There is something so familiar about this structure. Maybe it's because when I as a child, I used to make model homes like this out of small cardboard boxes.
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
The "Kujdane" A-Frame Cabin by Shomali Design
Iranian architects Shomali Design have proposed a new type of A-Frame cabin whose design, while remaining true to the original idea of such a structure, shows some beautiful, modern flourishes. The sides do not come together in an expected way, the main deck seems to be cantilevered, and there is a fascinating central glass hole or flue that lets rain and snow fall through the center of the house, collecting in a pond beneath the home.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
BEAUTY: Clothing--Paria Farzaneh
We kick off Fashion Month in London with London Fashion Week Men's.
Paria Farzeneh, finalist for last year’s LVMH Prize, is a new generation of designer, born in England of Persian parents. And as I said in my schedule posting for the season here, fashion can serve to speak to a place, a region, a country, a specific time or an entire era, a work of art such as a novel or film or painting, a class of people, even a social, financial, or spiritual element. So Farzaneh's show came at a particularly perfect time.
Fashion journalist Sarah Mower reported, "How ineffably poignant that the first fashion event of 2020 was an invitation to an Iranian wedding. The day after Donald Trump bombed Iran, Paria Farzaneh ushered us into a school hall in the City of London, asked men to sit on one side of the aisle, women on the other. Curtains opened on the school stage to reveal a bride in a white lace dress seated under a traditional religious canopy, with her groom next to her, wearing a hoodie printed in the textile that Farzaneh sources in Isfahan. The marriage ceremony was conducted in Farsi by an officiating gentleman in a black suit; guests were offered Iranian pastries, baked locally.
The political relevance of the performance only provided an exaggerated context for the point Farzaneh continually puts over—that of welcoming people to the dignity of her culture, and the peaceful sharing of ordinary human values. 'In uncertain times, it’s good to have a moment of celebration, of calm,' she said. 'It’s a time to come together, to remember where you come from. Even though I was born here [in England], I have been to Iran every year of my life. I feel I am doing them proud, speaking for them, and that’s important to me.'"
While I am not a fan of boring streetwear or dreadful athleisure wear (a trend that is dying a natural death anyhow), I felt it was important to spread Farzaneh's message at this time when The Monster in the White House is trying to bring about global destruction for his own re-election. And the intricate Isfahan fabric is lovely...Farzaneh said, "They are completely sustainable, though I’ve never shouted about that. They’re hand-made by a man in Isfahan. The dyes are all natural, using turmeric and saffron, washed in the river and dried in the sun.”
https://www.pariafarzaneh.com/
Paria Farzeneh, finalist for last year’s LVMH Prize, is a new generation of designer, born in England of Persian parents. And as I said in my schedule posting for the season here, fashion can serve to speak to a place, a region, a country, a specific time or an entire era, a work of art such as a novel or film or painting, a class of people, even a social, financial, or spiritual element. So Farzaneh's show came at a particularly perfect time.
Fashion journalist Sarah Mower reported, "How ineffably poignant that the first fashion event of 2020 was an invitation to an Iranian wedding. The day after Donald Trump bombed Iran, Paria Farzaneh ushered us into a school hall in the City of London, asked men to sit on one side of the aisle, women on the other. Curtains opened on the school stage to reveal a bride in a white lace dress seated under a traditional religious canopy, with her groom next to her, wearing a hoodie printed in the textile that Farzaneh sources in Isfahan. The marriage ceremony was conducted in Farsi by an officiating gentleman in a black suit; guests were offered Iranian pastries, baked locally.
The political relevance of the performance only provided an exaggerated context for the point Farzaneh continually puts over—that of welcoming people to the dignity of her culture, and the peaceful sharing of ordinary human values. 'In uncertain times, it’s good to have a moment of celebration, of calm,' she said. 'It’s a time to come together, to remember where you come from. Even though I was born here [in England], I have been to Iran every year of my life. I feel I am doing them proud, speaking for them, and that’s important to me.'"
While I am not a fan of boring streetwear or dreadful athleisure wear (a trend that is dying a natural death anyhow), I felt it was important to spread Farzaneh's message at this time when The Monster in the White House is trying to bring about global destruction for his own re-election. And the intricate Isfahan fabric is lovely...Farzaneh said, "They are completely sustainable, though I’ve never shouted about that. They’re hand-made by a man in Isfahan. The dyes are all natural, using turmeric and saffron, washed in the river and dried in the sun.”
https://www.pariafarzaneh.com/
Sunday, July 2, 2017
BEAUTY: Soft Sculpture--Maryam Ashkanian
Persian painter and sculptor Maryam Ashkanian embroidered portraits of sleepers onto pillows in her ghostly Sleep series. Enchanting.
http://www.maryamashkanian.com/
http://www.maryamashkanian.com/
Monday, January 4, 2016
"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/
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/
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Just watched...
“Argo” directed by and starring Ben Affleck.
Because I am a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (it does say "Actor" in my profile, right?), as well as the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors since the two unions recently merged, I get screener copies of SAG Award nominated films each year (producers and the union understand screener copies help in the voting), and it is a nice way to catch up on films I have yet to see. And the awards are coming up quickly…
My first screener film to arrive in the mail was “Argo” and I was not at all prepared for how truly engrossing and effective this film is. Despite the fact that it is based on actual real world events, the outcome of which we already know, it still felt alive, immediate, and incredibly suspenseful. It felt like anything could happen. And that is good film making.
As some readers who are old enough to recall (as I do quite vividly), when the Shah was overthrown in Iran in 1979, the revolutionaries stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took hostages. The kidnapping of those men and women lasted over 400 days. But a small group of six American embassy workers managed to escape and hid out in the Canadian Embassy, until a very out-of-the-box-thinking CIA operative dreamed up a plan to fly into Iran and rescue the six. The plan revolved around creating a fictitious film production company, using an actual Hollywood script, faking Canadian passports, and marching the group out, right under the noses of the guards at the airport.
Ben Affleck did a superb job directing, giving it an air of the type of film that rarely gets made anymore. Indeed it is a filmic homage to the 70s, the last period of quality films from Hollywood. It opens with a vintage Warner Brothers logo (the three slashes that make a “W”) and I squealed, “I haven’t seen that in a long time!” There are of course a lot of production design touches to enhance the 70s feeling, like costume and music. But I can’t emphasize enough how the film relies—refreshingly—on narrative, suspense, and character, like they used to, instead of chase scenes or explosions. The entire cast is very good as well, and added to the tension and verisimilitude of the story.
There has been some criticism of the film, mostly about how it downplays the role of the Canadians in the rescue. Looking at historical fact, this seems to be true, but it does not spoil my enjoyment of the film. I am willing to give bigger thanks to our neighbors in the north for the "Canadian Caper" as it is now known, and acknowledge their extremely vital role. I also understand how films condense and edit stories for the sake of clarity, time, and overall flow. Affleck has since put a comment at the end of the film acknowledging Canada's role.
The remaining criticism is aimed at how one-sided the Iranian people are shown in the film. I can’t see that so much. I am aware, first hand, of how the Iranian people were made up of many who were Westernized, forward thinking, and liberal. In 1979, I met several people who got out of the country while they could—just before and immediately after the ousting of the Shah. The film actually does show one of the characters managing to get out of the country, so we are made aware that there was a segment of the population who saw what was coming and wanted no part of it. I know there are people still there who would love to escape. And I have a current Persian friend, whose family did get out just in time, who had no problem with how her people are portrayed in the film. So that aspect did not bother me. But let’s not forget that the rest of the American embassy workers, along with many civilians, and some non-Americans—52 of them in all—were held for 444 days; if the film is one-sided, which I feel it is not, that is a good reason to remember the events, and the people who perpetrated them, with gravitas. The film feels alive and immediate because, sadly, we find ourselves decades later in very similar territory, what with the Libyan Embassy, turmoil in the Muslim world, and continued strained relations with Iran. The events of the film could have happened last month, or perhaps will happen again.
(And on a completely personal and superficial note, Ben Affleck looks amazingly sexy with that shaggy hair and beard! In fact, he has never looked better. Yowsa!)
Recommend? YES!
http://argothemovie.warnerbros.com/#home
Because I am a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (it does say "Actor" in my profile, right?), as well as the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors since the two unions recently merged, I get screener copies of SAG Award nominated films each year (producers and the union understand screener copies help in the voting), and it is a nice way to catch up on films I have yet to see. And the awards are coming up quickly…
My first screener film to arrive in the mail was “Argo” and I was not at all prepared for how truly engrossing and effective this film is. Despite the fact that it is based on actual real world events, the outcome of which we already know, it still felt alive, immediate, and incredibly suspenseful. It felt like anything could happen. And that is good film making.
As some readers who are old enough to recall (as I do quite vividly), when the Shah was overthrown in Iran in 1979, the revolutionaries stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took hostages. The kidnapping of those men and women lasted over 400 days. But a small group of six American embassy workers managed to escape and hid out in the Canadian Embassy, until a very out-of-the-box-thinking CIA operative dreamed up a plan to fly into Iran and rescue the six. The plan revolved around creating a fictitious film production company, using an actual Hollywood script, faking Canadian passports, and marching the group out, right under the noses of the guards at the airport.
Ben Affleck did a superb job directing, giving it an air of the type of film that rarely gets made anymore. Indeed it is a filmic homage to the 70s, the last period of quality films from Hollywood. It opens with a vintage Warner Brothers logo (the three slashes that make a “W”) and I squealed, “I haven’t seen that in a long time!” There are of course a lot of production design touches to enhance the 70s feeling, like costume and music. But I can’t emphasize enough how the film relies—refreshingly—on narrative, suspense, and character, like they used to, instead of chase scenes or explosions. The entire cast is very good as well, and added to the tension and verisimilitude of the story.
There has been some criticism of the film, mostly about how it downplays the role of the Canadians in the rescue. Looking at historical fact, this seems to be true, but it does not spoil my enjoyment of the film. I am willing to give bigger thanks to our neighbors in the north for the "Canadian Caper" as it is now known, and acknowledge their extremely vital role. I also understand how films condense and edit stories for the sake of clarity, time, and overall flow. Affleck has since put a comment at the end of the film acknowledging Canada's role.
The remaining criticism is aimed at how one-sided the Iranian people are shown in the film. I can’t see that so much. I am aware, first hand, of how the Iranian people were made up of many who were Westernized, forward thinking, and liberal. In 1979, I met several people who got out of the country while they could—just before and immediately after the ousting of the Shah. The film actually does show one of the characters managing to get out of the country, so we are made aware that there was a segment of the population who saw what was coming and wanted no part of it. I know there are people still there who would love to escape. And I have a current Persian friend, whose family did get out just in time, who had no problem with how her people are portrayed in the film. So that aspect did not bother me. But let’s not forget that the rest of the American embassy workers, along with many civilians, and some non-Americans—52 of them in all—were held for 444 days; if the film is one-sided, which I feel it is not, that is a good reason to remember the events, and the people who perpetrated them, with gravitas. The film feels alive and immediate because, sadly, we find ourselves decades later in very similar territory, what with the Libyan Embassy, turmoil in the Muslim world, and continued strained relations with Iran. The events of the film could have happened last month, or perhaps will happen again.
(And on a completely personal and superficial note, Ben Affleck looks amazingly sexy with that shaggy hair and beard! In fact, he has never looked better. Yowsa!)
Recommend? YES!
http://argothemovie.warnerbros.com/#home
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