Thomas Siemieniec livre sa dernière vidéo No Limit qui met en scène le breaker Marcio pendant 2 minutes. Dans une galerie marchande bondée puis quasiment vide, le danseur virevolte sur la musique sur « Adagio For Tron » de Daft Punk. Une superbe performance à découvrir en vidéo et en images.
For the 18th installment of The Thing Quarterly, the object-based periodical relied on Mike Mills to create a 2013 pocket calendar. Mills, a filmmaker and visual artist, has presented work at Sundance Film Festival and as part of MoMA’s New Directors New Films series, and is perhaps best known…
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A visual narrative of the art and design that spawned a cultural movement and DIY generation
Born in dungy London basements and matured in equally grimy streets, the punk counter culture of the mid 1970’s and 80’s defined an unrelenting angst felt by youth the world around. While many books have surfaced over the years to document its documenters, Punk: An Aesthetic wraps over 350…
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Sex and punk elegantly balanced in the sculptural jewelry designer’s latest collection
Balance is the term that first comes to mind when describing Bliss Lau‘s approach to jewelry design. A soft-spoken Hawaiian with a New York sensibility, she embodies a certain duality that comes across in her work. The statement-making body accessories comprising Lau’s line are at once elegant and provocative, with a posh-punk aesthetic brilliantly captured this season by emerging illustrator Heather Benjamin.
Benjamin is the brains behind the lewdly funny, manga-esque illustrated zine, “Sad Sex“, which Lau discovered through one of her young interns. With classical music playing in the background, Lau talked to us at her NYC studio. “I think I was interested in working with her largely because of this idea of her working with the female body and breaking boundaries with that, and then just the fearless, gnarlyness of it—it’s just really powerful and fantastic,” she explains.
Lau commissioned Benjamin to create a series of drawings inspired by the “Sad Sex” seductress, but that would more appropriately showcase her Spring/Summer 2012 collection. “We had this idea of this naughty girl running rampant through the city doing things like smoking, hanging out with tigers, just this idea of this magical, sexy, sort of wicked girl that has fur coats and an amazing manicure but is like totally cool and punk rock, and she does dark things but she does them in fabulous ways,” says Lau.
The finely detailed illustrations perfectly capture the essence of Lau’s pieces, which turn robust materials like powder-coated brass into finely crafted designs. There’s a 1920s kinkiness to Lau’s accessories that is obvious from first sight, but it becomes even more pronounced on the body. The armor-like weight makes you feel regal and powerful, but the delicate way the pieces lay on your skin and move with your body also provides a feeling of sensual refinement. Like the flexible “Hourglass” necklace or “Calder” bracelet, which are technically flat metal pieces that fully form around the body thanks to her clever use of vintage snake chains.
For Lau, designing to the kinetic and sculptural elements jewelry can possess is as important as the visual component. For her S/S 2012 collection, Lau was inspired by the geometric solid. She channels this concept into works that trace the body, giving masculine shapes the ultimate in female sex appeal. “In a way you’re kind of engineering how a person’s going to hold themselves”, she explains. Lau’s vision encourages bold moves but with poetic rhythm.
Lau designs to enhance every part of the body—from rings that connect to the wrist to leather pieces that draw beautiful attention to the waist. Her sculptural jewelry sells online and in stores around the world. See her website for a full list of stockists.
Life lessons from legendary photographer Mick Rock on the eve of his New York exhibition
Mick Rock is probably not the first name that pops to mind if you’re thinking about seeking some career advice. Dubbed the world over as “the man who shot the Seventies,” Rock is known as much for his own rock star reputation—he claims his biggest achievement is that he’s still standing—as he is for the photographs he took of countless lead singers and wayward musicians during the indelible era of punk. While that might be the timeframe that catapulted his wild success, Rock has endured through it all and continues to be one of the most sought-after lensmen in the music industry today, shooting everyone from Lady Gaga to Tommy Lee.
However, when we caught up with the man himself to discuss the opening of his NYC exhibition at the W Downtown—aptly titled “Rocked“—the legendary photographer inadvertently shed some light on the keys to remaining so relevant over the years. Describing himself as “some leftover from a forgotten era, way before rock ‘n’ roll ever showed up,” his surprisingly humble attitude sends an even more powerful message.
One of the most valuable snippets of wisdom we gleaned from the conversation sums up the passion that Rock’s portraits exude. He sagely imparts, “Follow your obsession, because at worst you’ll build up a collection. Down the road that collection could have a value. You might make piss-all money right now, but one day you might make a bundle.” Rock’s obsession found him touring with bands like Thin Lizzy, be-friending Syd Barrett and becoming David Bowie’s official photographer. His personal relationships with the bands undoubtedly played a part in his success, but for Rock it’s as simple as this: “I like to shoot, it’s good for my psyche, it’s good for my fucking soul.”
For a fan of music in general, photographing any budding musician can still be an exciting moment, but it’s not their actual tunes that pique Rock’s curiosity. “I’m not looking for the truth, or reality, I’m interested in their aura, what the music gives off, and what their consciousness gives off as performing agents, as artists.” Despite his genuine ability to connect on a creative level, occasionally paying the bills is also a factor. Another lesson Rock offers is essentially to learn the dance but don’t sell out.
Likening himself to an “uptown prostitute” at times, he extends this insight: “As like any great hooker, if you pay her enough money she will be in love with you for a certain amount of time. Well, I can be in love with you.” The magic he seems to impart while shooting, the work he allows himself to take, all of this boils down to a man who knows his craft extremely well. Claiming his rich career was in no way built by design, he also knows you have to study your profession and be willing to compromise.
Arguably a huge part of what allows Rock to transcend time is his ability to go with the flow. He doesn’t totally even completely understand his own celebrity, but rather than become reclusive or keep his surplus of unpublished photos to himself, he rolls with the hand life continues to deal him. Slightly puzzled at the recent French Vogue feature on his oeuvre, he embraces his “ghosts of yore” and says poetically, “The past has paved the way for me to come again.”
In addition to the traveling exhibition on view at the W, for which he specifically shot Janelle Monae, Theophilus London and several other contemporary stars, Rock plans to publish a set of limited-edition books that will unearth archived photos. First will be a dedicated book on Thin Lizzy (for which he’s chosen to get the approval of Phil Lynott’s daughter Sarah before publishing), followed by a book with Lou Reed called “Believe It or Not: Transformer” and finally a book on the godfather of punk rock, the iconic Iggy Pop. In the 1970s, there wasn’t an abundance of outlets like today’s blog-fueled industry, so for Rock, this is a chance to “get all these pictures out there that people haven’t seen.”
“Rocked” will be on view through 29 December 2011 at the W Downtown before moving on to W Hotels in Washington, D.C. and Seattle.
An NYC exhibit displays 3,000 works from English punk band Crass’ seven-year reign
Though London’s famed punk venue The Roxy is now a decidedly sober Speedo Swimwear outlet, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the U.K. was in the midst of a royal cultural battle between the Thatcherite establishment and a new breed of shock-and-awe artists and musicians. At the forefront of the movement, the English band Crass’ two-chord rant Banned from The Roxy was somewhat of an anthem for the times.
Preserved for posterity are 3,000 fanzines, flyers, posters, manuscripts and original works of art sent to the band between 1977 and 1984. These punk artifacts have been collected and cataloged by visual artist Gee Vaucher, who collaborated with the band and still resides at Dial House, a collective in the Essex countryside.
These works have crossed the Atlantic for a special viewing from 30 September-20 October 2011 at Boo-Hooray in NYC. The gallery has also published a limited edition (250 copies) catalog along with 500 pressings of a 7-inch vinyl recording featuring Crass’ Penny Rimbaud, with cover art by Vaucher.
An opening reception will be held from 6-9pm Friday, 30 September 2011. RSVP online at Boo-Horray. See images in the gallery.
Beijing’s underground rock powerhouse returns to the States
A standout in Beijing’s underground rock scene (learn more about it from our story on five other bands) returns to the U.S. this month for a few shows in NYC before swinging through the South.
Hedgehog, formed in 2005, is one of the most notorious and popular groups to come out of China in recent years. The country’s indie rock movement gained steam in Beijing in the early part of the last decade, continuing to grow nationally and abroad. Like the birth of punk, raw, energetic tunes primarily make up this now preteen movement.
Represented by Modern Sky, one of China’s only indie labels, Hedgehog’s meteoric rise to the forefront of alternative Chinese music in 2007 came after a slow start on the scene. The bands defacto leader Atom, featured on the cover of the 2009 book Sound Kapital: Beijing’s Music Underground, is stout in stature but fierce on the drums. She brings an enchanting energy to their performances and, while the driving melodies are hypnotic, she’s undeniably the center of attention.
The band’s music is difficult to define because it includes a broad spectrum of sounds. Indie pop with a twist of punk feels like an almost adequate description, but so few words for such a dynamic group seems unfair. Already at the top of the underground game in Beijing, their second trip to America will include the recording of a new album with Russell Simmons (of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) and Coco Rosie’s John Grew. Touring with Xiu Xiu and Kindest Lines,
catch the badass Beijing youth all along the Eastern Seaboard through September.
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