After the Fall

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The Fall, 2010, by Aurel Schmidt

The Whitney has announced the artists chosen to appear in its forthcoming 2010 Biennial, and today's New York Times has a small slideshow and an article about how the economy (ugh, god, enough) has forced the curators to scale back – to 55 artists this year, down from 81 in the 2008 Biennial. I don't recognize a lot of the names, not surprisingly, but I did notice that Tauba Auerbach and Aurel Schmidt are included, among a few other favorites I have learned about in passing.

A video still from Detroit, 2009, by Ari Marcopoulos.

Read what I had to say about the 2008 Whitney Biennial here (trust me, it is riveting), and visit the museum's website for more info. The Biennial will run February 25 through may 30, 2010.

Combine & Interact

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Pantone declared "Mimosa" the color of the year for 2009, and they've just announced that Turquoise will be 2010's color of the year. Okay, great, I'm glad that's settled. It is a nice combo (even though half of it is called "Mimosa"). It reminds me of that photo I posted awhile back, by Garance Doré. I'm not sure if this is worth posting or not but I get kind of worked up about color.

Emmet Otter

As long as it's small animal day on Pacific Standard, this is worth a mention: Acquarium Drunkard has posted the entire soundtrack and a funny outtakes video from Jim Henson's 1977 TV special Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. It is pure magic. A small sample: Paul Williams Instrumental Theme mp3

Visit Acquarium Drunkard for much more.
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Your Weekly Mr. Littlejeans

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Mr. Littlejeans chillin' in the record room, listening to "On the Front Lines," his favorite M.O.P. song. "I was raised," Jeans says, "where cats blaze automatic weapons, and high-steppers don't high-step without protection." I know it, Jeans. We've been down a long time.

Your Weekly Mr. Littlejeans ...BONUS!

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Whereas Jeans enjoys the rap music and bassy string arrangements, Inez prefers quieter tunes, especially when they involve animals which are smaller than her (Modest Mouse, Frightened Rabbit...Froggy Went A-Courtin'). This 1932 gem from Joe Bussard's collection is a favorite:

The Dixon Brothers Intoxicated Rat mp3

All day this sweet little kitty thinks of nothing but murder.

Image of the Day

. Jacqueline, 1930, by Man Ray (1890–1976), on view at The Jewish Museum in New York City as part of the show Alias Man Ray: The Art of Reinvention. Read a review at nytimes.com, see a slideshow at vogue.com and click here for more info on the exhibition, which is up through March 14.

Another Man Ray photograph of Jacqueline Goddard, a negative print, sold in 2008 for $374,500.

Photo via Vogue.com. Collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
©2009 Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.

So Cold

. I can't remember who put this together (I taped it from a tape which was taped from a tape...) but it's still as hot as Arabian Prince's Fila sweater:
Various Artists 1987 Year-End Mastermix mp3

Still Show

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[ click images to enlarge / click here to view all ]

Image of the Day

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A spread from Sante D'Orazio's new book (with a forward by Ed Ruscha), Barely Private. D'Orazio is a truly great photographer, and maybe even a bit underrated for all the things he's done. The book is over the top and self-indulgent, but I of all people am not going to criticize anyone for self-indulgence, as long as the quality is there. Leaf through the whole book at Taschen's website [NSFW, it almost goes without saying].

Devilish Delights

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Raquel Zimmerman wearing a gown by Gareth Pugh, available (for, ahem, £7,500) from Shop SHOWstudio, a pop-up holiday web shop containing one-of-a-kind items curated by photographer Nick Knight. This particular gown, which is made of something called Chrisanne Angelskin Fabric, comes with a DVD documenting its construction from start to finish. Most of the stuff on sale is not exactly attainable by us commoners, but contributions from John Galliano, Shona Heath, Sølve Sundsbø, Julie Verhoven, and Nick Knight himself, among others, make browsing enjoyable. Do that now at shop.showstudio.com, and bookmark showstudio.com for always-fascinating fashion films and photoshoots.

Digital Display

Miscellaneous editions of Pubblicita In Italia designed by Franco Grignani (1908-1999).

These are just a few of the many books on display at Display – a new website curated by Brooklyn-based design studio Kind Company with the goal of generating "inspiration and awareness about modern, mid-20th century graphic design history and some of its pioneers." Visit thisisdisplay.org to browse.

[ via swissmiss ]

Digital Display

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Not their best song ("Love You Down," anyone?) but still...

Image of the Day

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Tottle House... Occupied During Sit-in, 1963, by Queens-born photographer Danny Lyon, from a selection of his work on view now at James Harris Gallery in Seattle. Lyon discovered James Agee and Walker Evans' Let Us Now Praise Famous Men at a young age, and after attending the University of Chicago, got his first big break as photographer for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He went on to win acclaim as a New Photojournalist, a contemporary of (among others) Mary Ellen Mark and Larry Clark. The twenty prints on display at James Harris span the years between 1962 and 1972. Click here for more images and info.

Popular Demand

I would be remiss if I neglected mentioning the new issue of the Journal of Popular Noise – it's available now and this time features entirely the work of Seattle's own Foscil. Only 300 letterpressed copies, so get 'em while you can at popularnoise.net.

Read my June 2008 interview with Popular Noise founder Byron Kalet here.

Polar Bears

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White Littlejeanses of the North

Image of the Day

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Images by photographer Shaun Irving, who has built the largest mobile camera in the world by constructing what is essentially a giant pinhole camera in the back of a moving truck. Light comes into the hole, and is projected through a lens onto 4-by-8-foot sheets of photo paper on the opposite interior wall of the truck.

Read about the rest of the process at NPR's Picture Show blog and see more images at Irving's website, cameratruck.net.

Image of the Day

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Sidecar. Pretty cool.

Moving Earth

Architect Malcolm Wells (March 11, 1926–Nov 27, 2009), pictured below in a photo by Jay Elliott, championed a philosophy of "gentle architecture" as a way to preserve or restore the natural environment.

Wells advocated earth-sheltered architectural techniques such as building into the sides of hills or underground, with skylights to let the sun in, allowing rooftops to be covered with plants, gardens, and even ponds. He published many books, including The Earth-Sheltered House, which is still in print.

Get more info at malcolmwells.com and read last weekend's New York Times' obituary here.

Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty or Nice,or Irritated and Terrified

. I can't decide if these are funny, creepy, or funny and creepy: Sketchy Santas.

[via SLOG]
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While we're on that:
I went to see Santa once, on an old steam train in Snoqualmie. I don't really know what's going on in this picture though:

That's me, and the kid in the white sweater behind me is my brother. I remember I asked for red socks for Christmas, which is what I want now. I want that red hat too dammit. Click to enlarge and check out the fire truck patches my mom made for my Osh Koshes. Pretty snappy little dresser if I do say so myself.
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On to Sketchy Santas >