Floating World Projects

Invisible Cities Reception This Thursday!

2011-09-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

FWP's current exhibition Invisible Cities will have an opening reception this Thursday, September 22 at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston. It runs from 6-8 pm, with some of the artists in attendance. Please join us if you're in the area!

The SAC Exhibition Gallery is located on the second floor, above the SAC Retail Gallery.
175 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116

"Invisible Cities" at The Society of Arts and Crafts

2011-08-09T12:55:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, but FWP has been busy preparing for Invisible Cities, our newest exhibition now showing at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston! Screenprinted glass works created during FWP's recent MassArt residency will be on display, along with a short video and a few other pieces. The works are primarily inspired by the group's trip to NYC, incorporating photography of the city into collaged images on glass.

If you're in the Boston area come out to the show! SAC is located at 175 Newbury St (nearest to Copley T station) and open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-6pm. The first floor hosts a lovely commercial gallery; Invisible Cities is on the second floor in the exhibition gallery. The opening event will be held September 22.

Here's a preview:

James McLeod. Crosstown Moment.

Ayse Balyemez. Looking for a Way Out (detail).

Leo Tecosky. No.12.

Gulfidan Ozmen. Open Door (detail).

Oben Abright. Old Man of Istanbul (detail).

Hande Buyukatli. One Way (detail).

We Will Return Shortly

2011-07-24T23:16:00.000-04:00

We're putting the final touches on pieces going in the exhibition at Boston's Society of Arts and Crafts as well as finishing up a few other projects. I'll return with more details and photos soon!

Glassblowing Demonstration for SOAC

2011-06-23T21:41:00.002-04:00

Last week a group of people involved in Floating World Projects and the Society of Arts and Crafts gathered for a behind-the-scenes peek at the work being made for the MassArt residency, along with an experimental glassblowing demonstration.

FWP artists took some finished screenprinted glass panels (with photos taken in New York this month) and bent them with heat into new shapes, stretching the printed imagery into more abstract forms. One panel shifted into a bowl, while two others were fused together into a boat shape. Pieces like these will be exhibited at SOAC in August.

Photos by FWP visiting artist Ayse Balyemez.

Glassblowing at MassArt

2011-06-14T16:13:00.001-04:00

For the first few weeks of June, the Turkish artists involved in Floating World Projects have been staying in Boston for a residency at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design with James McLeod, Leo Tecosky, and Oben Abright. The group traveled to New York City and photographed graffiti and architecture around Brooklyn, and the resulting images are being used to screenprint collages over glass panels, similar to earlier pieces incorporating photos of Istanbul. The finished pieces will be exhibited at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston.

Last week I (a person who has no experience with glass) visited the studio where Leo and James were working with MassArt students to produce glass shapes to be used for screenprinting. Below is a photo-diary of sorts of the process, from an outsider's point of view (meaning the vocabulary will remain simple!).

First, the artist takes a roll of compacted pigment at the end of the rod, and begins surrounding it with hot glass, continually twisting it as it hardens.

Several layers of hot glass are built up over time, with one person shielding the artist's face from sparks as he or she cradles the glass with wet cloth to shape it, and another person periodically blowing through the rod to expand the glass ball.

As it gets larger it is passed on to James and Leo, who continue to build it up until finally rolling it along a flat surface to give it a somewhat oval shape.

Then James stands at a greater height to lower it into a hot, hollow concrete tube, which shapes it into a flat-bottomed cylinder.

It is then chipped off the rod and stored in an incubator of sorts.

Watching glassmaking is exciting and fascinating, and I was impressed with just how much of a group effort it really is- with a range of different jobs and activities handled by the MassArt students/graduates working together.

TRANSITLINES

2011-06-05T14:46:00.000-04:00

This May saw a lot of activity for Floating World Projects, so much that we've neglected to update you on all of the happenings! The TRANSITLINES exhibition at the Public Glass Gallery in San Francisco ended on May 23, but you can check out some installation shots below:

James McLeod gave a glassblowing demonstration during the opening event, experimenting with a hot silkscreen technique.

Next time there'll be a little photoshoot of the glassmaking process during FWP's artist residency at MassArt.

TRANSITLINES Opens Today!

2011-05-07T10:33:00.002-04:00

Floating World Projects' new exhibition "TRANSITLINES" opens today at the Public Glass gallery in San Francisco! It culls together a number of collaborative pieces made by Turkish and American artists, incorporating silkscreen techniques on glass panels. The work aims to comment on relations between our two cultures and blur the line between them. The exhibition is partly a fundraiser for FWP's documentary The Road to Hebron, currently in the post-production process.

If you're in the area, check it out! The exhibit runs from May 7-May 23, with a special glassblowing demonstration and opening event tonight at 6pm.

Public Glass Exhibition Sneak Peek

2011-04-23T16:04:00.002-04:00

The next major exhibition for Floating World Projects starts May 7th at the Public Glass Gallery in San Francisco. Titled Transitlines, it features several collaborative pieces from Floating World Projects artists. We'll have full details soon!

And remember, you can keep tabs with us on Twitter, Facebook, or our mailing list (sign up in right-hand sidebar)!

"Concepts in Glass" Exhibition at the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet

2011-04-15T23:23:00.000-04:00

Here's a reminder that the Concepts in Glass exhibition at the New Art Center in Newton has started! It features art by FWP member James McLeod, along with other Boston-based glass artists. Check out the article posted at the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet!

"Concepts in Glass" Exhibition

2011-04-12T23:51:00.001-04:00

Starting Friday, April 11, the New Art Center in Newton, MA will open an exhibition titled "Concepts in Glass" that features four Boston-based glass artists who push the medium into different directions with a conceptual bent to their compositions. FWP co-founder James McLeod has pieces in the show focusing on memories and how they shift and change, often becoming unreliable or faded. As curator Hillary Faccio observes, "He also addresses tension between seemingly soft materials and materials more aggressive in nature. He creates objects that illustrate tension, release, and balance."

James McLeod, Memory Container 12

The exhibit also includes Chris Watts's complex, narrative-fueled pieces, Alan Klein's works contemplating aspects of time, and petroglyph-inspired pieces from the curator herself.

Check it out if you're in the area! It runs April 11-May 15 in the Main Gallery at the New Art Center, Newton, MA.

The Opening Reception will take place on Friday, April 15 from 6 to 8 pm.
There will be a Gallery Talk with the curator and artists on Saturday, April 30 at 2 pm.
All events are free and open to the public.

TransCultural Exchange Conference 2011

2011-04-05T19:04:00.001-04:00

Boston-based nonprofit TransCultural Exchange is committed to promoting artists and arts organizations with international focus. Their 2011 conference runs from April 7-10, featuring a range of panels and events centering on international opportunities for artists.

FWP founding member James McLeod will be a moderator on a panel titled "The New Renaissance Man. Doing it for Yourself: From Specialization to Multi-Tasking." The discussion will offer a look into "how the traditional model of the artist in the studio, supported by gallery shows, is morphing into that of artists who are also curators, residency program directors, designers and/or their own PR agents. How do they do it? Is art suffering by artists - as well as writers - being pulled in so many directions? Or, are we witnessing a new type of Renaissance artist?" It will take place on April 9 at the Boston Omni Parker House Hotel from 11:00 am to 12:45 pm.

An overview of the conference, which takes place all over the Boston area, can be found here and the schedule is here.

PS In case you missed it, Floating World Projects was featured in TCE's annual catalog "Here, There, and Everywhere" in February!

"Fête de Verre: FUTUR" for UrbanGlass

2011-03-23T14:25:00.002-04:00

UrbanGlass- the New York-based glass center whose programs include GLASS Magazine, the Robert Lehman Gallery, and numerous workshops and classes- is holding its annual auction titled Fête de Verre: FUTUR through April 16. A collaborative piece from FWP artists is up for sale, and will first be exhibited along with a range of other lovely glass pieces (including sculpture, 2-D images, and jewelry) from March 22-April 9.

If you're in the New York area, check out the exhibition at Chashama! Or you can get a preview of the auction items here. The piece from Floating World Projects is titled "Beyoglu Series #3", composed of silkscreened enamel on glass (shown below).

Leo Tecosky at SVA's "Exit" Exhibition

2011-03-14T16:15:00.000-04:00

From February 22-March 12, students in SVA's MFA Fine Arts program exhibited their thesis projects in the school gallery's Exit show. Leo Tecosky, founding member of Floating World Projects, showed several painted glass pieces, mixing bold, graphic colors with a geometric stencil style and mirrored backgrounds.

TransCultural Exchange: Here There and Everywhere

2011-02-16T17:58:00.002-05:00

Based in Boston, MA, the TransCultural Exchange is a nonprofit committed to promoting artists and arts organizations with international focus. They sponsor exhibitions and educations programs all over, and publish annual catalogs collecting together some of the best artists and pieces.

This year, Floating World Projects was included in their catalog Here, There and Everywhere: Anticipating the Art of the Future, which compiles the works of collaborative groups working across borders and cultural divides. Art made by FWP artists for "Invisible Cities"- a major effort that combines glass sculpture, music, and video to be exhibited in 2011- is featured.

You can purchase the catalog here (bottom of page).

And you can keep up with happenings at the TransCultural Exchange through their blog.

FWP YouTube Channel

2011-02-07T16:31:00.001-05:00

Floating World Projects now has a YouTube channel, where you'll be able to see clips from our "Road to Hebron" documentary as well as music videos. Subscribe to keep updated on videos we're posting!

Below is a rough trailer for the film.

Interview: Tan Kurttekin's Story

2011-01-31T20:29:00.002-05:00

For this month's newsletter (you can sign up at the right!), we wanted to shine a focus on photographer Tan Kurttekin, who served as director of photography for documentary filming in Hebron. I asked him a few questions about his background, how he joined Floating World Projects, and what it was like filming in Jerusalem and Hebron. He gave a great overview of his introduction to photography, his experiences in art school, and eventual team-up with FWP, so I'm posting his response in full here:

MY BACKGROUND
When I was 15 I attended a class of photography in high school, and I could insist my parents buy either buy a camera for me or I'd borrow my father's very old "Zorki 3C" Russian replica of "Leica III" from WWII at last.

very Saturday I was visiting flea markets in Istanbul where Russian goods were sold, like time-expired color slides, cheap negatives, darkroom equipment, and lenses. (At that time the U.S.S.R was resolved and they opened their borders for trade.) The materials were so cheap I had the opportunity to experiment with them, resulting in photos with poor quality, faded colors, and lots of production failures. I was so interested in shooting long exposures at night and developing black and white negatives by myself. There was no digital photography in those years so playing with that material was lots of fun. When I used old color materials I obtained old cinematographic tastes from different eras, when I used new material the result was so different. I observed how people reacted when they saw the same photo taken with different materials and techniques. I understood the power and expression of the photographic image so when I was 18 I decided to study photography at Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul.

It was not as fun as I expected- everything was so serious, disciplined and boring! I was good at technical photography but the artistic and documentary tasks we were asked to do had no sense of humor, they were all repetitive. So I quit school. I worked as an assistant for professional advertising photographers for few years, while improving my digital skills with manipulation and retouching. Then I returned to school. After my first contact with real world I took school more seriously and finished my degree quickly.

After school, I met a photographer whom I consider to be my real teacher. He led to my first international working experience in the 50th Venice Biennale. He is an independent photographer, an intellectual, an architect, an art historian and one of the most cruel critics I've met. He is still into chemical photography and working with obsolete techniques. When I was working for him as an assistant he always gave me briefs and explanations of what to achieve in our photographic compositions and what aims we had. He allowed me to try or discover varying solutions and methods by myself - it was very encouraging! He gave me a motto: "I don't have projects in life, I do things." I try to do.

ADVERTISING
Then for five years I've been an in-house photographer for a local, 25-year-old top advertising agency. I started there because of my retouching and digital manipulation past. (photomontage). Rarely do we see photographers in agencies, I was lucky to work within groups of copyrighters, art directors, graphic designers, and print technicians. There I had experiences of top projects for big brands in Turkey, thanks to the guidance of Hakkı Mısırlıoğlu- our Creative Director in that period.

Advertising agencies are not preferred places for you if art is your primary concern but usually employees there have the most common talents of artists. There you can see examples of individual competition or pulling together as a team. Sharp timing, socializing and financial criteria have essential importance whatever you want to do. It earns you different points of view but sometimes being too analytical can dull one's artistic creativity. After 5 years of my very safe adventure of being constantly employed, I became a freelance still life photographer again, and I still am now.

FWP
In 2007 I met James via my very old friend Özgür. They met at Cam Ocağı (a private glass studio with a furnace in istanbul). James said "Merhaba Cam üflüyorum" ("Hello, I blow glass") in Turkish. It's the first thing I knew about him and we became friends around the time FWP was beginning. I met his colleagues and students from the US in Istanbul. I noticed his constant efforts to establish connections between global citizens from different backgrounds, countries, and disciplines. He was so encouraging to people who had ideas for working and creating collaboratively, motivating people to get together. Every year he visited Istanbul, he made friends, he contacted people with portfolios- not only with glass and ceramic artists but also musicians, filmmakers, and sculptors.

One day I visited him when he was packing after a glass workshop at Mimar Sinan University, He asked me to take photographic documentation of works produced during the workshop, and I said Yes! As I was shooting the pieces, I asked questions about them. Every glass piece had its own story and technique, and I tried to emphasize the specialties of different works in my photography. At last I was so happy because they were so happy with results. So this was the beginning.

Later, when James was back in Istanbul from his Israel and Palestine trip he was smiling and excited. He was invited to Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts for Glass Blowing and also he had been to an extraordinary glass factory in Hebron in the West Bank and met great people there. He tried to work with their different techniques, then decided to come back soon and improve his way of glass blowing. He had many photos from the Hebron glass studio. At that time I was working as a camera man for a 58" music documentary for ARTE (German/French) television, so I asked him if FWP had plans for a documentary about what he is going to do in Hebron, and that's how the idea for "The Road to Hebron" was initiated. Then I was a part of FWP.

BEZALEL AND HEBRON
At the end of our first day in Bezalel Uni I felt really strange. I have always thought that I am a man of no prejudices and no fears of being discriminated against. I don't care about political disinformation. I like people smashing down borders and fears. But on the other hand, due to very delicate situations in the Middle East, I admit I didn't feel comfortable because of my nationality before I went there. Now I am proud of my decision to go. From the first moment on I was so welcomed by everyone I met. It was a shame for me but I just had those little fears.

When I was taking the footage in the glass department I tried to focus on the process of glass blowing and also the attention given by students, how they were instructed. I remembered my years of study with a fine arts faculty… the smell of the corridors between electric ovens, plaster mold facilities, students passing by with protective glasses and white stains on their clothes, carrying materials like drills, paints, etc., small exhibition openings. I tried to reflect their ambiance and what I felt. I also tried to help some students who wanted to take better photos of their recent works.

In Hebron it was completely different.

There these small glass factories have a different concept. Their production is for sale in piles. They are into traditional handcrafts. They are not students. They are not into contemporary art. Their taste in glass is so different. Their workflow is based on cost efficiency and speed, they burn wasted crude oil collected from car engines, they use recycled glass with a different consistency- their circumstances are so different.

Common things between Bezalel and Hebron were:
Experienced glass blowers feeling even the smallest glass piece put in the kiln is like their baby.
They are both in the same small region where glass blowing was born.

For the film, I took the journey of crude oil from cars to collecting cans and then to tanks' oil pumps, pipes, carburetors, and finally the furnace. After a while we start to see the rhythmic body movements of glass blowers in serial production of blown glass, followed by coffee and tea accompanied by Arabic music from an old radio. I can't say more than this before editing it properly but I think it gives the basic idea.

PLANS FOR THE FILM
It's going to be mainly an FWP production. That's my aim. Guys from the US and Turkey doing non-profit work in Palestine and Israel. It sounds good! It can be an interesting source for people who are interested in the different methods of blowing glass between two cities only 45 minutes from each other. My other wish is that it won't be boring for non-glass blowers!

See Tan's Artist Spotlight.
Check out his website.

Artist Spotlight: Tan Kurttekin

2011-01-24T16:07:00.001-05:00

This post is part of a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects. See all.

Born and raised in Istanbul, Tan Kurttekin graduated from Mimar Sinan University in 2002 with a degree in Fine Arts Photography. Since then he's worked as a freelance photographer in various advertising campaigns and publications for companies like Coca-Cola, Ulker, and Rolling Stone Turkey. In 2010 he was the director of photography for two films: Arabesk- Gossensound und Massenpop, a documentary about Turkish exploitation cinema in the 70's (here's a clip), and Impression of a Castle, a documentary focusing on Armenian-inspired architecture in Istanbul.

While very versatile in his style and approach to photography, his work is often characterized by deep color schemes and rich textures, with an eye for motion and symmetry.

This month Tan traveled with fellow FWP artists James, Oben, and Guido to Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and the Al Salam glass factory in Hebron to film a documentary on the glass community and traditions in the troubled region. They culled together many hours of footage- hopefully a trailer will be released within the next month. More information on the doc forthcoming!

Check out Tan's website for more photos.

Glass Workshop at Bezalel Academy

2011-01-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

Before making their way into Palestine, FWP artists James, Tan, Guido, and Oben stopped over at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem (with their host, professor Dafna Kaffeman). While there, they ran a glass-making workshop with the students of the glass department. For details, check out Ayelet Dekel's excellent article for MidnightEast, a site focusing on Israeli culture and events.

Hebron: First Few Days in Photographs

2011-01-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

I've got a few photos from our artists currently spending time in Hebron to film a documentary about the Al Salam glass factory. James and Tan are making friends, the Al Salam glassworkers share their techniques, and the city is sunny and eclectic. To keep track of their journey, keep an eye on the "hebron" tag!

"The Road to Hebron" Travel Diary #1

2011-01-09T13:35:00.004-05:00

FWP artists James McLeod, Oben Abright, Tan Kurttekin, Guido Gerlitz are currently visiting the Al Salam glass factory in Hebron to film a documentary about their traditions and day-to-day operations in the area. Here is a glimpse of their experiences so far from James:

Al Salam in July 2010

We have had a fascinating week here in the holy land after landing in Tel Aviv last Sunday. We spent the first half of the week at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design working with students in the Glass Department. Israel is a small country and their glass community equally small. We spent three days working with students to share our knowledge of our craft and the results were visible immediately. We met with such an unbelievably warm and generous group that it was hard to move on when the workshop was finished. After a night of camping at the Dead Sea with some students, we were off to Hebron on Friday.

We have been here two days now and have had the chance to work at the Al Salam Ceramic factory and have also had a chance to explore the old city of Hebron. I cannot impress enough the hospitality that we have found here. Whether it is an invitation for tea or just a passing story, the Hebronites are nothing but warm, hospitable, and generous with their time. Our filming has been going well but not without a brief interruption from the Israeli military yesterday afternoon: It seems that there was a military checkpoint in the background of a number of our photographs. It is hard to avoid that here. The day that we arrived (Friday) the city of Hebron made international news.

Our director of photography, Tan Kurttekin has been doing a masterful job weaving together a story of glass in the Holy Land and we have discovered so much more than we could have ever expected. Often times with a project like this, the result can change drastically from one's original concept because of the logistics involved. So far, we have asked for so much and received everything more. Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T15:03:00.001-05:00

Happy New Years, Yeni mutlu yıllar, سنة جديدة سعيدة, שנה טובה ברכה לראש-השנה

Hello and happy New Year's Day from Floating World Projects!

As 2010 comes to a close I would like to personally thank everyone for your support and encouragement over the past year. Here in Istanbul the beautiful and crystal clear day highlights this cities majestic character and the streets are filling up as the Turks prepare for the night's festivities. I have the pleasure of visiting with many of the wonderful artists that are working with over the past few days and as usual, these moments serve as indelible reminders of the important need for organizations like FWP. On Sunday we are off to Jerusalem for a workshop at the Bezalel University and then the West Bank city of Hebron to conclude our documentary of Al-Salem glass factory. We hope that you stay tuned over the next week as we will be updating our blog daily.

We hope you all have a great 2011! Follow along this year as we release our documentary The Road to Hebron, produce major exhibitions in San Francisco and Boston, release new music, travel around the US with Turkish artists for residency programs, and more!

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Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

If you celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful day! If you don't, have a wonderful day too! Settle in with some hot chocolate and a warm blanket and enjoy the season (unless you live in a warm climate... in which case, get a nice tan!). Here are some FWP artworks in shades of red and green to fit with the holiday.

Artist Spotlight: Guido Gerlitz

2010-12-23T12:45:00.000-05:00

This post is part of a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects. See all.

In January several members of Floating World Projects are traveling to Hebron to film a documentary about the Al-Salam glass factory. Sculptor and Executive Director of Public Glass in San Francisco Guido Gerlitz will be joining them as a representative of his gallery. With a BFA in Glass and Ceramics from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA in Glass from California College of the Arts, Guido works to "bring a leading edge perspective and understanding of the glass genre to contemporary art". He tests the limits of the material, evoking energetic and thoughtful abstract shapes as well as recognizable wares with splashes of color.

Since 2009 he's been the director of Public Glass, a non-proﬁt institution specializing in education and professional glass studios including blown, cast, kiln, torch and cold-work. Next year a show of collaborative works from Floating World Projects will be exhibited in their gallery, in part as a fundraiser for "The Road to Hebron" documentary.

"Contiguous Form - Red with Black Cane", 2010

"Gesture 1", 2004

"Teal Goblets", 2010

"Octonese", 2003

"Corkscrew"

Artist Spotlight: Dafna Kaffeman

2010-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

This post is part of a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects. See all.

"But I have come to detest life" (Embroidery by Yoav Weinberg), 2010

Coming up in January, several members of Floating World Projects will travel to the West Bank to make a documentary focusing on the Al-Salam glass factory in Hebron. Before going into Palestine, they'll stay with artist Dafna Kaffeman, a lecturer and coordinator of Glass Studies at Bezalel University in Jerusalem. She studied glass art in Amsterdam and lampworking in Venice, often combining different materials with the glass medium and creating a more tactile effect.

Her works are incredibly close and detailed, taking advantage of the fragile nature of glass as a medium and working in assemblages of small pieces. Many of them take organic, seemingly soft shapes formed by hundreds of tiny hard parts.

"Tactual Stimulation", 2007

"Animality", 2004

Her 2006 exhibition Persian Cyclamen features a range of handkerchiefs embroidered with phrases in Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic and abstract geographic outlines. Intricately-crafted glass plant forms rest upon them, symbolizing larger concepts of life and placing the pieces in context of the Isreali-Palestine conflict. They were displayed lying down on low pedestals, creating a more intimate viewing.

"Fence line in Red, Pinus halepensis", 2006

"Arabic is not spoken here. From the article by Jack Huri and David Renter, Haaretz, March 13, 2006. Sea Squill", 2006

"Persian Cyclamen", Lorch-Seidel Galeri, Berlin, Germany, 2006

Her most recent series Mantis Relgiose takes a similar approach, incorporating texts from Israeli newspapers and letters this time embroidered by Norwegian woman and Israeli men. The former didn't understand Arabic or Hebrew, and so their embellishments are purely aesthetic, while the latter added accents as commentary. Dafna complements the handkerchiefs with glass plants and insects.

"And my family planned to ask for her hand" (Embroidery by Yair Shif), 2010

"One day before I set out for the operation" (Embroidery by Michael Golan), 2010

Some of her work is currently on view at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in the exhibition Studio Glass.

Dafna's official site
Profile at WheatonArts

Floating World Projects Newsletter

2010-12-10T16:08:00.001-05:00

We've been working hard on the launch of our monthly newsletter, filled with news updates, artist profiles, delightful anecdotes, music updates, and general information regarding various happenings. If you'd like to sign up, there's a handy box to your right in our sidebar! Just type in your name and email address, and you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to add you to our list. Our newsletter will only go out about once a month, so I promise we won't flood your inbox!

If you have any trouble signing up, you can email me at alex@floatingworldprojects.org and I'll add you.

Below is co-founder James McLeod's 2010 reflection from the first issue we sent out last week:

Hello and Happy Holidays from FWP!

As 2010 comes to a close we would like to take an opportunity to thank everyone that has helped us in all of our achievements in 2010. It has been an exciting year here at Floating World Projects with many new developments, none of which could have happened without the generous support of our collaborators, sponsors and friends in the international art community.

Looking back to three years ago to the conception of FWP, I can recall how distant all of this seemed. The idea began with a simple conversation one evening in Istanbul overlooking the Bosporus straight. I was with my colleague Leo Tecosky and we had the idea to create an art project that could help share our perspective of a city and a community half way across the world with our communities back home. When we analyzed our concept, we quickly realized that it was far more complex than a just a story about a city or a community that we wanted to share; our conversation was about socially constructed prejudices that exist and what we can do to help dismantle them.

Three years later we are still here and evidence of all of our hard work can be seen with our new web presence. In September 2010 we launched our new website with updated examples of all the multimedia projects we are currently working on. This is a huge step for us, compiling of all of the work that we have done over the past three years in one, easily accessible place. In addition, our new web content and social-networking manager, Alexandra Kittle, has outfitted us with this newsletter, a facebook page, a blog and twitter account that are updated on a regular basis. Since we have been primarily self-funded in the past, we are also happy to announce that we now accept much needed donations on our website.

Our events in 2010 began with a month long collaborative residency at the Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul for the month of June. Six artists from the USA and Turkey joined together to collaborate on glass artwork and the result was an overwhelming success. This residency was conceived of three years ago and was more productive than we ever could have expected. The next stop for FWP in July 2010 was a preliminary research trip to the West Bank to begin work on a new project; a documentary of one of the worlds’ oldest glass studios that is still operated by the same family since the 13th century.

In October 2010 upon return to the USA FWP incorporated as a non-profit organization and enlisted the help of our current staff Alex Kittle, Penny Saftler, and Sylvie Agudelo. We are currently preparing for our next trip to the West Bank in January 2011. In addition, we have two Exhibitions scheduled for May and September of next year and an additional residency at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in June. The residency will be the counterpart to our collaborative work last summer and will involve four Turkish artists visiting us for the first time in the USA.

Please keep in touch and feel free to follow our activity as we have a busy year ahead. Thank you again for all of the support from our friends and sponsors and we wish you a safe and happy new year to come.

Artist Spotlight: Gülfidan Özmen

2010-12-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

This post is part of a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects. See all.

Glass sculptor Gülfidan Özmen graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University with a focus on Ceramic and Glass. She has worked in several glass studios and been a part of multiple installation projects and group and solo exhibitions. She has been a lecturer at Mimar Sinan since 2008. Her glass work incorporates vibrant colors, linear patterns, and playful shapes for varied and eye-catching abstract effects.

Her 2009 solo exhibition "Optical Impressions" featured colorful shapes and hanging pieces that toyed with ideas of three-dimensionality and juxtaposition of textures. They bring the 2-D illusions of op-art into a sculptural space while still playing tricks on the eye, often adding bright pops of color to black and white compositions.

From December 7th-31st, 2010, her work will be shown in the solo exhibition "Silhouettes" at the Ormo Art Gallery in Istanbul. For this series Gülfidan has brought in more clear glass materials and round forms.

Here are a few of her pieces made with other Floating World Projects artists during a visit to Istanbul.

Gülfidan's website
Check out her blog

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, we at Floating World Projects want to wish all our American friends a very happy Thanksgiving. We hope you are able to spend time with your friends and family, and eat a lot of delicious food! And hopefully all of you outside of the US have a lovely day too!

This year we're thankful for a lot of things- the wonderful people who've worked with our group, the art we've made together, and the incredible experiences of traveling. We're grateful for all the opportunities that are opening up for next year, so that we can share what we're doing with so many more people!

Special Announcement: Donations

2010-11-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not have noticed, there is now a friendly Paypal "donate" button located in the right-hand sidebar. Since becoming a nonprofit this fall, Floating World Projects is working on a number of new ideas and events in both artistic and musical spheres, but we need your help to realize our goals.

If you donate $50 or more, you will receive a compilation cd featuring FWP musicians. If you donate $100 or more, you will receive a one-of-a-kind, small printed glass piece in varying sizes signed by the artist. These would make excellent and unique gifts for your loved ones for the holidays! Below is an example tile, and there's a gallery of other samples here.

If you donate to our group, your contribution will go to:

The Road to Hebron
-       Video post-production and research for “The Road to Hebron” documentary film, focusing on the ancient al-Natsheh glass factory in Hebron
-       Arabic translation
-       Video publishing
-       Travel to the West Bank in January 2011
-       Transportation of recording equipment
-       Additional video equipment for recording
-       Follow up travel to Hebron to finish final documentation, August 2011

INVISIBLE CITIES
-       Transportation of 4 Turkish artists to the US to participate in an artist residency at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, MAY 2011
-       Art supplies for 2 upcoming residencies 2011
-       Preparations for September exhibitions 2011in Boston and Seattle
-       Transportation / Accommodations / Music recording July 1 August 1 2011 in Turkey

We'd really appreciate any support you are able to give, either monetarily or just by getting the word out about our organization! Thanks for reading!

Artist Spotlight: Oben Abright

2010-11-16T09:00:00.004-05:00

This post is part of a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects. See all.

San Francisco-based artist Oben Abright has been drawing, painting, and sculpting since he was in elementary school, taking after his artist parents. After studying at the Lorenzo deMedici Institute of Art in Florence, he received his BFA in Glass from the California College of the Arts in 2004.

Working from his own drawings and photographs, Oben creates closely-studied portrait sculpture out of glass, metal, and clay. For some pieces he sprays oil paint on certain areas and wipes it partially off, creating a colorful, textured look. His series are inspired by neglected or war-torn areas and the people affected, giving widespread problems a more intimate focus. He believes the three-dimensionality of his pieces makes them more impactful than photography or written reportage, and hopes to raise awareness through the stories his works tell.

His "Market Street" series looks at homeless residents of San Francisco through confrontational portraits from the waist up, with many of the subjects shown bundled up or huddled over.

Gabe (Seated)
mold blown glass, oil paint, cement and steel

Market Street Series IV
mold blown glass and oil paint

Zee Cee

mold blown glass and oil paint

Market Street Series VIII

mold blown glass and oil paint

Oben's newest series is currently on view at the Echt Gallery in Chicago in an exhibition titled "Portraits of Loi Tailang Burma", with pieces modeled after photographs he took while visiting Burma to document the under-reported genocide of the Shan- an ethnic group within a mountainous area of Myanmar- and other minority peoples in the region. They have been pushed out of their homes by Burmese troops and thousands are living as refugees in Loi Tailang, a border city near Thailand. His sculptures offer a forthright and honest depiction of these men, women, and children in a detailed, textured, and bold style.

Nang Ga
preparatory sketch for sculptural installation

Orphaned Boys

While in Istanbul with other Floating World Projects artists, Oben focused on street photography of the gritty and neglected areas of the city, and is now working on a new portrait series based on these images. He will also be traveling to Palestine with FWP next year to work on the planned documentary of the al-Natsheh glass factory in Hebron.

Oben's official site
Echt Gallery official site
"The Art of Suffering"- an account of Oben's experiences in Burma by Antonio Graceffo

Artist Spotlight: Javelin

2010-11-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

This post is part of a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects. See all.

The Brooklyn-based group Javelin is made up of cousins Tom van Buskirk and George Langford, who started making music together around 2004. They collect sounds from a variety of sources, both sampling other artists- many culled from their assortment of bargain vinyl- and making their own instrumentation for an eclectic, layered style, incorporating countless genres, loops, and ideas into a few minutes of music. It's a dancy, funky rollercoaster ride filled with fun surprises along the way. Their live shows involve a number of boomboxes tuned to the radio and improvisational rapping, resulting in an ever-evolving "sound" that can't be pinned down.

The duo released their latest album on Luaka Bop (David Byrne's record label) in 2010, titled No Más. Their self-released record Jamz n Jemz was listed as one of Pitchfork's "Albums of the Year" in 2009. You can download two of their mixtape mp3's below (right click and "Save as") and see some fun music videos!

Andean Ocean Tape (30:00)
World MIDI Classics, Vol 2 (13:01)

Javelin on Myspace
Javelin on Luaka Bop, where you can stream tracks off No Más
Javelin's official site
Pitchfork interview

Javelin Music Video- "Soda Popinski"

Javelin Music Video- "Education!"

Artist Spotlight: Ayse Balyemez

2010-11-05T11:19:00.003-04:00

This post is the first in a series spotlighting the range of artists and musicians involved in Floating World Projects.

Ayse graduated from the Ceramic and Glass Design Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University with a BFA in 2003 and MFA in 2009 and designed tableware decorations at a decal printing company for five years. She has worked as a lecturer in transfer printmaking techniques and is currently a research assistant. Her art has been exhibited in several shows in Turkey and Europe. She creates intricately decorated plates and ceramic mounted wall pieces as well as small sculptures, and with other Floating World Projects artists she produced a number of colorful glass panels with interlaced silkscreened images. Her aesthetic fuses text, photography, and pattern for a colorful, multi-dimensional effect.

Check out Ayse's blog, where she posts photos of new work! (text is primarily in Turkish)

Preparing for Exhibition in San Francisco

2010-11-03T16:45:00.004-04:00

From January 1-February 4, 2011, the Public Glass gallery in San Francisco will be opening a new exhibition from Floating World Projects! On display will be a combination of pieces inspired by stays in Turkey and the West Bank, collecting a number of new painted glass works from our artists. The event will serve as a fundraiser for a planned documentary about glassblowing in Palestine.

Here's a preview of some of the pieces that will be shown, including an impressive 14'x4' assemblage of glass panels. The glass is painted in successive layers, and then projected images will be applied with a low-fire enamel marker.

One piece experienced a serendipitous kiln mishap that led to some interesting heating effects.

In the upcoming months, we'll keep you updated with news regarding this exciting exhibition, and look forward to seeing some of you there at the January 29 opening!

2010-06-09T04:47:00.002-04:00

INVISIBLE CITIES

"A city does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of its streets, the gratings of its windows, the banisters of the steps, the poles of the flags, every segment marked in turn with scratches, indentations, scrolls"