Zoe Strauss

1. It will be damp and possibly raining on May 3rd. If any of the photos are peeling up from the pillars, smooth them back down.

2. Don't let anyone take them off until 4 PM.

Thanks my friends!

DRIVING

From Points South via I-95


I-95 N to the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Take the ramp toward Snyder Ave / Oregon Ave (0.1 mile)
Turn slight right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin


From Points North via I-95


I-95 N to the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 (on the left) towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.7 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin



From New Jersey Turnpike and Points East:


Jersey Turnpike to Exit 4.
Follow Route 73 to Route 38 West.
Follow Route 38 West to US 30 West over the Ben Franklin Bridge.
When you exit the bridge, immediately merge right onto I-95 S toward Chester / Philadelphia International Airport.
I-95 N to the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 (on the left) towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.7 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin



From PA Turnpike and Points West:


Take I-76 E toward Philadelphia
Merge onto Vine Street Expressway / I-676 E / US 30 E via Exit 344 on the left toward Chester /
Philadelphia / International Airport
Take the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 (on the left) towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.7 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin

----

Septa Trip Planner... click here and type in "s. front st and mifflin st." as destination.

From City Hall, take the Broad St. Line SOUTHBOUND to SNYDER and exit. Then take the 79 bus on Snyder Ave. EASTBOUND to Front and Snyder. Walk NORTHBOUND toward Target. It's a 4 minute walk to Front and Mifflin.

Here’s what happens on Sunday, May 3 2009 at Front and Mifflin Sts. in Philadelphia, PA. There’s 231 photographs under I-95 from 1PM to 4PM. All of the photos will be up at 1PM.

There’s photos for sale at the table, and maps and photo lists, golf pencils, water and pretzels. Color copies are 5 dollars each, please ask for them by number. Every photo in the show has a number written on the ground in front of the image. If you want to buy a copy, tell the people at the table the number and they’ll get it for you. Working at the table will be Allison, Yujean, and Savannah. Ashley will be available for answering questions. Maria is security.


Savannah: #1 Sister of all time!
Yujean: intern from The Philadelphia Center
Ashley: intern from Moore
Allison: intern from Tyler
Maria: Ashely's lady friend

also starring Manny Dominguez, Jr, Ilene Baker, Christine Settino and the one and only Lynn Bloom.

At 4 when the show is over people are welcome to take the photos from the pilasters. PLEASE TAKE ONLY ONE, SO THAT EVERYONE WHO'S THERE CAN GET ONE. If there's images up at 5 oclock, you can go back and take another, but please wait.

There’s adhesive backing on the photos, so if you think you want to take one bring saran wrap or paper to put on the back. And bring some for other people, too.

For folks who are just wandering in who or don’t know about the maps and photos for sale at the table, please tell them how the show works. Also, there's no need for a map if you want to see the show without notions of where the photos were made. It's installed so that you can do it however you want.


NOW PLEASE READ THIS...

1. There's a lot of walking to see this installation. It's a total of 2 square city blocks, so be prepared. I will have bottles of water at the info/sales table that you can grab. Bring a folding chair if desired. Also, I would say it takes about an hour to an hour and a half to do the whole thing.

2. The info/sales table will be on the Miffin St. side of the underpass. It's not necessary to stop there, but I will have maps and lists of the photos included in the installation. Remember, you can start and end anywhere in the installation, the numbers are only for ease of purchase and if you'd like to know where the photo was made.

In the last couple of years the line to buy photos has been pretty slow moving, so my super as"sis"tant, Savannah Roberts and my #1 intern, Charday Laverty who won't be in attendance because SHE'S JOINED THE FUCKING ARMY, have come up with some organizational changes to speed things up. If you are interested in buying a photo, please, PLEASE, request the image by number. Every photo has a number at the base of the pillar that corresponds to the map and you can pick up maps and golf pencils at the table in the front.

At least two people will be manning the sales/info table from 1 to 4 and the two main anchors are Ms. Savannah Roberts, Ms. Yujean Park and Ms. Allison Feldish. They are bright and charming young women who can answer many of your questions and help you if you are interested in making a purchase. I will also be able to answer questions. However, I will most likely be semi comatose and unable to be my usual erudite self.

There will be at least 2 color photocopies of every photo in the exhibition available for purchase, as supplies last. All photos are 5 dollars.


3. The show is from 1PM to 4PM, which means that after 4PM folks are allowed to take the photos from the pillars. I am requesting that people only take ONE photo per person. If you want to grab another, wait til 5PM and then go to town.

EVERYONE! PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT NO PHOTOS ARE TAKEN DOWN UNTIL 4PM! I WILL KILL IF ANY ARE TAKEN DOWN BEFORE THEN... I WILL KILL, I WILL KILL AND I AM NOT KIDDING.

4. Please be aware that some of the subject matter is sensitive and deals with adult themes.


5. Here are DIRECTIONS to the show.


---------

This will be a difficult year without Mary Ann Black there, my aunt and cheerleader. Love you and miss you, Mary Ann.

Friends, if anyone can come help clean up under I-95

Friday from Noon to 1

or

Saturday from Noon to 1

I would be eternally grateful. Just show up! Bringing your own broom is welcome.

With Love,
ZS

1. Badlands
2. Ties That Bind
3. Outlaw Pete
4. Spirit In The Night
5. Working On A Dream
6. Seeds
7. Johnny 99
8. Youngstown
9. Raise Your Hand
10. London Calling
11. Red Headed Woman
12. Thundercrack
13. Hungry Heart featuring Adele Springsteen
14. Promised Land
15. Streets of Philadelphia
16. Kingdom of Days
17. Radio Nowhere
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born To Run

21. Hard Times
22. Thunder Road introduced with a recording of Harry Kalas
23. Tenth Avenue Freezeout
24. Land of Hope & Dreams
25. America Land
26. Kitty's Back

----

One of the greatest shows ever.

Badlands
Out In The Street
Outlaw Pete
She's the One
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Raise Your Hand
Fire
The Fever
Mountain of Love
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The Wrestler
Kingdom of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

Encores:

Hard Times Come Again No More
You Can't Sit Down
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)


My lady called "You Can't Sit Down" by the Dovells, which is not a surprise because my lady pretty much knows everything. Looking forward to tonight.

----


Aside, 2 Bruce Springsteen shows the week of I-95 is a sort of a talisman preventing any jinx. So far this week has shaped up with good signs.

You know, I came back from Alaska thinking that I had make work as a blueprint for another project, and while that's true in many respects, I've found that I came back with some complete work too. The photo below is one that took me a little while to see it's worth as it's own image... but I have to say that I fucking killed it with this one. In real space, the foreground mountain of parking lot snow is miles from the mountain peaks that jut out in the background and the human hand and landscape configuration is really strong in this. Back to work!

I-95.09

Sunday, May 3th, 2009

1pm to 4pm

Under I-95 at Front St. and Mifflin St.

The exhibition is free and
open to the public.

Color photocopies of the photos included in the installation will be available for purchase at 5 dollars each as supplies last.

America will also be available for purchase. The event will happen rain or shine. It's going to be off the hook.

Hello Friends.

At I-95 I will sign America and color copies, so please feel free to bring a book for me to sign if you want. I'm trying to figure out the best time to sign stuff, I think I'm going to devote 2PM to 3PM for signing. Signed things are good, but there's no need for signing either. The images are the same signed or not.

In Philadelphia you can get a copy of America at...


The Joseph Fox Bookshop
1724 Sansom Street

Bindlestiff Books
4530 Baltimore Ave

Penn Book Center
130 S. 34th Street

All Indiebound booksellers.

This year's edit is very much a plan for next year, it's a loose edit, and I think a number of images in 95 this year won't be in next year. This year's installation will be really good, but next year's...

abstraction and representation
reality and illusion
handmade and mechanical
direct and obscure
allegory and fact

Desperation
Ambition
Ambivalence
Transcendence
Transparence
Cadence
Providence

This was one that made it in by the skin of it's teeth. The night sky, oil, moon and echoing of forms in another photo included this year, Rollercoaster, made Gas Tank one to get in the mix.

I-95.09

1. Philadelphia, PA (If You Reading This)
2. Camden. NJ (Woman in Salmon Shirt)
3. Philadelphia, PA (Save)
4. Philadelphia, PA (Bed in the Little Room)
5. Philadelphia, PA (Wawa Parking Lot)*
6. Philadelphia, PA (Kike Grocery)
7. Philadelphia, PA (Nan and Petey)*
8. Philadelphia, PA (Metropolitan Hospital)
9. Philadelphia, PA (Philly Fried Chicken)
10. Muckleshoot Reservation, WA (Sage Jumping)
11. PA Turnpike (Econolodge)
12. Chicago, IL (Tonya)
13. Fairbanks, AK (Fairbanks Truck)*
14. Atlantic City, NJ (Blue and Red Motel)
15. Muckleshoot Reservation, WA (Kaia)
16. Philadelphia, PA (If You Break the Skin)
17. Las Vegas, NV (Red Carpet)*
18. Philadelphia, PA (Doors in Open Structure)
19. Philadelphia, PA (9th and Snyder)*
20. Philadelphia, PA (Don’t Drink or Sit Deleted
21. Biloxi. MS (MLK Parade Soul Patrol)
22. Brookhaven, PA (Thomas Jones)*
23. Philadelphia, PA (Benny Krass)
24. Las Vegas, NV (We Will Win)

25. Philadelphia, PA (Vanessa)
26. Philadelphia, PA (Everything Is Name Brand)
27. Philadelphia, PA (Mummers Kissing)
28. Outside Las Vegas, NV (Palm Cell Tower)
29. Anchorage, AK (Mountain Range O’Malley)*
30. Philadelphia, PA (Shot Appliances)
31. Las Vegas, NV (Your Future Starts Here)
32. Camden, NJ (Two Women Camden)
33. Philadelphia, PA (Lights At Phillies Game)
34. Honeybrook, PA (Boys Wrestling on Stage)*
35. Philadelphia, PA (Taken Down Posters Cantrell St.)
36. Philadelphia, PA (Mummer in Front of Gas Station Convenience Store)
37. Frazier Park, CA (Nigel at San Andreas Fault)*
38. Philadelphia, PA (Michael Myers)
39. Near Pahrump, NV (Appliances Under El)
40. Camden, NJ (Uniform City)
41. Philadelphia, PA (Woman at Broad and Tasker)*
42. Camden, NJ (Camden Mattresses)
43. Philadelphia, PA (Woman Walking at Berks Full)
44. Philadelphia, PA (Lights in Chinatown)
45. Centralia, PA (We Love Centralia)
46. Philadelphia, PA (Paula's Union Hall)
47. Las Vegas, NV (Adam and Eve Room)
48. Scranton, PA (Woman Behind Balloon)
49. Atlanta, GA (Rainbow Video)
50. Pottsville, PA (Dorthia)*
51. Philadelphia, PA (Toasting from Window)*
52. Philadelphia, PA (West Phila Mattress)
53. Philadelphia, PA (Mummers Urinating)
54. Philadelphia, PA (Half House on Boulevard)
55. Philadelphia, PA (Bunny)
56. Philadelphia, PA (Mask on Back of Head)
57. Camden, NJ (Beth)
58. Las Vegas, NV (Photo Mural)
59. Philadelphia, PA (Model Lao New Year)*
60. El Paso, TX (Woman in Front of Hair Color)
61. Gulfport, MS (Billboard w/ Vinyl Blown Off)
62. Chicago, IL (Mexican Football Fans with Man Sitting)
63. Philadelphia, PA (Tattooed Penises)
64. Palmer, AK (Parking Lot)*
65. Philadelphia, PA (Escalades)*
66. Darby, PA (Pepsi Painted Over)
67. Crystal, NV (Ah So Sexy)
68. Philadelphia, PA (Wench On 2st.)*
69. Anchorage, AK (Empty Sign Frame)*
70. Chicago, IL (Cinderblocks)
71. Philadelphia, PA (Pregnant in Flesh Colored Shirt)*
72. Philadelphia, PA (How Do I Look?)
73. Philadelphia, PA (Yellow Flea Market Curtain)

74. Philadelphia, PA (Daddy Tattoo)
75. Denver, CO (Balloons By Judy’s House)*
76. Philadelphia, PA (I----- Smoking)
77. Asbury Park, NJ (In God We Trust)
78. Philadelphia, PA (Green and Red Food Market)
79. Philadelphia, PA (Rosemarie’s Bed)
80. Camden, NJ (Camden Vent)
81. Whittier, AK (Whittier Basketball)*
82. Camden, NJ (Thin Woman with Cherry Water Ice)
83. Philadelphia, PA (I Love You Memorial)
84. Truth or Consequences, NM (Truth or Consequences Couple)
85. Las Vegas, NV (Giant Mouth Pleasures)
86. Muckleshoot Reservation, WA (Holding Xmas Present)*
87. Wasilla, AK (None Of These Buildings Are For Sale)*
88. Philadelphia, PA (Fluorescent Light)
89. Asbury Park, NJ (Asbury Tilly)
90. Philadelphia, PA (Light Switch Thermostat)*
91. Camden, NJ (Camden Crack)
92. Philadelphia, PA (Ridge Ave.)*
93. Las Vegas, NV (Kelley)
94. Philadelphia, PA (Leo’s Mantle with Medications Flash)
95. Philadelphia, PA (Showing Sternum Scar)
96. Biloxi, MS (Shirt and Pants Hanging)*
97. Camden, NJ (Salt Pile)
98. Philadelphia, PA (Holding Crack)*
99. Las Vegas, NV (Alarm Calls Police)
100. Miami, FL (Man in Wheelchair)*
101. Fairbanks, AK (It’s A Long Way To The Top)*
102. Philadelphia, PA (Ice on Stairs in Projects)
103. Crystal, NV (Honey He Really Fuck Up)
104. Philadelphia, PA (Gunshot in Leg on Gurney)
105. Las Vegas, NV (Motel Deadly Quiet)
106. Philadelphia, PA (Mummer with Blunt)
107. Palmer, AK (Landing Strip)*
108. Near Phila. PA (Covered Highway Graffiti)
109. Philadelphia, PA (Titanic)

110. Palmer, AK (Car at Water)*
111. Philadelphia, PA (Marines Billboard)
112. Wildwood, NJ (Redemption)*
113. Philadelphia, PA (American Face Paint Making Out)
114. Philadelphia, PA (Man's Back)
115. Las Vegas, NV (Allied Forces)
116. Biloxi, MS (McDonalds)
117. Monmouth County, NJ (All Americans)
118. Philadelphia, PA (Vietnam Hand)
119. Las Vegas, NV (Father and Son Greyhound)
120. New Orleans, LA (Red, White and Blue Gas Station)
121. Philadelphia, PA (Dollar Magic)
122. Camden County, NJ (This Is Your Warning)
123. Philadelphia, PA (Linda Sunoco)
124. Philadelphia, PA (Cars)*
125. Philadelphia, PA (Let's Roll/ Anxious)
126. Springfield, PA (Chandelier)*
127. Wildwood, NJ, (Rollercoaster)*
128. Near Reading, PA (You Can Feel Good About)
129. Muckleshoot Reservation, WA (Johnny Moses)
130. New York, NY (Sincere’s Arm)*
131. Denver, CO (Judy Padilla)
132. Las Vegas, NV (Circus Circus from Parking Lot)
133. El Paso, TX (Woman at US/Mexico Border)
134. Philadelphia, PA (Bulletholes)
135. Philadelphia, PA (Nodding Out)*
136. Las Vegas, NV (Sheila and William)
137. Philadelphia, PA (Buddy)*
138. Limerick, PA (Virginia)
139. Philadelphia, PA (Keep the Fuck Out)
140. Near Ellengowan, PA (Coal Billboard)
141. El Paso, TX (Carlos Parents On Bed)*
142. Las Vegas, NV (No Trespassing with Man Walking)
143. Philadelphia, PA (Alzheimer's)
144. El Paso, TX (Power/Ower)
145. Los Angeles, CA (Get Back Up Again)*

146. Folcroft, PA (Ashley’s Grandmother)*
147. Philadelphia, PA (South Philly Fireworks Reed and Juniper)
148. Philadelphia, PA (New Tattoo Jorge)
149. Anchorage, AK (Skateland)*
150. Philadelphia, PA (Everything)
151. Biloxi, MS (Vincent)
152. Philadelphia, PA (Smoking in Bed)*
153. Philadelphia, PA (Wishbone)*
154. Fairbanks, AK (Home on Trailer)*
155. Las Vegas, NV (Satisfaction Guaranteed)
156. Las Vegas, NV (Hotel Room Mirror)
157. Philadelphia, PA (New Phenom Penn)
158. Philadelphia, PA (Gunshot Wound)
159. Pottsville, PA (Visitors)
160. Philadelphia, PA (Do Rag)
161. Philadelphia, PA (Phylicia’s Wall)
162. Philadelphia, PA (Merry Christmas House)
163. Scranton, PA (Hillary Supporter)
164. Philadelphia, PA (Bags on Floor)*
165. Philadelphia, PA (Victoria Hysterectomy Scar)
166. Rural Southern NV (Most We Feared)
167. Philadelphia, PA (Jean)*
168. Gulfport, MS (TV on Second Floor)
169. Las Vegas, NV (Casino Walkby)
170. Philadelphia, PA (Monique Showing Black Eye)
171. New York, NY (World Trade Center)*
172. Philadelphia, PA (Refinery)
173. Near Gorman, CA (Hills by San Andreas Fault)*
174. Chicago, Il (Woman Throwing Box from Window)
175. Philadelphia, PA (High Hopes)*
176. Camden County, NJ (Bushes in Front of Tech School Door)
177. Pottsville, PA (Half House Pink)*
178. Las Vegas, NV (Man Nude on Bed)
179. Atlanta, GA (Equitable Reflected Outside Window)
180. Philadelphia, PA (Kelly Harper)*
181. Philadelphia, PA (Everything Is Not One Dollar)*
182. Las Vegas, NV (Bed With Pillows)
183. Gulfport, MS (Refrigerators)
184. Gulfport, MS (Fist with Dollars)
185. Philadelphia, PA (Election Night)*
186. Philadelphia, PA (Shark Bite)
187. Philadelphia, PA (Swastika Tattoos)
188. Philadelphia, PA (Gas Tank)*
189. Philadelphia, PA (Paris in Jail)*
190. Philadelphia, PA (Mummers Kissing Top Hat)
191. Camden County, NJ (Stay Alive)
192. Philadelphia, PA (To the Heros)
193. Houston, AK (Yellow Car Flag)*
194. Philadelphia, PA (Mattress Flip)

195. Terre Haute, IN (Together We Make Dreams Come True)
196. Las Vegas, NV (Ken and Don)
197. Biloxi, MS (Mom Were OK)
198. Philadelphia, PA (Frank Sinatra)
199. Philadelphia, PA (Phillies Win World Series)*
200. Asbury Park, NJ (Asbury The City)
201. Philadelphia, PA (Basketball Hoop)
202. Anchorage, AK (How Universal Can It Be?)*
203. Crystal, NV (Art Showing Loaded Revolver)
204. Northern New Jersey (Three Smokestacks from Train)
205. Philadelphia, PA (Circus Tent)
206. Chicago, IL (Woman at Cabrini Green)
207. Philadelphia, PA (Melissa Handstand)
208. Camden, NJ (Bail Bonds)
209. Philadelphia, PA (2922 Princeton Ave.)
210. Camden, NJ (Camden Teardrop)
211. Philadelphia, PA (I Love You Billy)
212. Philadelphia, PA (Mummer w/ Bud)
213. Philadelphia, PA (Seafood Soul)
214. Wynnewood, PA (Star)
215. Camden, NJ (Camden Woman Pink Shirt)
216. Philadelphia, PA (Election Day)*
217. Philadelphia, PA (Lincoln Field)
218. Philadelphia, PA (Hope Not Dope)
219. Biloxi, MS (Gold Tooth Wedding Ring)*
220. Ocean Springs, MS (We Love Having You Here)
221. Auburn, WA (Drive In)
222. Pahrump, NV (Fireworks)
223. Biloxi, MS (MLK Parade Orange)*
224. Asbury Park, NJ (Good Food Here)
225. Philadelphia, PA (New Years Blazer)
226. Camden, NJ (White Trash Whorse)
227. Las Vegas, NV (Circus Circus Light Bulbs)
228. Philadelphia, PA (Castaways)
229. Philadelphia, PA (Angel)
230. Philadelphia, PA (Pennsport Caterers)
231. Philadelphia, PA (Call Unto Me)


*new for 2009 show
60 new photos

The photo above was high in the running for a while, but I opted to include the two photos below instead.





I wasn't sure about having both of these images in the mix this year, but I wanted a "leaving" and a "dead end" image and this is a good pairing if they are at least 1/2 a block from each other. There's very different implications in the two car photos; one having literally driven into a mountain and the other driving out of the water. With the inclusion of the "dead end" photo, the "car coming out of water" image is a lock.

A sign indicating the overwhelming success of I-95.09.

From the Connecticut Post today...

"GREENWICH -- A luxury yacht once owned by singer-songwriter Billy Joel sank into the sea early Saturday near the dock where it had been moored at a Cos Cob marina.

The 35-foot vessel, which still bears the Piano Man-dubbed name "Sea Major," was found almost entirely submerged about 8:30 a.m. Saturday near a pier at the Riverscape Marina on River Road."




Thanks so much to my pen pal, Ms. Susan Morgan, for emailing me this breaking news.

I saw a Franz Kline show at the Academy in 1986, "The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline"


Franz Kline: Mahoning


And here's a sofa available at Interior Concepts, a few blocks from my house.




And here's an image I made this year



Palmer Parking Lot


My image can reference both. And a billion other things I've seen in my life. The viewer finishes the image. I've found that when I'm speaking, sometimes people want a simple answer, they want a "who are your influences" that connects to visual art in a traditional sense. Of course that's a valid question and of great importance to me, but it's not so cut and dry. Often it's everything ever that's the influence, and I'm trying to find a way to say that, for me, often there's great complexity in even the most direct or spare images. And sometimes there's nothing complex. The photo's exactly what's seen in the frame with nothing more conscious than making forms.

This image is constructed in a much different manner than all of my other photos included this year. With the exception of the 2 word text, the entire daytime image has been burned to black.

I am thrilled with this image. Thrilled. It's spare, with a beautiful simple text that has a number of meanings. In particular, this image has meaning for Phillies fans. And it has meaning for those who followed the rhetoric of the presidential election. And it has meaning beyond the time sensitive. "High Hopes."

Harry Kalas.

This one, a cropped version, will be in 95 this year. It's really likely that this will be the only year for this image, but for reasons that are too lengthy to go into it's a portrait that will help tie together some one the images in the last two aisles running east to west. Again, this is the last year for a draft and I am grateful that I can incorporate some images that I'm not 100% about. This is not my best portrait by a long shot, and in truth I think that portraits aren't my long suit anyway, but this woman's gesture and expression are needed in this installment of I-95.

Not needed is the story behind this, how this woman and her husband melted down their wedding rings and got gold teeth made out of them. Her husband is a mechanic, and his ring kept getting caught at work so he couldn't wear it, hence the gold tooth solution. I thought it was beautiful and a great idea.

Also not needed is the difficult to see text behind this woman's head, on the right in the frame... "Grillin' Zone." That's a pretty good pun, but not the crux of the image.


----



This one is not going to be in 95, her left eye in this doesn't reflect how this woman was... forthright and alert.

Love you, Bea Arthur!

Thanks for Maude and Dorothy. And then there's Bea!

One of Philadelphia's finest.

Thomas Chimes: Adventures in 'Pataphysics

click above to hear the song...


"The Fight, Fight, Fight-in Phils! It's a tough, tough, team to beat.

They're out to win, win ev-'ry day. Every victory is sweet.

Watch 'em hit that ball a mile; play a game that's packed with thrills.

Get Pa to bring your Mother, Sister and your Brother

Come out to see the Fight-in' Phils. The fight, fight, fight-'in Phils."


Phillies front office: please show the lyrics and have attendants sing this song during the game!

I-95.09

Sunday, May 3th, 2009

1pm to 4pm

Under I-95 at Front St. and Mifflin St.

The exhibition is free and
open to the public.

Color photocopies of the photos included in the installation will be available for purchase at 5 dollars each as supplies last.

America will also be available for purchase. The event will happen rain or shine. It's going to be off the hook.

Original



Final

photo Agence France-Presse — Getty Images


This photo's from an article in today's New York Times about Lebanese election "cash for votes."

This photo blows my mind... it's spectacular.

Thanks to Dr. Ellen Stroud for hooking me up with a talk at Bryn Mawr... and thanks to Lisa for scheduling me in the mix. A lot of great questions and discussion came out of the talk. And thanks to my mom for coming!

These were all in the running for a spot in the first aisle.








This one's the winner



I made this sitting shotgun while Ben Huff drove north to the future out of Fairbanks and I never could have made this shot if not for his generosity. Thanks, Ben.

Yesterday I was sound asleep on the sofa and dreamt that I titled my talk at Bryn Mawr, "Pedants and Philistines." For real, that's what I was dreaming.


My lady said that it sounds like an Indigo Girls album name, like "Vagabonds, Martyrs and Quilts." She is correct.

I want to give a shout out to Tony Smyrski of Megawords for hooking me up with the Rutgers talk. The first 20 people who came to the Rutgers Camden talk got a free copy of America AND they offered a FREE lunch. Rutgers Camden does it right!

And thanks to Pat who scheduled the talk.

----


Aside: Pat lives on the 300 block of Cantrell St and mentioned that his house was broken into recently. Someone broke in through the basement window. However, the intruder took nothing and did nothing other than making and eating a mozzarella sandwich. And it was shredded mozzarella on Stroehmann white bread. What the fuck?


Aside aside: Earlier this week I was playing cards with Maggie on the living room floor when Gloria into yelled into our house, "ZOE! ZOE! Whose birthday is it?" We have a little "happy birthday" banner hanging in between living room and the dining room. OK, I have no idea how long Gloria could have been standing at our front door staring in through the screen door but it really must have been a while to spy the happy birthday banner.

I yelled out that it was my birthday April 1st and we hadn't taken it down yet and Gloria yelled in "It was mine on March 31!" And then then she yelled "CHINDAN!" which LB's grandmother told me means "100 years" in Italian. Please note that this entire conversation was yelling at the top of our lungs through our screen door, we couldn't see each other and I didn't stop playing crazy 8s.

Gloria is pretty great neighbor but you can occasionally get trapped with talking. A story often includes something like... "You know her Zoe, she lived on Broad St right at Tasker in 1947 and she had that dog with a pretty face. She was 92 then and I was helping her up the steps with her cup of ice and saying a hail mary!"

LB called me in Santa Barbara with a long story that Gloria needed to tell me about how her next door neighbor trapped a feral cat and wouldn't say where he released it and how she was going to call L and I on his illegal decks and how one time he turned the hose on when her sister Florence was hanging out laundry. Believe me, that's the abridged version.

Aside aside aside: Gloria's nephew is Bobby, a mentally disabled man who spends most of his days walking the block and smoking and occasionally urinating in the street and getting yelled at. However, Bobby somehow knows EVERY Jewish holiday and always wishes me a happy holiday. It's nuts, he can barely function but I heard "Happy Passover" earlier this week. I know, full blown nuts. Bobby isn't Jewish, his whole family is Catholic so I have no fucking idea how he manages be up on current Jewish holiday dates. I wouldn't know the date of Sukkot if it bit me in the ass, but Bobby will know it months ahead.

This year there's reference to "an invitation" to transgression in our everyday lives, in addition to looking at our ability to circumvent, and be confined by, both real and perceived boundaries.


------



Palmer Parking Lot


Scratches

A series of "removed" and "applied" images figure heavily in this year's edit. Palmer Parking Lot has replaced scratches this year, "applied" trumping "removed" in this last edit.


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Applied and removed

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Applied and removed: the malleability and construction and reconstruction of our own bodies.


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My lady and I went to the Harry Kalas memorial at the stadium earlier this week, and I saw something fascinating. Down and to the right of where my lady and I sat, there were a bunch of people standing who worked with or knew Harry Kalas, Phillies employees, sportscasters, etc.

A local sportscaster, Gary Papa, was there. Gary Papa is battling cancer, he was in a wheelchair and standing behind him was Scott Palmer, a guy who works with the Phillies front office and a former newscaster who worked at the same station with Gary Papa.

There was something so tender and intimate about the way they were, with Scott Palmer standing behind Gary Papa and holding onto his wheelchair the entire time. At one point Scott Palmer was helping Gary Papa with a ziplock bag of pills. In weird way it crystallized what this kind of public memorial service was, a collision of real and imagined relationships. It felt a little uncomfortable to look at them, it felt private despite being in a very public space. The tenderness between those two men seemed very real, these former coworkers whose job is it to work for connection between a projection of themselves and strangers. It was surprisingly beautiful and moving.

Charday has joined the army, despite my endless speeches about why she SHOULD NOT ENLIST. At this point I know that she's made an informed decision and that the promise of what she's looking to get out of joining the military outweighs the negatives for her. Happy that she's becoming a part of the military-industrial complex and most likely getting sent to Afghanistan? No. It's actually kind of killing me. But I am happy that she's made the decision after realistically weighing her other options, and I know that what she's doing with her life right now isn't panning out and her endless bouncing around will be impossible to sustain.

So she's off to Kansas City before she deploys. Last night I stopped at the Greyhound station to see her off, but then some problem with the ticket happened and she ended up scrapping the bus ticket and needing to go to the airport. Right... what? Then I gave her a ride to the airport. But she couldn't pick up the ticket until the morning, so I had to drive her back to North Philly where she's staying at her friend's mom's house. Ridiculous. But I love her, so there you go. I don't even know how one would describe our relationship, since it mostly consists of me giving her lectures.

On the way back to where she's staying we passed the corner where I made this photo.



I had picked up Charday up in Kensington and was driving her somewhere when I stopped to make a photo of this guy. I made her sit in the car with the doors locked for about 5 minutes. That photo's remained one of her favorites.



I dropped her at 11th and Lehigh and right after I drove by "Don't Drink or Sit," at 13th and Lehigh, and made another photo of the wall. Just yesterday I was going over and writing about those photos... the deleted text has remained the same since last I saw it.

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I've asked to make photos of Charday before, but she was always like "eh," and I never really feel like it either. I insisted I make a few before she left for boot camp.

Charday at the Greyhound station.







The 3 photos above are how Charday really looks.

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The 2 photos above would be my choice it I didn't know her. It's very upsetting that she won't be at 95 this year.

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Love you, Honey.

Everything is everything.

This is the 2nd to last year for I-95 and in many ways this year's edit reflects the feel of a final draft.

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This is the last year for any of the "continuation" photos, the photos that I use to mark a shift in locations that I've previously photographed. The locations are the same but there are physical changes in the buildings and the signage... and of course, the election has changed the the metaphysical landscape of America this year. It seems appropriate to include a few photos that have been made of the same place, but years apart. Next year there's no luxury of exploring a changing landscape, it will be the complete installation.





The top photo is stronger but the bottom photo will replace it this year. The bottom photo shows a small Obama campaign photo in the window and the position of the man's left foot make it the one for this year.

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Ridge Ave has been a staple in for 5 or 6 years in aisle 3. This year it will be switched out for the bottom photo.

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Last year I switched out the top photo for the photo of the Stardust sign being dismantled. As of right now, neither will be in the show this year.

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The painted over "Your Future Starts Here" has become a keystone in the installation and replaced the older "Your Future Starts Here" a year or two ago. I don't know which will make it into the final installation.

While I try not to indulge in year to year time sensitive photos in I-95, it can smack of sentimentality and derail the importance of each year being complete installation, this year it seemed to be important to include 3-4 photos that bridge the span of the 9 years of work.

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The photos above are an exception in terms of the strength of the individual images. Both photos are strong enough to hold their own. The "Don't Drink or Sit Deleted" image is the one for this year.







Deleted text is an important part of my work, but with the exception of the "Don't Drink or Sit Deleted" photo I've haven't made any deleted or removed text photos, with fully deleted text, that I think are stronger than the 2 above . For the last 4 years there's been images that look to supplant these 2, but none ever make it.


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Both of the photos below will be here this year. I felt I needed these 2 representations of land... razed and growth. "Hills" is next to "Monique Showing Black Eye" in numbered ordering and directly across an aisle from "World Trade Center Site."
This will be the last year any photo that needs caption or knowledge of literal place can be included. I can't imagine that "Hills" will make it next year, but this year it needs to be there. There's a little self indulgence in these... knowing that the California hills are right next to the San Andreas Fault is a bit of information that changes the reading of the photograph and I want no text or indication, just the image. Again, next year there's none of that.



World Trade Center and hills by the San Andreas Fault
130. WTC Site
171. Hills by San Andreas Fault

I'm giving a lecture at Bryn Mawr this Wednesday.


Bryn Mawr College

Colloquium in Visual Culture
Thomas Library 224
Wednesday, 12:30 - 1:45 pm
Refreshments Served

Hello?!? The Million Dollar Movie is coming on at MIDNIGHT now?? I can't stay awake that late? ABC, get with the program!

I am a superstitious as a ball player when it comes to I-95. If Billy Joel comes on the radio the week before 95, it is a terrifying harbinger of mediocrity and I will go back over the order intensely to dispel the pall of "Piano Man." I'm 100% serious.

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A variation of the photo above is going in 95 this year. It was one I had been going back and forth about, but then I saw this guy at Cosmi's getting a hoagie today and I knew I had made the right decision.

Please check out the video above about my AWESOME niece Lauren Black. Lauren has Cystic Fibrosis. CF is a degenerative lung and digestive disease affecting over 30,000 Americans.

Many folks reading this knew my Aunt Mary Ann who passed away earlier in the year. Mary Ann requested that in lieu of flowers at her funeral, donations be made to Great Strides: Taking Steps to Cure Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Please click to donate.


Love you, Lauren!

102 Meyerson Hall
210 South 34th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104


NOTE: Admission in free, but tickets are required for this event. Tickets will be available one hour prior to the start of time in the lobby of Meyerson Hall.

I-95.09

Sunday, May 3th, 2009

1pm to 4pm

Under I-95 at Front St. and Mifflin St.

The exhibition is free and
open to the public.

Color photocopies of the photos included in the installation will be available for purchase at 5 dollars each as supplies last.

Ms. Strauss's new book America will also be available for purchase. The event will happen rain or shine. It's going to be off the hook.

I'll be lecturing today at Rutgers Camden at 12 noon. The lecture will take place in the campus center.

Roll out the.

I just got home, 11 PM, after printing all day... 11 PM is like 900 o'clock to me. I need a lot of rest. Earlier, my mother had to come over because we caught a mouse on a glue trap in the basement and both the Mrs. and I are terrified of mice. So a heavy hitter had to come over: AKA, my mother. My mom is #1. Also, I wish my whole family lived within a 4 block radius.

During this rodent debacle it turns out that our hot water heater is busted, water is running out of a valve and the basement floor is soaked. Please. No hot water tonight. I called Fred Jonas, the Jewish plumber, and he'll be here at 7:30 AM.

Before that, I drove by the stadium on the way back to the studio and people had brought flowers and cards. Some lady kept wanting to talk about how she brought her plant on the subway. Another guy brought his transistor and put it in with the flowers.

And before that, a truly classy dagger, P Cronan, was going to be on Larry King talking about her brother but then it got canceled. What? Who doesn't want to hear a dagger representing for all "Daggers of the World Who Have Siblings Involved in Attempted Pirate Hijackings?"

Before that, I heard that Harry Kalas died.

Love you Harry.

Capt. Richard Phillips after his rescue.

Apparently, Capt. Richard Phillips is an awesome guy.

And check out John "Stoic" Cronan on the far right.


Cronan in the mix with high seas intrigue!

This photo seems like a very, very unlikely choice for me, but it's making it to the very last cut. It's trumping all of the election day photos as I finish up the order. And it's trumping all of the Phillies World Series Champs photos. Funny how this image seems to be able to tell what I want to say when it's so far from my usual aesthetic leanings.

or

Check out Dennis Cooper's Website

And his amazing blog

My UCSB residency is done and I am back in the city of brotherly and sisterly love. This residency was a tremendous success. I gave a lecture, spoke to a bunch of classes, did some crits, worked making photographs with Youth CineMedia, was interviewed by those guys, showed some slideshows and produced a project that involved having people display identical photos in their homes: a homeowner who employs a domestic worker and housekeeper who works in aforementioned home.

Also, traveled to the San Andreas fault at Fraiser Park. And went to Oxnard and met these great BMX kids. And went to Ventura and saw California surfers with long blond hair.


I saw the Santa Barbara police search about 8 of the Youth CineMedia kids right before we got in the car to drive to UCSB to go to a writing class. Unfuckingbelieveable. We weren't even out of the parking lot and the police stopped and searched these guys. In the fucking PARKING LOT of the community center. One kid who wasn't even with our group had a little pipe and Visine. I can't speak to the difficultly and complexity with crime and gangs in Santa Barbara, but I am certain that this system seems like it's fucked up.




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Let me tell you who I got a good vibe from...Youth CineMedia. Even though the kids just keep talking and talking. Jesus H. Christ! Please quiet down!



Look at these 2 guys, Benny and Buddha. They are both great. I actually wished I wasn't falling asleep when they interviewed me because I was going to go "Willie Mosconi" on them after the interview but had to get back to the Best Western and into bed before collapse. I'm looking forward to working on a book with them and some folks in the UCSB writing department.

And again, thanks to Elyse for doing so much.

Here's a report from my #1 dagger, Paula Cronan, regarding her brother's pirate ordeal.


"...After TWO DAYS of fighting the pirates themselves, alone at sea, with nobody around to help, including a six-hour battle on Tuesday to keep them off the ship using fire hoses, and then barehandedly capturing an AK47 wielding freak on Wednesday and recapturing back the ship from the other three AK47 wielding freaks, which has never been done before, and then negotiating with the pirates for hours and hours as they held the Captain hostage on board the lifeboat, which the Captain gave to them, as well as himself, in exchange for the safety of the crew....then, finally, the navy showed up. Don't believe the news stories that say they "rushed" there.

John's ship was cut loose to sail to Mombassa, Kenya with about 20 heavily armed navy whatevers on board. The navy ship remains with the lifeboat, working to free the Captain. I'm sure it was hard for John and the crew to leave him.
From Mombassa, they are being flown to DC on a private jet. I'm sure they're gonna be furious and have many questions for whatever government people they speak to."

I love both of you and am so readddddy to hear about John getting back here and off of the high seas for a little bit.

Who would have thought Santa Barbara? Thanks, thanks and thanks to Elyse for bringing me here.

And much love to

Alex Peck

Hex Hassinger

Osiris and Youth Cinemedia
including

Benny
and
Buddha
masters of the camera and the interview.

Mondo
Cheeks
Melissa
Andreas
Sondra
et al

Matt Straka

Samy's Camera SB

Shelly Lowenkopf

(although I missed her!) Liz Kuball

UCSB

Muchas gracias a Yanet por participar en el intercambio de hogar
and thanks to Lynne for participating in the home exchange

And thanks to Emilio for translating.

John is my friend and the brother of my #1 dagger, Paula Cronan, and he is a crew member on the Maersk Alabama, which was boarded by pirates and is now in the midst of a hostage crisis with the pirates. They have Captain Richard Phillips on a lifeboat and the hostage situation is ongoing.

John, I'm thinking about you and all your crewmates, especially your captain, and sending love and hope for a speedy and peaceful resolution.

Dagger, I'm thinking about you and sending my love and ready for you to hear the good news about John's return to land.



Paula's (and John's) Union Hall

A happy and healthy Pesach to all.



Dayenu

Ilu hotzi, hotzianu
Hotzianu miMitzrayim (2x)
Dayenu.

Chorus:
Day, day, yenu (3x)
Dayenu dayenu.

Ilu natan natan lanu
Natan lanu et haShabbat (2x)
Dayenu.

Chorus:

Ilu natan natan lanu
Natan lanu et haTorah (2x)
Dayenu.


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And welcome Birkat Hachamah.

Maple syrup prices have quintupled in the last couple of months, it's now relative to the price of saffron or high grade cocaine, and it's really a bummer for a lady like me who's down with Maple. However, a sliver of a silver lining is here because I now plan to buy maple syrup from Vermont in support of VT's legalization of gay marriage.


Vermont Maple Syrup Website

or

Fraizer Park is a town situated directly on top of the San Andreas Fault Line (San Andreas Fault Line in red above) I drove 2 hours to get there, had 1/2 an hour there, and then had to drive 2 hours back to Santa Barbara. I'm making a plan to go back.

By Woody Guthrie
1937


Lots of folks back East, they say, is leavin' home every day,
Beatin' the hot old dusty way to the California line.
'Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin' out of that old dust bowl,
They think they're goin' to a sugar bowl, but here's what they find --
Now, the police at the port of entry say,
"You're number fourteen thousand for today."
CHORUS:
Oh, if you ain't got the do re mi, folks, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.

You want to buy you a home or a farm, that can't deal nobody harm,
Or take your vacation by the mountains or sea.
Don't swap your old cow for a car, you better stay right where you are,
Better take this little tip from me.
'Cause I look through the want ads every day
But the headlines on the papers always say:

If you ain't got the do re mi, boys, you ain't got the do re mi,
Why, you better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.
California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see;
But believe it or not, you won't find it so hot
If you ain't got the do re mi.


Recorded at RCA in Camden, NJ

Check it out!

info (at) zoestrauss (dot) com

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight! And a heartfelt thanks to Matt "tsunami of love" Straka for helping put this together at the last minute... to Samys Camera for allowing the projection to happen in their parking lot... to Jim for the AV hook up... to Elyse for bringing me out to Santa Barbara... and to Shelly for just being awesome.


Projection success!

TONIGHT'S PROJECTION WILL NOW BE AT SAMY'S CAMERA

8:05 AT

614 Chapala St.
Santa Barbara, CA
93101

(805) 963-7269

Click above.


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Who wins the battle of wit? Oscar Wilde? Dorothy Parker? Fran Lebowitz? And believe me, it's hard to beat a condemnation of "you are wall to wall carpeting and you are in the bathroom" as espoused by Ms. Lebowitz.

However, I say the winner is "writing team who wrote for Golden Girls."

To the Mechanick/Subar household. Ah, Brian it was 18 years ago on this very day... little did you know then that you'd have me FOREVER! And Alex thank G-d, you've had me since you were born! Love you boys!

Rachel Maddow turns 36 today: so she's 3 years younger and about a billion times smarter, but we are probably toe to toe in "gayness levels." For real, I am so happy that she has a show on MSNBC.

Today is my birthday and I'd like to give a shout out to my mother, who successfully bore me and put me forth into the world with great joy and love. Love you, mom!