Concrete Playground: You're the Spitting Image of Your Former Self

Feature on Buenos Aires artist Irina Werner who goes Back to the Future. Click here.

Concrete Playground: Lego Camera

Check out the 3-Mega pixel Lego camera. Fortunately the pieces don't come off so you won't find yourself scrambling on on all fours looking for the last pieces but you can customise it by adding your own! See feature and stockist here.

The Type Writer - By Michael Winslow

History of the typewriter recited by Michael Winslow from SansGil—Gil Cocker on Vimeo.


An ode to the history of the type-writer by Police Academy's very own Michael Winslow.

The Bedroom Philosopher (Northcote - So Hungover)

The Bedroom Philosopher is a Melbourne based art-folk humourist.


Northcote - So Hungover is a satirical take on the whole indie band schtick, both visually and lyrically.

The video was directed by Craig Melville and produced by David Curry (both of The Money Shot) and is doing the Film Festival rounds as we speak. For it's plethora of awards check here.

Not bad at all.

Concrete Playground: Hipstamatic For the iPhone - An Exhibition

'Budding' photographers rejoice! Hipstamatic for iPhone now has been officially recognised as a digital revolution... How ironic that we have come so far with technology and yet all we want to do is revert back to the old.. sans the effort of course. Check the whole feature here.

Concrete Playground: French Urban Art Invasion

Benedetto Bufalino and Benoit Deseille invade the urban terrain by showcasing a collaboration between those 'old' discarded city peripherals and the beauty of nature. 


Behold an aquarium in a phone-booth! Whole feature here.

Concrete Playground: Space Invaders Take to the Streets

French artist Invader believes in a world where 1970's Space Invaders sprinkle the globe's streets. Click for full feature.

Concrete Playground: Crumpled City Maps

Crumpled City map that aren't adverse to a good shoving!


See the article here.

Jonathan de Villiers: Fast Food Marathon

Acclaimed photographer Jonathan de Villiers unconvers the secret to a marathon runners' success: LOTS OF CALORIES! Click here to take a look at the whole feature.

Tilt Series by Romain Laurent

Whole Tilt Series by Romain Laurent here.

Offline Sharing Made a Reality via The Dead Drop Project

US artist Adam Bartholl wants you to get online on the streets of NY. He's installed USB flash-drives throughout the city and welcomes anyone w/ a laptop to plug in & share! Get on it here.

Le Le - Breakfast

This French collective known as LE LE have got the beats down. The above song Breakfast is mind blowing and the visuals are thanks to Dutch skateboarder, artist, illustrator and all-round entrepreneur Parra.

Richard Kern & VBS.TV = In Various States of Undress - Naturally.

Last night was the opening night of Richard Kern's exhibition 'Shot by Kern Europe'. It was an affair like so many other (Vice) affairs before it. Upon entering the Hoxton Square exhibition I was greeted with a number of portraits lining bleak white walls. The portraits were of semi-nude / completely nude girls partaking in some menial activity. Smoking a bong/joint, embracing in the forest, lying on a bed, brushing teeth etc. The exhibition follows Kern on a six-country European tour in which he shot girls in various states of undress.

Initially I felt like I was in some parallel universe; staring at complete porn with 10 guys standing around me also 'appreciating' Kern's work. There was even a video in a small separate room that watched as a curvy Spanish lass sultrily swayed in front of the camera before removing her bra and then drawing on herself (boobs, stomach, bottom) with a purple texta. But the best had to be the one from the photographer's classic 'Up-Skirt' Series. A 4x5 display of 20 different standing ladies from the perception of someone who uses a camera while lying between their legs. Birds eye view, indeed.

Enjoy.

The dark-haired girl in the end photo of the above work is in fact the drummer in the Big Pink and singer and drummer in punk-rock noise-machine Comanechi. I had previously interviewed Comanechi and as a result instantly recognised her photo. Later outside I ran into her and congratulated her. It went something along the lines of: "Congratulations I think everyone in Shoreditch has now seen your boobies". My interview with her will be in the next issue of 'SUP Mag.

Speaking of quite a few east-end girls I know were approached to have their own semi/completely nude photos taken by the infamous US photographer. All but one refused. For her efforts Jana will be paid £50. Ch-ching.

Admittedly I will say that the very popular (I wonder why?) VBS.TV behind the scenes series is a rather interesting watch. The show interviews the girls in the photos about why they've agreed to be shot in such compromising positions etc. Obviously the Americans always have the most inane responses.

Alex Noble x Lady Gaga

Top photo: Noble's Carnival Muero head piece.
 
British fashion designerr Alex Noble indulges in the avant-garde. He's a left-field player who releases his inner being through painting, styling, designing and curating. 

It's been a very busy year for this 26-year-old Londoner and Lady Gaga is very lucky to have him on her team. Along with fellow creatives; Nicola Formichetti (Creative director for Dazed & Confused Mag), Fred Butler and Craig Lawrence, Noble has been busy contributing to the Haus of Gaga. Lady Gaga is no longer just one woman, she's a global brand held up high by many MANY international artists.

Gaga's sports Noble's white lace body-suit & shoes at the 2010 Brit Awards.

Gaga wears Noble's red bondage strap-suit for music video Bad Romance

I had a chat with Noble in his De Beauvoir studio about his childhood, work habits and the path that lead him to the busiest time of his life. Today welcomes Alex Noble; a man who at university was told he was 'more of a stylist than a designer' and in turn 'didn't do so well'. Today welcomes Alex Noble; a designer who is commissioned by stylists to create their visions.

Interview coming soon!

Also look out for Alex's favourite London haunts soon to be appearing in London's weekly culture vulture 'LeCool'. Sign up to receive it straight to your box.

Aurel Schmidt for Opening Ceremony

NY based artist Aurel Schmidt has made everyday debris a cause for celebration for Opening Ceremony. Schmidt was chosen as one of the Whitney Biennial's 2010 exhibiting artists. Each chosen artiste was limited to one submission. Schmidt's piece entitled Master of the Universe / Flexmaster 3000 (see below) uses the quotidien detritus, including cigerette butts, condoms and insects; normally considered dirty and ugly, to create a specimen of beauty. It's a warts-and-all reactionary statement. 

Since her 2007 series Dirty Pretty Things the Canadian born artist has forced the viewer to move away from their comfort zone, to view a different type of beauty; one that is not widely accepted. This March welcomes the ubiquitous Aurel Schmidt on Tee. There are 11 in the series which when put in the correct order spell, you guessed it, Opening Ceremony. They're 60 USD a pop and are just what the doctor ordered. 

Terry Richardson takes her portrait here. NSFW (obviously).

Is there any Justice? Xavier and Gaspard do Coke.

This is the final design for Club Coke 2009, created in collaboration with Justice and Ed Banger Records (specifically SoMe). The red colourway on the left features the well known line from Justice's widely popular and overplayed tune 'D.A.N.C.E'. But the image to the right is the most exciting. Come night-fall the bottle glows in the dark! What the?

From a marketing point of view it's a very innovative idea and the whole Justice, Ed Banger/SoMe inclusion, is well, a money maker and a half.

My question is why?

Why did the Frenchies Xavier and Gaspard succumb? Why did they discredit their image by associating themselves with Coke? Did they need the money? Highly unlikely. Band Justice is more than financially stable and then there's Ed Banger Records, a company which produces Justice, Uffie, SoMe and is owned by Busy P. Ie. Pedro Winter the mogal who managed Daft punk, at least until 08. And although it was solely the Ed Banger Creative Designer 'SoMe' assisting in the design of the alluminium bottle, the record label is still just as tarnished.

Lucky for Justice, they're not just a gimmick and they really do live up to their reputation. Just check out one of their live gigs and you'll understand why. But I feel their rebel spirit has become dampened. I will admit that, this was somewhat dwindling ever since their commercial success and as much as I resent what 'commercial success' does to many artists, if they intend on bringing in the cash, there ain't much that can be done. But selling their 'souls' to the Coke label was definitely something that could have been avoided.



2009 - The advertisement celebrating 5 years of Club Coke.

In 2008, the French duo also partnered with Parisian creative collective Surface 2 Air and designed three leather jackets (150 pieces) alongside two jeans.


Enough with the cross pollination, just concentrate on what you're good at: your god given talent.

S’il vous plaît.

Pretty Baby Causes Uproar

The latch had yet to be lifted but London’s Tate Modern Gallery had already garnered an unduly amount of publicity for its eagerly anticipated exhibition, Pop Life: Art in a Material World. Thanks to a rather questionable piece by American artist Richard Prince the gallery was met with an unexpected visit. Authorities of the Metropolitan Police sparked much controversy after instigating the withdrawal of Prince’s work; which they labelled 'obscene' and a 'magnet' for paedophiles. Spiritual America shows a ten-year-old Brooke Shields glistening, 'bath-damp' and naked. Her tiny body is seductively posed for all to see, while her make-up is the envy of drag-queens the world over. The image in question is in fact an appropriated version of the 1975 original, taken by New York photographer George Gross.

Six years later a regretful Brooke Shields would sue Mr Gross in attempt to prevent further use of the image; which she claimed embarrassed and distressed her. However, a career built on producing a sexually explicit image did little to strengthen Shield’s argument. Her endeavours were met with little success as the court considered the contract signed by her mother, whose intent was to make her daughter a child-star, to be of a lawfully binding nature.

In fact Gross was a friend of Shield’s mother, whom in 1976 had been commissioned to take photos of her unwitting prepubescent daughter, for the Playboy publication Sugar 'n' Spice. To Gross’ dismay and despite his success in court, the effects of the trial not only tarnished his reputation but had ruined him financially. Fortunately for Brook Shields, the aftermath of the heavily made-up androgynous shot saw her career flourish; in 1978 she played the daughter of a prostitute in Louis Malle’s Academy-Acclaimed Pretty Baby. Two years later she and Christopher Atkins were teenagers on the path of sexual discovery in Randel Kleiser’s Blue Lagoon, while in that same year a then 14-year-old Shield appeared in Calvin Klein’s controversial jeans campaign. The TV ad included her trumpeting the infamous tagline, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."

In 1992, photographer Richard Prince approached Gross with an offer. He acquired the rights of the photograph and made it his own, by taking a photo of the photo and encasing it in a gold-frame. His title Spiritual America references a 1923 Alfred Stieglitz photograph of a gelded workhorse; a piece which shares similar themes of sexual ambiguity. The purpose was to comment on American psyche; on the commodification and premature sexualisation of a Pretty Baby who stares at you with adult-intent. With one click of a button Prince portrayed America’s obsession with fame, his photo symbolised not just the photo itself but the baggage it brought with it; all sparked by a mother treating her daughter like an object.

In 1998 the ‘thought-provoking’ photograph had been on display at Manhattan's American Fine Arts Gallery before being sold at a Christies’ auction for a staggering $151,000 (USD). In 2007, Spiritual America was to be a guest at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in a rather turbulent-free exhibition of the same name.

In 2008 however, Australian contemporary artist Bill Henson, saw New South Wales police and child welfare authorities remove 20 of his photographs depicting nude children, from Sydney’s Roslyn Oxley 9 Gallery. Mirroring Prince’s current debacle, Henson’s case was an earlier reminder of the tenuous affair between art and individual interpretation. Targets of social malaise, Henson and Prince, along with fellow photographers Annie Leibovitz and Nan Goldin, grudgingly continue to fend off claims of ‘lubricious titillation’.

At the time of the original Gary Gross photo, the seventies photographer was working on a project for a publication entitled The Woman in the Child, where he wanted to reveal the femininity of prepubescent girls by comparing them to adult women. Ten years later, appropriator Prince would interpret the image as 'an extremely complicated photo of a naked girl who looks like a boy made up to look like a woman'; however, it seems authorities from the UK’s obscene publications unit do not share his artistic outlook. Art enthusiasts have linked the withdrawal of the image to notions of censorship, condemning the UK authorities for policing a concept founded on subjectivity, where there is no ‘right’ answer, only individual understanding.

Gary Gross' photos of an underage Brooke Shields. Approach with Caution.

Angelique Houtkamp - Till Death Do Us Part

Angelique Houtkamp is a Dutch tattoo artist turned painter who is renowned for, but definitely not limited to, her sultry 40sesque pin-ups and dark raven haired beauties.

The self-proclaimed lover of 'dirty colours' has toured all over the world and in Melbourne she calls Outré Gallery on Elizabeth street; her home away from home. Since 2006 her work has been a regular on the avant-garde circuit.

Currently she draws a lot of inspiration from 1920s and 1930s illustration and defines her style as 'old-school tattoo' using 'bold lines', 'heavy shadows' and a small selection of colours. Her favourite colours are black, red and green.

Interview with Angelique Houtkamp: The Extra Finger.

In 2007, Melbourne's Outré Gallery published her first book titled 'Tattoo Darling', and in October 2009 she'll be returning for the launch of her second book 'Tattoo Mystique'.

The Russian born painter Erté (his piece pictured third) and the Enoch Bolles girls, especially the later ones, played a great role in shaping Houtkamp's signature style.

The artist admits to having quite an affliction with Enoch's late works; the girls with the 'weird & sometimes satanic expressions'.

Enoch's 1942 'Film Fun' cover (left) seems to have provided a stencil for Houtkamp's 'Cornelia'.


Her most recent work was displayed in May 2009 at Rome's Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, alongside fellow female tattooists Sunny Buik and Morg.

If you happen to be in Amsterdam, check her out at Rob Admiraals Studio - if you're lucky she might just put you on the waiting list.

Her official site: Salon Serpent

And her range of cards can be found at: Dearest Darling



Quotes sourced from: The Extra Finger

Girls Are Prettier Than Boys

Photo by Cass Bird for Sophmore.

Girls are prettier than boys - and that's a fact. When you stop to admire the aesthetics of the person, girls win hands down. How often are boy models chosen because they display feminine features? So often. Unfortunately, boys have limitations with how they are able to express themselves. Their blank canvas can only take so much, before it is borderline ridiculous. A boy can not dress like a girl, but a girl can dress like a boy and still be pretty.

Jesus, all these girls are stunners and you can't even see their faces.

All you can see is cascading hair, limbs, flesh and all you can not see, is what ever they can.

Guess it's just down to those X & Y chromosomes and who they choose to take to the Prom.

Ldn Face Hunter: 'Brick Lane Masses We Like Grime'

This dude was photographed by the Face Hunter, on London's Brick Lane. Face Hunter usually stops you if your outfit impresses him, but I guess for this guy it was the ensemble.

Wow, if someone can shed some light on what's going on down below. Please enlighten me. After closer inspection I believe the bike peddles have been replaced with skate-like-boards?

Upon learning the name of the above-mentioned I will google to my heart's content.

Any thoughts?