Hey, you made the choice to go into the Rape Tunnel. Read the disclaimers! This "controversial" new work will reportedly go up in a gallery there, in Ohio, and then I guess people will come to see it or whatever, and guess what happens then?

I've constructed a 22 ft tunnel out of plywood that leads into the project room. There is no way in or out of the project room except for this tunnel. As you travel through the tunnel, it gets smaller and smaller, making it so that you have to crawl and put yourself in a submissive position in order to reach the tunnel's destination. At the end of the tunnel the subject will find me waiting in the project room and I'll try to the best of my ability to overpower and rape the person who crawls through.

See this is actually the sequel to Whitehurst's famed "PUNCH-YOU-IN-THE-FACE TUNNEL," where he says he punched some aspiring model in the face and broke her nose and they're still in court like years later but hey, what sort of tunnel did she think she was getting into?!!

Anyhow we very much encourage you to read this entire Artlurker.com interview with Whitehurst, cause we're not technically accredited art experts, so far be it from us to say where, exactly, the Rape Tunnel fits in "the canon" of Modern Rape Art. But before you book your tickets to Columbus, ladies (or gents! Young or old! He's taking all comers!), remember:

I want to make it clear that I plan to make the experience as unpleasant as I possibly can to anyone who dares to crawl through the tunnel. I will try to the best of my ability to make them regret their decision.

We are totally taking a field trip.
[Pic: Artlurker]

UPDATE: A tipster notes that Googling "Richard Whitehurst artist" turns up virtually no background on the guy. Likewise, the interviewer "Sheila Zareno" seems to be absent from Google. So this could all be hoax! Be warned, before you get all enthusiastic for the Rape Tunnel. Know more? Email us.

He did try to be gracious in describing Obama's speech. He also invented a wonderful new word!

“I thought he had some particularly moving lines in there. It was a really good speech,” Mr. Clinton said, adding that the blend of domestic and global challenges were “encapsulized well.” He used that word -– encapsulized, which cannot be quickly located in a dictionary -– several times.

Ok, sure, Bill. Encapsulized. He still does the slight undermining things, of course: the speech was "very well delivered, obviously." Obama is the first African-American president, did you know? But mainly he was just happy to tell Jeff Zeleny all of his thoughts on this speech, in his new made-up language, and as his aides attempted pulled him away "Mr. Clinton lingered to talk a little while longer."

One guy Bill was not excited to talk to, though: Jimmy Carter. Apparently they haven't been on speaking terms since 1980! Democrats, man.

Photo: AP

Then they were all beaten, repeatedly, by Iraqi Security forces and sent to a military internment camp for additional beatings.

[via Cynical-C Blog]

[DarkRoastedBlend via BoingBoing]

I'm going in crowded. everyone says they're from sf

Nick's live updates, with images, after the jump.

Nick Continues:

10:04 PST: u2 playing, I think for all its hipness, the aple event mix is a bit outdated. now we're silencing phones... wow, wifi's up, wtf the crowd is so...white!

Right, Nick here. They left the wifi up, thank the geek gods.

10:08 Steve's on stage. He's amazingly low-key. Just like a living room chat. Just kinda talkin' about the Intel changeovers. Blah blah. Maybe he's under the weather. But he's cool, casual.

10:10 Mac Mini Intel comes out today. Gigabit ethernet, Firewire and 2 more USB 2.0 ports...

10:11 They're adding Front Row to the Mini.

10:14 Steve tries to shuffle songs. Oh no! No one loaded media onto the Mini! Steve recovers. Makes a couple jokes about the schmuck who didn't load the music. But hey, he can pick up Phil's music through wifi.

10:17 We're watching a slideshow. Again Steve makes fun of "Phil," who didn't load the Mini, but no prob, he can catch the shared photos. Okay, Steve, we get it. UNLEASH THE PRODUCT.

10:18 Okay, Desperate Housewives is cool, we can keep watching that, Steve.

10:19 wow, steve's streaming from phil's macbook. this is a new front row feature called bonjour. accidentally shared home videos become that much scarier.

10:20: he's talking up ilife 06 now. nothing new, a recap of the macworld keynote. his shirt's baggy today

10:22 minis are 699, 799. bundled w remote.

10:25 news clip abt "the kid who bought the billionth song." the michigan white boy. xeni jardin in the clip. (like madonna meets aliens)

it's an abc clip. billion songs sold, yay.

10:29 New products! whoa. it's gonna be a boombox. he's talking up what people want from a home stereo.

10:31 BOOMBOX: integrated power supply. six d-size batteries. 2 80mm wide-range drivers. in sealed acoustic suspension. bass system: 130mm dual voice coil woofer. ported bass reflex design. "and it doesn't distort when you crank it up". universal dock connector. integrated handles

10:35 sealed resin enclosure that doesn't vibrate "software updates going out?" someone tells steve: "already out." "great! even better." apparently he didn't keep tabs on that. apple remote for the hifi. he's still casual about this

10:36 BOOMBOX: $349, on sale today. *goes on sale. they set up the hifi in some rooms for the press to visit. "iPod Hi-Fi. Home stereo. Reinvented." says the screen. "i'm an audiophile" he says "i'm actually getting rid of my stereo." o rly, steve?

10:38: BOOMBOX: "What have we talked about today? Some really cool products."Wow, wrap-up already, eh. he rehashes the mac mini. front row with bonjour. update goes out later this week "we think this is a pretty big deal for moving media throughout the house." new ipod cases "simple, but i think they're gonna be a great product."

10:40: "and of course, the new ipod hi-fi." now he's letting us go up to these rooms with hi-fis. i'll head up. applause, lights up, heading out

After Nick heads up to check out the iPod Hi-Fi boombox:

ok, this stereo sounds amazing. wow. they're playing that ubiquitous gorillaz song "feel good inc" playing some acoustic guitar on the hi-fi...this is golden

Then our intrepid blogger misses his moment of greatness:

Nick: omg I'm 4 feet from steve jobs.
Nick: hands shaking.
Nick: MIGHT get to meet him
Joel: CRYS KNIFE
Nick: ?
Joel: STAB HIM
Joel: DO IT
Nick: wha?
Nick: hahahaha
Nick: hush

Back to your regular posting from Nick:

"I don't think you'd want to store music on a tv" he tells someone
"I don't think the pc ever leaves the equation"