BEAT BOP RECORD BOX – JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

Posted on 2015-10-12

This ultra-sturdy and highly practical record case is covered in classic images from the original Tartown Records version of the 1983 classic hip-hop track “Beat Bop,” produced and designed by Jean-Michel Basquiat, featuring MCs Rammellzee and K-Rob.

The box was manufactured by Get On Down in a limited edition of 1,000; holds up to 50 LPs; black leatherette exterior; metal hinges and clasps; plastic corner protectors. The “Beat Bop” images were licensed from the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Read all about the box here: Beat Bop Box.

Jean-Michel Basquiat gained worldwide fame as a graffiti-inspired painter, whose myth, legend and influence has continued to grow after his early death at age 27 in 1988. For hip-hop heads, Basquiat also earned respect for producing and releasing the 12-inch single, “Beat Bop” (1983) by Rammellzee and K-Rob. The record, which clocked in at only 10 minutes, has been heard by many, but held by few. Only a reputed 500 of the song’s initial run, on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s imprint Tartown Records, were made with jacket cover art by the infinitely influential graphic artist. The record was re-issued – with no picture sleeve – on Profile Records soon after the Tartown pressings, and went on to influence countless MCs, with its minimal, languishing funk beat and Rammellzee’s and K-Rob’s next-level lyricism.

www.rappcats.com

  

ALEX CHINNECK – A BULLET FROM A SHOOTING STAR

Posted on 2015-10-07

In collaboration with Greenwich Peninsula, the London Design Festival has commissioned A bullet from a shooting star, a Festival Landmark Project and outdoor installation at Greenwich Peninsula by sculptor Alex Chinneck, taking the unconventional form of a upside down electricity pylon.

The 35-metre high structure has been designed to be seen from a distance, and can be viewed from North Greenwich Station, the Emirates Airline cable car, the Thames Clipper service, Canary Wharf and all planes that fly to and from City Airport. Illuminated at night, the work acts as a literal beacon and will project a maze of latticed shadows.

A bullet from a shooting star contains a combined length of 1186m of steel weighing 15 tons. There are 450 pieces of steel with 900 engineered connection points. The foundations will include 19m deep piles within 78m³ of concrete.

Referencing the industrial history of the site which once included the largest oil and gas works in Europe and a steelworks, Alex Chinneck will create a lattice of steel, that resembles an upside down pylon, leaning at a precarious angle as though shot into the earth. The construction and materials will reflect the same visual and material language of multiple structures across the Peninsula, particularly the redundant gas tower located on site while also evoking the idea of power generation and supply.

Chinneck’s indoor and outdoor works have been conceived to share a dialogue that links the East and the West of the Peninsula. Physically separated yet sculpturally connected they will encourage visitors to explore both areas of the expansive and extraordinary district and unravel its rich history.

Alex Chinneck says “Every project I produce is contextually sensitive and so each installation responds to the environment that supports, surrounds and includes it. It is this philosophy that distinguishes the sculptural decisions behind the two installations. In a similar fashion to my previous projects, which have seen bricks bend, stone hover and tarmac curl, the effortlessly rolling metal transcends its material nature by assuming an apparent and pleasing flexibility.”

www.barberandtubbs.com

  

VOLUME FOUR, ISSUE ONE

Posted on 2015-10-06

Featuring cover talent A$AP Rocky photographed exclusively in Los Angeles by Kenneth Cappello.

Photography & Art content from Ivar Wigan, Ren Hang, Jouko Lehtola, Suffo Moncloa, Nate Walton & Jeffrey Milstein.

Photography & Fashion content from Matt Irwin, Michael Hauptmann, Baker & Evans, Nick Griffiths, Lea Columbo, Jason Pietra, Jerome Corpuz & Will Davidson.

SOLD OUT

  

ERWIN OLAF – SKIN DEEP

Posted on 2015-10-05

Olaf has created this “pure and less constructed” series over the course of the past year as a “tribute to the human body, to celebrate its uniqueness”. This series’ inaugural exhibition at Hamiltons marks Olaf’s long-term collaboration with, and representation by, gallery owner Tim Jefferies.

Olaf’s art implicitly visualises the unspoken and the overlooked. By addressing social issues and taboos within the framework of a highly stylised mode of imagery, his work provides us with uncertain, shifting narratives, which defy singular interpretation. In his own unique style and approach, Olaf vividly captures the essence of contemporary life and its inherent contradictions.

Skin Deep is simultaneously a departure from, and a return to, his early work confronting the nature of the human body. He revisits a familiar space and subject omnipresent at the beginning of his career, but then moves towards a purer, more essential connection with the body and skin: a transcendent approach that he felt could only occur with the passage of time, as a result of insights borne of decades of maturation.

This series features models of different backgrounds, race, sex and personality, chosen by Olaf for their confidence and relaxed attitude towards their bodies; he set them against the backdrop of an 18th century mansion in Holland. Olaf photographed the mansion walls in their original state just a day before they were to be restored; he then reprinted the walls in his studio, to become the environment for his models. In the 1980’s Olaf made a short film at this same mansion; the juxtaposition of real and historical ‘in situ’ location, versus the contemporary and artificial nature of the photographer’s studio, is an essential element of his reflection on his early work and self.

Opposite – Reclining Nude No. 6, 2015

Exhibition runs from October 8th to November 14th, 2015

Hamiltons Gallery
13 Carlos Place
London
W1K 2EU

www.hamiltonsgallery.com

  

DON MCCULLIN – CONFLICT – PEOPLE – LANDSCAPE

Posted on 2015-10-05

The focused exhibition will present a culmination of work spanning the photographer’s career to date; from early beginnings in North London to extensive social documentary, unsparing war reportage, haunting Somerset vistas and contemplative still lifes. The retrospective will map over five decades of visual history, bringing together a broad selection of McCullin’s most powerful and unforgettable images, alongside a series of compositions of the Somerset landscape he calls home. In addition to his photographic oeuvre McCullin will present a collection of personal memorabilia acquired throughout his lifetime, featuring the Nikon camera that notoriously saved his life from a sniper bullet during the Vietnam war.

The comprehensive showcase will present a chronological selection of the photographer’s most poignant and best known reportage. The exhibition commences with a selection of the photojournalist’s early professional photography, featuring his first published image in The Observer dating back to 15 February 1959. ‘The Guvnors’ was taken in Finsbury Park and marked the start of McCullin’s passionate documentation of London gang culture and impoverished urban Britain throughout the sixties and seventies. His work during this time created a harsh spotlight on the reality of life post-war, including the stark landscapes of the industrial North, the increasing unemployment and homeless levels in the capital and growing unrest across the country.

Opposite – Dew Pond, Somerset, 1988

Exhibition runs from November 15th to January 31st, 2015

Hauser & Wirth Somerset
Durslade Farm
Dropping Lane
Bruton
Somerset
BA10 0NL

www.hauserwirth.com

  

VALERIE PHILLIPS

Posted on 2015-10-05

You left your ring on the floor of my bedroom is a milestone: Its Phillips’ eighth book, her first with Sara, the only book whose contents have been photographed solely on Phillips’ home turf, and a forbidden publication, created in the 12 hours allowed to them before Sara was ordered to return to LA upon arrival.

Phillips first saw Sara’s face on instagram, through a friend of a friend of a friend. More than just a desire to photograph her, Phillips felt a connection, an emotional reaction to a physical distance from this unknown girl. In true Phillips style she followed her gut; Skype calls followed emails, then the purchase of plane tickets, a fully stocked fridge and fresh bed linen to welcome a guest and Sara was on her way to London for a 10 day meet-and-greet to say hi, to take pictures, and to make a book.

Exhibition runs from October 12th to November 3rd, 2015

Ace Hotel
100 Shoreditch High Street
London
E1 6JQ

www.acehotel.com