The office I work in is not like most in my field. As I shuffle to my cubicle each morning with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, music in my ears and laptop bag slung over my shoulder I could swear I was sitting down to a call center job ready to hock another product people don’t need and not about to try to do something creative, which apparently we are supposed to be doing here in TV land. With a work place like this you can’t help but think about environments and how they effect you. It is overwhelming how these spaces define, alter, effect and reflect a person. They play important roles in our mood, decisions and over long enough periods of time our personality. The astounding reality is how little time, thought and effort many of us dedicate to crafting these spaces, these places where we as individuals will exist. With that thought clanging through my head I came across this great video. I want one!
I constantly dream of moving to New York, to live a life that never sleeps, mainlining the cities infectious energy and wrapping myself in all its culture, art and media. Today, though, as I read a review in NYT of Ivo van Hove’s stage interpretation of John Cassavetes 1977 film Opening Night this dream bubbled over into planning…ok, more like looking at apartments online that I can’t afford and turning a blind eye to all the fundamental road blocks and obstacles that stand in the way of my imminent departure…but back to the point. For me Cassavetes’ work embodies the soul of why art is meaningful. His ability to capture life’s moments in raw and unbridled ways and translate them, just as pure, through film to his audience made his work resonate in ways other films can only aspire to. He knew how to manipulate his environment, his actors and his camera with just the right subtle touches and direction that opened up emotional doors I didn’t know were possible by film. So to see his work brought to the stage in an interpretation that Ben Brantley felt did the film justice makes me most definitely intrigued. If you live in New York I recommend checking it out. If you don’t, go to you local indie movie store and rent a Cassavetes. My favorite? A Woman Under the Influence.
I meant to write about this a while ago but got distracted by life and it for that matter. I’m referring to the Design and the Elastic Mind online exhibit presented by MoMA. I can’t take credit for this find. It was brought to my attention by a marvelous musical blond barbie friend. Since her tip I just haven’t been able to get enough. This interactive exhibit is a celebration of the art of design and the vital role it plays as a medium between raw science and technology and society. In their words:
Design and the Elastic Mind explores the reciprocal relationship between science and design in the contemporary world by bringing together design objects and concepts that marry the most advanced scientific research with attentive consideration of human limitations, habits, and aspirations. The exhibition highlights designers’ ability to grasp momentous changes in technology, science, and history—changes that demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior—and translate them into objects that people can actually understand and use.
Click the link above. Enjoy. And brainstorm a good excuse for your boss for your inevitable plummet in productivity.
With D recently writing about Fucked Up I thought it appropriate to chat a bit about Daytortter, as the hardcore band from Toronto recently stopped by this middle-of-nowhere musical cauldron to stir up a fucked up session. I have a lot of respect for the crew at Daytrotter. In the crowded sea of music reviews and band interviews all scrambling to be the first to break news and discover artists, Daytrotter, and in particular their Daytrotter Sessions, look to interact with music in a way that produces something that adds and not subtracts, something with value and something that provides genuine insight. Their approach is simple: Invite bands as their traveling through America’s heartland (as they put it) to drop by their space, hangout, eat some food and play some music. These impromptu jam sessions lend bands an opportunity to experiment with old songs and test out new ideas. The sessions breath the electricity of witnessing something set sail with an end yet to be determined, where creating something good is only an option and whose guts and brash attitude towards their music can’t be denied. In the end the band and Daytrotter are left with a handful of recorded songs which they post to their site. With the tweaks and twists of post production stripped away these sessions give listeners a new angle and perspective on some great bands. Akin to La Blogotheque’s Take Away Shows or Pitchfork’s Juan’s Basement, Daytrotter is heading in a direction in which media should go; interacting with bands in a way that gets beyond the surface and leaving the world with added value instead of lost time. Plus they have some cool ass artists creating poster art of the bands that swing on by.
