Tonight's The Night Of The Flight

"Tonight's the night of the flight,
Before you know, I'll be over the water like a swallow..."
--Kate Bush, "Night Of The Swallow"

I'm off to London... to see Kate.
I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

Happy Autumnal Equinox 2014!

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Today is the official start of autumn, when our planet begins to tilt the other direction, tipping the northern hemisphere away from the sun. The days grow shorter, nights grow longer, as we move indoors and into ourselves for hibernation and introspection. Autumn is a time of harvest as the earth moves into hibernation as well. It is a beautiful time, a spiritual transition, a doorway between summer and winter.

HAPPY AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2014!

(And for my friends Down Under, Happy Spring!)

"Too Bright" by Perfume Genius

Holy sh*t. Totally impressed with the true, "art" sensibility of these songs and videos by the amazing Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas). Both songs, "Queen" and "Grid," are from his release "Too Bright" released today, September 23, 2014. These powerful, aggressive, genre-defying pieces seem sprung from the head of Zeus, made up of familiar elements but reassembled in new, surreal, dream-like ways (the same goes for the videos). Some glam rock, some R&B, some electronic, some industrial, a bit of Yoko...all in a dark funhouse mirror. Love it.

https://perfumegenius.org/

Happy Birthday "Oh, By The Way!" 2014

Congratulations "Oh, By The Way," you are five today!

Five years ago, I had a dream in which I started a blog called “Oh, By The Way.” When I woke up that morning, I went to the computer and promptly started a blog called “Oh, By The Way.” Seriously--it was the first thing I did that morning, and yes, I often act out in waking life things I have dreamt.

"Oh, By The Way" is my digital scrap book of things I like, things I would share with a close friend and say: “Oh, by the way, do you know of this artist/ clothing or interior designer/ model/ singer/ actor/ gorgeous man… or, have you seen this video/ photo/ film... or heard (or do you remember) this song/ band... or, read this book/ poem/ inspiring quote... or, visited this place/ restaurant/ famous building... or, have you heard of this amazing new scientific discovery?”

Followers and regular readers: thank you so much! I hope you find this blog fascinating, beautiful, interesting, moving, inspiring, informative, and uplifting. Welcome to the birthday party. The treats this year are blueberry cake and pie, since we had a bumper crop. Have a virtual slice and enjoy!

BEAUTY: Clothing--Lederhosen

Since Oktoberfest starts today, September 20, 2014, let's honor the traditional, oft-maligned Bavarian lederhosen. There is something dashing and exotic about these leather shorts...an interesting combination of manly, animal erotic sexiness and country naiveté. Works for me...

Robert Downey Jr. sported lederhosen to the premiere of "Iron Man 3."

He even wore them with a charivari, the traditional chain of Bavarian hunter charms! Look at these gorgeous examples below!

"Somebody"

A short film collaboration between the amazing Miranda July and Miu Miu (as in Miuccia Prada). Hilarious.

http://mirandajuly.com/
http://www.miumiu.com/

"Take The Blame So I Don't Have To" by Spooky Black

Spooky Black's hypnotizing, glitchy, slow motion "Take The Blame So I Don't Have To."

https://soundcloud.com/spookyblack

BEAUTY: Mixed Media--Taylor Kinser

Graphic designer Taylor Kinser tried her hand at quantifying and objectifying emotions. For her imaginative "Bottled Emotions" project, she distilled six different emotional states down into their possible corresponding colors. And like some kind of spell book from "Harry Potter," she created an accompanying Tonic Guide of recipes (for lack of a better word) required for different emotional situations. Grandma's Fruitcake is particularly funny with its proportions of fear to curiosity!

https://www.behance.net/gallery/16265867/Bottled-Emotions

BEAUTY: Illustration--Nicholas Stevenson

The quirky style of illustrator Nicholas Stevenson looks as if he draws his dreams, while still asleep. His charming, naïve work reminds me of the skewed rooms and odd perspectives of the great Maira Kalman (previously here) as well as the equally fun and peculiar work of Michael Swaney (previously here).

Top to bottom: A Vision; Fairy Tale (sketchbook); Forest Excatavation [sic] (sketchbook); Frost Fair; Green Shoes; Play Chase (sketchbook); Salem Website (sketchbook); Wolves

http://www.nicholasstevenson.com/

The Flowered Beard

Last Weekend At The Lake House Before Winter...

Interior design celebrity Thom Filicia's glorious lake house in upstate New York...

http://www.thomfilicia.com/

BEAUTY: Architecture--Glass Tea House Mondrian

This past July 2014 at the Venice Biennale Architettura, artist Hiroshi Sugimoto unveiled his stunning, lyrical Glass Tea House Mondrian on the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore. It is a faithful, traditional Japanese tea house with one exception: its walls are made of glass. The art of the tea ceremony is an ancient one and depends upon the silence and solitude of the space and its effect on the tea master and the guests (which is often limited to two or four people). But the seasons and nature are often a large part of the tea ceremony as well: the small food items often served during the ceremony change with the time of year and sometimes a small ikebana arrangement will reflect the outdoors as well. So it seems fitting that the outdoors and inside of the tea house could influence each other in such a vital way.

Sugimoto designed the glass cube in conjunction with Bisazza, the Italian tile manufacturer, who lined the forty-foot long reflecting pool in blue mosaic tiles.

The exterior fencing around the pavilion is made entirely of cedar wood, sourced from the Tōhoku region which was devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

As dictated by tea ceremony tradition, the host (tea master) and guests enter through different doors. Above, the tea master enters the space through this side of the tea house...

...while the guests traditionally enter through a low, small door, a deliberate design which subliminally signals a change of perspective to the guests, and an important shift of consciousness.

Above: Kazuyo Sejima and creator of the tea house Hiroshi Sugimoto with their tea master

http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/
http://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/