I’m obsessed with the DSK case. I can’t help it! I just can’t really wrap my mind around people who don’t think he’s guilty, mainly because there is documented physical evidence that sexual intercourse and assault took place. So what do people who steadfastly maintain his innocence believe? That upon sight of Kahn’s sexy, buff, tanned physique that she could no longer maintain her professionalism as a maid, pushed her cart of towels out of the way, dropped her vaccuum, and blew him?
“By 5pm on Monday, as I was listening to the brave manager of the Lewisham McDonald’s describing, incredulously, how he had just seen the windows stoved in, and he didn’t think they’d be able to open the next day, I wasn’t convinced by nihilism as a reading: how can you cease to believe in law and order, a moral universe, co-operation, the purpose of existence, and yet still believe in sportswear? How can you despise culture but still want the flatscreen TV from the bookies? Alex Hiller, a marketing and consumer expert at Nottingham Business School, points out that there is no conflict between anomie and consumption: “If you look at Baudrillard and other people writing in sociology about consumption, it’s a falsification of social life. Adverts promote a fantasy land. Consumerism relies upon people feeling disconnected from the world.”
— The UK riots: the psychology of looting, via The Guardian
not even the uk’s comprehensive state social services were enough prevent the foment of discontent - whatever your opinions are on the population instigating it, i have one question. are you watching this, america?
we’re going to head into a double-dip recession similar to that of 1982, can New York City please revert back to its state during that period? When the people who consider anything north of west 100 scary and brag about never having gone to Queens and Brooklyn would have avoided this city like the plague?
My parents moved to New York in 1982, and their first apartment was in what is now considered Soho/Nolita.
There are very contemporary artists that I find impressive - fewer still are contemporary video artists.
I first encountered Nathalie Djurberg’s work in 2006; after a day of mediocre/poor pickings at various Chelsea galleries, her videos were like a (great) slap in the face. It’s hard not to get absorbed into her creepy, violent and hypersexual Claymation world. Good art stays with you, and to this day, I still have a hard time shaking a piece entitled “The Necessity of Loss” (2006) off. In this particular peice, a little girl prances around an increasingly aroused pirate (?) figure, who tries in vain to control his desires. He begins to dismantle himself piece by piece in an attempt to staunch his attraction; she sits on his lap, he amputates his legs; his eyes lustfully gaze at her body, he plucks them out. At the end of the video, only his severed head remains - she remarks, “WHAT DO WE DO WHEN YOUR ONLY A FACE” and proceeds to shove his decapitated head between her legs. A manic, shrill carnival tune accompanies the Claymation animation, in which thoughts and dialogue are expressed through crudely displayed text bubbles.
The Necessity of Loss, 2006
Female artists of renown are few and far between, and Djurberg’s art unapologetically tears artistic feminine convention. Her work features women, girls, and other figures viewed through the lens of societal weakness into the progenitors of sexual and physical violence, girls “engaged in various kinds of vileness: from mild deception, friendly torture and oddly benign bestiality to murder and mayhem.” At the same time, the work maintains a sly humor by juxtaposing the macabre content with her innovative use of Claymation and a manic, almost cheerful soundtrack.
Into the Gloss is probably one of my favorite blogs right now; being that I’m (a) nosy and (b) a complete product junkie, this blog speaks to both vices by exploring the bathroom cabinets and beauty routines of both famous (and regular) women. It also got me in trouble with the guy at the Koh Gen Do counter at Barney’s (don’t ask) and allowed to discover Makeup Forever’s HD Microfinish powder, which quite frankly has changed my life.
I have a conflicted relationship with fashion blogs - I love perusing them as much as the next girl - but feel like there’s something essentially wrong with defining yourself through the collection of often times very mass-market clothing and style choices. Off the top of my head I can probably name 3 fashion bloggers that exhibit a true sense of style that doesn’t conform to trends. The typical ‘Lookbook’ urchin outfit of monster Jeffrey Campbell shoes, truck stop hooker shorts, and knockoff Alexander Wang t-shirt needs to go away like whoa - actually all of Jeffrey Campbell, Dolce Vita, and those mid-market brands that make their living knocking off of Ann Deumelemeester and real designers need to go away like whoa - why do we always hear about Forever21 getting in trouble for knockoffs when J. Campbell’s entire business model is based off of copying Balenciaga and Prada? Anyway.) Life in Travel is currently my favorite fashion blogger - she literally has my dream closet (lots of Margiela, lots of Ann D., lots of Rick Owens, lots of Dries), and her outfits are realistic and well-styled. She also has the cutest kids. The realism is a big thing for me because a lot of pretty famous fashion bloggers have made their name by going around wearing nothing but monster heels with gauzey tops and no pants. No bueno for the subway, life, or your vag. And while I wasn’t on the bandwagon in the beginning, I am totally converted to the cult of Man Repeller, whose shoe game is unrivaled. Of course, I’ll always be team Jane all the day - even if I don’t agree with her tastes sometimes, I love that she is willing to take risks. I have a love-hate relationship with The Coveteur; true to its name, the blog exists to incite feelings of intense envy, so proceed with caution.
They say death happens in threes - in the past month, we’ve witnessed the passing of three great artists - Lucien Freud, Amy Winehouse, and Cy Twombly. Twombly and Freud had long, well-lived lives; Winehouse’s was anything but. A part of me is beginning to think that perhaps the idea of a rapture isn’t so ridiculous; what if G-d is just slowly picking his favorites off while the rest of the earth is left to rot in a hot, gross world full of republicans and investment bankers? Because if I were an omnipotent deity with the power to rapture away people at will, I certainly wouldn’t pick some religious freaks in Kansas. I’d pick Michael Jackson.
In the meantime: RIP Amy, Cy and Lucien. Amy - I listened to your album nonstop in 2008; and Lucien and Cy - your paintings were featured in the first major sale auction I’d attended while working at Christie’s. It was a great time in my life, and it’s hard not to feel a little old when the cultural purveyors that marked a very certain period in your life all pass away in the span of 3 weeks.
