Yeasayer - “Ambling Alp”
Interview with directors Julia Grigorian and Kirby McClure (aka Radical Friend) at Pitchfork
“There’s this loose narrative in the beginning: These bodies emerge out of the muck and it’s this celebration and then we cut back to where they’ve risen from and you see their faces peel and this ceremony happens where their faces stretch and they sing the lyrics to the song. It empowers these people to run.”
Neon Indian - “Should Have Taken Acid With You”
![“Known as the Toynbee Tiles, they are plaques embedded in asphalt, usually at major intersections and pedestrian crosswalks, each containing a variation of the inscription:
TOYNBEE IDEAIN KUBRICK’S 2001RESURRECT DEADON PLANET JUPITERThe first Toynbee Tile dates back to the early 1980s. Today, more than 250 have been discovered in more than two dozen North American cities as well as in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, many inscribed with instructions to make more tiles. Even the material they’re made of was a mystery until recently, when it was determined to be a rare kind of linoleum combined with asphalt sealant.The message itself, cryptic and seemingly nonsensical, has been the subject of much speculation, from political conspiracy theories to religious dogmatism to space-travel futurism. Most look to the obvious references for clues—Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and British historian Arnold J. Toynbee, who is best known for his 12-volume synthesis of world history, analyzing the rise and fall of civilizations.
[…]
What makes this mystery so fascinating is that, unlike traditional street art, it no longer embodies a clear social or political statement by a single author. Instead, it has taken on a life of its own, one in which the medium has truly become the message—these plaques continue replicating, driven, presumably, by several people acting without a real understanding of what the original message was. Indeed, the Toynbee Tiles mystery thrives on its own, inspiring speculation, intrigue and interpretation to this day, which may have been the creator’s original intention after all.And in a way, though not on Jupiter, he—or she—has been resurrected.”
(via GOOD)](http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kuuxrsGfJW1qa0ycmo1_400.jpg)
“Known as the Toynbee Tiles, they are plaques embedded in asphalt, usually at major intersections and pedestrian crosswalks, each containing a variation of the inscription:
TOYNBEE IDEA
IN KUBRICK’S 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPITER
The first Toynbee Tile dates back to the early 1980s. Today, more than 250 have been discovered in more than two dozen North American cities as well as in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, many inscribed with instructions to make more tiles. Even the material they’re made of was a mystery until recently, when it was determined to be a rare kind of linoleum combined with asphalt sealant.
The message itself, cryptic and seemingly nonsensical, has been the subject of much speculation, from political conspiracy theories to religious dogmatism to space-travel futurism. Most look to the obvious references for clues—Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and British historian Arnold J. Toynbee, who is best known for his 12-volume synthesis of world history, analyzing the rise and fall of civilizations.
[…]
What makes this mystery so fascinating is that, unlike traditional street art, it no longer embodies a clear social or political statement by a single author. Instead, it has taken on a life of its own, one in which the medium has truly become the message—these plaques continue replicating, driven, presumably, by several people acting without a real understanding of what the original message was. Indeed, the Toynbee Tiles mystery thrives on its own, inspiring speculation, intrigue and interpretation to this day, which may have been the creator’s original intention after all.
And in a way, though not on Jupiter, he—or she—has been resurrected.”
(via GOOD)
Frank Fairfield - “Nine Pound Hammer”
Tiny Tim frightening children.
“Going West”, animated by Andersen M Studio
(via Boing Boing)
“This woman was wearing an ankle-length corduroy skirt, which, as we all know, is a fashion nono. So, in order to make her feel uncomfortable, I stood next to her and held a sign that said “Corduroy Skirts Are a Sin”! I don’t think I have ever drawn so much attention in my life. So many people asked to take a picture with me, I got laughs, high fives and there were the few that even cursed off the woman standing behind me. As I drew interest to what was going on with myself and the woman with the hateful sign, I started to draw a crowd that stood with me in support. Before I knew it I had 100+ people holding signs for gay rights asking people to honk their horns to support.”
(via Dan Savage)
“The mysterious Ghost Man paints himself into his environs without photo trickery. He’s a chameleon lurking in junkyards, prairies and urban landscapes like Where’s Waldo. Who is the mysterious Ghost Man?”
(via Hi-Fructose)
‘British Novelist Jeanette Winterson commented: “They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?”
Though written centuries earlier Francis Bacon has a response: “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand—and melting like a snowflake…”’
(via Treehugger)
(via Hi-Fructose)
Motoi Yamamoto: “Many of my works take the form of labyrinths with complicated patterns, ruined and abandoned staircases or too narrow life-size tunnels, and all these works are made with salt. A common perception towards them is “nearly reachable, yet not quite” or “nearly conceivable, yet not quite”. Memories seem to change and vanish as time goes by. However, what I sought for was the way in which I could touch a precious moment in my memories, which cannot be attained through pictures or writings.
[…]
Drawing a labyrinth with salt is like following a trace of my memory. Memories seem to change and vanish as time goes by. However, what I sought for was the way in which I could touch a precious moment in my memories, which cannot be attained through pictures or writings. What I look for at the end of the act of drawing could be a feeling of touching a precious memory. During the course of drawing, I cannot tell it if will reach the essential point till its very end because lines are curved or cut against my intention. It depends not only on my psychological or physical condition, but also on the condition of the floor or the level of humidity. I always silently follow the trace, that is controlled as well as uncontrolled from the start point after I have completed it.”
“Shackleton arriving at Elephant Island to take off the marooned men, 30 August 1916
In fact, this is a doctored photo of Shackleton’s departure from the island on 24 April, when he left with five others to make the 1300-kilometre journey back to South Georgia. There were no photographs of the actual rescue, so Hurley altered this one.”
Photos from Scott and Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition.
(Via Warren Ellis)
“Landscaping overgrows, walls develop mildew, ceilings cave in—a building can be shut down, but that doesn’t make it go away. Brian Ulrich’s photographs of closed-down malls and big-box retail stores reveal the potential ghost towns lying inside successful shopping complexes all across America.”
(via Boing Boing)
“Kitchen Sink” by Alison Maclean [1989]
(via Infocult)
