to the buzz around the notorious Cabaret Voltaire of Munich Germany of the early 20th century. The Cabaret Voltaire was the main stage for an artistic movement, Dadaism, that essentially planted the seeds for artistic and civil dis- ‘obedience which resulted in the spawning punk rock, Elvis Presley, and counter-culture as we know it today. ‘Musick hopes to hold openings such as this one bi-weekly. The gallery is open to the public, pending Musick’s schedule. You can call ahead at 874-3304, or take your chances and drop in at 139 Dunlevy Ave : g 2 : 2 a