Destroying Art... With a Purpose

Emil Schildt is a photographer I've just discovered. He quite literally destroys his film negatives, burning them with cigarettes and bleaching them, to gain the weirdest effects. I love it. It's in the pictorialist manner, something I've always been curious about and fascinated with. I have an "open" assignment coming up, so I think I might try some scratching and burning. I don't know how Gina will feel about it, but I personally will have the time of my life.

So the imagination is NOT lost...

This amazes me. Artists who are using technology in an innovative way to better their craft. THIS is what the Renaissance was all about, THIS is what modernism was all about. Go, Bill Guffey!

Just a couple of things about the weekend's events:

--Kanye West is a DOUCHE BAG. I don't care what kind of career you have, I don't care how amazing you are in your own mind. Stealing the spotlight from a 19 year old girl who is gorgeous and talented is just bullshit. I've never been his biggest fan, and I'm certainly not now.

--Patrick Swayze's death is weird to think about. The string of deaths this year has been insane. Major names, major influences on my childhood: Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze... crazy. Just, crazy.

The Bermuda Triangle De-mystified

Perhaps there really is an explanation for everything. I like it, because I don't like to be uncertain, but at the same time, with no mystery, there is no desire to ever learn for yourself. Hmph.

Itching to Quit

This is a perfectly good reason for me NOT to quit at this point in my life. I can't handle any more side effects than the ones I've already got.

The Lost World... Except Cooler

This is the kind of stuff that makes me excited about science. Discovering the same new shit all the time gets boring... but new species are always fun!

Selling Out... Art Form, or Factory Made?

I'm not sure that I can give credit to artists who use Warholian technique. Shouldn't they ALL get credit for the work? Yes, there is a mastermind, but I'm not sure that just having the idea is enough to get you the money and the fame. I don't know. I respect the work of all of these artists, because they turn out some pretty awesome pieces... but... I find myself wondering how I would feel if I were an assistant to someone like Warhol, or Koons, or Murakami, or even Dale Chihuly. Hmm. It's something to ponder, I suppose.

The Camera Obscura: Not a lost art after all.

This guy, Abelardo Morell, works with the out-dated camera obscura, and produces some amazing work. The photos are taken with a camera on "bulb" setting, to allow for longer exposure. I would kill to have some of these images on my wall at all times. The fact that they are upside down (just one of those crazy things that happens in photography) makes them far more intriguing. If you've got some time on your hands, cruise around his site. The Alice in Wonderland photos are stunning. They're done with a format camera, which is incredibly expensive and way beyond my own expertise. Also, he's a photo professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I wish he were MY professor!

Donald and Daffy: Together Again?

Here's my piece about this deal:

Smart move on the part of both involved. Disney provides a bigger budget for Marvel, and Marvel provides newer, edgier characters for Disney's failing attempts to maintain an audience. Those of us that grew up with innovative projects ranging from cell animation in Aladdin and the Lion King, to the scary-- but exciting-- trip into computer animation in Finding Nemo and Wall-E. Pixar has done wonders for the Disney franchise. Nerds like myself love witty movies that are produced in an eye-catching way. I'm over the High School Musical bullshit.

I'm worried about what happens to things like Marvel Island at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Universal Parks have really expanded over the years, creating awesome roller coasters, and evolving when necessary. Disney's Magic Kingdom is still magical-- if you're 7. I love Disney, please do not read me wrong. I still ride Pirates of the Caribbean every time I'm in Orlando. But when it comes to visually appealing, eye-catching, breath-taking excitement... Universal is the place to go. Will Universal lose their cred for this? Will Marvel Island be shut down? Will they have to take out the Incredible Hulk coaster, Dr. Doom's Death Drop, the 3-D Spiderman ride? What will happen to Six Flags, all across the nation?

Movies are at a point these days where I am so used to not enjoying them, I can't even begin to worry about what will happen. I haven't seen a truly incredible movie in quite a while. I'm excited for the prospects, but I'm not going to be overly disappointed if they are flops.

Politics: Anybody's Game?

AP usually makes good mention of credentials, but I didn't see any in the article. Why would a MLB pitcher want to take out papers for Senate? What can he contribute, from a political standpoint? I'm afraid I just don't understand.

School Funding: What's right, and what's fair?

I'm a little on the fence. From an economic, government standpoint- I can understand the ruling. However, I've also always been fortunate enough to attend schools-- primary, secondary, and universities-- that have been adequately funded. My education has never lacked. I'm also a self-made student... I get what I put in, and I'm more than willing to work around any disadvantages that have come up. But, is there validity in Wolff's argument? What DOES entitle Clayton to get more money than Festus? The answer: tax payers. People move to areas like Clayton specifically for the higher class housing and higher quality education. The more you pay for your real estate, chances are, the better school your children will attend. Do YOU want to pay a higher tax for someone else's kid to get a better education, but not to improve that of your own? Even if the education your child is getting is still at a much higher caliber than that of the Festus child? The average American would say: Hell no!

It Seems We're All X-Men

If only I could develop some sort of mutant power. I wouldn't mind being Rogue... but I might mind being owned by Disney.

Chinese Dinosaurs?

In my education, I never thought much about Dinosaurs in other places. I've seen plenty of fossils in museums and science centers... but I didn't think much about what an Asian dinosaur would even look like. Be damned, nay-sayers of the Pangea theory. There is no way a dinosaur common in both Europe and Asia could also end up in the Americas unless the land masses had once been connected.