Mohawk Monkey
A short film made during production for Sean’s solo show at Indy Hall:

The Essence of Life and Line

Beginning on a whim, Sean began stripping away all but the most basic ideas of animals and objects, recreating them with the bold, visually stunning lines that have come to define much of his most powerful work. Each piece of art, ink on paper, devoid of color and the third dimension, completely re-imagines his subject in rugged beauty. The animal drawings all but stare back at the viewer, filled with raw emotion, comprised of incredibly intricate patterns and lines that practically vibrate with energy. The show on September 7th, comprised of over twenty-five works in the series, showcases how raw and powerful simplicity can truly be.

September 7, 2012 • 5:00 – 9:00
22 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
Refreshments will be provided by St. Benjamin Brewing

If you look at the ground as you walk, like I do, you’ve seen them: tiles embedded into the pavement with an inset message. “Toynbee Idea in Kubrick’s 2001 Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter”.  Or some variation thereof.  I’d seen the tiles several times before curiosity got the best of my and I googled it.  Back then, the tiles were still one of Philly’s street art mysteries.  While the locations of the tiles were carefully catalogued, no one knew who made them or what the message meant.  I incorporated the tiles into my mental list of Philly’s many charms.  But while I was content to wonder, others – specifically Philadelphia artist and musician Justin Duerr – were endlessly fascinated and took it upon themselves to crack the code of the Toynbee tiles.

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles is the documentary filmed by Jon Foy that follows the story of Duerr on the trail of the Toynbee Tiler.  Except when he Googled it back in 1994, there were no results.  Enter one of the many secondary layers of the film – an exploration of alternative communication.  Obviously, the Tiler himself (have I given away too much??) has a message very near and dear that he has been trying to publicize for decades.  But can we all agree that cutting out linoleum tiles and embedding them in pavement is not the most conventional method of communication??  Now it seems too easy to just hop on your social media site of choice and find a huge audience for whatever drivel you have to say, but it wasn’t too long ago that we had to get a little more creative.  The search for the Toynbee tiler led Duerr, Foy, and their other Toynbee-Tile-obsessed friends Colin Smith and Steve Weinik, to clues in newspapers, short wave radio conventions, and broadcast television signal interceptions, and as the Internet grew and developed as a mass communication and information dissemination tool, they were able to connect and share valuable information with other enthusiasts.

But of course the most fascinating, and in some ways the most effective, form of communication in the film is the street art itself.  There comes a moment in the natural wear and tear of pavement when the tiles break apart and float away, the words no longer legible.  In a way, the tiles that were perhaps originally meant to be seen for the message instead of the artwork become a very slow performance art piece.

If you’re worried about Resurrect Dead blowing the cover off the mystery, you should be.  It does.  Duerr,  Foy, and friends were as successful as they sought out to be.  But knowing who the Toynbee Tiler is does not take the magic away completely.  Instead, the story of the artist is as interesting as the (former) mystery of his art.  While one layer of the tiles has been cut through, there are many more that were discovered.

  Resurrect Dead is available on DVD TODAY!

OR watch it instantly!

To read more about Justin Duerr and see photos of his work, check out this article on Side Arts.

Written by Carina Giamerese: Contributing Writer, Side Arts.

For the month of December Sean Martorana will have brand new ink drawings on display at Cafe Estelle. Above is a film of Sean painting the windows for the opening reception this Friday 6:00 – 9:00.

The short film is described as a “reflective hybrid documentary” on the various anomalies and curiosities from the medical collections of the Mütter Museum and the College’s Historical Medical Library, and the first made in the United States by the internationally recognized duo. Through the Weeping Glass has been supported by a 2010 grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, and will be paired with an exhibition at the Mütter Museum about the making of the film, guest-curated by Barbara London, Associate Curator in the Department of Media and Performance Art at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City. The exhibition will include a behind-the-scenes film by Ed Waisnis about the Quay Brothers’ venture.

Get the whole story here:

http://www.pcah.us/exhibitions/newsroom/world-premiere-screening-of-the-quay-brothers-through-the-weeping-glass/

City Paper Story: How the Mütter museum’s main man sold the Brothers Quay on curated creepiness.

http://www.citypaper.net/cover_story/2011-09-15-mutter-museum-quay-brothers-through-the-weeping-glass.html

A clip of Sean Martorana writing on the windows inside IndyHall, a coworking space and community in Philadelphia.

Music by: The Muggs
Song: Motown Blues
Album: On With the Show

seanmartorana.com
@seanmartorana
facebook.com/​inthestudio

A glimpse into the Art and Designs of Sean Martorana that have been applied to his fashion and apparel line.

Only a select 100+ tshirts were chosen for this film and is here to be viewed in 39 seconds.

Available designs here: STUDiO_Apparel

“I am always inspired between the collaboration between the artist and the viewer. The interaction between fashion and the person wearing it is an amazing thing to me. That’s why I dabble in jewelry and apparel. I enjoy the look of a hand drawn design especially when it’s teamed up with apparel. Most of my designs in my STUDiO_Apparel store are hand drawn elements from sketchbooks & paintings. I do also include a variety of digitally produced designs as well. This is a “look book” video I produced just to show a small portion of a larger t-shirt portfolio that I have created.” – Sean Martorana

Purchase available shirts here: STUDiO_Apparel

An exhibit of legendary baseball photography from the archives of Philadelphia’s “Master” photographer, Bruce Murray, Sr. (1893-1969) at Gratz College Gallery to coincide with the release and the premier Philadelphia area screening of the wonderful new documentary “Jews in Baseball: An American Love Affair.”  The photographic exhibit will feature original silver gelatin prints of some of the true legends of the game.  The exhibit will run from April 1 through April 28.  There will be an opening reception for the exhibit on Wednesday, April 6, from 6 to 9 PM.  The photographer’s grandson, Shawn Murray, will be in attendance to “field” any questions or comments and add many interesting back round stories to the photos.  For more info on the photographs to to:www.brucemurray.com

The film screening will be held April 24th, starting at 1 PM at the Gratz College Auditorium. There will be a commentary by Rabbi Rebecca Alpert and a Light Kosher-for-Passover refreshments following.   These events are free and open to the public.   For more information or to register for the film event, contact :  Mindy Cohen, mcohen@gratz.edu; 215-635-7300 x155.   Or go to:  http://www.gratz.edu/Default.aspx?p=2699&d=2122

Location:  Gratz College Auditorium, 7605 Old York Road, Melrose Park, PA 19027     Call for Hours