WHATEVER I CAN THINK OF//

2011-12-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

2011-12-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

MY BEST :2011

It's always so tricky to write my top 20 list. This year there have been quite a few albums that really made an impact...However, there were also a lot of disappointments (Antlers, Iron & Wine-here's looking at you). There are also quite a few albums that I'm sure would've made it onto my list if I wasn't so spoilt for choice. What often seems to happen, is that one band releases a really solid album, which just as it starts growing on you gets neglected because of one of your favourite bands releasing something you are expecting to be promising. What I am actually trying to say, is that I wish there was more time to listen to everything from back to front... Over and over again, without fearing to miss out on another release that seems essential to lend an ear to.

Then apart from all the 2011 releases there are always those lingereing 2010 records you somehow skipped as well as the rest of your i tunes library..There are many albums that aren't on the list but that should've actually been on there...I didn't add them because I haven't dedicated enough time to them, or because they didn't quite make the cut. It seems they will form part of my 2012 heavy rotation...

These include Russian Circles-Empros, Young Widows-In and out of Youth and LIghtness, Wolves in the Throne Room-Celestial Lineage, The Middle East- I want that you are always Happy, , Adebisi Shank- This is the second album of, Boris-New Album, Idaho-You were a dick and despite the slight let down Antlers-Burst Apart. Radiohead gets enough attention which is also why it was left out depite being an album I really enjoyed this year (don't call me a fangirl)...

COLIN STETSON- A history of warfare vol.2
FAVOURITE TRACK: JUDGES

JOHN MAUS- We must become the pitiless censors of ourselves
FAVOURITE TRACK: STREETLIGHT / BELIEVER

KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINS-Diamond Mine
FAVOUORITE TRACK: JOHN TAYLOR'S MONTH AWAY

BATTLES-GLOSS DROP
FAVOURITE TRACK: AFRICASTLE

NILS FRAHM-FELT
FAVOURITE TRACK: LESS

GILES COREY-SELF-TITLED
FAVOURITE TRACK: NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO WANT ME

LOW-C’MON
FAVOURITE TRACK: WITCHES

TIM HECKER-RAVEDEATH
FAVOURITE TRACK: IN THE FOG II

M83-HURRY UP WE’RE DREAMING
FAVOURITE TRACK: WAIT

ESBEN & THE WITCH-VIOLET CRIES
FAVOURITE TRACK: CHOREA

JAMES BLAKE-SELF TITLED
FAVOURITE TRACK: TO CARE (LIKE YOU)

NAT BALDWIN-PEOPLE CHANGES
FAVOURITE TRACK: LIFTED

GROUPER: AIA ALIEN OBSERVER & DREAM LOSS
FAVOURITE TRACK: SHE LOVES ME THAT WAY

DARK DARK DARK-WILD GO
FAVOURITE TRACK: DAYDREAMING

JESU-ASCENSION
FAVOURITE TRACK: BRAVE NEW WORLD

EARTH-ANGELS OF DARKNESS & DEMONS OF LIGHT
FAVOURITE TRACK: FATHER MIDNIGHT

APPARAT-THE DEVIL’S WALK
FAVOURITE TRACK: GOODBYE (feat.soap & skin)

THIS WILL DESTROY YOU- TUNNEL BLANKET
FAVOURITE TRACK-LITTLE SMOKE

WYE OAK- CIVILIAN
FAVOURITE TRACK: HOT AS DAY

A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN-S.T
FAVOURITE TRACK- A SYMPHONY PATHETIQUE

JOSH T PEARSON-LAST OF THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN
FAVOURITE TRACK: WOMAN WHEN I'VE RAISED HELL

EXTRA LIFE-RIPPED HEART EP
FAVOURITE TRACK: RUN COLD

PALE SKETCHER- SEVENTH HEAVEN EP
FAVOURITE TRACK: SEVENTH HEAVEN

FLEET FOXES-HELPLESNESS BLUES
FAVOURITE TRACK: THE SHRINE / AN ARGUMENT

VAMPIRE 9000-COLOURS
FAVOURITE TRACK: COLOURS

2011-11-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

/TRIPLE POST PT. III-ZANDER BLOM

I'm going to have to cheat with this part of my triple post... However, I do have a valid reason...The smell of the paint sculpturally 'stacked' onto the giant canvasses and the feeling of being overwhelmed by their size and magnitude all forms part of the experience...
That is why I am only giving you a sneak peak..Just a corner of an image so that if you're in the Johannesburg vicinity, you'll go and experience this phenomenal exhibition of Zander Blom's new paintings yourself... I'm not going to try say more about the show because it's all about the gut feeling and the over all experience... so here is just a sneak peek... Go see the exhibition at Stevenson gallery in Braamfontein...It's on until the 9th of December..
To make you more curious ...here's another grainy phone pic to keep the mystery alive...

2011-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

/TRIPLE POST PT.II - JONAH SACK
I'm a huge fan of Cape Town based artist Jonah Sack... He is one of the artist who makes me feel what I assume people on ecstasy would feel like when at a rave...lovely comparison...what I'm trying to get to is that his work has a huge effect on me. Anyways, Sack recently had a solo at the established JHB based gallery Art on Paper. I made sure not to miss it and also took some pics... Please do yourself the favour and visit the official Art on Paper site because their photos of Sack's work will be less amateur and will probably depict the works more truthfully then my lo-fi phone pics do.... The immense detail and precision of his mark making is also not captured well in these pics, so there's another reason why you need to experience his work one on one..

visit the gallery Art on Paper & visit the artist's tumblr

photo below courtesy of AOP

2011-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

//3 months later...

Wow..I see it's been 3 months again since my last post. Saying that time flies would be too much
of a cliche, so let me resort to saying that i'm getting older and the days are getting shorter (oh wait, a cliche replaced by a cliche)...

Nonetheless, I've found something blog worthy, which is what usually determines my posting schedule. In fact I will make this a triple post to catch up for the last 3 months! I hope this makes us even...

First and foremost...
My favourite net artist Rafaël Rozendaal has created a new piece of .net art...It's pretty straight
forward, but I guarantee you that it will help hours pass quickly...
Best part is that it (as net art usually is -duh) ineractive, and requires your mouse-clicks for it to evolve....

Here are some screen grabs directly pirated from one of my favourite blogs today and tomorrow...

visit and psych away ... www.intotime.org

2011-07-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

//BLOODHEAD

I'm busy grappling with my Master's at the moment...It sometimes is pretty tough to keep yourself motivated. In my case the thing that does the job is the artwoks that inspire me to research conservation and re-exhibition, one of them is Marc Quinn's "Blood Head" or "Self".

Self consists of Quinn's head cast out of his own blood. The blood remains frozen in a refrigerator display case, and the artwork is re-cast at an interval of 5 years. Then a new cast is made and Quinn's fresh blood is used and a new mold is made portraying him at that stage of life.

Quinn's first Self was made in 1991 and was first exhibited as part of the Sensation exhibition.
The recasting of the head does not only address the artist's physical deterioration but it's fragile nature also underlines conservational problems that increasingly appear in contemporary art.
Quinn's 2006 Self is part of the National Portrait Gallery. This work definitely challenges our conventional idea of what constitutes an artwork which makes it an important acquisition to the Portrait Galleries collection.

check out more of the artist's work here: http://www.marcquinn.com

2011-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

//LANDLAND

LandLand makes 'original' things. These days I hardly ever find anything that still strikes me as that, perhaps that is why my blog has been so quiet lately?! It seems the internet has made it tougher than ever before to avoid falling into these visual trend traps. Monkey see, monkey do?!Well, that does not apply to the graphic & illustration team LandLand from Minneapolis. They make gigposters and other prints that don't resemble 10 images that you've spotted on fffound. Their work is strangely exciting and gladly unfamiliar enough.

Please visit their site here to see more awesomeness.

Here are some of my favourites:

Poster for Baths:

poster for Growing

poster for Why?

poster for Mogwai

2011-02-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

//TIME & SPACE/JUST FOR INTEREST'S SAKE.

I was spending my Sunday evening the way I usually do-reading blogs and making sure I haven't missed any posts on my favourite few...This is when I saw industrial designer Jesper Jonsson's "Moment of a Movement".It's a light that shows traces of time...I suppose in basic terms one could call it a light clock without a face, using lights as shadow blocking hands to operate and thereby referencing the rhythm of natural daylight.The thing that made it catch my eye is the visual similarity it has to Rowan Smith's (one of my favourite local artists) "Extensions of the Universe" (2007)....

So yesss...simply put,there you have it "time & space"..
:)

via designboom.com

Jesper Jonsson-

Rowan Smith-(more info here)

2011-02-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

//I HATE HIPPIES TOO BUT...
Okay,so maybe "hate" is a bit of a harsh word here,but let me get to the point...
Check out the new kid on the block...I know pdfs are the business,but this new file format by WWF
is quite neat.It creates pdfs that cannot be printed.Why you may ask?Well-to help save trees of course...
Let's be fair-one hardly ever reads the stacks of paper one prints out,so why not just keep it digital?

It's even got quite a nice splash icon-
Yes-green is the new red!
download it here
via swissmiss

2011-01-14T23:50:00.000-08:00

//TED | AMBER CASE /we are all cyborgs now.

I'm a sucker for TED.I found this one to be well presented.I just love how Amber Case talks.
enjoy.(I'll be posting more of my favourites)

2011-01-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

//JUST FOR KICKS.

2011-01-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

//HAPPY NEW YEAR & LEGO LETTERPRESS PRINTS.

I'm aiming to be a little more ambitious concerning my blog.I've been slacking end of last year but am now back to bizness...
I grew up playing with Lego rather than with dolls.I remember taking over the whole house (this includes the bathroom) to build my architectural empires (or not).
Hence,when I came across thee Lego letterpress prints by Physical Fiction I was nothing short of amazed.

Go to Physical Fiction to purchase or see more.
found at today and tomorrow

2010-12-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

//MY TOP ALBUMS OF 2010
I love this time of year.I usually dedicate quite a bit of time to writing my "top albums" list.This also involves a lot of editing which is often subject to my mood-therefore the list gets written and re-written more than just twice. My top album of the year was an easy enough choice-The National-High Violet. I know a lot of people agree with me on this one (for once).I'm glad to see a band finally receiving long overdue recognition since they've got quite an extensive discography.The rest of the releases aren't posted in any order of preference...

The National-High Violet
favourite track:Runaway (but up to date I've labeled each track as my favourite about twice,so..)

Eluvium-Similes
Eluvium's previous release "Copia" is also a solid album, but I find that the vocals add a complete new dimension to the music,making it more sincere and also more memorable.
favourite track: The motion makes me last

Swans-My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
Swans used to be one of those legendary bands that you either "got" or simply detested.
This album changes that and can be seen as a sort of mediator.If you don't like Jarboe then you'll love this album as she is not featured here.My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky definitely admits to quite a bit of the Angels of Light sound(MIchael Gyra's other Swans hiatus band),especially tracks like Jim and Reeling the Liars in.

favourite track:No Words/No Thoughts

Unwinding Hours-Self-Titled
I am quite an avid Aerogramme fan.Unwinding hours is half of Aerogramme revived,doing a pretty solid job at keeping the Aerogramme vibes alive,yet also giving it an edge of its own.Just like all of Aerogramme's albums this one is heartfelt and is an album one will revisit in years to come and still enjoy it just the same.

favourite track:(this one is tough-the "single"-Peaceful Liquid shell has gotten the best of me,but "Child" is one of the tracks that ......

The Knife (in colaboration with Mt.Sims and Planningtorock)-Tomorrow in a year
This album just explains why I love Scandinavia.This album was commissioned by the Danish performance group "Hotel Pro Forms".The Knife was instructed to write music based on Darwin's "Origin of Species" for an opera.Olof (the one half of the Knife) even attended field recording workshops in the Amazon to record sounds and gather inspiration.

favourite track:Variations of Birds

Sufjan Stevens-Age of Adz
This album got me pretty confused at first.Sufjan is a strange guy to say the least.I think the essence of Sufjan is to embrace the absurd and to not take himself too seriously but to at the same time give his music the attention and listening time it deserves.Age of Adz is one of his most experimental efforts.The album embraces Pop in a non-conventional non sell out way,yet still features the Sufjan sensibility that can be detected in his earlier albums.

favourite track:I want to be well/ Vesuius

Ascent of Everest-From this Vantage
This is an album I never expected to come across.It was recommended to me by friends and even though I often promise to check out a band and never follow up,this was one instance where I made the minor effort and was glad I bothered.I suppose it's fair enough to give it the ambient post rock tag (as much as we try avoid that these days).Nonetheless this album does not restrict itself to the conventional formula of these genre based bands but features an unfamiliar take on the expected sound.

favourite track:dark,dark my light

Wildbirds and Peacedrums-Rivers
This was another friend recommendation.Haasbees kept telling me about this band and I kept failing to remember their name.Eventually I came across them somewhere else online and realized that this was the band I should've checked out months ago.The band consists of a Swedish married couple "the Wallentin's" and consists of mainly drums and electronic samples supported by Mariam's (the wife's) vocals.The album consists of two combined ep's-Retina & Iris.

favourite track:Retina: Fight For Me

Beach House-Teen Dream
Teen Dream is one of the albums that clearly did very well this year,but just as The National,it's another one that deserves the exposure.I love the dream pop sensibility featured in Beach House's music.Victoria Legrand's vocals seem distant and far off yet they somehow nonetheless hit hard and seem deeply intimate.The dream pop label seems like such a cliche,but it is quite spot on.Teen dream is definitely what can be considered a consistent follow up to Devotion.

favourite track:Walk in the Park

Extra Life-Made Flesh
Extra Life is like an off beat cult film.It's insanely catchy yet it gives you the creeps at the same time-I think the sensation of someone pretending to break a head on your head is probably the closest I'll get explaining what Made Flesh sounds like.The twisted or let's say Avant Garde lyrics are also extremely cleverly crafted and correspond well with the music.This is something a deranged ADD kid would love (oh I'm dooming myself here)....

favourite track:Made Flesh

Efterklang-Magic Chairs
Efterklang is one of my favourite bands.Their music has so many layers and intricacies that are sometimes disguised by Casper's melodic and soothing voice.Magic Chairs was an album that left me a little disappointed at the first listen,yet managed to convince me of its genius after a few more.The album is definitely Efterklang's most listener friendly album, yet without the "let's make a terrible album so that more people will like us" approach.The band manages to remain solid in terms of their previous efforts and also manages to incorporate a more accessible element into their music without ruining it which these days is to be considered a rare skill .I think this album is sort of contemporary Märchen Musik.

favourite track:Full Moon/ I was playing drums

Have a Nice LIfe-Time of Land

I'm such a sucker for this band.It's reached the stage where they can release a 4 track ep with only two proper tracks on it and still make it onto my "best of 2010" list.This ep is available for free download from the enemies list site here:time of land

favourite track:Woe unto us

The Body-All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood
I haven't really been listening to lots of heavy stuff this year,with this being one of the exceptions as I've fully devoured this album.Another unexpected gem that I had never stumbled across until it was recommended to me. The Body manages to take so many elements of various sounds and mashes them together successfully.IN this case it's best just to give it a listen...

favourite track:Empty Hearth/ Even The Saints Knew Their Hour Of Failure And Loss

Peter Broderick-How they are
Peter Broderick is a genius-mildly put that is.The 23 year old is not only prolific but also releases solid albums when he does release something.This album is apparently only a "stop-gap" record.Peter obtained a knee injury and had to return home for a couple of months while recording what was intended to be a major follow up to 2008's Home.This is the result.Peter started writing poems,messing around on the computer,piano and with his guitar and came up with this.According to Peter this is only a "filler" album but in truth its so much more.It's one of those records that requires or rather deserves your full attention to be appreciated and experienced to the extent that it should be.

favourite track:Guilt's Tune

Fulka-Mystery of the seven stars

This album is special to me.I think it is mostly because it seems so familiar to me.The folky edge makes it an honest effort that makes it possible to relate to and does not leave half the songs obscured by cool.Most of these tracks convey a lightness that absorbs you and makes it sincere and makes you put it on repeat over and over again.Mystery of the seven stars (the track)is one of the more serious songs that feels like an epic narrative that captures the essence of the album in a more contemplative manner .The electronic bits also help tie everything together and add the "tronic" to the :"folk".

favourite track:Mystery of the seven stars

A skyline on fire-Slow
This album is something I've seen unfold.I still have most demo recordings they did before hitting Studio Benjamin and crafting this masterpiece.I've listened to the album more than anything else this year (hands down-I unscrobbled my last.fm to avoid looking like a groupie,but it might be too late for that now).When making the artworks I listened to the demos repeatedly,and then when the recording was done I listened to the album some more to make sure I didn't misunderstand this very heartfelt record because the last thing one would want when making the album art for an album such as this is to interpret the music and make the art about your own feelings about the essence of the music.Instead I wanted the art to be a solid and sincere statement of the music without being subject to my own take on the music...I know-that's pretty much impossible but that's how optimistic i was.By going through these steps the songs that I already liked to begin with started to feel like home to me.A record that could be revisited and convey the same honesty every time.

favourite track:Expert Heart/Christmas card/Kids in bad Water

Vampire 9000- (yet to be released).
I've had the privilege to have access to these 3 recorded sample vampire tracks before everyone else gets to hear them in January.I can tell you all to be very excited.Vampire is definitely going to be a project worth looking out for next year!

favourite track:colours

A full length is coming up!

2010-11-24T08:25:00.001-08:00

//BEEN THERE,SEEN THAT.

Music videos are a strange thing.They are a platform for a band to say as much as possible in the littlest of time.They either make an impact and infiltrate our memory our way of looking or they just become another one of a gazillion videos that get sent to the deep downstairs of your brain and eventually just get tossed in the recycle bin because they simply were not remarkable enough to remember.The latter case is what happens to me most of the time...I watch a music video and either lose interest after a few seconds or just close the youtube window because the visuals aren't enticing enough to deserve my patience when loading the video or even the attention span when watching(i know-this sounds arrogant but it's just honest).

Apart from that, music videos seem to make the music industry (concerning established and non-established bands alike) even more of a battle field than it already is.If you have an uninteresting music video than you might as well start posting an add for your instruments in the Junkmail, as that means you will probably end up as one of the million bands to be overlooked.

Hence it is clear that the music video is quite a daunting thing for a band to put out there.
Thus,most bands try to sell themselves by using the latest flashy effects in their videos.Everything from rocking space to mysterious disappearing acts.Seriously though...haven't we become accustomed to these effects?We are no longer fooled into thinking that just maybe this band is really nifty enough to have put foot on space or to randomly disappear into thin air as an 80's audience might have been.We now know that in a music video everything and anything is possible.Therefore one could say we might have just arrived at the posit in time where flashy effects have been exhausted,leaving us disinterested and apathetic.It is nearly more noble for a band to just depict themselves as they are than to try impress by applying a million effects.Isn't it fair to say that the real as become the "abnormal" and the flashy the mundane?

When looking at film,many directors are returning to something that is meant to feel "more real" to us.Something that makes it easier for us to focus on the story and the raw emotion of the tale told rather than becoming distracted by the air of flashiness about it.Perhaps it is the same with music videos?Maybe it is time for the music to become the main focus again and not the "glamour" involved.

Two recent local (South African) video releases have done just that for me.One of them being for the Folktronic group "Fulka" directed by the one and only Louis MInnaar,and the other for the mantra pop ensemble (i think they made up that genre) "A skyline on fire", done by the UK based wunderkids Shotopop.
They are both honest and focus on the music and the feeling induced by the songs rather than trying to make the band suit a certain tag.The talk about more than selling but rather embrace a realism and sense of joy that celebrates the music rather than the image that so often gets involved in music.

here are these two videos for you to enjoy:

FULKA:
go visit band site here: Fulka

a skyline on fire
go visit band site here: a skyline on fire

2010-11-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

//EXTREMELY ORIGINAL AND INCREDIBLY AWESOME.

I think Jonathan Safran Foer is definitely one of my favourite authors.I'm nearly shy to admit this because as you are reading this you are probably thinking "Ugh,another die hard Foer fanatic!"

Well-I say this enthusiasm definitely has a valid foundation .I've just come across one of his latest works which definitely got me extremely excited as I'm planning on making book art next year.I suppose one could refer to his latest effort as an interactive paper-sculpture rather than just plainly calling it a book.It can be regarded as the result of the convergence of literature and fine art sprinkled with Foer.

The story goes as follows....
I am imagining that he was sitting at his desk on a Thursday afternoon with his dog at his feet (I can't remember his dog's name-refer to Eating Animals if you find it to be essential info :P).I would imagine that he was looking out of the window,observing a mundane NY day passing by...He would be observing people sitting on benches or somewhere in a large green park or open plane across the road.He would see all the cutting edge New Yorkers reading from their reflecting I Pads or Kindles and would think to himself "How sad that all these people are making bookstores obsolete..."

What would follow is this (of course-this end product is what I'm basing my ridiculous "I would think" story on)....A book that would not be the same if your read it electronically!A physical book that could not just plainly be transformed into a pdf and substituted by a 45mb file.

This book would be his new title "Tree of Codes".It consists of another pre-existing book that Jonathan Safran Foer has so to speak appropriated to arrive at his new novel.The appropriated book is "The Street of Crocodiles",by Bruno Schulz.Foer simply edited out words or phrases to arrive at his own new story.This was done by printing various manuscripts of "The Street of Crocodiles" and figuring out how to create a new unique tale that exists in its own right.To make the book more than just an appropriated literary piece, he created it as a paper sculpture version,where he took Schulz' book with the original layout and created die cuts to eliminate the words that he was not using in his new found story.

Apparently many book printers said this book is impossible to print and compile,but the Belgian publishers "Die Keure" took on the challenge.Here's a video featuring the author/inventor himself explaining the idea:

here's some responses from other people :

Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer - Public Reactions from Visual Editions on Vimeo.

go here to buy!

2010-11-16T00:07:00.000-08:00

DEAD DROPS/

Aram Bartholl had this strange idea...He planted USB sticks into buildings at random spots all over NY.‘Dead Drops’ as these USB stations are referred to are an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space.These flashdrives are located outside of buildings,installed into walls,buildings and curbs where they are publicly accessible.The idea is also to randomly drop files and download files (sort of like a data lucky packet i suppose) and to thereby participate in the project.You never know what you will find might you discover one of these stations.Each USB station features a text filke informing the participant of the project and features a basic outline of why and how.The great thing is that "Dead Drops" is open to participation.Therefore if you would like to install a dead drop in your city/neighborhood follow the ‘how to’ instructions and submit the location and pictures.Thee first lot were installed by the artist himslef in NY only about a month ago,so this thing can definitely grow.

read / see more Dead Drops
via laughingsquid.com

2010-10-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

//IT'S TOO LATE FOR A CLEVER TITLE.

I haven't blogged in about 2months.It sometimes feels like it's really tough to blog about something that will keep someone on your blog for longer than 20 seconds.It's like there's just tooo much out there to write about or even share,so sometimes it's easier to just leave it at that and accept that the average visitor time will probably mostly remain limited to a mere 20seconds if at all...which is what lead me to slowly but surely abandon my blog over the last two months..

Now I'm lying in bed with my laptop and my battery has 50min of battery life left...my eyes about 20min (it's about 1h30am) and my brain possibly only 12min of efficient brain activity left to get this blog afloat again...
I figure it's a good way to spend these last minutes of the day...

Okay...if you're still here than we've passed the 20sec timespan meaning I've achieved what I set out to do :) (smirk)...

So here is what kept me awake as I figured the content was worth sharing and interesting enough to try revive this 2month slumber...

"Fulka-The mystery of the seven stars"

This album by the Pretoria based band Fulka is really quite a gem...
Not only are the songs solid and the album something that you will after one play through the album hold dear,but the album art is also something that would make suckers that have never heard the band (pfft-where have you been?) purchase the album.The band refers to itself as a "folktronica" outfit.I suppose its best to head over to their bandcamp and listen to it online

go to http://fulka.bandcamp.com/ to purchase/ listen to the digital album, or contact the band to acquire a physical copy.

Here is an image preview of the album:

2010-08-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

//BETWEEN YOU AND ME / OBJECTS OF CO-DEPENDENCY

Found on From Keetra.Go visit the website to view some more of their mind bending & interesting projects! SITE : From Keetra

2010-08-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

//WISH TICKET

2010-08-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

//1 BIT SYMPHONY

I figured it'd be best if I just quote the text about this project directly from the project's site as it might get tricky to explain since i'm the most non technical person out there:P

here goes: (quoted from http://www.1bitsymphony.com/ )

Tristan Perich's 1-Bit Symphony is an electronic composition in five movements on a single microchip. Though housed in a CD jewel case like his first circuit album (1-Bit Music 2004-05), 1-Bit Symphony is not a recording in the traditional sense; it literally "performs" its music live when turned on. A complete electronic circuit—programmed by the artist and assembled by hand—plays the music through a headphone jack mounted into the case itself. The project is set to be released on Cantaloupe Music on August 24, 2010.

While 1-Bit Symphony is purely electronic in its execution, its contents reflect Perich's long-standing interest in orchestral composition. Since the release of 1-Bit Music in 2006, Perich's compositional work has combined 1-bit audio with acoustic classical instruments, providing insight into the conceptual and aesthetic relationships between physical and electronic sound. With 1-Bit Symphony, Perich brings this insight back into the digital realm, juxtaposing the grand form of a classical symphony with the minimal nature of 1-bit circuitry.

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 1: Overview) from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

2010-08-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

//L'HOMME A LA GRANDE BARBE

C.S Neal's work blows me away.I love how he plays with 2dimensionality.Apart from that his illustrations also mainly rely on silhouettes and form and feature minimal detail.Despite not elaborating detail the works nonetheless capture the essence of what is to be communicated...I think the cliche of "less is more" would be appropriate here!

check out his portfolio here: C.S.Neal

2010-08-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

//FASHION TIPS BABY # (I lost track...)

Wow-it's just too easy to find blog posts for this specific category.
I don't think I've posted any accessories before,so here we go...

Women and metro sexual men love their accessories!It's about time someone invented something new right?Despite being extremely off beat this face jewelery" also helps reconstructing the face a little.If you've taken too many punches or were born with a somewhat "abstract" face, then this is definitely the bling for you!The safe alternative to surgical reconstruction...Alternatively if you are bored with the normality of your face this face bling can also achieve the opposite effect and turn you into something more avant garde looking!

designed by Burcu Büyükünal.
photos by arthur hash
found at todayandtomorrow

2010-07-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

//SUNSHINE THE WEREWOLF / WEREWOLF HEART

I'm not big on hairiness,but what an awesome image-This is what I imagine a contemporary werewolf to look like,these Twilight people got it all wrong...

artwork by Austrian artist Markus Leitsch

Suit 2 & 3 2009
cowhide, resin. 60×30×180cm

2010-07-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

//PENCIL MELODIES

I've been looking for a new record player since my old one has retired into a senile state!
I've visited various second hand stores as well as a few lame chain stores that eagerly tried to sell me players that would ruin my attempt of decor in my room...

I came across this lo-fi player on fubiz and think it's THE BUSINESS!

Too bad it only plays 7"inch vinyl! This genius cardboard record player was conceived by a Canadian agency (Grey Vancouver) who dreamed this up for GGRP sound.The only thing is that it might be tricky to keep the record speed constant,as the record player is automated by the users hand-the record has a small insert for a pencil point,which the user then activates through movement...All I'm saying is your arms might get lazy,and the music might end up sounding like a soundtrack to a horror film.

found at fubiz

2010-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

//....BLOG HIBERNATION IS OVER!

So-it seems my blog has been in hibernation.It's been cozily snuggled up amongst billion gazillion websites keeping it warm and unvisited,but now it has finally awoken from its month long slumber...

2010-06-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

//I HAVE THE MOON,YOU HAVE THE INTERNET.

Yep,I stole the post title from a the Field song...I found this on some blog and it made me laugh out loud even though I was sitting in my room alone...It's soooo lame but it's also so relevant!The work is called "Proclaiming my love" by Justin Kemp.The tree is not next to some crowded highway but is situated at the top of some mountain with a breathtaking view...
What more do you want?

via todayandtomorrow

2010-06-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

//ART IS HARD

I've come to realize that the older you get (I'm pretty ancient), the more difficult it is to focus on being creative.Nothing ever seems new (duh) and not all ideas seem worth pursuing anymore as they did when you were 5.Nonetheless the lyrics "You mistake talking for breathing" applied to art are sort of what keeps it all going right?I like Dean Sameshima's "Cop Head 69" as it on a vague level embodies the creative failing and frustration and at the end the product despite it all...not always so inspired,often calculated but nonetheless it exists which is sometimes good enough.

http://www.deansameshima.com/

DEAN SAMESHIMA-COP HEAD 69

found via vvork

2010-06-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

//SINNERS

Check out the music video by this epic (South African) Mantra Pop (as they call it) band "A skyline on fire".
Their album is due in the next month or so...depending when I finish their album art :).
Will keep you all posted.

Music video and promo image by the mad talented Mr.Louis Minnaar.
please check out a skyline on fire and Louis Minnaar and spread the gospel!

2010-06-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

//FASHION TIPS BABY #7
I haven't posted any fashion tips in ages.I figured these outfits are perfect for the current climate that even causes your teeth to freeze off!No more face freeze!Yesss.

2010-06-14T01:44:00.003-07:00

//YAY FOR MAC!
I finally bought a macbook this week end.Now I feel like the guy in the pic below in a not so offbeat way.Can't get enough.

2010-06-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

//PLASTICHANDSHAKES/MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS/STRANGER DANGER.

This artwork-“Pre-Handshake Handshake Device” by Dominic Wilcox,is so true to real life.It's all about plastic handshakes....It seems the artwork is imed at comunicating the opposite of that...it aims to slowly initiate the first step of reconciliation but it can also be read as questioning what it is/isn''t to know someone..I would love to see this installed in a busy public space.Perhaps I should rip off Wilcox and place these all over town.I think we might just be in need of something along these lines.

2010-06-09T13:54:00.001-07:00

//SLOW BICYCLE.

Apologies for being such a lazy blogger.I have no valid excuses,as I can't really say that I've been terribly busy...let's rather be honest here and say I've been terribly comfortable.Other than that it's been quiet here on my planet,but there are/have been some exciting journeys.I've started drawing more regularly again,so once I get my scanner to function again I'll make sure to post some....For now I thought I'd post some nice bicycle pics as despite my unfit state I decided to after all spit 'n polish my purple glitter bike (it's ot as cool as these pics,but it's got wheels),and give it a og again.I've been carless and stuck a bit,but I think I will start working out a daily bicycle route and win back that feeling of mobility....

Here are pics of bicycles I wish were mine....

2010-06-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

//more film stills.I'm such a sucker for good stills.

2010-06-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

/ /:) SOLID ADVICE.

2010-05-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

//PAUL BLOW BLOWS ME AWAY!
I've encountered blown's illustrations many times before.He has done lot of illustrations for clients such as the Independent and Times.I love how he makes use of coour and doesn't over do his use of line.The approach is also interesting as he mannages to capture great moods in his illustrations.Apart from that his work also has a sincere off beat comical ege to it which isn't always easy to pull off...i'm glad I rediscovered him.Here are some of my favourites ...
rediscovered via it's nice tha t
visit Paul Blow

2010-05-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

//SCOUT NIBLETT FEATURING BONNIE PRINCE BILLY.

Scout Niblett is the stage name of the british Emma Louise Niblett.Her music consist of her singing only backed by guitar or drums.This video is just amazing (thanks for the link A-UNIT!)-I think the fact that it features Bonnie prince Bily is the deciding factoriof its ultimate awesomeness.There is one part I especially love, pay attention at ....

1:11 - 1:21
1:47 - 2:56

2010-05-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

//MEET TEAM M8!
I love these pictures of my No.1 friend and I.We've been sidekicks for years,so figured the blog needs a post to celebrate that,just because!My friend is getting married end of the year-I'm already amped to be bridesmaid!Anyways,here are some pics of u s taken a my sis' wedding..just us clowning around as usual...(the pictures were taken by her cool cat fiancee:P).

check out her blog love made me do it

2010-05-11T01:18:00.000-07:00

//MORE DAVID SHRIGLEY

more David Shrigley

2010-05-11T01:08:00.000-07:00

//MR.VONNEGUT

People have to talk about something just to keep their voice boxes in working order so they'll have good voice boxes in case there's ever anything really meaningful to say.
Kurt Vonnegut

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
Kurt Vonnegut

We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap.
Kurt Vonnegut

2010-05-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

//GIVE ME AN ANGLE THAT I HAVENT TRIED BEFORE.

design by Há Fael
check more of his work out here.

2010-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

//JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

I love this writer-even though it is quite a while ago which I read his novels they keep finding me again.I also recently read his biographical book "Eating Animals" which as impresed me just as much.I suppose Foer just gets me:)

here are some of my favourite quotes..

-"I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live." Extremely Loud and Increedibly Close

-"I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love." Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

-"I am not sad, he would repeat to himself over and over, I am not sad. As if he might one day convince himself. Or fool himself. Or convince others -- The only thing worse than being sad is for others to know that you are sad." Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated)

- "I feel too much. That's what's going on.' 'Do you think one can feel too much? Or just feel in the wrong ways?' 'My insides don't match up with my outsides.' 'Do anyone's insides and outsides match up?' 'I don't know. I'm only me.' 'Maybe that's what a person's personality is: the difference between the inside and outside.' 'But it's worse for me.' 'I wonder if everyone thinks it's worse for him.' 'Probably. But it really is worse for me." — Jonathan Safran Foer (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

-"I do not think that there are any limits to how excellent we could make life seem." — Jonathan Safran Foer (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

2010-05-01T02:37:00.001-07:00

/A PICTURE OF OUR TORN UP PRAISE.
This song by Phosphorescent is one fo my favourites and has been for a while now.It seems especially relevant to me these days...Thought I'd share it.i will be sharingmre of my favourite lyrics in the future.

I don’t want to take and baby I don’t want to break and baby I don’t want to try and make you anyway I just want to lie down, tell my crazy brains to lie down And then fall away I won’t be alone I won’t be waiting by the phone I won’t be dreaming of you dreaming of me anyway Tell me where you’ve been and I will tell you where I’ve been It will be all ok I don’t have a home it’s not a chain it’s not a throne It’s just a picture of a picture tossed and torn away Of anger on your face still not as strange and not as brave As when you turned away I won’t be the one when all is said and all is done I won’t be breathing like you breathe into the light of day I’ll be in the yard still taking pictures in the dark Of all our torn up praise Leave me not alone I won’t be chased I won’t be thrown I won’t be bleeding for you bleeding for me everyday Tell me where you’ve been and I will tell you where I’ve been It will be all ok

listen here

2010-05-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

//VITRA HOUSE

This is my dream house.i love the design. That's all.
oh...it's designed by architects herzog & de meuron and is located at the weil am rhein/germany (2009).

2010-05-01T00:17:00.001-07:00

//MATJIESFONTEIN

I recently went to Cape town.We drove back and made a few stops along the stretch.Matjiesfontein is one of the towns we stopped at.I loved the place,it makes you feel like you're not too sure where you are .Perhaps that is at it is located in the middle of nowhere, in the Karoo strip to be somewhat precise.The whole place just consists of a small road with a few 'houss" and a museum a train station and an hotel.It's one fo those town where the old colonil influence is blatantly visible.The red Beefeater bus (look at the photos),does town tours giving tourists a brief hhistory of the town.Yet,as the town is pretty miniscule thes tours only take 10min.To make things even more interesting,the town is now a national monument which claims that if you stay over you will hear joyful ghosts shooting billiard balls in empty rooms.Oh-and the town even has its own website-check it.

2010-04-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

//TANNIE,IS DIT 'N AANPLAK TATTO?

My sidekick from love made me do it x was all bad ass last week and decided to spontaneously get another tattoo.The choice of image was a beautiful protea ilustration found on a saucer which was one of the bargains she claimed at the thrift shop.A friend pointed out that this would make a nice tattoo,and indeed so it does!

When going out to buy groceries (please note,she still had the protective sticker on her tattoo),a little girl asked her (in Afrikaans) "Tannie,is dit 'n aanplak tattoo?",meaning is that an adhesive tattoo.This made me laugh.Just a fun story to share while we are on the subject of tattoos ...

Now,to get to the core of this post...I've been wanting "one of those clouds you draw" as my friend Angelica describe it on the inside of my arm.The only thing that's stopping me is that everytime I have the cash there are tons of other things that need to be paid for,-we all know the drill.So,I figured that until I finally get my own,I will share some images of cool tattoos I've come accross online.so ...enjoi!

PS-I will post an image of my mate's protea once she's figured out how to photograph it:P

but for now-

this last one looks like a drawing,but whatever -would make a sweet chop:P

2010-04-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

//NEW INNOVATIONS/ second-hand

Derick Melander's work is definitely a true productof innovation!The artist makes sculptures out of old clothes, or rather as he states creates " large geometric configurations from carefully folded and stacked second-hand clothing" !

Yes,his installations are where all old mens sweat pants and all joggers oversized shirts end up.As Melander explains ,clothing is his choice of medium as it wears, fades, stains and stretches it becomes an intimate record of our physical presence .Yet,they are transformed into something beautiful and vibrant(source).His sculptures don't only consist of old clothes but the artist also makes use of old shoes.

These sculptures arent just made out of basic layers of these "left overs",but rather consist of these 2nd hand garments being neatly folded to exact dimension and placed on top of each other in a specific manner.
LOOK AT MORE OF HIS WORK HERE.

2010-04-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

/FORGETTING YOU IS LIKE BREATHING WATER -(Ben Frost)

2010-04-05T03:02:00.002-07:00

//KARIN DREIJER ANDERSSON
Most people will know her from her solo project Fever Ray or from her sibling collaboration,the Knife.Yet,as Fever Ray her appearance takes a truly interesting form.Her music translates as an all around project in which even her appearance takes a suitable shape.I came accross a few images of Karin and her many costumes....

2010-04-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

//CHCHCHCHCECKITOUT!

I came across this site via today and tomorrow.This site goes by the name"big-ass message".It allows you to make a loud,colourful and massive text gif,that will make you go blind!Best internet toy ever....

Here's my message:

click here

ps-if you create our own-make sure to select the "magic " option under style...

2010-03-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

/MORE-THIS IS MY HEART ,IT IS A GOOD HEART.

-"The tigers have found me and I do not care."-Charles Bukowski

- “ …I have this strange feeling that I’m not myself anymore. It’s hard to put into words, but I guess it’s like I was fast asleep, and someone came, disassembled me, and hurriedly put me back together again. That sort of feeling."- Haruki Murakami

-“ She stood, in a room of crumbling plaster, pressed to the window-pane, looking up at the unattainable form of everything she loved... The only words that named it were: This is not the world I expected.-Ayn Rand

-“ what is one to do in a world where almost everything worth having or doing is impossible? -Charles Bukowski

-“ How I’ve missed you lately, and the way you would speak, and all that we wouldn’t say.
-Iron & Wine

- “ Just one thing,” she says, raising her head and looking me straight in the eye. “I want you to remember me. If you remember me, then I don’t care if everyone else forgets.- Haruki Murakami

(via) this is my heart,it is a good heart...

2010-03-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

//IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER.
I came across a new blog yesterday-It's called "this is my heart,it's a good heart".Yes-it s quite an emo blog,but it had lots of images I enjoy or relate to.I thoought I'd share my favourites...
Checkout "this is my heat,it is a good heart" here.

2010-03-11T02:32:00.000-08:00

//BEST SHIRT EVER.

/BLACK FLAG vs. BEACH BOYS

2010-03-11T02:24:00.001-08:00

//ON A BAD DAY.

Anyone catch the subtle Joanna Newsom reference there?I'm having a lame pr "less faavourable" day today.Woke up feeling sick,had to finish artworks for framing,drove around in the heat,and then...and then...and then (more moaning).Anyways,my friend Ben sent me a link to this ideo a while ago-and in my opinion David Shrigley is the funniest being on earth,so on a bad day it's alway sa good idea toook at his work.This is a Pringle of Scotland add he did.Lemme know if you enjoy it-despite Shrigley being so incredibly famou,sit seems not everyone shares his humour:).

2010-03-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

//SOME MORE FAVOURITES

SO MUCH NOISE TO MAKE A SILENCE- by MARK TITCHNER

POINTS TOWARDS INFINITY- by TATJANA TROUVE

2010-03-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

//into the blue again.

2010-03-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

//SOMETHING I NEED TO REMEMBER:)

2010-03-03T00:26:00.000-08:00

//DESIGN INDABA 2010 /EXPO

I went to the Design Indaba this year.I wasn't lucky or loaded enough to attend the talks, but nonetheless had a great time looking at what's happening on a creative level in SA.The main thing that blew me away was the great diversity of beautiful off beat jewelery....Vendors included peeps such as Skermunkil (my favourite) and a bunch of other great designers (who's business cards I seem to have lost-fail).Apart from the wonderful accessories, the clothing designers also made quite an impression.I can proudly say that I love "I love Leroy'".Their clothes are simple with wonderful small detail.A big ups also goes to Ronel Jordaan's wool planters, as well as to Grey Meta's Kiaat coffee table...

Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take my own photos, but here are a few I found online:)

2010-02-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

//BANKSY DOES IT AGAIN.

I doubt that this Banksy work needs much information.it's another work that just (okay-let's use a cliché here...) hits the hammer on the nail.

2010-02-21T05:27:00.000-08:00

//THE WORLD ISN'T WORKING.

The world isn't working-by Mark Titchner must be one of my favourite artworks at the moment.I think it says what so many artworks try to say in the most blatant manner which offers part of its charm.Despite the weight of the statement it has an amusing edge to it.I'm not necessarily a pessismist,but this work as simple and straight forward as it may be, pretty much sums up what's "happening" (politics,society,economics etc.etc.) in a pretty concise manner.The artist,Mark Titchner is a British artist who belongs to the Peres Projects stable. Check the Peres projects website here.

Mark Titchner-THE WORLD ISN'T WORKING, 2008

2010-02-15T01:47:00.000-08:00

//WELCOME TO THE BLOGGER FAMILY / LOVE MADE ME DO IT.

My best friend started a blog!..needless to say it's awesome.Go visit her at: love made me do it x

2010-02-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

//ORIGAMI INK
My friend JP from eye candy blog sent me this image the other day.I love it ,so I figured why not share?Wish it was mine:P.

2010-02-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

//VERY SLOW SCAN TELEVISION

Gebhard Sengmüller is the man behind this clever TV image scanner to print machine.The VSSR is quite a complicated invention,which consists of an image transmission system used by Ham Radio amateurs. The machine uses broadcasts from a historic public domin tlevision system and bubblewrap (yesss..the fun stuff) to arrive at image stills transferred from the broadcasts ontor rater into teh bubble wrap.Thre is a ploter function which is involved,which works like aprinter,and by making use of 3 different colours injects the ink into th individual bubbles.These bubbles so to say end up functioning as pixels,which in the end as a whole portray a television image still.

found at today and tommorow

2010-02-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

/CIRCA

If you are a Johannesburg city slicker,you might have at some point noticed this new "building" in the Rosebank area.Word has it that Everard Read have finally realized that despite making heaps and heaps of cash from the let's call it"stale" art they've been pushing, that the next generation of art investors migh not buy their works like it's going out of fashion(literally).

Hence,these fat cats did some good brainstorming and came up with a nifty plan to impress us young, biased and selective art lovers.Not only did they launch a more contemporary little brother,but they also built a monument that made it difficult not to be taken serious.Circa gallery looks like a post modern monument,designed by South African architect studio, studioMAS architects and urban design.

This gallery can be regarded as an artwork in itself and has been getting a whole lot of well deserved attention.

go visit the studioMAS here!

2010-02-07T02:02:00.000-08:00

//JUST BECAUSE... ...I wish I owned these.

2010-02-07T01:51:00.000-08:00

//MICHAELJOHANSSON.
I've found another favourite artist to add to the list.Michael is an installation artist who's work is most original.He explores the idea of a compact as well as ready made culture,which has many further themes that can be explored.Here are some of my favourite works of his I've come accross so far.

go visit his website here.

2010-01-31T22:52:00.000-08:00

/WEDDING INVITE.

Just thought I'd share the wedding invite I did for my sis.I won't show you the backside with all the info incase there are some wedding crashers out there :p!

2010-01-28T10:43:00.001-08:00

//NEW RAFAEL (a.k.a Rafael Rozendaal)

I came accross this artist through listening to a Tate talk (free download via I-store).The talk deals with Non-Static Art in Static Display.This deals specifically with animations or ..........which are hosted on line and can be accessed by the public if the collector decides to make the work accessible to all.These works are often based on a more lighthearted topic,and will probably be categorized as normal entertaining gifs by those who don't look further...Why do I find these works intriguing?Simply because they embody the direction that art is going in and also provide us with art in an ordinary daily context.Enough said...

check out Rafael Rozendaal's work here: +

Since I cant incorporate one website into another,I'll just post some of his drawings based on his interactive works to at least give you something to look at...Yet,please go look at his animations,they're truly awesome!

2010-01-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

//JACKSON HLUNGWANE

The 87 year old artist (sculptor) passed away last week wednesday.Hlungwane had a very excentric personality to say the least.His reputation as outgoing and offbeat and definitely c had merit.About a year ago I was in Vendaland where I had the chance to meet the somewhat of a rural legend.It definitely was a memorable experience.Our guide who navigated us along the Venda Artists route said that the route no longer included Hlugwane ,as most tourist did not know what to make of his peculiar ramblings.As we arrived at Hlungwane's fort, I was greeted with statements such as "You should have 12 babies",which is apparently a usual comment.Hlungwane communicated in an excited manner telling stories about a huge sacred treeas well as about God in an innovative way which would make it diffucult for someone to defend his sanity.

The artist has exhibited internationaly,and definitely had a name recognizable by anyone with a bit of knowledge about African rural art,and hence could be regarded as sucessful.Yet,despite the sucess of his career,I found Hlugwane contently sitting under a tree in front of his house,enjoying a simple life,smokig his pipe (containing herbs that would only increase his excentricity),and not allowing the outside world to interfear. It was definitely obvious that he was also a bit of a showman, enjoying entertaining and dazzling his visitors.I took photos of the venda legend with my Holga, for which he comfortably posed as he would for all the other gizillion tourist that had stopped by in the past .

Here are two of my Holga shots of Hlungwane...RIP

I think Hlungwane was poiting at me here,instructing me
to "have 12 babies"! No kidding.

2010-01-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

//SIAMESE BEARDS

I saw this image on one of my favourite forums.I think it was under the "beard" thread (yes,awesome forums have threads like that).So here it is...the Siamese beard twins.I don't know who did this drawing,but I know it is titled "an extraordinary coincedence"

2010-01-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

//.GIF
I came accross these on one of my favourite blog today and tomorrow.Usually it puzzles me why people waste so much time making .gifs of Santa cats or something along those lines....Yet,these by dvdp are definitely something else..... Please go visit their site...Who needs other stimulants in a time where people make .gifs like this....so neat!

2010-01-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

I decided to make this blog post a slightly more personal one....Since it's a new year and all,I tought I'd share what it seems my year will look like so far.When I was a kid,I thought we'd be floating in space by now (being 200 and all)...but too bad.At least there are tons of other awesome things on the calender for this year.

I recently finished my studies in visual arts, so I guess I could refer to myself as an "artist" now.The only problem with that is that it sounds like Ive conquered the world when I say that,so let's be humble here,and call it "aspiring artist".

So yess,that said,my year should be pretty interesting.I am 'jobless" now,but have some stuff in line which could turn out quite neat if all goes well.Other than that,it's also a big year as my sister as well as my best friend will be getting married this year!Not only does this indicate lots of research and labur,but also two brides maid dresses which I'll be wearing with pride...:).

I'm also hoping to travel end of this year.I would like to go see more art and experience proper culture,and not just be overwhelmed by westernization.Apart from all of that,I will challenge my tone deafness and maybe play some music again - go for singing lessons or soething.It's always a good thing to sound decent in the shower...,and besides that I also enjoy singing in the car,so why not make the best of it...Maybe I'll end up skilled enough to do some Beach House/Grouper project :P

I already have some exhibitions lined up,so at lets hope my "aspiration" to become an artist might amount to something?

Other than that,thisyear has soe promising music releases as well (EFTERKLANG),so how bad could it get?

enough mumbling...(I know-I'm terrible at this,never had a diary)

have a blessed year and please keep visiting:)!

Ohhh...and incase you spot loads of spelling mistakes-I blame my new keyboard...

love-"whatever i can think of"

2010-01-02T03:08:00.000-08:00

//ALL CATS AREN'T GREY (note the cure reference-no I wouldn't call myself a fan)

I'm not much of a cat person.I think the only cat I like is Lilah,as she is more social than your usual misfit creature... Another problem is that cat's look very much alike,so what to do when your cat doesn't return home?Do you have to go out on a search mission?It could be fun t wn a cat thoug if you would dcolour their hair,set them free and then serch for them again...

2009-12-30T00:47:00.000-08:00

//COOL TUNES

Sorry about the lame title.Let's just say it was necessary... Katie Paterson's " Langjökull, Snæfellsjökull, Solheimajökull" is one of those ideas I wish were my own. These 3 records are as the name supposes made from glacier ice,and are played until they've fully melted...

The artist's explains:

Sound recordings from three glaciers in Iceland, pressed into three records, cast, and frozen with the meltwater from each of these glaciers, and played on three turntables until they completely melt.

The records were played once and now exist as three dvds. The turntables begin playing together, and for the first ten minutes as the needles trace their way around, the sounds from each glacier merge in and out with the sounds the ice itself creates. The needle catches on the last loop, and the records play for nearly two hours, until completely melted

more of Katie Pateron's work here

2009-12-27T04:05:00.000-08:00

//MORE ART / DRAWING

I did this for my friends' band "a skline on fire".They recently went to ATP and got to see a bunch of awesome bands.I think this means that they will only become even better this year after having their minds blown.I did this drawing for the band sometime this year,and thougt I'd share it.

2009-12-27T03:53:00.000-08:00

//MADE IN CHINA
I recently did a t-shirtdesign for the Mingo Lamberti "Made in china" competition.Nedless to say,they didin't choose my design.Maybe I'll submit it on springleap?

the design is called "you eat what you are".

2009-12-25T04:33:00.001-08:00

//MERRY CHRISTMAS & THANKS FOR READING

I've been terrible at posting this last month as I've been away,so now that i'm back at home again,planted in front of my pc you'll be entertained again).I also have loads of photos I took with my new Diana mini and my Holga that I'll post as soon as they've been developped!Remember to spread the love this cristmas, and don't be terrified of Santa,he is actually just a crusty old man in a ridiculus red outfit!

2009-12-04T05:39:00.000-08:00

/ALLIGATOR ABATTOIR=LEATHER+MEAT
I found these pictures and was blown away...I wouldn't say I agree, but nonetheless, these photos are worth sharing!Isn't planet earth a bizarre place?

A crocodile abbattoir!

2009-12-04T01:26:00.000-08:00

//TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2009!

Pyramids with Nadja-self-titled

Tim Hecker-An imaginary country

Mew-No more stories are told today, i'm sorry, they washed away

Tyondai Braxton-Central Market

Mastodon-Crack the skye

Jonsi & Alex-Riceboy Sleeps

Have a nice life-Voids

Slarrafenland-we're on your side

Jesu-opiate sun

...And you will know us by the trail of dead-Century of self

Efterklang-Performing Parades

The Antlers-Hospice

Dredg-The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion

Sunn o)))-Monoliths and Dimensions

Ben Frost-By the throat

Best 7"of 2009
Boris-Japanese heavy hits vol.3

2009-12-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

//THE KURT VONNEGUT POST

Kurt Vonnegut is definitely one of my favourite writers...I guess I l ike his honesty and the fact that he doesn't try to sound clever when making a point, but rather completely relies on his creativity instead...
This image reminds me of the novel Cat's Cradle & one of my favourite quotes in it....

"No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X's..."
"And?"
"No damn cat, and no damn cradle."

quote from the novel Cat's Cradle

2009-11-26T23:21:00.000-08:00

//SKYWALKERS
been wanting to share this for months...

off the site : fwy studios

In 2006, FriendsWithYou opened Art Basel Miami with an event of epic proportions comparable to the Macy’s Day Parade. Toyota Scion commissioned FWY to curate and produce Skywalkers, inflatable procession celebrating the Earth as the newest member of the universal community. Skywalkers featured 18 giant blimps designed by FWY and various artists and included over 300 volunteers, a high school marching band, full event staff, and thousands of attendees. The parade illuminated the skies of Miami’s South Beach, which gained international attention and made the covers of the New York Times online, The Art Newspaper, and The Miami Herald among other publications. Skywalkers represents the magnitude and magic that only FriendsWithYou events can bring to life.

2009-11-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

//AIRPORT

So, where you heading to these holidays?
Not sure by who this is done....but I love this piece...

2009-11-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

//UNTITLED

It's pretty much end of year again...this comes with clichéd emotions such as feeling worn out and simply needing a break. I suppose I currently find myself in this clichéd mode...
The other day I got the permission to destroy a gallery plinth...unfortunately I wasn't muscular enough, or maybe I was just too lazy....nonetheless...if you need a break I recommend you break stuff...it might end up being as awesome as the art of SebastianWickeroth

2009-11-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

//LOLA

My sister and two of her friends make the most awesome clothes..They recently had a launch of sorts, where I managed to make a few snapshots...
I guess my photos don't do the stuff justice, but thought i'd share....

mail them at info@loladesigns if you need something unique..
ps...they're prices are just tooo good...

go visit their blog (with my photos:P ) here.

2009-11-10T01:19:00.001-08:00

//BEARDED MEN.

As those who know me well might have noticed...I like bearded men... I cam across this series the other day...This artist is just too cool...Men measuring each others beards?Yes...forget muscle, it's all about facial hair now.The new found hierarchy of men :P This guys drawings convey this so well. ps...his name is Sean Morris...just remembered...look at his site here.

2009-11-08T22:47:00.001-08:00

//FUN IN THE SUN. Saturday my friends had their engagement party.We all headed tp NKWE (a big hole filled with water...surrounded by nature)to celebrate.It was good fun, we even had a snoek braai and lots of champagne of course...

2009-11-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

//DOOM LEGO
If would have had kids already, I would buy them this lego ...(if it'd really existed that is)..pretty rad.

2009-11-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

//WOWEE ZOWEE or THE WONDERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
Yesterday, my amigos from welovepictures helped me out bigtime and documented my artworks for my end of year catalogue.I just love how good photographers can make anything look good.Trust me,...these artworks aren't quite as amazing as these awesome pics.Thanks guys...I'm blown away by your MAD SKILLZ.

Ohh....the goofy one of me was us sort of testing the effect of that mad industrial type of fan.It was so incredibly loud that I couldn't hear them instructing me..hence I guess I look so goofy.

guess it helps mentioning that I work with dust...might seem bit random otherwise.

2009-11-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

//VAMPIRE 9000

As it is nothing new that I'm a music elitist,...yesss,one of those who can get really annoying and that will keep insisting that they are always in the right I might as well just make this a brief post...
Vampire 9000 is definitely clever people music.If you don't have the endurance to sit through a Battles song, then you can forget it...Vampire embodies the sound of dysfunctional machines mixed with subdues glimpses of emotion...does that make sense?Maybe not, but neither does trying to sum up the force of the Vampire 9000!

check out their blog here.

2009-11-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

//SIMPLY AWESOME IMAGES. I have been a little occupied the last few days, so I haven't really been posting as much as I would've wanted to.NOw that I do have a gap, I don't quite know what to post...Thus, I figured you can never go wrong by simply posting awesome visuals right?Indeed...:P

2009-11-02T00:02:00.000-08:00

//KOOL KANDY

I went to a sweet store yesterday to kill some time.I came across this "owl candy".Haven't seen any sweet packaging this rad for a while, so I stocked up (makes a nice gift)... to cool hey?Can't help but get excited over this type of stuff, so thought 'Id share.

2009-11-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

//PAVEMENT TRAIL by Casey McCusker
check out Casey's extraordinary blog Siblingmine here.

Time: Saturday morning round 9 am

Places: Hazelwood, Maroelana, Alphen Park and Waterkloof

Companion: your best mate

Mood: Market trampling, spruit chilling, movie collecting, pampering planning calamity Highway exists off N1 Atterbury and (brand new) Garsfontein.

2.Start at Hazel Food Market-a firm favourite amongst locals, which features fabulous food fare and a mountain of tasty treats.You can park your car here for the morning, car touts abound promise to take care of it.Enjoy a coffee and pasteis on bales of hay, absorbing the atmosphere with a Saturday smile.Buy some quality cheese, flaky floury roles, mean Polish salami and a freshly squewezed orange juice for your picnic basket-ready to head off to number 3.

3.Follow Pinaster street down to the Waterkloof spruit, where you can while away a good part of an hour under the bluegum trees,augmented by treacles of water closeby.Gorge on your market goodies whilst spotting cloud shapes and reflecting on the week gone by.

4. Maroelana centre, right on the spruit, houses both Gaslight and the fabulous Chinese supermarket YAt Kee.The former is a specialist dvd and video store to fill your every art house and foreign film fancy, Yat Kee will take care of any Chinese ingredients or other miscellaneous goodies you may need.Good to know, hidden around the corner you can find Full Moon (previously Cafe Arc).Find out what's happening at this alternative lounge- should Metal, Industrial or Goth form the basis of your music library-or not.

5.Explore Cape Connection, a small haven nestled amongst the bustle of east heading traffic.Book some pampering sessions at the centre-titled spa, treat yourself with a fabulous new haircut at Cheveux and enjoy a decent cuppa or recommended chai tea at La Vie. Lastly, pick out some uniquely sourced flowers, such as White King Proteas at Carri' Flora.

6.An interesting stop awaits you at the corner of Garsfontein and Dely at number 6, on the last stretch back to your vehicle on Dely Rd. It's a great spot for an ahem, cigarette, if that indeed tickles your fancy.The grafitti changes infrequently at this bizarre, desolate, half-disposed erf.Pass by the Pretoria Country Club and golf course to your left.The clubhouse and larney drinking hole,The Saffron, is a good place to afternoon tea or for a glass of champagne.Pick up your vehicle and take a short drive up to classic suburban indulgences

thanks Casey for making such a mission...loving this contribution.

2009-10-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

//THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP.

I've been pretty busy the last two weeks or so.Had been studying for the biggest and last (for now at least) Art History exam and have been trying to make art while doing so...I never pull all nighters, as me in zombie mode is more likely to just make a mess of whatever I'm busy with, so sometimes I guess it's just better to hit the sack 'n deal with it tomorrow.Nonetheless I haven't had the greatest or rather longest of sleep lately, so it is time to catch up... if only it could be in this beaut of a bed.

2009-10-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

//STRAW DESIGN.

Wow...I literally had a fit of excitement when I came across this!I made a sculpture from straws last year, and can confirm that it is not an easy job...mine definitely didn't look as "spiff" as this..I think I ended up only using 220 straws or so...

Well...this is not quite the case with Scott Jarvie's straw designs...
his Clutch Chair consists of 10,000 rainbow coloured straws!

He even made a spotlight from straws!Amazing...just wonder if they won't melt?

Nonetheless, Jarvie's Chair was selected by Zaha Hadid as her curators choice at Noise Festival 2008!

Go check out some more Scott Jarvie here...

2009-10-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

//MOONMILK
Ryan McGinley's photos are really out of this world ...I suppose since his new body of work is titled "Moonmilk" it is okay to make us of clichés!McGinley likes photographing naked people, but what differentiates his photos from the usual naked portrait, is that the subject is photographed in a manner which makes him part of his setting (outdoors), and in a subtle manner obscures the nudity making it part of the scenery or the background.Some images do not even feature people but merely suggest a moon landscape, which I would say Mc Ginley skillfully achieves through the colouration of his photos.

go to his site here.

here are some images from Moonmilk

2009-10-18T01:09:00.000-07:00

//FLOWER CONE

Found an image on another blog...oh wait...it was Apartment Therapy...check it out. The blog featured different ideas on how to present flowers. I enjoyed this one the most.It's quirky and it looks good.

2009-10-15T14:56:00.001-07:00

//SAY WHAT?

I should probably try go sleep or something but sometimes blogging just seems like a better idea..
I've been wanting to share this list the last few days already, but only remembered to do so now...

The Times encouraged people to vote for their favourite artists since 1900.1.4 million people voted.
The results are not really close to my rankings, but I suppose this is just a fun exercise the paper did to see who people vote as the top 200 based on the merit of popularity.

Let's just say my number one would most definitely be Marcel Duchamp.

have a look at the top ten of the 200:

1.Pablo Picasso

2.Paul Cezanne

3.Gustav Klimt

4.Claude Monet

5.Marcel Duchamp

6.Henri Matisse

7.Jackson Pollock

8.Andy Warhol

9.Willem De Kooning

10.Piet Mondrian

read the whole list here.

2009-10-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

//RICHARD SHED/peeled drawer doors

these drawers were designed by Richard Shed and Alex Taylor for the exhibition time:frame
(Nov 2003).

The doors are walnut veneered, and the drawer inside is lacquered.

What caught my eye are obviously the peeled corners. It is not only good design in terms of style, but is also truly functional and minimalistic.The peeled corners also reveal a bit of the lacquer coloured internal drawer...

check out more coming from Richard Shed's studio here....

2009-10-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

//MESCHAC GABA

Michael Stevenson is probably one of my favourite local galleries.They seem to have one of the greatest line ups of artists.Eventhough Meschac Gaba is not necessarily my favourite from the Stevenson rooster, I still enjoy his work.It is simple and striking...as easy as that.I would say the Voortrekker Monument he made last year (i think?), was somewhat more successful, yet nonetheless I enjoy his new body of work "the Street".

have a look at Michael Stevenson's site here.

Meschac Gaba-Tank (2009)

Meschac Gaba-School Bus (2009)

2009-10-12T13:21:00.001-07:00

//SIBLING MINE CO-LAB

I am super amped about this post... I recently met a co-blogger, a.k.a Casey.I suppose that is one great thing about the town of Pretoria - one still meets genuine people. Casey has such an awesome approach to blogging.Instead of taking the lazy approach (like me), she goes out and looks for things she can write about, thereby taking photos and meeting new people, and generally just living large and blogging about it..
So..since we both enjoy blogging we figured it would be pretty rad to contribute to each others blog. Pretty neat hm?! So ...I started off by contributing a weekly "mix tape" to Sibling Mine (that would be the title of her blog), and she came aboard to "whatever i can think of" with the following decent idea...

this is what she put together...

Casey from Sibling Mine....
and I'm going to be paying you a weekly visit from now on.

Maaike asked me to come and play but I just had to decide
where I would take you, and what I shall be sharing with you.
It's almost time for me to leave my home of twenty three years
for the first time - this irrepressible nostalgia lends to revisiting areas
my city.Viewed through my childhood and adolescent eyes,
join me as I traipse through my hood.

If only it were on this ....

I have had this getting-a-bicycle idea in my head for a while now. And I just found the perfect lust-worthy two-wheeled wonder. Salivate more at Electra. ( www.electrabike.com )

We will be cruising round the 'burbs of the East, the concrete in the CBD, the grit and grime of the West
and a pretty village in the South. See you soon!

so yes...do yourself the favour and go to Sibling Mine, explore it & then bookmark it!

2009-10-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

//TODAY'S EMPEROR'S tomorrow's ashes.

I came across a post on one of my favourite blogs VVork. The post had a kid peeing on a statue .I wondered what this arbness was about, and one link lead to the next....I found a site featuring documentation of what happened to Saddam Hussein's statues.The result was a great amount of interesting photos and different categories, such as "peed on", toppled", "beaten", "sold on the internet" and "photo opped".The internet sales interested me the most.Saddam's leg is being sold on line by an antique dealer in Duisburg,Germany.madness.

Here's a photo courtesy of http://www.toppledsaddam.org/toppled.html