Days Are Only What We Make Them

It's hard for me to believe this is 11 years old. Sinead Lohan released her second album 'No Mermaid' and it became one of my favourite albums of 1998. She appears to have withdrawn from public view as her website hasn't been updated since 2001.

http://www.sineadlohan.com/

http://www.myspace.com/sineadlohans

Between The Lines

I was introduced to the work of artist William Holland when he sent a friends request on MySpace about 3 years ago. I started to follow his work and was amazed at how simple and beautiful it is. Based in Omaha, Nebraska he has 2 passions: art and working as a CNA and rehab tech which involves aiding individuals who have suffered a spinal cord or brain injury regain independence.

He uses pen, ink and paint and armed with a rich imagination he creates pieces that are at times quirky and surreal. I like how simple and uncluttered some of his work is, the simple use of lines and effective use of colour enhance the pieces. I think sometimes it can be easy to do too much to a drawing, with lines and color making a piece ‘busy’. Not in this case.

His website is still under construction but he can be contacted via williamrobertholland [aT] gmail [DOT] com or at his Myspace or Facebook pages in the meantime.

http://www.williamrobertholland.com/

http://www.myspace.com/williamrobertholland
http://facebook.com/reqs.php#/profile.php?id=803213889&ref=pro
file

Pearl

"If I hold back, I'm no good. I'm no good. I'd rather be good sometimes, than holding back all the time."

Janis Joplin

History Underfoot

These images are the the work of Sergei Larenkov. They appear to feature the city of St Petersburg,which was formerly known as Leningrad. The originals captured the city during the Siege of Leningrad.

He’s reshot World War 2-era photographs from their original perspectives; and then merged the results with the originals.

To see more go to: http://fima-psuchopadt.livejournal.com/2564781.html

Via: Warren Ellis

Making Mischief

My appetite has been whetted for the upcoming film 'Where The Wild Things Are'. Directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from the classic 1963 children's book of the same name by Maurice Sendak, it's due for release in October 2009.

Where The Wild Things Are is about the imaginary adventures of a young boy called Max. After causing mischief whilst wearing his wolf suit, he is sent to his room without supper by his mother. His imagination evokes a world inhabited by large monsters, who crown him as their leader. It explores how little control he has as a child in the real world; but in his imaginary world, he is king of the wild things and may do as he pleases.

I cringed when i heard a film was in production as it could have so easily gone wrong. However the trailer gives me the impression that the film was in good hands with the direction of Jonze and with a script by Dave Eggers (of McSweeneys fame-see link section to right hand side of page); coupled with a cast featuring Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano, James Gandolfini and Catherine Keener. Plus Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has worked on the soundtrack

To see a high definition version of the trailer check out: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wherethewildthingsare/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386117/

The book: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Wild-Things-Maurice-Sendak/dp/0060254920

Amadán

Satire

Main Entry: sat·ire

Pronunciation: \ˈsa-ˌtī(-ə)r\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin satura, satira, perhaps from (lanx) satura dish of mixed ingredients, from feminine of satur well-fed; akin to Latin satis enough

Date: 1501

1 : a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly

It's not pretty, is it? Neither is the state of the so called 'freedom of press' in Ireland. As i mentioned in this post it's not about the incident involving the paintings anymore. It's about how a national broadcasting body apologised, completely unnecessarily in my opinion, to a politician and his family for "any embarrassment caused" by a piece of news.

The apology wasn't issued because the information that was broadcast was inaccurate or untrue. RTE reported the facts as they stood-it was a legitimate story. It merely didn't sit well in the rotund belly of Mr Cowen. After a bout of informational indigestion a wobbly was thrown along with demands for the removal of the 'offending' images. If he'd had the sense to take the incident with a pinch of salt or in good humour; the chances are that it would have been forgotten in a few days.

By having a hissy fit and demanding the removal of the information that shows him in a less than flattering light; he really has shown what he thinks of the Irish people. Protecting his/Fianna Fáil's reputation and image (no pun intended) are seemingly top of the agenda. Are we not entitled to voice our opinions, be it on a TV station, newspaper or blog on how shoddily the government are dealing with the dire economic situation? Is the use of Satire offensive to him? Or does it sail over his head?


Is this the way information will be distributed in future? The government are terrified of being portrayed in a negative light hence RTE won't run any items which may question or offend the government. Should we just remain quiet and unquestioningly watch reruns of fair city whilst the country continues to fall to pieces. How does that work for you Mr Cowen?

RTE should have stood by their story instead of regularly editing the website, removing the video footage and photographs. The apology was the final straw. Y'know what? I want an apology from RTE for issuing an apology to Cowen. The money which pays the TV license fees and the taxes that pay the salaries of the politicians should give me enough of a right to throw some demands around. Do you think if i call them and express my opinions they'll put it on the 9 o'clock news?


Images via: http://www.caricatures-ireland.com/blog/

Laid Bare

Word filtered across the pond about this today, having made headlines in the US, Ireland and the UK. How i laughed at the true likeness depicted of our Taoiseach Brian 'Biffo' Cowen, as he leads our wonderful nation out of these troubled times.*Cough*

Fair play to those who shall remain anonymous ;p

Footage from RTE news co of Damien Mulley:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0323/cowennude.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/24/nude-paintings-taoiseach-brian-cowen

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/24/brian-cowen-naked-guerill_n_178415.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7960997.stm

Update: RTE has shown itself to be a pathetic bunch of spineless arse holes. They have bowed down to Fianna Fail/Brian Cowen and apologised for the coverage. The video clip shown by Mulley(above) and any pictures have been hauled from the site after Cowen complained about the coverage of the painting. This makes me so angry. Tax payers money is good enough to fund RTE (the Irish national broadcaster) but at the slightest sign of a slap on the wrist from a politician they remove the 'offending' news.Would any other news organisation have done this (and i use the term loosely when referring to RTE)? It appears we're now being spoon fed whatever news is deemed acceptable to politicians. Shame on you.

Brian, there's a blindingly obvious reason why people are walking into galleries and taking the piss out of you. Your reaction to the incident speaks volumes. Maybe you, and your self serving shower of cohorts in the Irish Government can continue to bury your heads in the sand at the utter dissatisfaction and contempt with which Ireland holds you in. Hopefully not for much longer.

Organic

Andy Goldsworthy is an artist, photographer and sculptor who creates sculptures from organic found objects such as leaves,snow, rock and twigs. He is also an extremely talented rock balancing artist. Rock Balancing is literally the art of placing a combination of rock/stone in an arrangement which would naturally be impossible.



His work is situated in both rural and urban settings. He considers his creations transient and after creating a piece he photographs it. "My sculpture can last for days or a few seconds — what is important to me is the experience of making. I leave all my work outside and often return to watch it decay. "


His work could be placed under the genre of 'Land Art' , which is an art movement that emerged in the America in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In land art the landscape and the work of art are linked. In most cases the landscape itself is the catalyst of a piece and provides the materials for an artist to work with. Art in this area is usually out in the open and as a result will be changed, shaped, destroyed or eroded by wind, rain, sun and frost.


For some work, he uses his bare hands, teeth, and found tools to prepare and arrange the materials such as twigs, stone, leaves and flowers. He doesn't use glue to hold pieces together, he utalizes ice or mud instead. For his permanent sculptures like "Roof", "Stone River" and "Three Cairns" he has also used machine tools. To create the piece "Roof" (Top image), Goldsworthy worked with a number of dry-stone wallers to make ensure it was structurally sound and would withstand time and nature.

The videos below are excerpts from a film called Andy Goldsworthy's River and Tides. The first and third are a mix. The second shows him speaking and working on a intricate piece that ultimately falls apart. Although his photographic images are beautiful, watching him in action adds a different dimension to his work and brilliantly shows the detail that's involved. It allows you to gain some insight into his inspiration and reasons for creating art, his wonderful lack of pretension and the patience needed. I like his work as it's art that's meant to be enjoyed and not over analysed.

Music : 'K-Hole' by CocoRosie




Music: 'Edward's Hand' by Sebastien Schuller

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Goldsworthy

http://www.flickr.com/groups/andygoldsworthy/pool/

Top Image via: http://www.nga.gov

Other Images: copyright © Andy Goldsworthy

Linear

Over the years my list of style wants and obsession has varied hugely. However my love affair with the tuxedo is undiminished. Number one at the top of the list is Yves Saint laurent's 'Le Smoking'. I love how an item of clothing can be virile and feminine at the same time. Le Smoking was first shown in 1966 and although undergoing some slight changes each season, it has remained a staple in the YSL collection for over 40 years.

http://www.ysl.com/us/en/Maison-YSL.aspx

Fizzy

Currently rocking my world with their infectiously fizzy mixture of squelchy blips, dirty beats and tongue in cheek references to a sexual act: Fagget Fairy's. The FF's are Carla Cammilla (Beats) and Ena Carli Cosovic (Vocals), a dynamic duo who say that "Fagget Fairy's are an explosive cocktail of Islam, lesbianism, true love, and relentless beats."

Yugoslavian-born Ena met Carla Cammilla Hjort (aka DJ Sensimilla) who was DJing in a Copenhagen nightclub. In an attempt to impress, Ena stage dived from the DJ booth right onto a beer bottle, leading to 15 stitches and a busted knee. Despite the fact that Cammilla was already in a relationship and factoring Ena's Muslim upbringing, their love for each other and for music prevailed.

After the release of an EP in 2007 and multiple live dates, their debut album 'Feed The Horse' is pencilled for release on March 30th. It was recorded and produced in New York City; with Grammy award winning Rasmus Bille Bähncke as lead producer side by side with Carla.

http://www.myspace.com/faggetfairys

Scintillation

SCINTILLATION from Xavier Chassaing on Vimeo.

Scintillation is an experimental short film by Xavier Chassaing. Utilising live projection mapping and stop motion to fuse together over 35,000 photographs, he has created a truly beautiful piece of work. I'd love to sit in a dark room with this projected onto a wall. The contrast of rich textures and sparking colours against inky backgrounds merges perfectly with the music of Fedaden. I can't wait to see some more of this talented gents work!

Film: http://vimeo.com/chassaingxavier
Music : Fedaden

Metacarpus

"He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other."

Francis Bacon

Timspiration!

Are Matt Stone and Trey Parker ( the creators of South Park) fans of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem? Is this where the inspiration for Timmy's catchphrase came from? (see the 0.21, 0.34,0.47 and 1 min mark of The Clancy Brothers clip to see what i'm talking about )

Cheers Padre!

MMMMmmmmmmm

Friendship is: Sending Tayto and Barry's Tea as a St Paddy's day surprise :)
Dee+Nad: Yis are stars, Much Love! x

'Tis Only Massive

A new titan takes on all things pop culture :)
Come join us!

Staccato

Thilo Hoffmann is an artist and independent film maker who has produced a series called '30 Seconds' which in his words is "30 seconds of film, about a person, a space, an object, a tune, about a story, an interest, an experience, a thought, maybe about an obsession, a desire, a secret, or simply about yourself or the thing that is only known to you. Direct your own 30 seconds of film.”

He has expanded on the concept with The Museum Of Modern Art (MoMA). Hoffmann worked with MoMA members and staff to create short (and quirky) films based on their ideas and experiences in and around the Museum. There are seven in this particular series and are an insight to different worlds contained within the museum, and the people that frequent it.

To watch more of the 30 seconds of MoMA: http://www.youtube.com/user/MoMAvideos
To find out more about Thilo Hoffman:http: //www.thilohoffmann.com/start.html
To find out more about MoMA: http://www.moma.org/

Vena Cava

"My voice was given to me as an instrument of inspiration for my friends, and a tool of torture and destruction to my enemies. An instrument of truth."
Diamanda Galás


www.diamandagalas.com

Image: Austin Young

Candid

Thanks to Ent for pointing me in the direction of a piece the New York Times did for their online magazine recently. The piece features photography by Paolo Pellegrin and audio commentaries by Lynn Hirschberg that go with each group of photos. The people featured are Kate Winslet, Frank Langella, Robert Downey Jr., Sean Penn, Kat Dennings, Mickey Rourke, Penelope Cruz and Brad Pitt. Pellegrin followed some of the biggest stars of the film world in the run up to the Oscars and captured some really beautiful candid shots. Definitely worth a look.

To see the full piece: http://www.nytimes.com
To see more of Paolo Pellegrins photography: Magnum Photos

Vancouver Art Box Show Scam

The Vancouver Art Box show was held at the Autumn Brook Gallery in Vancouver BC on the 30th of December 2008. It was set up and promoted by "Shawn Findley" and his girlfriend. The idea was to supposedly promote new and upcoming art talent while donating 10% of the proceeds to Gallery Gachet; a not-for-profit co-op that provides artists informed by mental health issues with opportunities to exhibit, curate, perform, read, teach and to develop their leadership skills.

According to the Vancouver Art Box Show website:

1. Artists pick up premade wooden boxes 2-3 weeks before the show
2. They create artwork using whatever methods they wish
3. We have a big show with ~ 200 boxes being made by various artists
4. Visitors mingle and peruse all the artwork, priced at $100 each!
5. Feel good about supporting the artistic community
6. Purchase original artwork at a very reasonable price

I attended on the night as i knew someone who contributed pieces and overall the standard of work displayed was excellent. I was tempted to purchase one particular piece on the night but instead took note of the artists name. I'm now glad i didn't as it appears that both artists and the Gallery Gachet were ripped off. The artists were promised $ 50 per sold piece and none to date have received payment for the pieces sold. Gallery Gachet has not heard anything from "Shawn Findley" since the event

The payment never arrived as the organizer appears to have fled, possibly with all the money from the show. Mr Findley who according to his facebook profile, hails from Austin, Texas. He has not responded to any communications enquiring about the status of the money raised from the show.

This concerns me as it will have an effect on anyone genuinely trying to put a show together, either to help emerging artists or to raise money for organizations. It isn't the typical behavior displayed in the Vancouver art community, where most people operate with integrity, goodwill and faith. The police have been contacted and i would advise anyone who participated, attended or bought art on the night to spread the word, contact the police or join the facebook page below to support the artists.

Artists who've been scammed facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=72413949570ebf637c48ba98cc072b44&gid=82995200184

Original Vancouver Art Box show: http://www.vancouverartboxshow.com/

Olfaction Meets Warrior Queen

"A women who doesn't wear perfume has no future"
Coco Chanel

I'm a huge fan of 2 things: the story of Boudicca and unusual perfume.

Boudicca (also spelt Boadicea and Boudica) was born around AD 30 and was a queen of the Iceni tribe of what is East Anglia in England. She led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Romans in ancient Britain. It is speculated that she was actually named Boudiga after the Celtic goddess of Victory by her Iceni followers, but the Romans called her Boudicca. Her appearance was reportedly that of a tall, strong woman with waist length red hair.

Her husband was Prasutagus, king of the Iceni, an ancient tribe.When the Romans conquered southern England in AD 43, Prasutagus was allowed to continue his rule. Everywhere else was under roman rule. When Prasutagus died he left the vast majority of his estate to the roman empire. He left a small portion to Boudicca and their 2 daughters Camorra and Tasca. The Romans did not recognise the rights of women having power or having daughters as heirs. . When Boudicca protested this the Romans are said to have stripped and flogged her in public and as a final insult raped her 2 daughters who were about 12 years old. They then decided to impose power on the Iceni and treated the people as slaves.

This was the final straw for a once pround people and resulted in the Iceni conspiring with their neighbours, the Trinovantes, amongst others to revolt. Boudicca was chosen as the leader of the rebellion. They marched to Camulodunum (or Colchester as it's now known) where they destroyed the town. The rebels were growing in number; it is estimated that between 150,000 and 230,000 people marched forward to Londimium (London) and burnt it to the ground. St Albans received the same treatment and circa 80,000 people died in the carnage.

They marched onwards where her troops finally clashed with the Roman forces at an unknown location. Despite the Romans being outnumbered by almost 20 to 1, it was not enough for the Britons to overcome sophisticated roman weapons and battle techniques. Boudicca is said to have survived the final battle and decided to ingest hemlock, a poisonous plant rather than be subjected to the humiliation of capture by the triumphant Romans.

My preference for unusual perfumes is a throwback from working in a department store; i recognise a lot of well known perfumes and dislike being able to pinpoint what someone is wearing. My favourite new scent to wear is Wode.

Wode was released in 2008 and is the first perfume by Boudicca. Boudicca is a UK fashion label founded by Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby. Named after Woad, a plant that is used to produce a blue dye. Legend has it that the ancient Britons and Picts used a blue paint or pigment when going into battle as it gave them a fearsome and mystical appearance.

The fragrance was developed by legendary perfumer Geza Schoen and contains notes of Hemlock, Juniper, Cardamon, Raw Opium, Nutmeg, Clary Sage, Coriander, Angelica Root, Saffron, Tonka Bean, Styrax resin, Amber and Treemoss. It's available in 2 versions: an eau de toilette which is slightly lighter and when sprayed on the skin it turns a bright cobalt blue which then fades and becomes transparent. The eau de parfum is more intense due to a higher concentration of oils and doesn't have any blue coloring.

It's smells quite 'green' to begin with and i was unsure if it was something I'd wear regularly. However once it settles on the skin it evolves into a unique scent (on my skin it smells quite warm and sensual). I purchased mine from LuckyScent as they have an amazing selection of non mainstream fragrances and they also do samples if you're unsure like i was.

For more information on Boudicca herself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudica
The Rebellion of Boudicca(Documentary)
Books & Literature

For more information on Boudicca the design house and perfume:
http://boudiccacouture.com
http://www.boudiccawode.com/

Boudicca Image: Stephen Youll

Charmed

I'm starting to delve deeper and explore the Vancouver music scene (both new and established acts). If you have any suggestions regarding bands or musicians feel free to add a comment below or drop me a line. One of the bands that's been brought to my attention is Mother Mother. The 5 piece band (originally a trio) started in 2005 and have released 2 albums to date: 2007's 'Touch Up' and 2008's 'O My Heart'. Producing music that's a mishmash of pop/rock, they have established a wide fan base across Canada and the US aided by regular touring. 'O My Heart' has been on constant replay over the past few days due to infectious melodies and deft harmonization. They're currently on tour and you can check out upcoming show dates on their site below.

http://mothermothersite.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mothermotherspace

Slam

The evil part of me roared with laughter...the other part felt sorry for the poor hound :)




Via: Dooce

Perseverance

"What does interest me is the notion that if you do a lot of work it means there's a potential for other people to understand that a lot of things are possible with a sustained effort; and that the broadening of experiences is possible and I think that's all art can be."

Richard Serra

Image