Absurdity of art: author William Faulkner’s estate filed a lawsuit against Woody Allen for his use of a quote from a Faulkner novel

and yes film, when it’s film and not entertainment, is the ultimate art…

“faulkner’s likeness does not appear in the movie, but his words are quoted by owen wilson’s character. in a slight paraphrase of a line from faulkner’s novel ‘requiem for a nun,’ wilson’s character says, “the past is not dead! actually, it’s not even past.” the original quote reads, “the past is never dead. it’s not even past.”

unbelievable! petty! and of absolute bad taste… if anything woody allen has brought faulkner to a younger audience who would have mistaken him for owen wilson’s father-in-law. based on this absurd premise, jean luc godard should have been spending his life in court fending lawsuits instead of cooking culture. faulkner must have not left much money to his petty estate, who seem so desperate to make a buck. shame on them. see the film if you haven’t. its allen’s best film since manhattan. by uh

CATEGORIES: art, must see films

Wolf Magik: it never was by alexis blaire

a surprising new track from our friends “alexis blaire”. i heard the track “it never was” once and i downloaded the track from itunes. the album is a bit raw, and that’s great when it works, and it does at least on this track for me, but i’m a bit of a music snob if that says anything. if not, then i also prefer indians to cowboys, so there. by xy

CATEGORIES: clips, music

Martynka Wawrzyniak opening night at envoy for “smell me”

blood sweat and tears? well not quite, lets skip the blood.

it will all end in tears…. or in an armpit. polish artist martynka wawrzyniak demonstrates…

martynka wawrzyniak with sam and dawn goldworm

ucef hanjani and martynka wawrzyniak

photographer richard kern

“smell me” by martynka wawrzyniak was the perfect visceral self-portrait. one so intimate and original that either no one ever dared to do it, or one so intimate no one would have come to see it. that’s just 2 of the many good reasons why i went to see it.

“working with a research team of hunter college chemistry students under the guidance of professor donna mcgregor the artist underwent multiple experiments to collect aromatic elements from her body. she was subject to rigorous sessions to extract the concentrated essence of her sweat, tears, and hair to create an olfactory-based self-portrait that will engage visitors in a visceral form of communication without visuality as primary form.” – original post

the show will be up 10-20-2012 to 11-18-20012, at the new envoy gallery on 87 rivington street. with thanx to 12.29. by dd

CATEGORIES: art, backstage, ny places

“You Don’t Own Me”

in 2008 60% of voters were women.

alexa chung, lena dunham, tennessee thomas, karen elson, alia shawkat, mae whitman, tavi, zoe kravitz, and a pretty badass natasha lyonne, amongst many others, lip-sync to “you don’t own me” for womens rights. let’s rise up. our vote alone can win this election. a vote for obama is a vote for your health and your right to choose.  by cp

CATEGORIES: earth related, fashion birds: women of style

Monogamy is for Narcissists

“love has little to do with sex, and sex has nothing to do with love”

i think the discussion today warrants such a post. “monogamy is for narcissists”. these were the wise words of james brown… not the god-father of soul, lord bless his sex machine, but actually a good friend of mine who aint’ funky nor black. i didn’t need to research to conclude my philosophy on this which is basically that the taboo of sex is not only as absurd as god itself, like god its purely man-made. it serves to mask what we call “jealousy” and insecurity, both of which are unfortunate bodily-functions, that should at best be kept in the privacy of a bathroom. “the taboo of sex”s most useful function to date has been to sell us everything from lipstick, to clothes, to cars, to bras, to drinks, botox and cigarettes. almost every product has been marketed at one point or another with the promise of what should otherwise be prevalent, like the air we breath. but for all you obedient folks that will not dare question this, here’s a bit of research:

excerpts – “… today couples are led to believe that waning sexual passion, in enduring marriages, or sexual interest in anyone but their partner, portend a failed relationship, when in reality these things often signify nothing more than that we are simply humans or homo sapiens. our ancestors evolved in small-scale, highly egalitarian foraging groups that shared almost everything. anthropologists have demonstrated time and again that immediate-return hunter-gatherer societies are nearly universal in their so-called “fierce egalitarianism.” sharing is not just encouraged; it’s mandatory. most foragers divide and distribute food equitably, breast-feed one another’s babies, have little or no privacy from one another, and depend upon each other every day for survival. monogamy is simply un-natural to our being, and while we can choose what we wish, just as we can choose to be vegans, we can decide to lead sexually monogamous lives. but couples would be wise to remember that just because you’ve chosen to be vegan, it’s utterly natural to yearn for an occasional bacon cheeseburger.” – christopher ryan  by xy

CATEGORIES: musings, read

arguably the most beautiful table in the world

sometimes it take a plumber to cook the finest meal, and sometimes it takes an artist to make the most beautiful furniture… well maybe the plumber shouldn’t touch the food but the artist part is quite true.

“i’ve always questioned design of what i’ve seen and i’ve always designed the things and spaces around me” donald judd by ht

CATEGORIES: architecture, art