Alexander McQueen

 Alexander McQueen was a extremely talented British fashion designer. He began his fashion design training at age sixteen.  He left home for an apprenticeship with British tailors then on to theatrical costuming.  From there he completed his masters in fashion design and since then has been a sensation. He worked for French Haute Couture House of Givency  from 1996 - 2000 and also sold 51% of stock to GUCCI and continued to as Creative Director.   He has won numerous Designer of the Year awards and a GQ Designer of the Year award in 2007. His designs resemble a fantasy feel of sensuality.  Elegance mixed with traditional fashion style. Alexander's shows have a reputation for igniting an emotional power; the audience is transported to a world filled with artistically designed clothing that- flows and billows-as the models walk. Delicate, fragile, feminine designs contrasted with traditional contemporary style lines.

Burning Man

Zonatopia by Rob Bell

The Sunflower Project by Eva Luna

Larry Harvey is the founder of the "Burning Man Project" which began in 1986. This project is held annually for one week in different locations.  For one week participants become a part of a community that is free of rules and regulations- such as clothing or lack of clothing choices - and people are able to let their creative imaginations run free without restrictions.  Each year there is a theme that is set for the event.  The participants than plan ahead and bring with themselves their materials to create their installations for the Burning Man Community Event. There is a list of guidelines to follow on The Burning Man website that details everything about the event annually,for example, all materials must be environmentally friendly.  This year's Burning Man is held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert on August 29 - September 5, 2011, and  costing anywhere from $210.00 to $320.00 per person.  I think the freedom to create and express oneself in such a community is adventurous and challenging.

Xavier Cha - My Artist Project

Holiday Cruise 2006

 "Holiday Cruise"  is an exhibition conducted in three parts.  Xavier has created multiple personas.  (1)  Horn of Plenty (2) Cornrow Hairbraid who dances expresively and (3) Polyhedra who is an elegantly masked and cloaked "deity of abstraction. Each persona comes alive at the month long exhibit for a week at a time that is a Bacchanlian Celebration at Taxter and Spengemann Gallery in NY.

Cleopatra's Presents - Hourglass (installation 2010)

Two-Way Mirror 2009

"Crystal the Nail"

Human Ad 2004

http://xaviercha.com 
This link goes directly to her webpage to view her video clip performances.

   Xavier Cha is a Happenings performer who is represented by Taxter and Spengemann Gallery. She received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2002 and then graduated from UCLA with a MFA in Sculpture in 2004.  She currently lives in New York and her work has been widely viewed throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Her artist style is categorized as exhibition, performance, conceptual performance, video art, and installation. 
    Xavier has experienced with alternate perceptions of space with her collaborative exhibitions. For example, in her "2010 Portal" iinstallation a space is created at a art gallery for a dancer to perform and create artist movements within that area.  A man video tapes the performance with a camera that is stabilized on robotic like legs to provide a more stable picture while filming. Why? For the observer or audience to experience an alternate perception of time and space.
   She is a frequent collaborator and she invites musicians, dancers, clowns and cults to contribute or perform in her projects and at times the invited guests add confusion to these happenings or performances.  In 2009  "Two Way Mirror" professional clowns come into the gallery and put on their makeup in a space at a gallery while passers-by observe and critique this HAPPENING.
    Another performance, for instance, 2006  "Holiday Cruise!" shows a beautiful assortment of colorful fruits and vegetables arranged along with a cultural like costume(Central or South American) in background.  However, there is a performer involved in this conceptual installation and she is buried within the arrangement of fruits and vegetables. Her feet appear sticking out.  She stays within character as though buried in the background as people walk by and wonder what does this suppose to say.   Maybe this symbolizes or conceptualizes in her opinion how people are barely visible to others when others are grocery shopping.  A person is without a face, name, or voice just present to sell vegetables.
   There are a variety of other solo performances such as Unsolicited Happenings that she creates. While she was in Los Angeles at one time she had to drive and noticed being visually assaulted by the mass advertisement of billboards and costumed outfitted patrons attracting the locals to come in to eat at their restaurant.  Xavier thinks human ads are absurd and so she decided to make an absurd pun in response to bring attention to the silliness and watch for reactions from the people in the area while videotaping for an an hour at a time. She dressed in a Fingernail costume in front of a nail salon. This one is funny. She is wearing an oval shaped cone over her head with her legs exposed dancing around on a corner. In another video there is man dressed like a shrimp dancing up some moves on a corner for a sushi restaurant.
     Last, Xavier has worked on many group exhibitions with other artists  She has contributed to the following exhibits:  2010 -Cleopatra's Presents, Quadruple Consciousness, Absolutely Others.  2009-Second Nature, Conventions, Invisible Adversaries, Skin Jobs. 2008 - PM Dawn, Agency - Art & Advertising Residents. 2007 - Uncertain States of America, Video Art in the Third Millennium. 2006- One Way or Another in Practice.2005, Makers, 2004 And if you Think You Can See Just with Your Eyes, and  2003 California Welcomes You. In Cleopatra's Presents, Xavier was a part of a group of artists, curators, who met at a cafe named, Cleopatra's in 2008 for two years.  These artists, who were all women, examined,discussed,and observed similarities and differences among their professions than presented their projects on canvas, video, photography, installations, and performances.
   What I have learned about Xavier is that she brings attention to her subjects by injecting the element of surprise,confusion and or mockery.  Forcing people to take a closer look to the beauty, absurdity, bizarre, and or less desirable things in life that are overlooked, she is able to communicate to the world through exhibitions why is the acceptable accepted. A different point of view I think is helpful in confronting what is considered average, boring, silly, and acceptable behavior in to our communities.  Art is in everyday life but what is the norm of acceptable art is a personal opinion that every person is entitled to.