another kind of dancin in the street

Showing us how it's done.

You have to visit the website to see the pics - if you try do the 'right button click' (with your mind going COPY! SAVE! SET AS DESKTOP BACKGROUND! OMG!) a little box pops up pointing out the images are copyright and to please refrain. Fair enuff.

The images remind me of Sam Taylor-Wood's photos, from the exhibition which only got attention for the 'Crying Men' section. (Trelease mentioned it in her Special Guest Post late last year). But there were other images, some of which were very similar to this in concept.



Just found that off Google - but you still MUST go check out those World Press Photo winners - as they stomp all over them. Sam Taylor-Wood's ones are steeped in her overriding aesthetic, which works in terms of her oevre, but you get so much more of a feeling of vitality and passion from that set of the French photographer.

(I'm been trapped in a spreadsheet all afternoon, okay, cleaning up data - let me enthuse a little!!).

A huge thank you to Tanya for the heads-up on these. I love it when a friend just totally knows what is going to float your boat - particularly in terms of art. I had a nasty falling out with Sam recently over Yves Klein, along the lines of "You didn't have a love-at-first-sight experience with one of his paintings?! FOOL".

I usually find the World Press Photo exhibition fairly traumatising. Last year a friend, Jim, was managing it here in Wellington and by the time I shuffled round my lap, I threw my arms around him and sobbed right there by the main doors. (I'm sure he just lapped up the heartfelt public endorsement).

At least now I know I have gravity defying French hotties to look forward to, as well as a wake-up call about the worldwide horrors and travesties that slid under my nose during the last twelve months.

The four corners of the town square.

BODY ROCK is on today and I am very excited. I have caught this in its various incarnations for the last couple of years - sometimes it coincides with X-Air, other times it seems to be independent.

Basically, there's a whole lot of break dancing, street art and music going on, right in the middle of town. And its always such a mix of people too, hence a white ass girl like me not feeling too out of place being in the midst of it!

Last year they set up a big graff wall in Civic Square and had specific taggers working on it throughout the day. Watching these people at work was incredible. Their deftness of hand and foresight was impressive, and the way an image was built up seemingly casually, but with such confidence.

Using Molotow spraypaint (which I knew of thanks to my lil bro's shenannigans with stencilling) they created a piece of art several metres long and as high as their arms could stretch. The other thing I loved was that the colour palette was limited solely to shades of pink - the only cans supplied. It looked freakin awesome.

I have more to say (about Furious Styles the wicked breaking crew who are back again this year) but time would be better spent psyching myself up for the traipse through central city, avoiding munter Sevens people...

Oh and then the next day...

...I helped sellotape four reams of A4 paper together. Cause that's how I roll.

Special Guest Post! Rebecca Trelease in her own words:

First of all, lets get a few things straight. Why 'Trelease'? There were two Rebecca's in the last year of uni so by default it went to the surname. However, the other Rebecca hasn't been around for more than a couple of years now so lets get it back to the original status, huh? I'm mostly annoyed by the fact I didn't even get a The prefix, as in The Bartlett. I'm so jealous of that I'm totally going back to Rebecca (although it did cause some confusion as I was introduced around Wellington. Eddie met Trelease but was told he would be hanging out with Rebecca so he had NO idea who I was when I climbed into the car).

Bel and I both did the BCS so I knew of her from first year. I always thought she was really cool right from the start but alas she hated me. Although, I remember before we actually started hanging out or knowing too many people in common (i.e. only Shane and Gareth) she saw me walking around mega stressed at Uni one day and she walked over and gave me a big hug. Which I thought was lovely. Over the years we met at random parties, but the one she mentioned at my house - why did you come if you hated me so much! Although she did encourage me to have the vodka and orange juice that ended the night for me, so maybe it was all planned... *

Right. Wellington.

I managed to make it all alone into the city, except I got off at the wrong stop and totally ruined my grand entrance outside the St James. Was there for about 5 minutes before I was sat down with a stapler, stickers and pamphlets. Spent a couple of hours in the most gorgous but very uncomfortable costume from 'My Fair Lady', my hat made me 10ft tall but it squished my brains and the elastic cut into my chin. But no biggy. *

Explored every floor in Te Papa. This visit was a lot more educational than the last one where Bel just pointed to it and said 'well thats Te Papa'. *

That night, drinks at the Hawthorne (which I thought was the Matterhorne) and roasted marshmallows with Ebony, Sam and Sarah-Kay. Now Bel had talked this place up, how they have 'Connect 4' and lots of board games. They had cards for poker. That's it. We considered a round of Snap but instead ate more marshmallows. Went to the Matterhorne where I met Melissa but they didn't have any confectionary so we left.

We explored the Art Gallery which featured Sam Taylor-Wood * and while it showed random pieces of her other works, the main 'attraction' were her photos of actors crying (www.city-gallery.org.nz/mainsite/). We had both heard about it and had our criticisms before seeing it and I'm happy to report that it did absolutely nothing to sway our opinions of getting hired emoters to emote on cue and then call it an 'intimate portrayal of grief'. At one extreme was Philip Seymour Hoffman who actually looked like it could be an honest portrait, to Robert Downey Junior who seems to have a very elaborate way of lying himself out on a bed to cry. Although he did keep it modest. And don't get me started on the David Beckham video of him 'sleeping'. He wasn't. It was probably very difficult getting comfortable wearing massive diamond earrings and bracelets and flexing the pecs but it was by no means 'sleeping'. It was totally worth paying to see just so we could spend the whole time criticising the 'drawcard' of the exhibition. (note: The first part of her exhibition is quite good, especially 'strings'. Just not the crying thing).

Bel's brother Eddie took us on a tour of Parliament. As a security guard he would be in charge of Lost and Found so we handed over a soggy and dejected pink teddy bear found on the path. He also didn't need to go through (or explain) the security checkpoints, so as he kept walking we were stopped and I said 'but we're with him' (meaning he needs to stop or we'll lose him and don't know what we're doing) but being told 'that doesn't mean anything to us' in a very snotty manner as if I was trying to smuggle in stuff. However, that was when Bel was caught with (heaven forbid) her mobile to which he was quite horrified. * The question session in Parliament was a bit boring, when they start yelling you can't work out what they're saying. And no-one asked the tough hard-hitting question: Who lost their pink teddy bear?

Bel tells me we're going to 'Pao Pao Pao'. I had no idea what it was about but it starts and everyone is talking Te Reo. With no translations. However I'm sitting next to Cam and he was laughing away and agreeing with what's being. What I learnt: Pakipake means clap! Canicani means dance! We most enjoyed the performance by Hinemoana Baker (www.hinemoana.co.nz), and ended up seeing a second performance by her at The Marae in Te Papa. I've since heard her version of 'Secret Love'; the only other person I've heard sing this is Mandy Moore and I must say both versions are excellent.

Bridgit's wedding was beautiful and I was very honoured to be Bel's 'date' for this event. We did have to run off to Turnbull House for the Anthology Launch * in the middle (where Bel presented another glorious poem of hers) and I did have a moment out the window of 'That building looks like that main Parliament building. Oh, it is Parliament.' The night continued with our appearances at Mighty Mighty, The Hawthorne, Salsa night at the Jimmy and concluded with a Rosebud cocktail at Motel.

Random thoughts:

• Never seen Malasian restaurants before but they are GREAT.


• Whats up with only having fancy lemonade in glass bottles all the time, can't a girl get a decent watered down, overly carbonated Sprite? If I'm paying $8 for vodka do you think I give a hoot about the lemonade?!!


• The 'walk' signals are incredibly loud.No one waits for a 'walk' signal. The entire group would start crossing so I would too instead of being a scared loner because the man was still red! It took me one day to start running across whenever like a Wellingtonian.


• Yes, California Sushi must always be spoken with a reverent tone.


• Bel's friends in Wellington are all very lovely and I enjoyed meeting them all.

* Bel here, chipping in because I'm the editor and that's my perogative. I would've been in attendance at the at-the-time dreaded Trelease's party because Shane or Gareth or BOTH was so in love with her back then. Another contributing factor to my depising - ya know how possessive I was of those boys. About the same level as I am of Trelease now.
No comment on the drink thing tho. Heh heh hee...

* This is referring to the photo shoot I intended to involuntarily recruit Trelease for, mentioned in this post, which it turned out she hadn't read and therefore was oblivious to our broadcast weekend itinerary!

* We were in a hurry, people!! I thought our time would be better spent eating gelati at Oriental Bay... good call, right?

* Yes, I went along. Yes, this was partially because Trelease offered to shout me. Yes I folded over the sticker pass they make you wear at the door so I didn't have to wander around the building with that pink-shirted sap Hayden Christiansen attached to my body. However, I wholehearted agree with Rebecca's comments about the REST of the photographs/films included, and I think I felt even more strongly about them. Her images The Leap and Self Portrait As A Tree has such impact on me, much more so than some fucken actor working up crocodile tears in front of another lens.

* The 'he' being the snooty security guard that this, not my brother - who is just a regular security guard, feeling cool wearing his radio ear piece n all. The guy had a freakin MARE at me, as it was just before entering the actual, um, chamber? is that what they call it? ...am trying to think back to Social Studies... Anyway - pulled out my phone to put it on silent and they acted like I busted out a glock or something, honestly. What, am I going take scandalous photos of them flipping the bird to each other?! whoo!!

* You can read more about the launch of the NZPS 2006 Anthology here. As well as being Assistant Editor for the collection, and doing the typesetting and cover design, I had a poem included, called 'Long Letters'. Some of you may know it from my zine 'The Knife Thrower's Apprentice' - I'll probably post it up here some time soon anyhow... it went down pretty well on Saturday :)



Ok, better hop to it and get this posted. Trelease - I mean, Rebecca sent this through before COB as request but I somehow got busy and then had to head home from the office and THEN had all kinds of distractions, like ohhh I don't know sussinganewflatmate and stuff like that!!

Could someone please acknowledge two things? 1) my awesome anchor tags doing the whole footnote thang and 2) how I let the whole Mandy Moore thing slide. 'Cause you know she ain't trying to be funny at all there. K, sweet.

yeah more Borat and other movie stuff

I realise that Sasha Baron Cohen's latest film wound up being discussed rather extensively in the comments of this post but I can't resist posting this gem. You see, Borat is actually a friend of mine. Ok, not so much a friend as a Friend, as in a MySpace Friend, which means I get the bulletins sent from his profile, like the one below, which had me giggling so much Cam came to investigate the source of the hilarity:

Subject: Borat MySpaces ThanksYou!! (this one)

Jagshemash my myspaces besttfriends!!

I would like thank you alls from bottom of my chram for make my moviefilm great success and savings me from be execute. It was close - my Government had already made purchase of the 40,000 AA batterys necessary for power Kazakhstanfs electrics chair. I would also like thank generous anti-communist Fox Corporation for sharings profit of this movie. They have already fully honoured the terms of our deal and supplied my Government with the 25 iPods Nano. My nation has never known of such riches. Once again thanks you! I like you!! I like sex!!
Chenquieh.

You can make him be your Friend by visiting http://www.myspace.com/borat (it's worth it just for the authentic Kazakhstanian music... is it wrong that it makes me feel like a felafel kebab?). And the link to my MySpace is on the side there. Tho actually my profile is set on private now, so you'll have to be a logged-in capital-eff friend o mine to have a decent perve these days.

Oh and I saw my first Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan poster up on the weekend - apparently it opens here on the 23rd! woot! Now its the end of the year and the number of shows are finally trailling off at work, I have a chance to catch up on the silver screen essentials.

For example, I had a binge on the weekend and watched three DVDs. The fact I used the word 'binge' to describe the viewing of just three just then tells you how outta form I am.
My favourite of the bunch was definitely Miranda July's Me & You & Everyone We Know. It held me spellbound the whole way through - entranced by the characters and by each scenario that developed. I felt like there was so much humanity and emotion to relate to in the film, and it was so beautifully made too.
I loved what it said about commitment and sexuality, particulary in the context of the young. In one of the extra interviews, she said "we have to acknowledge that children grow up in an adults' world" and I think she portrayed this in such a tender way.
She talked about how we all have memories of sexual things as children but we don't really know what to think of that. And that perhaps if it was dealt with in a better way, rather than immediately and all encompassingly with shame and repression, people wouldn't grow up to deal with sexuality in a perverted way, whatever that may be.
Obviously this is a very fine line and a touchy argument - and I don't want anyone to stumble across this and think I'm condoning something abhorant, but I think that's the strength of the film, in showing the true beauty and innocence of relationships and finding a connection that means something.

I also really enjoyed the way contemporary art was explored and talked throughout the film. Although the main character Christine's artwork was presented in a kinda piss-take way, I really liked it hah! I don't actually know much about Miranda July in terms of her performance art or videos, but Steph saw some recently and said I'd love it. I believe I've ranted to Steph about my passion for Tracey Emin on at least one occasion, so I'll take her word for it and continue to seethe with jealousy that she got to see that firsthand.

PS the title is so much better in French: Moi, Toi & Tous Les Autres :D

just as well there's no American living in my house right now

to be honest i haven't read the entirity of this article yet (and it looks like the feedback is getting interesting too) but I was so busy rolling my eyes and making TCHHH! noises to focus on the screen. tu meke!!

True that

Fantastic painting from Banksy's recent "Barely Legal" exhibition in LA. This got a lot of press on account of the live elephant he painted as part of the artworks, but you may have heard of this British prankster before.

Just last month, Banksy wreaked havoc on the launch of Paris Hilton's album. 500 copies, in nearly 50 stores around the UK, were replaced with handmade hijacked versions. This included altered cover art with a topless Ms Hilton, retitled tracks such as 'What Am I For?' and 'Why Am I Famous?' and remixes by Danger Mouse. There's a great video here on YouTube showing the process.

He's also the guy who, a couple of years ago, simultaneously planted subverted artworks in four major art museums across America. And then managed to sneak a version of a cave painting (complete with shopping trolley) into the British Museum. It is now part of their permanent collection.

Banksy (yes it's a pseudonym, no the true identity is not known) got his start in graffiti art. His stencils are pretty damn incredible. Not to mention the murals he's done around England and the world. I like how he incorporates the features of the environment, like window frames and how so many seem to be life size. Main themes are anti-capitalist/anti-war kind of thing, very clever and subversive - not to mention funny. Joe? Davey? You gots to check the places he's bombed... "we're bored of fish" by the penguins at a zoo... awesome. A Google Images search is a good place to begin...

procastinator extraordinaire

A deadline looming for my other other job and I have wasted many precious hours this weekend on YouTube and elsewhere.
I'm trying to think what the ye olde equivilant would have been? ...shadow theatre in front of the roaring fire? sock puppets to pass on treasured folk tales? the community out on the village green to see passing, um, whatchamacallits -MINSTRELS! yeah. Wandering minstrels. With lutes. Or lyres? No... those are the greek things. Must be lute. And one of those floppy hat with a feath--

Focus, Bel, focus! You're here to discuss rambling, not to actual ramble!!

I'm not leet enough to post videos straight into here, so here follows a few links. First up is a beautiful music video for M Ward's new song 'Chinese Translation'. This came to me via a source I have flagged as "inappropriate" as they say. Yet I am proving to be a complete liability when it comes to dealing with that situation. Sometimes you burn a bridge and then you find yourself dipping your toes in the water, just to see how fast the river's flowing I guess.

everyday by Noah Kalina is what I'd call a short film, but obviously an experimental one. It's time-lapse, based on photographs he took of himself daily for six years. Tightly cropped head shots, pretty much free of context, just those eyes staring, while the background flows and ebbs. I think it's just amazing.

I think the first thing I ever watched on YouTube was this crazy spoof movie trailer:10 Things I Hate About Commandments. Joe emailed it through, knowing full well that every film geek bone in my body would love it.

For something also very humourous (but dealing with a serious subject, really) check out this animation: The End of the World. I IM-ed my brother to force him to partake of the hysteria immediately and apparently I'd already made him do this at some earlier stage. How goldfish of me. The whole style/tone of it kinda reminds me of that bit in Bowling for Columbine. But with bonus taking the piss out of Aussies.

That site (AlbinoBlackSheep) also has the Napoleon Dynamite Soundboard (somewhere under 'classics' i believe). I remember finding this absolutely HILARIOUS when Hayley first showed it to me, back in the initial flush of ND fandom, when saying "gosh" was a novelty rather than a reflex action now disassociated with the film!

Ok. Now to go do some work. Otherwise I'll be up all night and exhausted when I go to my real job tomorrow.
Problem is I'm a bit of a night owl and can feel myself getting energised as dusk settles in, all purple and black. But then ever since the chaos that was August my sleeping patterns have been messed up and my body clock has an alarm that goes off faaar too early. Deary me. I wish we did the whole seista thing in this country... that would sort it out.

Either that or implementing effective time management practices to my overcommitted lifestyle.


BAHAHAHHAHA!!

Please contact: campaignforseista @ tuesdayschild co nz