Yves Bernard, Domenico Quaranta (eds.), Holy Fire. Art of the Digital Age, 2011
Kevin Bewersdorf
Spirit Surfing
Publisher: LINK Editions, Brescia 2012
www.linkartcenter.eu
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of
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or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite
300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
Printed and distributed by: Lulu.com
www.lulu.com
ISBN 978-1-291-02040-3
Kevin Bewersdorf is an artist, musician and actor. After playing a central role in the surfing clubgeneration of internet artists, in early 2009 he decided to stop doing art, taking everything he didout of the web, and replacing his online archive with an empty website, purekev.com. He starred inmovies, shorts and tv series, including LOL (2006) and Uncle Kent (2011), both directed by JoeSwamberg.
Contents
Editor's Note 1
ESSAYS 5
> King Lear directed by Jean-Luc Godard 7
> Why I Never Print My Photos (My Run-in with a Skater Mom) 11
> That's Incredible! 17
> Spirit Surfing 21
VISUAL ESSAYS 27
> Jerry Seinfeld as Compared To My Mother 29
> J.S. Bach Apparition (Seen While Pooping) 33
> Buy My Bunny 37
> Yo Picasso! 41
> Victorian Village 49
> Budweiser Clydesdales 53
> The Longest Building I have Ever Seen 57
> Stock Photography Watermarks As The Presence of God 61
> The Four Sacred Logos 71
INTERVIEWS 91
> Interview with Kevin Bewersdorf 93
> One Question Interview: Kevin Bewersdorf 99
Biography 101
Command S Saves 107
Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Editor's Note
1
Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
ESSAYS
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
King Lear directed byJean-Luc Godard
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Why I Never Print MyPhotos (My Run-in witha Skater Mom)
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
THE ORDER OF RIGHTS IN AMERICA
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
That's Incredible!
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
That's Incredible! was the show that helped create today'sreality series genre with segments that showed everythingfrom death defying stunts, mystifying phenomena and wackyanimal stunts, as well as uplifting stories about amazingpeople who overcame obstacles and handicaps. Hosts JohnDavidson, Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby were someof the first to break away from the canned variety acts of the1970s to reveal the more real and unusual sides of nature,medicine and human endeavor.
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
INFOmonks and INFObrats
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
The Boon
The Wake
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
The Frame
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
The Cloak
The INFOspirit
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
VISUAL ESSAYS
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Jerry Seinfeld asCompared To My Mother
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
J.S. Bach Apparition(Seen While Pooping)
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Buy My Bunny
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Bunny for Sale
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Bunny Sold
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Yo Picasso!
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Victorian Village
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Budweiser Clydesdales
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
The Longest Building IHave Ever Seen
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Stock PhotographyWatermarks As ThePresence of God
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
The Four Sacred Logos
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Part 1:
THE MARKETPLACE
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
THE MARKETPLACE CONTAINSONLY PRODUCTS
IN THE MARKETPLACE THERE AREONLY PRODUCTS
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Part 2:
THE PRODUCT
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
YOU ARE A PRODUCT ANDEVERYTHING IS IN YOU
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Part 3:
THE INFO
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Part 4:
THE INFOspirit
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
I AM MEDIOCREMEDIOCRITY IS IN ME
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
INTERVIEWS
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Interview with KevinBewersdorf
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Gene McHugh: The name of your website is MaximumSorrow. What does this phrase mean to you?
There seems to be a genuine interest in some of your recentwork in locating or describing how the spiritual could interfacewith the digital. For example, Spirit Surfers surf club and the“Stock Photography Watermarks as the Presence of God”photo essay on Art Fag City. Is that accurate and, if so, whatconclusions have you come to (if any)?
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
The written signature plays a prominent role in your self-portraits. What is it about this gesture that interests you?
What qualifies as a “boon” in Spirit Surfing? Can you describethe physical experience that occurs when you discover aboon?
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
How long does the “wake” of a boon typically last until it hasreceded?
In the accompanying text to your latest collection of music,Babes, you stress the virtues of struggle and mere survival inmaking music. Is this something specific to music or could youextend this stress to creative work, in general?
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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing
Your first New York solo show opens on September 7th atV&A gallery. What will be on view?
What's your strategy for working between the gallery and theinternet?