Nick Walker / The Vandal via Bristol, England
Had the ultimate pleasure of meeting Nick Walker one perfect Spring evening, c/o Darkroom Demons.
After giving Nick a cookie, he allowed me to observe him at work on the wall outside the Violet Hour.
Day 1: he’s been on the wall all day, hasn’t yet put the finishing touches on his Vandal plane:
Day 2: he’s back at it in the early AM, his spring-loaded hats exploding out of the Vandal’s heart:
Noon: the sun is hot, I leave to fetch sunscreen. Upon my return I spy:
Eyes: it’s all about the observer, he says. And the signature:
Prepping the spot: recall “The work of art is limited to an acting out, not an understanding. If it were understood, the need to do the work would not exist anymore … Art is a guaranty of sanity but not liberation.” — Louise Bourgeois
Tagged: Nick cuts labor-intensive stencils to produce his works, offering incredibly fine detail while minimizing his time painting on the street. Street art is (and especially, used to be) a quick art. His is a lovely method. This piece involved lots of spraying without the aid of stencils to create a small universe of swirling colors, perhaps representing the ultimate power of the Vandal’s open heart.
Watching you, watching me: I got to take this fine piece home, rewarded for paying attention to the detail.
Finished: the final work viewed from the East side of Damen Ave. Takeaway: the ecstasy of influence.
Here’s me around that time, across the street:
And here it is in fashion via Chris Benz, throwing his hat into the painting ring:
This was the weekend soundtrack:
Musically-inclined, always, I was to be in Austin this mid-March weekend. Flew down on Tuesday with the intention of staying the entire week for SXSW Music. Got there and felt a very strong pull back to Chicago. Two one-way plane tickets later, I stayed 24 hours, interviewed Wild Belle, bonded with a friend, met a very cool new friend, then came home to the above.
Was recently told scientists are beginning (and used to) consider the gut a second brain. Listening.
wonder at all
picked up this 55-minute set from DJ AM’s pro/personal site the summer of 2004.
think it was for lohan’s 21st birthday.
click the pic to load up memory lane. if you’ve got ADD the cream comes in at 35:26:
Maternalist > Feminist
A finely elucidated interrogation by Elisabeth Badinter in Harper’s (March 2012)
– photo of a work by Robert Ryan in It’s Nice That Issue #5, ”What People Feel Is At The Top Of The List”
Year End 2011
It’s been a wonderful year, 2011. This last week sees some of us on the beach, others furiously wrapping up at the office and many, I would venture to guess, ready to turn a page.
When visiting my family and childhood home this week, I found a cache of data discs containing ready bits of my life from the early ‘aughts. I went deep down a digital wormhole of personal essays (English major at UofM), saved articles, logged AIM conversations, labored-over letters and hundreds of pictures and videos.
Also while at home my mom reminded me we opened our AOL account in 1995.
I haven’t been able to live without my hands on a keyboard or deep in the interwebs since my first Macintosh LC. I do it for Dose, THC and this site, amongst many others, now and years past. In fact, my very first indpendent business venture was creating websites for small businesses.
Here are two selections from this digital archive to see you into 2012: The 7 Vices of Highly Creative People and The Most Dangerous Game.
Happy page turning, however you do it these days. Personally, I heart my iPad. See you on the flip side.
Henri ♥’s Dose
Join me at the River East Art Center for a very special HoliDose, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., December 4th.
Praise
“Your production of this market is nothing short of amazing.” — katechuber
Norman Norell
Before there was LL Cool J.
Photo, Suzy Parker, wearing Norell.
“She kept the clothes in a separate apartment.”
Ensure®
Sometimes, it’s best not to have a look under the veil:
Quote: “It’s probably better to be more connected to one’s leggings.” — Daphne Guinness, via the New Yorker
Lolla Style on THC
AF photos from Lollapalooza’s 20th anniversary fest, celebrated at Chicago’s Grant Park, on THC.
Signature CBA
Chicago Bagel Authority has a sandwich with my name on it. When you stroll up to the counter, order:
AF for Topshop
AF for Topshop upon their opening in Chicago, September 2011. Photos by Jon Shaft, Lynnette Astaire, Tyler Curtis.
The Fear
We can smell it, Reed.
There are so many things wrong with the following email that I, and many others, received this AM.
1. Creepy intro, dude
2. Oh, hello, Qwikster. Let this be a lesson in how NOT to announce a name change
3. “I know that logo will grow on me over time, but still, it is hard.” This is not a famine, dude. Do not pander to us about Netflix
Over it. Folks, it is all about clarity when it comes to messaging. I wish there were a better alternative — media companies, the bell has sounded, get to it, you’ve got customers.
Below, today’s ill-advised Netflix/Qwikster email:
Modern Love via The New York Times
I don’t always love it but I always read it.
Photo by Jon Shaft, June 2011.