Eric Cloutier first showed up on the New Times radar back during the Wynwood Art Walk of June 2008. He was running Chrome Art Gallery and appeared in a video interview for the blog. Since then we've seen him pushing his sculptural speaker housings everywhere from the Bernice Steinbaum rental studio where he fabricated them to a tent where they hung in the artist's VIP area of Ultra Music Festival 2010. Recently, though, we haven't seen the Boston native at all. The below video, produced by local outfit STENfilms, documents Cloutier's struggle trying to make it as an artist with no car, no phone, and low funds.
The video uses the tried and true story telling arc of a deadline to create drama. We watch it to see whether Eric is able to sell his work to pay the rent. In the end, he doesn't, but vows to make a comeback with a stronger design. Meanwhile the film showcases the various states of the neighborhood in its incipient phases of development. Fast forward to 7 minutes 17 seconds for the best line in the movie. Or better yet watch the whole thing and see if you can name all the restaurants, walls, and faces in the flick.
