written on the wind

rock hudson lauren bacall written on the wind

all this talk about films and we haven’t said a word about the recent passing of perhaps the last surviving old hollywood starlet, lauren bacall. known to her friends as betty, ms. bacall’s career spanned decades. a tough, no-nonsense, downright lady with that immersing, smoky voice and carnal gaze. going through the archives, i finally watched written on the wind, douglas sirk’s film starring bacall and rock hudson, the satirically pleasing look at big business and the destructive families oftentimes behind them. the film is playing at the museum of the moving image’s see it big!: hollywood melodrama series tonight, if you’re in the new york city area. if not, you can read more about it here. by sv

quote of the day

“day by day and night by night we were together,—all else has long been forgotten by me…”

-walt whitman, once I pass’d through a populous city, leaves of grass

 

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

bloody, bloody jeff koons

jeff koons vandalized

these days when gallivanting in new york city, the presence of jeff koons is preeminent. his retrospective at the whitney museum is the first for both the artist and the museum; his work fills the entirety of the marcel breuer building. hated and loved by critics alike, one in particular took it upon himself to enter the retrospective yesterday, splatter red paint (in all its fallen angel glory) all over the wall and scribble a somewhat unidentifiable signature below. it is rumored to be monty cantsin (alias of istvan candor, a neoist), or possibly johnny rotten’s evil twin? either way, if you don’t agree with the politicking behind jeff koons, is this the best way to display that? [image and information courtesy of hyperallergicby sv

 

the new classic

IC-LIGHTS_tomorrowstarted_design_flos

IC-LIGHTS_tomorrowstarted_design_lamps

IC-LIGHTS_tomorrowstarted_design_interior

it is not every day we stumble upon a new and great design. we don’t have anything against contemporary product design, in fact, there’s a lot of good new stuff popping up here and there… but… when we see something new that feels and looks like it should have been there already, we know that we have something really amazing. manufactured by flos, the italian company that have brought to life some of the most iconic lamps in the past 50 years, the ic-lights designed by michael anastassiades are definitely a new classic worthy of the honorable lamp producer. hit the link to purchase one or more of the 8 versions available from the series. by kt

tarkovsky

tarkovsky the artist exists

but is it the artist’s job to perfect the world, or merely to synthesize themselves with the already existing imperfections? something to ponder today, to sleep on tonight, and to question tomorrow morning. by sv

atmosphere

joy division atmopshere handwritten

a handwritten draft by mr. ian curtis; penned lyrics to the hauntingly magnificent joy division song, atmosphere. it will certainly always be one of my favorites. by sv

the barisieur

bariseur alarm clock 002

bariseur alarm clock 003

at long last, a coffee machine and alarm clock in one that hasn’t been invented by rube goldberg. the barisieur, designed by joshua renouf, is a contraption sure to improve the quality of your day tenfold. it is not currently available, but will be quite soon–so if you want to be the first in line to wake up to this two-in-one dream, check it out here. by hk

take a ride on the wild side

lou-reed-honda-advertisement-480x624-2

lou reed was a man of oh-so-many talents. including, as we see here, a good pitch. this is the 1985 ad for honda scooters, where lou urges you not to settle for walking, but wherever you travel–make sure it’s somewhere wild. you can see the world trade center in the background of the ad, and the sordid world of manhattan’s lower east side in the commercial. my my, how things change–but lou’s undeniable cool will reign forever! by sv

some ernest advice

letter from hemingway to fitzgerald

sometimes, you feel like you lose all the bloom–GET OVER IT. listen to hemingway, “just keep on and go through with it now…” amen, papa. by sv