An Identical Life
June 19, 2013 § Leave a Comment
London-based photographer Maja Daniels noticed the twins sisters wore the exact same outfits every day and moved as one and when she finally stopped to talk with them, they spoke not as “we” but of “I”. After watching them for some time she finally got up the courage to ask them if they minded being photographed. The result is this remarkable series of images which show the strange world of these two spinster sisters who dress and talk alike and who remain very physically active, dancing together, and walking together.
“Monette and Mady are identical twins. They have lived their whole life closely together and are, as they say, inseparable. I first saw them on the streets of Paris and I was instantly fascinated by their identical outfits and synchronized corporal language. Quirky and beautiful, they stood out from any crowd. As I couldn’t quite believe my eyes, I remember thinking that they might not be real.”
They Make Them Like They Used To | Konstantin B
June 18, 2013 § Leave a Comment
Good design is simple, seductive and often sensuous. These remarkable children’s toys are life sized windup toys for the inner toddler in all of us. Design: Nika Zupanc. I’m guessing that these might also make great conversation starters, the sort of thing placed on a shelf and lit from above. Make no mistake these are toddler-sized designs that really wind up and go. Who said childhood had to be relegated to Disney, Mattle and Lego. It may be for kids but it’s really an investment in a work of art at $1500.00 a piece.
Ekaterina Panikanova’s | Errata Corrige
June 18, 2013 § Leave a Comment
It is a wonderful thing when one art form dies and another is made from the ashes. The book will probably remain as those dusty old things in the houses where old people live. Rome-based Russian artist Ekaterina Panikanova takes old volumes and attaches them to a board, then uses ink and paint to create her amazing collages, the series of which she has entitled “Errata Corrige”. On the one hand it is sad that books no longer have any value as objects themselves, although I am grateful Panikanova has managed to rescue them from the dump and give them new life.
A press release for Panikanova’s work reads: “[T]he proposition of the artist is based on the metaphor of the oyster and the pearl: the entrance of the sand represents a stress element for the shell and starts the expulsion and the production of the pearl. This metaphor indicates that since childhood, everyone holds a storage of images, traumas and experiences that they carry for all their lives.”
They Have Reinvented the Wheel (seriously)
June 17, 2013 § Leave a Comment
The best part of this invention is that it came about like most great inventions–it was an accident. David Patrick was tinkering around with cube shaped designs one day and noticed something strange happened when he accidentally dropped the shape on the floor: it rolled smoothly and it kept on rolling. This will definitely be a radical game shanger for the skate boarding world, but I image that same designs might work well on race cars, or regular cars for that matter. Yet another astounding Kickstarter project.
Zaha Hadid’s Massive New Art Center in China
June 17, 2013 § Leave a Comment
The conceptual plans for Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Art Centre, created by world renowned architecture firm Zaha Hadid Architects were recently unveiled. This massive project dedicated to the arts is yet another astounding Chinese building project in the city of Changsha, China. Three large buildings will be built with the sensual lines that have given Hadid’s buildings their unique 21at century defining shapes both interior and exterior. It’s hard to define and to describe Hadid’s flowing style as anything other than other worldly and perhaps something designed by an alien civilization.
The project will consist of a Grand Theatre, a Contemporary Art Museum, and a Multipurpose Hall. Each distinct space offers a unique experience, allowing visitors to partake in a wide range of cultural activities.
The main venue of the massive project is the Grand Theatre, with a purported 2500 seats available. “With this space, the London-based firm proposes to provide an architectural setting that functions as a host to “world-standard performances” fully equipped with the expected amenities of such an establishment; including bars, restaurants, and VIP hospitality.”
The Small Theatre’s purpose is flexibly undefined. It is meant to operate as an adaptive space that can accommodate a variety of roles, from commercial events and fashion shows to banquets and small plays.
The project states: “Although these civic institutions are uniquely defined and separate, they supply each other in all respects within its setting with plazas offering visitors a tapestry-like sequence of urban ambiances that relate to the different institutions, inject the site with urban vitality.”
New Music | Phantogram
June 16, 2013 § Leave a Comment
No, not Brooklyn again but upstate NY, Saratoga Springs. Phantogram is an electronic rock New York duo that spins out a J Dilla style hip hop beat inflected psychedelic pop with just the right touch of shoegaze guitar riffs. Good friends, programmer Josh Carter and vocalist Sarah Barthel have produced a bevy of EPs and a full length. Check out their music below.
Fields of Light | Barry Underwood
June 16, 2013 § Leave a Comment
These other worldly prints by photographer Barry Underwood come about from hours of work, not digital manipulation. Spending hours getting the lights just right and wading in knee deep, cold water to get a long exposure.
From his artist’s statement:
“These images are documentations of full-scale installations that are built on-site in the landscape. Using illusion, imagination, and narrative, my photographs explore the potential of the ordinary. I approach my photographic work with a theatrical sensibility, much like a cinematographer or set designer would. By reading the landscape and altering the vista through lights and photographic effects, I transform everyday scenes into unique images. Light and color alter the perception of space, while defamiliarizing common objects. Space collapses, while the lights that I install appear as intrusions and interventions. This combination renders the forms in the landscape abstract. Inspired by cinema, land art, and contemporary painting, the resulting photographs are both surreal and familiar. They suggest a larger narrative, and yet that narrative remains elusive and mystifying.”
