In only 12 or so hours, losing both Irvin Kershner (Director of The Empire Strikes Back) and Leslie Nielson (The great Canadian comedian) can be qualified a tragedy to both the world of film and art in general. Both men brilliant, this clip taken from 1998s Wrongfully Accused (where Nielson’s character is clobbered by a coffee table in a manner mimicing Han Solo when he’s frozen in carbonite) is a nod to Kershner’s Empire. It may explain things better to say that Wrongfully Accused is a spoof of 1993s The Fugitive, also starring Harrison Ford.
This is an art installation created by Mehmet Ali Uysal, displayed at the Chaudfontaine park in Belgium. The unusual park addition replicates the clip, a common smart tool used to hang clothes for drying. The giant clipper becomes the focal point of this particular area of the park shown below and looks great while adding a bit of originality to its surroundings. From what I understand, the installation hopes to raise awareness of the affect of modern art in regular situations, and I applaud. Art has the ability to transform a simple and unattractive space into an area that feels alive, and I’d love to see more installations like this in BC and Canada.
A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail …all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. George Orwell (Politics and the English Language. 1946)
Vimeo finally starts catering to the next generation of video comfort. For all of us that love to sit on our couch and not get up as often as possible (see. VLC Remote for iPhone), Vimeo introduces their new Couch Mode. Taken from Vimeo’s site:
Couch Mode is a special new section of Vimeo that allows you to watch collections of videos (such as Staff Picks, your inbox, your videos, etc.) completely uninterrupted like a TV channel. Just press play and grab the popcorn.
That’s not all. You can still do many of things you already do on the site today: like clips, add them to your Watch Later playlist, and get more information about videos and other users. We’re extremely excited about the potential!
Couch Mode is optimized for Google TV and will be available in the Spotlight section soon. Don’t have a Google TV? No worries, Couch Mode will work on your desktop too. However, we use a lot of HTML5 and CSS3 technology for this (no Flash!), so at the moment it will only work on Chrome and Safari.
Tomokazu Matsuyama’s work is similarly influenced by both the austerity of post-war contemporary art and the rough extravagancy of popular culture. An upbringing split between Japan and America spurred the questions of national and individual identity that figure prominently in the style and subject matter of his paintings – attempting to parse the “natural chaos” of our social environment, Matsuyama pushes viewers to confront their conceptions of cultural homogeneity, which seems to contradict notions of Japaneseness.
Joshua Liner Gallery
Matsuyama, born in 1976 now lives and works in NY. As a contemporary artist, he exhibits his work internationally showing in galleries and in institutions in cities from Tokyo, Osaka, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Vancouver to institutions such as Asian American Arts Centre.
There is something wonderful and exotic in the work he does, a world you hope to get lost in. At once surreal and vibrant, I love the palettes and shapes he uses.
One of my life’s pursuits is that of the perfect bow tie. A bow tie can be elegant and mature, it takes a certain type of man (or woman) to wear one without looking like a total goof. A bow tie is like denim, whether you’re going with something plain (black, a personal favorite), or something more out there, it can dress up or dress down an outfit and be a great way to express yourself.
As we approach Awards Gala/Christmas Party season, one’s thoughts may wander to one’s outfits and personally I want a bow tie that will pop. I like that you can throw together a simple black or grey suit and shirt and then just have a wicked bow tie and call it a night; currently, David Hart & Co. out of New York City are at the top of my list for their impressive Scottish wool bow ties, pictured above. A close contender, Hickey contains some of the more non-traditional bow ties such as the two pictured below, a skull & crossbones and hemp leaves make a definite impression on those around the man rocking these.
Another option available, take an old shirt or scarf you loved and make your own bow tie for a boutique, one-of-a-kind look you know no one will be able to rip off. One can only hope to wear it as well as Tom Davis of Brooks Brothers.
Remarkably eerie, yet beautiful painting by Portland based artist Josh Keyes. Keyes depicts a multi-faceted landscape where the creatures are left to adapt to new and often unsustainable environments.
Keyes’ work foretells what may happen to our planet’s creatures in the future, and conjures up many feelings, ranging from fear and helplessness to wonder and awe. To see more of his work, visit his website.
Extraordinary efforts are being made
To hide things from us, my friend.
Some stay up into the wee hours
To search their souls.
Others undress each other in darkened rooms.
The creaky old elevator
Took us down to the icy cellar first
To show us a mop and a bucket
Before it deigned to ascend again
With a sigh of exasperation.
Under the vast, early-dawn sky
The city lay silent before us.
Everything on hold:
Rooftops and water towers,
Clouds and wisps of white smoke.
We must be patient, we told ourselves,
See if the pigeons will coo now
For the one who comes to her window
To feed them angel cake,
All but invisible, but for her slender arm.
“This is the Man” embodying a tough, classic, handsome, and intelligent person featured in a button up dress shirt, in bunny ears stating “Man Should Be Brave,” and in a trench and boots stating “Eat Meat. Dress Well.” The French Connection Manifesto states, “Men have lost the ungentle art of manliness. The man in the street doesn’t know what to bring to a knife fight. He gets nervous around large fish. He can’t tie a full Windsor. Men have forgotten how to snap a bra open with a click of their fingers—women are undoing their own bras to save time! Meanwhile guys are eating little portions of leaves and putting too much gel in their hair. They are wearing t-shirts with dope leaves and robots on them when they are over 22 years-old.”
I think the problem is that we don’t really understand what we are. In essence we’re just a conceited, naked ape. But in our minds, we’re some sort of divine legend and we see ourselves as some sort of God. That we can walk around the Earth deciding who will live and who will die and what will be destroyed and what will be saved. But the fact is that we’re just a bunch of primates, out of control. Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
In April 18, 2007, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published the results of a recent joint study by the University of Reading and University of Cagliari that showed moderate consumptions of champagne may help the brain cope with the trauma of stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. The research noted that the high amount of the antioxidant polyphenols in sparkling wine can help prevent deterioration of brain cells due to oxidative stress.
During the study scientist exposed two groups of mice with blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay composition) and blanc de noir (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier based) and a control group with no exposure to champagne. All groups were then subjected to high levels of neurotoxicity similar to what the human brain experiences during inflammatory conditions.
The study found that the groups pretreated with exposure to Champagne had a higher level of cell restoration compared to the group that wasn’t. The study’s co-authors noted that it was too early to conclusively say that drinking champagne is beneficial to brain health but that the study does point researchers to more exploration in this area.
