No Article: muses on strike

Based On a Fact apologizes for the absence of a Lala Drona article.  A quiet lull has taken over workshops everywhere as at 10 am on January 24th, muses have officially announced that they have gone on strike.  Due to harsh work conditions, low to no-pay and no artistic credit, muses have assembled to fight for visibility and rights within the artistic community.  Muses state that they cannot continue to be the “brains behind the operation” without proper compensation.  Throughout the ages, muses have been exploited for their work, and are currently looking to institutionalize their practices.  Pauline Devenport, a self-proclaimed muse, would like to start her own business, a company that provides inspirational services.  “We would provide “muse” services to companies and individuals.  This means protection and financial compensation for muses’ work.  But first, we have to unionize.”

Since rising up, muses have experienced quite the backlash.  Artists have said that inspiration does not have constraints, that it comes from everywhere.  Whether it be a tree, a sunrise or a conversation with someone.  Many say that the relationship between artist and muse is private and that institutionalizing the idea of the muse will limit artistic expression.   

One thing that this strike has illuminated is that artist and muse are not mutually exclusive.  Artistic activity everywhere is at a standstill while artists sit blankly in front of their projects without their muses.  Artists and muses are set to negotiate muse demands tomorrow afternoon in an online debate.  Whatever the outcome of the debate, an exciting future awaits the ever-changing art community, as muses obtain long-awaited visibility within the art sphere.              

Based On a Fact

Lala Gone WILD: out of the cocoon and into Berlin

            Drones everywhere are wondering, has Lala gone mad?  Her recent stay in Berlin has caused quite the buzz, many wondering if her failed attempt at her December Cocoon has sent her into a downward spiral.  Lala has been spotted, dining with different anonymous men in the same night, salsa dancing with women in after-parties, and also half-naked on the Berlin metro.

On a Berlin subway train, one of our sources caught Lala removing her trousers.  “I was like, whoa, that’s Lala Drona reading a subway map.  Then I was like, whoa, that’s Lala Drona taking off her pants while reading a subway map!  I thought she was crazy until I saw everyone else doing it.”  Apparently, Lala was joining a movement where people come together and take off their pants on the metro.  Why?  Well, there is no official answer to that, but apparently, it is a concept that is sweeping the world.

Lala meets Pancho on crowded Berlin subway train.

When Lala was able to break away from the press, she found a seat next to a masked man, also pant-less on the subway.  Richard Bird, a photographer for the Morggenpost states that “Lala began talking to the masked man, something serious despite them not wearing pants.  After hearing some young girls scream his name from the other end of the train, I realized it was the infamous Pancho Panoptes, a very “now” Berlin artist.”  Sources say the cameras surrounded the two artists until they made a break for it and were spotted chatting next to the River Spree.

Apparently Lala talked to many others on her trip to Berlin.  She was spotted deep in conversation with three different men.  As if that was not bizarre enough, she was also holding their hands in the same intimate matter.  The icing on the cake is that Lala was later found dancing salsa with women in a Berlin club.  Is Lala dating around?  Or are these also artists with whom she is collaborating? Perhaps she’s really just gone mad.

The last possible reason for Lala’s extreme behavior could be that although she failed to complete the December Cocoon, she is still leaving it a transformed butterfly.  Lala is currently collaborating with Based on a Fact to remodel the site and add a space dedicated to her Drones.  She’s added a facebook and flickr page, and seems to be revamping her look.  Some have spotted Lala wearing a black wig and cane.  This perhaps to hide her identity, or perhaps the beginning of so sort of image transformation.

Either way, Lala has Drones standing still, some with their jaws dropped and others with a smile, but all waiting for this rapidly changing artist’s next move.

Based on a Fact

Sara Compts, Journalist for The L.D. Times

Lala’s Double Life: Hand Dancing

“Nice to meet you.  What do you do?”

–“I’m an artist.”

“That’s great, but what do you do to make money?”

Since the beginning of time, artists have been living double lives.  Until they reach success, or when they fall from it, artists must have another source of income.  Though many know of this concept of the artist’s double-life, the media representation of Lala (and many other artists) is one-dimensional and cliché.  However, I (as I’m sure many other Drones) want to know who Lala is behind the media image.  What is her day-to-day, and what does she do when art isn’t paying the bills?

With much investigation, I found that Lala is a teacher!  Surprisingly, not a painting teacher, but a teacher in the Ancient Art of Hand Dancing.  The art of hand dancing has been passed down from generation to generation in Lala’s family, originating in the Amazons of Venezuela.  Some native Amazonian tribes still practice this custom in mating and religious rituals.  Below, a video of a hand dancing performance by Lala Drona herself, music “Stolen Merchandise” by Optomystic.

Unfortunately, Lala refuses to release information about her hand dancing classes.  However, we interviewed several of her past students (all of which would like to remain anonymous) and they say classes are private and confidential.  She accepts students only on recommendation basis, so you have to know someone who knows someone if you know what I mean.

Based on a Fact

Catherine Weller, 22, Student at Florida State University