115 – Alex Da Corte / On productivity
Alex Da Corte’s show Die Hexe at Luxembourg & Dayan is the perfect place to dissolve oneself. It frankly seems possible. You make it to the mint-tinged coroner drawer at the end and the air tastes antiseptic. It was then I thought that maybe the afterlife is the constant smell of these things. It is a sad notion, like any guess at what is beyond this life. My nose seemed sure that hell could smell like this, it had gotten a smell at it’s future. Though focused on my accosted sense of smell, all my senses were engaged.
Da Corte’s installation is a play in 5 acts, a story in 5 chapters or a song with 4 choruses. Gothic purgatory gives way to a red/yellow incandescent film memory then to a neon shag pleasure den and then the pungent nothing bodega and finally an overlit tangy permanence. Artforum, Artnet and W Magazine have covered the show already. The show was discussed as part of the monthly National Academy Review Panel. Hyperallergic posted an image from the show with a piece of poetry by Brendan Lorber. And my guess is there will be more reviews in the offing.
Instead of offering insights, I only offer questions. Where are we when we step into a place that is all art? Do we need to classify ourselves as part of the work? Are we the performance? Does the place truly matter to make something site specific or can the notion of place, the lasting memory of place, suffice?
I recommend this show highly. I am still feeling it’s effects. Especially in my sinuses.
– Jeff Bergman March 2015
On Productivity
I am far from a model of productivity. Atlas was born because I knew that if I harnessed the limited bursts of time I have (a 45 minute train commute) and imposed a weekly deadline I could get something down. Occasionally I am very happy with what I have written though sometimes it is automatic. I never know what people will relate to.
I also knew that the time before 9am was usually my most productive as a writer. If I use the time on the train, I can usually get more out in that 40 minutes then in 4 hours at night. So to make all of this work, here are a few tools I use. Please note: The inspiration for this post came from Nina Katchadourian’s Wall Street Journal spread (by Aruna D’Souza with Brian Derbella’s photographs) about her traveling art practice which included a photograph of her travel kit.
Please share a shot of your commute / travel pack. What indispensable tools get you to do your best work?
Anker Bluetooth Keyboard with Cosmos Case $35 total
Anker battery in soft case with cables inside $27 for charger another $9 to have an extra iPhone cord
Instapaper on iPhone Free. Read articles offline. Tag them on your browser and keep them until you want to read them. Organize important ones and archive the rest. It is an invaluable tool.
Kindle $50 – $300 Get one.
Muji business card holder $2
Not Pictured: Gmail, Google Drive, Tags and Flags – How you organize your data is up to you. When it comes to using Gmail and Google Docs, I label everything so I can search for it quickly.
-Jeff Bergman March 2015
ATLAS 
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