Swedish jazz trio plays The Beautiful Ones by Prince.

Swedish jazz trio plays The Beautiful Ones by Prince. Recorded at Glenn Miller Cafe, Stockholm in November 2007. Filmed by Apotekaren Magnus. Mathias Landaeus, piano Kristian ... some very cool cats.

art and commerce

From left: Dolce & Gabbana’s polyamide, acetate and lurex dress, dolcegabbana.it. Dolce & Gabbana necklace and belt; Louis Vuitton bag. Yves Saint Laurent’s wool grain de poudre jacket, vest and pants and cotton shirt, at select Yves Saint Laurent boutiques, 212.980.2970. Philip Treacy London hat; Yves Saint Laurent tie.

Location: Centre Pompidou, Paris
Architects: Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers

Photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
Styled by Alex White

October 2009

Controller.Controller - History

controller.controller was a Canadian indie rock band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consisted of former vocalist Nirmala Basnayake, guitarists Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas and Scott Kaija, bassist Ronnie Morris and drummer Jeff Scheven.

The Photography of Alex Prager

"Her photographs reveal a keen eye for the shining and the bizarre, a bit Annie Leibovitz, a bit Diane Arbus."

- The Los Angeles Times

http://www.alexprager.com/

My Interview on Curbs and Stoops

My Interview with the lovely Chloe Gallagher is now featured on Curbs and Stoops.

Curbs and Stoops is a non profit organization that is working towards increasing the accessibility of art across a diverse range of socioeconomic and cultural communities. Like our name suggests, we promote art at the thresholds that define our cities, our curbs and our stoops. This way, art is not a destination, like going to a museum. Instead, it is a part of our journey. Although many psychological experiments have lead to the conclusion that art enriches lives - one does not need to have a doctorate to understand that art can motivate, inspire, and enthuse.

We fulfill our mission by implementing public art projects, community installations and street art. We attempt to exploit the extents of interactive media in order to provide fine art to those who cannot afford gallery prices. We believe in the neccessity for the accessibility of art. Art is no longer for bankers and heiresses.

Follow the link below to read the interview:

http://www.curbsandstoops.com/blog/?page_id=104

THe Art of Sayaka Kajita Ganz

By building these sculptures I try to understand the human relationships that surround me. It is a way for me to contemplate and remind myself that even if there is conflict right now, there is a way for all the pieces to fit together. That even if some people don’t feel at home here and now, there is a place where they belong and that they will eventually find it.

- Sayaka Kajita Ganz

Just do it

http://www.myspace.com/copacabanaclubmusic

in the studio

... putting down what I felt in terms of some overall image at the moment today, and perhaps being terribly disappointed with it tomorrow... trying to make it better and then despairing and destroying partially or wholly... getting back into it and just kind of frantically trying to pull something into this rectangle that made sense to me... (Richard Diebenkorn)

Diamonds Are Forever

See also: Diamond (gemstone)

The name diamond is derived from the ancient Greek ἀδάμας (adámas), "proper", "unalterable", "unbreakable, untamed", from ἀ- (a-), "un-" +δαμάω (damáō), "I overpower, I tame".^[3] Diamonds are thought to have been first recognized and mined in India, where significant alluvial deposits of the stone could be found many centuries ago along the rivers Penner, Krishna and Godavari. Diamonds have been known in India for at least 3,000 years but most likely 6,000 years.^[4]

Diamonds have been treasured as gemstones since their use as religious icons in ancient India. Their usage in engraving tools also dates to early human history.^[5][6] The popularity of diamonds has risen since the 19th century because of increased supply, improved cutting and polishing techniques, growth in the world economy, and innovative and successful advertising campaigns.^[7]

In 1813, Humphry Davy used a lens to concentrate the rays of the sun on a diamond in an atmosphere of oxygen, and showed that the only product of the combustion was carbon dioxide, proving that diamond is composed of carbon. Later, he showed that in an atmosphere devoid of oxygen, diamond is converted to graphite.^[8]

The most familiar use of diamonds today is as gemstones used for adornment, a use which dates back into antiquity. The dispersion of white light into spectral colors is the primary gemological characteristic of gem diamonds. In the twentieth century, experts in gemology have developed methods of grading diamonds and other gemstones based on the characteristics most important to their value as a gem. Four characteristics, known informally as the four Cs, are now commonly used as the basic descriptors of diamonds: these are carat, cut, color, andclarity.^[9] A large, flawless diamond is known as a paragon.

村上 隆, (牛乳がありますか？)

Takashi Murakami (村上 隆, Murakami Takashi?, born 1 February 1963 in Tokyo), is a prolific contemporary Japanese artist who works in both fine arts media, such as painting, as well as digital and commercial media. He blurs the boundaries between high and low art. He appropriates popular themes from mass media and pop culture, then turns them into thirty-foot sculptures, "Superflat" paintings, or marketable commercial goods such as figurines or phone caddies.

Murakami attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, initially studying more traditional Japanese art. He pursued a doctorate in Nihonga, a mixture of Western and Eastern styles dating back to the late 19th century. However, due to the popularity of anime and manga, Japanese styles of animation and comic graphic stories, Murakami became disillusioned with Nihonga. He became passionate about otaku culture, which he felt was more representative of modern-day Japanese life.

This resulted in Superflat, the style that Murakami is credited with starting. It developed from Poku, (Pop + otaku). Murakami has written that he aims to represent Poku culture because he expects that animation and otaku might create a new culture. This new culture is a rejuvenation of the contemporary Japanese art scene. In interviews, Murakami has expressed a frustration with the lack of a reliable and sustainable art market in post-war Japan, and the general view of Japanese art as having a low art status. He is quoted as saying that the market is nothing but "a shallow appropriation of Western trends". His first reaction was to make art in non-fine arts media. Then he decided to focus on the market sustainability of art and promote himself first overseas. This marks the birth of KaiKai Kiki, LLC.

In 2008, Takashi Murakami made Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" list, the only visual artist included.

Zombieland baby!

occam's razor sketchbook page 12

click on image to enlarge

occam's razor sketchbook page 11

click on image to enlarge