Steve Brower "BPL" at Parker's Box

James Kalm investigates a strange collection of "scientific artifacts" designed, fabricated and displayed in Plexiglas cases by the prolific, Steve Brower. "Brower Propulsion Laboratory" provokes more questions about the authentic and its relation to art than it answers, blurring the lines between genuine scientific "research" and the post-Duchampian challenge to beauty and the art object. Featuring an interview with Alun Williams proprietor of Parker's Box.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• James
• Kalm
• Steve
• Brower
• Propulsion
• Laboratory
• Alun
• Williams
• astronaut
• Mars
• rover
• sculpture
• installation
• art
• gallery
• Will

[MrWowforever]

james kalm, by 'authenticity' do you mean 'of this world' vs 'to transcend this world', or do you mean 'hand-made' vs fabricated.i am sincerely curious what your thoughts are here.thanks for the show, again, you're the man!

[jameskalm]

Mr.Wow,

I'm currently working on my next essay for the Brooklyn Rail in which I'm hoping to teas-out some of these issues. Essentially I'm thinking that the authentic is something that is unselfconsciously created, from needs or urgencies that don't have anything to do with capital A art. Some examples might be the great outsiders, Darger, Wölffi or Finster. Also Anthropological stuff like the tribal fetishes created for fertility rites etc.

[jameskalm]

My contention is that the aesthetics of "beauty" have shifted, at least in the art market. Seems after a decade of "virtual life" in computers the intelligencia are looking for something brutally real, "un-packageable", the "real America". Recent Kalm reports on the likes of Richard Prince and Jason Rhoades bare some of this out.

[reallyrestrictive]

wish we could be there, thanks for the footage - the Real All-Wales Steven Brower Fan Club

[MrWowforever]

i look forward to the essay, thank you

[purewonka]

Lots of fun. Thanks. Love the suit for a monkey...or an orphan.