Wayne D's Blog

Last week I complained about CBC Radio taking down the website for Socket, the summer replacement series that showcased new, inovative visual and artists. They managed to remove almost all traces of the show but after some digging around I found an archive of the  publicity emails that they sent out weekly. It gives a tantalizing glimpse of what the show contained and in most cases also lists the artist's name. Perhaps I can shame CBC into resurrecting the Socket website or even putting up the audio archives of the show. I have included links to a number of the artists who I haven't linked to before.


July 5th
 

This week on Socket, the new show that plugs you into young Canadian artists:  go to the grocery store where pop-art cereal boxes mix in with sugar puffs and granola.  This week, Socket is all about wonder and awe.  Meet the guy who sculpted the Great Wall of China out of Rice Krispies.  The painter whose only subject is V-W bugs.  The brilliant animator who also makes ten-foot sock puppets. 
 

July 12th
 

Host Angela Antle puts privacy under scrutiny this week on Socket. Vancouver's Jessica Bushey snaps photos of women's feet in public bathrooms.  Garnet Hertz, a Canadian living in California, straps video cameras onto the backs of giant cockroaches.  Lisa Klapstock takes pictures of herself in the laneways of Toronto's Little Italy.  And Judy Bowyer of Kitchener, Ontario gets people to make their most secret worries public.
 

July 19th
 

Socket gets all homey this week, zeroing in on domestic art.  But there's nothing mundane about Edmonton performance artist Todd Janes ironing out in the middle of the street.  Or the Alberta artist who knits with paint. Or the Canadian who holds telekinetic picnics in Berlin. Those profiles and more on Socket, with Angela Antle.
 

July July 26th
 

It's interesting --but it is art? This week on Socket, Angela Antle takes you to meet some artists who are pushing back the boundaries. Jon Sasaki says a plain old guest book is. Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan mix perfume to make a political statement. Jillian McDonald inserts images of herself into Billy Bob Thornton movies anytime he's about to plant a kiss. And Women With Kitchen Appliances make wild noise using Mixmasters and wooden spoons. It's all fun. But is it art?
 

August 2nd
 

The focus is on what host Angela Antle calls "uber-artists" this week on Socket - people who make art in all kinds of forms, from painting and making videos to designing wallpaper.  Craig Le Blanc of Calgary even uses his own body as art.  He's just one of the uber-friendly uber-artists you'll meet on Socket.
 

August 9th
 

Love conquers all this week on Socket. Montreal artist Max Wyse talks about the hundred-year old painting that touches his heart.  And Calgary's Mark Clintberg goes out on the street to get people to declare their love for one another.  
 

August 16th
 

It's all about Do-It-Yourself art this week on Socket.  Host Angela Antle will take you to one of Paul Butler's Collage Parties.  And Mark Prier explains how he makes audio art by downloading freeware from the internet.
 

August 23rd
 

It's all about shelter this week on Socket  - from Halifax photographer Mike Boiduk, who likes to crawl into fireplaces and dryers, to Lex Vaughn, who takes refuge in old-time radio.  That's on Socket, with Angela Antle.
 

August 30th
 

This is the last week for Socket, the show that plugs you into young Canadian artists.  And today, host Angela Antle focuses on family.  The Sanchez brothers make videos and take photographs together in Montreal, while conceptual artist and new mom Jess Dobkin tries to get people to confront their hang-ups about breast milk.