#cover art by andy bridge

[waugh-bao]

I found an article about the design of the Bridges to Babylon album. The designer writes: "Next morning Jagger’s assistant Lucy meets me in the bar,gives me a quick rundown on Mick and we go to the suite. In the elevator I’m nervous. Mick opens the door, turns around immediately without saying hello and I feel awkward. Lucy introduces us, he’s friendly but busy going through a Sotheby catalogue with Charlie Watts. “At nine million that’s a real bargain”, he says in a heavy British accent looking at a Monet painting. “Pity I have no walls left to hang it.”

And then after talking about favorite Stones album covers he writes: "I ask him [Mick] about his favorite Stones covers and he mentions without hesitation: Exile on Main Street, Sticky Fingers and Some Girls. These are my favorites as well: “We should have an easy time working together since I would have told you exactly the same covers only in a different order: Sticky Fingers, Some Girls and Exile on Main Street,” Charlie Watts (in lowered voice) asks Jagger: “What’s on the Sticky Fingers?” to which Mick replies: “Oh, you know Charlie, the one with the zipper, the one that Andy [Warhol] did.”

Come on, that's complete husbands behavior. Looking at catalogues together, Mick having to remind his absent-minded partner of their album covers. I thought it was quite adorable.

For anybody interested here is the link to the interview with Stephan Sagmeister, the artist who created the Bridges cover art.

The looking at the catalogues together definitely reminds me of both the Steel Wheels era behind the scenes stage discussions we’ve seen:

And the Voodoo Lounge era interview about doing merch design together where Mick is a bit, um, distracted:

Also them at one of the ‘93 Sotheby’s auctions:

They are the wealthy older couple you see sniping at each other during a gallery opening in Chelsea. Charlie is the one with taste, Mick is the one with pretensions to it (and a job in the City).

Of course, that second bit is also very reminiscent of Mick popping into a live NPR broadcast to remind Charlie of the name of a song: here.

[ehghtyseven]

Do you have recommendations for what to do and see in Pittsburgh? And is it easy to get around by bus/subway etc?

anon I’m so sorry, I started replying to this at the airport on my way home then saved it to drafts and forgot to go back and publish, oops! anyway…

ok, please bear in mind I am just a person who has visited a few times so this is in no way exhaustive, and will obviously be coloured by how easy things are to get to without a car and things I personally find interesting!

presented in no particular order…

heinz history centre & sports museum

go for a wander through the strip district

fort pitt museum & point state park

national aviary (fun on its own but would thoroughly recommend the penguin encounter as an extra)

andy warhol museum

carnegie science centre (though I just went to a specific exhibit so I don’t actually know about the museum as a whole but I liked what I visited)

walk the three rivers heritage trail along the north shore & visit the mister rogers statue (and I always enjoy walking over one or other of the three sisters bridges to get across from downtown and back afterwards)

take a trip on the inclines (duquesne is the prettiest and has the best views of the city at the top but personally I like to go up the mon - when it’s not closed that is - walk along grandview then come back down via duquesne)

point of view sculpture (just a bit further along grandview from the duquesne incline)

pittsburgh has a couple of theatres so it’s always worth checking out what’s on during your trip, and pittsburgh has some great restaurants/bars to check out too.

also, not really a “thing to do” but I will never get tired of arriving via the fort pitt tunnel when coming in from the airport and downtown just explodes in front of you as you emerge!

there are some other places I haven’t visited yet but are on my list, including the zoo & aquarium, phipps conservatory, carnegie museums of art and natural history, the frick, and randyland.

on the second question, downtown & the areas close by are very walkable but I find it is pretty easy to get around on public transport, yes. PRT now has an app (ready2ride) that includes a journey planner and live trackers (amongst other stuff), lets you buy a range of different types of pass that you then use by just scanning your phone when you get on, and which covers buses, light rail and the inclines. as someone who lives in london and is used to just tapping my phone to travel on public transport, this was way easier for me than having to think about paying fares every time and took a lot of anxiety out of using buses!

the T (light rail) is also free between downtown and the north shore - all the stops between first avenue and allegheny - which is handy! I also think it’s neat that most bus stops have a QR code you can scan for live arrivals info, which also helps you check you’re at the right stop :)

[kudosmyhero]

Transformers: Ironhide #3 Ironing Out the Details

Read Date: July 21, 2023 Cover Date: July 2010 ● Writer:Mike Costa ● Art: Casey Coller ● Colorist: Joana Lafuente ● Letterer: Chris Mowry ● Editor: Andy Schmidt ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● o_o

● 👏👏👏

Synopsis: Following the mysterious robot into the city, Ironhide is greeted by a robed mech introducing himself as Alpha Trion. Unfortunately, the name doesn't ring any bells with Ironhide, who is only further confused by the old guy's claims that he was dead until now and that Cybertron has been abandoned for years. His temper boils over when Alpha Trion starts acting like he's a big deal, insisting that Ironhide must have heard of him (maybe by the name A3?), but he calms down when Trion proves capable of taking control of people who touch him.

Alpha Trion then begins to answer Ironhide's questions, explaining that he has been dead for the past four million years. In the meantime, Cybertron was ruined, abandoned and finally became the habitat of the Insecticon swarm. Ironhide is speechless at first, but his attention is soon turned towards a screen alerting them of another life sign on the planet. Trion dismisses it, claiming that it's not part of his plan, but Ironhide recognizes the energy signature as Sunstreaker's and heads out to save him.

Alongside Alpha Trion's minion, Ironhide makes his way to a ruined bridge and digs Sunstreaker's broken body out of a pile of swarm corpses. Barely conscious, Sunstreaker apologizes and blames the humans for doing things to him, but Ironhide has no idea what he's talking about and begins carrying him to safety. On the way, he has to fight off more members of the swarm while his cargo keeps apologizing about things he doesn't understand, this time involving Mirage.

After four long hours of fighting, Ironhide makes his way back to Alpha Trion, whom Sunstreaker recognizes. Trion notes that Sunstreaker's mind is in a recursive loop and takes him temporarily offline, then admonishes Ironhide for risking his life to save a "pile of scrap" like him. This only serves to anger Ironhide again, and he demands to know about Alpha Trion's plans and why he's so important to them. Trion explains that Ironhide did in fact survive the assassination attempt on Optimus Prime and lived on for several million years until he was killed on Earth one year ago. While the damage caused by the assassination attempt made it impossible to rebuild any memories after that point, Alpha Trion eventually managed to bring him back from the dead after years and years of work, a fact which he is fairly proud of. Ironhide asks why he, a mere bodyguard, was the one to be revived, and Alpha Trion finally gets to the point: He wants to restore Cybertron, but he needs someone to get rid of the Insecticon swarm first. And who's more suitable for the job than the toughest Autobot of them all?

(https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Ironing_Out_the_Details)

Fan Art: Ironhide by EspenG

[rhythmicmeow]

TIMING: CURRENT LOCATION: The Vinyl Countdown PARTIES: Leticia @rhythmicmeow & Andy @declinlalune TRIGGERS: parental death SUMMARY: Andy comes into the shop looking to expand her records to include something more than Taylor Swift. Leticia has a few recommendations and opinions to share.

Andy was following a new set of rules. Instead of deciding to turn her back on anything that could be considered an indulgence, she allowed herself to have something every now and again as a means to pretend that she was normal. Most of the time, any money she had went to the piling bills, or the things that she and Alex absolutely needed. Now that Kaden was staying with them, there was a little extra money. It also meant that neither of the sisters needed to steal as much as they used to. It got harder to do it when everyone in town recognized the flaming mop on their heads. 

Even though Andy wasn’t the biggest record connoisseur, she was getting tired of the only vinyls laying around being that of Taylor Swift. While she’d never admit to her sister that she wasn’t blondie’s biggest fan, it was about time to put something else on, especially because she’d already spent so much on the damned record player to begin with. 

She wasn’t sure what she expected the record shop to smell like, but plastic hadn’t been it. Andy ventured in, wincing slightly as the door shut heavily behind her. The sound of music played lightly over the speakers, and there was a booth in the corner of the shop that had soundproof windows. Inside was a woman– brunette, with a smile that stretched easily across her face, and the kind of equipment that Andy had no idea about. She rose a hand awkwardly to wave at her, not wanting to completely ignore her, before turning to a display of vinyls that said SALE. She flicked through a few of the sleeves, her eyes wandering from cover to cover, all at the expense of finding something she could use to drown out Taylor Swift. 

-

Leticia had changed the playlist no less than three times that day. Normally, she had it all set up the night before, it was easier that way when she let the students handle the booth so they didn’t have to improv too much. It was art of the job, but she didn’t have it in her heart to push them to jump in head first. If that was a good thing or not had yet to be seen. But that was a bridge to cross another day. Humming a prelude to a tune, Leticia hit play on the next song, transitioning easily to TRUSTFALL by P!nk.

For a moment, it was just her and the music. Leticia closed her eyes and bobbed her head to the music. If she had gotten a shop closer to the water, it would have been easier to pretend this was their family shop on the West Coast. Leaning back in the chair, she looked toward the records that decorated the shelves above the sound equipment. Signed copies of some of her father’s favorite records. There had been grief attached to those records when she first got them, and while the pain was still fresh, looking at them now put her at ease. A small shrine of the things he loved to remind her of that light.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman step into the shop. Leticia immediately hopped to her feet, waving a greeting at the woman before adjusting objects haphazardly in the booth. Stepping into the shop, she offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry, when I’m in that booth it’s like I’m on an entirely different planet sometimes.” Glancing at what the woman was looking at, she arched a brow, “Looking for anything specific? I could tell you if it’s in there or is this a ‘drown out everything at all costs’ sort of shopping experience?”

-

Andy continued to flick through a few of the remaining sleeves before the door to the booth opened. “Hm? No, it’s okay.” This woman gave her the same feeling that both Luis and Nicole had. It was getting easier to ignore, just as it had been with Alex, but there was still something that stirred in the pit of her stomach; she likened it to guilt for the sake of an easy conversation without too much paranoia. 

She looked past the woman and into the booth, watching as the lights across what Andy figured was some kind of keyboard flickered all in different colors, then her gaze slid back to the brunette. “Uhhh… anything but Taylor Swift.” She winced and cleared her throat, not knowing the woman’s stance on her. “My sister already owns a few of her vinyls, or maybe all of them. I have no clue. Figure it was time to let something else play.” 

She should have had a better idea of what she wanted so that she wasn’t wasting the woman’s time. Andy knew it was her job, but she felt guilty regardless. She’d clearly been experiencing something in the booth with a smile that wide. 

-

“I am afraid that your luck is about to get a lot worse,” Leticia replied, the smile on her face a shade more sympathetic. “She’s coming out with a new Taylors’ version here soon. I forgot the release date but it’s just around the corner — so friendly warning.” As much as she enjoyed Taylor Swift herself, around new release time it was a lot to deal with on the radio. Two or three songs would overpower the album popularity and they’d all be listening to those songs on the hour, every hour. Hopefully, the redhead’s sister wasn’t going to fixate on just a few songs. 

“Hm.” Tapping her chin, she scrolled mentally through her favorite albums that she often recommended, but other than Swift, there wasn’t much to go on. “Have  you listened to music a lot or is the Swiftie in your family the only exposure you have?” There was no judgment there, it wouldn’t be the first time that Leticia had heard they didn’t understand or enjoy music that much. She would even have been the first one to confess to listening to Disney soundtracks exclusively. 

Walking through the small aisles, Leticia looked for a middle ground for this woman and her sister. Imagine Dragons, maybe? “I’ve got a player in the back too, if you want to sample some of the music. Most everything is open already outside of the new releases.” 

-

“Shit.” Andy rubbed the back of her neck. She knew that despite her aversion to Taylor Swift, she would probably end up surprising Alex with the album if it did end up on vinyl. “I guess she’s gotta make money somehow.” She hoped she hadn’t made an ass of herself by making such a comment, but really, what did it matter? It was just music. The only music that had consistently followed her around was the Tom Petty tape lodged in her jeep’s cassette player. The vehicle had been sold to her that way by a man in Michigan, and she had to admit, it was better than some of the other options she could have gotten stuck with, even if she didn’t always consider herself a connoisseur of its usual genre. 

“I mean, I listen to music.” Usually the radio, thanks to the tape, or the playlist she would put on her phone and just turn up the volume real loud. “Can you imagine? If that was the only thing I knew?” Andy snorted, mortified by the thought. “We just mostly own her vinyls, I wanted something else to put on… gotta use the thing I paid for, right?” Hooking her phone up to the bluetooth speakers she’d gotten on discount could easily fix the problem, but she wanted to enjoy the simplicity of a record scratch and the way the needle would just know the song. It was still a mystery to her how it worked. Andy followed after the woman– who she figured was the owner of the shop, and looked over her shoulder at the mix of genres. “Do you have anything like Pink Skies? It was something to go off of for her, maybe Andy should have started there. “Or uh, CHVRCHES?” 

-

“Hey, you know some people have been asking for the ten minute versions of those old songs for ages.” The words were accompanied by a laugh. On a professional level, Leticia could respect it. Fans had asked for these extended versions and actual fans were beyond excited that it was finally happening. But Leticia couldn't imagine putting out that much music at once. Did this woman have time to breathe? “Gotta respect the work she puts into it, I mean, she’s re-recording a full album and it feels like she just released one. Her energy makes me feel like I’m a grandma.” She checked the tips of her hair, wondering if she’d spot a streak of white.

Looking over her shoulder, it was like a light went off in the back of her mind. Leticia put back the records she had been pulling out and changed directions entirely. “I don’t have indie music sorted down more than that unfortunately, but I do have a section over here.” Leticia moved quickly to the other row and started flipping through titles. “I do have a CHVRCHES vinyl, but…” She pulled CHVRCHES out and offered it to the woman while digging through the records with her free hand. “Tokyo Tea Room has a similar vibe if I remember correctly.” She pulled the other record out and then turned fully to the other woman. 

-

“Aging is normal though, right?” Growing up, it had been drilled into the sisters that their kind didn’t live very long. Either you lived long enough to morph into a coward, or you died early enough to become a martyr. Andy knew that wasn’t the way she wanted to live– with the idea of dying and that being something honorable at a certain age. It was stupid. Maybe luck wasn’t the right word regarding hers and Alex’s situation, but they’d been able to avoid the mentality that their worth was tied directly to how good or bad of a hunter they would turn out to be. Who knew, maybe Andy’s abhorrence towards hunting would get her killed, but at least she wouldn’t die following some arbitrary code that, funnily enough, got her parents killed. It was fucked up to think like that, and she knew it, but the constant prickle at her skin while being next to the woman was a constant reminder. It was hard to disregard. 

Andy backed up slightly as the woman turned around, heading in a different direction. “Oh, that’s fine, I’m sure I’ll be able to find something I recognize.” And if not, she could always listen to a new artist. Andy followed after her, curiosity pulling over her features as she craned her neck to get a look over the woman’s shoulder to see the vinyl she was pulling out. Andy held the Bones of What You Believe in her hands, turning it over with a smile. “Tokyo Tea Room? I don’t think I’ve ever listened to them.” She took the record from her and looked it over. It was just an EP, but that wouldn’t bother Andy. If she liked a song enough, she’d have it on repeat for hours. “Forever out of Time… always tomorrow. I’m sensing a theme.” She looked up at the woman with a smile. “What kind of music do you listen to?” It was easier to focus on the topic at hand than the feeling she brought on, so she cleared her throat. “And uh– sorry, my name is Andy, by the way.” 

-

“Most people just release a greatest hits album,” Leticia commented lightly, but it wasn’t lost on her that this woman was talking about something else entirely. Much like the teasing with Emilio about how he’d have gray hairs before he knew it, there was something painful about aging. Are you okay? Was on the tip of her tongue, but the words never formed. This wasn’t a bar where Leticia was providing a distraction or a place where they were equals — she was a customer. And once again, Leticia was painfully reminded that she needed to keep some air of professionalism. A demand from her business that she was slowly starting to resent. 

The smile was enough for Leticia to push the brief concern from earlier out of her mind. Letting herself believe it was nothing. Just… a moment. A small crack. “It’s a good theme,” she offered, watching her expression as she looked over the disc. “Plus it offers some consistency so there’s no weird audio spikes in different songs.” If Leticia had one complaint about current music, it would have been that. “Leticia,” she offered in response. “Mostly I’ve been listening to Imagine Dragons. Some Lizzo here and there… The Chainsmokers too, guilty pleasure don’t judge me.” At the end, she shrugged. “It really depends on the mood of the day, but I prefer something I can sing to. I’m not good at casual listening.” 

-

“Audio spikes?” Andy wasn’t familiar with the term, if it even was one. Maybe the woman had made it up. She seemed to be allowed to do that, she owned the shop after all. Maybe she meant that the volume got louder at certain parts of a song where it was usually quieter? “Leticia.” The name was pretty, and it held more class than Andy did, even if her full name had been Andrea— one she hadn’t spoken in over a decade for the sake of simplicity and safety. “It’s nice to meet you.” Because it was– like many people in Wicked’s Rest, Leticia was opening a world to Andy that she hadn’t known existed, or hadn’t been allowed to exist within, and it was just human, even if Leticia was not. 

“I like Lizzo, but I’m not sure I’ve listened to the other two.” Something about thunder came to mind at the mention of Imagine Dragons, though, so maybe she had heard them. The Chainsmokers was a bust, though. “I get it. When I’m driving into work it’s nice to have something to keep me interested then something I drown out.” Tom Petty had quickly become background music rather than listening music for how long it’d been stuck in the player. “Do you sing? Or are you talking in more of a karaoke way?” Andy wanted to ask if she owned Vinyl Countdown, but she wasn’t sure if that was too forward. 

-

Looking upward, Leticia tried to think of another way to describe it. “I’m not sure if that’s the word for it, but have you ever listened to something very, very quiet and then the next thing that plays is super loud? Usually if it’s all in one song it’s pretty balanced, but depending on the artist and their style - a bunch of things really - every song might not have that same level of audio.” She was overexplaining and she realized it after she was done rambling. Clearing her throat, she shrugged, pretending like she didn’t just dive face first into music. “Music with less jumpscares.” A worse explanation.

“Lizzo is excellent driving music, and on your way to work music.” It was a little funny to her that Andy had listened to one but not the other two, only because they were both frequent radio plays. “Exactly,” Leticia agreed easily. “You need - well I need - something more than coffee to kickstart my energy. Music always does the trick.” Music was a safety net that was always there, something that pushed her forward and something that held her when she fell. There was always a song to match the mood and help her sort herself out. Shrugging her shoulders, Leticia met Andy’s gaze, “Karaoke mostly these days.” There was a hint of sadness in her words. She missed singing, she missed the stage and meeting the fans and having that sense of being wanted. 

-

Okay, so she’d been right. “Yeah, I have. Always makes me jump out of my skin.” Andy’s hearing was amplified, so when loud noises like that did happen, it made it hard to ignore them. “Music with less jumpscares…” Andy let out a laugh and nodded, “I can get behind that.” Maybe it was why Alex liked Taylor Swift. Her music, for the most part, was quiet and boring, and really, not much to jump at. “I’ve never thought of it that way, though.” 

“You listen to music in place of caffeine?” She quirked a brow and nodded as if in some kind of agreement. “Not sure that’d work for me, but hey, you do you.” As soon as the words left her, Andy felt dumb. Here she was, faced with a pretty girl who was knowledgeable about all of the things that Andy wasn’t and she couldn’t come up with something better? “What’s your wake-up music, usually? Is it Lizzo? Or… one of the other two?” She looked down at the vinyls in her hands, not sure where either of these albums landed in the scale of wake up music. At Leticia’s comment, Andy looked back up into her eyes. “I’m sure you’re awesome though.” Whether or not that’s what Leticia wanted to hear, Andy couldn’t be sure. “At karaoke. At other things, too. Obviously.” Was it obvious? Andy cleared her throat and smiled at the woman in front of her. “Do you ever host them? Karaoke nights?” Was that something a record shop did? She knew there was a karaoke bar downtown, but maybe Leticia had a history in it, too.

-

There was a sheepish look on Leticia’s face that was hard to shake. When it was her dad in the shop talking about music, his passion seemed so easy. It made her wonder if he had ever felt like he over shared the way she did when she got lost in the details. But Andy was either too nice to say anything or didn’t care that she had gone off on a tangent. Either way, Leticia appreciated it. “I used to go to sleep listening to music, sort of like…” Too much explanation, she reminded herself, but continued anyway. Might as well considering she already opened her mouth. “Something of comfort, I guess. Fell asleep to the wrong album once.” 

Leticia shrugged dramatically at the question. “I mean, what else can get my blood pumping like screaming Carry On Wayward Son? Nothing.” Andy didn’t feel the same, but that was okay. It had been a while since she was surrounded by people who didn’t feel the same way about music as she did, but it was nice in a way. Different opinions. Different thoughts. Different people, most of all. “Lizzo,” she answered easily this time. “Waking up to a song about how men ain’t shit? Best way to start the day.” There was a short beat after the next comment, where Leticia paused. It wasn’t the strangest thing to hear, but not something anyone threw around at her like they did when she was actively making music. It felt… different. “Obviously,” she teased lightly before nodding her head. “But thank you.” Two words that she nearly choked on after she said them. This was the wrong town to let something like that slip. “No, don’t host them. I’ve been thinking about going to the place just down the street, but I’d feel bad cleaning house with an unfair advantage.” No one would likely know, but Leticia would. “What about you? I figure music might not be your regular comfort, any artistic callings?” 

-

“Don’t tell me you fell asleep to something terrible like Dua Lipa.” Andy didn’t really think that her music was terrible, it was fun to dance in the kitchen to, but to fall asleep to it would be a feat on its own. Andy really needed to keep her mouth shut, she realized. What if Leticia worshiped Dua? “Not that she isn’t fun to listen to, but not sure how much sleep I’d get with the… audio spikes?” 

“I’m not sure I know that song.” Andy had missed out on a lot, and this seemed like one of those things. “But I trust you.” The way Leticia spoke about music, it stirred something in the pit of Andy’s stomach. She wanted to talk about something that way. Not someone, because she would praise Alex to the moon and back all day every day, but something. She had always felt like she was missing something, and maybe this was it– to care for something without using it as an excuse for something else. The bakery was nice, but it was a means to put food on the table, and while she enjoyed Jonas and Lil, she had only really taken the job because she was above average when it came to baking. Not because she was in love with it. Leticia seemed to be in love with music, and while Andy was a little jealous, she didn’t show it. 

“You’re right, it really is.” She couldn’t imagine waking up to anything other than her alarm tone. Maybe she should try it and get back to Leticia. Andy nodded, a little disappointed that Leticia didn’t seem to be in the business for karaoke. “I’ve never been, but I have heard it’s a good time.” Maybe I’ll see you there. The words died at the back of her throat. She perked up slightly at Leticia’s question, trying to come up with an answer. “Artistic callings and me? In the same sentence?” Andy scoffed, shaking her head. “No, not really. I bake, but that’s… a job, so no.” She looked down at the vinyls in her hands. She felt stupid for not knowing enough about music, and for clearly not being cool enough for this conversation. “Maybe I’ll find out I’m really good at the triangle one day, though.” What she wanted to tell this complete stranger was that she’d never been afforded the luxury of hobbies, so she hadn’t ever learned if she was good at anything. “I guess I haven’t poisoned anyone with the bear claws– at uh, Bread Cemetery, I help… there. Well, I work there. I don’t just help. I’m a baker’s assistant.” Her ears turned red. 

-

At first, Leticia made a face and it stayed a little while longer while Andy backtracked all of her opinions. The serious expression on her face crumbled quickly as she laughed. “It’s okay,” she said, touching Andy’s shoulder to reassure the other woman. “You’re allowed to have preferences. They might be wrong but that’s okay. But I draw the line at Halsey, if you had any bad thoughts about her no you don’t.”

There was an undeniable look of confusion on Leticia’s face at the comment. Even people who weren’t into music as much as she was knew at least some of the words. “I’ll play it for you sometime,” she decided. The best part of music was sharing it with someone. Her father had taught her that in spades at the shop back home, the door was always propped open for the public and was always putting something into their patrons hands to leave with. A few cords on the guitar, an offer for a free lesson for the kids, always encouraging them to at least try. Making music wasn’t always for everyone, but he was convinced that everyone could form a connection with music. “If you’re interested,” she then added. “I’m always ready to drag someone into this. As long as you’re willing.”  

Andy had an interesting idea, Leticia wasn’t sure she could juggle everything she did at the shop plus start hosting events like that, but maybe she could partner with the place downtown. But as she puzzled out the details internally, she realized there was a huge shift in the conversation tone wise. Andy was fumbling for an answer and Leticia felt guilty. She hadn’t intended this question to pull the rug out from under the other woman. With some quick thinking, Leticia shrugged a shoulder and offered a comforting smile. “I sang professionally for years, doesn’t disqualify it from being something I love.” Fiddling with the corners of one of the record covers, Leticia bobbed her head to the side, thinking for a moment longer. “Besides, if you haven’t found it yet, that just means you get to have fun and explore some other hobbies.”

Leticia hated the idea that Andy might leave the building feeling like what she was doing wasn’t enough. “You know, I send one of the guys over every morning to fetch us breakfast from there. And the bear claws happen to be my favorite. And apple fritters. I pretend they’re healthy, but … well, you know.” Which wasn’t a lie by any stretch of the imagination. She sent one of her employees every morning, carefully rotating them so that the business wouldn’t catch on that it was her every single day. “Maybe I’ll start coming in myself.” 

-

Andy fought off the urge to tense as Leticia touched her shoulder. Instead, she kept the eased expression and leaned into it slightly. “Hey, I just said that it might be hard to fall asleep to her, not that her music was bad.” She didn’t want to think about just how well Leticia could hear. She didn’t want to think about the way she could sense the other woman at all. Just like every other shifter in town, it felt like an invasion of privacy. Andy raised her hands in mock defense. “No opinions on Halsey.” 

“Yeah, okay.” Andy nodded at Leticia’s offer. She looked at the window of the booth quickly, memorizing the radio station’s frequency. She’d need to listen sometime. Maybe coming here for music suggestions or vinyls had been moot– maybe Andy would make an attempt to let the radio play instead of finding a reason to turn it off. “No, sure, I’d love that.” Maybe she was a little too enthusiastic, because her smile grew a little wider. This was a woman just trying to make a sale. Andy had already fully intended on purchasing the two vinyls she was holding, and realistically, if Leticia smiled at her just a little more, she might buy a third. It had taken a long time for Andy to block out the reactions that her parents might have to this kind of thing, but eventually she got to the point where she realized it didn’t matter. They were gone, and this was the life she lived now. 

“Really? That’s… badass.” Andy did want to know more, but if she’d quit singing to move to a small town to open up a vinyl shop doubling as a radio station, Andy wasn’t sure that the story was much of a good one, and if there was one thing Andy believed in, it was to not make people relive their traumas. “Mmm, you have a point.” Even if Andy never let herself have much, she knew that the other woman was right. With Kaden around, it meant that Andy wouldn’t have to be so focused on money. Not that she’d ever admit that it was something she was worried about. She always appeared relaxed when it came to finances. 

Andy bit the inside of her cheek as Leticia explained her love for both the bear claws and the apple fritters. “They’re really good, aren’t they? They aren’t my recipe, but I try my best with them.” She smiled at Leticia, her gaze lingering on the other woman for a beat too long. Even though Andy wasn’t letting any of her anxieties show through in her appearance, the other woman seemed to be aware of how she was actually feeling. It felt… nice. Not so much to be observed, but to be listened to. Even if her expression displayed something else entirely. “You should.” She said it a little too quickly and the red on her ears deepend. “I mean, you should, really. We’re.. doing an event for pride, too.” Andy smiled at Leticia, then froze. “I mean– it’s just an event we’re doing, I’m not saying that–” She shook her head and pressed the vinyls to her chest. “Anyway, that’d be cool. If you started to come by yourself. I mean, you can bring– him? Your employee? Too, if you want.” What a fucking mess. 

-

“Uh-huh,” Leticia replied with a grin. “So, terrible to sleep to but not terrible?” It would take a lot more to actually offend her, just like Leticia knew that not everyone was as comfortable existing as she did. Taking everything at face value, and mostly as a joke. For a long time, it had been a defense mechanism. Interviews had been the hardest part of the job for her, sitting across someone who would ask deeply personal questions and then sometimes outright insult her, she had to learn to be untouchable. 

Some days, Leticia wasn’t sure that was such a good thing. But for the little things like this, it wasn’t so bad, was it? 

“I’ll make sure it gets added to the playlist.” And Leticia would leave a strongly worded note to not remove it when one of the others were in the booth. As much as she loved letting the students get the practice in and mess around with the nightly music, they always found a way to pull out the one song that Leticia had been desperate to air. They were bloodhounds, she was sure of it. The thought crossed her mind to ask Andy when she listened to the radio or when she’d have time, but there was a line there that Leticia told herself not to cross. It was one thing to be friendly, another to be invasive. 

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Leticia could remember a time when it was all she wanted. When all the reaching she did for the stars was suddenly within her grasp. It had only been months since she ran off stage in New York. Maybe time moved differently here, maybe she was different here, but it felt like ancient history. A piece of herself that she would always be missing. Another fracture line in the life she had thought had been perfect for years. “I guess I should find a new hobby too.” Though the excitement wasn’t there as it had been when she had hyped up Andy to look into exploring her interests. If anything, there was a hint of distress in her tone. 

But the tone didn’t last. Food, as always, brightened the mood. “Amazing. Listen, the recipes are just what’s written on the page. The heart of the food comes from the chef. That’s what ma always told me, anyway. Mostly when I was pissed off in the kitchen… she said my mood soured the food.” Leticia trailed off, getting derailed from the first point. “Wait, they do pride here? I figured the school might do something for the students but I wasn’t sure if the rest of the town was.” Her expectations had been low for Wicked’s Rest, assuming that it would be like her small town back home where people just talked about it but had to leave the city if they actually wanted to celebrate. Leticia wrinkled her nose at the suggestion and then shrugged. “I mean, I guess. It would be the nice thing to do, right?” She mulled it over, trying not to look as annoyed at the idea as she felt. But the idea of spending her off hours time with a teenage employee was not her idea of an ideal day out. In fact, it was much closer to a nightmare. They were great kids, but there was only so much pseudo-parenting she could do before she lost it. 

-

“Yeah, only about sleeping.” Andy noticed the amused expression that Leticia wore and she felt a little more at ease. She was glad that she wasn’t totally backing herself into a corner. Andy didn’t have many friends, and maybe stumbling over her words had been why. Usually she was good at talking people into circles– she had excelled at it while she and Alex were on the road, but over time it’d gotten a little harder to do. Maybe it was because of the roots she’d put down, or maybe it was because she was faced with a pretty girl with a pretty smile. “I’ll be looking forward to it, then. I’ll come in and let you know my thoughts.” What if she did know the song? Then she’d look like an idiot showing up to tell Leticia that she had inadvertently lied. She didn’t need to worry about that now, she decided. 

Leticia wasn’t exactly subtle about her inward disappointment and Andy hoped she hadn’t said something wrong. “Maybe we can compare hobbies.” The words came out before she’d really processed them and Andy inwardly kicked herself. “I’ll swing by, buy a vinyl, update you on how my woodworking is going, you can let me know on whatever you pick out.” It seemed innocent enough. She wasn’t sure where woodworking had come from, but after asking the florist if she could use his scraps of wood to make planters, she realized it had become something she’d gotten excited about. 

Andy snorted. “That’s… that kind of makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. Good intentions and all that, right?” She wasn’t sure what kind of intentions she had when she was heating up a bowl of canned ravioli, but sometimes it tasted better than others. “I’ll use that. Make sure I’m in a good mood when I’m making them.” At Leticia’s question, Andy nodded. “We do! Every year. Different shops put on events, the town does something, too. It’s not… like New York or anything, but it’s nice.” Andy hadn’t ever been to New York. Neither she or Alex were big city people. “It was just a suggestion, I mean… you wouldn’t have to if you didn’t want to?” Andy bit her lip and thought for a moment. “If I’m not working, I’ll make sure to let them know to give you a discount, though. If you do come in. Hopefully I’ll be there, but, you know.” Andy shrugged. 

-

“Alright, alright.” Leticia finally conceded. It was her turn to hold her hands up in a mock surrender position. But ‌she still grinned as though the suspicion hadn’t been fully cleared. “I believe you.” It didn’t go without saying one more time: “Just know I would still support your wrong opinions.” Her father would have told her to stop teasing the customers, but he would have also had Andy already sitting down with an instrument in her hand with some motivating speech about how she wouldn’t know until she tried so she might as well give it a shot. “I’ll hold you to that.” 

Leticia shrugged. “You could just come in. I mean, I won’t tell you not to buy anything, but music is a social thing too. The best part is sharing it, for me at least.” She quickly added the last part, forgetting this wasn’t about her. And not to mention it was a terrible way to run a business. “Look at you! See, you already have an idea.”

It took a moment to process, but at first there was a frown, a look of betrayal, and then a small smile that broke through. “You’re agreeing with my mom?” There was comfort in it though, something warm in her chest, knowing maybe her mom would have people here too. This place wasn’t the home they had in California. But with some work, it could be. If they let it. “Yeah, I’m probably going to ditch him,” she admitted, though sheepishly. “He’s a good kid but..” Leticia bobbed her head to the side, considering her words for a moment. “Not exactly who I want to be spending my free time with.” The thought was nice, but Leticia quickly shook her head. “No, no, if you do that, I am going to buy more than I should. Then I’ll have to lie to people and say I’m sharing when I absolutely will not be doing that.”  -

Andy shrugged. “Maybe these two vinyls are what get me started in taking over every single shelf space at my place.” There weren’t many shelves, but she could always make more. She would need to clear some space in the upstairs loft space, too, for Kaden. She had already felt bad about him staying on the couch, but she wasn’t originally sure how long he’d be sticking around for. After their conversation, she was sure she wanted to keep him around for as long as he wanted to stay around. “Maybe talking about our hobbies is what’ll get me spending every dime, who’s to say.” She flashed Leticia a smile. 

Even if her own mother hadn’t ever been right about anything, maybe somebody else’s mom had been. Even though she felt her chest stir with something– mourning, maybe, her expression remained bright. Andy shrugged. “Maybe I am.” She obviously didn’t know Leticia’s situation, so she didn’t dare bring her mother up as some kind of present thing. The number of orphans in Wicked’s Rest was alarming. “Yeah, that’s fair. Kids can be annoying.” Alex could be annoying, but Andy loved her anyway. Andy shook her head and let out a laugh. “Hey, we’ve got stuff going on all month, so I’m sure you’ll be handed a discount regardless.” Whether it came from herself, Lil, or Jonas, that’d be the question. “Eat as many as you want, I won’t tell.” Andy looked down at the vinyls again with a fond smile. “Appreciate your help finding these. Now that I know you’re over here– the shop, I mean,” Andy stammered, “I’ll make sure to swing by more often.” 

-

“It’s a dangerous and expensive hobby. If you’re not careful you might.” But having a regular customer like Andy was the furthest one could be from a bad thing. Leticia had been so worried when she opened the shop that it would be just another dot on the map, but as she started to settle in and got to know the other members of the community… the more this felt like home and not a punishment for a mistake she had unwillingly made. “You start buying that many records and I’ll set up a rewards system just for you. Buy five and get the sixth free, or something. Or maybe I’ll accept woodwork as payment.” The last line was more teasing than the rest, but it would still be nice to see what work she did if she went full throttle on the woodworking. 

“Dios mio! She’s not even in town, you don’t need to kiss up to her already.” Her mother, she was sure, would hate the shop but she would adore Andy. If she ever came here. Leticia told herself that her mother was fine, it was the only way she could function. She’d be there someday. And people like Andy and Emilio and so many others would change her mind about hiding from the world. “They’re great, don’t get me wrong… but yeah. I didn’t sign up to be a mom. Maybe a wine aunt.” Leticia laughed and nodded her head. “It’s okay. I come with the shop. Either way you’re stuck with me.” It was a scenario where Leticia was sad to see her go, but happy that she had shown up. It was a welcome reprieve. “Let’s get your rung up so you can get out of here.” 

[musingsofaprofessionaldaydreamer]

Movies to watch During Black History Month

Hey all and Happy Black History Month Andi Here to give you all a list of my all-time favorite Black movies that I hope you can enjoy this Black History Month.  I initially intended Creating a list with just 28 films   for a film a day type of deal but that was HELLA difficult considering the plethora of Black films that exist that I love.  Instead, I categorized the films. This still isn't everything Just some of my favorites and mostly cover U.S. based Films

 Hopefully you enjoy them as much as I do! Let's get into it: Action: The Equalizer Devil in a Blue dress Dope

Shaft

B.A.P.S

Without Remorse

Sci-Fi Fantasy:

Black Panther

Spiderman: Into the Spider verse

Blade

I am legend Book of Eli

Horror:

Night of the living dead The People Under the Stairs

Get Out

Us

Nope

Candyman

Comedy :

Harlem nights

Coming to America

CB4

Car Wash

National Security

Im Gonna Git You Sucka

Beauty Shop

Do the Right Thing

Attack the Block

Musical:

The Wiz

Dreamgirls

Cinderella

Jingle Jangle

Sister Act

The Fighting Temptations

Joyful Noise

Documentary:

Paris is Burning

Summer of Soul

13th

Aftershock

Becoming

Whose Streets?

LA 92

The Black Panthers : Vanguard of the revolution

Kiki

Black Art : in the absence of light

Drama:

The Pursuit of Happyness

Whats Love Got to do with It

Fruitvale Station

Fences

John Q 

Holiday Heart

Blind Spotting

Romance:

Woo

The Photograph

Moonlight

Best Mans

Poetic Justice

Naz and Maalik

Deliver us from Eva

Love don’t cost a thing

Shes Gotta Have It

Guess Who

Idlewild

Historical:

Red Tails

Da 5 Bloods

The Color Purple

Beloved

Hidden Figures

Harriet

One Night In Miami

Judas and The Black Messiah

Malcom X

The Butler

Loving Watch with the family:

Soul

Good Burger

Daddy Day Care

Dr. Dolittle

Johnson family vacation 

Haunted Mansion

Drumline

Akeelah and the Bee

Fatherhood

Cool Runnings

The Princess and the Frog

Kazaam

The Sea Beast

Home

A wrinkle in time

The Curse of Bridge Hollow

Canvas

ERAX

Cheaper by the Dozen 2021

King Richard

Fearless

[raspberry-beret]

Art Weekend - Knit the Bridge

The city of Pittsburgh has over 400 bridges, earning its name of the "City of Bridges", and these bridges are important connections between different areas of the city. In 2013, a community-led arts project named Knit the Bridge sought to connect the city's steel heritage with their burgeoning arts scene. On August 11th, 580 knitted and crocheted panels covered the Andy Worhol Bridge in an act of "yarn-bombing", creating a temporary large-scale fiber art installation. The installation lasted for four weeks and was a colorful display of street art.

[topattractionlondon]

Discover London’s Best: Top 15 Must-See Attractions

London is packed with iconic landmarks, rich history, and vibrant culture, making it one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned traveler, there’s always something new to explore. Here’s a guide to the top attractions in London:

1. The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a historic castle that has served many roles over its 1,000-year history, from royal palace to prison. The Crown Jewels, housed within the Tower, are a must-see for anyone fascinated by the British monarchy.

Highlights: The Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters), the White Tower, and its historical significance as a former royal residence and prison.

2. The British Museum

One of the world’s greatest museums, the British Museum houses a vast collection of art and antiquities from around the world. From the Rosetta Stone to the Elgin Marbles, the museum's exhibits span over two million years of history.

Highlights: Ancient Egyptian mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and an impressive collection of Greek and Roman artifacts.

3. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

The seat of British government, the Houses of Parliament is a striking Gothic building on the River Thames. Big Ben, the clock tower, is one of London’s most iconic symbols (although the tower is officially called the Elizabeth Tower).

Highlights: Guided tours of the Parliament, views of Big Ben from Westminster Bridge.

4. The London Eye

The London Eye is the city’s giant Ferris wheel offering panoramic views of London’s skyline. A ride on the London Eye provides a bird’s-eye view of landmarks like the Shard, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.

Highlights: 30-minute rotation offering a stunning 360-degree view of London.

5. Buckingham Palace

The official London residence of the British monarch, Buckingham Palace is a must-see for royal fans. Visitors can tour the State Rooms during the summer months, and the Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place year-round.

Highlights: State Room tours (seasonal), Changing of the Guard ceremony, and views of the palace gardens.

6. The Tate Modern

Housed in a former power station on the South Bank, the Tate Modern is one of the most important modern art galleries in the world. It offers contemporary masterpieces from artists like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dalí.

Highlights: Rotating modern art exhibitions, the stunning Turbine Hall, and free general admission.

7. The Shard

London's tallest skyscraper offers visitors incredible views from its observation deck, The View from The Shard. From 800 feet above, you can see the city's layout, from the River Thames to St. Paul’s Cathedral and beyond.

Highlights: Unrivaled views of London, dining options, and breathtaking architecture.

8. Westminster Abbey

A stunning Gothic church, Westminster Abbey is where British monarchs have been crowned since 1066 and where many are buried. It’s also the site of royal weddings, including the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Highlights: The Coronation Chair, Poets’ Corner, and the tombs of British royalty and notable figures.

9. Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a bustling area filled with shops, restaurants, street performers, and historical landmarks. The covered market offers unique gifts, and the area is home to the Royal Opera House.

Highlights: Street performers, boutique shopping, and the iconic Covent Garden Market.

10. Hyde Park

One of London’s largest green spaces, Hyde Park is perfect for relaxing, picnicking, or exploring. The park features the Serpentine Lake, Speaker’s Corner, and many memorials, including the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.

Highlights: Boating on the Serpentine, Speaker’s Corner debates, and the Diana Memorial.

11. The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a family favorite, home to thousands of specimens spanning the history of life on Earth. From dinosaur skeletons to a blue whale model, this museum brings the natural world to life.

Highlights: Dinosaur exhibits, the Hintze Hall blue whale, and a stunning Victorian building.

12. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

The V&A is one of the world’s leading museums of decorative arts and design. It houses everything from Renaissance sculptures to fashion, textiles, and ceramics.

Highlights: Fashion exhibits, Renaissance masterpieces, and special exhibitions.

13. The Tower Bridge

Often mistaken for London Bridge, Tower Bridge is a magnificent bascule and suspension bridge. Its two towers are connected by high-level walkways, offering fantastic views of the River Thames.

Highlights: The glass-floor walkway, Victorian engine rooms, and picturesque views of the river.

14. Camden Market

Camden Market is known for its eclectic mix of food stalls, fashion boutiques, and vibrant alternative culture. It’s a great place to find vintage clothing, unique art, and sample global street food.

Highlights: Food stalls, alternative fashion shops, and vibrant street art.

15. St. Paul’s Cathedral

Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of London’s most iconic religious buildings. Its magnificent dome, whispering gallery, and crypt make it a fascinating site to explore.

Highlights: The Whispering Gallery, panoramic views from the dome, and historic crypts.

Conclusion

Whether you're into history, art, royalty, or simply wandering through beautiful parks, London has something for everyone. From the awe-inspiring views of the Shard to the rich history in Westminster Abbey, London’s top attractions are sure to leave you with memories that last a lifetime.

[msavagenewcanaan]

Ushio Shinohara's Pop Art Influence: From Soup Cans to Boxing Gloves - Michael Savage of New Canaan

In the vibrant realm of contemporary art, Ushio Shinohara emerges as a dynamic figure whose work resonates with the spirit of Pop Art. Hailing from Japan and making a significant impact in the bustling art scene of 1960s New York, Shinohara's unique blend of Japanese influences and the boldness of American Pop Art resulted in a distinctive and influential body of work. This article explores Ushio Shinohara's Pop Art influence, tracing the echoes of this movement from soup cans to boxing gloves.

1. The Pop Art Wave

The 1960s saw the rise of Pop Art, a movement that celebrated the everyday and the mass-produced, challenging the traditional boundaries of "high art." Artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein embraced popular culture, incorporating imagery from advertisements, comics, and consumer goods into their work. Ushio Shinohara, arriving in New York in the midst of this movement, absorbed the influences of Pop Art into his own artistic expression.

2. Influences from Two Worlds

Shinohara's journey was a convergence of two cultural worlds – his Japanese roots and the effervescent energy of New York's art scene. Drawing from the techniques of the Japanese avant-garde Gutai group and inspired by the boldness of American Pop Art, Shinohara's work became a bridge between East and West, tradition and modernity.

3. Warhol's Soup Cans and Shinohara's Cycles

One cannot delve into Pop Art without acknowledging Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Soup Cans. Similarly, Ushio Shinohara took inspiration from the mundane and elevated it to art. However, Shinohara's focus was not on soup cans but on the everyday bicycle. His "Cycloids" series featured vibrant and chaotic depictions of bicycles, celebrating the commonplace in a manner akin to Warhol's reverence for the everyday object.

4. Action and Expression: Shinohara's "Boxing Painting"

While Warhol's work often leaned towards the static and the reproducible, Shinohara injected a dynamic, performative element into his art. His renowned "Boxing Painting" technique involved wearing boxing gloves dipped in paint and physically punching the canvas. This embodied a fusion of action, expression, and the tactile quality of creation, echoing the vitality of Pop Art.

5. Bold Colors and Dynamic Forms

Pop Art is known for its bold use of color and dynamic forms, and Shinohara's work resonates with these principles. Whether it's the vivid hues in his paintings or the energetic chaos of his sculptures, Shinohara's palette and compositions capture the exuberance inherent in the Pop Art movement.

6. The "Banana Juice" Series: Homage to Warhol

In a playful nod to Andy Warhol's iconic Velvet Underground banana album cover, Shinohara created his own version in the "Banana Juice" series. This series showcased Shinohara's ability to seamlessly blend homage with his distinctive style, embodying the spirit of Pop Art while maintaining his unique voice.

7. Impact on Contemporary Art

Ushio Shinohara's Pop Art influence reverberates through the corridors of contemporary art. His willingness to experiment with materials, techniques, and subject matter paved the way for a new generation of artists unafraid to break free from convention. Shinohara's legacy lives on in the artists who continue to draw inspiration from the exuberance and boundary-pushing ethos of Pop Art.

8. The Intersection of Tradition and Innovation

One of Shinohara's most remarkable contributions is his ability to integrate traditional Japanese art forms with the audacity of Pop Art. From his use of sumi ink to the incorporation of the Japanese sumi-e technique, Shinohara's work embodies a harmonious coexistence of tradition and innovation.

A Fusion of Two Artistic Forces

Ushio Shinohara's Pop Art influence is a testament to the transformative power of cultural cross-pollination. From soup cans to boxing gloves, he navigated the dynamic currents of artistic expression, leaving an indelible mark on the canvas of contemporary art. Shinohara's ability to infuse the everyday with energy, color, and performative flair continues to inspire, reminding us that art, like life, is a vibrant and ever-evolving synthesis of influences.

What sets Blogger Michael Savage in New Canaan apart is his generosity in sharing the beauty of Ushio's unique art with others. He opens the doors of his home to art enthusiasts and curious visitors alike, allowing them to witness and photograph the art collection. This gesture not only fosters a sense of community but also enables individuals to share their experiences on various social media platforms, such as Instagram and beyond.

[avalancheavax]

Low-Code Gaming NFTs ft. Stardust & Avalanche

The Stardust platform has been designed to provide crypto game developers with the tools and support necessary to build games in the metaverse. With Stardust, it takes developers only a few lines of code to create non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that can be integrated into a game and give users irrefutable proof of ownership of their assets. This state-of-the-art platform offers the fastest way for game developers to build, and it’s accessible to private individuals and gaming studios alike. In January 2023, Stardust added Avalanche C-Chain compatibility to furnish designers with greater scaling and customization options.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Ava Labs’ Garrison Yang and Ed Chang join Stardust’s Atif Khan and Andy Adams to explore current trends in low-code gaming NFTs and related issues that impact the blockchain gaming community. Topics covered include: - How Stardust simplifies and enhances the Web3 experience - When developers should reach out to a third-party company like Stardust - How Stardust can ensure regulatory compliance - Catering to the varying needs of game devs - Building Stardust from a game dev’s perspective - The importance of scalability - Some cool recent games - Which type of game company is best positioned to make the Web3 transition - Addressing the stigma about NFTs - The new Ava Labs/Stardust accelerator program

In just a few short years Avalanche has become the fastest and most reliable smart contracts platform in the world. It offers a revolutionary consensus protocol and highly customizable Subnets to empower Web3 developers to launch dApps, NFTs, and much more. Avalanche allows developers to deploy on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), or use a custom VM to build whatever they want. Users can utilize digital assets stored in their NFT wallet, transfer funds on a cross-chain bridge, become a validator to earn staking rewards, and participate in a thriving worldwide community of blockchain aficionados. Check out the links below to learn more.

Learn More & Join the Avalanche Community: Website: https://www.avax.network  Ecosystem: https://ecosystem.avax.network  Twitter: https://twitter.com/avax  Discord: https://chat.avax.network  Forum: https://forum.avax.network 

Stardust: Website: https://www.stardust.gg  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stardust 

[creativeenquirylynnbowers]

Notes:

10 years old - first hallucination.

Hallucinations described as "flashes of lights, auras or dense fields of dots".

The dots consumed her and she said that they "obliterated" her.

Kusama has been obsessed with dots her whole life.

Yayoi Kusama - Untitled (1939) Pencil sketch.

Work includes art, fashion, filmmaking and performance art.

Polka dots are a consistent motif throughout her work.

Born in 1929, rural provincial town in Japan to a wealthy family.

Intense militarism at the time in Japan.

1941, at 12 years old Kusama sewing military parachutes in textile factories.

Sewing is a skill she used later on in her soft sculptures.

Abusive mother did everything she could to prevent Kusama from becoming an artist or having a career at all which her mother said would bring shame on their family.

Art helped Kusama with her mental health - hallucinations, depression, anxiety which she still struggles with today.

Kusama describes her whole body feeling like it's breaking down and becoming absorbed by or dissolving into the environment around her.

She uses art to take back control and fight against her mental illnesses.

Unknown in Japan, Kusama found a book of Georgia O'keefe's paintings which she was so inspired by and impressed by her achievements as a woman.

O'Keefe and Kusama wrote letters to one another and O'Keefe introduced Kusama to important people in the art world in New York.

Yayoi Kusama - Flower A (2005) Screenprint.

Seeing America as a clean slate, Kusama burned 2000 old artworks.

She didn't return to Japan until 1973.

Arrived in New York to "become a star".

Difficult city to conquer considering she had no support system and she spoke very little english.

Living a wealthy life in Japan to living in poverty in New York.

Fame was something she craved, it was her driving force.

Polka Dot - comparison to Roy Liechtenstein and Bridget Riley.

Kusama's dots come from within - a form of healing and the repetition calms her mind, overcoming anxiety and fear.

A way to "self-obliterate", disappear into her own artwork.

Applying polka dots to animals, paper, canvases, walls, people.

Refused to be put in a box, continued reinventing herself.

Infinity Nets - semi-circles of paint on massive canvases, calming in comparison to the mark making of Jackson Pollock, a bridge between Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.

A workaholic - Kusama spent all day everyday making Infinity Net paintings until she had no more room in her studio. Working through the night as well, she ended up being hospitalised for her mental illness.

Yayoi Kusama - Infinity-Nets KYKEY (2017) Acrylic on canvas.

Installation - Kusama was a leading figure in this art form.

1962 - Phallic soft sculptures made of canvas filled with cotton.

A juxtaposition of humour and sexuality.

Yayoi Kusama - Red Stripes (1965)

Row boat covered in soft sculptures with a repetitive wallpaper pattern of the same sculptures.

Yayoi Kusama - Aggregation: One Thousand Boats Show (1964)

Male artists ripped off her artwork and didn't credit or even acknowledge her as inspiration at the very least.

Artists like Andy Warhol seeing and complimenting her wallpaper idea and then doing the same thing in their exhibitions.

This depressed Kusama and she holed up in her studio, covering the windows, working in secret so that no one could steal her ideas.

Phallic Field - a mirrored room full of her polka dotted phallic soft sculptures. An interactive experience rather than simply viewing.

Yayoi Kusama - Phalli's Field (1965) Installed at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2017.

Kusama's lack of control over her health meant she creates artworks that control how the viewers experience her artwork.

Mirror Rooms = Kusama.

Another male artist copied her mirror room and got rave reviews while hers didn't. This caused her to become depressed and suicidal.

1966, Kusama gatecrashed the 33rd Venice Biennale with "Narcissus Garden" - hundreds of mirrored spheres, her take on commercialism in the art world - a "kinetic carpet".

Dressed in a gold kimono, she sold each sphere for $2 until she was thrown out.

Yayoi Kusama - Narcissus Garden (1966)

As a woman, Kusama had to fight for her voice to be heard.

Criticised for "excessive self-promotion" Kusama places herself at the center of her work as it is deeply personal to her.

Sees herself as a "living work of art".

A lot of this information is discussed in Kusama's autobiography titled "Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama". She has certainly led a fascinating life and I feel so inspired by her. I relate to Kusama a lot regarding her struggles with mental health issues and using her art to manage them. I find the repetitive process of drawing shapes and patterns and folding paper incredibly soothing and - while I don't suffer from hallucinations - I do suffer with generalised anxiety and I feel a sense of calm as well as accomplishment when I complete a particularly intricate piece of artwork. I'm also autistic, so, the aspect of repetition in terms of pattern as well as process is a way for me to avoid uncertainty which would inevitably cause me to feel anxious. I have my particular ways of working which I enjoy and feel good about. I find it difficult to stray away from my usual routine in terms of the materials I use, the patterns I gravitate towards and the environment in which I work.

[brn1029]

This day in Classics of Rock…

March 28th

2013 - Hugh McCracken

American rock guitarist and session musician Hugh McCracken died of leukemia in New York City at the age of 70. He appeared on many recordings by Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Billy Joel, Roland Kirk, Roberta Flack, B. B. King, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, The Monkees, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, James Taylor, Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, Graham Parker, Eric Carmen, Loudon Wainwright III, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, The Four Seasons, Hall and Oates, Gary Wright and Andy Gibb. Because of such high demand for his work, McCracken declined Paul McCartney's invitation to help form his new band, Wings after appearing on his 1971 album Ram.

2000 - Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page accepted substantial undisclosed libel damages from a magazine which claimed he had caused or contributed to the death of his Led Zeppelin bandmate John Bonham. Page's solicitor, Norman Chapman, told High Court Judge Mr Justice Morland that the feature in Ministry magazine printed in 1999 claimed Page was more concerned with keeping vomit off his bed than saving his friend's life, and that he stood over him wearing Satanist robes and performing a useless spell.

1992 - Ozzy Osbourne

Over a $100,000 (£58,800) worth of damage was caused at The Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, California, when Ozzy Osbourne invited the first two rows of the audience on stage. Several others took up the offer and the band was forced to exit the stage.

1976 - Phil Collins

Genesis began their first North American tour since Peter Gabriel left the band, appearing in Buffalo, New York, with Phil Collins taking over as lead singer.

1973 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin released their fifth studio album, Houses Of The Holy in the UK. The album title was a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed 'Houses of the Holy'. The cover is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. The two children who modelled for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samantha Gates.

1970 - Simon and Garfunkel

Simon and Garfunkel were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', the duo's only UK No.1. Only Art Garfunkel sang on the track.

1968 - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd recorded a performance for the BBC 2 TV Omnibus - The Sound of Change show from Barnes Common, London, England. The special, which was produced by Tony Palmer, also featured performances by The Who, Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The show was later broadcast in September of this year.

1967 - The Beatles

Working on sessions for the new Beatles album Sgt. Pepper at Abbey Road studios in London, John Lennon recorded his lead vocal for ‘Good Morning Good Morning’, and Paul McCartney added a lead guitar solo to the track. Lennon had decided he wanted to end the song with animal sound effects, and asked that they be sequenced in such a way that each successive animal was capable of scaring or eating the preceding one.

[biglisbonnews]

Grandma Moses Homestead in Eagle Bridge, New York Norman Rockwell, Grant Wood, Edward Hopper—American artists who captured pockets of American life in their work. For Rockwell, it was heartwarming snapshots of human-to-human moments in small towns. For Wood, looks into the lives of those in the Midwest. For Hopper, the loneliness of urban and suburban life. Yet the perspective of Anna Mary Robertson Moses in her unique artwork has charmed and captivated Americans for generations.   The name Anna Mary Robertson Moses might not immediately ring any bells, because she was known professionally as "Grandma Moses." Born in Greenwich, New York, in 1860, she exhibited an interest in art from a young age. At the age of 12, Moses (then Robertson) started working as a housekeeper for a wealthy family who lived nearby. Her employers recognized her interest in art and provided the young girl with art supplies. In 1887, she married Thomas Moses and the happy couple moved from New York to Shenandoah Valley, where they lived for nearly 20 years. In 1905, they moved back to New York to the hamlet of Eagle Bridge, where they dubbed their new residence "Mount Nebo." At Mount Nebo, Grandma Moses spent her time farming and painting. She wasn't terribly concerned with her work being popular or even selling, she simply painted for the sake of painting. In 1938, New York City art collector Louis Caldor happened to pass through the area and saw Moses's art at a drugstore. He was captivated by the work and tracked down the artist—now 78 years old—and bought several of her pieces. When Caldor brought them back to the city to exhibit, many people laughed him off or were turned off by the artist's age. But throught sheer perseverance and a belief in her talent, Caldor made Grandma Moses a household name. She would sometimes visit the city, often dressed in conservative outfits giving speeches about making jams and preserving fruits as if at a county fair, and become something of a sensation in the art scene of 1940s New York City. Grandma Moses's amazing ability to capture sweet scenes of country life made her arguably the most famous folk artist in American history. By the time she died in 1961 at the age of 101, her name, face, and art were known across the nation. In many ways, Grandma Moses was one of the most popular artists of her generation, and the way she managed her image and the mythos surrounding her are clear precursors to celebrity artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Even today, Grandma Moses' art adorns postage stamps and pillowcases, and is reproduced for families to bring into their own homes. And Mount Nebo itself still stands The farm, which is still owned by the Moses family, is now an art gallery. It turns out that artistic talent runs in the family, and Grandma Moses' great-great-great grandson Will Moses now not only owns Mount Nebo but sells his own beautiful folk art from it.   Besides Will Moses' gallery in the former homestead, the shadow of Grandma Moses looms large in Hoosick: She was buried in the town, murals of her art cover nearby buildings, and the cozy, rolling hills of upstate New York will make you feel like you've dropped right into one of her paintings. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grandma-moses-homestead

[trashvideofinland]

Cowboy Hollywoodissa / Hearts of the West (1975) Esselte Video / MGM/UA Home Video https://www.videospace.fi/release/cowboy_hollywoodissa_vhs_esselte_video_mgmua_home_video_finland

[adarkrainbow]

Behind Peau d’âne (1970) - B

# The visuals of the movie were one of the elements that turned it cult - but fascinatingly they were originally conceived VERY differently. Demy’s original draft for the movie was very macabre, as the kingdom of Donkey Skin was supposed to be filled with hanged men, skeletons and plague victims. He kept this concept for his next fairy tale adaptation, “Le Joueur de flûte” (The Pied piper). 

# The visuals of the movie were inspired by the “psychedelic world of the hippies”, with strong, bright colors (a typical trait of Demy works) and excessive costumes. In fact, the movie was heavily inspired by everything Jacques Demy just discovered during his two-years stay in the USA: the pop art, the peace and love movement, the Renaissance fairs... It all was still very “exotic” for France at the time. Demy mixed the American influences such as Andy Warhol and Walt Disney (especially “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”) with the European ones, such as Gustave Doré and Leonor Fini. 

# The strong colors that literaly divide the areas and parts of the movie, to the point they even colorized horses and human skin, were heavily inspired by the style of Andy Warhol, but also carry their own symbolism. The blue of Donkey Skin’s native castle evokes both Bluebeard and “blue blood”: Bluebeard, to reflect the danger towards a woman manifesting itself here ; blue blood, as a nod to how medieval nobility frequently practiced consanguinity, reflecting the Blue King’s own incestuous plans. The Blue Kingdom is a closed on itself, as reflected not just by the acceptation of incest but also by the Blue Castle which is built entirely around an interior courtyard. The red of the kingdom Donkey Skin flees to rather evokes the “revolution”: it is where the Princess escapes the will of both her father and king, and it is where the Prince dares fall in love with a dirty nobody instead of marrying a princess - and the Prince notably is revolted by Donkey Skin’s living conditions, seemingly carrying a social message. The color white is the one of innocence and harmony, that appears when a conflict is resolved and dominates the ending: it is the color of the marriage of the Princess and the Prince, it is the color of the Red royals happy to see their son healed, it is the color of the Blue King and the Lilac Fairy just wed, resolving their romantic tension. As for the violet/purple, it is the color of the Lilac Fairy, a color mixing the red and the blue, and similarly the Fairy is the bridge between the two kingdoms: the Fairy is the one that prevents the incest first by letting the princess escape, then by marrying the king herself. White is also an “unifying” and “transition” color as the sum of all colors: the carriage with which the Princess escapes is silver with white horses and filled with white feathers. A coding typical of all of Demy movies is also how white means “sublimed love”, “searched ideal” and “dream”. 

# The division between the two kingdoms goes further with the sets. The Blue castle is an imposing medieval fortress turned towards the inside courtyard, where the Princess plays music. The Prince’s castle is more open (the wedding is a outside ceremony) and more symetrical. The Blue Kingdom is covered in vegetals and animals : you have ivy-covered walls, living statues, a giant white cat for a throne... A similarly “disorganized” and “chaotic” feeling is present in the clearing of the Lilac Fairy, filled with invasive vegetation and broken stones. On the contrary, the Red Castle is a place of order and submission, with a focus on craft, industry, mineral: the stone walls are bare and have little furniture, except for psychedelic paintings. In fact, it is the presence of psychedelic paintings in the two castles that makes a “bridge” between the two and prepares the final union. 

# Demy was, of course, heavily influenced by Jean Cocteau’s work - especially by his Beauty and the Beast adaptation, from 1946. Demy and Cocteau knew each other since the 50s, Demy was introduced to Cocteau through Jean Marais, and as he was preparing his Donkey Skin movie, Demy watched back Cocteau’s “La Belle et la Bête” several times. No need to tell you that the choice of Jean Marais for the Blue King is an obvious reference made by Demy, as Marais played the Beast in Cocteau’s movie. In fact, both are roles about “transgressive desires towards the heroine”, in both cases the woman receives the transformation in an unexpected way (Beauty accepts the Beast’s human form with some regrets, the Princess seems disappointed that her father marries the Lilac Fairy), and both have similar clothing styles. There are even more nods in the sets: the living statues, the immobile guards and the omnipresent vegetation are so many nods to Cocteau’s movie. The bedroom of the Princess is similar to the one of Beauty in the Beast’s castle, and the trick of the candles lighting themselves on their own was taken from Cocteau - just like the doors opening on their own. The escape of the princess from her castle in slow-motion is another nod to the arrival in slow-motion of Beauty at the castle of the Beast, and the list goes on... To get out of “Beauty and the Beast”, the scene of the Prince being blocked by an invisible wall seems to be a nod to Cocteau’s “Orpheus” where the poet (played by Jean Marais) is blocked by a magical mirror - and the talking rose the Prince discusses with seems to be a nod to the living hand with a mouth from “Orpheus”. Finally, it is considered that the anachronistic decision to add an helicopter at the end might be a reference to Orpheus’ own anachronism with motorbikes. 

# Demy wanted, with his “Peau d’âne”, to created a “disturbing” movie that would oppose both the “established order” and the “judeo-christian education”. He wanted to mix together a “childish subject”, a fantasy story that would please kids, and the adult view of a “perverse tale” in front of which people will have to consider their puritanism. He admitted himself to have filled his scenario with “traps”: he wrote the story of a liberation. It is a journey that begins with phantasm, then slides into the “other world” through a series of “unleashed” with the dream scee, and finally it ends with the “fitting of the ring”. But Demy also said that another one of his intentions for the movie was to create a “realist fairytale”, where the characters would have logical and credible reactions in front of the magical or supernatural. 

# We said it in the previous post, Demy decided to keep the theme of the incest from Perrault’s tale, while reading it with a more modern lense adding to it an “obscene aspect, almost pornographic” (Demy’s own words). But unlike the tale, in the movie the Princess doesn’t actually seems revolted or repelled by her father’s plans - in fact she opposed to her godmother’s warnings her own feelings of love for her father. This led many critics to consider the movie to be about Electra’s complex, the attraction of a daughter for her father. Other critics have also noted that the character of the Princess created by Demy seems to be an “opposition” of traditional fairytale princesses: unlike them, who are passive characters waiting for their prince, Donkey Skin defends her feelings, and seems to manipulate the Prince to “obtain” him. The scene of the Prince at the cabin has notably been looked upon this angle: the Prince, blocked by an invisible wall, is forced to look through a certain opening through which the Princess can control what he sees thanks to the angle - she actively blinds him with light, and then just like in the fairytale puts her ring into the cake. The Princess here seems active in her quest for love, and quite transgressive as she doesn’t condemn incest: she agreed to the wedding to her father. Even more, if the Lilac Fairy prevents the wedding, it is in her own words for questions of “culture and legislation” - the word “decency” is nowhere to be found. As a result some critics said that this movie actually had a more “depraved” form of love presented - invoking for example the scene of the Princess singing “Amour, Amour” (Love, Love) while her father looks at her from a window, while the parrot mockingly repeats the words, and the lyrics themselves compare love to madness. 

As for the Prince, in his quest for true love he follows the advice of a “sensual rose with fleshy lips” ; but the interactions between the Prince and Princess are far from romantic, and seem to be closer to a brotherly love (again, invoking the incest theme). And at the end of the movie, when all the characters are gathered back, Demy added an element: the Blue King and the Lilac Fairy are now lovers. This brings to mind the ambiguous words of the Fairy as she advises the Princess how to escape her father, and reveals that in truth the Fairy’s motivation for “helping” the Princess was just to get rid of a love rival. In this new angle the Fairy seems quite immoral, and again breaks the fairytale stereotype. And at the end, if you look closely, the Princess seems sulky upon finding her father marrying another - as if she still loved him. This all questions the traditional “and they lived happily ever after” ending of fairytales, by questioning the happiness and stability of the formed couples. In truth, the movie seems to be mostly about burying your intimate passions for social conventions, it is a constant struggle between the King’s brutal desires, the Fairy plots and schemes, the “mocking society” of the farm, the whims and caprices of the Prince who always obtains what he wants, and how the “dirty” Donkey Skin gives commands and orders to the “princess” Donkey Skin (like in the baking scene). Ugly somehow becomes powerful, and beauty becomes something to defend in the name of “the love of love”. 

# Mirrors frequently come back throughout the movie. A symbol of reflection and doubt, characters seem to use it to interrogate themselves - because the “sincerity of the feelings” is a core element of the story. Donkey Skin wonders if her love for her father is enough to marry him ; the Prince is saddened to not find his true love ; the Fairy hides behind her godmother duties her jealous passion for the Blue King - and Demy likes to confront those “truth seekings” with the various “falsenesses” of the movie, from the fakeness of the sets to the anachronisms. The mirror, symbol of frivolity and superficiality, a mean of merely checking one’s appearance, is notably present in the Lilac Fairy first scene, and the Fairy is upset that the Princess disturbs her before she can finishing preparing her new appearance. She appears even more vain when she only answers to the Princess’ tears that crying is not good for one’s beauty. In fact, Demy seems to play on this side of the character, as the Fairy seems to care more about looks and appearances than the morality of the incest. The mirror also appears for each of the fantastic dresses she demands her father, and it is in front of a mirror that she desolates herself of her transformation into “donkey skin”. And when the Princess looks at herself in a pond, it is a nod to a piece done by Gustave Doré - and to make sure the pond would work as the mirror, they actually created this pond artificially by putting a mirror and pouring on it special water. But if the mirror serves to one’s glory, it is also a tool of delusion: in what seems a subtle nod to “Snow White”, the mirror highlights the “virginal youth” of the Princess and the more mature age of the Godmother. When the Lilac Fairy is in front of her mirror, Donkey Skin fills most of the reflection, and later the Fairy says how her “charms” (both magical and sensual) are declining like “used batteries”. The Lilac Fairy seems almost like a watered-down version of Snow White’s evil queen. You can also note that at her wedding, the Princess wears a collar very similar to the one of the Lilac Fairy, as if by accepting this conventional wedding and refusing the incest, she matured into an older and less desirable version of herself. We should also note that the only apparition of the Blue King after Donkey Skin leaves her kingdom is in a magic mirror she uses to spy on him. Mirrors are also tools of communication in this movie: when the Fairy leaves her forest, she appears in the Princess’ mirror. It is with her mirror that the Princess spies on her father. When she first meets the Prince they only see each other through reflections in mirrors. But mirrors also note a certain distanciation, as the first meeting with the Prince through mirrors has the Prince blinded by light and then fleeing in front of his own feelings. 

# The movie works on a duality between “the noble/the beautiful” and the “vulgar/the ugly”. Already at the beginning of the tale those two domains mix each other with the donkey shitting gold - it is a scatophile miracle that through an ugly actions offers a grand prosperity. If the Blue and Red castles are domains of opulence, Donkey Skin lives in a world of ugliness, taking care of pigs’ trough and obeying an old woman spitting toads. In fact, it is the laundresses that mock first Donkey-Skin’s appearance, because in this movie everyone aims at beauty and everything is turned to the noble: the donkey’s dejection are “sublimed” into gold and riches ; the “weather dress” is specified to be a dress of “good weather”, and the first thing Donkey Skin does in her new home is cleaning it up. This duality becomes extremely strong during the “love cake” song, during which the heroine splits herself into two - the dirty Donkey Skin and the beautiful sun-dress princess. This cabin is a liminal place where the dirt coexists with the beauty of the magical objects - people have noted that the “domestication of the slum” is a common theme of the “Glorious Thirties” (Les Trente Glorieuses) in France, and of the Walt Disney movies. Demy’s own scenes seem to be almost parodying the scenes of Snow-White cleaning the dwarfs house and taking care of everything, literaly splitting the two sides of the characters as a beautiful princess in a dress that is not fit for chores and a slattern dressed in animal skins. The fact the “cake” scene is also devoid of either red or blue, while having the two personas of the heroine coexisting has made numerous people read it as the “middle” of the movie, the part where the girl is in the middle of her journey, stuck between two castles she cannot reach, stuck between two “unfinished identities”. And the very cabin of the princess is a place out of space and out of time, where movements are slow, people can freeze in time, and an invisible wall blocks the Prince. It is an “out of game” area where people can only look. 

# The movie also has a STRONG hippie side to it. The song “Rêves secrets d’un prince et d’une princesse” (Secrets dreams of a prince and a princess) is the apex of the “hippie manifest”, as its lyrics clearly invite to break forbidden things. “We will do what is forbidden”, “we will drink at the bar”, “we will smoke pipe while hiding” “we will stuff ourselves with pastries”, “we will do somersaults” - all very ambiguous lyrics, as for example “faire des galipettes” (do the somersaults) was an expression for “having sex”, while many see the “smoking pipe” like as not just breaking the gender norms of only men smoking pipe, but as a clear nod to the “forbidden substance pipe”. The hippie aesthetic is also heavily present throughout the movie: the fields are covered in strange colorful flowers, feasts always have a lot of drinks, the young lovers vow to be in constant rebellion, they are seen sliding on a river on a boat while smoking a narguile... Even the literal flowery beard of the Red King can evoke the “Flower Power”. As for the cake the Prince asks for - he asks for a “cake”. Not its French translation, a “gâteau” - he asks for the English word, a “cake d’amour”, a “cake of love”. And this insistance on using an English word instead of the French one was read as some to be a nod to the “space cakes” (that Demy himself apparently tasted during a trip to California). As a result, many people willingly interpret Peau d’Âne as an “hallucinogenic dream” embodying the counter-culture of the 60s, and as a continuation of Demy’s previous movie, “Model Shop”. 

# The hairdo of the Princess were inspired by the way Italian princesse did their own hair, such as in the painting “The Beautiful Princess” commonly attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. The huge parades of guests at the end of the movie were taken from the prose version of the original tale, as illustrated by Gustave Doré ; and similarly Demy kept Gustave Doré’s idea of covering the Princess castle with vegetation to convey a mixed feeling of “wealth and oppression”. 

[dyglc]

Make Your Desk Pop with the Pop Art Desk Lamp!

Hi, this is Deya!

A first year student of RepubLikha from Bachelor of Design of Miriam College. Let me introduce you to my third design!

For the third requirement in Design History (AAV-104) class under Mr. Rino Datuin, we were given the freedom to choose an era and any type of design to create our very own lamp design.

To come up with a design, here is another moodboard that I put together to guide me and here you guys have: The Pop Art Desk Lamp!

Stay tune to find out how the Pop Art Desk Lamp came to be and why I chose this as my inspiration!

Pop goes the Art!

The pop art movement peaked in 1960s as it evoked during the 1950s in America and Britain. It was The movement was motivated by the popular culture in the western society and began as a rebellion against traditional forms of art.

Artists that belong in the pop art movement believed that traditional art does not reflect the real world and it was built abide with the traditional contemporary art standards instead.

Who makes the Art in Pop?

There are a lot of pop artists from the 1950s to present and as they continue to grow; Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring remains as the notorious artists in the pop art scene.

Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola) was born August 6, 1928 and died February 22, 1987. He was known for his Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) art piece, "its canvases are hand-painted, and the fleur de lys pattern ringing each can’s bottom edge is hand-stamped".

Roy (Fox) Lichtenstein was born October 27, 1923 and died September 29, 1997. He was known for his Drowning Girl (1963), an art piece that was a cropped page from a romance comic book but was altered. Lichtenstein says, “My work is actually different from comic strips in that every mark is really in a different place, however slight the difference seems to some. The difference is often not great, but it is crucial”.

Keith Haring was born May 4, 1958 and died February 16, 1990. He was known for his Radiant Baby (1990) art piece, "a simple outline of a baby or person crawling on the floor on their hands and knees with lines emanating from them. Haring himself has commented that for him this baby represents youthful innocence, purity and goodness".

Pop Art is a unique movement that focuses on what is real. It allows not only the artist but also the people to know the important subject matter, bridging modern and classical art together to realize the true meaning of art and being an artist.

The Design & The Process

The first moodboard on this blog was part of the initial concept of the Pop Art Desk Lamp however, due to materials not being available I had to change the design and inspiration of the lamp.

For my initial concept, it was mainly inspired by magazine cut-outs and some andy warhol design. However due to lack of materials, I had to change the concept of where the pop art lamp will go. That is how I considered Keith Haring's design as he is still a pop art artist and falls under the graffiti subculture in New York City.

These are RepubLikha's lamp designs together and as you can see, for my lamp, the redesigned Pop Art Desk Lamp finally came to life!

Aside from the design change, most of the initial concept that I have in mind was kept during the lamp design process. Same base lamp but some materials were changed; the washi tape and acrylic paint while cut-outs and stickers were removed.

Here are the details of the pop art lamp, a keith haring inspired design on the lamp head, body of the lamp was changed from black to yellow, fuzzy wires were wrapped on the wire, small neck of the lamp covered in label sticker and lastly, the funko pop and miniature figure of iron man.

With the pop art lamp, it will never be a boring work time ever again! A functional piece of pop of color and design that will make your desk fun and come to life.

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Check out my teammates’ designs through their blogs for more inspiration!

Bea's | Claire's | Ann's | Zeanne's

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References

Rise Art. (n.d.). What is Pop Art? A Guide to the Pop Art Movement. https://www.riseart.com/guide/2352/guide-to-pop-art

Tate. (n.d.). What Was Andy Warhol Thinking? https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/what-was-andy-warhol-thinking

Howie, L. (n.d.). Andy Warhol's 5 Most Famous Artworks. https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-andy-warhol/guides/andy-warhols-5-most-famous-artworks

MoMa Learning. (n.d). Campbell's Soup Cans. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-1962

The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (2022, November 9). "Andy Warhol". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andy-Warhol. Accessed 5 December 2022.

Tate. (n.d.). Roy Lichtenstein 1923–1997. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/roy-lichtenstein-1508

Yood, James. (2022, November 18). "Keith Haring". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Keith-Haring

Broad, J. (2020, January 6). The 20th century history of the Anglepoise lamp — 1933–1985. James Broad Interiors. https://jamesbroadinteriors.medium.com/the-20th-century-history-of-the-anglepoise-lamp-1933-1985-c90129b5fd7f

Jimmie Martin. (n.d.). Rocket — Life Size Mannequin Floor Lamps. https://jimmiemartin.com/lighting/#bwg18/6824

Design Fair. (2014, January 27). I’M A MESS (and more …) Mannequin Floor Lamps by Jimmie Karlsson & Martin Nihlmar from JIMMIE MARTIN. https://www.design-fair.com/im-a-mess-and-more-floor-lamps-by-jimmie-karlsson-martin-nihlmar-from-jimmie-martin

Garcia, L. (2019, October 30). The Pamaypay & Abaniko Throughout Philippine History. https://www.filipinowedding.com/blogs/wedding-blog/the-pamaypay-abaniko-throughout-philippine-history

[rockislandadultreads]

Humorous Horror Stories: book recommendations 

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in the Zoinx River Valley in Oregon) are all grown up and haven't seen each other since their fateful, final case in 1977. Andy, the tomboy, is twenty-five and on the run, wanted in at least two states. Kerri, one-time kid genius and budding biologist, is bartending in New York, working on a serious drinking problem. At least she's got Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the team. Nate, the horror nerd, has spent the last thirteen years in and out of mental health institutions, and currently resides in an asylum in Arhkam, Massachusetts. The only friend he still sees is Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star. The problem is, Peter's been dead for years. The time has come to uncover the source of their nightmares and return to where it all began in 1977. This time, it better not be a man in a mask. The real monsters are waiting.

Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore

In San Francisco, the souls of the dead are mysteriously disappearing—and you know that can't be good—in New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore's delightfully funny sequel to A Dirty Job. Something really strange is happening in the City by the Bay. People are dying, but their souls are not being collected. Someone—or something—is stealing them and no one knows where they are going, or why, but it has something to do with that big orange bridge. Death Merchant Charlie Asher is just as flummoxed as everyone else. He's trapped in the body of a fourteen-inch-tall "meat" waiting for his Buddhist nun girlfriend, Audrey, to find him a suitable new body to play host. To get to the bottom of this abomination, a motley crew of heroes will band together: the seven-foot-tall death merchant Minty Fresh; retired policeman turned bookseller Alphonse Rivera; the Emperor of San Francisco and his dogs, Bummer and Lazarus; and Lily, the former Goth girl. Now if only they can get little Sophie to stop babbling about the coming battle for the very soul of humankind...

Comemadre by Roque Larraquy, Heather Cleary (Translator)

In the outskirts of Buenos Aires in 1907, a doctor becomes involved in a misguided experiment that investigates the threshold between life and death. One hundred years later, a celebrated artist goes to extremes in search of aesthetic transformation, turning himself into an art object. How far are we willing to go, Larraquy asks, in pursuit of transcendence? The world of Comemadre is full of vulgarity, excess, and discomfort: strange ants that form almost perfect circles, missing body parts, obsessive love affairs, and man-eating plants. Darkly funny, smart, and engrossing, here the monstrous is not alien, but the consquence of our relentless pursuit of collective and personal progress.

What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong

Dave, John and Amy recount what seems like a fairly straightforward tale of a shape-shifting creature from another dimension that is stealing children and brainwashing their parents, but it eventually becomes clear that someone is lying, and that someone is the narrators. The novel you're reading is a cover-up, and the "true" story reveals itself in the cracks of their hilariously convoluted, and sometimes contradictory, narrative.