Thursday, February 26, 2009

Lowell George & The Factory

Lowell George & The Factory... Teenage Nervous Breakdown (.mp3 audio 03:20). From the album Lightning-Rod Man (1993, Bizarre/Straight R2 71563). Also... Lowell George & The Factory as 'The Bedbugs' in a 1967 episode of F-Troop... Part One (Flash Video 01:46) | Part Two (Flash Video 03:04). And... Mystery Date (Flash Video 01:04) - Lowell George & The Factory provide the backing track in this 1960's TV commercial for Milton Bradley's Mystery Date.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Victorious Dub

Linton Kwesi Johnson... Victorious Dub (.mp3 audio 03:34). From the album LKJ in DUB (1980, Island Records ILPS 9650).

Gérard Lange: Wilson, NC

Bail Bonding Gérard Lange... Bail Bonding (2007, Chromogenic print, Edition: 10). From Gérard Lange: Wilson, NC at Meter Gallery. "...Wilson has suffered the worst of the industry's downsizing, exacerbating already tense race relations in the town as development is pushed to the outskirts, long-standing Wilson families are forced to close their shops, and new, ad hoc businesses are set up in the abandoned buildings. Lange's crumbling storefronts say much about the town's people, though no Wilsoners appear in any of the shots." More Works by Gérard Lange at his personal site.

Tanyth Berkeley

Tanyth Berkeley... Grace for Cyberspace (2006, C-print). From
Selected Works by Tanyth Berkeley
at the Saatchi Gallery. "...Tanyth Berkeley’s portraits of women redefine traditional perception of beauty, capturing the essence of femininity with unabashed glamour, sensuality, and celebration. Berkeley finds her extraordinary subjects, which range from transgender she-males to frumpy housewives and wallflower adolescents, in the most ordinary of places: in the subway, on the street, walking through the park. And it’s exactly this ‘normalcy’ that makes them so special." Also... Works by Tanyth Berkeley at Bellwether Gallery in New York.

Nouar: You Look Good Enough to Eat!

Nouar: You Look Good Enough to Eat! at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York. "...You Look Good Enough To Eat! expands upon Nouar’s character-based aesthetic. A feast for the eyes in the most literal sense, her highly stylized, crisply rendered figures depict a variety of edible subjects, personified and bursting with life. The artist’s work is reminiscent of—and inspired by—vintage imagery that encompasses post-WWII era animation, packaging and advertising art, particularly of the food industry. Paintings in this show are tied together by theme, and presented in a vibrantly appetizing color palette. The tasty treats wear big smiles and are often accompanied by hand-lettered type."

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

From Russia With Love

From Russia With Love Mute Beat... From Russia With Love (.mp3 audio 05:00). From the album 14 Echoes + 1 (20th Anniversary Edition) (2002, Pony Canyon PCCA 01742).

Phil Borges: Women Empowered

Phil Borges... Humaria, 11 (Kabul, Afghanistan, Ed. 7/35, archival digital print). "...Humaria sells eggs as a street vendor to help her family survive. As with many families in Afghanistan, years of war have left them very poor. Only half of all Afghan children ages 7 to 13 attend school. When the luxury of education is an option, boys are typically chosen over girls." From the exhibition Phil Borges: Women Empowered, February 19 – March 7, 2009 at Diane Farris Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.

Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window

Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window at Robert Mann Gallery in New York, NY. "...In her latest series, Out My Window, Gail Albert Halaban has ventured into the private spaces of New York City, photographing its inhabitants and the views that define their lives. In a world framed by windows, there is both an intimacy and remoteness in the proximity of so many strangers. Though the archetype of the photographer training her lens on her neighbor is easily associated with the voyeurism of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, the experience Albert Halaban records is far less menacing. In as much as we are aware of our display, the city is also on display to us. Window and camera are inextricably bound in the framing of a world." More Works by Gail Albert Halaban at her personal site.

Fear(s) Of The Dark

Trailer (QuickTime Video) for Fear(s) Of The Dark (Peur(s) du noir, 2008, Prima Linéa Productions). "...a wildly inventive and visually dazzling collection of fearful tales by six of the world's most renowned comic and graphic artists - Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire. From a besotted student whose girlfriend is weirdly ardent in her affections, to a Japanese schoolgirl menaced by a long-dead samurai, and a pack of hounds on a bloodthirsty rampage, FEAR(S) has a story strand to trouble every sleep - not to mention a stunning range of animation styles."

Monday, February 23, 2009

Tell The World

Tell The World Vivian Girls... Tell The World (2008, Woodsist Woodsist016 .mp3 audio 03:35).

Ernest Pignon-Ernest: Signature de la monographie parue chez Bärtschi-Salomon Editions

Ernest Pignon-Ernest... Extases (2008, Dessin sur papier). From Ernest Pignon-Ernest: Signature de la monographie parue chez Bärtschi-Salomon Editions at Galerie Guy Bärtschi in Geneva. More at Ernest Pignon-Ernest, le site officiel.

Echo Chamber - Japan Loves Reggae

Echo Chamber - Japan Loves Reggae - Feb. 18, 2009... Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. "...Tonight the good doctors of dub presented a very cool special entitled 'Japan Loves Reggae'. Of course we played a bunch of Dry & Heavy, Mute Beat, Little Tempo, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, and Likkle Mai. But we also aired some new artists that have never been played on the Echo Chamber -- like Fishmans, Bagdad Cafe the Trench Town, and Dubsensemania. Also, for ambience we had a bit of traditional Japanese music (overlayed and for seques), clips from "Godzilla", and a nice jingle from Likkle Mai herself. Hosted by Dr. StrangeDub & DJ Baby Swiss."

Joseph Beuys: Transformer

Joseph Beuys: Transformer (Documentary dir. John Halpern, 1979) at UBUWEB Film & Video. "...This 60-minute documentary features avant-garde German artist Joseph Beuys and his unique sculpture art during a 1979 exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The tape features Beuys' work, interviews with him, and footage of him speaking before the patrons at his Guggenheim showing. The main feature of the video is Beuys telling a little of his own history -- how his life changed when the Russians shot down his German airplane during World War II, as well as his opinions on art, mankind, the state of the world, and some of his artistic inspirations. This documentary captures the world of an artist at the pinnacle of his fame."

Le Muscle Carabine: troisième gorgée

United Dead Artists presents the third issue of its magazine Le Muscle Carabine: troisième gorgée. "...Avec par ordre d’apparition : Stéphane Blanquet, Michael Kupperman, Lolmède, Frédéric Fleury, Muzo, Robert Crumb, Y5P5 , David Sandlin, Blex Bolex, Francesco Defourny, Chris Hipkiss, Daisuke Ichiba, Xavier Robel, Aurélie William Levaux, J.Rosen, Ion Birch, Bruno Richard, Anne Van der Linden, Mïrka Lugosi, Gilles Berquet.
40 pages noir et blanc - 32 pages noir et blanc , 8 bichromie - impression sur Rives 170 gr ivoire
Supplément sonore à sillons (45 T) : William S. Burroughs - Face W: Curse Go Back - Face B: Interview with Mr Martin, Burroughs called the Law. Montage coupures images : Noémie Barsolle. Une édition sonore du label Sub Rosa.
Supplément tabloïd : Pascal Doury est Mort , 8 pages tabloid en noir et blanc sur munchen 90 gr."

Trailer for Smile Pinki

Trailer for Smile Pinki (Flash Video 02:58) - a short documentary by Megan Mylan.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Patsy Girl

Ross McManus and The Joe Loss Blue Beats... Patsy Girl (1964, HMV, POP 1279 .mp3 audio 02:24). A little bluebeat|ska number by Elvis Costello's father. Via Probe is Turning-on the People!

Scandal (Shubun)

Trailer (QuickTime Video) for Scandal (Shubun, 1950, directed by Akira Kurosawa, Shochiku Company). "...On holiday in the snow-covered mountains, young painter Ichiro Aoye (Toshiro Mifune) has a chance meeting with the popular singer Miyako Saijo (Shirley Yamaguchi). After giving her a ride back to the hotel where they are both staying, Ichiro is photographed with Miyako by paparazzi. A magazine creates an exposé of their ‘secret romance’ based around this photograph, and the brooding Ichiro ignites a bitter and dirty libel case in order to restore their honour."

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Squad Car

The Blue Jeans... Squad Car (.mp3 audio 02:29). From the album Surfing (1960's) and featuring surf guitar wiz Takeshi 'Terry' Terauchi.

Works by Michelle Kloehn

Untitled Michelle Kloehn... Untitled (From the series 'Perimeter', 2007, tintype). From Works by Michelle Kloehn. "...In both Centrally Located and Perimeter, I use the wet plate collodion processes of the Ambrotype and Tintype. Due to the nature of the wet plate technique, the working time frame is compressed. I am able to see immediately the images I am creating and progress in response. Similar to the immediacy of a 20th century Polaroid, this 19th century photographic process produces an instant image leaving me with the end product of both image and object."

Suginami

Suginami - book of photographs by James Luckett of Consumptive. "...Suginami is one of the 23 ‘ku’ or ‘wards’ of Tokyo, an area of the city where I lived for five years and where nearly all the photographs in the book were made. For me the photographs are not intended necessarily as a document of a specific place or time. Rather the photographs explore the ways the world can fit into the edges of a frame, the transformation of light inside the dark box of the camera, and the space of discovery between the viewfinder and the eye."

Sex Madness

Sex Madness (1938, directed by Dwain Esper, Cinema Service Corp). "...Exploitation filmmakers hoped to capitalize on the taboo subjects of venereal disease, sex before marriage, lesbianism, etc. while skirting the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 which forbade a film from containing such content. Films like this would tour the United States for years - mostly being shown in rundown, skid row theaters. This film has been re-edited and re-titled ('Human Wreckage', 'They Must Be Told', 'Trial Marriage', 'About Trial Marriage') many times to attract the same audience to film, to take advantage of a taboo subject which may have gotten press recently or to appease local censors who disapproved of the film's content."

Under The Influence

Helen Van Meene... Untitled (2000, C-print in the artist’s wooden frame. Signed 'Hellen V. Meene' on a label adhered to the reverse of the backing board). From the auction Under The Influence at Phillips de Pury & Company, New York.

A Page Of Madness - Intro

A Page Of Madness - Intro (Kurutta Ippeji, 1926, directed by Kinugasa Teinosuke, Flash Video 09:35). Famed Japanese silent film. No intertitles. Showings in 1920s Japan would have included live narration by a storyteller or Benshi as well as musical accompaniment.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Shakin' All Over

Shakin' All Over Johnny Kidd & The Pirates... Shakin' All Over (1960, His Master's Voice POP 753 .mp3 audio 02:22)

Conrad Botes: Cain and Abel

Conrad Botes... On Earth as it is in Heaven (2009, American walnut, glass, lead, fluorescent lamps, Installation view with White Zombie, Black Dog and Long Pants). From Conrad Botes: Cain and Abel at Michael Stevenson Gallery. "...Botes' exhibition, titled Cain and Abel, is a reflection on the origins of violence, a return to the very first tale of murder as related in the Bible and Qu'ran, as if to grapple with the notion of aggression itself. The story was translated into a gritty black and white comic published in Bitterkomix #15, and is exhibited here in full. A detailed allegory of rivalry, jealousy, corruption and lust, it forms the point of departure for many of the works on this show."

Adolescent Rage: Closed Caption Comics

Chris Day... Party Time (Collage on paper, 7" x 9"). From the exhibition Adolescent Rage: Closed Caption Comics at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. "...the first NY show by Baltimore-based collective Closed Caption Comics. We first encountered the artwork of this prolific group when some of them came into the gallery bearing an amazing colorful stack of self-published comic and art zines. These beautiful handmade silk-screened goodies featured wild stories, inventive layouts, and the type of manic fun energy we find wholly exciting and infectious. As a group, Closed Caption puts out a comic zine of the same name that features a section by each artist, allowing the reader to delve into the different worlds of each contributor." More about Closed Caption Comics at Chief Mag.

William Blake: Illustrated Books

William Blake: Illustrated Books at the NYPL Digital Gallery. "...Three original books in 'relief etching' by William Blake, who composed the texts, designed the texts and decorations, and printed the pages: America: A Prophecy (1793 [1794?]), Europe: A Prophecy (1794), and Milton (1804 [i.e. 1808?])."

People Like Us (Vicki Bennett)

People Like Us (Vicki Bennett) at UBUWEB Film & Video. "...People Like Us (Vicki Bennett) creates audio-visual collage using sampling and found footage from the renowned Prelinger Archives. These appropriated elements compose the arena where recontextualized sounds and images begin to take on new lives, giving way to multiple worlds of mirrored images. The result is a labyrinthine universe of alchemical mystery where equal measures of lighthearted humour and sinister satire create a balanced art. By using A/V elements from throughout the 20th C., Bennett paradoxically breathes new interpretations into our current relationship with technology. Her work is a delightful parody of both past and present European and American culture."

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Come On Down To My Boat

The Quests... Come On Down To My Boat (.mp3 audio 02:31). From the album The 33rd Revolution (1967, EMI 33ESX-60S Singapore) at Tofu Magazine.

Shadi Ghadirian

Shadi Ghadirian at Aeroplastics Contemporary in Brussels. "...Coming to wide public attention in 2001 with the series Qajar and Like Everyday, the artist has ever continued to explore the theme of conflict between tradition and modernity, and that of the position of women in a society dominated by male stereotypes. Showing just beneath the surface appears the whole saga of the relationship between Orient and Occident, set within a world context that sees Iran, pulled between the will to reform and conservative retrenchment, at times placed beyond the pale, at others considered as an unavoidably essential economic and political partner."

Tokyo Camera Style

Olympus Pen F A wonderful Olympus Pen F (February 7, 2009 in Ebisu). From Tokyo Camera Style. "...We are at the point where people who shoot film do simply because they choose to, and the Photo Culture of Tokyo is full of film camera users. When I meet them out on the streets I'll ask to photograph their camera, and post it here."

Every Sunday

Every Sunday - photography by Nobuhiro Fukui.

Sweet Child O' Mine

Taken By Trees... Sweet Child O' Mine (2008, Rough Trade RT-439-7 .mp3 audio 05:02). Featured in the upcoming remake of Wes Craven's The Last House On The Left.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Skeeter Davis Sings Buddy Holly

Skeeter Davis... Heartbeat (.mp3 audio 02:12) and... Well.... All Right (.mp3 audio 02:22). From the album Skeeter Davis Sings Buddy Holly (1967, RCA Victor LSP-3790, Produced by Felton Jarvis).

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

I Got Love If You Want It

I Got Love If You Want It Slim Harpo... I Got Love If You Want It (1957, Excello 2113 .mp3 audio 02:49).

Mika Ninagawa: Liquid Dreams

Mika Ninagawa... Untitled (2003, c-print, mounted on Diasec). From the exhibition Mika Ninagawa: Liquid Dreams at Galerie Priska Pasquer. "...The exhibition includes photographs from her series 'Liquid Dreams' and 'Acid Bloom'. Mika Ninagawa is in Japan one of her generation’s most renowned and productive artists. The artist's topics include flowers, goldfish, travel and portraits of stars from Japanese entertainment culture. Her photography is particularly characterised by the use of intense and exuberant colours, such as cobalt blue, pink and blood red which she uses to depict both the motifs and the backgrounds."

Miss.Tic: l'amazone urbaine!

Miss.Tic: l'amazone urbaine! (Flash Video 04:14). "...Qui n'a jamais vu sur les murs de Paris, une de ces femmes bombées avec ses humeurs en humour. C'est l'oeuvre de Miss.Tic! Rencontre avec une artiste urbaine rebelle et sa marque de fabrique. Reportage réalisé par Guillaume Roubert." (fr)

Palma - 100 Pinhole Postcards

Gabriel Lacomba... Palma - 100 Pinhole Postcards shot with his Powered Milk pinhole camera. From Works by Gabriel Lacomba.

Dirceu Maues: Feito poeira ao vento (...like dust in the wind...)

Dirceu Maues: Feito poeira ao vento (...like dust in the wind...) at Zone Zero. "...was made from 991 pictures, originally captured from 38 pinhole matchbox cameras in just one action (four hours of duration). It shows, in 3.5 minutes, the transmutation/movement of Ver-O-Peso Market in 360 degrees. It starts in the frenetic movement in the first hours of the morning, and keeps capturing pictures until the end of day in the market."

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

King Tubby - 20 Years Ago

King Tubby Dub King Tubby... King Tubby Dub (.mp3 audio 03:12) and.. Shining Dub (.mp3 audio 03:25). From the albums 400% Dynamite: Ska, Soul, Rocksteady, Funk and Dub in Jamaica (2000, Soul Jazz Records) and King Tubby - Dub Forever (2002, Delta Music) respectively.

King Tubby was shot and killed outside his home at 18 Dromilly Avenue, Kingston on February 6, 1989.

Dub Gone Crazy by Steve Barrow (Perfect Sounds Forever). "...Today the remix and dub version are commonplace in popular music; less widely appreciated is the fact that these techniques were pioneered in a tiny studio at 18 Dromilly Avenue in the Kingston district called Waterhouse. That pioneer of dub was an electronics engineer and sound system operator named Osbourne Ruddock, but to the crowds who flocked to his dances, and the countless singers and record producers who utilised his skills, he was known as King Tubby."

Trailer (QuickTime Video) for Dub Echoes. "...The film shows how the Jamaican invention called dub ended up influencing much of the music we hear today, from electronic music to hip-hop, transforming the studio in a musical instrument and giving way to all of sonic experiments."

Echo Chamber - Tuff Gong & Tubby Tribute, 2009 with Dr. StrangeDub & DJ Baby Swiss... Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3. "...The Echo Chamber's annual 'Tuff Gong & Tubby Tribute' honoring Robert Nesta Marley (born 2/6/1945) and Osbourne Ruddock (died 2/6/1989). One man a legend the world round. The other, a legend in the reggae world, and a permanent influence upon recording studio techniques and technology. Of course, nearly all the tunes tonight were from Bob Marley & the Wailers, or King Tubby productions."

Monday, February 09, 2009

Buddy Holly at Proud Galleries

Buddy Holly at Proud Galleries in London. "...Fifty years on from his tragic and untimely death Proud presents the greatest collection of unseen Buddy Holly images ever compiled, showing exclusively at Proud Central.
Described by critics as the single most creative force in early Rock & Roll, Holly pioneered a style that resonates far and wide – counting luminaries such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan as devotees. This exhibition will celebrate the star’s immense talent and shine new light on his short life, as seen through the lens’ of a collection of photographers including Lewis Allen, Harry Hammond, Bill Francis, Robert Illingworth and more."

Karlheinz Weinberger - Vintage Prints: Belts, Jackets, Couples and More

Karlheinz Weinberger... The Jets (Basel, Black and white photograph). From the exhibition Karlheinz Weinberger - Vintage Prints: Belts, Jackets, Couples and More at Anna Kustera Gallery in New York. "...n 1958, Weinberger met members of a small band of teenagers and began photographing them both at his home studio as well as at the public parks and carnivals where they gathered. In post war Switzerland, these self-named 'rebels' (referred to by the Swiss as 'Halbstark' or 'half strong') were comprised of working class boys and girls dissatisfied with the conservative culture of the day. Inventing their own code of behavior and dress - oversized belt buckles fashioned from metal plates adorned with images of their idols, James Dean and Elvis, blue jeans employing bolts and other hardware for their fly closures, pendants made of thick gauge chain and spent mortar shells - they affected a powerful gang identity expressed by an affinity for their like-minded rebellious American imports such as Marlon Brando, Dean, Elvis, blue jeans, and motorbikes."

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage

Trailers (QuickTime Video) for The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (L'Uccello dalle piume di cristallo, 1970) and Cat o' Nine Tails (Il Gatto a nove code, 1971) - two Italian horror classics by Dario Argento. From Blue Underground.

Binh Danh - In the Eclipse of Angkor: Tuol Sleng, Choeung EK, and Khmer Temples

Binh Danh Binh Danh - In the Eclipse of Angkor: Tuol Sleng, Choeung EK, and Khmer Temples at Haines Gallery in San Francisco, CA. "...In Binh Danh’s third solo exhibition at Haines Gallery, the California artist has created In the Eclipse of Angkor: Tuol Sleng, Choeung EK, and Khmer Temples, a new series of photographs based on a recent research trip to Cambodia. Here Binh Danh uses daguerreotypes for the first time. He says, 'The daguerreotype is a negative image, but the mirrored surface of the metal plate reflects the image and makes it appear positive in the proper light. The daguerreotype is a direct photographic process without the capacity for duplication. But with contemporary equipment, I have perfected a process of exposing a daguerreotype in the darkroom, allowing me more creative control over the process. This series also continues my exploration of the photographic process. Photography has allowed me to meditate on death and its influence on the living. The themes of mortality, memory, history, landscape, justice, evidence, and spirituality encompass this series.'"

Silver

Takeshi Murata... Silver (2006) at UBUWEB Film & Video. "...In his new digital video, Untitled (Silver), Takeshi Murata twists and stretches a sequence from an old movie into a psychedelic odyssey - a fitting afterlife for a 1960s horror film by the Italian director Mario Bava.
The black-and-white footage takes on an abstract life of its own. Quivering, enlarged pixels become Op-art patterns that curl into waves or melt into puddles with dizzying three-dimensionality. At times the image momentarily congeals, revealing the protagonist: a lovely gowned woman seen in some grand interior, slipping furtively down hallways and gliding across drawing rooms. Her movement through these spaces is reminiscent of videogames played on devices like Xbox in which the background is sucked backwards while the figure seems to speed ahead."

Lux and Ivy's Favorites (mp3s)

Lux and Ivy's Favorites (mp3s) at WFMU's Beware of the Blog. Essential! Via PCL LinkDump.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

25th Anniversary Celebration

David Levinthal... Untitled (From Hitler Moves East, 1975-77, vintage toned silver print). From the 25th Anniversary Celebration at Laurence Miller Gallery. "...Never content to only show well-known figures in the history of photography, the gallery gave many international photographers their first one-person shows in the United States. Included in this group are Joan Colom from Barcelona, Jakob Tuggener from Zurich, Daido Moriyama from Tokyo , Stephane Couturier from Paris, Peter Bialobrzeski from Hamburg, and DoDo Jin Ming from Beijing and Hong Kong."

Goo Goo Muck

Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads... Goo Goo Muck (1962 .mp3 audio 02:37). One more for Lux.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Elijah Gowin

Photographs by Elijah Gowin at his personal site. Also... Works by Elijah Gowin at Robert Mann Gallery in New York.

RIP: Lux Interior

Human fly The Cramps... Human Fly (.mp3 audio 02:14) and... Cornfed Dames (.mp3 audio 05:26). From the EP Gravest Hits (1979, IRS Records SP501) and the album A Date With Elvis (1986, Big Beat Records WIKA 46) respectively. Cornfed Dames is a reworking of Calling All Cows by The Blues Rockers (1965, Excello 2268).

RIP: Lux Interior.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Satan's Gotta Get Along Without Me

Buck Owens and His Buckaroos... Satan's Gotta Get Along Without Me (.mp3 audio 01:59). From the album Dust On Mother's Bible (1966, Capitol ST-2497).

Works by Steve Keister

Mictlantecuhtli Steve Keister... Mictlantecuhtli (2006, Terracotta, earthenware, glaze, acrylic). From Works by Steve Keister. A few more of Steve Keister works can be seen at... Mary's Choice - a group exhibition curated by Mary Heilmann at 303 Gallery in New York.

Herb and Dorothy

Trailer (Flash Video) for Herb and Dorothy - A film by Megumi Sasaki. "...In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb's salary to buy art, and living on Dorothy's paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists. Their circle includes: Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi and Lawrence Weiner.
Thirty years on, the Vogels had managed to accumulate over 4,000 pieces, filling every corner of their living space from the bathroom to the kitchen. 'Not even a toothpick could be squeezed into the apartment,' recalls Dorothy. Their apartment was near collapse, holding way over its limit - something had to be done."

14 Video Paintings

Brian Eno... 14 Video Paintings (1981 & 1984) at UBUWEB Film & Video. "...Finally available on DVD, these video installations were produced by Brian Eno to be shown at various galleries around the world. Subsequently released on vhs and laserdisc, this is the first time for these pieces on beautifully crisp DVD. Perfect viewing material for any follower of Eno, the two works are to the video format what his audio pieces were to music; ambient musings on the nature of the medium. They are non linear and have no obvious plotline or direction : 'video paintings' as the title suggests, drifting in and out of focus."

Adou: Samalada

Adou: Samalada at Pace/MacGill. "...Pace/MacGill Gallery is pleased to present Adou: Samalada, an exhibition of 30 gelatin silver prints from the photographer’s most recent series (2006-2007). This marks Adou’s first exhibition at Pace/MacGill Gallery and in the United States, as the gallery was first introduced to the artist at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Beijing in 2007. Inspired by the documentary photography of Julia Margaret Cameron, Robert Frank, and August Sander, Adou began photographing the people and places of China’s Western provinces. The Samalada series depicts the Yi ethnic minority in the artist’s native Sichuan Province. The series' title is a direct translation of the native name for Da Liang Mountain, the barren area bounded by rivers and mountains in which Adou took these photographs."

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

It's Too Late

It's Too Late Small Faces... It's Too Late (.mp3 audio 02:37). From the album Small Faces (1966, Decca LK 4790).

Brandel and Jones Family Gallery

Brandel and Jones Family Gallery at the WHS. "...Informal snapshots, the kind typically found in family photo albums, aren't often considered historically or artistically significant, tending to be important only to the photographer and his or her family. This small collection of family photographs transcends that notion, however, depicting the Randolph, Wisconsin, family simply and in their natural, everyday lives — posing at home, on Fox Lake or at the golf course, posing with their dog, in groups, and in front of the Christmas tree. At the same time, the images — which also include shots of plastic rabbits, women in undergarments and other spontaneous moments — capture not only family history, but Wisconsin history, artistic beauty and often a strange and beguiling charm."

Twentysix Abandoned Gasoline Stations

Lens Culture... Twentysix Abandoned Gasoline Stations - photographs by Eric Tabuchi. "...French photographer Eric Tabuchi has created a modern day reprise of Ed Ruscha's ground-breaking artist's book from 1963, Twentysix Gasoline Stations. Tabuchi has published a boxed set of 26 oversized postcard-like prints of photos he's taken between 2002 and 2008. Tabuchi's work captures abandoned, rusting, toxic-leaking architectural ruins that blight the landscape and roadscapes of France. In a spirit very much akin to Ruscha's, Tabuchi photographed these abandoned gasoline stations in a flat, objective style, showing them just as plainly as they exist." More... Works by Eric Tabuchi at his personal site. Don't miss his Various Ruins Serie.

Marianne Mueller - M-Portraits

Marianne Mueller - M-Portraits. "...published in 1999. I photographed the men and women who work at Migros." From Works by Marianne Mueller.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Buddy Holly - 50 Years Ago

Well.... All Right Buddy Holly... Well.... All Right (1958, Coral 9-62051 .mp3 audio 02:18). Pictured above... Buddy Holly backstage at the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin, February 1, 1959 - the night before his final show.

Buddy Holly... Peggy Sue Got Married (Recorded Dec. 5, 1958 .mp3 audio 01:49) and... Crying, Waiting, Hoping (Recorded Dec. 14, 1958 .mp3 audio 1:51). From Buddy Holly - The Apartment Tapes. "...In December 1958, Buddy Holly bought an Ampex tape recorder from Norman Petty. Buddy Holly used this tape recorder in his New York City apartment to record rough takes of new songs that he was writing. In February 1959, as we all know, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. 'Big Bopper' Richardson. Many people believe that 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' and 'True Love Ways' were Buddy Holly's last songs.
After his death, Buddy Holly's tape recorder was located in his apartment building. On this tape, there were 14 full songs that Buddy Holly recorded. The songs were, in general, very clear and very personal. Most were just Buddy Holly and his acoustic guitar. These songs were truly Buddy Holly's last songs.
The original tapes were given to two producers, Jack Hansen and Norman Petty. Both producers used the recordings and overdubbed them with a full band so the songs would be more radio-friendly. These versions of the songs were released to the public, and some of the songs even became hits. But the original raw recordings Buddy Holly made in his apartment never saw an official release."

Buddy Holly - The Complete Sessionography by Gilles Vignal.

Buddy Holly Discography at Rockin' Country Style.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Nocturno

Nocturno (1935, Croatian, directed by Oktavijan Miletić). New at Europa Film Treasures. "...A man, a passionate reader of detective novels and horror stories, tends to immerse himself into an imaginary world. When he takes the road at the dead of night, torrential rain forces him to take shelter at an inn. Although not very welcoming, it's the only sign of life in the area. The host, the place and the people present only increase our character's feeling of fear."

Das Blaue Licht

Trailer (QuickTime Video) for Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light, 1932, directed by Leni Riefenstahl). From Pathfinder Pictures. Also... Soft Blue Light - Selected scenes from Leni Riefenstahl's "Das Blaue Licht" (Real Video 04:57) at Leni's Rising Star.

Original Soundtrack

Brian Joseph Davis... Original Soundtrack (2008) at UBUWEB Sound. "...Original Soundtrack is a live performance of 20 television sets and DVD players. On each DVD player is a different, commercially available movie left at its 'menu' stage. The DVDs all feature endlessly looping musical cues (this is a design feature found on approximately 50% of all DVDs). Performed using a customized mixer, loops are combined and stacked, resulting in a slightly unstable but scored performance."

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen... Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette (.mp3 audio 03:43). From the album Country Casanova (1973, Paramount Records). Also... Tex Williams' version of Smoke Smoke That Cigarette from 1947 (Flash Video 02:19).