SKYE PARROT – KINDS OF WATER

Posted on 2014-06-30

Kinds of Water, Parrott’s most recent body of work, uses water as a thread to connect seemingly disparate imagery, from the water of the ocean lapping at a ship’s bow as seen in Ukraine’s Port of Odessa, to the plump promise of water beneath the skin of an apple, to the water of a child’s tears on a cloudy beach in Maine. The images, taken both during Parrott’s daily life and extensive travels, approach the familiar and the other democratically, with a deep intimacy and a carefully framed composure. These are a departure from the snapshots of youth; rather, they are a more thoughtful, considered presentation of the beauty that is to be found in the every day.

Exhibition runs through to July 20th, 2014

Dossier Outpost
South Street Seaport
New York
NY

www.dossieroutpost.com

  

RIVER OF FUNDAMENT – A FILM BY MATTHEW BARNEY

Posted on 2014-06-30

This radical reinvention of Norman Mailer’s novel Ancient Evenings is an epic story of regeneration and rebirth, set in three major American cities – Los Angeles, Detroit and New York. A collaboration between visual artist Matthew Barney and composer Jonathan Bepler, the film was conceived as a contemporary opera that combines traditional modes of narrative cinema with filmed elements of performance and sculpture. Barney reconstructs Mailer’s hypersexual story of Egyptian gods and the seven stages of reincarnation alongside the rise and fall of the American car industry.

River of Fundament features a notable and diverse cast, including actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paul Giamatti, Elaine Strich and Ellen Burstyn. An eclectic group of musicians include avant-garde vocalist Joan La Barbara, percussionist Milford Graves, and baritones Eugene and Herbert Perry. In addition, the film features characters from Barney and Bepler’s previous collaboration Cremaster 3, including characters played by Barney and Aimee Mullins.

Screenings 29th – 30th June, 2014

London Coliseum
St Martin’s Lane
London
WC2N 4ES

www.eno.org

  

MICHAEL JACKSON – THE MAKING OF THRILLER

Posted on 2014-06-30

Hundreds of never-before-seen photos documenting the making of the greatest video of all time are published in this ultimate tribute to the King of Pop. Fans and music lovers will gain access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes images of the artist, both in high performance mode and relaxing on the set. They’ll watch Michael Jackson transform into the zombie and werewolf characters and see intimate photos of the public and private faces of the legendary musician at the height of his career. Here, Kirkland and journalist Nancy Griffin, a bestselling author in her own right, share their extraordinary experience on the set of “Thriller.”

The astonishing photos are accompanied by interviews and quotations from musicians and celebrities, including Sir Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Diddy, Quincy Jones, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and many more — all of whom were influenced by the work of Michael Jackson and this groundbreaking video.

glitteratiincorporated.com

  

RACHAEL CHAMPION – PRIMARY PRODUCERS

Posted on 2014-06-30

Primary Producers is an exploration through energy and architecture in the form of a site-specific installation integrated into the architecture of Hales Gallery. The installation presents a pebble dashed landmass, punctuated with cylindrical concavities containing both wild and specific strains of fresh water algae. Pebbledash, a controversial rendering ubiquitous in the British landscape, and algae, a strong candidate for renewable energy as biofuel, are signifiers of both progress and problem–solving. These materials, integrated together as an architectural sculpture, point at both optimistic yet fallible responses to the urgent needs of our society.

Primary Producers refers to algae and its characteristics as a basic life form, which, although having been used by humans for centuries, only recently became an important subject in sustainability. Rich in proteins and lipids, algae is seen as a “super-substance” with a wide range of uses – from its potential as a source of renewable energy, its ability to sequester carbon and its popularity as a health food trend (Spirulina). In Primary Producers, algae are placed alongside mundane pebbledash surfaces, inextricably associated in the UK with the very worst excesses of the home improvement industry. Pebbledash is often affiliated with “covering up” both bad brick work and historical detail and can be found all over Britain. At the height of roughcast rendering, homes would be ‘dashed’ in aggregates from the same quarry, giving humble architecture a sense of coherent continuity. Although being an omnipresent characteristic of the suburban, the quality of pebbledash reminds us of the raw natural materials that make up our built environment.

Exhibition runs through to July 26th, 2014

Hales Gallery
Tea Building
7 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA

www.halesgallery.com

  

SOUND SYSTEM CULTURE

Posted on 2014-06-30

As part of Mandeep Samra’s Huddersfield-based sound system culture project, this book documents and celebrates Huddersfield’s role and development of the UK’s sound system culture.

The market town of Huddersfield, nestled within the Pennine Hills of West Yorkshire, has made a remarkable contribution to UK sound system culture. From Armagideon to Zion InnaVision, the Arawak club to Venn Street, Matamp to Valv-a-tron, this unlikely location has been a stronghold of the British scene, yet has remained largely overlooked.

Written by Paul Huxtable (who operates Axis sound system) and edited and designed by Al Fingers, the book documents the subculture’s history from the initial migration of Jamaicans to the UK after World War II, to the pioneers and early adopters that solidified the sound’s presence in Europe. The book includes never before seen images and stories surrounding the rise of this UK sound system scene and celebrates the people who helped establish Huddersfield as the reggae and sound system capital of northern England.

onelovebooks.com

  

SUFJAN STEVENS – YEAR OF THE TIGER

Posted on 2014-06-30

Sufjan Stevens has shared a video for “Year of the Tiger”, from 2001’s Enjoy Your Rabbit. It’s directed and animated by Geoffrey Hoskinson.
Enjoy Your Rabbit is out on vinyl for the first time, via Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty label. People who purchase it at select record stores will get fortune cookies penned by Stevens himself!

asthmatickitty.com