happy days

 

 aps xx

the roaming of roman noven & tania shcheglova

Noven and Shcheglova are also known as 'Synchrodogs'. They are a photography duo from Ukraine who go around snapping photos that are bizzarre in a perfectly styled way. They try to avoid being pulled into the realms of influence the internet has. Ironic purity potentially. Click here and you will find their website. Get lost. ;)

xx

Lou

what's hidden in dasha zhukova's 'garage'?

Sandy has sent me yet another great link to keep me updated with the new and cool in the art and fashion world. This time it is a new magazine called 'Garage'.

"The magazine, created by Dasha Zhukova, a former editor of Pop, and named after the contemporary art center she opened in Moscow in 2008, includes collaborations between prominent figures of both worlds and blurs the boundaries to such a degree that even the artist Dinos Chapman said his work in the magazine could be described as “a full-blown fashion shoot.” Working with the photographer Nick Knight, Mr. Chapman created a creepy dollhouse in which a puppetlike version of the model Lily Donaldson wears designer duds from Marc Jacobs and Mary Katrantzou." (whole article here)

Oh la la. The question is, will New Zealand/DUNEDIN ever see it? Or maybe it will pop up in the Rob Roy Dairy where, I am informed by Charlotte, they have surprisingly good taste.

xx
Lou

tunes

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sophisti-cats prowl on friday nights

Brett McDowell is having an opening, who will we meet tonight? An artist? A director? A Ponsoby art collector? Or perhaps an art star, who has gone very far, to the Warhol factory in the U.S. of A. That's enough rhyme. This art star was Billy Apple who is now 75 but still highly active within the art community both making art and hitting up events. Kevin Roberts is pictured in the first photo in front of examples of Billy Apple's pop art. He looks older now. Billy seemed happy to chat but was simultaneously intimidating and opinionated. He has flare but of course, the conversation was Billy Apple focused. He discussed the power of a brand with no product and recent conflicts with copyright. Interestingly, the Maclaren theme of his exhibition is not a huge hobby of his, however the iconography is (as is common for many pop artists!). We held back the obvious question about his acquaintanceship with Andy Warhol and instead Charlotte kept it smooth by discussing the brilliant Auckland cafe 'Gala' where she always seems to spot Billy.

Soon we moved on to another gallery opening and a bite of sushi for dinner. Then, filling our pockets with nostalgic candy, we walked up to Rialto to watch Xavier Dolan's 'Heartbeats' (which I blogged about before). It was actually very good. Super stylised (how many hot people can you fit in a room?), quite humorous, and a youthful 'love' dilemma. There were some great moments which show Dolan's potential to continue to make better and better films. 

Oh how I enjoy a cultured night in little Dunedin.

xx

Lou

zine zine zine

Photos from the Dunedin Zine Fest. It was held in two very sweet art gallery spaces, just out of the main town area and a bit of an adventure away from the uni-library-hostel bubble we live in. We made our own mini collage-zines in their zine workshop set up at the end of the gallery space. It was pretty much like walking into heaven of arts and crafts and general creativity - there were soo many old encyclopedias and children's picture books to inspire and collage from, paper, glue, string, pens, typewriters... just everything.


aps xx

love is dressing to complement

xx
Lou

my cup of tea

Would you like your tea, weak or strong? Skull teapots by Trevor Jackson from here.


aps xx

concert in the stairwell

Last night my hall of residence put on a concert in its steep and tiny stairwell. I love these kind of things.
xx
Lou

nice voice

aps xx

review: copacabana

I do reviews almost every week for Critic magazine. Here's my Copacabana review:

Copacabana is a French comedy about a mother called Babou (Isabelle Huppert) who is faced with a relationship break up between her and her daughter, Esmeralda (Lolita Chammah). Esmeralda is very unlike the free spirited gypsy of Victor Hugo’s novel. She is embarrassed by Babou to the point where she refuses to invite her to her wedding. This mother is wild and beautiful. She has wispy red hair and elaborate blue and green eye makeup. She is an older woman who long ago became trapped in a love affair with bohemian adventures and charming rebellion. Babou cannot conform to the conservative rule, obeying mother that her daughter craves.

In the mother’s attempt to impress her daughter and be invited to her wedding she finds a job selling time-share apartments in Belgian. This job opposes Babou’s way of life, but she remains determined to prove herself. After borrowing her reluctant friend’s car, she arrives at a huge building of empty apartments in a fairly deserted Belgian sea side town. She is shown to one of the rooms in the almost finished apartment building where she will both be living and working in. The ocean mist that sits over this Belgian town acts as walls within which the mother paces about, waiting for change. However, it seems Babou can attract adventure even in such a desolate place and what’s more, she finds herself good at her work as a sales-person.

The film does not dwell on hopelessness but rather places the excellent Huppert in a white washed room to let her touch everything around her with colour. Copacabana is about the relationship between a mother and daughter but it also is about those people who are loving and lovable but start itching if they find themselves settling down. This is presented through well framed shots and often lovely and sometimes lonely feeling mis-en-scene.

The script may lack in perfectly executed wit, or humorous cynicism but the film remains charming. Copacabana is the after-dinner mints that you sometimes find on the pillows of a hotel. It’s a simple gesture which is both easily consumed and sweet.
 
xx
Lou

four wheel drive

 

aps xx

afternoon treats

 1. Jacques Dutronc - Et moi, et moi, et moi

2. Justin Wallis' quirky illustrations

3. Hansel from Basel socks

4. Fun white/dark chocolate heart brownies from one of my favourite food blogs smittenkitchen (recipe here).

5. Some clever european-designed plastic bags [via here]






aps xx

some july in august

Miranda July: The Future on Nowness.com.

A loovely director who I follow called Miranda July has recently posted a short film on Nowness. I've posted it above. The cuteness, kookiness and style is brilliant. I hope you enjoy it too! (Also, I want clothes and an apartment like that.)

xx

Lou