NOVA EXPRESS CAFE NEWS

_{The idea of Nova Express Cafe was to celebrate life with an expression of artistic, romantic fun. It was meant to evoke in spirit the artistic European cafes of the early 1900's, the poetic beatnik coffeehouses and also the delightful wackiness of American 'road-side attractions'. Created in 1993, the cafe was an 'underground' venue for experimental music and performance, poetry readings, bands, storytelling and art events.}

_{Also, and most importantly, the cafe was a place to socialize; a place to share conversation and a meal with friends. Bringing people together, in a fun and welcoming social space, where they might be inspired to enjoy a heightened sense of their own individuality, was the meaning of Nova Express Cafe.}

_{As an art project Nova Express Cafe was to be a means to explore and model new ways of synthesizing art and life. The intention was to show that an unusual artistic cafe might itself be seen as a work of art and as a meaningful kind of public space; as a vital part of a living cultural ecology.}

_{I chose the outer space theme because I enjoy being reminded that, amazingly, that's where we live: we live on the surface of a small terrestrial planet that is floating in outer space! Outer space exploration is also an apt metaphor of the artist's work which is to explore the frontiers of consciousness. Consciousness is the true 'final frontier'!}

_{I understand art as essentially a kind of 'playing around' that reveals a phenomenology of meaning. By this I mean that art is an open-ended conceptual structure capable of modeling reality. Art is a way of modeling reality that comingles the 'subjective' and 'objective' domains of experience. The lived, or subjective, component of 'reality' is tremendously important: it is the gauge by which value is established. Art provides a living dynamic way to see the operating system of 'reality' and also a way of recoding or remodeling reality.}

_{As an artist, this project was a way for me to explore an alternative sociology of art; to be an artist on my own terms and to present art in conditions that are acceptable to my understanding of what it would mean to live in a more open society. I believe that the humanizing benefits of art are profoundly important, and I also believe that there should just simply be more art in the world. Nova Express Cafe was meant to illustrate how 'art' might function in a more democratic, evenly distributed and less hierarchical way. It is my hope that, to this end, other artists might be encouraged by the Nova Express project to consider the possibilities of creating alternative parallel art streams.}

_{I'm also very proud of the great food we served!}

_{The cafe's interior furnishings, kitchen and sculptures were built on a limited budget almost entirely from second-hand and discarded materials. As both an unusual business and an unusual art project, Nova existed outside the normal channels of either capital investment or art world patronage. In the end, Nova Express Cafe succumbed to economic pressure and was closed Wednesday, March 5, 2008.}

_{An important part of my art practice has been to explore alternative ways of being an artist. How one is supposed to actually 'make a living' as an artist is a taboo subject. I think independent 'art businesses' are an unexplored yet viable way for artists to be in the world. I'm currently starting another art business called the Robot Iguana Studio of Art and Design which will specialize in 'futuristic' art and furniture.}

_{A project is underway to put together a documental about the Nova Express cafe, both on its website and in a booklet form. If you would like to contribute please let me know or send photos, memories and stories to info@novaexpresscafe.com. Please put "alien intelligence" on the subject line.}

_{Thanks for an exciting fifteen years!}

_{Cary Long}