vietnamese artist diem chau’s work feels like a warm summer night in the park with a new crush; the electricity of your hand brushing against hers (or his) for the first time and walking home with them as the sun comes up.
incidentally, my friends over at Hal Riney partnered with Chau for a new spot, directed by one of their favorite directors, Tim Goodsall.
“You who do not practice the defeatist motto: “It’s better than nothing”; you who have a strong enough cinematic eye to impose it on subjects you feel something for; you who will not agree to make a film about sugar production for the simple reason your grandfather was diabetic; you who scorn saccharine sentimentality and refuse to disfigure a work with it. It is you who hold the fate of the documentary–battered and bruised by a thousand blows from all sides–in your hands.”
Jean Painlevé pioneered science films and underwater cinema, and for that matter scuba diving. His familiarizing anthropomorphism and genre-inspiring story telling have changed your lives in ways you probably don’t even know. The Criterion Collection has released 23 of his films and a wonderful biographical documentary. They are beautiful. One more reason French guys are rad.
Looking through a drawer the other day, I came across a printed cotton headband made by McCloud Zicmuse as a promotional item for his band Le Ton Mité. I often used to wear it at home while working. It now resembles an old pillowcase that resists immaculacy. The headband has an attached label that reads “zicmuse.com”. I decided to look up the website to see what happened to McCloud. I was surprised to find out that a pair of vintage trousers I donated to him became an art project about keeping the pants alive!
Often when friends visit me, I make an effort to donate some of my excess thrift finds appropriate for their needs or tastes. McCloud stayed here in 2003 as a guest of my former roommate, Mark Dober. I had forgotten that I gave McCloud a pair of vintage Lee olive twill work pants that were probably used by some Eagle Scout or park ranger in the 60s or 70s.
Photo by McCloud Zicmuse
McCloud has made all sorts of repairs to them over time including the installation of new orange pocket bags for the front pockets.
I’d like to imagine that McCloud was wearing these green trousers during some of the fascinating drama he experienced playing shows in Europe in 2007 with Maher Shalal Hash Baz (Tori Kudo).
everything you’ve heard about this movie is true. Let The Right One In is a beautifully delicate and fresh take on vampires, but not in that brad pitt/kirsten dunst kind of way, in the kind of way that’ll make you want to move to Sweden, be 12 years old and fall in love with a vampire.
sadly, before this picture even got distribution, Matt Reeves, the director of Cloverfield, had signed on to write and direct an American version. He swears reverence to the original Swedish version, but American sensibilities just can’t handle the subtly this story requires.
if you haven’t already, i highly highly recommend it.
(hopefully some news about why this is so impressive to me soon)
I stopped by the SF leg of the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend, and was a little disappointed at ubiquity of feathers, ironic posters and embroidered baby onesies. However, amidst the sea of tedium, I came across two booths that really, really impressed me.
The first, illustrator Ryan Berkley’s booth had a ton of great prints including this; my new roommate.
The second, Chicago based screen printers, Sonnenzimmer.
Word twittering about New York is that he OD’d last night. Truely an artist and certainly uncompromised. Check this profile from NY Mag and the “confirmation” from gawker.
…you only discover that your roommate and next-door neighbor have spray-painted a giant burger and pizza outside your closet window when you see it on your neighbor’s blog.
happy wednesday evening everyone. here’s a little something to go buzz buzz in your ears.
ambivalence avenue by bibio.
i suggest you go to here for more. http://www.myspace.com/mrbibio
This is the current window display for the downtown Oakland Sears on the corner of Broadway and Thomas L. Berkeley Way. These displays always seem to have some intended meaning that has nothing to do with retail. For example, the display pictured above shows a male mannequin in slumped in a king’s throne with obvious injuries to his head and a missing hand. (The other display I have a picture of also plays with dismemberment). Beside him is a tool chest containing power tools ready to use and the gentleman’s trappings such as dress shirt and tie. Perhaps the power tools and the hammer were used to take down the patriarch. The background is a hyperbolic ribbon of blood made from draped red cloth. Click on the picture for a better view.
Brother Dave, impresario of the aforementioned design observation site Grain Edit, has returned with the fourth installment of his Grain Edit mixtapes.
For this episode, Dave partnered with designer Mike Cina, and created an eclectic mix of wonderful tunes, including John Coltrane, The Clifford Jordan Quartet, and Doug Carn.
Interview with Mike, photos of the album covers, and the link to the mixtape are all right here.
Great-on Dave.