coney island

when the humans ruled the earth

I admire people who take the time to draw. More so when they take the time to think & care and to create something which is beautiful and sublime. This freehand animated short by Stephen Ong overviews the many ways in which humans are so harmful to the earth. Its subtle beauty suggest that maybe if we all cared and thought a little bit more about our impact perhaps we would act differently. The oh so modern brush-off is captured perfectly by the billboard slogan "what's the worst that could happen". It might have been an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs but it will be something far worse that ends our days on earth. via the L mag

When Humans Ruled the Earth from Stephen Ong on Vimeo.

naked

Walking through the Met's modern wing the other day I was struck by some works by Philip Pearlstein. My taste doesn't usually gravitate towards the nude, I prefer work which I can read, steeped in  references that allow my brain to turn over. However, Pearlstiens pieces took me aback.  There were a few large canvases facing you as you walked up the stairs, the bodies draped and draping and enveloping the corner of the room. Perhaps I have been to quick to judge the nude, perhaps it is, in its bare essence, the truly original historical reference?

Pearlsteins nude possess an essence of power or of magic. They are at once honest and alluring, vulnerable and powerful, they are commonplace and at the same time posed. In their nakedness the models reveal the heaviness of their bodies, their imperfections made more obvious by the matte application of paint, studied under studio lighting. His realism moves away from the nude-as-symbolic-artifact and in to the territory of the body as form. Pearlstein's framing lopping off parts of their bodies (such as their heads) shows reference to photography and the way in which it has changed the way we perceive and frame the human body. Mr. Pearlstein's unlovingly slow execution almost punishes the viewer for intruding upon his scopophilia, his own private obsessive absorption in the act of seeing - David Cohen via art critical. 

Cohen Compares Pearlsteins execution to that of Ingres, however his reference differs. Pearlstien began working with the nude during 60's modernism, a time when to paint the figure was passe. Pearlstein applies late modernist theory to art-historical subject and what he gets is essentially po-mo. Through  unexpressive touch, stylized cropping and foreshortening, and awkward, affectless poses Pearlstein re-invents the nude. It references the history of the nude, but it reveals nothing. 

hmm, maybe an essay lurks beneath the surface here- i'll put Pearlstein on my list for art school!

Smile

Yesterday was a typical New York day. Shopping, wandering and absorbing the atmosphere of the city sandwiched between two amazing meals. LC and I started off at The Smile on recommendation from Russh Magazine. We met up with Lisa, a friend from London who has just moved back to the states and is looking for jobs and apartments in the city. We enjoyed delicious sandwiches and iced tea, perfect for the hot weather. It is such a fantastic little place, very moody with great food and great service. It wasn't surprising that Naomi Watts was enjoying a sandwich at the next table (celeb siting no1). After lunch we went down to the Opening Ceremony store on Howard street and I purchased an Alexander Wang T. Its such a good feeling when you invest in a beautifully crafted t shirt that you know you will feel confident in every time you wear it. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the lower east side, had a coopers pale at an australian bar and then went up to washington square. It was lovely balmy night and there were people everywhere including a busking band with a piano! 

 At 10:30 we headed to Delicatessen on Prince and LaFayette. LC and I had read about their amazing fish Taco's on food-porn blog Maison des Reveries. We had cocktails and the most amazing food and generally enjoyed the indulgence of eating dinner at such a late hour. After that we caught a cab (my first in NYC and the first car I had been in since my birthday in May). All in all it was a pretty fantastic day. I am in love with this city! 

Annie Hall

Last night Lc, James Flame and I went over to Brooklyn to watch Annie Hall under the brooklyn Bridge. It was a fantastic experience and the view was amazing! We could see the lights of Manhattan, the staten island ferry and even the statue of liberty in the background. We ate sour skittles and Pizza and watched Woody Allens classic film. On the way home we walked over the Brooklyn bridge which was beyond amazing (except for the bit when a guy walked towards us with a giant albino python and I totally freaked out! only in New York!). What a fantastic night!

Sitting in the Park

Diary of an Unemployed Class of '10 Philosophy Major in New York City, Part 3

by Sam Biddle via The Awl

I am not entirely sure what networking is, and I’m not sure anyone else is either. I am somewhat sure that I am not doing it. I’ve been given the gist of it before. I know that it’s all about meeting the right people, andmaking new contacts, and following up and other italicized things. L___ takes it upon himself now and then to explain it to me—frustrated, exasperated—how one can turn a stranger into an employer. L___, who graduated with me, has a very good job, and is in a constant state of networking. He networks on the toilet. He networks during acid rain storms. Were the Nazis invading Manhattan he would network to the bitter end, and might even extract himself from the ensuing occupation with a few deft emails.

Sometimes I help L___ with his laptop, and in return he sublimates his disgust and horror at my lack of careerism into a sort of benevolent mercy; the kind one might direct toward a friend’s mentally challenged younger brother who needs help tying his shoes. He wants the best for me. He knows I have it in me, somewhere. He saw the zeal and determination with which I used to lie on my couch and watch MTV Jams in college—if only he could bring Mystikal out of retirement (prison?) to help him coach me.

I suppose the crassness of it bothers me. But I’m not naive—I know that getting ahead requires the killer instinct, the Will to Handshake. I’m not afraid to be cutthroat to find work that I want. I’m cynical enough. I can be coldhearted. I registered online for a Bolt Bus account not for the convenience, but just so that I could board before the rest of the line and see the looks on their faces. But to feign a jolly round of schmoozing and winking that underlies asking-but-not-asking for a job—is this all there is? Would it really be so taxing on the self to just call networking bald, shameless self-interest? Ethical egoism has a long, proud history here—nobody should be afraid.

Heat-Wave

goodness gracious it is hot hot hot in NY at the moment. As my Grandma would say "its 100 degree's in the shade" and I'm not kidding. LC and I went to Brooklyn today and trekked through the blazing heat to find a little place that had been recommended to me: a vegan-fixed-gear cafe called Boneshakers. Unfortunately for us, after walking through the midday heat, we arrived to find that its was 100 degrees in the cafe as well. Their blackboard out the front said "we are a fan of fans" and it was true, they had fans, and very obligingly provided us with ice and water. We had the Merckx  works (a tofurkey sandwich) and LC was rather surprised to find that I knew all this stuff about its namesake, the cycling hero Eddy Merckx. After having worked at Rapha for a few weeks it seemed that I had absorbed some kind of cycling knowledge via osmosis. Really, I had just read this. haha! Anyway, it was so, so, so hot that we basically melted. Its hard because I'm only in New York for a short time but literally it is too hot to do anything. We saw a girl being put in an ambulance today on Bedford Ave for what I can only assume was heat stroke, poor love. The heat has obviously tampered with my brain (also the jet lag) and I am beginning to realise that my sentence construction is less than coherent. I will leave you with a video and a list.

Freedom Tunnel from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

Things to do Tomorrow

Coffee at Rapha NY

CBGB's and Joey Ramone Place

lounging in the park

meet LC and go to MOMA

(keep cool with the art)

Fish Tacos

Annie Hall at open air cinema in Brooklyn 

OR Literary Upstart Finals yes please!

Hopefully I will be over my jet-lag

Video by Carlito Brigante of Grafitti in the Freedom tunnel in Manhattans West side via the L Magazine

dreams do come true

Can't believe I am finally here. I can see the Empire State Building and the Chrysler from the window. Can't wait to get stuck in to it tomorrow. ZOMG!