NOT THE SINGER NICK CAVE

A coworker convinced me to check out Nick Cave's Soundsuits at the Jack Shainman Gallery. No, not Nick Cave the musician but the artist/modern dancer. Just a glance at some of the images from the gallery website were compelling enough for me to drag my lazy ass on a friday afternoon (mind you after a grueling work week) to Chelsea. The hairy creatures are made for movement but unfortunately, at the gallery the figures are not moving and you don't get to see the multitude of colors underneath the surface but there are more ornate and elaborate pieces which are equally fantastic and pictures just don't do them justice. I have included some information from the gallery's artist info sheet below the pics, but I highly recommend going without knowing anything, makes the figures more wondrous and allows the imagination to wander. Also, all you SF people, the solo exhibition will be opening in march at Yerba Buena Art center.....GO!




From the gallery's artist info sheet:
"Soundsuits, named for the sounds made when the sculptures are worn, are as reminiscent of African and religious ceremonial costumes as they are of haute couture......He is as interested in fashion and cultural, ritualistic and ceremonial concepts as he is in politics, a domain that has always been part of his work as demonstrated by acts of collecting and reconfiguring elements and concealing the identity, race, and gender, of those who wear his suits. Rendering them faceless and anonymous the suits help these individuals transcend the political realm in order to enter the realm of dreams and fantasy."

SWAMPED WITH WORK

yes i am, and posting will probably be infrequent. but i leave you with this pretty little ditty.
∆ paul james - loves diseasepic by cody pickens, via the Beholder

MONEY CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE

Haha...Dating a Banker Anonymous?
It's the Economy, Girlfriend from NYTimes:

"Once it was seen as a blessing in certain circles to have a wealthy, powerful partner who would leave you alone with the credit card while he was busy brokering deals. Now, many Wall Street wives, girlfriends and, increasingly, exes, are living the curse of cutbacks in nanny hours and reservations at Masa or Megu. And that credit card? Canceled."

Am i being heartless, or does this seem absurd?

GUNG HEE FAT CHOY!

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. They say those born in Ox years are said to have the best bovine qualities; a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. Coincidentally, Obama was born in an Ox year (1961) and I would say it's rather auspicious that our president begins his term in the year of the ox.
And for everyone else? According to the NYTimes, 2009 is looking well...a little inauspicious. article here

PUPPET PARTY

Can't remember where i found this or the artist's name but wish i was crashin' this tonight!

∆ matt & kim - i wanna

A STRANGE JUXTAPOSITION

YES HE CAN!

And just like that, Obama has vowed to shut down Guantánamo Site and C.I.A. Prisons within a year. May not be soon enough but at least he made the decision.

NYTimes article here

BLACK WEDNESDAY

This morning I walked into the elevator with an executive assistant and he told me that the next couple of days were going to be a "bloodbath". his exact words.
How's that to start your day?!

I guess I should have seen this coming since rumors were going around last week and it is the end of the fiscal year but yesterday was filled with such excitement and hope...

11 people out of about 100 were let go today at work.
3 of which were from my department.
Of the three, one had been there from the very start of the company.

It has been a somber and sobering day.

BACK ON TRACK

Yes, people are excited. A coworker, who is not your baking type, made and brought these in. We've been blocked from video at my office so going to the local bar to check out the speeches....very very excited.
If you need to get into the spirit. Listen to This American Life's podcast on Inauguration here

WHO DOESN'T HAVE A CRUSH ON JON STEWART

On what seemed like the coldest day of winter yet, I got out of work early last Wednesday to go to a taping of The Daily Show. This was the 2nd attempt at going as the first in October failed (i was 10 people shy of the getting in...major bum out). But if you make the effort, wait in line, and don't get in, the daily show peeps do have pity and allow you to get VIP tickets the next time around so you don't have to get there at 3pm and wait in a ridiculous line. Instead you get there by 4:30 pm and wait in a significantly less ridiculous line.
I highly recommend checking out a show if ever in town or even if you live here, it's free! I was straight laughing for a half an hour. I admit i might have been a little giddy from the lights and cameras but cheeks and stomach were definitely sore by the end.
Watch the show I attended here. If you listen hard enough, you can hear me cackling.
Also excellent, Bill Moyers interview with Stewart in 2007 (thanks dr). Very cool to hear him speak candidly about the daily show, it's purpose and why he does what he does.
So, so intelligent, perceptive, smart and funny.

CRYSTAL LIGHT, SILENT STILTS?

Grrrr...been preoccupied with the reconfiguring and organizing of my digital music library. it's been taking me days so i really have nothing to post except this weekend, I got to fit in a show and film.

∆ crystal stilts - crystal stilts
i read an article where someone classified them as garage-pop. i guess it's appropriate since they tread somewhere between 60's psych/garage rock and post-punk/new wave.
do i smell a truce?


and Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light
it is an "art film" so expect challenging but you will be rewarded with stunning.

IF I WERE A COMIC BOOK CHARACTER

Went to dinner with a friend last night and as we were paying the check, a woman came up to me and handed me this....

We were sitting at the counter and her party was sitting behind us at a booth. She really only had a view of my back so when she handed me the drawing I was a bit stunned, 1) i had no idea what she was about to give me and 2) from her vantage point, drawing an accurate portrait would have been like pulling a rabbit out of hat. As she handed me the drawing she said something along the lines of, "I like to draw interesting people and i just wanted to let you know that you are adorable, thank you."
Who goes around saying nice things and inflating egos like that? and in New York no less? I was extremely touched by the gesture and kept on repeating "thank you, you're so sweet" but couldn't help wondering for a split second, if it may have been a pick-up line. But! we were both in the company of men?
Conclusion: she clearly, was not from around here.

The mystery doodler obviously took artistic license (don't worry mom, i have not taken up smoking). Not sure how much of a likeness there really is but who cares? my comic book self is super adorably sassy!

Realizing that i didn't even get her name, I tracked her down outside the diner and thanked her again. She seemed extremely sweet. She's an artist and in fact, not from around here but visiting from Indianapolis. She goes by the name of Mab.

HAPPY 2009!

Brought in the new year with good folks and some....absinthe?!
let's just say the night ended with an impromtu poetry reading.
out of control...

nikon d40's unite

thanks J+J for the new year's gift...I love them

A toast to all....May 2009 be filled with self-actualization.
∆ mountain goats - this year

X-MAS IN NH

WORKPLACE WITH A VIEW

12/19 - A week before, it was already beginning to look a lot like....

FIELD TRIP

Got to wake up late and not be in the office for the first half of the day in the name of "inspiration shopping". As my coworkers and I were leaving a store to grab a bite to eat, we walked out into a snow flurry (really the first this winter). I love snow in the city...until it gets black and slushy that is. This will be my third winter but the novelty still hasn't worn off.

Going back to the office sucked.

∆ lord dog bird - the gift of song in the lion's den
(thought this was appropriate because of the jingle bell backup)

SWEDISH VAMPIRE MOVIE

For weeks now i've been calling it the "swedish vampire movie". I read one review which said it was excellent but did not finish the review nor did I seek out any other reviews. Any time i have mentioned this film to someone, they themselves have not seen it but know of someone who did claiming it the best vampire film they've seen yet. So suffice it to say, i did not know much about this film other than:
1) it's swedish
2) it's about young kids and vampires
3) it's suppose to be really good.
I finally saw it this weekend and it by all means exceeded expectations.
Without giving too much away it's about a boy and a girl, one of which is a vampire, and their feelings of alienation and love. The film has the effectiveness of being equally beautiful yet frightening, violent yet tender, tragic yet hopeful and strangely funny at times.

Official film website here
NYTimes review here

p.s. - as the above NYTimes article explains, the actual title is "Let the Right One In", which is supposedly a line taken from the Morrissey song "Let the Right One Slip In".

∆ Let the Right One Slip In

WHITNEY - PART I

Went to the Whitney Museum of American Art this weekend and caught two excellent exhibitions.

William Eggleston - Democratic Camera Photographs and Video: 1964-2008

As a pioneer of color photography, he is said to be one of the most influential photographers of our time. He is credited for raising the discipline to the rank of a major art and responsible for popularizing an aesthetic that was inspired by the everyday, the ordinary, and the mundane mostly of the South. Eggleston typically developed the pictures himself using a dye transfer printing process (pre photoshop and digital technology) that allowed him to manipulate and enhance certain colors to give them a distinctive saturated quality.

It's amazing how much of his aesthetic has been adopted by popular culture. His influence can really be seen everywhere especially in the art, print, and film worlds.



(via whitney website) This candid interview with photographer William Eggleston was conducted by film director Michael Almereyda on the occasion of the opening of Eggleston's retrospective William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. A key figure in American photography, Eggleston is credited almost single-handedly with ushering in the era of color photography. Eggleston discusses his shift from black and white to color photography in this video as, "it never was a conscious thing. I had wanted to see a lot of things in color because the world is in color". Also included in this video are Eggleston's remarks about his personal relationships with the subjects of many of his photographs.



Winston Eggleston speaks about his father:
(via whitney website) During the interview, Winston provided a window into his father's life and background: he loves guns, but does not hunt; likes stamps, likes old rugs, and loves Bach. Most importantly Winston was able to impart the feeling of being along side his father while he photographed. He provides us with a context for each image and expresses an adoration of the photographs as only a son can.


The other exhibition was Alexander Calder - The Paris Years: 1926-1933, possibly more inspiring than Eggleston retrospective. Will post more at later time. click on link above if you can't wait.

TALL MEN A PLENTY

Caught an excellent show last night of 2 bands that have put forth, in my opinion, some of the top albums of 2008. Opener was The Tallest Man On Earth (Kristian Matsson, swede who is actually not that tall) and headliner was Justin Vernon, (extremely tall) hailing from Wisconsin whose band name is Bon Iver.
Excellent pics from the show here via brooklynvegan

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∆ skinny love

Last summer, Bon Iver played a CMJ show to a scant crowd of maybe 15 at Piano's. I was there, maybe 5 feet away, watching a visibly nervous justin vernon play a beautiful heart felt set (like the wounds from the breakup of his old band and girlfriend were possibly still tender). It was an incredibly intimate show and sincere performance.
Last night, I watched him play before a sold out show at Town Hall and to my surprise the emotion was still there. No signs of nerves but still humble as ever. He has come very far in very little time. It’s the kind of success story that makes you nervous because you wonder if this upward trajectory to almost every music blogger's ”top albums of 2008” list, is almost setting him up for failure because there is so much expectation. Having seen him 3 times now, I don’t think he will fail or disappoint. His falsetto is capable of melting the iciest of hearts. If he’s in your neck of the woods, go and see for yourself...sooner than later. He’s only getting more critical acclaim and his shows will sell out.

Bon Iver myspace page

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∆ i won't be found

Since I’ve seen bon iver twice for free, what sealed the deal for me was the opener, the tallest man on earth. Yes, there are the comparisons to Dylan and the whole 60’s folk thing but you know what? He’s Swedish, plays the guitar effortlessly and has a better command of the english language than a lot of American musicians trying to do the whole folk singer-songwriter thing. And though his personal style is a contradiction to his music, appropriating from several different genres and decades with his uber hipster french new wave duds, greaser james dean hair and 70's sellack 'stache, the music is good ole' american folk through and through.

The tallest man on earth myspace page

SERIOUSLY?

In May, NYTimes wrote an article regarding how the federal government was considering proposal to allow loaded, concealed weapons in nearly all of the country’s national parks. Read it here

Well, it passed and here is op-ed article in NYTimes today confirming this.

Seriously?!
Weapons in national parks where maintaining and allowing wildlife to propagate is of the utmost importance and where families bring children is a good idea?
That sounds about as safe and sound as a 'no income, no asset' loan.

midnight regulations make me very nervous...