Category archives: Art for Progress
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9 years ago
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Winner of Best Narrative Feature at the Queens World Film Festival last month, H.O.M.E. is a poignant, beautifully shot film about the importance of human connection. Its director and co-writer, Daniel Maldonado, a lifelong New Yorker, shows us aspects of the city we don’t always see via two interconnected stories: One features Jeremy Ray Valdez as Danny, a young runaway with Asperger’s Syndrome who is living in the subways. The other thread concerns a struggling Ecuadorian cab driver, Gabriel (acclaimed Mexican actor Jesús Ochoa), who helps a distraught Chinese mother (Angela Lin) get home to Chinatown.
Maldonado’s first feature, H.O.M.E. has both a dreamlike, impressionistic quality and realistic characters and scenes, a testament to his unique artistic vision and desire to create something human and relatable. The New York subway system is also a major character in the film; through Danny’s eyes, it is a repository of complex beauty and sometimes overwhelming stimuli.
The film will be screened at 10:45 pm on Friday, April 15, at Cinema Village, as part of the Manhattan Film Festival. Last week I spoke with Maldonado about the making and the meaning of H.O.M.E.:
You studied film at the School of Visual Arts?
I kind of went about it in a roundabout way; instead of trying to get into a 4-year program, I went to night school, because I was pretty much supporting myself. After two years of night classes, I completely fell in love, so I switched into the degree pro[...]
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It’s seventy days until The Vans Warped Tour! The annual outdoor tour has been making its lap of the continental US every summer since 1995. Although it started as an alt rock sponsored by every skateboarder’s favorite brand of shoe, Warped has expanded into an all-inclusive fun-for-all. Attendees can now see rappers, rockers, pop punkers and every genre in between at their local show. From The Aquabats and Antiflag to Goldfinger and Green Day, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, The Misfits and Pepper, Saves the Day, Say Anything, The Starting Line, Tonight Alive and countless others have cut their teeth during the hot days of Warped. In a way, the tour is a great equalizer. Sure, there are different stages with bigger speakers that allow for larger crowds, but out amidst the muddy fields and catering tents bands as big as Blink 182 share space and probably sunscreen with up-and-coming acts. Everyone is there for the same purpose: music.
Here are some bands from this year’s line-up that you should be sure to catch when Warped comes through this July:
3OH!3
Genre: Rap?
Hometown: Boulder, CO
For Fans of: LMFAO, Travie McCoy/Gym Class Heroes, early Ke$ha, white guy rap, Coloradians
Listen to: "BASMF" off of Night Sports
Against the Current
Genre: Pop Rock
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
For Fans of: Set It Off, Tonight Alive, We Are The In Crowd
Listen to: "Running With The Wild Things" off of In Our Bones
Bullet For My Valentine
Genre: Heavy Metal
Hometown: Bridge[...]
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9 years ago
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No April Fools joking in this report. Beyoncé's 200-piece activewear line will hit specific stores U.S. Topshop, Net-a-Porter, and Nordstrom on April 14. She announced the release date to her 65 million Instagram followers on March 31.
Ivy Park will offer comfortable workout gear, ranging from leggings, to crop-tops, to jackets.
According to a statement by the Pop icon herself: Ivy Park "purposefully goes against the celeb collaboration phenomenon. "
She also says that her line is intended to "push the boundaries of athletic wear, and to support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance."
The inspiration behind the athletic line came to the superstar after realizing how much she tends to wear athleisure. "When I'm working and rehearsing, I live in my workout clothes," she says, adding "but I didn't feel there was an athletic brand that spoke to me."
As we've said before, athleisure is not disappearing anytime soon. And Beyoncé's line has even sparked a Twitter war with activewear giant Lululemon.
Tweet from Lululemon, courtesy of Jezebel:
The tweet was since removed, however the brand will have a tough time living that gaffe down. In the meantime, here's is a clip introducing the line to the world.
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9 years ago
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I’ll never forget when Wesley Nessler walking into my 9th grade class at Ft. Lauderdale High wearing checkerboard slip on shoes. I remember thinking to myself, what in the world is this kid wearing? Well, I didn’t hesitate to ask, and quickly found out that these trend setting kicks were Vans. It’s now decades later, and it would be hard to find someone who doesn’t know those shoes and that design, and as I walked through the door at the Vans’ 50th Anniversary celebration Wednesday evening, I was not surprised to find that checkerboard design in full effect.
From the super cool 3D art installations, iconic surf films and classic photography exhibit, it became quite clear that Vans has been a huge influence in American lifestyle, culture, art and sport for a very long time. Furthermore, Vans has become a cultural pillar that stands alone in its broad range of influence. It would only be fitting for the company to tie this historic evening together with diverse music performances that also span across many generations.
The modern day rockers Yeasayer kicked things off with a an impressive set of hits and newer jams, while New York hip hop legend Nas brought the roof down with classics and some newer cuts. The energy level in the room was off the charts at this point as the night was beginning to wind down.
It was great to see so many smiling faces in the huge crowd of both young and older guests. They experienced a special evening that will be remembered for a [...]
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9 years ago
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2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year for music. Kanye continues to tweet utter nonsense, the new Adele is still climbing the charts, Kendrick Lamar pulled a Beyonce and released a new album out of nowhere. A quarter of the way through and the year is already a mixed bag. Here are some highlights from the past month to ponder as we enter the warm months and festival season.
The Good:
The Foo Fighters, helmed by the nicest-guy-in-rock-and-roll Dave Grohl, are easily one of the best liked bands in the business. From playing surprise shows to playing through bodily injuries, the band wins hearts with pretty much everything they do. Even their foray into television, the HBO documentary series called Sonic Highways that focused on the evolution of American music, was well received and granted a second season. It seemed like the grandeur that is the Foo Fighters would go on everlong. That is until the band’s drummer Taylor Hawkins, during an interview at the Guitar Center Drum-Off, said when asked about the future of the band, “We’re on ihateus right now, we’re on an indefinite ihateus.”
The mention of an ihateus (hiatus) sent fans scrambling. What did he mean ‘hiatus’? Sure, Grohl had appeared sans-band and played what could sort of be considered solo shows, namely a rendition of “Blackbird” at 2016 Oscars, but was that really enough to topple such a successful and beloved band? Was Hawkins serious? Did being the drummer for a guy known as “the drummer from N[...]
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9 years ago
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The eponymous heroine of Xavier Giannoli’s film Marguerite is a tough sell on paper: a wealthy French socialite who fancies herself a great operatic singer, but who is in fact utterly tone-deaf. Yet, as played (with great sensitivity) by Catherine Frot in this French tragicomedy set in the early 1920s, Marguerite Dumont — at least when she’s not singing — is a warm, sympathetic presence with a true appreciation for music. We’re appalled by the sounds that come out of her mouth, but we can’t help but feel for this woman whose vulnerability and unhappiness is palpable.
The character is based on American socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, who has already inspired several plays as well as a forthcoming Hollywood film starring Meryl Streep. Where Jenkins was merely bad, Mme. Dumont is truly awful; her wild screeching performances are some of the most stunning (literally) moments in the film. This could have been fodder for an out-and-out farce, but though Giannoli’s unconventional movie has many humorous moments, it is also dark, poignant, and visually sumptuous.
The film begins with various people arriving at a benefit recital given in Marguerite’s opulent home. There’s young soprano Hazel (Christa Théret), arch young music critic Lucien (Sylvain Dieuaide) and his friend Kyril, an avant-garde artist (Aubrey Fenoy); we’re also introduced to Marguerite’s husband Georges (André Marcon), who pretends that his car broke down so he can avoid the concert. Several opening acts [...]
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9 years ago
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Kiev, Ukraine–based knitwear designer Anna Marinenko of Ohhio crafts the most massive and burly 100 percent Merino wool blankets, scarves, and more, that look ridiculously lush and comfortable, available on Etsy.
Photo Credit: Ohhio
And what's extraordinary about these oversized items is that Marinenko weaves them with her bare hands instead of using knitting needles, thereby creating a warm collection of comfort that features a hefty 3-inch-thick stitch.
Photo Credit: Ohhio
Image of Anna Marinenko with another designer, a photographer, a model, and a stylist
Photo Credit: Ohhio
According to Slate.com, Marinenko also sells colossal and peculiar-looking wooden knitting needles, along with huge spheres of super-thick yarn for consumers who wish "to make the chunky knits themselves."
However, as Ohhio's motto goes "we knit emotions," pointing to the brand's passion for creating "comfort, beauty and style using simple elements and honest materials." As stated on their Facebook page, "we believe, Ohhio blankets all designed to please the eye, the hand and the heart," later adding "all we knit is love."
A Model wearing chunky knits, holding humongous knitting needles, standing amid oversized balls of yarn
Photo Credit: Ohhio
A cozy cat bed Photo Credit: Ohhio
Image of large knitting needles Ohhio sells
Photo Credit: Ohhio
And her decadent designs are attracting high-profile RTW designers like Christian Siriano, who just featured Ohhio knits in his recen[...]
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9 years ago
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Documentaries have traditionally fallen into two categories: straightforward accounts that tell their story using photo/video/audio snippets plus interviews (think Ken Burns), and those that use re-enactments and other creative devices. Recently, there have been some very innovative examples of the latter category (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the narrative/doc hybrid A Woman Like Me). Now we have Andrew Shapter’s The Teller and the Truth, a haunting and evocative film about the 1974 disappearance of Francis Wetherbee, a young Texas bank teller whose car was found submerged in a nearby river, but whose body was never found. Though it looks and feels like a real-life chronicle, The Teller and the Truth is something else entirely.
The film starts off like a typical documentary, becomes a sort of true-crime whodunit, and ultimately ends up a highly romantic speculation on what might have happened to the lovely Wetherbee. It’s as intriguing for its unorthodox handling of truth-versus-fantasy as it is for its subject matter.
Apparently Shapter first came upon the long-forgotten story of Wetherbee several years ago when he saw a striking black and white print of a sad-eyed young woman taken by his photographer uncle and mentor. The photo had been shot a week after its subject was briefly taken hostage by a masked bank robber -- she was unhurt but reportedly traumatized -- and two weeks before she mysteriously disappeared. Shapter, who had previously made the documentarie[...]
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Just before the release of their new record, Syracuse's synth popper’s Ra Ra Riot played a stripped down show at Brooklyn’s Rough Trade. Vocalist Wes Miles, guitarist Milo Bonacci, bassist Mathieu Santos, violinist Rebecca Zeller, and drummer Kenny Bernard joined the audience on the floor of the venue, standing maybe a foot from the front row. The band formed a haphazard circle of mic stands and instruments. In that formation they looked more like a handful of buskers than a band. It was an excellent setting for the soft vocals and synth-soaked songs of the new Ra Ra Riot.
The show was part of a Rough Trade sort of bundle sale. Copies of the band’s album, Need Your Light, that were sold at the record store/venue came with two wristbands. The wristbands allowed wearers to not only get into the in-house show, but also to have their copies signed by the band afterwards. The gig was otherwise closed to the public and a great way to see the band in such a small setting before they come back to New York to play Webster Hall in March. This kind of show has become something of a staple on the Rough Trade schedule. Artists like Odesza, Kendrick Lamar as well as Yelawolf have all done similar in-store performances paired with signings to help promote new releases. Next month, Santigold will hold one of her own for her new album 99 Cents.
Ra Ra Riot’s evening performance preceded both the release of their record and the band’s tour with Sun Club and everyone’s new favorite[...]
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9 years ago
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There was once a professor who consistently lamented people not spending time with a work of art. She felt that consuming art became speedy, mediums were not fully appreciated in their details, and therefore a lot of great artwork may never get proper recognition. It's safe to say this is true for many people, and even those like myself who studied art have definitely overlooked pieces due to the extreme saturation of available art to see, especially in a metropolis like New York City (though it is something I greatly try to avoid while in a space.)
I was stuck in front of Scott Williams' painting 50th Street Maspeth this past weekend, due to the intimate space at Art101 being packed with people, but I'm glad I was. His work first appears like an impressionistic modern landscape - a view of the street, cars parked, sunny day, fence to the side - but the more I stared at it the more odd I found it. I noticed his use of perspective is based on traditional one-point perspective yet it is shifted off to the side thereby disrupting the everyday banality of this type of setting. Furthermore, his use of oil paint appears both deliberate, in regards to shadowing and color, and accidental in regards to the application of paint itself. This imbues the scene with a sense of randomness and further complicates it. He writes of his "chance" paintings - "For on site, 'plein air painting', a map of Queens and Brooklyn was marked with gridded coordinates. Throwing numbered and lettered coi[...]
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9 years ago
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On February 14, celebrated fashion designer Tracy Reese's intimate Fall 2016 collection paid respects to her hometown of Detroit, while tipping its hat to new innovations in runway presentations. And as part of all the newness, a nine-minute film called Detroit Love Story, helped to round out the loving tribute to her beloved city.
Design elements in Reese's Fall/Winter Ready-To-Wear includes bold patterns like florals, plaid and herringbone, and retro-inspired polka dots, calf-length coats and garter socks.
Find out more about Reese's fashionable hometown love affair after the jump!
Photo Credit: New York Magazine
The mini-movie was followed by a relaxed piano-accompanied showcase of Reese's latest designs. The untraditional presentation points to a "runway fatigue" that's now taking hold in the design world. Take designers like Vetements, Michael Kors and Rebecca Minkoff, for instance, who are eschewing the customary fashion schedule for see now, buy now looks. Designers like Reese are interested in changing the way new designs are showcased.
"Doing the same thing season after season doesn't seem relevant," Reese tells Vogue. "This felt like the right moment to do something different."
Below: Images from February 14 Tracy Reese showcase
Photo by Robert Mitra/WWD
But what's also noteworthy about this creatively nostalgic showcase is its tribute to a city that typically gets a bad rap. In one sweeping moment, Reese helped us to see "the motor city" throug[...]
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9 years ago
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Danish director Tobias Lindholm’s masterful new film, A War, is an exceptionally intelligent and sensitive depiction of the War in Afghanistan, both the complicated moral issues faced by occupying troops and the toll on their families back home. That’s not to say that this Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film isn’t gripping or that its action sequences lack punch – one battle sequence is particularly pulse-pounding and stomach-churning. Shot in a straightforward style, the movie is never spectacular or overblown; Lindholm largely lets the situation's drama speak for itself. A War follows CO Claus Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk, who previously starred in Lindholm’s A Hijacking) and his unit – who are trying to weed the Taliban out of an Afghan province while protecting civilians – as well as Pedersen’s family in Denmark.
The tense vibe of the film is set early on when Claus’s unit is out on patrol. Sure enough, a young gunner is suddenly caught in a mine explosion, a horrific scene that brings home the unpredictability of the unit’s every mission as well as its close camaraderie. The CO – a tough but decent sort – is sympathetic to one soldier (Dulfi Al-Jabouri) who is badly shaken up by the incident, putting him on camp duty for a few weeks. Claus himself will replace both men on patrols, though it is not his usual role.
Meanwhile in Denmark, his wife Maria (Tuva Novotny) is dealing with their three young children, one of whom is having disruptive behavioral issu[...]
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