Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
The laws of perspective invite us in to another world.
We can choose to run from it.
Or, we can choose to stay and contemplate.
Our reward for staying is a bigger world that disregards where we are in time and place.
In that regard, nothing has changed.
The following excerpt is taken from Wislawa Szymborska’s poem
“Tortures”, which is part of Jenny Holzer’s Projections installation
(http://www.massmoca.org/projections.php).
Nothing has changed. Except for the course of boundaries,
the line of forests, coasts, deserts and glaciers.
Amid these landscapes traipses the soul,
disappears, comes back, draws nearer, moves away,
alien to itself, elusive, at times certain, at others uncertain of its own existence,
while the body is and is and is
and has no place of its own.
Read More
Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
The debut of Fall 2010 Collections under the tents at Bryant park
during New York’s Fashion Week (February 11-18), represented the last
venue for designers in the Midtown location that has become one of the
premiere showcases for the fashion world since 1993. This fall, New
York’s Fashion Week will move to Lincoln Center, located in the arts
district that has an established association with music, opera, and
dance. The mindset behind the change in geography is that it will bring
more validation to fashion designers being recognized as verifiable
artists in their own right.
With the move of the tents, however, that visible arena of where the
spectacle of the runway shows takes place, comes a serious loss of the
intricate but already deteriorating infrastructure of Midtown’s historic
garment district. In a recent NY Times article, Eric Wilson noted that
“[m]anufacturers who made their homes there selling buttons, trims,
fabrics and threads, making samples, producing dresses and suits in
factories along the side streets, have been disappearing at an alarming
rate over the last decade.”
The network of physical spaces that are vital to the successes of the
spectacle (in this case, the fashion runway show) reminds me of the
architectural planning and building that took place in and around the
Colosseum, the famous ancient Roman arena that functioned as a stage for
gladiator combats, parading of exotic animals, and fantastic
storytelling through elaborate stage sets.
What is less known about the Colosseum is that it was connected to
other buildings located nearby. The buildings built around the imposing
arena included a gladiator training center, a storehouse for show props,
a compound with stables to house the animals, and a saniarium, where wounded gladiators were taken for medical help.
A viewer of the spectacles that took place in the Colosseum wouldn’t
know it, but all these buildings were connected through a series of
underground tunnels that led to the hypogeum, located beneath
the stage of the Coloseeum’s arena. From the hypogeum, gladiators and
animals entered/exited the arena through “elevators” and trap doors
built into the floor. Surely, the intense preparation and commotion
happening underground took place so that the spectacles happening above
ground appeared effortless and magical.
Designers who are based in Midtown such as Nanette Lepore and Anna
Sui recognize that their own successes have depended greatly on those
suppliers/sewers/prototypers who help make their creations appear
effortless and magical. In fact, Lepore and Sui spearheaded a campaign
to protect what is left of the various manufacturers and suppliers still
working in the Garment District. Sui was quoted as saying that her
success as a designer was largely due to her “accessibility” to her
local resources, and that “everything cannot just be available over the
Internet.”
Surely, the spectacle that is NYC’s Fashion Week will live on, but
it’s sad to think that with the upcoming change in venue, will come a
change in how designers will source and produce their designs. No longer
will the spectacle be a product of the intricate connection of
immediate physical spaces, but one that is global and monstrous in
proportion. Exciting, but also a little scary.
Read More
Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
The other day I went digging around in one of my favorite art stores
and found a collection of old zines. One of them, titled “I Dreamed I
was Assertive” (vol. 11), interested me because the author xeroxed a
picture of a medieval-looking Madonna and Child onto the cover. Snippets
of handwritten musings on food, Gertrude Stein, Joseph Cornell and
Hemingway interspersed with photographs, clip art and doodles was
enough for me to decide that I “had” to have it. I bought it for 50
cents.
I felt an immediate kinship with the author, who by page 4, fully
admitted her tendency to research obsessively any given topic she might
be interested in. At the moment, it was Alice B. Toklas, life partner
of Gertrude Stein, who collected cookbooks, and even wrote one. The
author’s own fantastic collage of words and images made even more
colorful the names of Toklas’s recipes such as “Custard Josephine
Baker”, “Violet Soufflé”, and “Pink Pompadour Bass”.
By the end of the zine, the playful entries on food and daily life
journeyed toward a deeper inspection of the author’s emotions she came
in touch with while cleaning out her dad’s belongings after he died.
Much to her surprise, some of the things she found (such as fake birth
certificates, calling cards, and gun registrations) revealed a whole
life unbeknownst to her and her family. Her dad collected and organized
these things from his secret past as meticulously as he collected “more
acceptable” things such as stamps and paper rings from cigars.
She wrote, “is it wrong to care about things? In the big picture, not
necessarily wrong, but you shouldn’t love things more than people. But
in the small picture of our lives, things are so often what define us
and make our day-to-day existence bearable. Life should not be lived
this way, but sometimes it is the only life we can, or know how to,
live. “
The attachment to and self-definition through things is also one of
the themes explored in the movie “Grey Gardens” (HBO 2007), which I
became slightly obsessed with during the same week I stumbled upon the
zine.
As the movie warns us, even beautiful things can turn into trash over
time. For the Beales women, the rotting and decay of their things
symbolized their own degradation from socialites to hoarders and trash
people.
In the directors’ commentary, they mention that Little Edie loved to
decoupage. She cut out pictures from old Christmas cards, magazines,
newspapers, and wrapping paper, and gave them new life in her
correspondence, and on her books and furniture.
This practice of cutting, pasting, and repurposing is what artist
Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), mentioned early on in the zine, spent most
of his reclusive life working on. Several of his famous “boxes” pay
homage to portraits of children. He seemed especially obsessed with the
16th-century Italian princess Bia (the illegitimate child of Duke Cosimo
de’ Medici), who died shortly after her portrait was painted. In
Cornell’s “Medici Princess” (1952), images of little Bia are neatly cut
up and rearranged to produce an unsettling meditation that surely
garners viewer responses that are entirely different from the intent of
the original painting.
I find it so interesting that the arrangement, disarrangement, and
rearrangement of things define not only where we come from, but who we
are, who we want to be, what we dream of, etc.
Even though the Beale women ended up in a ruinous state like their
things, Little Edie adamantly claimed “my mother gave me a completely
priceless life.” (Edie Bouvier Beale 1917-2002)
Read More
Posted by Lois Eliason on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the first definition of
the word “expedition” (noun), which had its origins in the 15th century,
is: “a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose”. Indeed,
the 15th century was a period of intense exploration of new lands and
ideas. The explorers themselves had to be a special breed of people:
smart, curious, brave, savvy, and more than a little crazy. Columbus got
the King and Queen of Spain to sponsor his most famous expedition, but
that was after he had already raised considerable funds from other
private financial investors.
So, to take an expedition, in its full sense, is not only risky, but
very expensive and of course, dangerous. The pay off is potentially
astronomical: you could discover a new land, treasures, cultures and
riches.
On another, more meaningful level, an expedition means letting
yourself go to places that normal people don’t dare go. It means
thinking outside of your own comfort zones to explore what’s beyond the
mundaneness of your everyday life.
Though we were so shocked and saddened to hear about Alexander
McQueen’s sudden and unexpected death, I think it’s befitting to
remember him as truly one of the most daring and successful explorers of
our contemporary fashion community. His latest unearthing of remains
from the lost city of Atlantis for his Spring 2010 show gave us some of
the most beautifully grotesque creatures that he transformed into
wearable art.
I loved that McQueen was gutsy enough to go there—to that place that
Plato talked about, but no one’s found. I loved that he dabbled with
monsters, insanity, and what many would consider ugly. He went there for
us. He translated what’s considered untouchable and unspeakable into
tangible, real things.
Truly, we will miss his magical expeditions.
Long live McQueen.
Read More
Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
Now that the hype over Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” video has died down,
I’ve come around to giving it more thought in how it’s become a
significant document of our contemporary culture.
The video tells the story about a young gal forced to participate in a
Russian sex-slave trade. Lady dances for, teases, and entices her
potential suitors. Then, she is sold off for a bunch of money to a
hottie Russian mobster wearing golden gladiator-style cheek chaps; and
their ensuing “romance” is so good (or “bad”), that she burns him up in
bed. Her afterglow consists of soot, a skeleton, short-circuiting
couture, and an unsatisfactory drag on a cigarette.
So, what up with this video? And why did it cause such a stir?
Whether it’s shock or disturbance, excitement or arousal, it has
garnered the full range of reactions from its viewers.
The 23-year old phenomenon gives us significant food for thought.
Certainly, she has relied on the Haus of Gaga to guide and influence her
artistic decisions and output. Her creation by the Haus seems to be
acknowledged in the scene of her emerging from the pod/coffin titled
“Monster”. Lady is indeed the product of a freakish collaboration of
artists.
Her laboratory birth amidst the repetitive chanting of
“Rah-Rah…Roma-ma-ma…” reminds me of what it must have been like to be in
a crowd of spectators at a public event sponsored by the Emperor during
the height of Rome’s domination and glory. Certainly, all emperors
(good and bad ones) needed to hear their crowd affirm the all-powerful
state of Roma…Ro-ma-ma…
What happens though, when a ruler who takes office falls under the
bad devices of his advisory “Haus”? This is exactly what happened with
Emperor Nero (37-68 c.e.), who was so young when he became emperor, that
his mom had to act as his regent. While he started out with the best of
intentions, he eventually gave into a hedonistic lifestyle that was
defined by excessive extravagance, sadism, murder, and sexual
exploitation. These aspects and others have made Nero one of the most
infamous monsters in history.
Recently, archaeologists uncovered what was Nero’s dining room in his
palace. It had a rotating floor, and a ceiling equipped with panels
that opened up so guests could enjoy a lovely shower of flower petals.
Sounds like something from MTV Cribs, doesn’t it? And, no disrespect,
but if you’re young and incredibly rich, why not build yourself a
rotating dining room and shower your guests with flowers?
When Nero was 27 years old, the Great Fire burned Rome, and legend
has it that the young emperor kicked back, watched his city burn, and
played the fiddle.
While we can all say that Nero was really, really “bad”, didn’t or
don’t we all have bits of that same monster within us—the monster who
wants more things, more sex, more extravagance…
I think complete awareness of the monsters within us is the key to
freeing ourselves from confusion and delusion. It’s part of that fine
line between true artistry and insanity. I think the fact that Lady
walks that line so well is what makes us wanting more from her.
When Nero was 31 years old, the senate condemned the emperor/monster to death.
Completely confused and deluded by the actions of his lifestyle, Nero took his own life before his execution.
His last words: “What an artist the world loses in me.”
Read More
Posted by Lois Eliason on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
Not knowing a thing about Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel A Single Man
or Tom Ford’s adaption of it, I expected only to be possibly bowled
over by the unveiling of possible unknown and phenomenal haute couture
from the 1960s. As it turns out, the movie was incredibly subtle and
paced slowly—resembling stop-action photography, so we viewers could
appreciate each moment of George Falconer’s day as it is unveiled to us.
What did bowl me over, however, was Julianne Moore’s character,
Charlotte (Charley), who is the characteristically Baroque, glamorous,
nearly gaudy element that I expected from Tom Ford. Of course, I
absolutely loved it.
Charley’s home was remarkable. I loved that upon entering it, you
necessarily walk through a small foyer lined with lush, gorgeous citrus
trees—-a demand to spend time in an idyllic Garden of Eden before you
enter her den of iniquities. This is not to say that I didn’t love the
aesthetic of Charley’s den: minimal and chic, but comfortable, too. I
loved the giant twin leaded-glass mirrors against the walls; one which
was visibly so old, that it did not reflect properly. I loved Charley’s
pink pillows that matched her pink cigarettes…every detail about her
lifestyle was so outrageously beautiful. It was not perfect, but it was
beautiful.
And, like her home, Charley is not perfect, but she is outrageously
beautiful and seductive. Her lush and unbalanced character plays a nice
contrast to George’s restraint and repression. She dines with George
wearing a simple and columnar dress offset by gold baubles: dramatic
earrings, a cocktail ring, and a thick cuff bracelet. Her hair is teased
into a casual up do. Her dark-lined eyes don’t appear overdone.
However, we know (as the movie tells us), that her appearance is the
result of a good amount of time spent at her boudoir earlier that
evening.
The entire movie, both in its elements of restraint and unrestraint,
brilliantly embodies the Italian term “sprezzatura”, which according to
Baldassare Castiglione (who coined the term in The Book of the Courtier, c. 1528), is a way of projecting oneself and his/her qualities in a manner that seems effortless and without premeditation.
Though Ford does give us a glimpse through Charley’s character, of
how tedious of a device sprezzatura is, the movie itself has so fully
embraced the essence of the term, that we are unaware, as we should be,
of how elegantly every detail, every mundane moment, is crafted.
Some years back, a fresh-faced friend of mine needed to pick up some
cosmetic essentials while shopping around with her fiancé. She reported
his alarm at the $300.00 or so bill she rung up rather quickly at the
Chanel counter. She turned to him and said “Look at my face. Do you like
my face? This is what it takes to make me look this way.” And, she did
look fantastic—all the time. Art, Fashion, Life…it all takes some effort
to be so effortlessly beautiful.
Read More
Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
I had been waiting for some time to sit down and write a 4-part blog
dedicated to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” video; the first installment is
already posted below. While I’m still planning on doing this, I wanted
to divert quickly so to comment on the “Freak Factor” that continues to
build and surround Lady. Surely, this is largely a self-perpetuating
phenomenon, as she ups the ante on a daily basis—whether it be in her
fashion choices or in her stage and video performances. What I find
really interesting is the “need” for many sensible and good-minded
people to protect themselves from the Freak Factor that is Lady, and
subsequently the Freak Factor that is me because I adore her.
I am certainly not one to look for and ask for justification,
apologies or even condolences on my condition. What I do wish for is
that people free themselves of judgment, their boundaries and codes of
what exactly is supposed to be right or wrong, moral or unjust, sacred
or profane. This is not to be confused for a desire for a state of
anarchy.
As I think about this, I’m reminded of Raphael’s last and great painting, The Transfiguration
(1520). In the top half of the painting, a transfigured Christ
surrounded by prophets Moses and Elias exist in the midst of heavenly
levitation. The bottom half of the painting shows the Apostles trying to
cure a boy who is possessed by demons. While at least one of the
Apostles gestures toward the apparition of Christ above, not one looks
up at it. Rather, all eyes are fixated on the Lunatic Boy, whose Freak
Factor needs healing and restraint. Arguably, the Lunatic Boy is the
only one here who has any recognition of what’s happening above him.
So, the next time that Freak Bitch says or does something so
outrageously “wrong”, I’d take a good look up and around…Just sayin’ is
all.
Read More
Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
“Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful
empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over
parts of the continent… This vast power, gathered into one, endeavored
to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the
region…She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill… And when the
rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having
undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over
the invaders. But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and
floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men
in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like
manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.
The city and citizens, which you [yesterday] described to us in fiction, we will now transfer to the world of reality…”
-From Plato’s Timaeus (360 B.C.E)
Read More
Posted by Lois Eliason on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
The 19th-century painter, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) remarked that “the
frame is the pimp of painting; it enhances it, but it must never shine
at the painting’s expense.” The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset
(1893-1955) clarified this idea when he wrote “a picture without a
frame has the air about it of a naked, despoiled man. Its contents seem
to spill out over the four sides of the canvas and dissolve into the
atmosphere.”
When contemplating a work of art, I think it’s commonplace to think
away its framing device, whether it is a literal frame or even an
ideological framing device.
In terms of Fashion, haute couture runway shows can be interpreted as
framing devices. The framework of the runway show is the arena that
functions as a safe haven for artists to translate their wildest, most
provocative dreams and fantasies into a 3-5 minute story that is told
through elaborate design and costume. In many respects, a lot of the
designs experienced on the runway are not suitable (aesthetically,
functionally) for everyday, ready-to-wear fashion. We require
dissolution and simplification…boundaries.
While boundaries are no doubt a good thing, they are even better when they don’t “shine” on their own—at the artwork’s expense.
Find your arena in which to operate; live and create fully.
Nota bene: The Post- girls are not advocates for prostitution, in its most widely used definition.
Read More
Posted by Katie McShane on August 09, 2011 0 Comments
As Alex Williams points out in a recent NY Times article, “curate”,
the latest word of choice among trendsetters, implies a lifestyle of
good aesthetics and culture. Once only used in art-historical circles,
the term is now widely embraced and applicable outside of the museums’
walls. A great curator will pull together great works of art into a
unified collection that means something—not only in an educational
sense, but in an aesthetic sense as well. Now take this idea and apply
it to other media: music, home décor, personal styling…there are so many
great curators who make our lives so much more pleasurable. Who doesn’t
want to look in the mirror and think “Damn, I’m looking so good today…”
Read More
