Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Posted by Alison – May 5, 2011

 

 

 

A few nights ago, I had the distinct pleasure to take in Werner Herzog’s latest documentary, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” at IFC. It was magical. The sophistication of technique and the paintings’ beauty can’t be disputed, but the timeline — most of these paintings were composed over 32,000 years ago — just boggles the mind. These are the earliest known paintings of humankind. To provide some perspective, the famous images at Lascaux (the other famous French cave) go back 18,000 years; Chauvet is “another Lascaux back from Lascaux.”

Some of the paintings had a space of 5,000 years in between additions. Can you even imagine that amount of time? It’s like going to the pyramids, adding your own illustration to a panel of hieroglyphics, then walking away — and it remains untouched. Imagining 500 years from now is hard to realize; I just think of Futurama.

I highly recommend this movie. Any excuse to hear Herzog’s voice is a good excuse, in my book. And make sure to check out this interview with Herzog at The Paris Review. Good stuff.

Alison’s Most Wanted

Posted by Alison – May 2, 2011

[Clockwise from left: Lunar Ball; Rogan Quasar Dress; Vintage Doll Sconces; 1970s Easy Chair by François Thévenin; Illesteva Horn Sunglasses; Momufuku Compost Cookie; Pregnant Keychain; 1900s Elephant Hair Ring; Rachel Comey Fringed Saddle Bag; 1980s Sculpture by Robert Lee Morris]

You know that saying, “Champagne taste on a beer budget”? Well, I know the sentiment way too well! Here are a few things I’m coveting. I’m especially obsessed with the leather chair and the elephant hair ring. See more on Pinterest.

Maru Gets a Bob

Posted by Alison – April 26, 2011

The many hairstyles of Maru. Is there anything this cat can’t do?

Douglas Coupland’s Canada Home

Posted by Alison – April 25, 2011

 

 

 

As a longtime Douglas Coupland obsessive — Life After God and Generation X functioned as my bibles for quite a few years — I was not at all surprised to realize that his home is as minimal, beautiful and odd as his books. However, I wasn’t quite right in that assumption. In fact, this is a very specifically Canadian-inspired art installation — all objects culled or constructed from the Canadian paraphernalia of Coupland’s childhood — in a 1970s house slated for demolition. Its name: “Canada House.”

While I may not fully understand the references to fishing float lamps, whale vertebrae made from styrofoam jetsam,  mussel shell midden, and a Haida button blanket — oh, but I want to! And because no Coupland -related post can go without a tidbit of his writing:

“I didn’t realize then that so much of being adult is reconciling ourselves with the awkwardness and strangeness of our own feelings. Youth is the time of life lived for some imaginary audience.” — From Girlfriend in a Coma

[Via]

Pictory: The Stories of Handmade

Posted by Alison – April 25, 2011

 

If you’re not familiar with Pictory Magazine, you should be. (Pictory = picture + story) This collection of curated galleries and stories document love, loss, family, travel, and our lives and culture in big, gorgeous photos. Anyone can submit a photo story on the continually changing social documentary themes, then the best work from the community is curated into polished photo essays.

I was recently part of the curation process — on behalf of Etsy — for a collaborative project with Pictory on the subject of “handmade” and the art of craftsmanship. The virtual gallery is now live. Here a few of the winning entries to whet your appetite. Beautiful stuff.

 

Watercraft by Heather Perry

Carefully, methodically, and very precisely, Buster Prout of Bowdoinham, Maine, constructs a gunning float, a boat used for hunting duck. This model is specific to Merrymeeting Bay. Buster Prout is the last of the bay’s gunning float builders, and for each full size boat he crafts, he creates a precise and tiny model, exactly 1/8th scale. He is a gentle man, with an artist’s hand. They are elegant crafts, and a good sculler can move the float through the rushes silently, and sneak right up on the birds. At best, a hunter might bag a limit. At worst, one spends a day in a remarkable place, in this handmade, remarkable boat.

 

What Lives in the Body by Meera Sethi

Once a week for two years, I have sat down at a table in a natural history museum, picked up a scalpel and a pair of tweezers, and—gently, carefully, meditatively—created a study skin out of a bird, or two, or three, that has been killed by its unsuspecting flight into a window of a skyscraper. On this day I prepared a Wilson’s flycatcher (a slight, somewhat unprepossessing bird notable for being new to me and for turning out well despite being incredibly small), a Savannah sparrow, and a Gray-cheeked thrush. They were all good to me; no one’s skin tore, no one’s wings sat crookedly. It was quiet, without even the radio on to disturb the hush, and there were no visitors all day. I felt restored when I left.

 

Fur Trade by Harriet Andronikides

For the past 40 years, my father has been working as a furrier in the Garment District in New York City. This neighborhood was once the heart of the fur industry, thriving with craftsman from all backgrounds and nationalities. However in the past decade, the craft of making fur coats and accessories has vanished, leaving my father as one of the last few artisans left in the Fur District. The sewing machinery, tools, and collection of coats themselves are a beautiful example of American craftsmanship.

Aimee Bender

Posted by Alison – April 24, 2011

 

“But what I kept wondering about is this: that first second when she felt her skirt burning, what did she think? Before she knew it was candles, did she think she’d done it herself? With the amazing turns of her hips, and the warmth of the music inside her, did she believe, for even one glorious second, that her passion had arrived?” — Aimee Bender’s The Girl in the Flammable Skirt


The Rumpus’s recent interview with Aimee Bender — an amazing author, weirdo and someone whose brain I would love to crawl around inside — is a must-read. I just ordered her new novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, which takes the concept of eating your feelings to new depths: the book follows Rose Edelstein, who at age nine bites into her mother’s homemade lemon cake, only to discover that she can taste her mother’s emotion in it. Surreal, beautiful and always interesting, I can’t recommend Aimee’s work enough. I will hit you over the head with it again and again and again.

Wisdom

Posted by Alison – April 24, 2011

Flinging the Silk

Posted by Alison – April 22, 2011

This fascinating scientific short, made in 1909, demonstrates how a spider (in this case, mechanical) spins its threads to create a web. Director Percy Smith believed he could cure people of their arachnophobia with his short films showing enlarged replicas of spiders, and it seems certain that most viewers would be more amused than frightened by the mechanical little guy in this short. (But wait for the ending…reality strikes!) As Alvy Singer once said, “Honey, there’s a spider in your bathroom as big as a Buick.”

See more entertaining shorts and newsreels on the British Film Institute’s YouTube channel.

[Via even*cleveland]

Eighties Art

Posted by Alison – April 17, 2011


 

 


 


 

 

 

 

 

I am so addicted to the ’80s Art tumblr. Kenny Scharf, geometric, colorful goodness.

Weekend!

Posted by Alison – April 16, 2011

This cat’s expression says it all. In this case, “all” meaning “let’s get manicures and eat olives and maybe root through a dumpster afterward.”

[Via Atlantic Treefox]

Quilt Crazy

Posted by Alison – April 12, 2011

1st Dibs is a magical place, so of course the collection of folk art quilts for sale is jaw-dropping.

This “turkey tracks” crazy quilt was made in the 1930s. If I ever found something like this, I’d hold it so tight, I’d never let go.

This African American improvisational quilt was originally constructed to raise money for the temperance movement (a.k.a. outlawing alcohol) in the ’20s. It looks so contemporary!

And finally, this Japanese indigo-dyed quilt from the 19th century is beyond beautiful. It has the color and texture of perfect, ancient blue jeans.

Just Tweetin’

Posted by Alison – April 12, 2011

So I’m big into Twitter, as you may or may not have known. This inevitably leads to a lot of random thoughts about cats, a lot of “enh!”, and jottings on things I want to buy, eat, read or have already written. I came across the funny Twitter tool du jour, That Can Be My Next Tweet, which aims to predict your next digital thoughts, based on what you’ve said in the past. (As you might expect, the ratio of cat to non-cat results for me was an even 1:1. And yes, I am obsessed with cats, but I never claimed not to be!) It’s kind of like magnetic poetry, except way more embarrassing and personal. (Apparently I’m really into mayo and cashmere.) Here’s what I’ll supposedly say next:

  • “The mayo and brown. Someday I’m feeling brutally honest today: Lost in the world matrix: Includes grave.”
  • “I think of death: Funny seeing horribly made one day that don’t cost $$$. Have mercy.”
  • “My cat’s paws are your sandwich high with mayo is Missing — well, the look, but I’m not shunned.”
  • “Had some pig ribbons: As a sexual communicator, wigs are too sweet. My cat’s paws are they don’t: The.”
  • “Finally scored some sort of control, not to have a toddler’s hands.”
  • …And probably the most accurate: “Cat ying yang of a big gulp of yay) ENH!”

What were your results? This is all kinds of fun to mess around with, so leave your best bon mots in the comments.

 

[Photo via Uniform Natural]

We Are All Animals

Posted by Alison – April 11, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long before I was a cat lady, I was a dog person. And I still am. I grew up with dogs, I empathize with dogs: I love dogs so strongly and deeply that some people can’t understand it. But I do. I’d do anything to save one, to rescue one from an abusive owner or to make sure that it was safe and well-fed. In fact, I can’t even read or watch even the most casual story about animal cruelty because it upsets me so, so much.

And that’s where Martin Usborne’s “MUTE: The Silence of Dogs in Cars” comes in. Far from portraying abusive situations, he wished to observe the emotions that dogs feel upon being left in the car. An hour or a minute, the dog has no idea when its beloved owner is returning, and this brings out a lot of potential angst, insecurity, sadness and anger. I was really moved by the results (especially knowing that these were fictional situations). Here he explains the thoughts behind his project.

I was once left in a car at a young age.

I don’t know when or where or for how long, probably for fifteen minutes only. The details don’t matter.  The point is that I wondered if anyone would come back. It seems trivial now, but in a child’s mind it is possible to be alone forever.

Around the same age I began to feel a deep affinity with animals — in particular their plight at the hands of humans. I remember watching TV and seeing footage of a dog being put in a plastic bag and being kicked. What appalled me most was that the dog could not speak back. Its muteness terrified me.

The images in this series explore that feeling, both in relation to myself and to animals in general. The camera is the perfect tool for capturing a sense of silence and longing: the shutter freezes the subject for ever. The dog is truly trapped.

When I started this project I knew the photos would be dark. What I didn’t expect was to see so many subtle reactions by the dogs: some sad, some expectant, some angry, some dejected. It was as if upon opening up a box of grey-coloured pencils I was surprised to see so many shades inside.

[Sent to me by my lovely friend Diana.]

Tat Dreams

Posted by Alison – April 11, 2011

I’ve had the tattoo itch as of late…it might be time to finally commit to my all-seeing eye tattoo. Or antique lace. Or…so many other things!

Looking at all of the evenly spaced tattoos on Liam’s chest — inked there by the talented Thomas Hooper — makes me realize how much more I like the spaced strategy (vs. having sleeves). It’s so much more traditional…you never see old men with full sleeves: just one or two on the bicep or forearm, Popeye style. I can dig.

[Via]

Summer Uniform

Posted by Alison – April 10, 2011

Summer Uniform

It’s getting warm! Not sure how I feel about that yet, but in the meantime I’m assembling a dirty-cream-white-neutralicious laundry list of items to dream about. Find all the details of this particular ensemble here.

Whiter Shade of Pale

Posted by Alison – April 7, 2011

 

 

 

The owners of Dusty Deco, a Swedish antique store that’s evokes feelings of desperate, sweaty coveting in my squishy little heart, also have a gorgeous, American West-meets-contemporary home. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, vintage collectors and store owners will always have a killer house. Trust. (They just keep the best stuff they find and sell the scraps they’re tired of! It’s win/win.)

[Via]

Liz Does Her Eyes

Posted by Alison – April 7, 2011

I’m a bit of a make-up novice; I’m no longer incapable of holding my eye shut to dab on some eyeliner — I have what I like to call “twitchy eyelid syndrome” when anything pointy comes near my eyeballs — but I’m still not a master by a long shot. I didn’t even really start using make-up (like, foundation) until I was 24 or 25. Before that it was all ill-gotten, unflattering slashes of lipstick. It wasn’t a good look, I’ll say that much.

However, to my point: I have really been enjoying Jane Feltes’s cute, informative videos on doing make-up, entitled “How to Be a Girl,” over on The Hairpin (quickly eclipsing Jezebel as my favorite lady site to waste time on). She’s like the make-up savvy older sister that I never had! Now I’m finally experimenting with this whole cat eye thing and the shadow eye stuff. It’s kind of cool!

But back to Liz. Number one, she was a total diva; violet eyes and all that. However, she also was one of those ladies who, if I have my Hollywood rumors correct, kept her eyebrow pencils in the freezer and drew in each individual hair before leaving her trailer during a shoot (or in public, for that matter). That is dedication, my friends. Here she is doing some intense make-up before…probably going to kill someone? Disco dancing? The sunglasses stymie me. I haven’t seen The Driver’s Seat, but the clip caught my fancy. RIP, Liz. I hope you and Richard are drinking scotch neat in the sky.

Laura Carlin

Posted by Alison – April 6, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Illustrator and ceramicist Laura Carlin just slays me. The simplicity of the bowls, with the patterns and glazes — you would be sickened by the contented noises I’m making right now. Clucking, I am.

Boulevard

Posted by Alison – April 4, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first came across photographer Katy Grannan‘s work, I was immediately struck by the sadness of her subjects. Grannan has spent the last few years wandering the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco, seeking out subjects for whom life has been hard and despair has been plenty. These stark portraits make up her recent body of work, Boulevard. In an interview with Daily Serving, she says:

I definitely did not want the series to be a parade of despair, nor am I interested in smiley happy people (family photo albums are already filled with those pictures – this has always irritated me). Each one of these photographs is like a short story and part of that narrative, of course, is the part where they’re working with me to make a photograph on the spot, right after we’ve met. The dynamic is different every time, but it’s almost always a lot of fun. People really get into it, and it requires a generosity and openness to be part of this process, to dance on the sidewalk in front of traffic, to wave at strangers honking. And I love the spirit of someone like the eighty year old woman who still wears bright lipstick and eyeliner – she deserves to feel gorgeous, and she is. Or the eighty year old man that handed me his business card that read ‘International Playboy.’ These are the people I want to know better. But of course, all of our histories are complex – there is disappointment, shame, loneliness, and there’s also joy. I want all of it to exist, messily and awkwardly, in the photographs. Because that’s life.

And isn’t that what all existence is? Messy. Awkward. Optimistic.

[Via]

Things I Like Right Now

Posted by Alison – April 1, 2011

I was so honored to do a collection of things I’m into for the lovely Miss Moss (one of my favorite blogs). From Neil Diamond to red couches to bone chandeliers, it’s all there! Check it out.

Clothes I’d Actually Wear

Posted by Alison – April 1, 2011

 

There’s no shortage of designer clothing coverage on ye olde internet, and most of it is pretty “aspirational” — as in, I have no real hope of ever being able to wear it, or it’s utterly impractical and I’d probably break my ankle or show my nethers. And let’s not forget the fact that I’d never be able to afford it. (Like a snowball in hell, I would.) So, I was pretty tickled to see that the T by Alexander Wang spring 2011 collection is utterly wearable. I’d gladly sport anything here! As for the cost issue, nothing a few sacrificed dinners out can’t fix.

[Via]

Gitte Lee

Posted by Alison – March 29, 2011

 

 

 

 

Lady Birgit Lee, also known as Gitte, is an example of aging with grace and beauty while never losing your personal voice. A frequent subject on Advanced Style, Vogue Italia recently profiled her as an example of innate style that transcends age. Her turbans, furs and glasses are my idea of heaven.

Random fact: She’s been married to Christopher Lee for fifty years. Love that guy! (Remember The Wicker Man?)

Blanket Fort

Posted by Alison – March 29, 2011

Dagmar, my sweet little red panda cat, loves her blanket fort.

Mildred Pierce

Posted by Alison – March 25, 2011

I am waiting with bated breath for Todd Haynes’s Mildred Pierce. The trailer is so beautiful!

American Gothic

Posted by Alison – March 24, 2011

The New York Times Homes section hit it out of the park with this series of rustic, early-twentieth-century-inspired homes. The old leather! The Adirondack chairs! The iron cookstove! Gah, it’s killing me softly.

Even though this style is everywhere in Brooklyn, that doesn’t stop me from loving and incorporating the trend into my own place. Bring on the wood and the leather! And that antler mirror. All of it, really.

Wild at Heart

Posted by Alison – March 22, 2011

I saw this photo on Pinterest today and was struck by the urge to re-watch Wild at Heart. Isabella Rossellini in a blonde wig and thick brows is definitely bad-ass.

Lost

Posted by Alison – March 21, 2011

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

— Elizabeth Bishop

[Photo via]

Fragile Contents

Posted by Alison – March 18, 2011

 

As I can’t seem to curb my pottery addiction, I’m constantly stumbling across it on Etsy. Then buying it. Then attempting to find a place for it in my crowded apartment. Here are some of my favorites from this week. Check out that ceramic lantern!

[Clockwise: Hand Built Ceramic Lantern; Stoneware Vase by Theo Helmstadter; Striped West German Vase; Yellow and Blue Bowl by DiTerra; Eggshell Vessel by Modine Pottery; Folded Miso Bowl by Pigeon Toe Ceramics; Blue and White Jar; Teapot by BellaCosset]

 

Spinning Under Moonlight

Posted by Alison – March 16, 2011

Julia Sherman‘s performance, photography and video art pieces are provocative and cross tons of genres. (I’m a huge fan of her long-form piece investigative piece on handmade wigs for Orthodox, Hasidic and African-American women, ”She Goes Covered.“)

This beautifully captured performance piece, entitled Mother of All, is explained as such:

“In the Kabbalah it says that unmarried women are forbidden to spin under the moonlight, as it is seen as a brazen display of one’s sexual potential. In the piece, there is an emphasis on the rhythmic, hypnotic motion of the spinning wheel and the movement of the body.”

Dedicated to Bill

Posted by Alison – March 16, 2011

Freaks and Geeks’ Bill Haverchuck is the geek that lives inside all of us (mostly me, probably). “Endearing” isn’t a strong enough word for him. After school latchkey kid + Gary Shandling on the TV + homemade cheese sandwich with Kraft singles: classic Bill.

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