The White Ribbon is nothing short of brilliant and solidifies Haneke's legacy even further, as if he needed it. If you can find it in theaters, go see it! NOW! Before it’s gone!
Feb 23, 2010
The (ominous) White Ribbon
The White Ribbon is nothing short of brilliant and solidifies Haneke's legacy even further, as if he needed it. If you can find it in theaters, go see it! NOW! Before it’s gone!
Feb 20, 2010
the hoover dam(n), the grand canyon, and the western plains
In between Vegas and Los Angeles, we passed through the Hoover Dam and made a pit stop at the Grand Canyon. Two amazing places with great scenic driving in between. This is when the trip hit its stride and never looked back.
As with the previous pictures I posted, these were taken with my Minolta SLR (a Maxxum 5) and Lomo Diana Mini.
This guy spent nearly half an hour having his dad photograph him in a bunch of different positions. Amazing.
As with the previous pictures I posted, these were taken with my Minolta SLR (a Maxxum 5) and Lomo Diana Mini.
This guy spent nearly half an hour having his dad photograph him in a bunch of different positions. Amazing.
Feb 16, 2010
learning from las vegas
I've been meaning to pick up Robert Venturi's infamous Learning From Las Vegas, a book that called "for architects to be more receptive to the tastes and values of "common" people and less immodest in their erections of "heroic," self-aggrandizing monuments." I'll get back to you on that, but I begin this post thinking of Venturi's book because I just developed pictures from a recent trip to Las Vegas, amongst many other places on the West Coast.
Las Vegas is a strange animal indeed. I can't imagine I'll ever return there. It's streets lined with photographs of nearly-naked women and tourists taking pictures of its many faux monuments really rubbed me the wrong way. But the city also fascinated me. No where else have I been where there is such a clear delineation and obvious juxtaposition between the genuine or sincere, and the fake. Amongst the deprivation, loveless sex, and crude excess one can find families truly enjoying themselves. In front of and inside the city's plethora of architectural lies such as the Bellagio and Ceaser's Palace there are heart warming surprises such as the former's enchanting fountains. People really feel like they're somewhere special when they visit Las Vegas, but almost nothing in Las Vegas is new, at all. It's really a terrible place. Everything that is wrong with this country (the world really) all boiled down to a strip of road not more than four miles long.
Probably because of the obvious differences from the rest of the city, I really got a kick out of the seedier parts of town at the end of the the strip near the Sahara and the Stratosphere. Gross!
Anyway, below are some of the photographs I took in there. Some of these were taken with my Minolta SLR while others (the square ones) were taken using my Lomo Diana Mini.
Las Vegas is a strange animal indeed. I can't imagine I'll ever return there. It's streets lined with photographs of nearly-naked women and tourists taking pictures of its many faux monuments really rubbed me the wrong way. But the city also fascinated me. No where else have I been where there is such a clear delineation and obvious juxtaposition between the genuine or sincere, and the fake. Amongst the deprivation, loveless sex, and crude excess one can find families truly enjoying themselves. In front of and inside the city's plethora of architectural lies such as the Bellagio and Ceaser's Palace there are heart warming surprises such as the former's enchanting fountains. People really feel like they're somewhere special when they visit Las Vegas, but almost nothing in Las Vegas is new, at all. It's really a terrible place. Everything that is wrong with this country (the world really) all boiled down to a strip of road not more than four miles long.
Probably because of the obvious differences from the rest of the city, I really got a kick out of the seedier parts of town at the end of the the strip near the Sahara and the Stratosphere. Gross!
Anyway, below are some of the photographs I took in there. Some of these were taken with my Minolta SLR while others (the square ones) were taken using my Lomo Diana Mini.
Feb 15, 2010
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the politics of their art: part 4
In these next two (and final) parts, one could say I get into the nitty gritty of my argument, really fleshing it all out and making large hypotheses (perhaps even sweeping generalizations).
To catch up, read part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the Politics of their Art: How they are (shrewdly and discreetly) Socialist, Anti-American and Revolutionary - part 4
While the Christos’ major works in Europe have involved the wrapping of well known man-made public structures such as Wrapped Reichstag and The Pont Neuf Wrapped, their projects in America (and Japan), with the exception of their early work Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Wrapped and Wrapped Floor and Stairway (pictured), have dealt with natural creations and mostly rural areas. What are they trying to declare in America that they have not bothered to declare elsewhere in the world? Why get American’s out of their bustling cities, their million dollar homes, and their countless shopping malls and into the wilderness and back in touch with nature? And why not Europeans or anyone else? These works take place in rural areas where more humble communities can be found, some living off the land they own which the Christos have borrowed for the duration of the work. The Christos are forcing an interaction between urban Americans and their more rustic neighbors as well as the world around them; a simpler and more real way of life not as far as they had imagined.
The careful planification of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s works in America, compared to anywhere else, can be read as a critique of America’s cultural takeover and overly capitalistic character. Though this may not be completely intentional (Christo and Jeanne-Claude would never execute a work to get such an individual point across) their work is made to make the viewer think, feel, and contemplate outside the everyday. Consequently, from the average opinionated individual, such a reading could not help but be extracted. Their work, particularly in America, juxtaposes the industrial strength of the 20th and 21st centuries with the timeless beauty of the natural world, bringing up environmental concerns more relevant in the United States than anywhere else. Much of their work makes use of disparities and juxtapositions. The Umbrellas, for example, was fashioned in order to spur discussions over the differences between Japanese and American cultures. Planned and executed in the stretch of ten years, the work was immaculately deliberate. It used the countries’ many differences involving climate and land usage and availability, juxtaposing Japan (and the Pacific East’s) limited yet cultivated lush mountain climate with American West’s vast and arid often uncultivated valleys. Japan using their resources as efficiently as possible; America with such great potential and so little results. In an interview with the director of 5 of their films Albert Maysles, Jeanne-Claude comments on a visit to colleges in both California and Japan. These talks were conducted in order to recruit workers for the project. During questioning after each of the talks Jeanne-Claude noted that the first question at a Los Angeles university was in regards to the cost of the work and who would pay for it. In Japan, on the other hand, the first question was not economic but rather an aesthetic concern regarding the choice of colors for the umbrellas of each country. Now think about the innumerable diverse reactions to the work from the more than 3 million who visited it during the 14 days the site was open to the public and the millions more who studied it years before and after through diverse forms of media. One can only imagine the great social/critical effect the work had on the two country’s populations and the world.
Their work is subtly yet profoundly revolutionary. It calls for change, inciting it in the viewer in an unforgettable way. The communicative aspect of the Christos’ work causes viewers to question social barriers and prejudices, prejudgments, stereotypes, views, and beliefs. The transcendent side allows us to rise above the everyday and focus on a bigger picture. Because their art is free from any and all forms of dogma it predicts and precedes a world without the need for ideologies. “Having no sympathy with any existing ideology, they attempt to escape into a world without ideologies.” Not so much against, but beyond that, apart from the norm, their art can thus be considered thematically utopian and revolutionary. As Herbert Read finishes off his essay ‘What is Revolutionary Art?’, “REVOLUTIONARY ART IS CONSTRUCTIVE – REVOLUTIONARY ART IS INTERNATIONAL – REVOLUTIONARY ART IS REVOLUTIONARY;” Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s artworks are a perfect embodiment of this superb 1935 essay’s closing lines. And even though Read was writing at the time on formalist artistic trends versus the more realistic, or “superrealism,” of his time, his hailing of the artist who uses pure form as revolutionary is entirely applicable to the Christos.
To be continued. For references, leave me a comment.
To catch up, read part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the Politics of their Art: How they are (shrewdly and discreetly) Socialist, Anti-American and Revolutionary - part 4
The careful planification of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s works in America, compared to anywhere else, can be read as a critique of America’s cultural takeover and overly capitalistic character. Though this may not be completely intentional (Christo and Jeanne-Claude would never execute a work to get such an individual point across) their work is made to make the viewer think, feel, and contemplate outside the everyday. Consequently, from the average opinionated individual, such a reading could not help but be extracted. Their work, particularly in America, juxtaposes the industrial strength of the 20th and 21st centuries with the timeless beauty of the natural world, bringing up environmental concerns more relevant in the United States than anywhere else. Much of their work makes use of disparities and juxtapositions. The Umbrellas, for example, was fashioned in order to spur discussions over the differences between Japanese and American cultures. Planned and executed in the stretch of ten years, the work was immaculately deliberate. It used the countries’ many differences involving climate and land usage and availability, juxtaposing Japan (and the Pacific East’s) limited yet cultivated lush mountain climate with American West’s vast and arid often uncultivated valleys. Japan using their resources as efficiently as possible; America with such great potential and so little results. In an interview with the director of 5 of their films Albert Maysles, Jeanne-Claude comments on a visit to colleges in both California and Japan. These talks were conducted in order to recruit workers for the project. During questioning after each of the talks Jeanne-Claude noted that the first question at a Los Angeles university was in regards to the cost of the work and who would pay for it. In Japan, on the other hand, the first question was not economic but rather an aesthetic concern regarding the choice of colors for the umbrellas of each country. Now think about the innumerable diverse reactions to the work from the more than 3 million who visited it during the 14 days the site was open to the public and the millions more who studied it years before and after through diverse forms of media. One can only imagine the great social/critical effect the work had on the two country’s populations and the world.
To be continued. For references, leave me a comment.
Feb 6, 2010
my night with Zach
Last night I got into a heated discussion about the merits of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work (surprisingly, it wasn't me who introduced them into the conversation), although it was pretty much about all conceptual and site-specific art. This, with a guy who not only looked just like Zach Galifianakis, but actually worked as a volunteer on one Christo and Jeanne-Claude's works! He doesn't see the value of just about any and all art created after the Impressionists, claiming art in the 20th and now 21st Centuries, particularly of the conceptual and/or abstract kind, is self indulgent and needlessly complicated. As a traditional painter, he praised (and rightfully so) the work of 19th Century painters such as Manet and Goya because they "painted with their hearts" and believes the best art should hit the viewer on a basic level and not be buried in meaning, symbolism, concepts, or high-minded ideas. Noble perhaps, but completely ridiculous. How frustrating and futile a conversation this was! And it's his kind of fatalist, negative attitude that frustrates the most.Anyway, today I noticed that what I failed to realize during this intense, alcohol-fueled, needless debate was just how easily I could have refuted his obscene hypothesis by simply pointing to the obvious: Art is basically one's commentary on one's life experiences and the world around us, right? And life can be the simplest yet most complicated thing in the universe. And so, as a reflection of of it all, shouldn't art be both simple and complicated. All the best art is... really. Think about it.
Is this post as pointless as last night's conversation? Probably. But then, it's just as essential.
Jan 27, 2010
on the grandiose and transcendental in art
This is something I intend to explore and elaborate further on but I wanted to get down what I've got so far and gauge people's reactions. What's crazy is while I was writing this I stumbled upon this post on a friend's blog that is very nearly about the same thing (though much more profound and meaningful in a lot less words). Anyway, here goes:
Returning to my writings on Christo and Jeane-Claude in the past two months, and then recently listening to a song I loved (and still love) very much back in high school, I noticed how my very favorite works of art do something very distinct and special to me. It's difficult for me to put it any better than to say that the art I love most makes my heart swell...
Very abstract, I know. Let me try and elaborate. With art, I wish to experience the transcendental. The simple and the profound. I want to be washed over, bombarded, and swept away. I want to feel minuscule but not crushed. And I want to be perplexed and amazed, dazed and confused. Hit on a gut level, then taken somewhere beyond my own body.
...Still a little vague. Hmm, perhaps it'll help if I give some examples.
I'll start with music. I'd say if you've got a song start with at least seven minutes and go from there. This is hyperbole, sure, but generally speaking a musical work needs time to explore and examine, and expand and contract in order to achieve the above mentioned effect. Many works by Steve Reich and Phillip Glass all the way back through Beethoven achieve this easily. But beyond the Classical, or even Jazz, I can think of many late 20th Century musicians. For instance, The Beatles' A Day in the Life hits me over the head every time. The repetition from post-punk and new wave acts like Joy Division, Television, and New Order has the power to hypnotize. Same goes for the washed out noise from alternative bands from the 90s like My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Today, ambient and/or electronic musicians like Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Björk, M83, Aphex Twin, Stars of the Lid, Dan Deacon, etc. have the power (when at their best) to lift my heart. Contemporary alternative rock from the likes of The Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, TV On The Radio, Dirty Projectors, and others makes me feel small but never alone.
With visual art, there's the aforementioned artist team of Christo and Jeanne-Claude as well as most every major environmental/earth/land artist such as Robert Smithson and Richard Serra, whose artworks directly remind the viewer of the ephemeral and how transient the universe is. Also obvious for inclusion would be the great Abstract Expressionists and Color Field painters of the 40s and 50s and the subsequent Neo-Expressionists of the 70s and 80s. It can be Minimalist or Post-Minimalist (doesn't matter); and Dan Flavin, Ana Mendieta, Felix Gonzalez Torres, and pretty much anything with white walls and soft ambient neon light and/or music come to mind. Video works by Doug Aitken, William Kentridge, and Jesper Just wake me up, while installations by Pipilotti Rist sedate me in the most pleasant way possible.
As for film (you knew it was coming), what first comes to mind are slow, (seemingly) meandering films that allow the viewer to think as the film progresses. Also, those that make my heart pound, even after the movie has finished. Directors like Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, François Truffaut, Stanley Kubrick, Terrance Malick, Martin Scorsese, and Michael Haneke, to name a few, add new levels of perspective to the world with their probing cinematic eyes. I've rarely felt more alive than during the endings to The 400 Blows, La Strada, The New World, 2001: a space odyssey, and CACHÉ; and for distinct reasons each time.
With most of these, as with all great artists, there are multiple layers. The way their works make me or anyone feel is only a part of of a great multi-faceted work. But for me (and for the purposes of this post) it's essential.
I'm not Clement Greenberg. I don't denounce kitch or pop.
And I understand that a musician, or any artist for that matter, cannot always be held up to this criteria, but why not try? I don't think I'm asking for too much. It’s not impossible.
Also, remember, this is a work in progress. I'm aware this may all seem familiar, vague, or even juvenile. Any critiques, suggestions (further reading, maybe), or direction will be much appreciated.
Returning to my writings on Christo and Jeane-Claude in the past two months, and then recently listening to a song I loved (and still love) very much back in high school, I noticed how my very favorite works of art do something very distinct and special to me. It's difficult for me to put it any better than to say that the art I love most makes my heart swell...
Very abstract, I know. Let me try and elaborate. With art, I wish to experience the transcendental. The simple and the profound. I want to be washed over, bombarded, and swept away. I want to feel minuscule but not crushed. And I want to be perplexed and amazed, dazed and confused. Hit on a gut level, then taken somewhere beyond my own body.
...Still a little vague. Hmm, perhaps it'll help if I give some examples.
I'll start with music. I'd say if you've got a song start with at least seven minutes and go from there. This is hyperbole, sure, but generally speaking a musical work needs time to explore and examine, and expand and contract in order to achieve the above mentioned effect. Many works by Steve Reich and Phillip Glass all the way back through Beethoven achieve this easily. But beyond the Classical, or even Jazz, I can think of many late 20th Century musicians. For instance, The Beatles' A Day in the Life hits me over the head every time. The repetition from post-punk and new wave acts like Joy Division, Television, and New Order has the power to hypnotize. Same goes for the washed out noise from alternative bands from the 90s like My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Today, ambient and/or electronic musicians like Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Björk, M83, Aphex Twin, Stars of the Lid, Dan Deacon, etc. have the power (when at their best) to lift my heart. Contemporary alternative rock from the likes of The Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, TV On The Radio, Dirty Projectors, and others makes me feel small but never alone.
With visual art, there's the aforementioned artist team of Christo and Jeanne-Claude as well as most every major environmental/earth/land artist such as Robert Smithson and Richard Serra, whose artworks directly remind the viewer of the ephemeral and how transient the universe is. Also obvious for inclusion would be the great Abstract Expressionists and Color Field painters of the 40s and 50s and the subsequent Neo-Expressionists of the 70s and 80s. It can be Minimalist or Post-Minimalist (doesn't matter); and Dan Flavin, Ana Mendieta, Felix Gonzalez Torres, and pretty much anything with white walls and soft ambient neon light and/or music come to mind. Video works by Doug Aitken, William Kentridge, and Jesper Just wake me up, while installations by Pipilotti Rist sedate me in the most pleasant way possible.
As for film (you knew it was coming), what first comes to mind are slow, (seemingly) meandering films that allow the viewer to think as the film progresses. Also, those that make my heart pound, even after the movie has finished. Directors like Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, François Truffaut, Stanley Kubrick, Terrance Malick, Martin Scorsese, and Michael Haneke, to name a few, add new levels of perspective to the world with their probing cinematic eyes. I've rarely felt more alive than during the endings to The 400 Blows, La Strada, The New World, 2001: a space odyssey, and CACHÉ; and for distinct reasons each time.
With most of these, as with all great artists, there are multiple layers. The way their works make me or anyone feel is only a part of of a great multi-faceted work. But for me (and for the purposes of this post) it's essential.
I'm not Clement Greenberg. I don't denounce kitch or pop.
And I understand that a musician, or any artist for that matter, cannot always be held up to this criteria, but why not try? I don't think I'm asking for too much. It’s not impossible.
Also, remember, this is a work in progress. I'm aware this may all seem familiar, vague, or even juvenile. Any critiques, suggestions (further reading, maybe), or direction will be much appreciated.
Jan 18, 2010
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the politics of their art: part 3
I've been meaning to post whats left of this essay. Sorry (as if anyone's been waiting). I'll be doing it in three more parts (five in total). I promise not to wait so long to post the last two.
You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the Politics of their Art: How they are (shrewdly and discreetly) Socialist, Anti-American and Revolutionary - part 3
The Christos in fact have a corporation. Their permanent corporation for managing funds and other administrative work, the CVJ Corporation, is run by Jeanne-Claude. They also often form an additional temporary corporation for each of their major projects. In 1991 they formed The Umbrellas, Joint Project for Japan and U.S.A. Corporation of which Jeanne-Claude Christo-Javacheff was, of course, president. Christo is quoted as stating that art should reflect and be of the time it is made, a reason for emphasizing the methodical corporatization of their art. The fact that their art is temporary only emphasizes their odd (yet effective) marriage between commerce and art. Historically “it was necessary to be profoundly religious,” but now Christo points out, we are “an essentially economical, social and political world.” For this reason “any art that is less political, less economical, less social today, is simply less contemporary.” Acting, almost parodying, as a corporation serves them brilliantly, lulling closer and then enlightening their audience. “[Our] project[s] [are] teasing society,” Christo explains, “and society responds, in a way, as it responds in a very normal situation like building bridges, or roads, or highways. What we know is different is that all this energy is put to a fantastic irrational purpose, and that is the essence of the work.” Their work is “teasing society” and its values on multiple levels, as well as the microcosm that is the art world. Their work is an immensely valuable example, most likely the best, of “all of the paradoxical conditions under which artworks must be produced, distributed, and consumed today.” In their work they “deliberately exploit all the mechanisms of capitalism” “then they negate capitalism’s most distinctive feature, namely the accumulation of capital, and leave people incredulous.” Christo resourcefully compares their 1980-83 work Surrounded Islands to a movie-set:
I think the project has some kind of subversive dimension and this is why we have so many problems. Probably all the opposition, all the criticism of the project is basically that issue. If we spend three million dollars for a movie-set there would be no opposition. They can even burn the islands to be filmed and there would be no problem. The great power of the project is because it is absolutely irrational. This is the idea of the project, that the project put in doubt all the values.
A spectator might even go as far as to compare his own life with that of the Christos who are seemingly fulfilled, successful, and powerful yet contently penniless. Is it necessary to play by the rules of a corrupt societal system in order to live and create freely? The Christos’ answer would be "yes" and a louder, more meaningful "no." In watching a documentary on their work one notices the immense undertaking the planning of each project can be, but also the serene beauty and great fulfillment the completion of such a work can provide in contrast. In this sense, each of their works is a performance, one that can be scrutinized and admired on film and in print. The stark contrast between the two states of being, during and after a hectic production, brings into question the hectic acquisitive lifestyle many lead today, primarily in the capitalistic market-driven countries of the West.
The Umbrellas, which this writer considers the best example of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s subversive powers at work, was a strikingly beautiful, immediately engaging conversation amongst viewers in two continents separated by the largest body of water on Earth. Viewed by over 3 million people, the suggestion that each viewer’s respective country was not the only one on the planet must have, at one point or another, entered their minds. Viewers of the yellow umbrellas in California could not help but think about what was simultaneously happening with a comparable amount of blue umbrellas in Japan and vice versa, not to mention each country’s distinct cultural values and ideals, economic system, climate and landscape, and other innumerable factors. The work got people, including those simply passing by during their daily routines, to see beyond their everyday. The Umbrellas was gloriously defiant, its mesmerizing beauty proving astute and cunning. This was the Christos at their subversive best. The project was viewed primarily, more so than any other of their works and most likely any other art work before or since, “from the automobile, the ubiquitous chariot of both California and Japan.” Beyond that, it got those who were passing by to stop, get out from their autos, and explore and interact with the umbrellas. The Umbrellas directly brought politics into the Christos’ work and the lives of those visiting the works’ multiple sites. Viewers were forced to deal with distinct political bureaucracies and several regional boundaries in order to see the work.
To be continued. For references, leave me a comment.
You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the Politics of their Art: How they are (shrewdly and discreetly) Socialist, Anti-American and Revolutionary - part 3
The Christos in fact have a corporation. Their permanent corporation for managing funds and other administrative work, the CVJ Corporation, is run by Jeanne-Claude. They also often form an additional temporary corporation for each of their major projects. In 1991 they formed The Umbrellas, Joint Project for Japan and U.S.A. Corporation of which Jeanne-Claude Christo-Javacheff was, of course, president. Christo is quoted as stating that art should reflect and be of the time it is made, a reason for emphasizing the methodical corporatization of their art. The fact that their art is temporary only emphasizes their odd (yet effective) marriage between commerce and art. Historically “it was necessary to be profoundly religious,” but now Christo points out, we are “an essentially economical, social and political world.” For this reason “any art that is less political, less economical, less social today, is simply less contemporary.” Acting, almost parodying, as a corporation serves them brilliantly, lulling closer and then enlightening their audience. “[Our] project[s] [are] teasing society,” Christo explains, “and society responds, in a way, as it responds in a very normal situation like building bridges, or roads, or highways. What we know is different is that all this energy is put to a fantastic irrational purpose, and that is the essence of the work.” Their work is “teasing society” and its values on multiple levels, as well as the microcosm that is the art world. Their work is an immensely valuable example, most likely the best, of “all of the paradoxical conditions under which artworks must be produced, distributed, and consumed today.” In their work they “deliberately exploit all the mechanisms of capitalism” “then they negate capitalism’s most distinctive feature, namely the accumulation of capital, and leave people incredulous.” Christo resourcefully compares their 1980-83 work Surrounded Islands to a movie-set: 
I think the project has some kind of subversive dimension and this is why we have so many problems. Probably all the opposition, all the criticism of the project is basically that issue. If we spend three million dollars for a movie-set there would be no opposition. They can even burn the islands to be filmed and there would be no problem. The great power of the project is because it is absolutely irrational. This is the idea of the project, that the project put in doubt all the values. A spectator might even go as far as to compare his own life with that of the Christos who are seemingly fulfilled, successful, and powerful yet contently penniless. Is it necessary to play by the rules of a corrupt societal system in order to live and create freely? The Christos’ answer would be "yes" and a louder, more meaningful "no." In watching a documentary on their work one notices the immense undertaking the planning of each project can be, but also the serene beauty and great fulfillment the completion of such a work can provide in contrast. In this sense, each of their works is a performance, one that can be scrutinized and admired on film and in print. The stark contrast between the two states of being, during and after a hectic production, brings into question the hectic acquisitive lifestyle many lead today, primarily in the capitalistic market-driven countries of the West.
The Umbrellas, which this writer considers the best example of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s subversive powers at work, was a strikingly beautiful, immediately engaging conversation amongst viewers in two continents separated by the largest body of water on Earth. Viewed by over 3 million people, the suggestion that each viewer’s respective country was not the only one on the planet must have, at one point or another, entered their minds. Viewers of the yellow umbrellas in California could not help but think about what was simultaneously happening with a comparable amount of blue umbrellas in Japan and vice versa, not to mention each country’s distinct cultural values and ideals, economic system, climate and landscape, and other innumerable factors. The work got people, including those simply passing by during their daily routines, to see beyond their everyday. The Umbrellas was gloriously defiant, its mesmerizing beauty proving astute and cunning. This was the Christos at their subversive best. The project was viewed primarily, more so than any other of their works and most likely any other art work before or since, “from the automobile, the ubiquitous chariot of both California and Japan.” Beyond that, it got those who were passing by to stop, get out from their autos, and explore and interact with the umbrellas. The Umbrellas directly brought politics into the Christos’ work and the lives of those visiting the works’ multiple sites. Viewers were forced to deal with distinct political bureaucracies and several regional boundaries in order to see the work. To be continued. For references, leave me a comment.
Jan 16, 2010
Dark was the Night: great music... great cause
I've been meaning to listen to the Dark Was the Night compilation album that came out a while ago and I'm glad I finally did. It's the twentieth compilation release benefiting the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. So that's all well and good... but how's the music?There's some interesting experimental stuff from known acts as well as many collaborations that work rather wonderfully. Some amazing tracks are provided from the likes of Iron & Wine, Beirut, The Books feat. José González, Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, Grizzly Bear and Feist, Sufjan Stevens, and The Arcade Fire (giving us some new music while we wait for their next HIGHLY anticipated album).
Sure it's long, with two discs of music, but there's at least one disc's worth of really great music on here. Definitely recommended. And considering the cause... maybe you should buy it.
Jan 13, 2010
2009: the year in lists
The year is over. It's been over. It's old news now...
Far too much of my life is spent living in the past.
These lists were a while in the making. I was on vacation at the end of the year and didn't get my things together 'till recently (still getting things together mentally). Anyway here goes: my 2009 year-end lists...
Best Movies
When compared to previous years (especially the last three), 2009 was a downright terrible year for movies. Still, there were a few gems. Although I'm still playing catch-up, I'm always playing catch-up and I've seen enough movies at this point to feel comfortable with this list.
Films I haven't seen: The Messenger, La Nana (The Maid), Les Plages d'Agnès (The Beaches of Agnes), Tokyo!, Sugar, District 9, Goodbye Solo, Still Walking, Crazy Heart, Tyson, Inglourious Basterds, and a couple of others.
24. Star Trek
23. Julie and Julia
22. Away We Go
21. Duplicity
20. Moon
19. Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces)
18. Cold Souls
17. Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo)
16. Avatar
15. Food Inc.
14. An Education
13. A Single Man
12. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
11. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Fantastic Mr. Fox
9. The Hurt Locker
8. The Brothers Bloom
7. A Serious Man
6. The Cove
5. Bright Star
4. Up
3. (500) Days of Summer
2. The White Ribbon
1. Up in the Air
Honorable Mentions: Good Hair, Coraline, and Whatever Works.
Best Songs
In alphabetical order because... well, YOU try putting these in preferential order. Not even I'm that crazy! However, I have bolded my very favorite tracks.
In 2009 more than ever I noticed the way I lean towards the melodic and my unabashed love of hooks and catchy tunes. Now that doesn't mean I'll listen to anything that'll make me dance on my drive from work. It has to be smart too. And this year it seems there was plenty of fun, clever, catchy stuff. Heck, even notoriously tough-to-like bands like Animal Collective and The Fiery Furnaces made fun, accessible albums (the former being far more successful than the latter).
...And there were lots of other songs that weren't necessarily catchy but just as great...
A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
Animal Collective - My Girls, Brother Sport, and In the Flowers (in that order)
Atlas Sound - Quick Canal (featuring Laetitia Sadier) and Walkabout (featuring Panda Bear) (in that order)
Au Revoir Simone - Anywhere You Looked and Trace a Line (in that order)
The Big Pink - Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé cover)
The Bird and the Bee - My Love
The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway and I Gotta Feeling (in that order)
Blue Roses - I am Leaving
Camera Obscura - French Navy, My Maudlin Career, and Careless Love (in that order)
Crystal Stilts - Crystal Stilts
Dan Deacon - Snookered, Get Older, Surprise Stefani, and Build Voice (in that order)
Dead Man's Bones - Flowers Grow Out of My Grave and Paper Ships (in that order)
Delorean - Deli
Dirty Projectors - Useful Chamber, Stillness is the Move, and Fluorescent Half-Dome (in that order)
Discovery - Orange Shirt
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
The Fiery Furnaces - Keep Me in the Dark
Girls - Hellhole Ratrace and Lust for Life (in that order)
Grand Archives - Silver Among the Gold
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire and Wet Hair
Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keys)
Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone
Lady Gaga - Paparazzi
Lily Allen - Chinese
Little Girls - Growing
M. Ward - Jailbird and Blake's View (in that order)
Matt & Kim - Daylight
Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out
Metronomy - A Thing for Me
Mew - Sometimes Life Isn't Easy and Tricks of the Trade (in that order)
Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
Noah and the Whale - Blue Skies
Noisettes - Don't Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go)
Nurses - Caterpillar Playground
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - A Teenager In Love, Contender, and Young Adult Friction (in that order)
Passion Pit - The Reeling
Patrick Watson - Beijing and Big Bird in a Small Cage (in that order)
Phoenix - 1901, Lasso, and Lisztomania (in that order)
Q-Tip - Gettin' Up
Real Estate - Saturday Morning
St. Vincent - The Strangers and Actor Out of Work (in that order)
The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
Think About Life - Havin My Baby
Vampire Weekend - Horchata
The xx - VCR, Infinity, Heart Skipped a Beat, Crystalised, Islands, Shelter (yes it's almost the entire album... in that order)
Vivian Girls - Can't Get Over You
Washed Out - Feel It All Around
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
Yo La Tengo - More Stars than there are in Heaven
Most Listened to Songs
Best Albums
The album isn't dead... yet. At this point I'd say it's on life support and in need of serious rehabilitation. However, there were a handful of albums that tried to be just that: beginning-to-end "albums" rather than simply collections of songs. Below are many that attempted to make cohesive albums and succeeded, though that's not their only redeeming quality.
This list is in order and doesn't include any real surprises or anything out of the ordinary (besides maybe Max Richter). Sadly, I haven't seen Au Revoir Simone, Q-Tip, nor Patrick Watson on very many year-end lists.
23. Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong
22. Girls - Album
21. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
20. Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones
19. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
18. Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring
17. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
16. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
15. Discovery - LP
14. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
13. St. Vincent - Actor
12. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away
11. Atlas Sound - Logos
10. M. Ward - Hold Time
9. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
8. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
7. Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light
6. The xx - xx
5. Max Richter - 24 Postcards In Full Colour
4. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
3. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
2. Dan Deacon - Bromst
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Most Listened to Artists
Far too much of my life is spent living in the past.
These lists were a while in the making. I was on vacation at the end of the year and didn't get my things together 'till recently (still getting things together mentally). Anyway here goes: my 2009 year-end lists...
Best MoviesWhen compared to previous years (especially the last three), 2009 was a downright terrible year for movies. Still, there were a few gems. Although I'm still playing catch-up, I'm always playing catch-up and I've seen enough movies at this point to feel comfortable with this list.
Films I haven't seen: The Messenger, La Nana (The Maid), Les Plages d'Agnès (The Beaches of Agnes), Tokyo!, Sugar, District 9, Goodbye Solo, Still Walking, Crazy Heart, Tyson, Inglourious Basterds, and a couple of others.
24. Star Trek
23. Julie and Julia
22. Away We Go
21. Duplicity
20. Moon
19. Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces)
18. Cold Souls
17. Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo)
16. Avatar
15. Food Inc.14. An Education
13. A Single Man
12. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
11. Where the Wild Things Are
10. Fantastic Mr. Fox
9. The Hurt Locker
8. The Brothers Bloom
7. A Serious Man
6. The Cove
5. Bright Star
4. Up
3. (500) Days of Summer
2. The White Ribbon
1. Up in the Air
Honorable Mentions: Good Hair, Coraline, and Whatever Works.
Best Songs
In alphabetical order because... well, YOU try putting these in preferential order. Not even I'm that crazy! However, I have bolded my very favorite tracks.
In 2009 more than ever I noticed the way I lean towards the melodic and my unabashed love of hooks and catchy tunes. Now that doesn't mean I'll listen to anything that'll make me dance on my drive from work. It has to be smart too. And this year it seems there was plenty of fun, clever, catchy stuff. Heck, even notoriously tough-to-like bands like Animal Collective and The Fiery Furnaces made fun, accessible albums (the former being far more successful than the latter)....And there were lots of other songs that weren't necessarily catchy but just as great...
A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
Animal Collective - My Girls, Brother Sport, and In the Flowers (in that order)
Atlas Sound - Quick Canal (featuring Laetitia Sadier) and Walkabout (featuring Panda Bear) (in that order)Au Revoir Simone - Anywhere You Looked and Trace a Line (in that order)
The Big Pink - Sweet Dreams (Beyoncé cover)
The Bird and the Bee - My Love
The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway and I Gotta Feeling (in that order)
Blue Roses - I am Leaving
Camera Obscura - French Navy, My Maudlin Career, and Careless Love (in that order)
Crystal Stilts - Crystal Stilts
Dan Deacon - Snookered, Get Older, Surprise Stefani, and Build Voice (in that order)
Dead Man's Bones - Flowers Grow Out of My Grave and Paper Ships (in that order)Delorean - Deli
Dirty Projectors - Useful Chamber, Stillness is the Move, and Fluorescent Half-Dome (in that order)
Discovery - Orange Shirt
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
The Fiery Furnaces - Keep Me in the Dark
Girls - Hellhole Ratrace and Lust for Life (in that order)
Grand Archives - Silver Among the Gold
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire and Wet Hair
Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keys) Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone
Lady Gaga - Paparazzi
Lily Allen - Chinese
Little Girls - Growing
M. Ward - Jailbird and Blake's View (in that order)
Matt & Kim - Daylight
Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out
Metronomy - A Thing for Me
Mew - Sometimes Life Isn't Easy and Tricks of the Trade (in that order)
Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
Noah and the Whale - Blue SkiesNoisettes - Don't Upset The Rhythm (Go Baby Go)
Nurses - Caterpillar Playground
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - A Teenager In Love, Contender, and Young Adult Friction (in that order)
Passion Pit - The Reeling
Patrick Watson - Beijing and Big Bird in a Small Cage (in that order)
Phoenix - 1901, Lasso, and Lisztomania (in that order)
Q-Tip - Gettin' Up
Real Estate - Saturday Morning
St. Vincent - The Strangers and Actor Out of Work (in that order)
The Temper Trap - Sweet DispositionThink About Life - Havin My Baby
Vampire Weekend - Horchata
The xx - VCR, Infinity, Heart Skipped a Beat, Crystalised, Islands, Shelter (yes it's almost the entire album... in that order)
Vivian Girls - Can't Get Over You
Washed Out - Feel It All Around
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
Yo La Tengo - More Stars than there are in Heaven
Most Listened to Songs
Best Albums
The album isn't dead... yet. At this point I'd say it's on life support and in need of serious rehabilitation. However, there were a handful of albums that tried to be just that: beginning-to-end "albums" rather than simply collections of songs. Below are many that attempted to make cohesive albums and succeeded, though that's not their only redeeming quality.This list is in order and doesn't include any real surprises or anything out of the ordinary (besides maybe Max Richter). Sadly, I haven't seen Au Revoir Simone, Q-Tip, nor Patrick Watson on very many year-end lists.
23. Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong
22. Girls - Album
21. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
20. Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones19. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
18. Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring
17. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
16. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
15. Discovery - LP
14. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
13. St. Vincent - Actor
12. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away
11. Atlas Sound - Logos
10. M. Ward - Hold Time9. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
8. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
7. Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light
6. The xx - xx
5. Max Richter - 24 Postcards In Full Colour
4. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
3. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
2. Dan Deacon - Bromst
1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Most Listened to Artists
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