this blog is a visual notebook of inspirations for a group of bandit bloggers. we post things we see and like. our lives don’t revolve around singular topics and neither does our blog. sorry! nothing is in-or-out of context here. enjoy xx
GYAKUSOU officially debuted back in october of 2010, tokyo cool meets functional futurism. each of the pieces were tried and tested by jun takahashi’s own running crew, and prioritized function and movement above all – such as the inaugural collection’s shorts, which had pockets in places that wouldn’t affect a wearer’s movement. the first release also introduced the imprints infamous lightweight running jacket, a piece continually reinterpreted throughout the history of GYAKUSOU. all that maybe back in the end of 2026 releases. i have a few pieces but would love to pick up new pairs and jackets. read more here… good luck getting your hands on em. by uh
julian assange documentary by DW which is the german public broadcast service
good one to watch. for some he’s a hero. for the U.S. government, he was public enemy number one. certainly, his revelations challenged U.S. power. this film follows the wikileaks founder’s extraordinary life story. with the publication of thousands of secret us military and diplomatic documents in 2010, wikileaks ushered in a new information age.
suddenly, thanks to founder julian assange, state secrets were out in the open — and under scrutiny. for many journalists and activists, assange was a pioneer who used new technologies to evade both censorship and reprisals. for others, he symbolized an openness that could bring both nation states and multinational corporations to their knees.
if wars can be started by lies… peace can be started by he truth… – julian assange
for seven years, assange sought refuge in the ecuadorian embassy in london. after that, he spent five years in a british high-security prison facing us charges of espionage carrying a potential sentence of 175 years. following a deal with the U.S. department of justice, he was finally released in the summer of 2024. the film tells the story of julian assange and asks the question: in a world of radical change, what remains of the fight for truth?’ what more on edward snowden –by dd
amon düül began in 1967 as a munich-based, radical political art commune. a group of artists calling themselves, in part, after the egyptian sun god amon… and the second word düül was originally based on… well it had no intended meaning at all. they released four official albums during their active run, plus a fifth posthumous release. i guess if you the like the can or ye (or as werner herzog once called him; kenya east) you gotta kinda know these guys. by bb
also look for original 1971 documentary “veruschka – poetry of a woman”
veruschka (born vera gottliebe anna von lehndorff) was one of the defining supermodels of the 1960s, standing around 6 ft 3 in (190 cm)—an extraordinary height for a fashion model at the time. born into a prussian aristocratic family, her father was executed by the nazis in 1944 after being linked to the plot to assassinate adolf hitler, a tragedy that profoundly shaped her life. she became famous for her chameleon-like ability to transform her appearance, often using dramatic makeup and body paint to disappear into characters rather than simply model clothes. she also made a memorable cameo in michelangelo antonioni’s materpiece BLOW UP, the iconic 1966 film that captured the era’s fashion scene. in the 1980s, after falling out of fashion’s spotlight, with editors demanding younger and younger models, she reinvented herself as a performance artist, collaborating with photographers on elaborate art photography. along with nico from the velvet underground she was the other tall german “cool girl” in NY. by xy
maaaan, i wish i could do that! well done… cover of dead man theme, an amazing film by jim jarmusch, with this hypnotic soundtrack by neil young covered here by the dirty diary. support all musicians. by dd
albrecht durer painted his self-portrait in 1500, so struth’s alte pinakothek, self-portrait, munich 2000 feels like a conversation between artists across 500 years. thomas struth/promised gift to the national gallery of art from the collection of robert e. meyerhoff and rheda becker.
german photographer thomas struth is globally famous for his museum photographs series, capturing large, detailed shots of people silently observing iconic masterpieces at institutions like the louvre. for a more playful take, austrian photographer stefan draschan’s people matching artworks features candid images of museum visitors unintentionally matching the colors, patterns, and poses of paintings. by jp
“adam curtis cancels the future” – frieze magazine
we are living through strange days. across britain, europe and america, societies have become split and polarised. there is anger at the inequality and the ever growing corruption – and a widespread distrust of the elites.
but despite the chaos, there is a paralysis – a sense that no one knows how to escape from this. “can’t get you out of my head” tells how we got to this place. and why both those in power – and we – find it so difficult to move on.
at its heart is the strange story of what happened when people’s inner feelings got mixed up with power in the age of individualism. how the hopes and dreams and uncertainties inside people’s minds met the decaying forces of old power in britain, america, russia and china. what resulted was a block not just in the society – but also inside our own heads – that stops us imagining anything else than this.
the primary thesis in adam curtis’s film: can’t get you out of my head, seems to be that individualism has failed us. across eight hours, curtis focuses on different revolutionary figures and those proximate to power and how we have been offered and fed today:
“just another version of you had yesterday… and never a different tomorrow”.
he explores psychology theory and “the psyche of isolation that festers in the suburbs to create a dizzying picture of how we have arrived at such a narcissistic moment in time. curtis suggests that the future has been cancelled because political leaders no longer have ideas for what’s next. instead, he argues, they run campaigns of perception management – a term originated by the us military to describe the manipulation and distribution of selected information into foreign countries.
these control systems move us from states of hysteria and fear to apathy, indignance and then back again. an event back in 2012 like r/wallstreetbets – in which online reddit traders challenged wall street elites at their rigged financial system – is an example of a shock that was momentarily all-consuming then almost forgotten in our minds.
soon, the next shitstorm arrives, and the cycle repeats, but the underlying power structures remain intact. put another way: curtis claims that society today simply reinforces itself, and everything reworks the past – not least the filmmaker himself.” by bb
in film news i just saw koln75 by ido fluk a young german/american director – terrific film about the young woman who organized the famous koln concert by keith jarrett in 1975 and kick started his solo concert career. beautifully done chamber piece for a small cast. by jp
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
