The ShowATL Podcast

Nate Damen, otherwise known by his character name of ATLTVHead, is an Atlanta native and Georgia Tech graduate who sees the problems within society, work structure, and our relationship with technology. As ATLTVHead, Nate wears a custom retrofitted 1960’s RCA Victor television set on his head and walks the Beltline to create interactive experiences with people. In Nate’s own words, “ATLTVHead is an online and offline connected experience. The project strives to better explore our technological habits, to use technology to connect us on a empathetic/physical level, and a reminder that having fun is not just something we do as kids, but crucial to as adults as well.” Nate talked to us about his journey with creating ATLTVHead, how you can tune in to watch Nate’s livestream of ATLTVHead every Friday at 5:30pm EST, and even brought the TV helmet in to explain the functionality and let us play around with it. 

Find out more about Nate and ATLTVHead at https://www.natedamen.com/atltvhead, or go to https://www.twitch.tv/atltvhead every Friday at 5:30pm EST to watch Nate’s live stream. 

Find ATLTVHead on Instagram at @atltvhead

Kevin Tucker is the High Museum of Art’s Chief Curator. With more than two decades of curatorial and museum leadership experience, he directs the High’s curatorial program and oversees interpretation, research, and development of the collections. In addition, he works with the executive staff and across curatorial departments to develop plans for permanent collection installations and to organize an ambitious schedule of special exhibitions. Kevin sat down with us in his office to talk about his impressive career journey, the role of a curator of the arts in today’s increasingly information-rich and attention-poor society, as well as the growing number of opportunities the High Museum is providing the public to engage with the arts. We also spoke on the reinstallation of the High’s permanent collection, the success of the Yayoi Kusama “Infinity Mirrors” exhibit, and the upcoming “European Masterworks: The Phillips Collection” exhibit, which will open on April 6th and run through July 14th. 

Learn more about Kevin and the High Museum at www.high.org

Find The High Museum of Arts on Instagram at @highmuseumofart

Whiz Socks is an Atlanta company founded by John Pena, Leo Rodriguez, and Alex Miranda. John, Leo, and Alex wanted to create a company founded on the concepts of art and community, with a major focus on giving back. Whiz creates ultra-comfy socks featuring artwork by local Atlanta artists like Jake Llaurado and Yoyo Ferro. Whiz Socks also operates on a buy-a-pair, give-a-pair model, similar to that of Tom’s Shoes, by which every purchase of a pair of socks pays for a pair to be donated to Atlanta’s homeless. John, Leo, and Alex actually hand-deliver the socks (you can find videos on YouTube and on their website of them doing so). The Whiz Socks founders joined us in the studio (with a 6-pack of Victory Golden Monkey beer) to talk about the mission and vision of Whiz, what it means to go into business with your friends, and the future of the company and brand. This episode was recorded as a high-banter roundtable of sorts, so get ready for some laughs, some derailed topics, and some truly insightful nuggets of wisdom and information all throughout.

Where to buy and learn more about Whiz Socks:

Online: www.whizsocks.com

Instagram: @whizsocks

“Daydreams and impossibilities are commonplace in my mind.  When a scene or story jumps into my consciousness I feel compelled to act and collect source material. Once all the images are photographed and digitally cut up and the vision I had in my head begins to emerge on the screen I become elated.” 

Greg Noblin is an Atlanta-based artist who specializes in creating surrealist and mystical artwork through photography and digital art. Greg’s work uses a combination of animals, landscapes, toys, and other familiar objects juxtaposed against alien and fantastical scenes to create artwork that can almost be seen as a mix between Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte. In his own words, he likes turning photographs into art that looks nothing like a photograph. Greg joined us to talk about his work, his career progression as a professional artist, and his views on growth, failure, and the like.  

Where to learn more about Greg:

Online: www.gregnoblinart.com

Instagram: @gregnoblin

Steve West is a photographer and custom jewelry maker working under the name Silver Piston. He likes making kick-ass things for people who are kick ass. Steve joined ShowATL to talk about his career and life journey, which includes time spent in the US Navy, a career in marketing, and eventually, a life of entrepreneurship as a creative. We talk about what it means to create one’s own path, using Steve’s career journey of leaving the ad world to become a full time creative as as a foundation, while also touching on a wide range of esoteric topics throughout. We also discuss how Steve became close friends with Atlanta’s own Killer Mike. This episode is one hell of a wild ride. 

Where to learn more about Steve:

Online: www.silverpiston.com  and www.silverpistonphotography.com 

Instagram: @stevewest @silverpistonphotography

Lucha Rodriguez is an Atlanta-based artist with a concentration on hand cut works on paper and installation art. With a BFA in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Atlanta and an MFA in Printmaking from SCAD, Lucha has spent the most recent part of her career focused on a series of works called “Knife Drawings”. Lucha joined us to talk about her artwork, which included a full education on paper. Lucha talks of paper as having infinite qualities. “...it can bend, stretch, tear, twist, overlap and make lines; curl and create volume.”  Along with her love of paper, we also discussed Lucha’s affinity for knives, her love of the color pink, and her upbringing in Venezuela. Lucha is working on a traveling show that will be hitting the Southeast, eventually stopping through Savannah to come to Georgia Tech. You can find her work at Kai Lin Art in Atlanta, as well as many other places around the world.

Where to learn more about Lucha: 

Online: www.http://love-lucha-now.org/

Instagram: @luchapink

Kirsten King and Cris Gray are members of the Dark Side of the Room improv team and part of the general company at Dad’s Garage Theatre. Dark Side of The Room was formed by the African American performers of Dad's Garage Improv Theater Company. They travel around the world with their unique improv format and run a monthly variety show designed to highlight African American performers across a wide arts spectrum. In their improv format they take a classic movie (i.e. Star Wars, Jaws) and improvise what the black people were doing during that movie. Kirsten and Cris sit down with ShowATL to talk all things improv and comedy, while also using improv as a lens through which one can dissect and reflect on social dialogue at both the individual and collective level. We also talk heavily throughout the episode on the topic of “adult stoicism”.

Where to find Dark Side of the Room: 

Online: www.darksidecomedy.com

Phil Harris is an Atlanta studio artist and muralist who serves his community as a full time paramedic EMT. Phil sat down to talk with ShowATL about his professional and personal journey coming to art at various points of his life, as well as his working ritual to balance his professional and creative lifestyles. His work has been featured in Creative Loafing, Color ATL, Forward Warrior, and a variety of other public and private spaces. Phil is currently a resident artist at Kai Lin Art and lives in Southwest Atlanta with his wife.

Where to find Phil: 

Instagram: @pharrisatl

http://www.philharrisatl.com/