Search for Red Cell on Facebook and you’ll see a haggard face with sad, bitter eyes. A man beaten by life. This is not Red Cell. The tiny headshot of an anonymous, dustbowl prisoner stands in wry contrast to the genial visionary powerhouse himself. But controverting your expectations is stock-in-trade for the man behind The Process, Mov-In Gallery, Vivi Sect and The Jism Archives. Artist-by-artist, event-by-event, Red Cell is expanding the range and definition of art and culture in Santa Fe.
Red’s musical roots run deep. His father was a record collector. “It’s not an exaggeration to say he had about 30-40 thousand records.” Red spent the sixteen years prior to arriving in Santa Fe working in record stores from New Orleans to California and playing in bands, one of which was signed. After he got to Santa Fe, in 2004, he kept his fingers on the strings as manager of local music store, The Candyman. When word came through his contacts that French folk musician, Lippé, was coming to Santa Fe, but couldn’t find a venue, he offered his home. Thus began The Process.
The Process takes its inspiration from the Salons of art force Gertrude Stein. In the 1920’s and 30’s, Stein used to invite creative friends to gather in her living room to share their talents. Performances refined themselves through the process of their presentation. By contrast, the acts Red brings together under the auspices of the Process are often established, but lack the recognition or local following to pack a traditional venue. Still, even if we don’t know who they are, Red does, and he believes in their value enough to offer up a good chunk of his time and energy –and occasionally his living room–to help these talents shine.
“Unusual and intimate settings encourage interaction and genuine involvement with live music, art, film, spoken word, performance art and each other, ” says Red on Facebook. I agree. The small, odd space has been the setting for some of the most powerful, affecting music, dance and theater I’ve seen and heard. Tiny clubs, gyms, churches, sidewalks, and subway tunnels are where stories brew and magic happens; where the artist can get a feel for and be inspired by the audience and the audience can move past the passivity of virtual experience onto the dance floor.
Although many musical events have taken place at Red’s own home on Hillside, more are being set up at public spaces such as The Santa Fe Complex and Corazon. Larger, more accessible venues enable Red to reach wider audiences and share his love for music and art with a broader swatch of people.
Red’s vision is broad and long range and he uses a multitude of means to achieve it. He’s a full-time student at the College of Santa Fe, completing self-designed degree program in experimental curation. He’s current curator of the MOV-iN Gallery, “a multi-media gallery dedicated to the exploration of new technologies and time-based arts, Video Art and New Media. Along with Patricia Sautoff, former Arts and Culture editor for the Santa Fe Reporter, he has created and maintains a website called The End of Being: an Esoteric Guide to Difficult and Unusual Art, Music, Film, People and Ideas. All these vectors are threads in the web of his ultimate goal: to found and curate Interzone, Inc. an International, 3-day, bi-annual experimental music and arts festival in Tangier, Morocco. “The fringes of cultures have always fascinated me; [because stuff that’s] way out there is transformational for the artist.”
Red Cell had hoped to take off the past year, writing material for a end-of-year performance with his band Vivi Sect, but there are too many things he wants to see happen. “I’ve lived in some great cities that entertained me; here [we] need to entertain [ourselves.] Speaking of Santa Fe’s vigorous independent, alternative and emerging arts scene, which includes such players as Meow Wolf, High Mayhem, Bang! Gallery, and The Santa Fe Complex, “I thoroughly support everybody in town who is making any kind of effort to do something special and unique. We need more synergy. What grows serves everybody.”
Eventually, he’ll be moving to Morocco. But he’s here right now, stirring up what he can. “While I’m here, I want to help shape what I capable of. I want to be in the business of making culture.”
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TONIGHT: Feb. 18th, 9:30pm, head to the Catamount in downtown Santa Fe for two hours of all original, indie/ElectroAcoustic with a Flamenco Twist by Mike Tait Tafoya performing as DaCapo Sol. No Cover
Every Thursday, unwind to the smooth house sounds of AudioBuddha at Cafe Phenix 1414 Second Street, Santa Fe. Decompression features the latest chill, dub and dubstep. All ages show. No cover, but donations greatly encouraged! Cafe Phenix: “local organic agriculture, slow food and the best coffee in town!”
TOMORROW NIGHT: Head out to Corazon for Up All Night With Mayor Coss Meet the Mayor; hit him with questions and concerns. Play bingo with a drag queen. Pick up some art, or just dance. Event starts at 5:30.
UP AND COMING:
On Saturday, February 27th, 8-11 PM, don’t miss the Cooper Moore/Jeremy Barnes Duo: an evening of improvised music with pianist/instrument builder Cooper-Moore and Jeremy Barnes of A Hawk and A Hacksaw. Cooper-Moore, a renowned pianist/story-teller/instrument maker from New York will showcase his amazing virtousity at the “diddley bow”, the “twanger” and the “horizontal hoe-handle harp”. He might even sit down at the piano. At The Santa Fe Complex, 624 Agua Fria St., Santa Fe. $10.00 admission. Call 982.0389 for more information.
On March 6th, from 5-8 PM, Changing Gallery presents The Skin Around a Soul an exhibition of photography, paintings and encaustic work by Carlo Armendariz, Alex Ellis, Mark Frossard, Faith-Michele James, and Jonathan Tercero. Works explore the dressing and undressing of the body to reveal a subject’s essence. At the Bella Donna Condominiums, 111 East Santa Fe Ave.
[…] sound sculpture and site-specific installation art of 16 CSF students including the man we fan, Red Cell. Look for “installations/objects [that] can be probed by the public as well as […]