Photo by Richard Mann

Nancy Spungen just wanted to be "somebody."  You can't knock her for that.  Growing up I had a fascination with her.  I think most of us grow up and want to leave some kind of legacy behind.  "Somebody" means different things to different people though.  In my teenage years my cousin Holly and I would take road trips with no destinations just to dream.  We wanted to be "famous", for what, I'm not sure.  I knew I was leaving for New York in a few months and she was jumping from job to job in Boston.  All we knew was that we needed each other.

My life has been a series of co-dependent addictive relationships.  I think my friend Ben summed it up best when describing me years ago.  "Kat is like vanilla ice cream sprinkled with crack.  Smooth, tasty, and goddam what a rush." When I think back to my highschool years, this is exactly what I'm talking about.  Teenagers have a way of thinking they are immortal.  They are fearless, we were no exception I'm sure.  Looking back on who were were, I would have placed a bet we'd be dead by the end of the summer.  But we lived, for a while at least, and then there were a series of deaths. 

This all has a point, I swear.  You see in a few weeks I'll be releasing Blood and Pudding.  It's weird to call it memoir since I no longer know the girl who wrote it.  Seems she died the same time the love of her life and her cousin did.  It's also strange to be releasing journals we once tried so hard to hide.  Back then we all brought out the worst in each other.  We were addicts, mental cases, thieves, and lost.  We came from good homes.  We wanted attention.  We wanted to be "somebodies". 

Blood and Pudding took ten years to put together.  It went through three editors, four micro-cassettes, five re-writes,  and something like six journals.  Some of my editors and friends wonder why I didn't send it to a big publishing house and I really did struggle with the choice.  But in the end I made my decision because of this:

1997

Kat: "What should we do with the book when it's done?"

Holly: "Just release it.  Those who need it will find it.  No one should ever force something on the world. Just make sure it's pure."

What she meant was "Make sure it was true." She was okay with tiny edits, paragraphs being slightly altered, or grammatical errors being fixed.  She was not okay with changing the tapes, reforming sentences, and making our secrets marketable.  And being that she is no longer here.  I had to respect that.  Looking back, maybe she had a different definition of "somebody" than I did, but if it's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to always respect the dead.

Coming Soon:

Ahhh Spring.  What better way to kick the season off than with divination.  Once again I'm offering readings for $85.  I read with the full deck all 78 cards and my readings can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half.  I'll delve into any areas you'd like to go further into and answer many questions in one reading.  If you live in the city, that is wonderful.  You can come to my place, I can come to yours, or we can meet at an agreed upon location.  If you are out of the city do not fear, I am available for readings via skype, im, or phone.  I am also available for spiritual cleansings $50, and reiki sessions $75 for a half hour. You can also purchase a three card reading via etsy for only $15.  They are thorough and come with a totem animal one card reading.  You can purchase them here

Please email me first at katelanfoisy@gmail.com and we can discuss time, location, etc.

I'm a die-hard skeptic but I trust Katelan's tarot readings implicitly.  No matter what issues I might say are going on, she possesses an ability to zero in on the truth which can only be described as startling.  She never tells me what I want to hear, but always what I need.

-Megan K

You can also see my Kylie Ireland and Misty Haze pieces in person at Birdhouse Gallery March 28th.

Birdhouse Gallery, 1304 E. Cesar Chavez Austin, TX (USA).
Start: Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 6:00pm
End: Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 6:00pm

Click on Kim's image to order.

Eric Nelson's book release party went swimmingly tonight.  The house was packed and he sold out of books.  For more pics please check out the blog here.

Eric Nelson, me, Michael Lala

It's just about down and will be unveiled at the art auction of Friday.  Here is the prototype of the bike raft.  It's a bike stationed on two pontoons with a motor.  I think it's full of awesome and win.  Thank you to Orien McNeil, Zack Tucker, and Porter Fox for working so hard on it.  Come see it at the Gallery here:

7:00 – 11:00 p.m. - art auction
11:00 - 1:00 a.m. - after (dance) party
$10 door, open bar
weareswimmingcities.org

7:00 – 11:00 p.m. - art auction
11:00 - 1:00 a.m. - after (dance) party
$10 door, open bar
weareswimmingcities.org

***EVENT***

The SWIMMING CITIES art collective is holding our first art auction fundraiser for our upcoming sculptural boat and performance project on the Ganges River, in India, 2010. The event will include the unveiling of the first finished boat prototype, an 18'x8' hand-crafted stainless steel catamaran, powered by a motorcycle driven paddle wheel.

***MUSIC***

DJ Small Change
Matt Shadetek
2melo

***AUCTION***

The auction will include 100 + works from internationally renowned artists, all members or friends of Swimming Cities including: Swoon, Thomas Beale, ImminentDisaster, Ben Mortimer, Ero, Tod Seeley, Ben Wolfe, Pork, Tony Bones, Jeff Stark, Isaac Aden, Ariel Campos, Gregg Henderson, Leslie Stem, Lopi, Katelan V. Foisy, Iris Stvn Lason, Spy, Sarah Aller, Matt Curtis, Petric Seeley, Zev David Deans, Elizabeth Bentley, Hannah Mishin, Orien McNeill, Ksenjiya, Angie Kang, Ben Devoe, Czack Tucker, Heather Jones, Noah Sparks, Porter Fox, Tim Treason, Ayen Tran, Dan Sabau, Virginia Reath, Clair Huntington, and Kara Blosom.


***SWIMMING CITIES***

.... is a diverse group of artists, builders, and performers who come together each year and embark on a challenging large-scale project. Originally united through the international artist Swoon, the group traces its roots to the DIY raft project on the Mississippi River, the "Miss Rockaway Armada." Taking a new waterway each year our projects create a vivid community of artists floating into towns to present an interactive environment which encompasses art, sculpture, music and performance. The uncommon talents of our members interact in an organic design process in a unique form of living art. Our previous projects include THE SWIMMING CITIES OF SWITCHBACK SEA on the Hudson River for Deitch Projects and THE SWIMMING CITIES OF SERENISSIMA across the Adriatic Sea for the Venice Biennale.

***OCEAN OF BLOOD***

For Swimming Cities upcoming project, we will construct a fleet of small sculptural river craft at the foothills of the Himalayas, in a cultural exchange with local South Asian artists and artisans. The hand-crafted boats will traverse the Ganges River from Kanpur to the holy city of Varanasi stopping at towns and villages along the way to meet locals and commission crafted embellishments for the boats in the local styles. Upon arrival in Varanasi the boats will merge together into a great floating island stage. In collaboration with local artists and musicians we will produce a performance inspired by our adventure and the immense cultural history of the Ganges.

Music by Jill Tracy, directed by Bill Domonkos.
A lavish chiaroscuro montage of 2D and 3D animation, still photography and hand drawn images, "The Fine Art Of Poisoning" seduces the viewer into an elegant netherworld of deceit, plotting, and secretly-served revenge.

Max Rabe performs Friedrich Hollaender's & Rudolf Nelson's famous cabaret song "Das Nachtgespenst" (The Bogeyman) from 1930 in Ilona Ziok's internationally awarded musical film "Kurt Gerron's KARUSSELL"

Lady Lavona's Cabinet of Curiosities

Kristamas Klousch

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Hello Darlings,

   It's that time again, where the wind howls just the right way, the smell of wood burning stoves permeates the air, and icicles point you to your path.  Winter is a wonderful time to get a reading and look forward to what the Spring will bring.  Starting Monday I'm offering readings for $85.  I read with the full deck all 78 cards and my readings can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half.  I'll delve into any areas you'd like to go further into and answer many questions in one reading.  If you live in the city, that is wonderful.  You can come to my place, I can come to yours, or we can meet at an agreed upon location.  If you are out of the city do not fear, I am available for readings via skype, im, or phone.  I am also available for spiritual cleansings $50, and reiki sessions $75 for a half hour. 

Please email me first at katelanfoisy@gmail.com and we can discuss time, location, etc.

I'm a die-hard skeptic but I trust Katelan's tarot readings implicitly.  No matter what issues I might say are going on, she possesses an ability to zero in on the truth which can only be described as startling.  She never tells me what I want to hear, but always what I need.

-Megan K

I'll also be holding a circle this Sunday February 28th at the Edgar Cayce Center at 7 p.m. The Full Moon in Virgo. 

241 West 30th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 691-7690

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