#neo-Scandinavian aesthetic

[happywebdesign]

Rains

[rawvnoisevcruster]

If you had to describe crust and all its various subgenres, how would you? Defining sounds, aesthetic, etc all wrapped up in one. What makes something crust

This actually hits on a vary interesting part of the crust scene to me. "Crust punk" is more then just crust too me. It's all sorts of music from all over punk/hardcore/metal. D beat is a good example, d beat isn't crust but every crustie loves d beat. Same for grind, uk/us hardcore, death/black metal, noise punk. So describing the crust scene and describe actual crust punk music (as apposed to music crustie like) is two different situations

AS FOR A ANSWER the core crust sound that all other come from its that first wave uk/us thrash and first wave bm, the Bristol style anarcho punk (ie disorder, chaos uk etc), discharge and it's clones (crucifix, disattack, anti cimex), and the more out there anarcho punk like antisect, dirt, conflict.

For individual sounds it's heavy influence on a fuzz and gain heavy guitar play simpl punk riffs with a almost thrash sound to em.Bass is vary gangly, distorted and low for both guitar and bass there both distorted to the point you can't hear the individual strums of the guitar. Drums have a high snare and cymbols with low toms to make the drum fills stand out. Lots of rolls,crash cymbol hits and odd poly rhythms. And the high hat is played open instead of closed. And finally the vocals can be done all sorts of way bouncing from crass style rhythmic saying of words, metal style growls, hardcore yells, to even singing (at least in the the us scene for some reason), focusing on angry and gloomy political topics taken spoken about in a broad view, less personal and more third person

First distinction in style (excluding scenes crustie like but aren't crust proper, agin dbeat, grind, etc)

Stenchcore: much more metal, more odd rhythms, and more riffs over speed. Many times slower, more intricate, cleaner, & atmospheric guitar. Also tends to describe its politics in a more esoteric style (see deviated instinct, life, sword wielder)

Crasher crust: uk early crust with a more frantic style. More quick, jumpy. Less atmospheric and moody guitars and bass, focusing on more extreme noisy & and that high guitar low bass sound. And a more hardcore yelling vocals then growls (see gloom, atrocious madness, death dust extractor)

Stadium crust: heavy Scandinavian dbeat influences, much clearer less distorted sounding bass and guitar. More pushing drum and less fills, and more intricate riffs (see wolf brigade, victims, dis fear)

Neo crust: lots of melodic but dark riffs. break downs of slower sludge metal riffs, simpler black metal influenced drums. Plus more slower atmospheric sounds. (See his hero is gone, habak, ekkaia)

Blackend crust: early uk crust and neo crust with a heavy influence of bm (as the name suggests) heavy on rhythm. Simple drawn out riffs, less fuzz on guitar and bass (see iskra, dodsrit, martyrdöd)

I know there's more genres but I need to get this out so I'll put the others in a re blog plus soon the genres get messy and muddy as far as hard line differences

[broomsick]

Hello! I'm still trying to figure out my way through Norse paganism as I just started earlier this year. I suck at reading so I've been taking it slow as I try to learn as much as I can.

I saw your post about perceiving the Norse gods as all hyper violent war gods.

And in normal practice I completely respect the gods and understand their personalities and nuance. My favorite is Nordr and Tyr.

But I also enjoy the unrealistic inaccurate depictions of vikings, not when it's trying to be "historically accurate" like the show vikings and also the "modern aesthetics" just because I'm someone who enjoys things like action movies and the general style (with the tattoos and haircuts)

Is that wrong? I do not wish to be disrespectful to the gods.

It isn't wrong at all! It’s not something to feel guilty about in the slightest. In fact, I also quite enjoy these sorts of shows/movies. I can confidently say the Vikings show it's one of my favorite shows, ahaha! For whatever reason, heathen circles tend to bash it for not being "historically accurate". What they don't realize is that being 100% historically accurate is simply impossible, considering the amount of undeniable information we've got on belief, riteS and costums of the Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age. For a work of fiction based on viking exploration, I believe Vikings did an outstanding job on many levels. Sure, on the other hand, many aspects of the show such as the societal structures and metaphysics were created almost from scratch by the creators of the show. However, people need to understand that this show, like many other movies and shows that depict the vikings, wasn't sold as a documentary but as a piece of fiction, and its target audience aren't scholars, or people interested in learning historical fact. People like you and me are able to both enjoy a piece of fiction, and do research of our own. Apart from being perfectly okay, this mindset is even healthy. Liking an aesthetic and practicing neo-paganism are two things that can coexist in perfect harmony. The only hazard is that some may equate one with the other, and fail to discern the important difference between the two. I can clearly see that you’re genuinely interested in learning about the norse pagan faith, so this isn’t your case at all, and there’s no shame to be had in liking an aesthetic! If it’s any consolation, I’m also quite fond of the “viking aesthetic” as well, ahaha! A lot of my norse pagan friends are fans of “LARPing”, and they are aware that modern depictions and historical fact are two entirely different things. They make this distinction and they still enjoy dressing up in thick fur coats, with helmets on their heads and chainmail on their torsos! Liking the aesthetic sold by modern depictions of the vikings can exist completely independently from your faith, is the point I’m trying to make. And to answer your question, it isn’t disrespectful at all. It’s simply something you enjoy! Believe me, the Gods will not smite you down for enjoying something! Else I would already be smitten myself, ahaha!

[ffcstore]

anime, cartoon, valentine, valentines day, funny, valentines, heart, love, anime fans, spike spiegel, faye valentine, cute, design, cheap, luffy, one piece, manga, red, vintage, human made, nigo, hypebeast, humanmade, highsnobiety, duck, animal, dragon ball, valentine day, for her, for him, vegeta and bulma, vegeta love, vegeta, bulma, bulma love, lover, vegeta lovers, sleeve, vegeta fans, mouth, face, videogame, indie, retro, game, cowboy, sushi, hug, nigiri, rice, fish, cuddle, kiss, boyfriend, girlfriend, japanese food, food, bento, chopstick, wasabi, soy sauce, adorable, custom, cool designs, cool, vintage, boa hancock, teen wolf, san valentin, corazon, st valentine, lovers, san valentino, san valentine, birthday, black and white, book, couple, typography, day, amor, inspirational, anniversary, gay, phone, case, black, travel, saint valentine, type, simpsons, cartoons, 90s, the simpsons, ralph, lisa, romantic, love, fingerprints, bloody, coquette, aesthetic, alt, grunge, rockstar gf, dollete, tumblr, pinterest, it girl, waif, americana, lana del rey, ethel cain, tik tok, soft, ballet, core, academia, messy french girl, cute, valentine, strmcwby, tiger, emoji, cheecks, cat, cat mouth, anime for kids, for kids, blush, skullgirls, cartoon, cowboy bepop, see you space cowboy, 90s anime, action anime, space western, neo noir, edward wong, jet black, fe3h, fire emblem, fire emblem three houses, hilda valentine goneril, hilda, golden deer, anime, resident evil, licker, chris redfield, jill valentine, leon kennedy, console, gaming, horror, pixel, logo, happy, meme, smile, bepop, jet black, space dandy, bounty hunter, bounty hunters, radical ed, edward, guilty gear, elphelt valentine, elphelt, christmas, chibi, owl, owls, birds, strawberries, pink, hearts, kawaii, daisy beatrice, blush, spring, nature, hipster, seasonal, happy holidays, mid century modern, mod, scandinavian, mcm, cottagecore, japan, japanese animation, animation, space, inter solar system police, ein, jet, faye, comic, pop culture, popular anime, eyes, otaku, weeaboo, trash, yandere, tsundere, yuuki asuna, asuka langley soryu, sinon, rias gremory, hinata hyuga, mikasa ackerman, motoko kusanagi, chihiro ogino, princess mononoke, makise kurisu, erza scarlet, morgiana, your lie in april, hisoka, noragami, soul eater, samurai champloo, gurren lagann, blue exorcist, steins gate, gintama, code geass, ichigo kurosaki, kakashi hatake, itachi uchiha, omori video game, omori game, omori anime, omori characters, omori rpg, aubrey omori, kelsey omori, hero omori, mari omori, basil omori, omocat, anime fan, anime game, anime video game, anime lover, anime boy, anime girl, omori, birthday basil, rpg, teen, aubrey, young, hero, kelsey, boy, lofi, monster girl, omniboi, pastel, 2d girls, achiles, novel, zeus omori valentine, teen boy, Anime, Valentine, Love, Cute, Valentines Day, Heart, Manga, Funny, Kawaii, Girl, Valentines, Anime Girl, Cartoon, Gifts

(via “The Embrace ” Graphic T-Shirt for Sale by ffcstore)

Available now click the link 

[ofgoldandfury]

white Americans stop being culturally insensitive challenge GO

[thewitchofthenorsetrilogy]

Spotting Alt-Right Imagery on Nordic Blogs

I’ve been getting a lot of asks/messages lately from folks who want to practice Norse paganism and join the heathen community but are worried about white supremacist blogs. That’s totally valid - there’s a lot of them and some of them are well hidden under “aesthetic norse” blogs. So, I wrote up a little lists of indicators to look out for and avoid. Most of the runes and images(like Odin’s ravens) aren’t inherently racist/problematic and should be considered in context of the blog. Please keep in mind there are many more symbols and names/titles that could be included, I am just focusing on the Norse aspect from the USA.

Odinist/Wodenism/Wotanist - Oidinist is most often the term norse leaning white-supremacists lean towards. The term "Odinist" was first used as a self-descriptor by Alexander Rud Mills, an Australian Nazi sympathizer who founded an Odinist church in 1934. The name was carried on by Else Christensen and her Odinist Fellowship; Christensen's newsletter, The Odinist, contained more far right-wing political content than religious content. If you go the official Odinists website(link) you will find they support many white-only groups like the Asatru Folk Assembly. The Holy Nation of Odin is a church that is run from a maximum-security cell in California and is only open to whites.

Volkish/Folkish -  Volksfront is a hybrid racist skinhead gang/neo-Nazi group that started in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. It’s still a very active group and only alt-right would really use this terminology.

“ —often termed "folkish" within the community—by viewing Heathenry as an ethnic or racial religion with inherent links to a Germanic race that should be reserved explicitly for people of Northern European descent or white people in general”. 

Not to be confused with folklorist/folklore heathens who practice heathenry because of Scandinavian folklore(i.e. disir, dwarves, etc.).

HH or 88 -  88 is a white supremacist numerical code for "Heil Hitler." H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 = HH = Heil Hitler. One of the most common white supremacist symbols.

The number is frequently combined with another white supremacist numeric code, 14(shorthand for the so-called "14 Words" slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children") in the form of 1488, 14/88, 14-88, or 8814. - ADL

Brosatru - I’m mostly adding this because it used to be a popular alt-right subreddit for “Asatru” practitioners that got removed. I’ve still seen it referenced in other pagan subreddits and some twitter profiles!

General keywords to look out for: heritage, ethnic, aryan, ethno-nationalism, nationalist, tribe

**Use reasonable doubt for runes and imagery**:

Othala. While not actually/originally a symbol of hate but a rune for family/ancestry, Othala has been desecrated by the alt-right regardless and should be judged by the context it’s seen in. It is frequently used in nazi marches, merch, and their websites. The U.S. National Socialist Movement replaced the swastika with the Old Norse Othala rune, which was previously used on an SS infantry flag in World War II. So if you see a blog with a red banner and a black Othala in the middle, just know it’s a replacement for the swatsika.

Algiz. Another Futhark rune misused, originally representing the Elk/Divine. It has been adapted by the far right as a “Life Rune”. Used in the “Free American Rally” and “National Alliance” and also used in the “Volksfront” logo. Like Othala it is used to replace the Swatsika in imagery where it’s illegal - it is  not used as frequently as Othala.

Huginn and Muninn. “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA featured two flags with Odinns ravens. Here’s the twist: some white supremacist groups claim the Raven flag was flown when Leif Erikson landed in North America in the year 1000 and thus is the “pure European: flag of the nation.” And for some white supremacists, according to David Perry of the University of Minnesota, “the concept of Vinland asserts a historical claim over North America, stretching from the northeast coast to the Pacific Northwest. They use the myth of Vinland to position themselves as righteous defenders in the wars of race and religion they believe are coming.” 

Valknut -  It is often considered a symbol of the Norse god Odin. Some white supremacists, particularly racist Odinists, have erased the meaning of the Valknot to use as a racist symbol. Often they use it as a sign that they are willing to give their life to Odin, generally in battle. It was also seen on many shields at the Charlottesville, VA march. Many pagans may also use this symbol, so one should carefully examine it in context rather .

Tiwaz. Another rune bastardized, originally a rune for the Norse god of justice Ty.r Free America Rally is a loosely-coordinated network of white supremacists who hold protests and rallies on white supremacist-related themes. The logo for Free America Rally is an amalgam of several runes(Algiz and Uruz).

Mjolnir. This feels horrible to say because I know countless pagans and Marvel fans with Mjolnir necklaces/tattoos. However, I have also encountered many alt-right accounts with a BFG(Bound for Glory) banner or icon.

Additionally, I would highly suggest going through their follows/likes if you can’t find an obvious answer. Most modern Norse pagans who aren’t anti alt-right make it known in their bios but you an do further digging if necessary. 

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[freewheelen]

DEMO RIDE: 2019 Husqvarna Svartpilen & Vitpilen 401/701

Size does matter, and in this case, smaller is better.

It’s no secret that Husqvarna’s dirt bikes and dual sports sell themselves. Touting a storied motocross/scramble history, it’s easy to see why the off-roaders are so popular with the public. On the other hand, the company hasn’t seen much success with its street-oriented lineup. With 2019s still occupying the showroom floor and the pressure of Q3 looming, Husky recently visited Azusa, California to jumpstart the sales of their Svartpilen & Vitpilen lines. Labeled the Real Street tour, the series of demo events featured both models in their 401 & 701 variations, casting a veritable spotlight on their often overlooked street bikes. 

But the Svartpilen & Vitpilen aren’t afraid of the spotlight, you could even say they were crafted to bask in it. The first thing you’ll notice when you gaze at the Svartpilen & Vitpilen is the unconventional design. It’s not a stretch to say that the aesthetics of the lineup resemble something out of a Scandinavian furniture catalog. With minimal, flowing lines, the Svartpilen & Vitpilen would feel right at home with your Poäng and Klippan. 

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the neo-retro style aims directly at a younger, urban demographic that gravitate toward classic, simplistic forms with a utilitarian edge. Whether you fancy the looks of the bikes or not, you have to admit that the fit and finish is quite impressive. However, I do feel the designers tragically overlooked the speedometer, as its more akin to a gym teacher’s stopwatch than a proper gauge. Not to mention, the highly reflective glass and mounting angle make render the information illegible. Aside from the hideous - and quite useless - instrument cluster, the Svartpilen & Vitpilen reek of smart sophistication.  

But I can see how that elevated design could be a barrier for potential buyers. Due to the refined, “Swedish” aesthetics, one could quickly distinguish these models from their intra-brand cousins, KTM’s Duke and Enduro. With hopes that the public will embrace these models the same vigor as they’ve taken to KTM’s lineups, Husky is just trying to get more booties in the saddle, and I’m more than happy to oblige. 

Sharing the motor of KTM’s 390 Duke and 690 Enduro R, Husky’s Svartpilen & Vitpilens benefit from two well-tested mills. Both engines push the boundaries of power that a single-cylinder engine should produce. Despite the lack of pistons to share the load, the vibrations on the 401 & 701 aren’t excessive (take that assessment with a grain of salt - I ride a Harley). 

While the 701 delivers its power in a smooth, linear fashion, I found myself smitten with the 401′s punchiness. Glancing at the spec sheet, I noticed that the 701 reaches peak torque of 53 ft-lb @ 6,750 rpm with 75 hp topping out @ 8,500 rpm. Comparatively, the 401′s max torque (27 ft-lb) hits @ 6,800 rpm and horsepower (42 hp) @ 8,600 rpm. With about half the power and three-quarters of the weight of the 701, the 401 shouldn’t feel nearly as torquey. Additionally, both motors achieve max torque and horsepower at practically identical rpms, leaving me perplexed with my preference for the 401 - aside from the butt dyno. 

No, I can’t support my fondness of the little thumper with cold hard data, but I can attest that the majority of the riders attending the demo agreed. I know anecdotal evidence is the least persuasive argument, but the 401 simply felt like a more agile from side-to-side and provided great acceleration in short bursts. And I may be rationalizing here, but those darting characteristics seemed appropriate for two models that translate to white arrow (Vitpilen) and black arrow (Svartpilen). The 701s weren’t bad motorcycles in the least, they just didn’t imbue the same excitement as they’re diminutive counterparts. Size does matter, and in this case, smaller is better. 

But the size variation didn’t stop at the engine. The differing braking systems on the bikes occupied two different build quality standards. Even with the 401′s “budget” brakes, both systems felt well-suited for their classes with adial-mounted Brembo clampers blessing the 701s and ByBre calipers getting the job done on the 401s. 

Despite the fact that both models lack dual-discs, the calipers delivered a reassuring bite while riding in urban environments. Yes, an extra rotor and caliper up front would certainly push the models in a more performance direction but we didn’t take the Svartpilen or Vitpilen into the twisties and the stock brakes would suffice where most buyers would ride these bikes - in the city.

When judging the two models on ergonomics, I kept their natural habitat - urban environments - in mind, as both maintain a fairly sporty position. Starting with the Vitpilen, I immediately noticed the aggressive, forward-leaning stance. Positioning my head directly over the front wheel, the Vitpilen made me want to slalom through mid-day traffic at full throttle. However, that state of mind prooved more enslaving than freeing. After all, I was on a demo tour. If “it’s better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow,” nothing is worse than living that platitude in reverse. If you’re looking for a nimble, aggressive, lane-splitter, the Vitpilen has you covered, but make sure your journey is manageable, as I already felt the tension in my wrists by the time we returned from the short ride.

On the other hand, the Svartpilen utilizes high-rise bars to position the rider at ease. From the upright posture, I was content to stay in line and putt along at a legally acceptable speed. Sure, I tugged on the throttle from time to time, but the relaxed stance felt more conducive to congested road conditions. If the Vitpilen’s ergonomics equate to a Supersport, the Svartpilen would be it’s Naked/Standard counterpart. Both bikes are aimed at city-dwellers and while it would be a stretch to say that either of them let you stretch your legs out, neither of them feel cramped. Though I’d probably opt for the Svartpilen in most situations, if I were visiting one of the local canyons (GMR, HWY 39, etc), I’d certainly side with the Vitpilen.

While the ergonomics shift the rider into different postures - and different states of mind - the road manners of the bikes are quite similar. With all models under 6 inches of travel, I could easily flat-foot each bike. Despite its smaller stature, the 401s benefited from the same WP 43mm inverted forks that graced the front end of the 701s. On the road, each bike was compliant and responded immediately to my every input. Particularly, the Vitpilen - with its clip-ons and head-down posture - reacted to every adjustment of my body. 

Not only did the suspension allow the bikes to cut from side-to-side, it also made the 401s and 701s feel planted. From soaking up potholes to providing stable steering at speed, KTM’s proprietary suspenders highlighted how fun these machines can be. On the contrary, the lack of suspension travel on the Svartpilen did beg the question: couldn’t this model be much more fun? Aside from ergonomics and a few bits of design (paint mainly), how does the Svarpilen distinguish itself from the Vitpilen? 

And that’s where I got to thinking about the lack of sales for these two models. After taking everything into consideration, it seems like Husqvarna’s “Real Street” motorcycles are going through an identity crisis. Are these bikes retro or performance? Can you consider a motorcycle “premium” (as the price would suggest) the dash looks more like a digital alarm clock and it doesn’t come with dual-disc brakes? But maybe it’s less of an identity crisis and more of a false identity. For instance, Husqvarna outfits the Svartpilen with dirt tracker styling yet they can’t endorse taking the low slung machine off-road. Even with the aesthetic hinting at dirt-capabilities, the Svartpilen is essentially a naked bike with knobbies. 

Broadcasting a false image can ensnare potential buyers - or it can turn them off (like it did for me). Intoxicated by the snappy acceleration of the 401, I actually looked into purchasing a Svartpilen following the demo. But the lack of off-road capability soon soured my initial enthusiasm. If it can’t hang in the brown, why outfit it with Pirelli Scorpions? Why adopt tracker design cues? What’s the point of making form decision if it’s contrary to the function? That disillusionment made me look at the Svartpilen & Vitpilen differently. 

With an MSRP of $6,299 for the 401 and $11,999 for the 701, it’s easy to see why the KTM-owned brand is having problems moving units. Coupled with the unconventional design (which I actually love but can understand how some wouldn’t), Husqvarna has it’s work cut out. Along with the lackluster sales figures of the Svartpilen & Vitpilen, the Real Street Demo stop in Azusa failed to highlight the full capabilities of models. With the near highway miles away, riders were relegated to a jaunt around the block. As a result, I never got the gearbox past 3rd and that doesn’t instill much confidence in potential customers. The combination of disorganization, bikes-to-rider ratio, wait times, and early wrap-up, I’d venture to say that the demo barely moved the needle on these two bikes.

With all that said, if you’re looking for a stylish motorcycle to ride in the city, Husky’s street lineup may be a good option. The brand continues to promote their 0% APR (up to 48 months), so you may score a new Svartpilen or Vitpilen for a great price. For my intents, the bikes are too niche in design and too specialized in purpose, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work for you. I guess the best advice I can give to potential buyers is to test ride as many motorcycles as possible. I know I will be!

[mattskeebah]

PLEASE READ

I know how much y’all hate “your fave is problematic” posts...but it’s necessary.

Summary: Matt Skiba, singer of the band Alkaline Trio and member of Blink-182, has nazi tattoos, is a fan of nazi bands, made tasteless nazi related paintings, is best friends with Boyd Rice, and in fact, owns nazi insignia. Matt claims to be a feminist but likes countless scantily clad pics of young models and sex workers and follows actual porn actresses on IG. Also, he never distanced himself from Asia Argento and still sells t-shirts with her face on them in his webstore. Matt supports the police and the military and he has a weird gun fetish. He attacked fans who criticized his behavior and his problematic associations.

---

WHY I STOPPED BEING A FAN OF MATT SKIBA

He supports the police as an instutition, specifically Chicago PD. He made a post on Instagram in favor of CPD which ofc received backlash from fans but he ignored the negative comments and brushed it off as “there are bad people in every profession” and then he deleted the post. Thanks to a Tumblr user who screencapped it: [x] please notice the tiny blue (lives matters) heart. Also, here are some “cute” pics of him wearing police-related stuff [x] [x] and check out this post of him “repping” new CPD merch on his car [x] (he disabled the comments).

He supports the military, which might be because his parents served in the Vietnam war, but that doesn’t make it less shitty. Examples for his military-support can be found all over his Instagram. [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] and so on... and in this post he’s delighted that a soldier in Afghanistan is wearing an Alkaline Trio patch. [x]

He’s close friends with Asia Argento / or had possible romantic relationship with her and he still sells t-shirts with her face on them in his merch shop. For those of you who don’t know her, she was one of the leaders of the #metoo movement but then it was revealed that she herself had sex with an intoxicated 17-year-old (!) and her bf Anthony Bourdain gave the boy money so he would keep his mouth shut about the incident, ((later Bourdain committed suicide))

Story of a fan who gave Matt a letter criticizing him for being friends with Argento, and the same night he posted a picture of her on IG (I think it was this post)… which seems like a subtle F*CK YOU at the person who gave him the letter. (he can’t take criticism, can he?)

His IG activity is .. something else. Matt’s major interests are motorbikes, cars, and young, attractive, half-naked models and strippers. One of his recent likes (nudity and bruises cw) [x] [x] [x] [x]….that one is an actual porn actress he follows and thirsts over: (more nudity cw) [x] he commented ‘cool butt momma. miss you xoxo’ [x] [x] (liked)…and my “personal fave” a picture with a sex worker [x] he deleted the picture ofc

HE LOVES GUNS (+said that he would use them) he has quite a big gun collection: SIG SAUERs, a Morning Star, many knifes, a shotgun, a Desert Eagle gun, a samurai sword, a faux snakeskin baton, and more stuff I can’t remember, he posted his collection on November 5th 2018 on IG, but unfortunately I didn’t take a screenshot!! but he posted them individually on IG. [x] [x] [x] [x] etc. and a recently deleted pic at the shooting range [x] ……also this pic exists.. edgelord (tw gun to the head).

In the comments of the same post (I swear on my life it’s real, you have to trust me) a user commented that he’s a Trump supporter but he would still defend Matt, even if he’s “politically left”. Matt’s answer: “I would defend you too, my man!”. o k a y. then Matt said he identifies as “quite a bit left” o K AY. MATT. Just so btw. the user also had a name including “88″ ( is a code phrase commonly used in fascist circles for “Heil Hitler”) or he just meant the year 88. but I saw some racist “memes” on his IG too.

Matt has a weird obsession with WW2. He literally watched a holocaust docu on HIS FUCKING BDAY (or at least he posted about it) and he said he collects WW2 books. Theoretically, nothing wrong with being interested in history, but in the context of everything… bad vibes……….

He really loves Nordic/Scandinavian-related stuff, like jewelry of the Hammer of Thor etc and he even uses MS runes for his merch. Runes are popular among occultists but they also have a really problematic history concerning WW2 and the nazis. Considering one of his most favorite bands Death in June mentions runes in their lyrics and they are a REALLY REALLY questionable band flirting with nazi imagery and being openly affiliated with fascist and far-right satanists, I have every right to question Matt’s intentions.

He literally has a crutch cross tattoo on his chest (which was used as the symbol of Austro-Fascism, and is also the logo of the neo folk - nazi band Blood Axis) PHOTO 1, PHOTO 2 and an EDELWEISS tattoo [x], which is the national flower of Austria and is considered a magical flower in occult circles. Nothing wrong with having a flower tattoo but it was used a lot in the context of nationalsocialism and “traditional values”. To add, it was also used as a symbol of the 1st Mountain division “Gebirgsjäger” in WW2 (Hitler’s elite formation of the Wehrmacht who were involved in large scale war crimes). 

Matt OWNS NAZI INSIGNIA. He is wearing a WW2 Edelweiss patch in this pic [x] and here [x] combined with a crutch cross patch (Alk3 used an iron cross backdrop at their concerts 2014ish and a crutch cross symbol on their guitar picks btw.)

He owns several Death In June patches, their merch [x] [x] [x] [x] etc. and other patches and buttons featuring nazi-related symbols. [DIJ WIKI]. He is also friends with their singer. Matt’s a huge DIJ fan, attended their concerts [x] and Douglas P. reads the intro of the Alkaline Trio song “I Found Away”. DIJ uses fascist symbols and “aesthetics” for the band, including an SS Totenkopf logo.

Matt painted the same logo and exhibited it at an art show [x]

HE LITERALLY DID PAINTINGS REFERENCING DOLLFUSS AND MUSSOLINI and another piece of “art” called “surf nazis” [x] what the actual f   u    c  k .. and here he is with his painting of Mickey Mouse as Hitler [x]

HE IS BEST FRIENDS with Boyd Rice, (here’s a picture of them holding Wolfsangels, a nazi symbol) they are REALLY CLOSE. According to Rice’s IG they meet every week and hang out and Rice considers Matt “family”… the entire Boyd Rice shit can be read in this post (important please read). Matt even attacked fans that were calling him out and called them stupid.

The first liked video on his Youtube channel is a video about neo-nazi biker gangs in Germany....... [x]

He is friends with Kat von D, she did a few of his tattoos and she appeared in the Alk3 video “Help Me”.

He collabed with Jeffree Star on a violent song [x]

He was at an art show of a friend who used nazi symbols (!)

posts like these [x] [x]

In this interview [x] he’s pretty much romanticizing that people got stabbed back then at concerts and that there was a big skinhead scene (he wasn’t “stoked” about the violence happening BUT “the energy surrounding” was “very ATTRACTIVE” to him. Make of that what you will.)

When he was a sophomore in HS (and on acid) he beat up a classmate who threw a U.S. flag on the floor. [x]

Matt made a racist remark a few years ago about Chinese people [x] and according to him //or he’s joking// he has a tattoo on his dick that says “welcome to Jamaica” which can be interpreted as racist.

Many of the movies he praises blatantly depict violence against women, like Blue Velvet, Funny Games, A Clockwork Orange (it has almost 3 rape scenes in the first 15 minutes), lyrics like “Radio” can be seen as misogynist, he literally wishes that his ex-GF (/or someone’s ex-gf) should take a bath with a radio and get electrocuted.

A person on IG commented that his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, I have no proof for that but he deleted the comments ofc and then a few days later he donated money to a women’s shelter in LA… which seems like he’s trying to avoid a shitstorm…

He compared L.A. women to zoo animals in this interview [x].

He cheated on his ex-gf(s) which I think should go on this list too.

Matt used to be a member of the Church of Satan, just leaving this here. you can argue if it’s good or bad but there seems to be a connection between satanists and neo-nazis .. sadly.

He listed the song* “Los Angeles” by X among his faves in this interview [x] (*edit: Someone has reached out to me and explained that the song was not racist, antisemitic or anything but from the *perspective* of a racist. However, we don't know Matt's reason for liking the song and considering his WW2 fetish, it's sketchy that he would consider the song as one of his favorites. Maybe he likes it because the song openly says things out loud under the veil of "sarcasm" that would be criticized under different circumstances. See also: [Oscar Wild was right.] Matt still listened to the band in 2014 and was at a concert of them [x], even months after their singer spew right-wing conspiracy theories concerning (school) shootings.

THIS FUCKING PICTURE OF HIM WITH A CHARLES MANSON DOLL AND A SW*STIKA. He still had the doll in other pictures [x] [x].

This picture I found on a fansite. It’s supposed to be Matt as a child.. where does that even come from and why is he wearing a military hat with something that vaguely looks like an eagle (?)

I can’t be the only one who noticed that but Matt had a vaguely ~nazi haircut thoughout the years and even some sort of nazi / white power aesthetic~ going on, even fans recognized it as such [x] [x] [x] and in the context of him hanging out with Boyd Rice like this in this picture [x] it’s safe to say he was EXACTLY GOING FOR THAT LOOK.

When he was in Germany during the Blink-182 tour 2017 he proudly posed at a famous Third Reich location in the Alps. Yk. nothing wrong with visiting historical locations but in the context of everything mentioned in this post. IT LOOKS REALLY BAD.

…probably more.. this man is a walking disaster

- - -

In this post I listed a lot, there are probably some things you would consider “minor” because they happened years ago but I thought I’d mention them anyway. Also, I’m not saying he has those beliefs but he definitely doesn’t distance himself from nazi(-sympathizing) scum like Boyd Rice and keeps being BFFs with him. And what’s up with the problematic tattoos and WWII insignia? I can’t be the only one who thinks this is not okay!!!

Thanks for reading.

[its-a-gemfact]

So I just finished Hilda and here’s what i though:

I though it was delightful

+  Loved the animation, it was both beautiful and fluent. You can tell Netflix put a lot of money into these shows. It’s a night and day difference from the often more awkward animation on TV. I know it’s more budget than talent but I can’t help but feel luxurious when I watch it.

+ The show is very derivative but in the best way, drawing influence from properties I personally hold very dear. For example the forest giants are strikingly similar to the designs of the colossi in game Shadow Of The Colossus.  And the wood man character has a southern drawl that feels like a character straight out of Over The Garden Wall. Luke Pearson and Patrick McHale (creator of OTGW) are both alumni of Adventure Time, so the similarity to both shows makes sense. One other influence I noticed was - of course - Studio Ghibli, with creatures and magic similar to that in films such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. 

+ The show handles the Urban Fantasy genre in a fantastically creative way. Humans know of monsters, but try their best to ignore them. And so their habits still remain mostly unknown, which poses many opportunities for mystery and adventure. I wish more urban fantasies were handled like this, and not like the ‘secret society of monsters that humans are unaware of’ trope which is over-used nowadays. 

+ I love the main trio, with David and Frida being the Ron and Hermione of the group and Hilda being a much more confident and adventurous Harry. Other favourites of mine include Alfur (An elf obsessed with bureaucracy) and a raven with a new-yorker accent. Most characters introduced are unique and memorable. Although this show is mostly episodic, most characters have either reoccurred or have been hinted to reoccur in future season which is nice.

+ The music is both a positive and a negative for me. Some of it is stunningly beautiful and atmospheric. For example the title card music, a swell of atmospheric, mystical synth that sets the tone for the episode full of ancient creatures and magic. I also love the fun indie rock songs that often highlight the fun but mundane aspects of being bored kid in the city. 

- However sometimes the music can be a little overbearing. Loud, 80s synth tracks will often play over chase scenes, which does not add to the show’s more organic aesthetic. It just feels like a late attempt to cash in on the current 80s trend. I’m also not a huge fan of Grime’s theme song, which - once again - is more of a popular sound than a fitting one. But i can see why other people would like it.

+ This show is very wholesome. Which is great! 

- But sometimes I do wish for just a little more stakes and emotional moments. I’m sure kids could handle it.

- This show is odd when it comes to pacing. Story arcs seem to be independent, while also fading into each other - on average lasting 2-3 episodes. This is long enough to get invested, and it’s sad when the arcs are resolved and pushed aside for the next. I’m not seeing any through plot-line either, just series of events that don’t seem to be building to anything in particular (which many people are fine with, just depends on taste) And also this is just season one, it may take them a few more episodes to start bring a plot together. 

- So I wish the show would develop more of it’s own signature style. It seems to be a bit of a melting pot currently. The area the story is set seems to be similar to Scandinavia, with norse text about the town and Scandinavian architecture. Most of the creatures seem pagan in their origin. A show that embraced a more organic Neo-Norse or even Neo-Pagan aesthetic would be interesting, for example. But currently other influences stop it from having a clear aesthetic.

all in all I love it, 7/10 so far, maybe an 8 in the future.

[kyubikofang]

rules: answer to 30 questions and then tag 20 blogs you’d like to know better

I was tagged by both @radical-flaar-queen and @mcdepresso nghhhhh

Nickname: Dolly, Fang (online)

Gender: gurl

Zodiac: libra

Height: 5’3 (161cm)

Age: 17

Time: 3:43pm

Favorite bands/Solo artists: p!atd, Metallica, Bryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, Nik Kershaw etc

Song stuck in my head: Shout - Tears For Fears

Last Movie I saw: Deadpool 2

Last thing I googled: uhhhh Netflix

Other blogs: @kyubikofangart don’t look tho it’s bad

Do I get asks: occasionally? I need some mclovin :(

Why I chose my username: *cough* Naruto, what was once my secret shame. But I am hesitant to change it because I’ve made so many memories on social media with that name. The fang comes from ‘White Fang’ which is one of my favorite stories.

Following: 215

Average amount of sleep: 6-9 hrs (hehe 69)

Lucky number: 5

What am I wearing: grey/pink/white pastel jumper and simba leggings lmao

Dream job: animator :D

Dream trip: LA/Scandinavian locations but I wanna go everywhere!

Favorite Food: fukin beesechurger

Play any instruments: piano and a bit of guitar

Favorite song: all time? Nothing Else Matters - Metallica but current song Ashes - Celine Dion atm 

Played sports: cross country and tennis a LONNG ass time ago.

Hair color: brown

Eye color: ...brown.

Most iconic song: Mad World - Gary Jules

Languages you speak: English/Croatian

Random fact: I saved a magpie in Primary School so it didn’t get trampled on by kids. I put it in a box and went into the office to tell them about it, but I didn’t realize it escaped from the box and I just hear teachers screaming in the staff room so I rushed back to grab it again. Poor birb. I took it out on the front of the school where it was quiet in a shrubbery area and never saw it again. I hope it recovered :(

Describe yourself as aesthetics/ things: neo-noir 80s at night with a touch of punk/metal. or idk whatever a raccoon’s aesthetic is.

i tag THIS DI-

[cooldididesign]

inside the soothing framed house, project by luiz gomez siu design studio

sydney based residential design studio, luiz gomez-siu design studio, has incorporated a little bit of biophilic, masculine, and scandinavian accent into the newly renovated modern 270sqm house in vaucluse, australia.giving the project its name, framed house, the architect gave a new exposure to the existing semi-detached house and has reorganized the structure into several spaces included; new open plan living space, dining, kitchen, a bathroom, and a landscaped garden which was converted from the building's pool. according to gomez-siu, the name framed house was a result of the main connecting element acts as a "frame" that framing the view to the garden. as if when one comes into the house, the black and masculine windows and doors will play as a frame, making it easy to overlook the outdoor green vibes through all corners of the house.the client had a translucent idea on how they wanted to create a house that able to bridge their needs and space. hence the brief was made to fulfill their wishes, from the general layout to the very joinery detailing. also read: adapting japanese traditional techniques in turning an old house into restaurants: project by tsutsumi and associates rafiq azam of shatotto talks architecture in the green and the poetic responsibility #storyofdesign acme reveals the neo-futuristic home inspired by traditional kentish architecture vaucluse is located very close to the beach by proximity since it was located in the eastern suburb of the big continent. there are also many public swimming pools available, and sea ice-cream surround the community awaits on the weekend. therefore, the client sees that their existing pool was no longer valued. instead, they demolished pool fences, exchange it with a whole new generous garden, which instantly increases the natural ambiance to connect with their biophilic corner inside the house. in the new design, several relocations have been made. the living room, dining room, and kitchen area are incorporated in one space, enable a more efficient layout which was enhanced by two major decisions: to reclaim the roof space by demolishing existing flat ceiling, and to maximize the opening to the rear facade by incorporating new pivot doors to the garden. this is also where the small biophilic accents were added into the house. nestled in the corner of the house's minimal white walls' shelf, there are climbing vines, a small one on the table, and a big white-planter on the backside of their sofa right at the front of their masculine kitchen tabletop. not only it is aesthetically arranged, but to also create natural healing and increase a sense of well-being inside. a room where the client can lie down on the sofa and relax while gazing at the outdoor green garden or have breakfast with such a tranquil morning view by the window. the interventions the client has made have also transformed the living space amplifying the sense of spaciousness. a higher ceiling, a seamless transition to the outdoor garden while keeping the inside and outside at the same level. meanwhile, a set of wooden chairs has made accompany the clear white dining table and a big round white lamp that accentuate an impression of a warm and modern scandinavian dining room, where the client and his family would like to spend a casual lunch with the only loved ones, pizza party, or a small-big feast during the festive season.the existing bedroom has turned into a bright, minimalist, and multifunctional bathroom that is also functioning as a laundry room. the attempt was achieved by replacing the traditional skirtings, vertical decorative profiles, and picture-hanging rails for waterproofed ones and applying a large porcelain tile to eliminate tile grouting, which somehow portrays a typical rendered and painted walls.by its function, framed house was designed to maximize storage and to put a clear division between the old house and the new ones. alongside the new alterations to the back of the house, it retained some old traditional feel to the front, including the modern ground floor bathroom, which was part of the client's brief and upkeep of the past. source: luiz gomez-siu design studio | photo credits: tom ferguson https://bit.ly/2WEaJ7A

[inappropriate-drill-usage]

1,2,5,28,33,34

From this here headcanon meme!

1. Her bedroom. 

Gonna talk about two bedrooms. With all the traveling from base to base, there are several rooms she frequently uses, but these two are her main ones. 

Tuefort. As the base where the team frequently stays, she has the most stuff there. 

She’s fairly messy and something of a pack rat. Not unhygienic, there’s just stuff lying around everywhere. She likes having things out where she can see them all at once. This really manifests itself in the fact that she keeps her torture diary on loose-leaf, which she then pins to the wall. 

She’ll unite related ideas with thumbtacks and pieces of red string. She got the idea from a crime novel that Greg read aloud to the team. Bea was like 75% asleep while listening and didn’t realize that the red string was supposed to be the mark of a crazy person. And when somebody told her the string made it look like she was bonkers, she was like “oh fuck it, I still like the string.” 

(If she lived today, she’d be the kind of person who puts her schedule on a whiteboard and uses flow charts for everything.)

Also noteworthy: the idea of interior design utterly eludes her. Her aesthetic looks like it was assembled by a spider on crack. She’s got an Art Deco desk with a neo-baroque armchair. The beside table is surfaced in minimalist linoleum and has a pair of Victorian taxidermic* kittens on it. 

Chicago: Bea’s “permanent” home is her sister’s house in Chicago. (If she’s deployed more days of the year than she’s home, why would she bother to rent her own apartment? Waste of money.)

Anyway, the room is the smallest one in the house, and it’s used as a guest room when Bea’s away. The decor is the most generic, unassuming stuff you can imagine. Think a framed photo of puppies in a basket, plain beige bedclothes, and a bowl of potpourri on the dresser. The only signs that Bea “lives” there are some of her civvies in the closet and an ancient pedal sewing machine. 

2. Daily rituals 

Not too many. Probably the closet are frequent work on her various textile projects, maintaing her weapons, and cutting her fingernails. She absolutely cannot stand longish nails, so she cuts them every other day. Same goes for hangnails/those little shredded flakes of skin. Cut off immediately. 

5. Cleanliness

She showers every day and uses whatever soap was issued/on sale. Pretty minimalist in this department. 

28. Best friend and worst enemy. 

On the team, her best friend is Ethan, with Rory as a close second. In overall life, her best friend was a schoolmate named Hanne. Hanne was a year younger than Bea, and because her family was involved with the Polish branch of the Chicago Outfit, she helped Bea get some of her first freelance arson jobs. Hanne bobbed Bea’s hair and taught Bea to ride a bike and to swim.  

After Bea was kicked out of her parents’ house, she stayed with Hanne’s family. Hanne and Bea were roommates in a boardinghouse from 1923-1927. Boston wives. Bea’s never had anybody like her before or since.  

Hanne was killed in a bout of gang violence in 1927. Bea never talks about her and for the most part, pretends she never existed. 

Bea’s worst enemy is herself. 

33. Concept of home and family

Bea’s Stedmor kicked her out of the house in 1922. For the next eight years, contact was minimal. Bea would occasionally run into her sister, Bernie, on the streets or at the Scandinavian grocery store. They never really talked during those years. Bernie was in the throes of an incredibly shitty marriage and didn’t have the energy to care about what Bea was doing. She did make a point of saying that Bea was welcome to come by for Smissmass, Easter, or Saint Lucia’s day. Bea would respond to these invitations by a.) not showing up or b.) swinging by for fifteen minutes and not even taking her shoes off. 

Bernie’s husband (Bea’s brother-in-law) ditched his family in 1930. Bernie was left on her own, with two babies on the way and an elderly stepmother to support. She never said anything to Bea about it (stiff upper lip runs in the family) but Bea found out through neighborhood hearsay. 

In what may be her only truly empathetic act, Bea offered financial support to Bernie, Naja, and her nieces. Maybe it didn’t take empathy to want the girls to have a better childhood than crushing urban poverty – she could remember that for herself. 

Bea would have been happy to just cut Bernie a check every six months or so, but Bernie insisted that the girls would want grow up knowing the Tante (Danish for aunt) who supported them. Naja tried to mend her relationship with Bea for the sake of the girls. 

Bea doesn’t resent the financial burden her family imposes on her (she has more money than she knows what to do with) but she does resent the emotional burden. Even going through the motions of normalcy can be difficult. She has to keep her true nature tamped down and hidden. She has to deal emotions towards her family and her family’s emotions towards her. And Bea is really, really bad at emotions. 

Bea’s official permanent address “home” is Bernie’s row house in Chicago. She’s still very much out on whether or not it’ll ever feel like home. 

34. Thoughts on privacy 

Bea is actually a very private person. The only emotions she can easily express are explosive anger and a shallow, impulsive glee. Everything else, she bottles up or ignores. Heart-to-heart talks are out of the question– she tends to feel worse after talking about her feelings. And don’t try to extract emotions out of her, she considers it very invasive. 

*She got the kittens at some random garage sale and thought they were cute. And they are kinda cute, if you can forget (as Bea is wont) that somebody killed a kitten to make him. Anyway, the team consensus was that the kittens were unbearably creepy, so Bea has to keep them in her bedroom.

[caveartfair]

The Artists Everyone Was Talking about during Art Basel in Hong Kong

Installation view of Jamie Diamond, “Dolls’ House,” at Prada Mode Hong Kong, 2019. Courtesy of Prada.

Early last week, a well-heeled group of international gallerists and collectors infiltrated Central Hong Kong’s busy streets as Hong Kong Art Week kicked off. Before the seventh edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong commenced, a flurry of exhibitions opened in galleries across the city, including at some younger, hipper spaces, such as Empty and Blindspot, which have set up shop on the island’s Southside district of Wong Chuk Hang. The events offered visitors and locals myriad opportunities to discover new artists and view recent work by old favorites—and to tell us all about them.

On Monday, musical siblings David, Lauren, and Sean Carpenter serenaded visitors to the newly opened Lévy Gorvy at the ground level of the St. George’s Building in the island’s Central neighborhood (the trio are friends with co-owner Brett Gorvy). Sean Carpenter explained after the performance that he and his siblings collect art—“[Yayoi] Kusama, [Robert] Motherwell, a lot of [Willem] de Kooning, so a lot of post-war”—and noted the similarities between their work and the gallery’s program. When they’re not performing, the trio sells Stradivarius violins. “There’s kind of an aesthetic to these 18th-century old instruments,” Carpenter said. He was particularly enthusiastic about the work of Chinese-French painter Zao Wou-Ki, whose work hung alongside that of American artists Joan Mitchell and Agnes Martin at Lévy Gorvy.

Zao Wou-Ki, 04-06-62, 1962. Courtesy of Lévy Gorvy.

Agnes Martin, Untitled, 2003. Courtesy of Lévy Gorvy.

Meanwhile, H Queen’s and the Pedder Building—just a short walk away from each other—bustled with champagne-fueled art enthusiasts. In the former, David Zwirner opened a show of large-scale Neo Rauch paintings, while Hauser & Wirth displayed a miniature retrospective of Louise Bourgeois, to coincide with the artist’s first major traveling museum exhibition in China (the show, “The Eternal Thread,” just left Shanghai’s Long Museum and opened at Beijing’s Song Museum).

At the Pedder Building, visitors were particularly intrigued by a show of still lifes by Paul Cézanne, Giorgio Morandi, and Sanyu at Gagosian, curated by Zeng Fanzhi; an installation made to look like a boiler room by the ever-entertaining Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset at Massimo De Carlo; and a show of new sculptural work by Leonardo Drew at Pearl Lam. Drew created the new work in China, incorporating porcelain into his practice for the first time. Many of the pieces resemble black paintings (colored by charcoal) with fragments of gold, black, and colored porcelain fracturing off the surface like three-dimensional paint drips. The centerpiece is a larger-than-life vase, busted at the center with gold porcelain shards spilling out around it. All are major departures for Drew, who’s best known for large-scale assemblages made from wood.

Installation view of Leonardo Drew solo show at Pearl Lam Galleries, 2019. Courtesy of Pearl Lam Galleries.

Drew himself was in town: In addition to the Pearl Lam show, he was slated to show work at three Art Basel in Hong Kong booths—Pearl Lam, Galerie Lelong, and Pace Prints. The artist later told me that he tries to avoid fairs, which he likened to “a meat market,” before adding, “I think fairs are wonderful. I’m not interested in attending them, but I understand they’re important.” Drew said his week had been “over-the-top crazy,” but he’d been able to enjoy a presentation of sculptures by Cuban artist Yoan Capote at Ben Brown Fine Arts, also in the Pedder Building.

Yoan Capote, Top Feminist, 2008–09. © Yoan Capote. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Music while you work , 2018. Samson Young 楊嘉輝 Edouard Malingue Gallery

The week’s raison d’être, Art Basel in Hong Kong, welcomed long lines of VIPs and press—like racehorses waiting to be unleashed—inside its stanchions beginning midday Wednesday. Crowds clustered, in particular, around Berlin-based gallery Société’s presentation of Chinese artist Lu Yang’s wild, colorful videos. The abundance of work by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean artists (such as a massive white Yoshitomo Nara sculpture at Blum & Poe and STPI’s booth featuring Do Ho Suh prints) revealed many galleries banking on the appeal of regional artists.

Already thinking ahead to the next event on the international art-world calendar, curator Kim Inhye was at the fair in anticipation of the Venice Biennale. In May, she’ll organize the first international retrospective of Dansaekhwa (a South Korean minimalist movement) artist Yun Hyong-keun at the Palazzo Fortuny. In the heavily guarded VIP lounge, she told me she was mostly interested in work by Korean artists such as Lee Bul, who had works in Lehmann Maupin’s booth, and who created a giant silver balloon for the “Encounters” sector of large-scale artworks, entitled Willing To Be Vulnerable - Metalized Balloon (2019). (The piece, presented by Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Lehmann Maupin, and PKM Gallery, sold to a private museum in China.)

Installation view of Société’s booth at Art Basel in Hong Kong, 2019. Courtesy of Art Basel.

Electromagnetic Brainology, 2017. Lu Yang Société Berlin

Hong Kong Art Week also offered opportunities for international institutions to meet with local talent. At a brunch for the Donum Estate winery on the 49th floor of the tony Upper House hotel on Pacific Place, Camden Arts Centre director Martin Clark told me he was looking forward to a meeting with Wong Ping. The Hong Kong–based video artist won the museum’s inaugural Emerging Artist Prize at Frieze London last fall, and Clark and his team are planning a solo presentation of Wong’s work. Wong also has an animated film, Who’s the Daddy (2017), on view at Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun center, in the traveling show “Performing Society: The Violence of Gender.” A particularly memorable scene features a high-heeled woman stepping on a man’s eye—violence of gender, indeed. “The videos have this darkly comic [element]; they’re like these contemporary fables,” Clark said of the artist’s recent appeal. “The visual language feels like it comes out of the Chicago Imagists, crossed with a manga video. A very Chinese aesthetic. It speaks to a sort of alienated, slightly disenfranchised moment in a twisted way.”

Installation view of Lee Bul, Willing To Be Vulnerable - Metalized Balloon, 2019, at Art Basel Hong Kong, 2019, presented jointly by Lehmann Maupin, PKM gallery, and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Couresty © Art Basel.

The satellite fair Art Central hosted a handful of notable focused presentations: Seoul’s Gallery Hyundai displayed Dansaekhwa artists such as Lee Ufan, while Hong Kong’s Puerta Roja showed work by all Latin American figures (the gallery’s specialty). Laura Zhang, a curator at the latter gallery, lauded the show “An Opera for Animals” at local nonprofit Para Site. “The curation is always amazing,” she explained, noting that the exhibition includes many artists, so “you need to go through the context of their work to feel the power of their pieces. Unfortunately, during Art Week, it’s a little difficult.”

Nevertheless, Para Site offered gallerists and curators a chance to slip away from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and see the space during a packed Friday morning brunch. Of all the work in the show—which focused on themes of colonialism, nature, and technology—Luhring Augustine director Donald Johnson Montenegro was particularly excited to see that of Hong Kong–based artist Samson Young (known for multimedia works about sound) and Colombian artist Beatriz González (who often adorns domestic objects—curtains, tables, beds—with political imagery). Regarding the latter, he said, she’s “an important figure in contemporary Columbian art. People call her La Maestra, like ‘the master.’ She’s shepherded a whole generation of artists in Columbia.”

Installation view of Puerta Roja’s booth at Art Basel in Hong Kong, 2019. Courtesy of Puerta Roja.

The exhibition’s only weak spot may have been the brunch food—bagels and tepid bites of egg—but over at iconic local restaurant Duddell’s (owned and run by major collector couple Alan Lo and Yenn Wong), visitors received more regional fare in the form of pork belly and egg rolls. The space is exhibiting large-scale abstract paintings by Chinese artists Wang Guangle (full of subtle color gradations) and Li Shurui (resembling panels of LED lights). The works hail from young French entrepreneur John Dodelande’s collection, organized by roving French curator Jérôme Sans.

Sans called the venue “a cultural hub…the skin of the cultural city.” The curator is also responsible for the first-ever Hong Kong exhibition of Franco-Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed—a series of gruesome red-and-white paintings that look as though they’re spattered in blood—over at Tang Contemporary Art, in H Queen’s.

Sans and Galerie Lelong director Dede Young enthused over Hauser & Wirth’s Bourgeois show; Young called it “absolutely fabulous. Absolutely knock-out beautiful.”

Installation view of Denny Dimin Gallery’s gallery pop-up at partner Katie Alice Fitz Gerlad’s Hong Kong apartment, 2019. Courtesy of Denny Dimin Gallery Hong Kong.

In the evenings, eager revelers headed to Prada’s pop-up club, Prada Mode Hong Kong, located in the former police barracks that is now the site of cultural space Tai Kwun. Regally decked out with chartreuse banquettes and currant-hued leather chairs, the venue also exhibited photographs by Brooklyn-based artist Jamie Diamond (Milan’s Prada Foundation is currently showing her work). Many of Diamond’s pictures feature “reborners,” a group of women who make stunningly life-like dolls that they treat as their own children.

“The whole show is exploring notions of love of motherhood, of the uncanny but more specifically the relationship between a human and a synthetic representation of a human in a doll,” Diamond shouted to me over the pulsing music, wearing a feathered black Prada dress. She’d been too busy with the brand’s events to see much besides an exhibition entitled “Cutthroat Kitchen,” of young Chinese artist Zhang Zipiao’s elegant abstract paintings, at the new Mine Project Gallery near the Convention and Exhibition Centre (the show was curated by Diamond’s former student at the University of Pennsylvania, Michael Xufu Huang).

Diamond hoped to see work by KAWS—an enormous inflatable sculpture by the street artist floated in Victoria Harbour for a few days before bad weather forced its removal, and the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation also mounted a well-attended show of his work on Aberdeen Street.

Installation view of Jamie Diamond, “Dolls’ House,” at Prada Mode Hong Kong, 2019. Courtesy of Prada.

Installation view of Jamie Diamond, “Dolls’ House,” at Prada Mode Hong Kong, 2019. Courtesy of Prada.

For a significantly more DIY evening activity, New York gallerist Robert Dimin mounted a show at Denny Dimin Gallery partner Katie Alice Fitz Gerald’s Hong Kong apartment. He brought the exhibition’s works—a series of Erin O’Keefe’s photographs and Matt Mignanelli’s geometric enamel-and-acrylic paintings—to Hong Kong in his checked luggage. As the party wound down, Fitz Gerald showed me the sparkling view of the city from her rooftop. The gallery, she said, was interested in having “a more intimate setting, which is less intimidating perhaps than the austere white cube space.” (Also, of course, it comes with much less overhead.) On the Southside, she’d enjoyed Hong Kong artist Lam Tung-pang’s “atmospheric” mixed-media show at Blindspot—a refreshment from the main fair.

All this activity, more or less, traces back to the advent of the first Art Basel in Hong Kong in the early 2010s. Sans noted that since then, a new dialogue has emerged between the West and the East. “Within five years, the entire world came to Hong Kong and China,” he said. “A few years ago, many of my Western friends were still suspicious about this part of the world. Now they are wholly here and it shows a radical change.”

from Artsy News

[x----tine]

CRISTINE BRACHE

I LOVE ME, I LOVE ME NOT FEBRUARY 10 – MARCH 19OPENING FEBRUARY 10, 6–8 PM127 HENRY STREETNEW YORK, NY 10002 I love me, I love me notby: Cristine BracheAnnotated by: manuel arturo abreu

Last December, while in Miami, I took some boxes out of storage to locate and transfer VHS home videos onto my computer. I found nine videos. The first video I played, “1 Families Chrismas” had been recorded over in its entirety with random HBO movies from the nineties. Unremarkably flat ones that I’ve never heard of, commercials included. If I could describe what it feels like to be a first generation American, with parents from Puerto Rico and Cuba, it would be like this: HBO colonizing a VHS cassette recording of an immigrant family’s Chrismas in Hialeah, Florida.

It’s troublesome to search for pieces of your past and find no evidence of existence. National Geographic conducted a study, sampling DNA from different biogeographical regions. In Puerto Rico, they sampled some twenty thousand people and found that a large portion of their DNA consisted of Native American ancestry, likely to be Taíno or Ciboney. All of it was female. They were unable to find any traces of male Native American DNA in a single one of their subjects.1

I want my family’s history to play linearly like a film. I want my ancestors to be the characters in the beginning except no one gets enslaved or sold. Women don’t get stolen and raped and men are not erased. Violence is embedded in the Caribbean.2 It is embedded in me. I walk around with it and I don’t understand what aspect of that violence my body comprises. Did my blood inflict it or was my blood subjected to it? Erased and written upon, then erased again. My blood does not have memory. It has cultural amnesia. Like amnesia, it continues to flow unaware of where it’s been. It is a clock without hands. I don’t know how to be counted. I want to be the happy ending.3

The other reference DNA populations are primarily from their biogeographical region with a mix of surrounding areas. For example, the average British person’s DNA can be described as follows, 69% British and Irish, 12% Scandinavian, 9% Western and Central European, 5% Southern European, 2% Eastern European, and 2% of the Jewish Diaspora. In contrast to my own which, after reviewing the results I was sadly reminded of my violent imprint: 77% Southern European, 11% Western and Central African, 7% Native American, 2% Scandinavian, and 2% North African.4

The internal violence of colonialism can be heard through the sound of my voice. It is me feeling like I’ve perfected my American English accent but still having my Puerto Rican accent detected and exoticized in rural and smaller cities in the U.S., no matter how hard I’ve tried to neutralize it. It can also be heard each time I visit my family in Puerto Rico when they tease me and call me a gringa because they notice the slightest American in my Spanish. I am denied authentic acceptance from both sides. I feel like parts of me identify with Puerto Rican culture more than I do with American, but I also feel the opposite and neither. What I am today is contradictory.

Western history assumes that Taíno people are extinct. Taíno people say they aren’t but they won’t tell us anything else. It’s a power play. If they tell us, they know we’ll take them away. I am not Taíno even if I am a descendant. I’d be foolish to think I haven’t been coerced into the hesitant position of a colonizer, after all, most of my blood is colonial. By giving my feelings and experience a name I am allowing them to be taken from me. In making you aware of it I know your instinct tells you you can take it and make it work for you.5

With each pass, from vessel to vessel.6

1    We look to the numbers because we think them incapable of lying. This may be the case but only because numbers are correlatively incapable of telling the truth. They just are, like wind or metaphor. We are taught to ascribe greater objectivity to them, to see mathematical processes as irrefutable -- that each time, without fail, they can be proven or falsified with enough rigor. But sooner or later the house of Badiou’s claim that “math = ontology” will reveal itself as built on quicksand, and each proof will betray its own performative investments.

2  The ostensible melancholy of the mestizo context -- the colonial imprint of southern european genes and values onto Caribbean and South American peoples and territories -- is such a revelation. Caught between the injunctions to honor our ancestors (all our ancestors, including the white ones) and absolve our roles in contemporary settler colonialism, mixed people find ourselves drawn to the veneer of concreteness and objectivity offered by such services as on-demand DNA tests. Surely the numbers will settle the unseen visions and heard silences, the touchless rememberings and unshowable reveries of the “mestizo experience,” validating the cultural bounty of Portuguese and Spaniard colonization while also divesting mestizaje from it. In a more specifically Caribbean context, these tests only play into the nationalist blood myth (“one-third Euro, one-third Afro, one-third Indio”) and its continuation of southern european cultural ideals. Blood myth logic serves to absolve the contemporary Caribbean of its participation in colonialism, when in fact the imperative political horizon for us is divestment from American governance by debt. Our convoluted racial imaginary only hinders this, and allows the continued oppression of Caribbean minorities (Afrocaribbeans, indigenous people, the rural poor) by arguing that ‘we are all the same.’

3  The situation looks different for each Caribbean Latin American nation. But the overall sense of displacement and melancholia felt by Caribbean mestizos , particularly in diaspora, resonates with many. The fantasy Brache describes -- “I want to be the happy ending” -- is exactly the catch-22 of mestizo melancholy and its desire to absolve itself from its own coloniality: how can one wish to continue existing as an embodiment of the past, while simultaneously wishing the past never happened? If colonialism never happened, there could be no Caribbean. This quixotic ontological conceit can often end up sublimating into imaginative identification with one’s ancestry. We see this in many neo-Taino and other pretend-native Caribbean organizations and individuals, who rely on the colonial narrative of complete Taino extinction in order to argue for themselves as its revivalists. This too is simply a micro-version of the blood myth.

4 In order to pursue this libidinal economy (which she both sincerely, abjectly felt and disinterestedly sought to dissect), Brache paid for a DNA test -- National Geographic’s Genogrƒaphic Project. Not coincidentally, the term “mestizo” has eugenic origins. Supremacist philosopher Jose Vasconcelos invented the term to describe a “cosmic race” an embodiment of the horizon of human development. Human mixing would allow an improvement on “the white race [which] has brought the world to a state in which all human types and cultures will be.able to fuse with each other,” organizing “the moral and material basis for the union of all men... the fruit of all the previous ones and amelioration of everything past.” Over time, “the uglier stocks will give way to the more handsome ... The Indian, by grafting onto the related race, would take the jump of millions of years that separate [him] from our times, and in a few decades of aesthetic eugenics, the black may disappear ...” (Vasconcelos 1925: 72)

5 The Caribbean blood myth is thus laid bare as a project to mold a mixed stock in the image of whiteness, prizing the whiter mestizo over the black and native. Mestizo melancholy in this light is but a species of white fragility, a hope for colorblindness in a contemporary Caribbean context where people with European descent hold the most power and have the most ties to America. In embodying and analyzing the phenomenon of mestizo melancholy, Brache speaks to the gutted identities of islands colonized twice over by southern Europe and the United States.

6 Brache presents works that speak to the coloniality of mestizx identity, with its simultaneous assimilatory striving and inexorable sense of loss: a maple domino table with colonial-style legs features porcelain Hoyle-clone playing cards instead of dominos on the raised playing area, which has been coated in the “flesh” tones of silicone. Dealt blackjack style, the cards all feature the same two images: Brache herself photoshopped as the queen and king of hearts. Oxeye daisies, classically peeled petal by petal by pining europeans for the “they love me, they love me not” roulette game, take the place of poker chips and hourglass sand. Interpellations of white feminine fragility and stereotyped nonwhite resistance leave a disturbing residue of semantic vertigo on the work in the show, with Brache exploring the affective investments of the twee abject and objecthood as imprint or cross-section of historical process. In lieu of providing answers or palatable, easily categorized discomfort, she seeks to embody Trinh T. Minh-Ha’s claim that “one can render the troubling complexities of a situation and still be very specific in one’s fight without being totalising.”

For more information please email david@fierman.nyc or call 917 593 4086

[holeybrewed-blog]

10 Coffee Shops To Visit While In Toronto

Toronto isn’t your average city as it’s a must-visit tourist attraction. The coffee-culture in Toronto is larger than life and there are cafes that offer an enhanced coffee experience compared to a Tim Hortons. If you’re someone who is looking to get their caffeine fix then this article is for you! Time to get you introduced to some must-visit coffee shops in Toronto.

Must-Visit Coffee Shops in Toronto for Coffeeholics

1. Sam James Coffee Bar

They have been around for 10 years and the HarbordVillage location is the place where it all started. Today they have 5 cafes all over Toronto. The only thing that has remained the same all these years is the great taste of coffee!

2. Neo Coffee Bar

This modern space furnished with fine wooden work and warm accents. Whether it’s an espresso-based drink or regular drip, Neo will impress. They’ve recently opened a new location!

3. TeAro

A great spot that serves Pilot Coffee. This spot is New Zealand-inspired so it’s a little getaway in Toronto. The ambience and warm vibes make it one must-visit place for Leslieville locals.

4. Infuse Café Bar

The aesthetics of the place may not impress you as they have simple wooden tables and white walls. Yet, their coffee does the opposite! Give them a visit!

5. Fika Café

The Caramelized Banana French Toast is one unmissable thing in the lot along with their fabulous coffee. This Coffee house based in Kensington Market and is the epitome of Scandinavian -style coffee shops.

6. Tucana Coffee

This high-spirited café is a must-visit for all those loving who love the hipster vibe cafés. Drink a great cup of coffee while viewing local art and culture being exhibited. It may not be overly spacious but they’ve done great work with space.

7. Jimmy’s Coffee

It’s a place for tourists, but even more than that it’s the go-to place for freelance workers! With six locations around the city, each outlet holds something unique — not your average chain-like company.

8. Dineen Coffee Company

It lies in the heart of Toronto and is always packed! It’s a great spot for coffeeholic as you get to try some unique roasts. You can grab your coffee to go and explore the downtown core or stay inside and enjoy the ambiance.

9. Early Bird Coffee & Kitchen

As the name suggests, it’s a spot for the early birds! It has a minimalist vibe and great coffee!

10. Balzac’s

A Toronto classic. This artisanal café has emerged across Southern Ontario with roughly 14 location. This is a spot for great coffee and some great Instagram photos!

Visit: Best coffee shops in Canada

[olivereliott]

Review: The 2019 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701

Of all the Husqvarna street bikes, none has been so hotly anticipated as the Svartpilen 701. Especially by riders who love the forward design and ride dynamics of its Vitpilen café racer sibling, but can’t get along with its ergonomics.

Excitement hit fever pitch when Husqvarna announced (at EICMA last year) that the Svartpilen 701 was indeed going into production. And like its 401 stablemates, the factory bike is as close to the original jaw-dropping concept as you can get.

But what’s it like in the flesh? Does that neo-retro flat track style translate into a decent street bike? Do pastéis de nata custard tarts taste better in Portugal than anywhere else? I traveled to Lisbon to find out the answers to these burning questions.

In simple terms, the Svartpilen 701 is a different riff on the Vitpilen 701 that we reviewed last year: trading café racer style for a hit of flat track flavor. The design is more neo-retro than it is throwback; futuristic even, with a clear nod to Husqvarna’s Scandinavian roots.

All the body panels are plastic—and that’s OK because they’re also light. The build quality’s right up there too, and everything feels carefully considered and well finished.

The number board and headlight combo, fork guards and tail section are all clear flat track cues. And the combination of the single rear number board and exhaust, both on the right, echoes the asymmetrical design typical of race bikes.

The Svartpilen 701 is also stacked with neat details. Check out that silver line that runs down from the seat and tank junction, and how it lines up perfectly with the exhaust hangar.

The head and taillights are both LED items, and there’s a ring-shaped daytime running light that’s becoming a signature of the Husky street range.

Bronze finishing on the tank cap and engine covers breaks the all-black scheme, and the branding is super-subtle. The saddle is covered in synthetic fabrics, but the combo of a suede-like upper and perforated sides looks high-end.

And that duck-tailed section is actually a piece of high-density foam, making it a sneaky (albeit hardly practical) pillion seat.

If black isn’t your thing, Husqvarna will be building 500 Svartpilen 701 ‘Style’ units too (below)—but only for the European market. They trade the black paint for an all-bronze finish, with spoked wheels and a handful of tasty catalog parts.

Underneath the Svartpilen 701’s swanky exterior, you’ll find a chromoly frame and a 693 cc single-cylinder motor, both borrowed from the KTM 690 Duke. And that’s a good thing: the liquid-cooled, 4-valve single is a total gem with dual counter-balancers to suppress vibration.

It’s good for 75 hp and 72 Nm, and the overall package weighs under 160 kg. That gives it a horsepower-to-weight ratio only a tiny fraction less than the figures Indian are quoting for the FTR1200, that other hotly-anticipated roadster influenced by flat track design.

Power is handled by a ride-by-wire throttle, a six-speed box and a slipper clutch. Switchable traction control is standard issue, along with Bosch ABS and Husqvarna’s ‘Easy Shift’ clutch-less shifter.

The Svartpilen 701 is refreshingly well-kitted throughout. The 43 mm upside-down forks and the rear shock are from WP Suspension, and both are adjustable for compression and rebound. There’s 150 mm of travel at both ends—15 mm more than the Vitpilen 701.

Both ‘Pilens use five-spoke alloy wheels, but the Svartpilen gets a size bump to an 18” up front (with a 17” out back). Brembo brakes and Pirelli MT60 RS tires round out the package.

Up in the cockpit, you’ll find wide, upright bars to counter the Vitpilen’s clip-ons. The speedo’s been pitched up to match the riding position, the switchgear is standard fare, and the clutch and brake levers are adjustable.

With more suspension travel and a bigger front wheel, the Svartpilen has a touch more ground clearance and a higher seat (835 mm) than the Vitpilen. Add to that the higher bars, and it makes for a far more commanding riding position.

Which, Husqvarna tell us, was exactly the point. They designed the Svartpilen 701 with ergonomics that’d make it ideal for urban exploration—and better for everyday use. And to prove just how much of an all-rounder the bike is, our hosts plotted a route that would take us through Lisbon’s grid-locked streets, along the Atlantic coast and up into some twisty mountain roads.

Within seconds I knew I’d have a tough time being objective about the Svartpilen 701. That’s because Husqvarna have pretty much built my ideal motorcycle. Even for my six-foot frame, the Husky’s ergonomics feel flawless; a solid mix of comfort and control.

With its low weight and oodles of low-down torque, the 701 springs off the line. The ride-by-wire system gets the power down without any hiccups or burps, making the throttle crisp and responsive.

The traction control does its thing without ever feeling too invasive, but turn it off, and the 701’s immediately more wily—in a good way. I couldn’t wheelie if my life depended on it, but some of my fellow riders spent plenty of time with the front wheel in the air.

The Husky’s Easy Shift setup gives you a quick shifter on upshifts, and an auto-blipper down. It works a treat and adds an extra dose of fun, but it’s not completely flawless—I found a couple of false neutrals between fifth and sixth.

Our ride saw us battling traffic in town and attacking corners in the hills. Again, the Svartpilen 701’s low weight and confident ergos helped it shine in both situations. The surefooted chassis is happy to tip toe through tight spaces, and then flick through turns in anger.

Even with their dirt track aesthetics, those Pirelli MT60 RS tires don’t sacrifice much grip on asphalt. I pushed them surprisingly hard into turns and they stuck, giving me plenty of warning if they were close to breaking away. The Brembo stoppers performed really well too; sharp, but with plenty of feel.

It makes the Svartpilen 701 the perfect recipe for hooligan antics: low weight, agile handling and snappy acceleration. But it’s not without its limitations.

Even though it holds decent speed on the highway and runs smoother than you’d expect a thumper to, there is still some vibration through the seat and bars. And although the seat’s surprisingly cushy for its thickness, it starts to falter after about 150 km. So while the 12-liter fuel tank gives decent mileage, I wouldn’t pick the 701 for long days in the saddle.

I’m also not a fan of the Svartpilen’s round dial. I love the display itself, which packs a lot of info into a well-arranged design, but the unit is much bigger than the actual display area. (There’s apparently a lot of circuitry packed in there.) And the speedo buttons are near impossible to operate with gloves on.

I’m not sure that it’s a deal breaker, but it sure is something that needs improving—because the rest of the motorcycle works so damn well.

Husqvarna is pitching the idea of a simple machine that makes you fall in love with motorcycling again—and they’ve nailed it. The Svartpilen 701 is a no-frills whip that does exactly what it says on the tin: hoon around while looking really fly.

If there’s a catch, it’s the price. At $11,999 in the US, the Svartpilen 701 is in the same territory as established performers like the Ducati Monster 821 and Triumph Street Triple R.

Which means it ain’t cheap. But it sure is good—and well worth a test ride, if you’re looking to add a sporty and stylish middleweight to your garage.

Husqvarna Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram

Images: KISKA GmbH, Schedl R., Romero S., Campelli M.

Wes’ gear Shoei EX-Zero helmet 100% Racecraft goggles Harley-Davidson Trego riding shirt Knox Urbane armored shirt Saint Unbreakable Stretch denim Icon 1000 Truant 2 boots