Catherine Hyland's Adventure in a Framework of a Fairytale

Catherine Hyland took a trip to China and filmed this enchanting scene: a fantasyland left undone. I do believe that, due to the fact that this park was abandoned before being completed, it is even more enjoyable than it might have been with with strollers, balloons, and bad food & music all over the place . The moment in the short clip in which you can see folks walking on the upper-level of the "post-apocalyptic" castle is mesmerizing.


Wonderland from catherine Hyland on Vimeo.

SOURCE: ZEPHYR

Todd Selby films Artist, Christine Sun Kim

Todd Selby made a film featuring the artist Christine Sun Kim at work, "reclaiming sound" as her own. As she puts it, her art is her voice. Watch the film below. It is featured on NOWNESS along with more background on the project and Christine's art made with sound--the piece made in blue, via nail, paint, and sub-woofer, is brilliant.  You can also read a mini interview with Christine HERE



Todd Selby x Christine Sun Kim on Nowness.com.

Palladium: Tokyo Rising

Palladium (boots) wants to take us everywhere. In a recent collaboration--with Pharrell William serving as host--we are taken to post-Fukushima/tsunami/earthquake Tokyo, Japan. As the city that holds a special place in my heart and mind, as it does for so many, I was very excited to see this project happen. Pharrell doesn't have much to say, which is fine by me, as it allows for the city and it's people to do the talking--even a trippple nippples diva makes an appearance. One of the most interesting segments is in video 4 in which Japanese "REMIX" culture is discussed. Check it out HERE and learn some about what makes Tokyo such a phenomenal place. 
 

Yolanda Dominguez and "Livings"

Yolanda Dominguez is a Spanish artist who orchestrates "livings" wherein she insights social commentary and participation with acts of art that find their place within everyday, lived, experience. The video below showcases Dominguez's work to bring to life the poses struck by models in magazines into the three-dimensional lived spaces of society--the outcome provokes some humor and underlines the true strangeness of haute couture fueled poses. See more of Yolanda Dominguez HERE on her site.
Source: See Like Me

Balloon Air Swimmers

This is one of those items that simply bring a smile to your face--at least mine--while being very cool. I want to be the first one of my friends to have one as it would be perfect at a party being both interactive and visually charming. I only wonder how you store it when it's time for the fishy to cease its aerobatic swimming feats. This is a very cool balloon and the video below is fun just to view. Oh, the child in us all...
Source: Freshbump and Everyguyed

Moshi Moshi Handset for Mobiles from Juno Design Shop

I do believe that many people might find the "retro" version of a phone receiver to be more comfortable for use during longer calls. Many people might also find a thrill in the act of holding the slightly curved object in their hands or--as is probably most widely the case in use--wedged between the side of their heads and their shoulder (particularly during a longer conversation that takes place while in the act of multitasking). For those of us who have known such experiences in communication, the Moshi Moshi retro handset for mobiles offers a creative and surprising refresher in the old land-line phone-call dance. This device also decreases the possibility of cell-phone fueled cancers. I'm enjoying the Moshi Moshi idea--one that bridges the past with the present/old with new--old becoming new again. The Moshi Moshi handset is reasonably priced (with ore without a base) and can be used with a computer as well as your smartphone. See more and read more HERE.
Source: Ozon

VeneriDesign

VeneriDesign (LONDON) offers very creative pieces including this "nuke" lamp--which makes quiet a statement as well as looking rather intriguing and illuminating. A piece I enjoy, as a book lover, is the "bookoral" shelving that is structured in a tree-like formation. See more from VeneriDesign HERE.
See more of the "nuke" lamp HERE on Selectism

Noisey feat. Trippple Nippples

I love this photo taken by Alex Singh for Vice at a Trippple Nippples show--the guy's expression is one of awe and ecstatic thrill.  The Trippple Nippples put on crazy shows with full on electro energy. I enjoy Vice Media's Noisey site: on it you can see and listen to bands around the world at live shows and in interveiws. This video is "Meet Trippple Nippples." I enjoy the song "Tokyo City." The band is currently in Japan, but I hope they make stateside appearances soon--would love to experience a TN affair. In this mini-doc, the band throw a electro feather fueled bash in a Tokyo karaoke bar.

Protest in Greece: New Resistance Culture

With so much talk going on about the finances, here in the US, but also--and perhaps even more so--in Greece, I can't help but think that I wish I could be in Greece myself in order to protest the recent gov't austerity measures passed. The point has been met wherein THE PEOPLE are being subjected to the will of BANKS--contemptible dealers of mythical monies. What would truly happen if Greece, and so many other nations did, indeed, default on their loans from these "BANKS?" People would still be capable of work and life would go on. I know it isn't so simple, but the time has come for us to question these institutions and the elected officials who bend toward the whim of FINANCIAL engineers at the cost of THE PEOPLE. The film below, directed by Michael Oswald and produced by John-Paul Pryor, is presented by DazedDigital and sheds light on some of these issues. I wish peaceful protest to those in Greece, THE PEOPLE, standing up for their rights.

Is Tropical "The Greeks"

So, kids playing "war" with guns, etc.--harmless, right? This video made for Is Tropical's track "The Greeks" uses some intense animation to render just what it truly is that these little brats are playing at. Brilliant.
Source: DazedDigital HERE

A Tableaux Vivant from DC's

DC's "Galerie Dennis Cooper" presents various tableaux vivants from across the web. This is my favorite: the trio create a fantastic moment of contagious giggling while (re)creating a moment from art history--good fun: (re)create your own moment via tableaux vivant today. Read more about, and see more Tableaux Vivants HERE on DC's.

Pottery by Ai Wei Wei

It seems slightly feckless to say so--at a time when Wei Wei is still imprisoned in China for speaking his mind--but I love these pieces by the artist/activist. The colors are brilliant. See more HERE on Lurve.

Photography of Juha Arvid Helminen in Schon Magazine

The latest issue, Vol. 10, of Schon Magazine features a beautifully dark photo story by photographer Juha Arvid Helminen . The idea is about stripping away "the person" and thereby causing a break down of iconography and ideology--or at least, subsequently, realizing the power of objects and dogma over the person. You can read more about Juha Arvid Helminen's work HERE at Schon and see the rest of the featured photos.

Lykke Li--"I Follow Rivers"

Great video and song from Lykke Li, directed by Tarik Saleh, for I Follow Rivers. Lykke has had several great videos. I enjoy this clip due to the moodiness of it all: wind, snow, the sea, a forest--and she runs along covered from head to toe in black garb. It's nicely felt. And I'm a sucker for dramatic outdoor scenery. Enjoy!

Pre-war animation from Japan

This is a clip of a animated story created in Japan before WWII (so prior to 1939). The cartoon is about a wolf that is nursed back to health by a friendly rabbit only to regain its strength, resulting in his pursuit of the caring rabbit for dinner. There are subtitles. It's interesting to see what was going on in the nation of Japan before its major reconstruction after the end of WWII. And, it is very cute--for lack of a better word. The clip was found by a gentleman--Josh Wagner--who says it was brought from Japan to the US by his great-grandfather. Wagner has also put together a nice documentary featuring more clips and photos of pre-war Japan with some narration by his uncle whom lived in Japan for many years as a kid with his parents who were missionaries. See that clip HERE on Japan Probe.


Pre-WWII Japanese Animation (with subtitles) from Josh Wagner on Vimeo.

Welcome to Pine Point by The Goggles

This is a interactive film by a duo who call themselves The Goggles. It's formatted much like a documentary and is about a town in Canada that was dissolved--eliminated--erased. The work brings to life the place and people of Pine Point while raising the question of what it means to have your hometown--the place where you grew up and which helped shape the person you were to become--erased: houses demolished or moved, roads left to ruin, etc. Yet, this place that once was is documented and lives on in the memories of those who once lived within its borders. The "film" (?) is very engaging and most interesting in how it is laid out: a very creative way of documenting and presenting work. See it HERE.
Source: Birche

Jacques Dutronc: Les Playboys

I have not idea what Jacques Dutronc is really singing about (most likely the ridiculousness of "playboys"), but the video is satirical enough to get the point. 60's french pop.
Pic from Varon Journal HERE.

Portlandia

Portlandia is the series that stars SNL standout, Fred Armisen, and begins airing on IFC on Jan. 21. This is the first episode of the series which IFC has posted on youtube. The show is basically a showcase for Armisen and co-star Carrie Brownstein who portray multiple characters in several skits, not-necessarily linked, throughout each episode. The premise is that Portland is a very distinct place--a place where the dream of the 90's is still alive--with inhabitants whom are just as idiosyncratic as their city. I can't wait to catch the first on-air episode next week! Enjoy.

"Winter's Children" by Jim Mangan

This just looks like fun. Enjoying what you love despite the extremities--in fact, it makes you feel more alive. I also think that the Native American blankets look great against the snow. I've never tried snowboarding--snow tubing, yes--but this makes me want to give it a go.
Video by Jim Mangan
Source: Nowness.com

Winter’s Children: Naked Ambition on Nowness.com.

Aeon Commercial--Japan

Aeon is an English Language school in Japan (one of the largest). I am a fan of the look of this commercial, but its humor is subtle (making fun of English pronunciation of Japanese words). Actually, the commercial incites a question over communication as in when one is asked to respond or utilize a specific language.
Source: Japan Probe HERE

Ted Williams: The smooth voice of the formerly homeless

A video recently hit youtube and generated over 11 million views, finding its way onto several news programs including NBC Nightly and CNN Blitzer. If you haven't heard, the video features a homeless man, Ted Williams, with a very pleasant "radio" voice. The video was shot in Ohio and Ted Williams has found himself in the midst of notoriety and uplift since.Williams was given a chance to showcase his talent on-air and many job offers, even a mortgage offer, have been rolling in.

All the good will is very American and the nation does love a uplifting story of second chances--particularly one that includes a person's new-found recognition of special talents. Williams' story is also one of possible redemption as he found himself homeless (for about 10 years) after bouts with drugs and alcohol. While this is a great "second chance" for Williams, how optimistic should one be in regards to his ability to re-enter the world of the homeful?

Putting aside the very contentious issues that arise from the situation of giving a job to a homeless man over someone who has had more of a stable work history or in consideration of society's role in creating a scenario wherein Williams became homeless in the first place (this would seem to downplay his own role in self destructive behavior)--putting all that aside, what I am most interested in is Ted Williams' acclimation back into the working world and a homeful world. Being on the fringe of society for ten years must have some affect on a person resulting in possible behavioral or mental issues that might need to be worked through before a person can make a secure and healthy re-entry into mainstream society. On top of this work, for Williams, is the attention that his story has garnered--attention that may be as much of a curse as it is a blessing.

One only hopes that Williams has been offered assistance from a trained professional that can guide him through his journey back from the fringe. Getting to work, filing benefit and insurance paperwork, having to be somewhere everyday, paying a mortgage, obtaining a back account, budgeting for various bills: all these tasks must be daunting for people who have been homeless for a long period of time during which their main focus has been simple survival. Such a challenging journey, and one that Williams will now face, is of interest and goes far beyond the initial feel-good appeal that his story has generated thus far. And what about his background? What about a relationship? Whom does a formerly homeless and newly homeful person date (and one might argue that if Williams were gay, he may be compelled to stay closeted as not to disrupt the good will that has been bestowed upon him--but, perhaps this is a overly pessimistic view. Furthermore, I am not implying that Williams is gay, but am just thinking of a hypothetical)?

I wish Ted Williams well as he works to put together a new life, possibly featuring a career in broadcasting--only time will tell. I do hope that he is able to use his ten years out of work, living in tents and begging on the streets, to his advantage. I hope he is able to overcome the challenges that must accompany a return the the homeful world. This is a second chance for Ted and an opportunity for us--greater society--to learn about what being homeless and helping the homeless truly means.

Mark Ronson &The Business International w/ Boy George--"Somebody to Love Me"

I'm enjoying this song. I think it amazing to bring Boy George back on a contemporary track. His voice is a bit huskier and raspy, but you know it is him--he sounds good. The video is to take us back to 1982 when the Culture Club craziness was taking shape--sharp idea. Enjoy.
Mark Ronson site HERE