Monday, January 31, 2022

BEAUTY: Digital Art--Robert Montgomery

Phenomenal multimedia artist and poet Robert Montgomery (previously here) has created a digital artwork that is being sold as NFT through Known Origin. Called You Are An Agent Of Free Sunlight, the narrative content is his usual exquisite, devastatingly spot-on poetry critiquing our world in the most evocative and achingly beautiful terms and ideas.


https://www.robertmontgomery.org/
https://knownorigin.io/gallery/6436000-you-are-an-agent-of-free-sunlight

Sunday, January 30, 2022

BEAUTY: Painting--Seonna Hong

The lyrical, colorful, and pastoral work of Seonna Hong belies a darker narrative about climate catastrophe and the reclamation of our constructed world by nature and animals.


Top to bottom: Ask About the Weather; Granny Square; I Am the Dark; Kid World; Late Bloomer; Posthumanity; The Truly Staggering Amount; Unnatural Disaster; Weary Nation; Weight of the Planet

http://www.seonnahong.com/

Saturday, January 29, 2022

"Escape" by Boy Harsher

More exquisitely dark, moody electronic music from duo Boy Harsher (Jae Matthew's murmured vocals over the pulsing retro electronics of Augustus Muller). Here is "Escape" from "The Runner," a new original soundtrack to their film of the same name.


https://boyharsher.com/

Thursday, January 27, 2022

BEAUTY: Clothing--Rick Owens

Rick Owens. STROBE collection. Fall Winter '22-'23. Paris Fashion Week.

I will let Rick himself explain:

FW22 STROBE MEN’S
THURSDAY 20 JANUARY 2022, 20H00
PALAIS DE TOKYO, 13 AVENUE DU PRÉSIDENT WILSON, 75116 PARIS


IN THIS AGE OF IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION AND META-SELF-INVENTION MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, MAYBE INDULGING MY ID IS ULTIMATELY THE WISEST PATH. THE LANGUOROUS GLAMASLEAZY LIGHT SEEKERS IN THIS COLLECTION REFLECT THAT MOOD. OUR DRELLA COATS (DRELLA BEING WARHOL’S NICKNAME COINED BY DISCIPLE ONDINE) CAN BE BELTED AROUND THE HIPS OR, WITH THE UNBUTTONING OF A BACK SLIT, BE THROWN OVER THE HEAD AS A PONCHO OR A CAPE.

THEDA BARA PARKAS WITH EXTRAVAGANT GOAT HAIR TRIM COME IN BLACK LEATHER, ORANGE CANVAS, OR REFLEX — AN INDUSTRIALLY FAMILIAR RETROFLECTIVE FABRIC WOVEN WITH YARN MADE FROM GLASS.
TAILORED COATS AND JACKETS STILL HAVE EXAGGERATED SHOULDERS THAT I HAD STARTED DOING AS A PARODY OF MASCULINITY BUT ENDED UP ENJOYING WEARING... AN EXCUSE TO TAKE UP MORE SPACE AROUND ME. CAMP HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT EXAGGERATING EARNESTLY NAIVE URGES...
DUVET COATS COME WITH FULLY ZIPPED HOODS WITH EYE HOLES TO FURTHER THE TIMELESS TRADITION OF OUT-MENACE-ING OUR MENACERS.

OUR EYE HAS GOTTEN USED TO A MASKED FACE.
PATCHWORKED SHEARLINGS COME FROM A FAMILY-OWNED, SECOND GENERATION TANNERY FROM TUSCANY. THEY ARE LWG [LEATHER WORKING GROUP] CERTIFIED, WHICH COVERS ENVIRONMENTAL, TRACEABILITY, AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
SLEEVELESS OVERSHIRTS TO BE WORN UNDER CROPPED, WIDE-SHOULDERED BOMBERS OR LAYERED UNDER OVERCOATS HAVE DEEP ZIPPED INTERNAL POCKETS THAT ACT AS MEGA WALLETS.
HELMETS HAVE DAN FLAVIN-ESQUE FLUORESCENT BULBS SET IN CROWN SHAPES THAT I KEPT SEEING IN THE EGYPTIAN TEMPLES AND TOMBS I TOURED LAST OCTOBER.
THEY ARE BALANCED OUT BY OUR NEW BLOWN-UP CONVERSE TURBOWPN AND DRKSTAR OR KNEE- HIGH PULL ON BOOTS WITH EITHER A LUG SOLE OR OUR BELOVED ACRYLIC-HEELED PLATFORMS.
COTTON SILK DUCHESSE — WOVEN IN THE COMO REGION OF ITALY. SUPER HIGH THREAD COUNT THAT MAKES THE MATERIAL VERY COMPACT AND RIGID. 500 GRAMS.

WOVEN ON AN ARTISANAL SLOW LOOM.
BONOTTO CANVAS WOOL — WOVEN ON AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY SHUTTLE LOOM WITH A LOW WIDTH AND NATURAL SELVEDGE. FROM THE VENETO REGION OF ITALY. MILL IS FOURTH GENERATION, FOUNDED IN 1912, AND BELIEVES IN TRADITIONAL OLD WEAVING TECHNIQUES WHICH THEY COIN ‘SLOW WEAVING’.
100% OF OUR COTTON JERSEYS ARE ORGANIC GOTS CERTIFIED COTTON.
90% OF OUR COTTON WOVENS ARE ORGANIC CERTIFIED COTTON.
I DON’T MENTION ALL THIS OUT OF VIRTUOUSNESS, WE DEFINITELY HAVE ROOM TO IMPROVE.

I JUST LIKE PROMOTING THE CONVERSATION FASHION IS HAVING ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY.
BUT THE PERFECT BALANCE OF VIRTUOUSNESS AND CHEERFUL DEGENERACY HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY HOLY GRAIL; THE DEGENERACY HERE ENHANCED BY THE SISTERS OF MERCY’S DRONING ‘LIGHTS’, AN ANTHEM I PLAYED OVER AND OVER IN MY MISSPENT YOUTH. I REACHED OUT TO ANDREW ELDRITCH ABOUT REMIXING THIS SONG, BUT HE PREFERRED I CHOOSE ANOTHER AS HE HAD NEVER BEEN HAPPY WITH THE PRODUCTION RELEASED. I TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD — I DON’T KNOW IF THE IMAGE I WILL LEAVE BEHIND IS EXACTLY WHAT I PLANNED. BUT I THINK PEOPLE TRUST A CREATIVE EXPRESSION AT ITS MOST RAW AND SINCERE STATE AND RETAIN AND CHERISH IT. I HOPE HE WILL FORGIVE MY FINAL LIBERTY OF USING IT, IF NOT I WILL REPLACE FOR FURTHER RELEASE AND TRY TO FIND SOMETHING WITH THE SAME MYSTICAL URGENCY.

BECAUSE DOESN’T EVERY GUY WANNA BE REMEMBERED AS A HEROIC WIZARD STANDING ON A CLIFF HOLDING A TORCH?

Although he did not speak about it, I do get a clear S&M sense from some of these elements--the Y-keychain harness Tyrone wears in the very first look seems like a Rick Owens take on the kind of harnesses worn by Leathermen in the S&M and B&D communities, the parkas with zip hoods to cover the face remind me of gimp hoods, and a tee shirt proudly proclaims "URINAL." Even the flashing strobe from the name of the collection reminds me of dark, "Glamazleazy" (to use Rick's word) sex clubs. The wild lighted helmets are not included in the photos below but look for them in the video. And I love the shots of pink and orange--don't say Rick never does color!

Rick Owens takes his bow after the show


https://www.rickowens.eu/en/US

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

BEAUTY: Clothing--Oteyza

Spanish brand Oteyza founders Paul GarcĂ­a de Oteyza and Caterina Pañeda may have only started showing last year but their identity and imagery is strong. The duo is dedicated to blending traditional Spanish craftsmanship (and silhouettes: capes reminiscent of the venerable, 100-year old, Madrid-based Seseña anyone?) with contemporary fashion-forward paradigm. The results combine an Old World shape with a pared down sensibility, and this Fall-Winter '22-'23 lookbook presented for Paris Fashion Week is just gorgeous.



https://deoteyza.com/

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

BEAUTY: Clothing--Jil Sander

Jil Sander no longer heads her namesake house, but current Creative Directors Lucie and Luke Meier carry on her vision of puritanical minimalism. For this Paris Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2022-2023 collection though, they added in an element that challenges the austerity of the DNA of the house: crochet.

"We liked this really elegant, masculine silhouette, but with a sensual side to it, as well," Lucie Meier said after the show. Luke Meier added, "We start a lot with tailoring, just to see what we really want to do and say and what we care about. But this time, we worked it into typically feminine techniques as well."

I quite like the texture it adds as hats, scarves, collars and tabards, and the juxtaposition of spartan against granny-chic craft. I also like using twisted silk scarves as coat belts. And check out the constellation astrology prints and zodiac embroideries spread across the rest of the collection. It all feels interesting and fun...



https://www.jilsander.com/