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
gilles peress’s seminal publication documents life under the iranian regime during the late 1970s including the american embassy hostage crisis. telex iran is an extraordinarily personal document of a public event. the photographs peress took over a five-week period during 1979-1980 focus on the seizure of the american embassy and a number of hostages in tehran by student proxy groups of the new iranian regime. however, the book forms neither a study nor an analysis of that singular event. peress’ photographs do not purport to tell the story – any story – but are the nearly seismographic record of the photojournalist’s perceptions, encounters, and not least, his emotions as he moves through the city and the countryside of a nation in upheaval. involved one day, alienated the next; insightful in tabriz, at sea in qom; attracted to one subject, repelled by another, telex iran beats out the raw rhythms of iran’s dislocations, both historical and individual. first published in 1984, this exceptionally designed book established gilles peress’ reputation as a documentary photographer. originally published by aperture and contrejour in 1984. this is the scalo edition from 1997 published in the same trim size but in hardcover. price $1,250 signed at dashwood books. by ar
a new exhibit with previously unseen photographs by jim marshall at the san francisco art exchange (SFAE).
almost 60 years after the creation of the CND peace symbol, marshall’s body of “peace” photographs is a “beautiful and thoughtful reflection from one of the most celebrated photographers of the twentieth century,”
no on the travel ban oakland 1965
the exhibit is in celebration of the release of marshall’s new book jim marshall: peace, released byreel art press, according to a press release. the forward is written by street artist shepard fairey, the book’s text is written by peter doggett… and joan baez, provides the book’s afterword
peace walk for nuclear disarmament golden gate park 1962
free speech rally telegraph ave. berkeley 1968
marshall was one of the most recognized photographs in the history of music. he also explored the changing times of the 1960s, photographing the creativity and celebrity. he started documenting the CND peace symbol and peace rallies as a personal project, reel art press writes. the photographs had remained in his archives until now. the photographs were taken between 1961 and 1968 across america.
new york city photographed at newport folk festival in 1963
jim marshall 1936-2010
the CND peace symbol was designed in 1958 by gerald holtom for the british campaign for nuclear disarmament, reports reel art press. the symbol then spread from the uk to the us. marshall’s photographs document the symbol’s different meanings over time, starting as a symbol for “ban the bomb”-specific protests, and ending up as an international sign for peace. by xy
war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength… and also… don’t believe anything you read… not sure where that leaves us now!? – george orwell
last year it was announced that emmanuel guibert had received the prestigious position of head of drawing and etching at the académie des beaux arts. two years prior another cartoonist was also elected to the same post. these two position elections mark the first time in the school’s history that artists from the world of bande-dessinée earned academic leadership positions.
guibert himself behaves rather atypically for a cartoonist, such that his work extends often off of the drafting table, and at times is not present in the bound product. his work is first and foremost reportage. reintroduction and rearragment of historical documents, biographical passages, and journalistic endeavors, to the greater public.
tooling with mark-marking then becomes a gesture in time-appreciation and time-depreciation, as the main bodies of the work (foreground, middle-ground, background, character) each behave with different autonomies. a beachy bank is not substitutable to the soldier warring along it. In the same way that the soldier to his enemy. and yet they are kindred in kind, just like the bank and the soldier are kindred in matter. the problem of representation and depiction in historical/biographical bd is taken head on by guibert in a rhythmic, systematic (bordering just so in an aesthetic) manner.
the relationships between the bodies goes beyond form alone. it all coexists, and yet is appreciable only when it is acknowledged as belonging to different planes.
marjane satrapi opens up the conversation in a wider manner with her seminal work persepolis.
autobiographical, belonging to her child-self, returning to far-away and long-away. the line in satrapi’s work is her hand, it is not representative in that sense – it depicts events. in that way then she is able to go wherever she wishes. she has flattened the dimension of time and space such that they are her’s to recover and pry into freely.
not much more needs to be said here about her work itself. it would be a disservice to the already extensive conversation that has surrounded the comic.
finally we get to tardi. who reaches past guibert’s body of work and satrapi’s persepolis. his work, if we are to continue holding these three together in our arms, neighbors satrapi’s later broderies. As both communicate with the deep past (the past not lived by the author) in an emotional capacity. both authors are trying to assess the past. such that the factual nature of either of their works is structure not content. it braces the emotive potential, the oniric potential of polemical and anecdotal issues, of their works.
tardi, son and grandson of soldiers, bears little resemblance to the patriot of today. for he knows it is person that makes country. it is then country that severs, massacres person. country is not an identity, it is a set of behaviors imposed on person. war happens upon person, not country.
note the slight gray variations in scenery, and even characters
tardi’s line is exquisite in its trustworthiness, it is free to wander with surgical accuracy the depth of human expression. he builds (seemingly from day one) a robust vocabulary of line that continues to serve him throughout his career – changing only to improve and clarify, not to reinvent. in that steadfast manner, tardi opens himself up in a way that an american might understand lynchian routine. do the same thing, eat the same food, appreciate the same landscapes, everyday – dream then, whole and free. ultimately tardi is the progenitor of sturdy lines out which limits seldom cross the reader’s mind.
each of these artists, i want to make clear here, operate with comparable sturdiness. the matter does not change between either. they are cut from the same cloth and it is a wonder that their sensibilities are so closely tender, for as reader it is the great gift of opening any of their books.
they are cut from the same cloth and it is a wonder that their sensibilities are so closely tender, for as reader it is the great gift of opening any of their books. by lsd
we lost ryuichi sakamoto this year. he left us with 12, a wrestled arragment of piano pieces that extend into the ultimate vision of his late-career desire – to make music outside of time. the pieces are grounded in the earth, they rustle sound and speak at a geological pace that might fulfill his desire. though his time is the time of all humans. nonhumans, like rocks and tables, behave differently. albums like 12 exist among them. it is with hope that we conclude our thoughts on the work of this brilliant musician.
i wish to return then to a profoundly human time scale. a song, in an otherwise largely instrumental lp, that is so sensitive and intimate it has to be spoken in a handful of languages. a song then for humans, not humanity. ‘fullmoon’ is first and foremost a poem (like all work where capital b beauty is the chief concern) repeated by various speakers in their mother tongues. here goes :
because we don’t know when we will die
we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well
yet everything happens only a certain number of times
and a very small number, really
how many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood
some afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive your life without it?
perhaps four or five times more
perhaps not even that
how many more times will you watch the full moon rise?
perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems limitless
a heartwrenching admittance by a composer yearning to extend the realm of his consciousness by conceiving outside of mortality. sound then as prolongation. sound not as wave but as matter itself. here though we have a complete recroquevillement into the human stratum. the poem operates like a laurie anderson poem, or a björk lyric. it is plainly apparent – the joke is that there is none. the gift is that it is all yours. it is all yours. and if you listen closely you’ll note that each reading gives, by the various language structures, entirely different tones. begging then to forever wonder how well can one text hope to keep its integrity? who’s to say? and yet, ryuichi sakamoto is clear. it is memory that lasts, not our ability to maintain its sanctity. i hope he was well aware of how much reached out to his listener, and how warmly his listener embraced his music. how solid his grasp was on matters of the heart.
continue the journey into intra-place with a link to an actualized, albeit digital, library of babel. here, the inconceivable magnitude of borges’ celebrated thought experiment is contained to within the maddening pace of a single screen at a time. in jonathan basile’s ever so thoughtful digital rendition find also the exploratory purpose that the edifice of the story itself corrupts in the human soul. you are not alarmed, you are here. find firm ground in totality by reducing the effect of the accomplishment. it is not geological scale that dictates this monument, it is the atomic scale. you are here and will never get there. rest within yourself the pride that drives you to peruse the stacks that populate the shelves.
there are moments in notre-dame des fleurs that reverbate. they shake the terrain, and the words become buzzing entities. as gesture turns to caress and exchanges pronounce lullabies genet pierces his way in and out of the novel and the novel being told. i refuse to attempt a reading of his work beyond these observations. i refuse to remember the work through anyone else’s eyes and to accentuate other’s lives into the novel. knowing genet’s novel is simply to have read it an innumberable amount of times and to find in it the same tin soldier, the same procession, the same bed, and the same river bank. in that way the novel remains the same as genet wrote it. it is his to traverse and to tangle/untangle. this is his. i cannot wish more from it, as it expresses wholly the desire of his entrapment. willfully pressed against the most unsavory walls.
“oh luke, you wild, beautiful thing. you crazy handful of nothin’.”
“hell, he’s a natural-born world-shaker.”
compare to cool hand luke the condition of captivity. The softness of both genet and luke’s abject desires. in them both i find myself not wanting to go further, neither past the boundaries of what they provide nor into the grating dithering of peoples’ opinion.
salcedo anchors into the seed of this thought reassurance. that as she herself shares of her own work the status of secondary witness to violence. by way of building upon and reconfiguration she pierces the nature of the objects under her gaze, into testaments. their claims to violence solidified by the intervention she musters. enclosed or gouged, the object is preserved – so then is maintained its potential for ongoing intrusion.
pressing into the comet, trailing such as it is by lsd
george porcari x roland barthes – still life with books
george porcari x michelangelo antonioni
THINGS: A STORY… if you are in cali, be sure to visit george porcari’s exhibit at “as is gallery” on 1133 venice blv in los angeles. one of our favorite contemporary artists on the west coast. the show is up from april 22, 2023
george porcari x roberto rossellini
“these still life works were started in 2008 and continue, on and off, to this day. i have been in a deep immersion with books from early on when my dad would regularly take me to the gardena public library – he hated buying books and loved to read. from being an avid reader i went to work at the strand bookstore in new york city in 1980…”
george porcari x john cassavetes
george porcari x joan didion
george porcari x jean luc godard
george porcari x jean luc godard
“i never considered reading something one does strictly for “self-improvement” (god forbid) or even for pleasure, although these may play a role. my primary reason for reading was to enter into a relationship with an author that could, ultimately, transform my brain – in effect one is a different person after reading a book with which one has had a profound emotional connection. that’s what you look for in books – transformation, ecstasy, understanding, communion. these are some of those books in my life…”
george porcari x james joyce
george porcari x charles bukowski
george porcari x cesar vallejo
“while working in the library i would get a cold every new year like clockwork – always during our three week year end vacation. in 2008 i decided to turn my self-isolation to working from home by making still life’s – a genre i had never liked (and still don’t like) in paintings or photography. all the pictures were shot in my apartment using natural light and/or the light available from nearby lamps. the title of the show things: a story comes from georges perec’s wonderful book things: a love story. while i may have removed the word “love” from the title i think love is very much at the heart of the matter when it comes to these particular books, and the still life’s are a small way of paying back and saying thanks.” – george porcari, 2023
some notes by judy zellen on the exhibition including discussions with the artist: “the subject of each photograph in george porcari’s exhibition things: a story is a narrative that can be constructed from the relationship between what appears on the cover of a book and the objects porcari has also placed around it in the image. titled still life with books, each picture is followed by a number and dated 2008-2023. Shot with natural light in porcari’s los angeles apartment, the pictures have wide-screen proportions to reference cinema, yet are tightly cropped to juxtapose the books with carefully arranged commonplace household objects. while many of the volumes are about filmmakers such as jean-luc godard, michelangelo antonioni or roberto rossellini, others are works of literature by authors like joan didion, roland barthes, charles bukowski and georges perec. the choice of books is specific and in many of his photographs, porcari has chosen a book where a black and white portrait of the author or filmmaker is centered in the frame.
though referred to as “still life’s,” the photographs in things: a story resonate as extended portraits that use the title of the book and its cover image as a point of departure. for example, in still life with books 2, porcari chooses the edition of “roland barthes by roland barthes” where the author is depicted in a black and white photograph with his right hand gently placed below his lips as if in a moment of contemplation. the book rests on what appears to be a slim, silver DVD player or radio receiver next to a pair of headphones, a green ceramic bowl with asian calligraphy, as well as other miscellaneous objects that are cut off at the edges.
The focus of Still Life With Books 40 is joan didion’s “the white album.” porcari places the hardback book in an empty freezer and stands it upright on one of the shelves, perhaps in reference to this passage: “we live entirely, especially if we are writers, by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the “ideas” with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience.” during a conversation with porcari at the opening, he intimated that he put the book in the freezer based on his close reading of it.
still life with books 47 features a paperback version of “godard on godard” face up on a table surrounded by various computer cables and hard drives. the bright red lettering on the books cover is echoed by the round top of a pill bottle as well as the red heart in a “i heart…” button that is partially obscured by the aluminum arm of a desk lamp. the black and white photograph surrounded by red text on the cover of the book depicts a couple gazing into each other’s eyes with the woman’s hand gently placed on the man’s neck. underneath the book is a cartoony drawing of a white gloved cartoon hand (perhaps from bugs bunny) on blue material, that appears to be an extension of the man’s arm, adding a touch of humor and irony to his representation.
still life with books 130 contains césar vallejo’s “aphorisms” placed in a grimy sink and shot from above. the book is next to the drain and adjacent to a soapy cup from which an orange handled utensil emerges. again, porcari selects a volume with a black and white portrait of the author with his hand curled around his chin. the grainy image has an affinity with the texture of the sink. why it is placed there is anyone’s guess, but like didion’s book in the freezer, this strange juxtaposition makes for an interesting image.
although porcari’s photographs are filled with cultural icons and references, they are not one liners directed to those in the know. they are intimate and personal images that include books that are significant or have personal meaning for porcari. they are also beautiful and intriguing photographs that invite viewers to think about the bigger picture and perhaps the relationship between their books and the other objects that surround them.”
read read more of judy zellen here … start taking notes people… – by uh
“the antonioni adventure”, by george porcari (published by delancy press) is a must have for any antonioni fan. this 248 page book covers the career of the italian film director, and is accompanied by historic and rare images from his films… we got a copy in hand and had to share it.
production still from red desert
if you appreciate italian cinema and the genius that is michelangelo antonioni, you will love this book. george porcari, a professor, artist, and historian in his own right, who also happens to be one of antonioni’s biggest fans, meanders through antonioni’s films with grace and wit, putting new light on this master of cinema. the book was beautifully put together and designed by new york based design studio ceft and company. the limited edition book (300 copies), has an embossed, soft touch cover, and off-white matte paper interior pages. they are elegantly printed with dark grey text on an , which is easy on the eyes.
spread from chapter 4 on blow up
production stills from the eclipse
chris kraus, author of i love dick, torpor, and where art belongs, has this to say about the book:
“more than half a century after they were made, antonioni’s films remain singular and charged with mystery, existing both in and outside of their time. a photographer and filmmaker himself, george porcari’s critical understanding of antonioni is also a spiritual understanding of art and how it is made. porcari positions antonioni’s films within a larger cultural history without diminishing their singularity. this book makes antonioni’s work newly alive.”
pages 96 & 97 off-white matte paper elegantly printed with dark grey text
collage spread from chapter 5 on zabriskie point
… here’s what artist julia scher had to say upon her read… “the antonioni adventure offers a fascinating look at the disturbing eye of antonioni – in their time the films were about really seeing anew. dissuaded by alienation george porcari rocks thru what might have been called, in an earlier day, pure adventure.” – julia scher, artist, author of tell me when you’re ready – works from 1990-1995
this is a great book to take on a trip and just get lost in a world of emotional turmoil and fascinating mystery. if you missed the book launch and the book signing, you can still pick up a signed, limited edition copy at dashwood books in new york city (33 bond street) or at the gucci bookstore in soho nyc (63 wooster street) for $35, or buy it online here. by vk
this is dan carlin, i just wish our history teachers where this enthusiastic and this intelligent to understand that history can be taught in a manner that is fascinating and beneficial for future generations…
dan carlin is an american political commentator and podcaster. he has several episodes on historical topics that can be downloaded from itunes onto your phone under the titles: “common sense” and “hardcore history.”
he is genuine enough, and intelligent enough, to always point out what parts are recorded facts and what parts are interpretations by various historians, all of which should be taken with a grain-of-salt and researched independantly. you will NOT find any alternative facts in these pod casts, “believe me.”
my favorite is the series hardcore history, blueprint for armageddon. when this was first recommended to me by hk i thought, a) i don’t do podcasts, and b) there is no way i’m going to listen to so many hours of some dude talking. mind you, i have gone through the entire episode and i listened to the last one several time because i simply did not want to end it. highly recommended. here is the link to dan’s website, or you can simply go to the podcasts icon on your i-phone and type in “hardcore history.” its free for the time being (but i think dan should start charging for these). enjoy the show. by uh
the lingering obsession with antonioni’s 1966 film blow up might have been answered in an upcoming book titled the antonioni adventure by george porcari.
excerpt from page 84 and 85
“siegfried kracauer described the detective as an essentially modern figure who is on a rational quest for meaning and narrative closure. it is the detective who uses logic, keen observation and deductive skills to assemble fragmentary details into a meaningful narrative and thereby arrive at the truth, but does he? blow-up is a meditation on this question.” – george porcari
observing life’s narrative, to search for a truth that may or may not be obtainable, might be exactly what creates intrigue. for me, i can’t help but meditate on that. by jj
my latest find is odiseo – a biannual publication that offers both visual and intellectual stimuli circulating around erotic photography and contemporary essays. the most interesting aspect of odiseo is that it balances philosophical stories and essays with images that lie in between art and erotica. odiseo is a project initiated by barcelona based design agency folch.
‘we do define ourselves as erotic, but not as a magazine. as opposed to most magazines we do not seek to publish current content, but rather speculative essays dealing with topics that may or may not be of relevance in the near future.’
– pol pérez
odiseo vol.7 is dedicated to the notion of truth. the issue is launched as a triptych, which was shot by photographer juan hernández. in this publication you’ll find a sensitive approach with photographic essays by one of my favorite photographers, paul jung, as well as some great written opinion pieces including eugenia lapteva and hans frederik jacobsen. by lb
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
