"2020: An Isolation Odyssey"

Brooklyn filmmaker, artist, and designer Lydia Cambron has created a wonderfully filmic, shot-for-shot remake of the last section of Kubrick's iconic film "2001: A Space Odyssey." She explains:

"2020: an isolation odyssey is a reenactment of the iconic finale of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968). Restaged in the context of home quarantine, the journey through time adapts to the mundane dramas of self-isolation–poking fun at the navel-gazing saga of life alone and indoors.

This project began in late March and was completed in late May, spanning the height of the pandemic in New York City. Staged in a one bedroom Brooklyn apartment, 2020 presents an obvious similarity to the domestic setting of 2001. The stacked videos and synced movements also reveal parallels in emotion. The narrowness of daily life in a single space, transitioning from confusion to acceptance, a distorted sense of time, and ‘returning’ after a transformational event–all experiences analogous to quarantine.

The adapted version delineates the passing of time through wardrobe rather than age, identifying each phase of the character’s journey with a product of self care or PPE. Tools of private entertainment or self betterment are also used as props, questioning our confidence in products and productivity as anchors during times of uncertainty. Multitasking while #wfh, conjuring guilt or longing with unused exercise equipment, your entire being reduced to a measure of time–these scenes all illustrate the absurd comedy of trying to maintain control during this unprecedented and unpredictable time."

Do stick around for the hilarious credits at the end!

http://lydiacambron.com/

Robyn Sings "Missing U" and Goes To Her Party

I just love the music of Swedish singer Robyn (previously here and here). She sings songs that ring out beautifully on a dance floor but somehow she manages to build her songs out of heartfelt, emotional lyrics. Her approach is earnest and sweet and marries what it is to be uninhibited on a dance floor in a sense of euphoria with all the sadness and heaviness of life...since the highs and lows/the ups and downs are intertwined and do not exist without each other.

Here is her newest song, "Missing U" that ticks all the afore-mentioned boxes: an awesome beat for dancing, a slinky electronic sound, touching lyrics, and a chorus musically engineered for maximum emotional impact.

And here is a very touching, delightful mini-documentary about a group of Robyn fans in Brooklyn who began to host a Robyn-themed dance night at a venue...

http://robyn.com/

"Tan" by Lafawndah

Wow. I am blown away by this enigmatic, completely genre-defying track, "Tan" by singer-songwriter Lafawndah. Persian by birth, Parisian and New Yorker by choice, schooled in art history at the Sorbonne, her musical presentation is unique. The music is a fantastic mix of art-rock, electronic, rock, and definite Middle Eastern influences. The video is equally as odd and powerful. Lafawndah directed the piece and hired her friend Eshil Omar to lip-synch the song while she whispers the words to her in a VIP lounge of a disembodied nightclub. In a post modern approximation of a rap video, a man "makes it rain" over the women but instead of recognizable green dollar bills, we are presented with some form of mysterious currency of only gold squares. Finally, in a nearby room, a group of young men (including a lovely feminine creature with long hair) combine modern dance, Vogueing, and the whirling of Sufi Dervishes until Lafawndah is dragged in on a chair (!).

Pitchfork says, "She namechecks Duke Ellington on 'Tan,' while her vocal delivery reveals an ode to Björk and the thunderous beat quivering through the first half of the track might recall her days as a drummer for Mexico City all-girl tribal post-punk band Nidada. It's a strange mix of influences but Lafawndah hits all three with ease. There's a paranoiac energy to 'Tan,' an ominous vocal sample turned into a swarming beehive furious around her vocals. But around the three-minute mark, the tension breaks and 'Tan' grinds to a near halt, entering into an eerie ambient space. 'Show me what's inside,' Lafawndah intones, a robotic chill to her voice."

Her "Tan" Ep is due out February 5, 2016.
http://warp.net/artists/lafawdah/

Inverted Spaces Wallcovering

I love using wallpaper in projects for my interior design clients. Those of a certain age shudder at the mere mention of wallpaper, having mental connections to mom's foil-covered powder room or grandma's floral kitchen. But current wallpaper is artistic, expressive, unique, luxurious, and interesting. Read the product description below from the website of Brooklyn-based Calico Wallpaper about their "Inverted Spaces" wallcovering.

"Created in collaboration with Amsterdam-based design studio BCXSY, Inverted Spaces is a non-repeating wall mural conceived from archival NASA space photography. The concept is an exploration of celestial spaces, both imagined and real, and celebrates the fascination of the infinity that has surrounded us since the dawn of mankind."

This gorgeous, completely bespoke product comes in six colorways. Each order is custom printed to fit project dimensions and is seamless and non-repeating when installed

http://calicowallpaper.com/
http://www.bcxsy.com/

It's Snowing Everywhere

"Obelisk" by Color War

LOVE this brand new song from the Brooklyn band Color War (Billy J and Lindsay Mound). They bill their sound as "EPIC POP SOUNDTRACKS FROM THE DESERT OF DREAMS."
Indeed.
*sigh*
I love how her voice cracks when she sings "shooting stars" at 2:38...

From the forthcoming album "It Could Only Be This Way."

http://www.ideclarecolorwar.net/

BEAUTY: Painting--Alexandra Pacula

I have become more and more fond of cityscapes in art lately and the work of Brooklyn-based Alexandra Pacula is marvelous. These stunning, large scale oil paintings are reminiscent of blurry photographs where neon signs and tail lights and street lights make zig-zags across the lens. They capture the rain-soaked gloss of sidewalks, the smell of the city, and the honking of horns...


Top to bottom: Diverse Rhythm (Tryptych); Diverse Rhythm 1; Diverse Rhythm 2; Diverse Rhythm 3; Momentary Sighting; Vital Momentum; Sinuous Illumination

http://www.alexandrapacula.com

The Mast Brothers

The Mast Brothers, Chocolatiers.
Unexpectedly fascinating. Beautifully photographed (excellent work, Ed David), and the brothers are beautiful, too. I love the portrait of them on their website (click on the link at the bottom of this post)--they look slightly steampunk-y.

http://www.mastbrotherschocolate.com/