Geek Break.

That's what's up.

Go to /film for the rest.

Photos In Your Space.

Speaking of documenting people's environments, photographer Todd Selby has started a project called The Selby In Your Place, wherein he photographs creatives in their spaces like some sort of art world National Geographic. The thing that gets me about these images is that whether it be through lack of space, sheer obsession or clever art direction, the people featured so far reflect their lifestyles and personalities in every aspect of their environment. That's not just a trait to be admired, but one that should be the norm for people of this type.

I also recommend checking out Selby's portfolio. You can really see that this project is not just an extension of his established style, but more of a full-blown manifestation of his interests.

Filmaka presents...

A FILM MAKING COMPETITION:

Red Bull - "Vibrations"
www.filmaka.com/redbull

Red Bull is looking for visually striking, 2 to 3 minute films to play
in their next installemtn of x13 - a series of cutting-edge work from
around the world. Your film can be live-action, animated, tell a
story, showcase an event, or any and all of the above. 13 winners get
$3000 and 5 runners-up get $1000. Winning films may be broadcast on
Red Bull TV. It's free to submit and entries are due Aug 17 - go to
www.filmaka.com/redbull for more info.

Good Luck!

LA Flash.

It seems that every week, a new website documenting street style pops up. It's a trend that seems to have run its course, and one the feels oddly contemporary and exclusive to our age of digital cameras, party photographers, and excessive hype. Proving once again that everything has been done before and everything is indeed cyclical, LACMA is correcting our misconceived ownership of the phenomenon with their upcoming LA Flash exhibition, wherein they show photos taken in 1973 which documented Los Angeles' street style of the time.

To commemorate the opening of the exhibition, LACMA is inviting its visitors a chance to participate in the re-up of their documentation. Visitors of their Late Night Art program on September 6th will be photographed, with the photos being subsequently archived for future use and uploaded on the web for instant consumption. Expect your Facebook newsfeed to be a mile long the morning after. $10 gets you in the door, head on over to the LA Flash page for more info and advance tickets.

High Culture Meets Low Culture.

An interesting article came from the Los Angeles Times the other day talking about the blurring of the lines between high-culture and low-culture. The general thesis is that mass-media has pretty much obliterated the divisive line between the two, with more and more typically snobby cultural elitists flocking to cinemas to watch summer blockbusters and "lowly" everyday people being exposed to high art, music, and film via culture sharing sites such as YouTube. Some of you might read this and yawn at the whole thing, but one of the more interesting points in the article is the idea that by accepting everything, the tables have turns and we're starting to experience guilt in finding pleasure in work of quality.

Instead of feeling guilty about reading pulp novels, he said, we worry that we've become "elitist" if we go see chamber music or jazz. "The culture as a whole seems to have decided which arts are elitist and which ones popular, and so made some people feel guilty to be watching European movies [otherwise known as art-house stuff] or to be reading novels not likely to be turned into screenplays."

It's a view that i've been agreeing with for some time and it's a shame that, culture, at its current state is more comfortable with professional academics checking TMZ every half an hour than with a kid at McDonald's going to watch a play. Recommended reading.

Hoop Dreams.

Hoop Dreams, the 1994 documentary about two Chicago teens frantically chasing their NBA dreams, can now be seen on Hulu for free. Granted, there will be commercial interruptions, but for people who have not seen this fantastic documentary and don't want to shell out twenty bucks to blind buy the Criterion Collection DVD, this movie can't be missed. As an example of how powerful this film is, here's what Jason Kilar, the CEO of Hulu, has to say about the film on his blog:

Please, if you have not seen this film, take the time to watch it. You won't regret it. It is a story that is painful and uplifting at the same time. And in my opinion, it possesses perhaps the most poignant and unvarnished line uttered in a documentary over the past 15 years.

IwamotoScott Architecture: Voussoir Cloud

Voussoir Cloud, a site-specific installation designed by architecture and design firm, IwamotoScott is being exhibited at Sci-Arc starting Friday, August 1st. The installation explores the idea of applying an old construction technique, the voussoirs, with new, lightweight materials. The exhibition will run from 7-9PM, beginning with a lecture by the designers at 7PM.

Advice To Sink In Slowly.

Advice To Sink In Slowly is an ongoing project at University College Falmouth wherein recent graduates design a series of posters with advice for new and incoming students. First executed in 2006, the project has been a remarkable success, the posters having been exhibited annually and expanded through a set of postcards. There is a lot of excellent work to be found in the collection, all of which are inspiring enough to make you want to trash your "Hang In There!" poster with the kitty holding on to a branch for dear life.

Party for Change.

Young America's favorite RISD graduate, Shepard Fairey, is throwing a party on August 1st at Los Angeles' Echoplex as a fundraiser for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Just imagine how much tang you'll get when you can honestly claim that you helped America with a PBR in one hand and a Parliament in the other!

Fairey will have a DJ set along with the illustrious DJ Z-Trip and Adam 12 of She Wants Revenge fame.

For more information and to purchase tickets online, go to Echo website.

Eclectic 2.0

Ante Up.

Kidnap that fool!

I tend to throw around the words "genius" and "masterpiece" around like they have no weight to them, but this re-edit is just a masterpiece, plain and simple. Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie turning into my second favorite rap act where dudes go about shouting all the time? Genius!

Click here for my favorite rap act where dudes go about shouting all the time.

That Ain't Right.

Introducing the Hyperdunk.

I have to say that I was over the Hyperdunk before the damn thing even came out (thanks, Kobe!), but the official print campaign by the dreamboats over at Wieden+Kennedy have me changing my mind. The images are enough to sell the shoe and stake its claim in the marketplace, but the copy adds enough insult to injury to make this my favorite shoe campaign in recent memory.

I won't buy the damn thing, but it's good work nonetheless.

More images can be found here. Also, reactions to the accusations of the ad being homophobic here.

i rediscovered this gem today while taking a break from transcribing puppet opera.

LAY
ERED.

More Bike. Less Car.

Hailing from the streets of Taiwan, the people over at Nabiis have launched More Bike Less Car, their street art/bike advocacy campaign. From the looks of it, it seems that the point towards the whole entire thing is to get the general populous to consider using bicycles as their primary means of transportation. You can also see that they are also making the point that good design is really, really cool.

Captain Cool and Emilio Santoyo

So here are two great ideas for your night:

fine people and fine dance in Santa Ana,

or fine people and fine art in Los Angeles.

(may also include fine/fancy dancing).

Have a good night, we'll see ya tomorrow.

BMW Kinetic Sculpture.

Woah. Berlin-based design firm ART+COM created this installation as part of a exhibition celebrating the newly renovated BMW museum in Munich. The piece is composed of over 700 metal balls suspended by nearly invisible strings. Each ball can be independently lowered or raised, allowing the entire piece to take up forms while maintaining the illusion of weightlessness.

The installation is essentially a visual timeline of BMW's automotive design, magically going through the Bavarian carmaker's 90-year history with a sense of awe and wonder that would have been lost if illustrated in print, or even film.

A visitor's full length recording of the installation can be seen below. Essential viewing as the still photograph does not do these piece justice.

Celebrate Originality.

Being silly is serious business. The third and final installment of Adidas' Celebrate Originality campaign is online and it completely speaks to my love for all things light and irreverent.

The video features skater and artist Michael Sieben, a recent collaborator with Adidas, enjoying a nice treasure hunt through San Francisco with a few with his pals, except in this case, his pals are the characters that the artist designed himself. We here at Whisper can't say no to short films instilled with a childlike wonderment, and this piece is no exception.

National Ice Cream Month!

I used to knock Summer for being too hot, but it seems that each and every year brings me more of a sense of appreciation for this great time of year. Love is in the air, festivals and fairs are all about and people from all walks of life flock to the beaches and their backyards to enjoy the company of their closest along with burnt hot dogs and ketchup-spattered burgers. Summer really is a wonderful time of year. With all that being said, here's another reason to love summer: July is National Ice Cream Month.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan made one of his best contributions to our country by declaring the entire month of July National Ice Cream Month and every third Sunday of said month National Ice Cream Day (which, by the way, is this upcoming Sunday). This sugary dish, which at one point in its history was considered a luxury item, reserved only for the elites, was recognized to be favored by 90% of our country's population and has proven itself a staple in our society. Reagan was remarked for urging all Americans to observe this month with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."

In honor of that glorious dish we call ice cream, the following is an easy to understand video on how to make your own vanilla ice cream. Try it out. Once you get the basics down, experiment and see what you can come up with. Don't have an ice cream maker? Not a problem, you can churn the ice cream yourself by tossing your concoction into an empty coffee can and then throwing that can into a larger coffee can filled with ice and rock salt. Rolling this thing around, in addition to playing football with it, will churn the mixture and freeze it at the same time. In twenty minutes you should have a can full of deliciousness. Thanks chemistry!

Enjoy summer and enjoy ice cream.

xoxo

Matt

More info can be found here: Ice Cream

The Wackness Soundtrack

THE WACKNESS:

Directed by Jonathan Levine



Check out the lovely soundtack:

You can also download it here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1BSCFRKX

Ninja

This Thursday, Metromix will be throwing a launch party for The Ninja Diaries over at the Secret Headquarters. 

Be sure to RSVP to rsvpla@metromix.com

And we'll totally ninja it up on Thursday night. 

List of Demands

Speaking of badasses... What about Saul Williams? That last post left me energized. A lot of hip hop culture, through the music and its history, is rooted deep in empowering its listeners. Sure, this M.O.'s common in artists across the board, but there are just some people that have a way of doing it that makes them stand out; Saul Williams is one of those.

If you haven't heard of Saul Williams, chances are you probably stumbled across this blog on accident. Learn more about him here.

Above is another favorite video (See this one too.) You might recognize the song from the "My better" commercials Nike revolved around it. Directed by Greg Brunkalla, this is Saul Williams' "List of Demands(reparation)."

Sly Fox.

Watch what you watching...

You gotta love Nas for going for it. His new untitled album officially comes out in stores tomorrow amidst a wash of controversy regarding the original title and a week or so before the official release, he takes a shot across the bow of one of the world's biggest media outlets. My kind of rapper.

The video for "Sly Fox", Nas' diatribe against Fox News, directed by Rik Cordero (nice subtle director credit, Rik!) is a bit of a misfire as the climax brings to mind a certain scene involving a bat and a printer from Office Space when it really should have evoked visions of a hammer obliterating a giant screen broadcasting the propaganda of Big Brother.

The album itself is a success though. With Nas reestablishing his relevance and growing comfortable in his role as rap's old owl, he is given the freedom to send shotgun shells to the gut of what ails the game with no fear of reprisal. Recommended listening.

Living With Moleskines.

I have to admit that every time I see a female with a Moleskine notebook turns into an instacrush. The idea of someone keeping one of these is akin to the Sexy Librarian in terms of being a nerd aphrodisiac. I've been using these now-ubiquitous black books for years now, and have a rotating roster of four or five small notebooks handy for times when I'm in the creative mood or for when I just want it to look that way.

Needless to say, it can become a dreary task to find that one particular idea for that one specific instance when it will be useful if you don't keep organized. Thankfully, the folks over at Freelance Switch have done us Moleskine addicts a great favor by compiling a list of hacks that will keep our journals working at peak efficiency. In their words:

Moleskine notebooks rank alongside the MacBook Pro, money and caffiene on our fictional list of ‘Most Beloved Freelancing Tools’. It’s a shame, then, that many Moleskine owners don’t realize the full potential of their little black book… much like many brain-owners don’t realize the full potential of their squishy salmon-colored companion.

Recommended and useful reading for anyone who uses a notebook or a journal regardless of the type or brand.

On a related note, for anyone who gushes as much as I do when looking at a well-kept journal, I suggest checking out Jennifer New's Drawing From Life: The Journal As Art. The book examines the process of people of various disciplines by analyzing how they use their journal and includes giant photos of sample pages of their actual entries. Makes for a nice addition to your coffee table book collection and/or a light, inspiring read.

Where We Do What We Do.

Workspaces are a funny thing. There are times when the places where we get things done say more about us as people than the actual work we produce. With this in mind, Where We Do What We Do becomes all the more interesting. WWDWWD is a "community-build visual database" that showcases the places where we, in theory, are most productive. More voyeuristic than it is a pissing contest, the site has photo submissions by people from all walks of life, illustrating the point that even people with the most dissimilar occupations can have the same organizational tendencies.

Wanderlust.

I have had an unabashed love for cities like Paris, Berlin, Helsinki and Amsterdam for quite some time. These cities have a great mix of fashion, architecture, and a love for urban living that speaks to the heart of a person like me. It is of no coincidence then that my heart leapt when I first discovered Turnleft's free Urban Guides which target these cities specifically.

The guides are free, independently edited, and published quarterly, so you can rest assured that the information within them is boxfresh. Don't expect these to be DIY Lonely Planet guides, either. These guides are designed and written with a target demographic in mind. As per Turnleft's website:

Our followers are urban city hoppers, typically 'been there done that' creatives and professionals aged 25-39 with a solid disposable income, broad interests, a very open mind and a taste for the real life.

Those stuck in plain, old America until they actually have the "solid disposable income" to hit up the cities currently covered by Turnleft have no need to worry: plans are underway for guides that cover our favorite domestic metropolises.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Perennial Whisper Crush Zooey Deschanel just premiered the first music video from She & Him, her musical collaboration with indie crooner M. Ward on FNMTV. A decidedly charming low-budget affair, what the video lacks in polish, it makes up for in cuteness by way of faux cell animation and a number of dresses on Zooey. Swoonfest! The whole affair was directed by Ace Norton, who has been nominated by the MVPA for 2008 Director of the Year.

On a related note, the current issue of BlackBook magazine has a really good article on our favorite It Girl, accompanied by photos that are the print manifestation of summer heat.

P.S. Check out this throwback post if you missed it the first time for a duet of Zooey and Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark covering ABBA.

Generation Kill.

File this under "Perfect Timing".

Generation Kill, the HBO miniseries about the first phase of the war in Iraq begins this weekend. Appropriately enough, I am just now wrapping up my Netflix-facilitated David Simon retrospective, having just watched every episode of his series The Wire and its spiritual brethren, Homicide: Life on the Street. Simon returns with his collaborator from The Wire, Ed Burns, to adapt and produce this seven-part series based on Evan Wright's book of the same name.

Taking into account the differences in warfare between the two, I don't expect this to be as visceral as Band of Brothers, but I do expect this series to be just as good on other levels.

The first part of the miniseries premieres on HBO on Sunday, July 13. Check your local listings for the appropriate start time.

"where the wild things are" update.

Big update regarding Spike Jonze's film adaptation of the classic children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are", which Kim posted about here.

The last time we've heard about the film was that it was in deep trouble, with rumors flying about Spike Jonze getting fired for having too many dark and disturbing moments in what is, ostensibly, a children's film. Whoever was contemplating that decision obviously hasn't seen "The Neverending Story"; Rockbiter was one scary dude.

A few month's later, LA Times' Patrick Goldstein gets the official word from Warner Brothers, the studio making the film.

"We've given him more money and, even more importantly, more time for him to work on the film," Horn said. "We'd like to find a common ground that represents Spike's vision but still offers a film that really delivers for a broad-based audience. We obviously still have a challenge on our hands. But I wouldn't call it a problem, simply a challenge. No one wants to turn this into a bland, sanitized studio movie. This is a very special piece of material and we're just trying to get it right."

Good (but not great) news indeed for supporters of directorial vision, creative freedom, and, I dunno, a good product. We here at Whisper are big fans of Jonze and of the source material, so we hope that the version that eventually comes out gels the way it should.

BeKANYE.

"Be someone else. Be Kanye".

Absolut Vodka's BeKANYE campaign is kind of interesting. Kind of. There are print ads and YouTube virals promoting BeKANYE, a ficitional drug that promises to turn its users into the Louis Vuitton Don. The website has a countdown ticking down to the arrival of... something. I guess you'll find out in two and a half days. Until then, I guess you can entertain yourself be seeing bland white folk turn into one of my favorite contemporary rap icons.

BeKANYE might not make a lick of sense, but it sure beats Diddy slanging Ciroc. More of that here.

the ones we love.

I might be late on this, but I just found out about The Ones We Love. The Ones We Love is a project wherein young photographers submit six photographs of the person or persons most important to them. The images have to be taken outdoors and in a natural setting.

I've always been enamored with group projects wherein disparate artists all work within the confines of firmly established rules. The results are almost always interesting. The Ones We Love is no different in this sense.

The only warning I have is that browsing the deep collection of work really makes you want to pick up a phone and call the people that you love the most. Perhaps this reaction is why I consider the project a success. Enjoy.

sea no evil.

This Saturday, July 12th, the Sea No Evil Art Benefit will be exhibited at the Riverside Art Museum. The show is meant to raise funds and awareness for The Sea Shepard Conservation Society. Paul Watson, the founder of the society will serve as a guest speaker, Matt Costa will be crooning on the rooftop, while Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant fame will be spinning inside.

The participating artists are a Who's Who of this blog's favorites (i.e. Templeton, Oh, Cheuk, etc.), but I have to say I'm kind of proud that one of the people I constantly see while roaming the halls of Art Center, Theodora Allen is exhibiting her work. Theo is making quite a name for herself nowadays with her fine art photography, so I suggest that you check her stuff out.

it's official.

portland for '08-'09.

talk about a deep roster.

Sexx Laws

So speaking of favorite music videos (see prior post), why not use this blog to post some of our favorites? Here's one of mine, "Sexx Laws" by Beck. There's just something so inherently funny about humanizing everyday objects and being weird that always appealed to me. Ch-ch-check it. :^)

Ginsberg Dug Disco

Recently a friend of mine, ASHKAHN! designed a poster for a movie about a guy named Arthur Russell. When I heard the name Arthur Russell, I immediately thought, "Wait, was that the guy who did Death of a Salesman?" It isn't. Russell was a man who laid the groundwork for modern music for years to come. If you're a fan of disco or any dance music for that matter, chances are you owe a great deal of big ups to Arthur Russell. He was a celebrated cellist, composer and producer who worked alongside the likes of Allen Ginsberg and Phillip Glass, advancing his art form until 1992 when he died of AIDS. Russell's life story is the topic of a new documentary entitled "Wild Combination" by filmmaker Matt Wolf. I haven't personally had the chance to check out the doc, but if the film's beautiful stills and intriguing synopsis are any indication of what it all comes together to create, I'm sure it's well worth seeking out.

Learn more about the movie and Arthur Russell here:

Wild Combination

And more about Ashkahn's work here:

Ashkahn Communications

FNMTV: fugly frontman does good?

Much can be said about Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, perhaps all pejorative, but you have to think that his heart was in the right place when he pushed MTV to make a show that actually showed music videos. And guess what? This show isn't buried somewhere in the middle of the night where it's only competition is that one show where two dudes sell knives, it's on a legitimate time slot.

So, what's got me all irked about it? Despite early hype about the show saving the long-comatose medium, it only bothers to show an average of three or four videos in their entirety. In an hour long show. Sure the vintage snippets and the live performances are a throwback to the medium's roots, but exactly how does devoting twenty or so minutes resurrect the music video back to its place as the pop cultural barometer it was, say, fifteen years ago? Does twenty minutes even make the show rise above celebrity vanity project towards something with a modicum of cultural relevance? Watch it and you tell me why a music television channel needs an excuse such as this one to air music-related television programming.

On a music video related note, hipster directing titan Michel Gondry was asked by Entertainment Weekly(!!!!!!!!) to list twenty-five classic music videos. There are some obvious ones that deserve their place in any music video list, but Gondry manages to surprise with a few new additions. Real talk.

Bowie vs. Caterpillar

So i came home to the parents house and noticed something was eating one of our plants:





and then i found out bowie likes to sit on the couch to look out the window and chomp on leaves



oh bowie...