AtRandom
Founded in 2006 / Organized by Jon Sueda and Sean Donahue
AtRandom is a community sponsored public gathering of designers, artists, writers and researchers within the Los Angeles area. These events provide a forum for our local community to take part in a critical discussion about design and visual culture in a context unattached to any one educational, professional or disciplinary institution. There is no agenda to legitimize our occupation or provide a venue for networking. Our only goal is to instigate a stimulating dialogue and investigate design in our community though lectures, exhibitions, and other happenings.
AtRandom events have no standard configuration and manifest themselves in forms unique to each specific event and dialogue. Both large and small, real and virtual, planned and spontaneous, critical and comical, each event will provide a platform for unique voices to share their work while facilitating access to fruitful discussions.
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AtRandom #1
Harmen Liemburg: Look at the Highway Stars - Roadside Silhouettes and Such
w/ special guest DJ: Rich Shelton
August 20th, 2006
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
Los Angeles, California
A NOTE FROM HARMEN :
At this moment, it's hard to clearly outline my presentation. I'm in the middle of the process of collecting, selecting and compiling images, working on four new posters simultaneously. As usual, the posters will be screen-printed. This time, according to American industrial standards... That means research: I spend plenty of time looking for the right paper and inks, plus trying to get the large MCAD vacuum table back to business.
The title is taken from the song 'Our Anniversary' by Smog (Bill Callahan), who's music I was introduced to by my friends Kindra Murphy and Tim Tozer. The moody ecclectic Smog songs have become the soundtrack of my recent trip through the Northwest of the US and my residency in Minneapolis. In this current travelling life, the iPod Music Store brings a powerful new impulse to my simmering interest in music. I love the combination of importing CD's while researching the artist's background and links to similar material. Not only is it a very smart commercial tool, it also quenches the intellectual thirst of information junkies like myself.
While working at MCAD this summer, I'm currently looking after my friends house, garden and pet. That gives me the opportunity to browse through the piles of books, records and printed ephemera that are lying everywhere. Some of them will definitely appear in my new prints. While being abroad, this is what seems to work for me: trying to be open and flexible for anything that occurs, go with the flow. Anything I encounter could be material for a new piece.
One of the aspects I love about being in the US is the abundance of handcrafted commercial signs that can be found everywhere. This interest is part of my increasing bias towards the decorative and narrative qualities of indigenous crafts and folk art. Instead of graphic design per say, more often it's textiles, pottery and furniture that captures my eye these days. As I spend lots of time browsing bookshelves for images and information, the beautiful rustic building of the former Eagle Rock Boulevard library is a most appropriate setting for my presentation.
Hope to see you there! HL
