The world as we know it?

My week has been dotted with films that challenge my view of the world around us and where we are headed. These things come in threes

The Road
Cormac McCarthy on screen, its gruesome, depressing, sinister, but not half as scary or poignant as the book, entertaining nonetheless.




Children of Men
The world can no longer produce children, until 18 years later one pops along with no explanation. Ignore the plot and focus on the society surrounding it, the refugees, the police and equally brutal the activists.




Persepolis - named after a place in Tehran now Iran it charts the epic journey of a young girl into womanhood. Through several major political power shifts and the repression that ensues, heartbreakingly beautiful, with a haunting story line.

Everything you say? Well nearly!

Check out the museum of EVERYTHING, yes everything, its ace! Seriously impressed by the array of art of display, not so impressed with the petulant kid screaming for pleasure whilst he parents did nothing to discipline her (boy what sort of adult is she going to turn into). The venue is an old recording studio set just off the main drag in Primrose Hill. You can still identify its function with most of the inner structure intact, it all adds to the experience. Inside you are greeted with amazing Indian sculptures that represent humans/animals, both beautiful and humorous. There is insider art, outsider art, naive art, folk art, I found myself wandering round in awe, jotting down artists I had never encountered before.

There were quotations from better known artists explaining the pieces, I was particularly captivated by an artist who created smaller versions of little girls made to look like dummies in slightly alluring poses, midriffs showing and suggestive tongue protruding out the side of mouth. Grayson Perry offers an explanation for these works, he talks about the taboos and the relationship the artist has with his work. In addition were items of girls clothing in frames, a pleated navy skirt and sweater; it felt calming, alluring and yet slightly uncomfortable. One room was filled with 40s style illustrations set as reliefs which spanned the length of the room, they featured children with long pigtails and willies, girls with horns and various subversions, engaging. The sheer volume of pieces, each one in there own right raised interest, took me aback. Illustrations, paintings, worth a mention was the 1950's fully functioning miniature fairground - about six mechanisms - all complete with illuminated moving parts, magical!

Get down there now, they were quite ambiguous as to how long the exhibition will last.

Girls

Girls, girls, are you looking for a good time... perhaps its the cliche in me that like this band or maybe they remind me of a wreckless youth... anyways, treat yourself to a listen...

via myspace, anything on you tube appeared difficult to track down due to their ambiguous band name

GIRLS

I particularly like 'darling'

Whilst waiting for Emma...

I have been listening to

Panda Bear - Animal Collectives Noah Lennox

Get your kit off?

Our Journey from east to south London was a mission, the distance covered and the unpredictable nature of London transport was against us. Planes, Trains and Automobiles flashed through my mind as we ventured to the trains, Dalston overground was closed due to a stabbing outside Poundstretcher, we headed for the buses, we waited, no buses came, we got on one headed in a vaguely similar direction, it crawled, we got on a tube that was heading in the opposite direction which would allow us to eventually head in the right direction… I think you get the idea. After a huge amount of wrangling we arrived hot, flustered and just about intact for a performance ‘Trilogy’ at Battersea Arts Centre (BAC).

Inside I was immediately captivated by the venue, a grand staircase welcomes you in the main hall, producing a massive height above. Decorated with a aged grandeur, parcel tags hang in unison from the ceiling, grandma lamps and bonket seating furnish creating a relaxed homemade ambiance

The play in three parts begins with an introduction from the two main protagonists, part one culminates in 50 dancing naked ladies of all shapes and sizes, unfortunately not enough variations in colour but the contrast in jiggling parts gets the point across. We all have bodies to celebrate! Part two delves deeper focusing on an seminar of leading second wave feminists which took place in the early 70s, thoroughly entertaining it poses questions we may have forgotten about what it means to be a woman, where we fit in society, how far have we actually come. The final section aims to move forward in a proactive manner, offering suggestions towards a new movement, ‘herstory’ rewritten. There are dance interludes throughout which break up the seriousness of the content and of course continuous nudity.

The closing gift is an opportunity to the women of the audience to go naked on stage, perhaps a measurement of how successful the performance was. About 30 women rose to the occasion, myself being one of them. It was better to regret something I had done, than something I hadn’t. I feel a smile internally when I think back to the event, and revel at the power of nakedness.

Today I've been listening to...

dd/mm/yyyy
The new Warpaint EP - Exquisite Corpse
Toddla T - Fabriclive 47
and the radio station Martini in the morning

Jookabox Junk

Eclectic beat maker from Indianapolis who fuses rhythms, which inspire and mystify.

The artist formerly known as Grampall Jookabox (now just plain Jookabox) aka David ‘Moose’ Adamson originally mashed up his beats on a Yamaha DD-9, apparently that was a long time ago. Currently his songs muse over the joys of not having a pregnant girlfriend and retain a rather addictive air of the boy from school who succeeded in making everything seem easy, when in fact it wasn’t.

Dazed Digital: Do you look across the pond for inspiration, any English bands you are excited by? Jookabox: Yes, Trash Kit from London.

DD: You cite Beastie Boys as an influence, your work has a similar eclectic quality in that it pulls from many references, have you always taken this approach? Jookabox: I think I have always taken this approach, but when I first started it probably didn't make any sense/sounded awful. Over time you find ways to have it make more sense together.

DD: What is the scene like in Indianapolis? Jookabox: I feel proud of the music scene here. Right now there are a ton of shows going on and everyone seems really excited about something - new bands that I haven't heard yet. A lot of house/basement venues have popped up with a good mix music being made, everyone is willing to work together regardless. It is going to be a good summer in Indy. People here will say, "Man, do you remember summer '09?"

DD: If you were not making music, what would you be doing right now? Jookabox: I would be working one of countless random jobs I did until I became fed up and quit so I could do nothing for a week and then try to find another one.

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