Khameleon808 created this stunning mix of music and film in what will invariably be one of my top 10 videos of 2010. Music by TV On The Radio, Evil Nine, Nalepa and edIT. The film clips are waaay too numerous to list. The edits are tighter than a mosquito’s asshole. Watch and be amazed.
Maxime Bruneel sent me this terrific little video she created for Freak Owls and I thought you might enjoy it. I do.
While I agree with most of what Jarmusch has to say in the above quote, I question whether or not originality is non-existent. You may be inspired by or steal from other sources, but ultimately what you create - from whatever you got from wherever you got it - is your own original creation no matter that it’s composed of received elements. If nothing else, the energy originates from you and therefore is original. If originality is dead then aren’t we all? If originality is dead then what drives art? Has the shock of the new turned into a recycled thud?
Here’s a fascinating look into the process Jarmusch went through making the soundtracks for Dead Man with Neil Young and Ghost Dog with RZA. All three artists seem to enjoy working in the moment, improvising and spontaneity, and I find the results quite original.
Who woulda thunk a Status Quo pillow existed? Thanks to Manbroidery, it does now.
Men who embroider or knit unite! Join and post in this awesome group. Men can sew, too. Don’t forget it! Post any works or pictures of “the process”. Any fiber art is allowed. Thanks.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Michael Leavitt, inspired by Harold and Maude
Super delightful Harold and Maude scuplture by artist Michael Leavitt. They’ll be showcased at Gallery 1988 in San Francisco starting Saturday, September 4th.
Crazy 4 Cult: Customs - Saturday, Sept. 4th from 7-10PM at G1988 SF!
Previously on Dangerous Minds: Harold and Maude paper dolls
Another tasty Jim Steranko cover, this one from Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s second issue, published in July 1968. The title is charming: “So Shall Ye Reap Death!”
From Charles Johnson’s Lizard collection over at Little Green Footballs.
Noah Scalin, known for creating a skull a day over the course of a year, recently created a massive one made of human brain slices for Philadelphia’s Mutter Museum.
Noah describes working with the museum’s curator and the process of creating his fascinating work of art:
Anna, the curator, asked if I could make a new skull for an upcoming project of theirs and of course I said yes, and then suggested that I make it in the museum itself. Since most of the items on display are very fragile I figured I’d be working with display jars or other non-historical materials. However, to my delight they had just acquired a collection of hundreds of beautiful real brain slices encased in acrylic (which had been dubbed “Zombie MRE’s”)! Since they’re very sturdy I was allowed to used them as my material and I was set up in a lovely room that holds the card catalog for their library. Over the course of two days I arranged the slices on two large old library tables and climbed a ladder over and over making sure the image looked right from a single vantage point (where I would eventually take my picture). All told I used 375 slices and a bit of fabric for the eye/nose holes…
As someone who has a thing for craniums and mandibles, I find this pretty damn exciting.
You can purchase Noah’s book ‘Skulls’ here.
Interview with Noah Scalin after the jump…
Keith Haring, Robert Mapplethorpe, Norman RenĂ©, Peter Hujar, Ethyl Eichelberger, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Cookie Mueller, Klaus Nomi….the list of New York artists who died of AIDS over the last 30 years is countless, and the loss immeasurable.
A heartwrenching tribute to New York City painters, writers and performers who died of aids, Last Address is composed of images of the exteriors of the buildings where the artists last lived. The video was shot by Ira Sachs and if you visit the film’s website you can read about the artists featured in this bittersweet poem of a film.
Last Address from Ira Sachs on Vimeo.
The Fleshtones at Club 57
A photographer named Robert Carrithers has posted an extraordinary series of 63 portraits taken at the legendary Manhattan early 80s nightclub, Club 57 on Flickr. Club 57 was hosted by Dangerous Minds pal Ann Magnuson and some like-minded friends.
Club 57’s entertainment, much of it rooted in punk rock and an ironic take on campy TV re-run culture, had the same kind of “let’s get up and put on a show” spirit as a Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney musical, but against a much more decadent backdrop. It’s fascinating to see how this era is being defined by contemporary art historians, as well as first rate digital fare like this unique portfolio.
From photographer Robert Carrither’s statement:
I lived in New York during the early ‘80s, a very special unique time of creativity in New York. I was a regular at a place called Club 57 in the basement of a Polish church on St. Marks in the East Village. It was a creative laboratory that would change night after night with themes and happenings. One night there would be an art opening and then another night there would be bands, films or a crazed theme party. Many talented and fun people developed their art at Club 57 throughout this time. The following photographs capture some of these memorable people through portraits or at the various events.
Each of these photos has its own story. Please read them and you can understand each one better.
Carrithers: “Ann Magnuson was one of the founders and the first creative manager of Club 57. She developed her performance skills night after night going from one incredible character into the next. From Soviet lounge singer to country and western to heavy metal. She went from performance artist in the downtown 80’s New York to the thirteen all-girl band Pulsallama (and was the lead singer and lyricist for the band Bongwater and in the fun heavy metal band Vulcan Death Grip). She went on to Hollywood films and TV. A charming, talented chameleon performer. There really is way too much to write about her. It is best to go to and see for yourself: www.annmagnuson.com.”
Carrithers: “I guess I do not need to write too much about Keith. He was a regular at Club 57 and had his first shows there. He took off as an artist not so long after. An inspiring person and artist of the early 80’s in New York. I photographed him at one of his first shows outside of Club 57 somewhere on the west side of New York City.”
Thank you, Julien Nitzberg!
18 x 24″ Screen Print. Signed and Numbered Edition of 450. $70. Limit one per person/household. A portion of the proceeds go to the Spirit Foundations, Inc.
John & Yoko print by Shepard Fairey. They’re available for purchase 8/26/10.
(via Nerdcore)
Watching these Kodachrome color tests from 1922 actually took my breath away for a moment. I felt as though time had stopped and I’d entered a dream. The colors are so sensual I felt like devouring them, inhaling them like opium. This stunning footage is archived at the George Eastman House and is an early test of the Two-Color Kodachrome Process.
In these newly preserved tests, made in 1922 at the Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey, actress Mae Murray appears almost translucent, her flesh a pale white that is reminiscent of perfectly sculpted marble, enhanced with touches of color to her lips, eyes, and hair. She is joined by actress Hope Hampton modeling costumes from The Light in the Dark (1922), which contained the first commercial use of Two-Color Kodachrome in a feature film. Ziegfeld Follies actress Mary Eaton and an unidentified woman and child also appear.
Read more about these gorgeous moving pictures here.
Plenty more hi-res images to scan over at Stanley Kubrick - Deserving of Worship.
Dangerous Minds patron saint Brian Eno has signed with the revered and generally high-quality UK label Warp in order to bring us a new collection of well, I don’t know exactly since there are no previews or samples, sorry. It’s called, charmingly enough, Small Craft On A Milk Sea. Eno’s last high profile release was 2005’s Another Day on Earth
‘it’s a small world’
Using a photo album of vintage Polaroids purchased at a fleamarket, animator Axel Roessler constructed this dreamlike video.
Bertram Ritter’s music adds to the overall eerie effect.
Via countrytrouble.com
Italian video wizard Bante has taken classic Blue Note album covers and animated them in this totally groovy video promoting Italy’s Bellavista Social Pub.
