Tuesday, August 10, 2010

the Gift of the Mogwai

howdy!
this spetember i will be a part of the incredible 3G show at Gallery 1988 in California! it's a great space that houses big names in the art world specializing often in retro homages. it's a great opportunity for me and bg deal to be asked to participate. i've been so excited about being a part of this incredible show, but, long story short, it has come during a time of great artistic (and professional?) turmoil as i muddle through the cliches of "what am i doing" and "should i just throw in the towel" etc etc booh-hoo. point being, my pieces for the 3G show aren't typical for me, at great risk (comes great failure), but i used each film as a jumping point to try something drastically different (from each contribution as well), and despite my hesitance to submit them, at best, they really have pulled me out of a hole and helped me get my groove back, and for that i am eternally grateful.

when i think of Gremlins, my first thought is of Mogwai, the name of inarguably the most influential modern instrumental post rock band from Scotland. since my first love, pipe dream, and bulk of current freelance work is elaborately packaged vinyl records, i thought, "wouldn't it be awesome to make a fake record for Mogwai?"

i actually went on ebay hoping to score a 7" from the Glasgow mega-snakes, and in turn actually found TWO story book records from childhood of the film in question! even better! my goal was to pay tribute to the incredible and adorable keyboard scene, as well as pay homage to the gestural illustrated blue-note jazz LPs of the 50s and 60s, using only colors found on a Gremlin

here is the "final" inside its plastic sleeve:
the back:
and the inside, which contains a bonus abstract Gremlin made of felt to safely house the precious vinyl tales of the Gremlins, as well as add some tactile feedback to the whole experience:
the labels, as they are, with far better illustrations than i could do:
the entire package will be spread out and in display in a frame specifically made to eventually house a 12" LP. the idea being that if someone purchases it, they can, and should, remove it, play it, and house it in their own record collection, AND have a frame they can use for other vinyl treasures. that the art comes from removing it all, constructing it, enjoying it, experiencing it, and doing more than just tacking it on the wall

6 comments:

Chris Whetzel said...

Ha ha turned out great!

Megan said...

Aw love it Peter! Is this going to be at the LA gallery or the SF one? If it's in LA I'll go see! xoxo

Unknown said...

Wow Peter, you've really taken it to another level with this one.

Randall Nichols said...

Jesus, PW. These are amazing. I mean, they were just great at first glance, but the fold-out blew my mind.

NWR said...

amazing. as usual. i hope it's in LA so i can stop by!

pw! said...

thanks everyone! can't even begin to tell you how very much it means to hear such nice words coming from each of you specifically

it is indeed in LA!
(7020 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038)

oh how i wish i could be there for this opening! maybe next time