NY places

morbid anatomy

homo ex humo morbid anatomy museum

the morbid anatomy museum is finally complete, happily residing in their new headquarters in gowanus, brooklyn. i have attended two lectures there so far, both by the knowledgeable and charming dr. john troyer of the university of bath. the first lecture focused on the environmental issue of corpses; basically if their organic biomass is hazardous or helpful. the second dealt with the necrophilia laws in the united states, a case in wisconsin in particular, and other death-related errs in our country’s jurisprudence. nearly every night there is a fascinating lecture in the museum’s basement, and of course, the museum is open during the day as well to satisfy your skeletal cravings. the above photo is called homo ex humo (man from the dust) and can be found on the museum’s website. by sv

CATEGORIES: mind candy, ny places

blonde venus

marlene dietrich smoking shanghai express

starting this evening, our wonderful friends at BAM will feature a retrospective of the seven collaborations between director josef von sternberg and the german goddess marlene dietrich. the series begins with morocco and shanghai express (which i am fortunate enough to be attending) and will continue through the next week. if you’re in the new york area, do yourself a favor this week and pay a visit. by sv

CATEGORIES: must be considered films, ny places

quote of the day

“new york had a way of doing that. every now and then the city shook its soul out. it assailed you with an image, or a day, or a crime, or a terror, or a beauty so difficult to wrap your mind around that you had to shake your head in disbelief.”

-colum mccann, let the great world spin

CATEGORIES: ny places, quote of the day

we have an anchor

jem-cohen-we-have-an-anchor

Jem Cohen: We Have An Anchor from EMPAC @ Rensselaer on Vimeo.

i attended the friday night screening of jem cohen’s we have an anchor at BAM. the film had a three-night run at the harvey theater, a beautiful space for both film and performance. many moons ago nick cave scored a rendition of kafka’s metamorphosis there, and i had a lovely august saturday seeing woody allen’s summer ode to a streetcar named desire, blue jasmine. shown on five screens and featuring a seven member musical ensemble, cohen’s film is a melancholy ode to cape breton, the island off the northeastern coast of nova scotia. the ensemble featured such musicians as jessica moss, efrim manuel menuck, sophie trudeau, mira bilotte and jim white; all painstakingly present in the score they also composed. a film of few words with noteworthy exceptions, such as the poet elizabeth bishop, it is a quaint, convalescent mixture of past, present and future–beautifully depicting a graveyard of ideas. cohen came out and gave a little wave of his cap after the performance; many were moved, as i overheard in both the corridors and the front of the theater. what’s certain, to me, is that this film undoubtedly belongs in the permanent collection of moma, or maybe criterion, if they’re feeling arty. to learn more about the “unusual but accessible” mr. cohen, read here. by sv

CATEGORIES: clips, ny places

the last clean shirt

the last clean shirt film still

directed in 1964 by alfred leslie featuring the landscape and encompassing surroundings of new york city, the last clean shirt is a beautiful short film.  broken finnish overrode by the quaint subtitles penned by no other than frank o’hara.  the moma featured this film back in 2009, honoring leslie and o’hara as well, who used to be employed there in his heyday.  this film transcends many barriers, most of which you can read about here.  it irks me a bit that leslie does not give o’hara credit; perhaps a lapsed jealousy but nevertheless, this is worth a watch.  i threw in the eliot shout-out for good measure. by sv

CATEGORIES: clips, ny places