Al Cern finalmente con questo cazzo di Lhc ci potranno dire come da materia polverizzata possan esser venuti fuori gli Animal Collective. A nemmeno un anno da MarriweatHer, sulla finestra dei download arriva il file compresso di un album la cui manciata di canzoni è di nuovo epica cantina contro gli abbottonati del gentil suono. Il discorso – di superficie – è sempre lo stesso: Panda Bear che tira la voce sotto piallate di echi e riverberi, Avey Tare che canta dolcini in convulsione, Geologist che spara la lucetta sui mixer e si fa vibrare la panzÄ con botte low-fr di piscio e vento. Nel mezzo epperò c’è un sottobosco sonico di roba pesa che a trovare i singoli pezzetti del’ intero disegno ci impieghi una pubertà intera, quel tempo che serve per accorgersi che riuscire a seguire la linea di un suono non è roba per spazientiti, tra vortici di synth annegati tra seimila gocce di voce che piovono su tellurici assalti satuRi di basso. Tutti insieme per la legna, dice il drum-kit epilettico del Panda. What Would I Want Sky? è già pettinatezza: partenza di ineluttabile sminchianza e batteria distorta, giusto il tempo che tutto vada in loop a sangue prima dello stop-anD-go che apre la chiusura del pezzo, un girello pop che Avey Tare canta come un Amedeo Minghiz in acido, e tra roba che si spezza che va e viene e torna indietro e cori a-la-Elfman si arriva alla fine che non ci s’è capito un ineffabile cazzo. Si potrebbe dire che la coda di Graze sono trilli ipnagogici dei Sette Nani che vannalavorare e che la parte iniziale è la solita liTurgia in-minore del Panda, beh a noi ci piace tanto e alziamo il volume. Pure Bleed vorrebbe essere tanto oscura epperò quando droni e voce si incontrano nella nota giusta son cazzilli di melodia che volano fuori e fanno ghirigori in cielo. Che poi iL gioco degli Animal è sempre questo: portare su su su il maggior quantitativo di dolcemente-cantabile attraverso il maggior quantitativo di casino, in sostanza fare fatica e poi godersi l’ aria buona, sentirsi il pacifico sussurrare dopo una sguaiata di urla. Per fare casino va bene qualsiasi cosa: il campione del suono di una padella che si cucina l’ uovo alla pancetta, una chitarra scrausa, una ugola efebica, tastiere casio dei tempi-che, una botte di tosse. I think I can altra dimostrazione del teorEma. On a Highway sta un pelo sotto, ma son dettagli. Ennesimo disconzo degli Animal Collective, vera apocope della parola Perfetto. In da life succede che anche in situazioni-millimetriche tipo 4:30  di What Would I Want Sky? si possa e debba essere felici di essere nati essere umani e non semplici fottuti esoscheletri.

Beccatevelo:

http://www.mediafire.com/?yqujniowtzo

Biopower is a term invented by the French philosopher, Michel Foucault. It refers to the regulation of subjects of any modern state, and more specifically, to our bodies subjugation through “an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the control of populations”. The term first appeared in The Will to Knowledge, Foucault’s first volume of The History of Sexuality.

With the term ‘Biopower’, Foucault designates the set of mechanisms, techniques and technologies through which the basic biological features of the human species become the object of political strategies in modern Western societies.

It relates to the Government’s concern with fostering the life of the population and emphasises the protection of life rather than the threat of death, through the regulation of the body.

But this has resulted in us all being force-fed a check list of responsibilities. From improved eating habits, constant health warnings, ‘correct’ reproductive practices, to rather more ‘PC’ concepts of “family”, “blood“, and “well-being”. Apart from the fact that we might think we know what our bodies need better than the state does – there is an underlying danger in the idea of power serving the ‘protection of the collective body’.

When the state uses its power to protect the health of the population – when the stakes are life itself, anything can be justified. Groups identified as the threat to the existence of the life of the nation or of humanity can be eradicated with impunity. This is indeed a dark side to the notion that Biopower is an effective philosophy of the body.

As someone who is still learning about how my body functions most effectively, and how far I can push myself (and the consequences of burn-out) – I have acquired a better understanding in Sanjuro classes of my limitations, and how to manage my stamina, injuries and attitudes to my health, through an emphasis on the individual. Unlike the concept of Biopower, Sanjuro respects that each body, and each of our strengths and weaknesses can all be used, and can all be rendered effective and understood. We are all the sum of our parts, just as the populations ‘body’ is a constantly evolving thing, which should be not subjugated and tamed, but listened to, instead.

From: Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 10:30am

Till: Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 6:00am

@: Reigate Artists Gallery (castle grounds behind boots: map)

A humourous look at the festive season with Sean TW Cartoons.
On show will be a veritable plethora of cartoons never before seen and a chance to browse my festive card range. So come by and enjoy some mulled wine and mince pies and have a giggle or two. Also featuring Liam Williamsons Popular ugly chicken series.

Hey Gang,

For Turkey Day 2009 I figured what better way to celebrate here at The Trash Cinema Collective than with the 1972 Anti-Drug, Pro-Christian, Mutant Killer Turkey film…Blood Freak!

That’s right, hold onto Plymouth Rock and prepare yourself for horrendous audio, unintelligible mumbling, bio-hazardous turkey meat, real life turkey decapitation, bible thumpers in red hot pants, sibling rivalry, turkey poking, mutant sex, cock blockage, a God live ever present narrator, the complimentary use of the term “husky”, real life amputees, lots of screaming, copious blood squirting, and poultry rage!

This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the indispensable help of Team Trash Cinema: Erica Andrus, Justin Falco and Terrius Greene whose performances bring this Thanksgiving Holiday Special to life. Thanks again, gang!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Stay Trashy!

-The Primal Root

Lourdes Segade is a Barcelona based photographer whose work appears in newspapers and magazines all over the world. In Spain, Lourdes confronts common modern day issues of AIDS, child obesity and dwarfism through the perspective of motherhood. Internationally, she has documented life after the Chernobyl meltdown, the daily relationship of women and water in Malawai and a glimpse at Nepal and Bhutan. Lourdes is a founding member of Eve Photographers and member of the French collective PictureTank (where you can see over 25 of her portfolios.)

Had myself a good ole time singing along with Ella Fitzgerald. I sang along at the end of the subway platform, tapping my feet and wiggling my butt, not caring if anyone saw me. My eyes welled up with her pained rendition of “Someone to Watch Over Me” and I could picture her lecturing the ne’er do wells of my romantic past in “Goody-Goody. “

Singing off-key to Ella felt in some ways like prayer.

Seven times a day, monks and nuns around the world chant the psalms. That’s usually what they are singing if you hear Gregorian Chant. The reason they chant the psalms is that the psalms are a poetic manifestion of every human expression: hatred, despair, jubilation, longing, desire, etc. By chanting the psalms, the monastics claim, they are tapping into every human heart and lifting that collective heart up to God. They pray for those who don’t pray.

And this is what Ella did for me yesterday. The Great American Song book, a sacred text like any other, contains that same human  capacity for love, fear and joy.  Singing jazz hits is a spiritual exercise, where we plugging ourselves into human suffering and turning it over to the Universe. Ella’s music is divine in many ways…

In the last segment of Constructions we explored various methods writers de-block writers’ block.  It was an examination of how the human brain can at times provide us with barriers to thought, and how challenging it can be at times to control or offset such barriers. 

But what is meant by barriers?  How are they produced in the mind of the artist and the writer?  From where do they originate from?  By even contemplating them as things to be dealt with and explored, do we give them power and agency as barriers and real things?  What are we really talking about, social organizational power, ruling relations of power, individual psychological malfunctions?  All of these concepts are so incredibly objectifying and limiting.  By contemplating the notion of barriers and blockages in this way we potentially reduce ourselves as creative individuals and social actors to something akin to what we at times want to produce work in order to prevent, ideas and objects of hegemony and conformity.  So during this piece, it may become clear that my real intent is to work through a process of reducing the idea of blockage, and reclaiming my power and agency as an individual artist, writer, and thinker in order to actualize a capacity to construct any article of provocation intended.  Writing involves a development of personal, subjective intent, as does artistry.

A few years ago I wrote a paper on the sociology of art which explored the social and cultural organization of the artist in postmodernity.  It was for the most part of piece of critical theory that looked at the ways the artist is organized in society as per the forms of ruling present in his or her particular place in history, mainly current history.  The identity formation of the artist to me at the time was a tragic thing, as a personage of struggle and resistance.  Though the artist is that in many ways, artistry can also be multi-subjective, so in many respects not exclusively of such tragic formations in reality.  I do create art for personal expression, not primarily as an act of resistance of social activism, though I have at times written and composed pieces for that as well.  But I suppose my point is that no one artist need be only of one kind, for the act of conceptualizing kinds of artist and artistry is somewhat like the act of developing and maintaining normalcy. 

I think perhaps, when contemplating the artist, I can now afford to do so from an individualist position.  Meaning, I can think of the artist as an individual for the time being, and not strictly a social actor.  I spent much of my graduate research constantly thinking of human beings as social actors without personal agency or choice, but yet with strong and meaningful subjectivities.  Since I have taken time away from school, perhaps I am recognizing the problem in this type of thinking.  Yes we as artists, as thinkers, and as social actors make sense of our realities as beings within collectives, but as well as individual thinkers.  This perhaps is a breaking point for me.  Recognizing one’s own individuality as something not other, but comparable to one’s social identity is empowering on some level.  Perhaps giving social significance to the self, as so much as the self is significant to society.  That is the mixture of social action and individuality I personally would like to strive for as a writer and as a thinker, especially since my new modality in sociology is to be less of a scientist and more of a social artist.

Morelle is a shop that is promoted all over Etsy–featured in the gift guides, front page exposure, and constant treasury recognition. However, a close look at the shop’s profile reveals that Katie (owner of Morelle) is not making all of her pretty bags with her own two hands. In fact, she is blatantly breaking Etsy’s rules regarding “collective” shops.

Morelle’s profile on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5531346

In the profile, Katie states:

“Last June I moved back to my home in Greece and continue to make my bags here close to family. Morelle now is a team of 5 people all committed to make lovely bags to the best of our ability.”

According to Etsy’s Dos and Dont’s, Morelle does not meet Etsy’s guidelines to be considered a “collective.” Even if Morelle met the criteria, Katie does not disclose the other members, roles, and relationships in the shop profile, which is a strict requirement by Etsy.

Here is the section of Etsy Terms of Use which covers these points:

Multiple people using a single account (collective shops)
DOs and DON’Ts > Membership > Multiple people using a single account (collective shops)

* A collective may not be an entity that represents multiple artists by contract (for example: a gallery, a consignment shop, an art agency/dealer).
* Because of the laws concerning charitable fundraising, a charitable collective shop must comply with Etsy’s Charitable listings and shops policies.
* The Public Profile page for the account must fully disclose accurate information about each person, their role in the Etsy shop and the relationships between the members of the collective. Etsy may ask for additional information and require that the shop comply with additional requirements.
* The individual who registers the account is responsible for all activities of the account, the bill and any transactions. This includes participation in community features of the site.
* All standard listing policies (see Shops and Listings) apply to collective Etsy shops. All handmade items must be created by members of the collective.

My Wednesday was kinda normal, till the Father ran off the porch again after one of his sons who’d tried to run off.

But first, before I tell that part of the story, let me back up. I was planning on writing anyway tonight, because what I see God doing day by day in Jason and Maria’s lives is well-worth mention. I hang out with Maria each week, and tonight, I got to feel her little girl kick my hand as I laid it on Maria’s belly. She’s due in March with this sure-to-be-beautiful one, who she and Jason are naming Magdalena Esperanza. Two weeks ago, Maria was feeling anything but hopeful about bringing a little girl into this really hard world, till – that is – she realized that God gave this little one a middle name that means “hope” (Esperanza). Then, we looked up what Magdalena means, because the meanings of our names matters to God – we’re not named at random. “Magdalena” means “tower” or “magnificent”: a “magnificent hope”, or a “tower of hope”, that’s this little girl coming into our family. She has become this to her mother. Plus, Mary Magdalene is a good namesake for Magdalena – she was a woman who traveled with Jesus, serving him throughout his years of ministry, and she was the first person to witness the stunning fact of the resurrection. This little girl will follow Jesus all the days of her life and know the depth of the power of His resurrection in and all around her.

Jason showed up for our weekly Collective (house church) tonight, giving each of us hugs and fixing himself his characteristic cup of Chinese jasmine tea. I asked him if he’s enjoying his new teapot set I got him in Hong Kong, and he said this week he’s been praying a lot and listening to worship music and he hasn’t really had much time for his teaset. This, from a prodigal called Home in August. Beautiful, and admirable. I can learn some things from Jason.

We were in the middle of reading chapter 2 from Floyd McClung’s book The Father Heart of God tonight, when Jason got a phone call from his cousin, Josh. They grew up in the same house together. Josh is a hip hop dancer in Kansas City, and he’s really good! I had the privilege of watching him win a pop and lock battle in early ‘09, not knowing who he was, and not knowing our paths would intertwine months down the road. Josh has a fresh broken heart this week, and in talking with Jason he asked about his church, looking for some meaning for the mess he feels inside. He plans to start joining us on Wednesday nights at some point, so at the start of our evening we rejoiced over this, proclaiming that the Father would get him and that we’d pray for him at the end of the night.

Well, the Father moves faster than us! Back to the phone  call Jason got from Josh: Josh told Jason that he got a phone call tonight from a dancer friend of his who knows Jesus, who started talking with him about God. Before we knew it Josh had “given his life to God” on the phone and he self-proclaims to Jason, “I’ve become one of you guys!” WHAT?!? We probably shouldn’t be so surprised by moments like this, but each of us was: we teared up. We screamed. We laughed. Maria had said she’d do a cartwheel when Josh gave his life to Jesus, but since she’s feeling pretty pregnant and didn’t actually expect it would happen so soon, I did one in her place. We prayed and rejoiced and welcomed our new brother, even from a distance. Jason, with tears in his eyes, said to us, “It means a lot to me because my family’s been broken for years. It’s awesome.”

We’re going to have a surprise celebration for Josh tomorrow night. Surprise because he’s asked that we just “chill” together, which is fine, but I don’t think we will be able to contain a party in his honor since he’s become a son of God and a brother of ours. He already wants to bring a friend of his who used to know God so he can “bring him back” to God.

I don’t know what we’re in for, but here’s the trickle bringing in the flood. Pray that God sends some guys to help the girls and I who lead this collective, because we’ve got some new brothers to disciple.

This is the most ultimate reason we live, people, next to our own inclusion in the Home of the Father, Son and Spirit.

================================================================

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:20-24)

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37)

I really need your help here, guys. What do you think of the concept of collective consciousness? I don’t know if there is an official definition of it, but in its most innocent (read: non-new-agey) form, I have been given cause to wonder. I have nothing but anecdotal evidence to present, but it is in sufficient quantity that it cannot be ignored. I find this especially at the restaraunt, and other workers there agree there is something to it.

I will go for months with no mention of Stella Artois, and then suddenly five people request it. I will have one day when people pay all in cash; another day all with credit cards. One day everyone will want to have a margarita- with patron please. On a given day I will have two requests for rice as a side dish when it is clearly not on the menu, or several people will come in asking about a certain ingredient when I haven’t heard that question for several months. Another day it is only black people in the restaraunt. Other days the whites are out and about. Sometimes people will even come in wearing similar things. One starts to notice patterns like these.

Some of these can be explained, certainly. Everyone wants hot tea when the weather cools, people watch their weight just before bathing suit season, and on pay days people are more likely to spend money. But others mystify me. Is advertising really that strong that three gentlemen who must have watched the same sports program with the ad for Bud Lite will come in and ask for it? This can’t possibly be a conscious decision then.

I do know the power of the subconscious very well. My good friend CBM and I were mindlessly watching some commercials late one night when suddenly he declared “I really could go for some cookies right about now.” I thought he was joking. We had just seen a commercial for Pillsbury cookies. However, he blankly stared when I said, basically “duh…” and told him what had happened. He never remembered the commercial. He just knew that he wanted cookies.

Perhaps advertisements or other media sources plant subconscious signals. But can that really explain all of the trends? Can it explain a dearth of business people for a month, and then an overwhelming influx of them? Can it explain how people desire rice, or how people are rude one day but extraordinarily sweet others? Perhaps there is a collective consciousness shared by everyone?

It’s not as pagan as you might think. There is the concept of the unified Body of Christ, and what affects one person affects all. What do you all think? Is there such a thing as collective conscious, or subconsciousness?

Querid@s amig@s!
Tengo el placer de mostrarle la lista definitva de los artistas participantes en MISI MISI para ver la lista de artitas confirmados misi misi expo

La exposición MISI MISI nace de la idea de dos amigos preocupados por el momento en el que viven los artistas, diseñadores, ilustradores, y en general todos aquellos que tengan que ver con el ámbito plástico creativo. Está más claro que vivimos un momento de mierda y muchos se quieren aprovechar de esto, así que con la excusa de MISI MISI hemos creado esta exposición colectiva e itinerante que reune a nuestros amigos del arte, moda, graffiti, fotografía, tattoo,.. y congregarlos bajo un objeto “gracioso” que tiene como objetivo dar suerte a aquel que lo posee y que mejor manera que hacerlo antes de comenzar un nuevo año y una época donde se reúnen las familias, así que en esto hemos elegido un lema, “GATOS DE LA SUERTE PARA UN MOMENTO DE MIERDA”.

La primera parada de esta exposición será en el CHICHARRO TATTOO GALLERY situada en Santa Cruz de Tenerife que hace muy pocos meses ha abierto sus puertas, pero ya se ha ganado el respeto del pueblo joven chicharrero y de la prensa local tinerfeña.

Inauguración:
4 de diciembre 19:30h.
CHICHARRO TATTOO GALLERY
Valentín Sanz 21, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Friday November 13, 2009. SFU Harbour Centre.

Larry Wong spoke of his family history. He is now in his 70’s but looks more like he’s in his 50’s; literally.

He reminds us of how it was like in Chinatown during the 50’s or so. It was an exciting neighbourhood to be growing up in. It was a simple time. He enjoyed going to the neighbourhood hotel that had a boxing gym in the basement.

His father was born in the late 19th century during the Qing dynasty in China. His father had a completely different set of values than his own. And they most certainly had their clashes. Yet, years later after his father’s death, he can think about the memories of “Pops” and see that his father was in fact very loving and protective.

The story that Larry wrote of his sister is very interesting, and he shared it with us during the lecture. She essentially decided to pack up and leave Chinatown at the earliest opportunity, and found herself studying and working in small-town Ontario. She eventually married a white Canadian from Saskatchewan, to her father’s dismay. And they’ve been married now for over 50 years, I believe. A long time anyway, even if the exact number of years is wrong.

I thanked Larry at the end of the presentation and shook his hand. I told him that these stories were very close to my heart. He might not realize it, but he has undoubtedly rekindled my desire to write an autobiography based on the stories of loved ones in my life.

Love. Truth. Joy.

At last.

I wrote a story that was accepted for this book that arived in the ‘post’ today.

So, if you want to know how not to cook, give me a ring… I’ll pass you on to Jeana.

(Actually, the book is a lot of fun and you can buy it here…)

Here’s what the Collective Gallery, that supported the idea had to say about the concept…

While the typical cookbook format gives you a recipe for obvious success it does not take into account the many ways in which its execution can fail due to the cook’s lack of experience. Based on Aleksandra’s personal history of cooking disasters, the project invites 1000 people from all around the world to give their advice of how NOT to cook. With this volume, any reader will be more than well equipped to avoid making the same mistakes in their kitchen.

Collective V2 was a big success. For those of you who were cheering us on from the crowd, or thinking us us from afar, thank you for your continued support as we presented our latest inspirations in hair, fashion, music and most of all our thoughts on education.

This year in color we featured a mixed palette of tones and techniques ranging from apricot, pastels and classic sunny blonde balayage to vibrant reds and cool brown palettes. Paired with all white and gold fashions the hair color became the focal point, while showing texture with fringe.

For our cutting segment we were inspired by vibrant colors and textures in tribal street wear and the individual. Our shapes expressed graphic outlines and soft interiors, working with expanding the natural texture and observing growth patterns.

Lastly in our styling segment we took inspiration from vintage glamour and paired it with contemporary textures and finishes by shifting balances and mixing matte, pleated textures and smooth high-gloss shapes.

Thank you to everyone that made this show happen, your support is much appreciated. Stay in touch with diPietro Todd Academy through Facebook or this blog and get up to date news and events.

With Love and Thanks,

Akemi Tamaribuchi, Creative Director
Amita Moticka and Shelley Mohr, Academy Directors

The months, days and hours we put into our shows is so immense I hope everyone who goes to the show realizes what it takes to do something like Collective V2. The name Collective is so appropriate because that is what it really is. It is a huge team effort. There are so many people to thank, I don’t even know where to start. Andrew and I are so grateful that the staff at dPT care about their work so much that they are willing to put in the time to be the best they can be. I think it really showed. The haircuts, color and updo’s were amazing even if I say so myself.   I’ve got to say working behind stage had it’s challenges.   Ruby Skye used to be an old theatre so there were 3 rickety staircases we had to go up and down on repeatedly.  The main working space was a dark labyrinth where we had  to do the hair.  Saying it was old, dark and dusty is putting it mildly (think Phantom of the Opera).  It’s a miracle it all came together.

-Kim Todd

Newsha Tavakolianas was born and raised in Tehran and started working for the Iranian press when she was 16 years old. She has covered stories in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India and Yeman. Newsha’s focus in her own country on personal issues of history, religion, and woman’s rights offers deep and powerful imagery of life in Iran. Newsha is represented by Polaris Images and is a member of Eve Photographers.

Here is a very interesting article in the Digital Journalist which Newsha wrote about photographing the recent earthquake in Pakistan. She ponders the issue that I explore in the affect/effect Series of if photography can create social change for the people that see the images and the people that are in the images.

Pre-order Here

Rumours of a new Animal Collective EP have proved correct, with the announcement of “Fall Be Kind”. 5 tracks long, comprised of stuff they’ve played live. Its being released digitally on the 23/11 and Cds are out 15/12. I’m very tentative about this release (but call me biased after their god-awful set at Green Man), but we should have a review up when it comes out. Just maybe not by me….

Also while we’re at it

=Dave=

After their album “Feel Good Hits of a Nuclear Winter”, not being as sucessful as hoped, they decided to release the EP “Fax of Death”, proving only very slightly more popular than their debut, still managing to draw in new fans with the post nu-rave feel they’re going for. Hailing from London (but these guys have Italians and Nigerians in their band…) their sound is different from the generic Libertines vibe we get from Londoner bands that have been popping up recently.

Marginally different from the album, “Fax of Death” sees Laurel Collective choose a more upbeat feel, what defines “more upbeat” would be the synthesisters and the smoother, less grizzly approach to vocals. In the song “Fax of Death”, it sounds like a mesh of Vampire Weekend, Dutch Uncles, and regrettably Elliot Minor on one half of the vocals. That’s not exactly a good thing, as I’m pretty certain that isn’t the sound they were going for. On “Window” we hear a similarity to band the Ghost Frequency (RIP). Perhaps not the vocals, but definitely the overall sound is similar to that of theirs, as well as the old Hadouken! tracks.

The EP hasn’t necessarily been a hit yet, but I’m feeling a re-release in the near future when they’re a bit more well known and gigged a bit more to get the name around town would get them positive results. I hope to hear more of these lads.

jb X

Click here for the Laurel Collective myspace.

So after a few months, I’ve finally finished the snare drum. Sorry Liz for the lag! But im pretty stoked on it. I cant wait for it to be matte finished and to see it actually look like a drum.

Here is the outline

And the finished result!