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Britt Reilly's work lives at the intersection of immersive visual arts, historic architecture and preservation, and modernist design. Britt is the executive director and collections curator at the Irving & Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and when we chat via Zoom, she is flanked by Plexiglas sculptures and a wall painted DayGlo Aurora Pink. "In color theory, hot pink is actually more calming than blues and grays," says Britt, who is full of nuggets like this that exhibit her range of expertise. She has worked with such artists and entities as Jon Rubin, Einat Amir, Pierre Huyghe, Janine Antoni, the Carnegie International, and dOCUMENTA (13); she founded the Pittsburgh Modern Committee of Preservation Pittsburgh; and she and her partner converted a 1930s building into their home, the first collaboration of their studio Hong Kong Trees. She spoke with us about local wanderlust, the magic of preservation, and the benefits of a great discontent. The post Britt Reilly appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
Brad Montague is an illustrator, speaker, picture book author, video creator, and all-around maker. He’s a self-proclaimed dreamer and doer. Above all, he’s a storyteller, “working to create a better world for kids with kids” through Montague Workshop, the creative studio he runs with his wife Kristi in Henderson, Tennessee. Everything he puts into the world, whether the viral web series Kid President, which featured his then 9-year-old brother-in-law giving soul-buoying pep talks, or books aimed at kids (The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination) and former kids (Becoming Better Grownups), radiates with a sense of poignant wonder. Here he talks with The Great Discontent about the nonlinear path of meaningful work, the power of a parade, and what it means to be a joy rebel. The post Brad Montague appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
Schessa Garbutt is the founder of the Inglewood–based design studio, Firebrand. An educator, lecturer, and published essayist (see The Black Experience in Design anthology, a must-read). Garbutt works at the intersection of co-design practices and making huge, mind-bending ideas and histories ring clear as a bell. Garbutt spoke with The Great Discontent about cultural memory as the foundation for their practice, the pains of delegating, and the strength of rooting in a local community. The post Schessa Garbutt appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
When Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor came up with the idea for Ear Hustle, the podcast they’ve hosted together since 2017, Earlonne was serving a prison sentence of 31 years to life—the result of California’s three-strikes law. The two met at San Quentin State Prison where Nigel, a lifelong artist and photographer, was volunteering in the media center. For 13 seasons, Earlonne and Nigel have been sharing the experiences of those living life on the inside—“ear hustling” is prison slang for eavesdropping—and in the process have exposed listeners to countless characters, illuminating perspectives, and new depths of empathy and understanding. In 2018, Earlonne's sentence was commuted and he’s since continued creating Ear Hustle with Nigel as a free man. A fitting testament to the immense power of storytelling. Earlonne and Nigel spoke with The Great Discontent about their collaboration, process, and ambitions. The post Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
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Akua Carbundum Platemaking Gel is a great new product that allows you to make high contrasted, textured intaglio plates. The gel can be screen printed onto a plate and printed with Akua Intaglio Inks. Drypoint Plastic makes a perfect plate with a wipe-clean surface. To make our own Caborundum Gel plate we used an exposed screen. A plain screen with an area sectioned off with tape also works well as the gel can be worked into when wet. A Thermofax screen may also be used. Peel off the top piece of film from your drypoint plastic and place your plate underneath the image on your screen. Scoop a line of Carborundum Gel along the top of your screen. Use a squeegee to pull the gel down the screen and push it through the mesh. Hold the squeegee at a 45 degree angle and press quite firmly for best results. Be careful not to let your screen slide on the plate. Let your gel dry on the plate – around 20 minutes on a warm day seems to be enough. The Carborundum Gel can also be worked into whilst wet on the plate. We screen printed a large area of gel onto a plate using a screen exposed with a circle but you could use parcel tape to tape off a square or rectangle. Whilst the gel is wet, work into it with brushes and other tools to leave marks. You can also press textures into the gel. When you’re happy with the plate, leave to dry. When the plate is dry, peel off the back sheet of film. Before inking, soak the paper – we’re using Snowdon. Roll a layer of Akua Intalgio Ink onto the plate. Use a wad of scrim to polish the plate, removing excess ink from the smooth areas of plastic. Use a piece of cloth or tissue paper to wipe any ink smudges left on the plastic. Blot the soaked paper. Place the plate facing up on an etching press with dampened paper on top. Cover with blankets and put through the press on a tight pressure. Ink up your textured plates and print in the same way. Your plates can be washed up with a little water. If you want to reuse your plate for a new image, we have found that the gel can be gently removed with white spirit or Zest-It (these kind of plates are therefore not suitable for printing with traditional oil based inks that require solvents for clean up). To print your own Carborundum Gel plates you will need: Akua Carborundum Gel Aluminium Screen (or Thermofax) Parcel Tape Squeegee or (Thermofax Squeegee) Drypoint Plastic Tools for mark making in the wet gel Akua Intaglio Ink Inking Plate or Glass Slab Palette Knife Roller Scrim Cloth or Tissue Etching Press Paper to print onto such as Snowdon Tray to soak paper Blotting paper Zest-It or White Spirit (optional)
Brand Patronage, Witchy Scents & Cute-washing
Plus: A24 gets greedy, South Park’s staying power, Avengers never-Endgame, girl groups return, and some recommended reads and datasets.
Starship Orbital, America.gov, Matic Master Plan, Freckle, Heart Age + Extra Doses
Rock and roll came from the transistor radio. When Sony launched its cheap portable radio more than sixty years ago, it came with a headphone. For the first time in history, teenagers could listen to music without their parents eavesdropping. This opened the door to Chuck Berry and then the Beatles. AM radio needed hits, […]
