Diana Arce

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ This Week

So enraged about so many things this week. I could barely cope. Pretty much any time I’ve spent online has made me angry and my one attempt to get away from it all was met with lame jokes about fascism and POC insults.

Fuck this government and their thoughts and prayers. Fuck madmen who decide to unleash their hate. Fuck curators who treat fascism as a joke in a time where a damn Neo-Nazi was ALMOST elected in Austria, the AfD exists and Trump is a candidate for President. Who also think a decapitated black body is a damn punchline in the era of Black Lives Matter. Fuck Zentrum für politische Schönheit for asking refugees to volunteer to be eaten by tigers as some kind of art project. Guess what, thousands are dying everyday! Why not volunteer themselves (White, Gemarn Citizens) if they want to make a real spectacle, act of solidarity, instead using minorities as some fetishized object to further their own fucking careers?

Seriously. Fuck this week and the horse it rode in on.

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

What I've Been Up to the 1st Half of 2015

So, I’ve been really busy. Basically I’ve been developing many projects over the course the last two years and working so much, that I haven’t had time to post what I am up to. So here is an update of the first half of 2015.

Some Highlights:

1. About to the launch the first residency project for my non-profit, Artists Without a Cause e.V.
2. Just launched the Facebook and Twitter feeds for my latest work, White Guilt Clean Up, services for white people to repair and absolve themselves of white guilt.
3. Shot and currently editing a cooking show for my other project, Simple Bakes. Still working on the website for this one.
4. Conceptualizing a new work about start up culture that will hopefully launch at the end of the month. It’s called Disrupt Disruption Site also still in development
5. Working with the great L. on the Politaoke redesign. That is also expected to be complete in early July.
6. Preparing potential collaborations for Politaoke in the USA, Philippines and UK. You can find more information on this via Twitter or Facebook
7. Rejoined Facebook in a vain attempt to better promote my work. My last name is Waspaidtobehere.
8. Exhibited a work in progress about my mentor, Lester Mazor, at the Hampshire 45th year Reunion exhibition. My work was in the good company of many amazing creative alumni works. I will be adding the project soon to this site.
9. Gave a lecture about the Studio Museum in Harlem and my research at the Freie Universität.

Filler Post: Super Eventful Week

1. Finished final application for Politaoke for a really great grant that I made the first round of
2. Met with a lawyer for registering our new non profit Project to bring together NPOs, NGOs and artists
3. Built shelves for my closet darkroom
4. Learned A LOT about grant writing
5. 2 residency rejections but with really great feedback

Pretty great for my first week back in Berlin

At the Schmiede, playing mad scientist

I’m spending ten days making and developing films in Austria. There is another lovely filmmaker here, a newbie, from the Vienna Film Coop. We’ve started out with trying to cross process Color negative film as reversal with mixed but mostly successful results. Here are some hard to read notes about our second attempt at cross processing. I will be posting the films once I get back to Berlin.

Anyways, I’d also like to thank all the fantastic members of Frameworks, for all the advice and help along the way. If you are interested in developing film, check them out as well as Dagie, they have tons of tips!

Prepping for Schmiede

My apartment looks like a mad scientist’s lab at the moment. My bathroom is full of photo chemicals and remnants of 16mm motion picture film emulsion smeared all over my bathtub. I’ve got film, photography and video equipment in various states of repair and cleaning all over my desk. I’m preparing some self developing experiments to try out in the darkroom, which, I just realized, I’m not even sure has running water. I should write someone an email about that…

I will be in Hallein, Austria at Schmiede for 10 days developing new film and maybe public performance work. I’m hoping to visit a few film coops in Vienna afterwards.

Filler Post: Here's the pug I babysat this weekend

Matador.

Filler Post: Weekly Checklist, get er done!

1. Lunchtime appointments almost everyday
2. 10 applications that need to be prepared
3. Prep winter get out of Berlin plans
4. 3 Skype dates, one business, two personal
5. Prep for Schmeide
6. Practice drawing

Final Guests for the Summer and Future Plans

One of my dearest friends in the whole world is getting married this coming April. I received the news this week and still have yet to really respond properly to him. I am ecstatic and couldn’t be happier for him. I’m also honored that despite being so far away and being an absolute slouch at keeping in touch, he thought to invite me to what will probably be one of the most fun weddings I will ever go to.

On another note, two of my oldest and dearest german friends are having a baby. They have been here this week visiting and as much as I love seeing them, between their great news and the upcoming nuptials of N. I once again start to question and think about how I am living my life and if I will ever really become an adult with a good relationship and a normal job or occupation. I’ve been thinking about this all week.

I’ve been trying working hard but unable to focus. And I am missing people more often than usual. I don’t think I really need a break but I could definitely go for a change of scenery once I get a few things in order. Maybe it’s the vitamin D deficiency talking, but I think I need to get out of town this winter. I’m not really sure how I will pull it off but I have a few months before the Berlin winter starts to reel it’s nasty head to figure out how it will all happen. So I guess that’s my plan as if I didn’t have enough to work on already. But I better get my head out of my own shit and start writing back all the people that I am truly happy for.

Filler Post: No Words

I am appalled. The fact that I am appalled and publicly making my sentiments known can be considered an act of against a nation. I guess it’s finally time to re-read 1984.

My doppelgänger is coming to town

Although r. and I don’t really look alike, we definitely look like we can be related. She’s coming from Hamburg and staying with me for a nice little vacay away from weird dude madness. I know quite a bit about this: apparently my exes think that ringing my doorbell at 4am is a reasonable thing to do.

I’ve got 2 articles and a few applications due this week on the 15th. Wish me luck.