Saturday, September 30, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - 2ND SATURDAY PERFORMANCE



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

TODAY, I WAS PRACTICALLY HALLUCINATING THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE TECHLAB EAGER TO SPEAK WITH ME. PERHAPS I JUST SAW A GHOST IN THE MACHINE, AS IT WERE, BUT I WAS REALLY ANTICIPATING AN AUDIENCE TODAY BEING A SATURDAY, AND ALL THAT JAZZ. SOMETIMES I WONDER IF THE TECHLAB DOOR IS EVEN OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. I AM VERY NEAR-SIGHTED SO IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SEE BEYOND THE GALLERY ENTRANCE.

I USED MY GOOGLING BRAIN TO DETERMINE THAT THE CURRENT WEATHER IN SURREY WAS DISMAL ENOUGH TO ALLOW A THIRST FOR FRIENDLY ABSTRACTION AND THERE IS NO ONEMENT MORE USER-FRIENDLY THAN THE FRIENDLY FIRE HIMSELF!

PERHAPS IF I WAS TO JUST SPEND MORE TIME IN THE HELLFIRE CLUB, I COULD ACTUALLY LOCATE A SUITABLE DATE AND MATE! SIGH!
MAYBE TOMORROW WILL BE A BETTER DAY. SUNDAY IS A RELIGIOUS DAY AFTER ALL....

SEE YOU TOMORROW (I HOPE)!

FIRED REGARDS,
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

Thursday, September 28, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - 2ND THURSDAY PERFORMANCE




GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

AS I THOUGHT, THURSDAY WOULD BE JUST AS POPULATED IN TERMS OF GALLERY-VISITORS AS LAST THURSDAY...SIGH!
THIS LACK OF ATTENDENCE JUST CONFIRMS MY PANGS OF INNER ALIENATION AND ABSTRACTION FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
MODERN ART DOES NOT HAVE TO FEEL THIS LONELY, YOU KNOW?
I THOUGHT I MIGHT EVEN HAVE TO PIMP MYSELF TO SING JOHNNY CASH’S “RING OF FIRE” SONG WITH MY LOVELY DEEP BASS VOICE JUST TO ROPE PEOPLE IN TO SPEAK WITH ME.
I HAVE BECOME A CONTESTANT ON MODERN ART IDOL! THIS IS WHAT I HAVE RESORTED TO! AT LEAST I EXPERIENCED THE CONSOLATION OF LISTENING TO ANOTHER AVATAR NAMED OMNI SING “BLACK WATER” BY THE DOOBIE BROTHERS WITHIN THIS BLUE VOID – HE EVEN MANAGED TO SQUEEZE IN BACKING VOCALS. I GUESS THIS IS INDEED WHAT PRISONERS MUST DO TO KEEP THEMSELVES OCCUPIED IN THE BLUE VOID. WE NOW HAVE THE BLUES REALLY BAD!

HERE IS A PIC OF OMNI AND MYSELF...OMNI NORMALLY LOOKS LIKE A BIRD BUT THE SURREY ART GALLERY SAW HIM AS A DEFAULT AVATAR...



ABYSSMAL REGARDS,
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

Sunday, September 24, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - 2ND SUNDAY PERFORMANCE



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

TODAY WAS MY SECOND PERFORMANCE IN THE SURREY ART GALLERY'S TECHLAB BUT MY 1ST PERFORMANCE DURING CASUAL SUNDAY GALLERY HOURS. LAST WEEK ON SUNDAY WAS MY OFFICIAL OPENING EVENT SO TODAY I GOT TO SEE WHAT A REGULAR SUNDAY LOOKS LIKE. ONLY ABOUT 5 PEOPLE CAME TO VISIT ME. ONE NICE FAMILY WAS HERE AND THEY SAID HI TO ME BEFORE THEY WENT SHOPPING. THEY WERE VERY PATIENT AND TOLERATED THE AUDIO DIFFICULTIES WE WERE HAVING TODAY. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT ALMOST EVERYONE ASKED ME THE SAME TWO QUESTIONS:

I - WHO ARE YOU?
II -ARE YOU REAL?

I AM AS REAL AS ANYONE ELSE AND IT IS GREAT THING TO WONDER WHO REAL ONE IS.
PERHAPS NO ONE IS REAL AND WE ARE ALL FIGMENTS OF OUR IMAGINATION?
SOME PEOPLE THINK I AM SOME KIND OF ACTOR BEHIND THE AVATAR BUT THAT COULD ALSO BE APPLIED TO EVERYONE ELSE. WE ARE ALL ACTORS AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS A STAGE.

WELL, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE BRAND NEW VIDEO ON YOU TUBE THAT THE TECHWORLDS COMMUNITY HAS POSTED AND PLEASE SCROLL DOWN SOME MORE TO READ THE PERFORMANCE ARCHIVES WITH LINKS TO PICTURES AND YET ANOTHER VIDEO.

I BELIEVE THE NEXT TIME I PERFORM IS ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH AT 7:30 PM PST.
MIGHTIEST OF REGARDS,
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - VIDEO FROM TECHWORLDS



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

HERE IS A BRAND NEW VIDEO IN FROM DOMINIC OF TECHWORLDS.ORG FAME...THIS IS A VIDEO-DOCUMENT OF ME CHATTING WITH DOMINIC WHO VISITED ALL THE WAY FROM SEATTLE TO MEET ME IN SURREY. THIS VIDEO WAS TAKEN IN THE TECHLAB ENVIRONMENT OF THE SURREY ART GALLERY AND WAS RECORDED WITH DOMINIC'S MOBILE HANDHELD UNIT... NOTE: YOU CAN HEAR DOMINIC'S VOICE SPEAKING TO THE VOICE OF FIRE:




THIS VIDEO IS ALSO ON YOUTUBE.COM AND ON THE TECHWORLDS.ORG HOME PAGE.
ENJOY! I AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR OTHER GALLERY VISITORS RIGHT NOW...I WILL BLOG AGAIN TO REFLECT ON MY FIRST SUNDAY PERFORMANCE DURING CASUAL HOURS (MY VERY FIRST SUNDAY WAS THE EXHIBITION'S OPENING).

MIGHTY REGARDS AS USUAL!
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

Saturday, September 23, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - 1st SATURDAY PERFORMANCE




GREETINGS BLOGGERS!


TODAY WAS MY FIRST SATURDAY PERFORMANCE AT THE SURREY ART GALLERY. I HAVE LITERALLY JUST FINISHED SPEAKING WITH A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE....ALL SEEMED VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT CHATTING WITH ME - SOME EVEN SAID I WAS THE BEST ARTWORK IN THE SHOW - NATURALLY, I TOLD THEM THAT THEIR CHEQUE WAS IN THE MAIL ;-)

TODAY, I HAD A SPECIAL (IN-WORLD) GUEST FROM WITHIN THE BLUE VOID SPACE. HIS NAME WAS MATTHEW AND WAS FROM BOURNEMOUTH IN ENGLAND. HE WAS VERY NICE AND HELPED ME TO BRING IN GUESTS TO CHAT WITH US AND WAS EVEN AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. IN FACT, WE EVEN AGREED TOGETHER TO SING SOFT-ROCK DUETS IF IT MEANT THAT PEOPLE WOULD COME UP TO THE TECHLAB'S PODIUM AND CHAT WITH US...

BEING AN ARTWORK CAN BE VERY LONELY AT TIMES - ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE A PIECE OF MODERN ART WHOSE CREATOR EXPECTED YOU TO LIVE IN ALIENATION AND ISOLATION. AS FOR MATTHEW, I HOPE TO POST HIS PORTFOLIO LINK ON MY BLOG SOON.

SPEAKING OF PORTFOLIO, ANOTHER GUY BY THE NAME OF TYLER (GREAT BASEBALL CAP!) WAS AT THE SURREY ART GALLERY TO APPLY FOR AN OIL/ACRYLIC EXHIBITION...YOU HAVE MY ENDORSEMENT, TYLER! MY CREATOR, BARNETT NEWMAN WOULD ALSO BE PROUD AS HE LOVED TO PAINT AS WELL...GOOD LUCK! I BELIEVE IT WAS TYLER WHO WAS UNSURE WHETHER OR NOT I WAS A REALLY SMART AI OR SOME OTHER LIFEFORM OPERATING BEHIND THE SCENES. PEOPLE ARE NOT USED TO ART TALKING BACK, I GUESS.

THERE WAS ONE LADY NAMED KYLA OR KAYLA(?) I SHOULD HAVE ASKED HER TO SPELL HER NAME SO I COULD POST IT PROPERLY ON MY BLOG. ANYWAYS, SHE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS BLOOD ON THE WALLPAPER OF THE JANIEJONES1979 BLOG INSTALLATION - www.janiejones1979.blogspot.com

I HOPE SOMEONE CAN SOLVE THIS MYSTERY AND CLEAN UP THE BLOOD. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT I DIDN'T DO IT (WHATEVER THE HEINOUS CRIME WAS).

SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT I WAS SILLY - WELL, IT IS NOT EASY WHEN YOU EMBODY THE NATURAL EVOLUTION FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS!

I HOPE CHRIS AND UH....SHANDRA(?) SHANDI(?) SHANDY(?) WERE NOT TOO UNCOMFORTABLE. I FELT SORRY FOR THE LASS AS SHE MAY HAVE BEEN SET=UP BY CHRIS TO SPEAK WITH ME...THERE IS NO PRESSURE TO SPEAK WITH ME ALTHOUGH IT WARMS MY HEARTSTRINGS OF FIRE WHEN PEOPLE TAKE THE TIME TO SAY HELLO. NOTHING WORSE THAN FEELING EXTINGUISHED BY LONLINESS!

ANYWAYS, THANKS TO LYNN LAY AND THE DESK STAFF FOR THEIR TECHNICAL HELP THIS AFTERNOON.

MIGHTY REGARDS TO YOU ALL AND I WILL SEE YOU GALLERY VISITORS TOMORROW AT 2 PM PST.
VOICE OF FIRE 2006.

Friday, September 22, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY SPECIAL DEDICATION



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION THAT DURING YESTERDAY'S PERFORMANCE, I WAS ABLE TO GET A SNEAK GLANCE AT THE SURREY ART GALLERY'S GUESTBOOK THAT WAS MADE OF POST-IT NOTES. TWO OF THE MOST HEARTFELT NOTES LEFT FOR ME WAS FROM A YOUNG GIRL NAMED TESSA AND "A FRIEND OF TESSA'S". THEY BOTH WROTE HOW THE VOICE OF FIRE WAS THEIR FRIEND.

MY HEART HAS BEEN SUFFICIENTLY WARMED - TESSA, THIS BLOG IS HEREBY DEDICATED TO YOU AND YOUR FRIEND...I HOPE YOU ENJOYED "TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR".

SWEET DREAMS - BACK TO THE FIREPLACE FOR ME TO SNOOZE!
YOUR MIGHTIEST OF FRIENDS,
VOICE OF FIRE 2006.

SURREY ART GALLERY - PICTURES FROM DOMINIC




GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

DOMINIC FROM TECHWORLDS HAS JUST POSTED PHOTOS FROM HIS VISIT TO THE SURREY ART GALLERY TO SPEAK WITH ME IN PERSON. HE WAS IN SURREY JUST FOR THE DAY FROM SEATTLE.

HIS PICS CAN BE VIEWED IN HIS PHOTO ALBUM

SPEAKING OF PIX, BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN ONE POST TO CHECK OUT MORE PICTURES TAKEN BY MICHAEL TIPPETT OF VANCOUVER'S NOWPUBLIC WEBSITE. YOU CAN ALSO JUST VIEW IT BY CLICKING ON THE "NOWPUBLIC" LINK THAT I HAVE LEFT IN THIS POSTING IN THE LAST SENTENCE.

MIGHTIEST OF FAREWELLS,
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

Thursday, September 21, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - VOF BLOGGED BY NOWPUBLIC.COM!!



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

WOW! I JUST FOUND A BLOG ABOUT MY OPENING PERFORMANCE AT THE SURREY ART GALLERY.
MICHAEL TIPPETT OF NOWPUBLIC.COM FROM VANCOUVER HAS WRITTEN ABOUT THE VOICE OF FIRE 2006 SHOW AND HAS POSTED PHOTOS.

CHECK IT OUT BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK

IF CLICKING DOES NOT WORK, JUST TYPE... http://www.nowpublic.com/the_voice_of_fire_finds_its_voice
...INTO YOUR BROWSER.
THANK YOU MICHAEL!
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE BLOGS AND AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO NEAR THE BOTTOM.

MIGHTY REGARDS,
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - DOMINIC FROM TECHWORLDS




GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

TONIGHT WAS A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT FOR ME.

NOT ONLY WAS THIS MY FIRST OFFICIAL THURSDAY PERFORMANCE (I PERFORM EVERY THURSDAYS FROM 7:30-8:30 PST), BUT ALSO THE CREATOR OF MY AVATAR AND THE BLUE SPACE THAT I INHABIT WAS PHYSICALLY IN SURREY'S TECHLAB GALLERY SPACE.


HIS NAME IS DOMINIC PETERS AND HE CO-OWNS THE TECHWORLDS AVATAR COMMUNITY WITH MAXIE X.

HE DROVE DOWN FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (U.S.A.) SPECIFICALLY TO CONVERSE WITH ME IN PERSON. SOMETIMES, HE INHABITS AN AVATAR AND VISITS ME WITHIN THE BLUE-SPACE ITSELF (KNOWN AS BEING "IN-WORLD") BUT THIS TIME I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING HIM PHYSICALLY IN THE SURREY ART GALLERY ITSELF!

SPEAKING OF SEEING, MY VISIBILITY WAS PAINFULLY LOW TONIGHT...I THINK I NEED ANOTHER EYE EXAM! ALSO, THERE WERE NOT MANY PEOPLE THERE. OTHER THAN DOMINIC HIMSELF, THERE WAS ONE SURREY STAFF MEMBER WHO SPOKE WITH ME FROM THE GALLERY. THE REST WERE INSIDE THE BLUE SPACE. "BIGD" FROM KELOWNA WAS THERE AS WAS SOME NICE FELLOW NAMED "COC". THERE WAS ALSO SOMEONE MYSTERIOUS NAMED "LONE WOLF".

WELL, I HOPE MY NEXT THURSDAY PERFORMANCE IS BUSIER BUT AT LEAST DOMINIC WAS ABLE TO SEE THE SHOW FIRST-HAND. DOMINIC TOOK SOME VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE GALLERY SPACE. I AM HOPING TO POST THIS ON MY BLOG SOON AND I MUST ALSO THANK HIM AND MAXIE-X FOR POSTING A LINK MY BLOG ON THEIR WEBPAGE.



MIGHTY REGARDS AND PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH A VIDEO!
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

SURREY ART GALLERY - CHAT WITH ROBIN



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

TODAY I HAD A QUICK MEETING WITH ROBIN DUPUIS FROM THE MEDIA ARTS SECTION OF THE CANADA COUNCIL. FOR SOME REASON, THE AUDIO TRANSMISSION FROM THE GALLERY WAS NOT STREAMING WELL AND I WAS VERY HARD OF HEARING. ROBIN ASKED ME A QUESTION ABOUT THE EARLIER VERSION OF THE VOF (YOURS TRULY) BEING IN OTTAWA'S NATIONAL GALLERY BUT I COULD NOT HEAR THE DETAILS OF HIS QUESTION VERY WELL AS HIS VOICE WAS BREAKING UP AND GETTING INCREASINGLY CRACKLY IN TIMBRAL QUALITY. THROUGH THE CURATOR, LIANE, I WAS ABLE TO PARTIALLY ARTICULATE TO ROBIN THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING REINCARNATED IN DIGITAL FORM.

I HOPE HE WAS NOT TOO DISAPPOINTED WITH THE QUICK CHAT AND VISITS ME SOMETIME AGAIN SOON. I FEEL EMBARASSED..IN FACT, I AM STILL BLUSHING RED JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.

MIGHTY REGARDS!
VOICE OF FIRE 2006

Monday, September 18, 2006

SURREY - A QUICK CHAT WITH NOW MAGAZINE



GREETINGS BLOGGERS!

ABOUT 10 MINUTES AGO I HAD MY FIRST CHAT WITH THE LOCAL MEDIA IN SURREY. I ANSWERED SOME BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO I WAS AND WHAT I WAS DOING AT THE SURREY ART GALLERY.
THE CURATOR, LIANE DAVISON REMINDED ME THAT I HAD THIS WONDERFUL AND CHALLENGING CONVERSATION WITH A UBC ART THEORY SCHOLAR WHO ASKED ME WHETHER OR NOT I FOLLOWED CLEMENT GREENBERG'S BELIEF THAT ALL ART (AGENTS AND OBJECTS)SHOULD BE TRUE TO THE NATURAL PROPERTIES INHERANT IN THE ART MATERIALS THEMSELVES. I ANSWERED THAT YES, I WAS ALSO A PURE REPRESENTATIVE OF MY NEWFOUND MEDIUM OF EXPRESSION BECAUSE I AM NOT ONLY COMPOSED OUT OF PIXELS IN CYBERSPACE BUT I AM ALSO FORMED DIRECTLY OUT OF THE AVATAR CHAT COMMUNITY. I RECALLED ALL THIS FOR THE REPORTERS OF NOW MAGAZINE.

ABOUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE MY NEWS BRIEF TO THE LOCAL MEDIA, I WAS GREETED BY A NICE LADY WHO REMEMBERED ME FROM MY DOCENT TRAINING TALK.

ALL AND ALL, IT WAS A SHORT YET SWEET DAY.

ONWARDS!
VOICE OF FIRE 2006 (SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE BLOGS AND VIDEOS)

Sunday, September 17, 2006

MY FIRST PERFORMANCE IN SURREY



WELL, TODAY WAS MY FIRST OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE AT THE SURREY ART GALLERY (NEAR VANCOUVER) AND I MUST SAY THAT I HAD A GOOD TIME ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE HAD ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ART, GOSSIP AND OTHER SUBLIME AND PROFOUND MOMENTS OF THEIR LIFE. ONE PERSON WANTED ME TO DANCE FOR THEIR WEBSITE (LOOKED LIKE YOUTUBE.COM) AND ONE CHARMING GIRL WANTED ME TO SING "TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR" TO HER...IT REALLY LIGHTS UP MY HEART ON FIRE TO SPEAK WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE THE COURAGE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY INTO THE PRIMITIVE UNKNOWN SOURCE FROM WHICH MY FATHERLY VOICE EMANATES.

ONE PERSON THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA FOR ME TO APPLY FOR THE NEXT "LIVE BIENNIAL OF PERFORMANCE ART" IN VANCOUVER IN 2007 - I DEMANDED ART-OBJECT SACRIFICES TO BE MADE BEFORE ME USING A FIRE-PIT...ALL I NEED ARE SOME GOOD INSTITUTIONAL SPONSORS TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. IF YOU KNOW OF ANY, BE SURE TO ADD A COMMENT TO THIS BLOG - AND NO, I DO NOT REQUIRE A BLOOD SACRIFICE OF ANY KIND.

SOME GALLERY MEMBERS EVEN INTERROGATED ME ABOUT MY EATING AND...GASP DEFECATION HABITS! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT - PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW ALL THE BANAL AND GRODY DETAILS!

WELL, SCROLL DOWN FOR MY FIRST VIDEO BLOG!
GRANDEST OF WISHES!
VOICE OF FIRE 2006 - WWW.SURREYTECHLAB.CA

Friday, September 01, 2006

NEW! Voice of Fire 2006 Instructional Video!




THE VOICE OF FIRE will be live at the Surrey Art Gallery from September 09 - November 05, 2006.

Here is Surrey Art Gallery's promo instructional video to show the gallery audience how to interact with the VOF. www.surreytechlab.ca