Magazine Series: Elle Decoration (1990s)

I was rearranging my room the other day - putting some order in the organised mess that was my stacks of magazines - when I stumbled upon some old mid-90s Elle Decoration magazines. If someone were to ask me what magazines defined my teenagehood, it would be these rags I rescued from my father, who then ran a small hand-made sofa store. As a kid, the house was never short of these UK-edition Elle Decoration. It was through these pages that kick-started my interest in design and good living.

Here are pictures of artist-filmmaker Julian Schnabel's loft - way back when he was still thin-ish and not into wearing pajamas to public events (February 1996 edition). 

Now I need to find an old warehouse for my old magazines.

If only

As a (financial) journalist I could only opine: If only all press conferences are this informative. 

NYC: Inner City Waterfalls

Recently, together with New York's Public Art Fund, Olafur Eliasson has installed eight man-made waterfalls around New York. I think this is awesome.

It looks out of place like a big pipe leak and rather surreal - the sheer enormity of the work.

Holy Ghost/Spirit Explosion (Remix)

Thanks to Iain Tait for introducing me to one of the best video remixes in decades.

First I thought this is some kind of Dadaist/Situationist art work. But below is the original clip. Go figure.

Now for a bottle of vodka to fill my body with the real spirit.

Funny Print Ad from DDB.

I make it a point to avoid blogging about ad - there are better and far more interesting and insightful ad bloggers out there. But this is an one and only exception. 

Given the cynicism of the age, it's hard for the cleverness of an ad to make someone smile/giggle/laugh. Let alone a print ad like this one. I believe this one won a Cannes Lion, whatever the colour-material - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Wood, Plastic... I have no idea. It doesn't matter really. But I haven't seen a good, long-copy ad for a while. Funny, while not trying too hard. It also keeps the VW spirit too, in a way paying homage to the old "Lemon" ad.

Work in Progress

Counting down to the shooting day and I'm changing story lines like a chameleon changing the colours of its skin. But we're getting there.

Jump Around!

Music can be infectious and very addictive. Played just once on the radio and I couldn't get the song out of my head. It brought back memories too. 

Heart at work

Before I went to sleep last night, way past midnight, all sloppy eyes and runny nose, I read a bit of the late Paul Arden. I couldn't find the passage in his little book this morning, when I was all conscious and bright-mind tip-top. 

But it goes something like this: 

Solving problems is the exciting part not knowing the answers. 

Sound too simple? Maybe I was dead tired then. But it's illuminating. Bravo.

Madness and Genius

An interview with the young Werner Herzog on his collaboration with the undisputedly insane and out-of-kilter Klaus Kinski on Aguirre, the Wrath of God. 

For artistic achievement, would you cross the line into insanity? Herzog did. And to my surprise - he said that Kinski was the only person he, a self-taught filmmaker, considered a teacher. 

On his growth as a filmmaker: "For the past 14 years I have been doing things not within my grasp by nature. I have learned that in order to make films, you have to be able to survive [sleepless nights, stress and humiliations]. Work them over and make them into something productive. All these humiliations [from Kinski]. They're essential parts of filmmaking. And anyone who can't take that, can't make films." 

What's the Life Expectancy of a Band?

And we thought they have disbanded:

But, still, I like the old sound better:

Sick Sick Sick

First I thought it is some absurdist play (a surreal take on Arthur Miller?) or humour book. But no, no, no. How naive I was. 

This is just funnily sick (literally, not slang). 

Only in America. 

Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

Taking care of sick elderly/visa application/painting house/university accommodation/article writing/getting rid of cold/future career prospect/financial matters/suspension of BAE Probe/terrorists/back pain from tennis/medical check-up/dentist appointment/office politics/leaving selfish employer/pondering when those The Nation Group director-crooks allegedly siphoning money from the company would be caught and punished/worrying about runaway inflation and high interest rates/not seeing the end of the housing market slump/Blahblah... 

All the while, my dog has been chasing toads (devouring them), mice (just killing them) and sometimes cooking gas delivery man and postmen in the garden (alas, to no avail). 

Here is a picture of her, napping after a night of nocturnal toad and mouse hunting. In her favourite position.