No. 30: Coco McDermott & Dylan Hayes
No. 30: Coco McDermott & Dylan Hayes
Road trips, an affogato, The Wisdom of the Heart by Henry Miller, hand-crafted meditation stools and a lineage of artists
I’m lucky to call actress Coco McDermott and artist Dylan Hayes my chosen family. The couple (and often artistic collaborators) have a way of sharing their heart, asking questions and welcoming people into their home like no others. I’m forever grateful that Coco forgave me for not inviting her to my bat mitzvah because there have been so many moments in our 15+ years of friendship that have brought the most inspiration to us both. From Co & Dyl —
I. a road trip
To be frank - we’re roadtrip junkies. We’ve traveled countless state lines, eaten hundreds of kettle chips and listened to “country roads” 10,000 times at least. Normally, Coco is researching health food stores or hot springs along our route, while Dylan is on the lookout for rocks and abandoned tree stumps to make sculptures out of. Between hours of music and audiobooks we often find ourselves talking about our dreams, our fears, and everything in between. There’s a kind of beauty in the process - enjoying the journey as much as getting to the destination. Even if it means getting there slower, the scenic route never fails to bring breakthroughs, clarity and inspiration.
II. a meditation stool
Lately, we’ve been inspired by the parallels between the concept of ‘manifestation’ and Nichiren’s Buddhism - but most prominently the idea that one can be at the cause of their life, rather than the effect; that we each have the power inside us (rather than outside of us), to change our circumstances. Making a space for this practice in our home led us to collaborating on these meditation stools.
Dylan is the king of found material and carved these stools out of a piece of sycamore he found off the 101 freeway. Coco on the other hand is on the verge of seeking help for her shopping addiction (or turning it into a career?!) and upholstered them with vintage fabric from a vendor in France. Now that they’re done… we’re out of excuses to not meditate.
III. a book (from Coco)
I picked up this book from a little used bookstore in New York years ago and have returned to this quote time and time again as a kind of compass. It reminds me to surrender the quest for answers and instead let the “world exist as poem”.
“strange as it may seem today to say, the aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. In this state of god-like awareness one sings; in this realm the world exists as poem. One is rapt by the ever-changing spectacle of passing phenomena. This is the sublime, the a-moral state of the artist, he who lives in the moment, the visionary moment or utter, far-seeing lucidity. Such clear, icy sanity that it seems like madness. By the force and power of the artist’s vision the static, synthetic whole which is called the world is destroyed. The artist gives back to us a vital, singing universe, alive in all its parts. He opens himself to all influences - everything nourishes him. Everything is gravy to him, including what he does not understand - particularly what he does not understand.” - Henry Miller
IV. a lineage (from Dylan)
I recently discovered that many of the artists I admire were connected through mentorship. Rodin, Brancusi, Noguchi and J.B. Blunk studied with one another, and their work all seems mellifluously in conversation. There’s a common thread of playfulness within the work of these artists that’s really inspired me to add to their conversation and create from instinct rather than judgment. When I feel stumped (no pun intended), I often turn to films and books about these artists. It’s always the nudge I need to feel motivated again.
V. a simple pleasure
An Affogato. Ice cream + espresso. No, not an original combination… but in case you forgot (like we did) this uncomplicated dessert is heaven on earth.
~ bulletin ~
los angeles
On view: Caroline Denervaud’s Parties Matérielles at Lobster Club. Carole Vanderlinden’s A Slipping Glance at Karma. Geoffrey Holder at James Fuentes. David Kordansky Gallery presents Skin of the City, a solo exhibition of paintings made between 1980 and 2000 by Martha Diamond (1944–2023). Olive Diamond’s show To Be Sung and Remembered at Anat Ebgi — read her affection archives feature here. Alina Perkins’ La Fiaca at Fernberger. Catherine Goodman’s New Works at Hauser & Wirth downtown. Hannah Brown’s show Hollow Pond at Anat Ebgi. Photographer Senta Simond’s first solo show Dissonance at Webber Gallery. Oliver Lee Jackson’s Machines for the Spirit at Blum. Clare Grill’s Wich Language at M+B. Samantha Joy Groff’s Huntress at Half Gallery. David Byrd show at Matthew Brown. Group show featuring Robert Ryman, Richard Serra and Donald Judd at David Zwirner. Basquiat show at Gagosian. Inner Space featuring JB Blunk, Minjae Kim, Isamu Noguchi and more at Future Perfect.
new york
On view: Valentina Cameranesi Sgroi’s Racconti (The Tales) at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery. Steven Shearer’s Profaned Travelers and Bill Traylor at David Zwirner. Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within at Noguchi Museum. Haley Josephs’ Out of My Mind at Jack Barrett closes Saturday. Maria Calandra’s Chasin’ the Sun at Fredricks and Freiser. Sissòn’s Waiting to Exhale at Allouche Gallery. Dabin Ahn’s Silent Whisper at 1969 Gallery. James Fuentes presents Color Codes, a selection of paintings by Kikuo Saito from the early 1990s. Yirui Jia’s Seasonist at Mitchell-Innes & Nash. Christopher Wool’s See Stop Run at 101 Greenwich St. Luigi Zuccheri’s show at Karma. Max Lamb’s Inventory at Salon 94 Design. Group show Adrift on the Lonely Etheric Ocean opens at The Hole including Andie Dinkin, Thomas Barger, Sam Lipp and more. Group show AFTER HOURS at Turn Gallery featuring work by Aglaé Bassens, Mary Corman, and Andy Mister.
Saturday: Lee Maxey’s Wait Here opening at Olympia. An exhibition of works by Raque Ford, Hwi Hahm, Terence Koh, Megan Marrin, Melvin Way at C L E A R I N G.
Today - Saturday: MNZ Sample Sale.