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“Photo Bloke” (2016)

Barkley L. Hendricks

Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

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You are not “unnatural” or “bad” if you 

Have low to no empathy

Have hyper-empathy 

Have a personality disorder

Have more than one person in your mind

Have scary/violent thoughts

Don’t have the energy for interaction every day

Can’t take a shower/brush your teeth very often

Don’t like certain noises/textures

Don’t want to forgive them

Know you did nothing wrong

Love yourself 

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Nina Simone

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PLEASE READ, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT

Allism is a terrible condition that afflicts billions of people around the world, and impacts us all daily. As many as 67 out of 68 people may have some form of allism!

Some common symptoms of allism include:

Insistence on following a rigid set of social rules. People with allism may become agitated or angry when others do not conform to their limited understanding of how social interactions should work.

Manipulating others for no reason. People with allism see trust as a weakness, and will cruelly take advantage of highly trusting people for their own amusement.

Inability to develop relationships with people they view as “different” from themselves. People with allism have very limited ego development, and thus will protect their ego by viewing people who are different from them as “lesser”. This can also lead them to treat others unfairly.

Inability to understand thought processes that differ from their own. People with allism assume that everyone thinks exactly the same as them, and when it becomes clear that this is not the case, they will label other people as “crazy”, “stupid”, “r*tarded”, “idiot”, “delusional”, and other offensive terms. They may even come to believe that people who think differently, do not think at all!

Of course, not every person with allism will have all these symptoms; allism is a spectrum! With the right help, higher functioning individuals can learn to overcome these symptoms and become truly helpful members of society. The low functioning ones, however, need our help even more. Allism charities around the world are raising money for allism research. Scientists are working hard to discover causes and treatments for the disorder. But they can’t do it without our financial support!

Tell your friends and family that allism awareness month is February, and make sure to find out what allism awareness events will be happening near you. Join us on our annual #march4allism fundraiser on allism awareness day. Allism awareness day is February 14th, to draw attention to the difficult people with allism have forming truly loving bonds.

Help us solve the allism puzzle!

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Sometimes transitioning can be scary. Sometimes you will doubt yourself. Sometimes you will be in denial about who you are. Sometimes you will have to fight for who you are. Sometimes you will lose things or people that were important to you. But ultimately you are going to be better for it. You are going to be fully and completely you. And that’s the most important thing there is.

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“Politics is not inserted into games by critics, but is in fact an integral part of the design process. I think this kind tweetable summary is the point where most people would start to have doubts, so we’re going to drill down on some sample games and make stunningly obvious observations about how their political context has influenced their design. Exciting stuff, right?!”

— Game Design Is Always Political I’m Not Even Exaggerating Here | Midnight Resistance (via humanegames)

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Hi just wanted to know what's wrong with Umar Johnson?

A lot. Too much to say via mobile. Anyone feel like educating someone

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MY ALTERNATE COVER ART FOR ENDLESS BY FRANK OCEAN

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Blonde & Endless on Frank Oceans Tumblr

Unlike most artists, Frank Ocean has solely stuck to Tumblr to voice his opinions, occasionally reblogging photos and once in a blue moon– announcing an album. Dating back 7 years, the blog has framed Oceans biggest accomplishments, memories and desires. It’s also a gateway into his career. Everything he’s done can be traced back to the now iconic URL of frankocean.tumblr.com. Ocean posts lyrics, pictures and random notes that find themselves ending up on his carefully crafted albums as samples, lyrics or visuals.  It’s as they’re posted as reminders to be used later on. Hints to Channel Orange can be seen years and months before the album was released but today we look at Blonde & Endless on Franks Tumblr.

November 15th 2016:

I’m aware this isn’t on his Tumblr and this was released after Blonde & Endless but there’s an interesting point in this little intro that goes way beyond the date. The mention that Frank has lived in Hotel’s for months now without a permanent home. A nod he would also make on “Sideways”

Mentioned In: “Sideways”

“Cause only God can forget it All this hotel livin’ Might as well pay the mortgage what I’m spendin”

June 21st 2016:

Frank reflects on the Pulse night-club shooting. The killer used several kinds of weapons to unleash mayhem leaving 50 dead (including himself) and others injured.

Mentioned In: “Nikes” (Video Version:

“if you’re in the party don’t bring your shotty, love everybody”

April 28th 2014:

Frank uses the line “How come the ecstasy only depresses me” in Endless

Mentioned In: “Mine”

“How come the ecstasy always depresses me so?”

January 20th 2014: 

Mentioned In: “Futura Free”

“Tech company, please gimme immortality”

September 21st 2013:

Frank’s moved to London was one of the biggest influences on Blonde and his life. Fans who were following the wait for this album know that once he went to London, he absolutely vanished from the face of the Earth. In LA, he’d be spotted around but in London it was extremely rare for someone to snap a picture of Ocean except a couple of lucky instances.

Hs reason for choosing London and you can definitely feel the chilling and cinematic atmosphere on the project. Frank loves to document his life through Tumblr and we as fans, won’t know what it means till years later on and in some instances, never.

July 4th 2012:

Frank revealed he fell in love with another man when he was 19 and details the relationship he had with this person and how they ended up at the end. It’s a tragic and brave story, one which shocked the music industry to its core and also ended up being on Blonde. Mentioned In: “Ivy”

The most nostalgic track on Blonde. Ivy takes a look into the concluding years of Franks innocent and carefree summers.

“I thought that I was dreaming when you said you loved me” - Ivy “He wouldn’t tell me the truth about his feelings for another 3 years” - Open Letter

Frank waited years for his lover to reciprocate the love he had for him so when he finally told frank he loved him back, he couldn’t believe it. It started from nothing, had no chance to prepare, I couldn’t see you coming” - Ivy

“4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost.” - Open Letter

Frank had no idea that his friendship with this man would blossom into something much more special. He had just met him and eventually spent the entire summer with him, in no way shape or form was he prepared for this to happen. His love for this guy “started from nothing”. “But we both know that deep down The feeling still deep down is good” - Ivy

“Thanks. To my first love, I’m grateful for you. Grateful that even though it wasn’t what I hoped for and even though it was never enough, it was. Some things never are.. and we were. I won’t forget you. I won’t forget the summer. I’ll remember who I was when I met you.”

Frank finally comes to term with his lover and accepts them as someone who’s helped him become a better person. In Ivy he reminisces about the times where they endlessly had fun as he does in the letter.

June 6th 2012:

One of the only times Frank has ever been this explicit about his sexual preference since the open letter. The GIF was posted before Frank posted the letter  but once it was out, it gave it so much meaning and still resonates with him & the line in “Futura Free”.

Mentioned In: “Futura Free”

“I don’t cut bitches no more”

December 26th 2011:

Frank samples a line from Elliot Smith’s “A Fond Farewell”

Mentioned In: “Siegfired”

“This is not my life, it’s just a fond farewell to a friend”

June 10th 2011:

In one of his most popular posts to date. Frank gives his younger self some advice, wisdom and details what’s going to happen to him. In it he mentions a couple of struggle jobs he’d have to work which he breifly mentions in Futura Free 5 years later.

Mentioned In: “Futura Free”

“I used to work on my feet for 7 dollars a hour Call my momma like momma I ain’t making minimum wage momma I’m on momma I’m on”

Thanks for reading and the continuous support. 

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if y’all wanna donate to my cash app/venmo so i can pay for dinner 💛✌🏾cash app: $ariri venmo: @ariri

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 Frank Ocean’s Blonded Summer | The Art & Visuals   

Frank Ocean’s “2017 Blonded World Tour” was billed to be one of the biggest shows of the year. With massive screens, a customized catwalk and Academy Award-winning director Spike Jonze shadowing his every step, the 8 stop tour was nothing short of spectacular. However, prior to Blonded, Frank opted for an austere look when it came to his performances, here’s how he returned with a blueprint to change that once and for all.  

Fresh off his two Grammy wins in 2013, Frank embarked on his “You’re Not Dead” summer tour covering Europe, Canada and Australia for a total of 16 shows. The tour would debut four new tracks “Siegfried”, “Ivy”, “California” and “Loving You” along with a tropical interlude. The first two tracks titled “Brave” and “It’s All Good” at the time ended up on Blonde three years later. 

Frank’s year finished off at the “Odd Future Carnival” where he headlined and performed classics tracks like “Pyramids” and “She” with Tyler, The Creator. Draped in a ocean blue scarf, Frank had his band tucked behind a large LED screen which displayed simple visuals such as palm trees and coloured backgrounds.

Apart from the popular tracks, Frank played some deep cuts such as “Whip Appeal” and “Acura Integurl” 

In 2014, Frank performed at the Met Gala with a live band. He sang “Thinkin Bout You”, “Super Rich Kids” and “Wiseman”.

Frank’s interview on the red carpet would mark his last official on video interview until a leaked interview about the making of Blonde was accidentally left public by the editor on Vimeo.

In July, Frank took the stage at Bonnaroo, alone, sporting a soft pink hoodie and coming to a scene that mimicked an 80′s prom night. With littered balloons on the ground and a turntable sitting behind him, Frank ran through fan favourite tracks like “Lost” and “Thinkin Bout You”, often times letting the crowd take over, “y’all sound like a f***ing choir!” he yelled out. Throughout the show, Frank used tracks he was featured on in the previous years such as “New Slaves” and “Superpower” as interludes. As customary as it was during the 2013/14 run, he closed the show with the emotionally sitrring “Wiseman” before thanking the fans and walking out.

Frank went with a very simple stage set-up channelling classic 80′s vibes

A month later near the chilly mountains of Pemberton village. Frank performed at the Pemberton festival in British Columbia, Canada.

Outkast was originally intended to close the festival but due to a scheduling mix up, it was up to the 26 year old to follow a legendary performance with one of his own. Pemberton would mark the last time Frank Ocean took the stage until his return in June of 2017.

Up until that point in his career, Pemberton was the most monumental performance in Frank’s career regarding visuals. The massive screens of the festival allowed Francisco Soriano’s visuals to soar in full effect. Each track had it’s own feel, during certain tracks, a psyhedelic filter was applied to Frank’s gold wrapped E30 which resulted in a gorgeous output.

Pemberton was the final “channel ORANGE” show and served as a catalyst to enhance Frank’s visuals in the future. The show debuted new unreleased visuals and effects yet remained true to Frank’s previous shows, minimal.

Unlike the lush and exuberant projects, Frank was performing, the visuals and presentation of his performances were kept minimal as he opted to display burning palm trees, Jenny Holzer quotes and a lonely BMW E30 riding through Utah. 

Frank ordered 6 BMW’s to be customized before the start of the 2013 shows, here is one of the gold wrapped E30′s used to film the tour visuals

Jenny Holzer’s work would make a return in the ‘Nikes’ video in 2016

The visuals for Frank’s 2013-2014 performances can be watched here

As he walked off the stage of Pemberton in 2014, the promising and flourishing rise of his career flushed with it. Unbeknownst to the world, he was now commencing his now-notorious hiatus. An unconventional absence for an artist at the height of their fame propelled Frank into another stratosphere. The reclusivness resulted in a fervid curiosity from fans and peers alike and generated a cult-like following for the musician within the community.

Following the Grammys, Frank moved to London which provided him with a form of nourishment from the previously culture obsessed world of Hollywood. He was now pensivly working with Wendi Morris, Thomas Mastorakas, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Zak Group going deep into the world of art and formulating ideas for his magazines and artwork. 

In London, he enjoyed visiting record stores. He gained inspiration by studying the works of Cosey Fanni Tutti, David Greene of Archigram and visiting local theatres and watching movies. 

One of the books Frank read was “Serpentine Gallery Manifesto Marathon” which explores artists from the world of literature, design, science, philosophy, music and film. It features Marina Abramović (one of the people who convinced Frank to deactivate his Twitter) and Vivienne Westwood amongst others.

Frank at the premiere of the “Skepta: Top Boy” documentary in London, 2015 (fourth row on the right)

As both of the albums and magazine were now completed, (click here to see how) Frank’s team turned their attention to the artistic side, taking in how the projects were to be presented and creating early drafts of the stage setup and performance lighting. 

The blueprint for Frank’s return was slowly being crafted and well underway. 

Swiss graphic designer Michel Egger was hired to create the artwork for ‘Endless’ 

This concept art was used as the foundation for the project’s marketing

Image used by Apple Music on iTunes the day of release

Kia Tasbihgou, a London based graphic designer was hired to design the artwork for some of Blonde’s tracks:

Each of these works by Kia have been labelled from “S1″ to “S6″ which may have been the original idea for the rollout. “Nikes” did happen to be the first singe for the project but following that, both Frank and his team went radio-silence regarding any further singles, videos or promotions. The only other promoting tactics that have been displayed are the use of the tracks on “blonded RADIO” and “blonded Los Santos”.

The main artwork for Blonde was shot in the early mornings of January 2016 in Wolfgang Tillmans studio. Frank drove from London to Berlin through the night to meet with Wolfgang to complete the shoot. He had to once cancel it because the hair stylist couldn’t complete the job on time.

The Stage

With Blonde and Endless released, the focus was all on the stage set up and for that, Frank’s team hired veteran designer Willo Peron. 

Early sketches by Willo Peron & Assosiates��

The challenge was to have fans connect and feel intimate with Frank as if they were watching him craft the music in the studio. Everything from the lighting to the cameras chosen by Spike Jonze was taken into consideration. Unlike Frank’s past performances, the overall grandoise of the stage was paramount to ensure the right feel was experienced. 

The final look of the set-up seen here at Lovebox. The towering pole served as a source of light and also projected LED lazers, smoke and atmospheric projections as the set went on

Camera Equipment

For the stunning movie tier quality visuals displayed onto the screens, Spike Jonze pulled out an array of cameras, from vintage camcorder-style visuals to professional movie looks. Spike wanted to create an evolution of picture, 4 cameras with 4 different looks.  

They ranged from a black and white security camera with infrared illumination, a Sony VX-1000, popular for skate videos in the 90’s - and an Ikonoskop, a digital video camera which produces a specific, thick colour picture. The last camera was an “Alexa Mini" with an anamorphic lens, which provided large depth and the cinematic look.

Spike Jonze filming Frank with a Sony VX-1000 at Panorama

 Frank’s team had full control over what cameras were being projected at what time. Here, Spike transitions from shooting the Alexia Mini to another Blonded crew member who’s carrying the Ikonoskop. The transitions were done seamlessly. Spike and Frank agreed that all footage shot would be in real time therefore no pre-recorded visuals were ever used. If they needed a blue background, Spike would place a blue paper beforehand and zoom in. 

Here Frank is playing the Wurlitzer as Spike films with the black and white security camera

The Furniture

While visiting Tom Sachs studio in New York City, Frank liked the chairs Tom was building at the time and had him make some for the upcoming tour.

With a plywood base and clear polycarbonate back, Tom made this for each of the band members  

Along with the chairs, Tom remade the “Endless” boombox into a smaller size to fit the stage

The boombox featured an axe and Koss 4aa headphones

The Catwalk

The last element of the stage was a customized runway made just for Frank’s performances. The stage would be constructed as the regular scheduled festivals carried on and would be completed an hour before Frank’s slotted time. It featured graphics designs, doodles and drawings from Frank’s friends, collaborators and tour staff. The designs provided a glimpse at Frank’s subconcious with nods at fashion, brands, manufactures and personal quotes. 

Frank Ocean for i-D Magazine

Ben Reed, Ed Hayes, Vegyn, Alex G and Buddy Ross sit on the Blonded platform

Frank Ocean redrew the entire blueprint for the next chapter of his career once he left the stage of Pemberton. He constructed a team of select individuals to ensure his creative vision was to be executed meticulously upon his return. Frank channelled inspiration from various forms of art and returned with an experience that’s as personal and raw as one could get standing beside thousands of fans. The Blonded shows were performed the only way Blonde could’ve been showcased, with a unique warmth of freshness.