Muskawocool
If you’re aiming to find unconventional, yet beautiful relaxing spots, here’s one you’d really love: the picturesque concrete Observation platform, “sunken” in the middle of the lake, in Vöcklabruck, Austria. We’ve spotted it on My Modern Met and as soon as we saw it, we thought this is just too awesome to keep it just for us. The strange spot attracts tourists like a magnet, because it was designed to allow people to walk below the water surface without getting them wet. Who wouldn’t like to admire the site from the middle of the lake?
Somehow the entire project reminds us of the surreal works of art, with people that have special abilities, without being limited of their own human condition. Basically, the Observation platform is an interesting way to get a different view upon the environment. It empowers you to explore the surface of the water, just like a surrealist character. Although it promotes the idea that you don’t get wet, you’ll have to pay attention when it rains because the level of the water raises and well, you will eventually feel the water “dancing” in your shoes!
You're reading Stunning Observation Spot Located Under The Water Level in Austria originally posted on Freshome.
The post Stunning Observation Spot Located Under The Water Level in Austria appeared first on Freshome.com.
Muskawobs
Image from Patrick Cariou's book "Yes Rasta" (2000) p 118 | Richard Prince's "Graduation" (2008) (Image courtesy of Hyperallergic's tumblr)
Postmodernism is having the best day ever. It’s been just over a year since a New York District court dealt a major blow to Richard Prince, finding his Canal Zone series guilty of violating the copyright in Panamanian landscape photographs and Rastafarian portraits by Patrick Cariou. Not only was Prince found guilty, but the court ordered all unsold Canal Zone artworks and catalogs sent to Cariou so that they could be destroyed, sold, or disposed of as he saw fit. Thankfully, today sees a win for art: the case’s defendants won an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Gagosian and Prince appealed that decision on the grounds that Prince makes fair use of Cariou’s photographs, often altering them very slightly with painting and collage. The Supreme Court only defines fair use as needing to “alter the original with ‘new expression, meaning, or message.’” The lower courts interpreted this to mean that, in order to make fair use of Cariou’s photographs, Prince must “comment on Cariou, on Cariou’s Photos, or on aspects of popular culture closely associated with Cariou or the Photos.” (Satire, for example, would be fair, as in the ruling’s mention of 2 Live Crew’s parody of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman”). The higher courts disputed that definition: “We agree with Appellants that the law does not require that a secondary use comment on the original artist or work, or popular culture…” In other words, the appellate court has allowed Prince to use the images for personal expression.
This was, and still is, a big deal: if the first ruling were applied across the board, anyone who’s ever copied, altered, collaged, or generally riffed on virtually anything could be in huge legal trouble. For the lower court, Prince didn’t transform Cariou’s originals enough; the alterations (like pasting Baldessari-esque dots to faces or collaging nude bathers in a manner akin to Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon) were minimal. The ruling is full of considerations as to what this would mean if artists were no longer allowed to reinterpret other people’s images. Just for an idea of what that would look like, the court mentions that even Andy Warhol potentially wouldn’t have been safe from the ruling:
Much of Andy Warhol’s work, including work incorporating appropriated images of Campbell’s soup cans or of Marilyn Monroe, comments on consumer culture and explores the relationship between celebrity culture and advertising.
Still, the appeal leaves it to the lower court to decide just how much an artist needs to affect an image in order to change it. There are still five photographs the court has refused to judge (Graduation, Meditation, Canal Zone (2007), Canal Zone (2008), and Charlie Company)–because their alterations are so small. They write of those images:
While the lozenges [in Graduation], repetition of the images, and addition of the nude female unarguably change the tenor of the piece, it is unclear whether these alterations amount to a sufficient transformation of the original work of art such that the new work is transformative.
And, when it comes down to it, that’s a question of whether, and for whom, these are effective works of art.
Muskawomassive wanker
Stylesight’s Graphics Team recently visited Leif Podhajsky’s Diverse Elements exhibition at Pertwee Anderson & Gold Gallery in Soho, London.
Leif Podhajsky is an Australian graphic designer and art director, best known for his digitized abstractions of nature, mirrored landscapes, surreal collage and vivid exploration of color. Podhajsky has collaborated with such bands as Tame Impala, Foals, The Horrors among many others.
To view more work visit – leifpodhajsky.com.
Saturday night on the Coachella main stage, The xx turned in a captivating set which included surprise guest Solange Knowles. For nearly an hour, Jamie xx, Romy Croft and Oliver Sim performed several songs from their debut album including “Islands,” “Infinity” and “Crystalised.” Watch the impressive set above, and hit the jump for the entire set list.
Set List:
00:00 - “Try”
04:49 - “Crystalised”
08:58 - “Reunion”
12:52 - “Far Nearer”
14:37 - “Sunset”
18:36 - “Hot Like Fire”
22:23 - “Night Time”
26:45 - “Swept Away”
29:09 - “Shelter”
34:50 - “VCR”
38:03 - “Islands”
41:15 - “Infinity”
47:13 - “Intro”
50:12 - “Angels”
Watch The xx Full Coachella 2013 Performance is a post by Brian Farmer on Highsnobiety.
Image courtesy of Pigtown Design (http://pigtown-design.blogspot.com)
The New York art world may run on cash and glitz, but emerging artists usually don’t. So we’ve been looking around lately to see what it’s like where the money never was to begin with. This week, we went to Baltimore, where the people are still weird, the space is still cheap, the work is still exciting. Let me tell you, the grass is a whole lot greener. May New York never figure that out.
In part one, we visit NUDASHANK’s Conor Backman show, Gallery Four’s Lisa Dillin exhibition, and Sophia Jacob’s Harrison Tyler gallery take-over with writer, artist, curator, and hands-down, best-ever Baltimore tour guide, Michael Farley.
Conor Backman, Zeuxis and Parrhasius, Arizona Grapeade Cans, Diversion Can Safes, 2012
Conor Backman, The Other Real March 23 – April 28
NUDASHANK, 405 W. Franklin Street, 3rd Floor
What’s on view: Trompe l’oiel, trompe Fanta cans, trompe wrapping paper..
Whitney Kimball: This show has an appealing personality behind it, resulting in things like a found stashcan hiding in a crowd of actual grape sodas, or a painted dowel made to look like deer hunter wrapping paper. Still, I’m not particularly interested in the commentary here, which I interpreted as the desire to integrate painting with the real world. Backman doesn’t tell us much more than that, and for that reason, his objects feel arbitrary; Lisa Dillin’s using the same devices upstairs, but with definite purpose.
Michael Farley: I too was unsure of Backman’s commentary; I’m not sure any of the work is intended to provide us with any. I think Backman operates under the correct assumption that the “high/low” culture binary that provided so much of the tension in 20th century art has finally collapsed. I love the reference to Velásquez’s Le Meninas (the painting Foucault discussed so much in relation to the panopticon, hierarchies, and the obscured/revealed subject) alongside oil paintings of tabloids. Then again, that reference could be seen as a clever (if not a little esoteric) key to Backman’s work, where there are layers of representation masking whatever the subject of a piece is. Laying on the worktable, that painting contextualized in a sculptural textbook could be seen as a kind of “tool” for dissecting Backman’s somewhat opaque take on mass media, painting, and pop culture.
Whitney: Definitely- I saw that textbook painting as a key to the show, too. I thought it was a playful hint that there’s no avoiding representation.
Conor Backman, "Positive Feedback Loop", Oil and ink on steel
Paddy Johnson: I don’t see Backman’s objects as all that random, but I agree with everyone here that their meaning isn’t always readily apparent. As I recall, the folks at Nudashank mentioned that Backman’s interest in the grape soda was inspired by an ancient Greek myth about a painting competition between Zeuxis and Parrhasius. Zeuxis painted grapes so real birds flew down to peck on them, but even the curtain Parrhasius used to cover the painting was an illusion, so Parrasius won the contest. He deceived even Zeuxis.
It’s a great bit of backstory to the cans and to the work in general, which as Michael points out, is less about deception than it is, masking the subject itself through representation. It’s a wonderful paradox.
I’m not convinced the gallery is always best context for Backman’s work. I think Whitney’s right that the work is often about integrating representation into the real world, so for me, it’s usually better when a more complete integration is made. That occurred last year in the Mixed Greens hotel room at the (e)merge art fair, where Backman painted some cans of grapeaide, and mixed them with real cans. They were thrown around on the floor, in the way pop cans might be, and I liked that. It’s a completely dismissive way to treat one’s labor, which feels roughly in line with how our culture values creative labor.
Whitney: The added story of the grapes does make the grape soda cans and the shower curtain concealing a stretcher a lot more poetic.
Lisa Dillin, "Stopgap," Gallery Four
Lisa Dillin: Stopgap March 16th – April 20th
Gallery Four, 405 W. Franklin Street, 3rd Floor
What’s on view: Nature meets photoshop: arranged and piled formica cubes with fake ferns growing out of them; a tanning booth; a mini fridge made from a boulder; a watering hole (astroturf platforms around a communal drinking fountain).
Michael: Lisa Dillin’s Stopgap is a fantastic example of everything I love about Baltimore art but manages to avoid all of the tropes I hate about Baltimore art. It’s gregarious and engaging without coming across as overly pedestrian or patronizing. It has a great sense of humor about it but is executed with serious attention to detail; Dillin’s commitment is evidenced by her clever use of snakeskin-print duct tape to conceal a pesky power cord. Her objects are flawlessly crafted without feeling introverted, or (worse) decorative. The work isn’t readily salable, but fluently speaks a sexy, commercial language. It manages to have content without telling the viewer what to think; rather than rehashing a clichéd “man v.s. nature” narrative, Dillin seems to be negotiating a new “habitat” out of the built environment- specifically the un-places produced by late capitalism. The real irony of Stopgap is that the show would probably function even better in the kind of sterile, institutional venues Baltimore is blessed with a dearth of.
Whitney: Wow, I couldn’t put it better. Yes, Dillin has the rare gift of being able to just kind of assemble art from the environment around her. I know she’s talking about nature vs. capitalism, but for better or worse, I end up celebrating the crappy environment we have. She makes me delight in things like Chia pets, and I like it.
Paddy: I got more out of the work that asked me to be a participant. The formica cubes with rendered ferns and dirt is done well, but the most you can do is sit on those things. So, while the tension between nature and manufacturing is present in that work, it’s not nearly as tangible as it is in the safari tanning booth, or a communal clover fountain (warning: the water tastes terrible).
I love that the spray tan is crap and hard to get off; it’s art that literally won’t get off your back.
Harrison Tyler, Sophia Jacob
Harrison Tyler April 5th – 13th
Sophia Jacob, 501 W. Franklin Street
What’s on view: Architectural intervention: A hole in the floor, through which a viewer may watch his own ass monitored from a ceiling-mounted video camera. Also, a video of a camera programmed to jump at random points throughout Sophia Jacob’s basement.
Whitney: An empty gallery manned by three people sure builds suspense. In terms of “architectural intervention,” this show’s a success; you walk around a little white box looking for the show, and then it comes up and kicks you from behind, literally, as you end up on your knees looking down on your own butt. It’s more of a prank than the full, savory discovery of Lisa Dillin’s show, but points for being clever.
Paddy: I guess. I don’t have anything to say about this show, which I don’t think is a good sign. The fact that it resulted in the amazing photo above though, might be something.
Muskawobad
55 33rd street artist studios and lofts. Photo Courtesy: Marian Spore (former Industry City resident).
Gentrification is alive and well in Sunset Park. In 2009, the real estate firm Industry City began welcoming artists and non-profits into Sunset Park, but now it appears that their motives have changed. The company recently began telling tenants in some of its artist studios that rent will increase to nearly double the current rate. This week, the development company changed its mind, but not for the better. In lieu of a rent increase, tenants have been notified they will need to relocate, some as soon as April 30, 2013.
When asked for comment from Industry City, the development company assured us that while they continue to value their artist tenants, they have been forced to vacate for a more profitable client. From a statement emailed to us by Bruce Federman, Director of Real Estate at Industry City:
We are currently working to relocate a handful of artist tenants who have raw space in Building 9 of Industry City, and whose leases are set to expire soon, to more finished space within Industry City that can accommodate the growth of their businesses and work…A current Industry City industrial manufacturing tenant is planning to expand into this space, creating more local jobs and industrial growth within Brooklyn.
The soon-to-be exiled include many artists, who don’t seem to fit within the company’s bigger picture. Industry City has been leasing artist studios in Sunset Park since 2009, but these leases might not fit within the company’s 10-year plan to transform the industrial neighborhood into a “destination where 21st century businesses can prosper”. Industry City controls enough property in Sunset Park (17 buildings and 6.5 million square feet of commercial space) to make such long-term plans.
Just a few days after tenants told us about the spiking rents, we were alerted that that the situation had quickly soured. The rent hike was no longer on the table, and tenants have been told to vacate by the end of the month. They can, however, move into one of Industry City’s other properties. From an email:
“Industry City at Bush Terminal notified its tenants at 55 33rd street that we must vacate the building by April 30, 2013. They say they will hire movers to move us to another space in Industry City that is comparable, for the length of our leases. However these movers have not been identified. And they are giving those willing to sign an extended lease in the new space (at 50% increase), priority on choosing ‘comparable’ spaces. Those of not willing have no idea what space we will be moved into, but its certain not the best ones available…We are being forced to ‘move up’ to more expensive spaces. Those of us who have had leak damage in the older spaces have never been compensated.”
This tenant, like others we spoke with, did not want to publicly speak out against Industry City; they’re currently in negotiations to extend their lease.
Noah Landfeld, a Hunter alumnus who leases a studio in the 33rd street building isn’t moving anytime soon, but that’s only because Industry City hasn’t told him “when”. Unlike residents on the 5th floor, who must vacate the premises by April 30th, Landfeld will be staying for a little while longer.
“Us on the third floor have a bit more time, but it sounds like eventually we will all have to leave as well,” Landfeld told us. “It’s unnerving, but at least I don’t have to think about the 30th of this month.” He’s been in consistent contact with Industry City since December, when his lease expired.
“Industry City said that they’d draw one up, but they haven’t yet,” he admitted. “The only problem for me is that I have no security. It’s worth it to just pay my rent.”
So far, tenants in Industry City’s other properties have yet to see any major changes, although they remain dubious about any long-term future with their landlord.
The 36th street building and its tenants remain, for the most part, in the dark about what’s happening to their neighbors.
“I know they’re building out more spaces,” one artist in the 36th street building told us. She wished to remain anonymous for this article. Her suspicions were aroused when she told Industry City that she wanted to sign a multi-year contract, but was dissuaded against that. Instead, she renews her lease yearly at a 4% increase with each signing.
When asked about whether she’s noticed any differences since she moved her studio into the building years ago, some obvious differences could be identified. Lately, she’s noticed that other artists have started to pay more.
“They’ve changed a lot since I moved in. Now it’s more commercial,” she mentioned. “It’s like they don’t care who moves in.”
“Industry City told me it’s going to be the next Chelsea Piers,” Ginger Shulick, Executive Director of Art Connects New York told me over the phone. “I don’t see it happening for twenty years,” she added. Shulick moved her offices to Sunset Park’s 36th street building from Soho in September 2012.
Shulick signed a two-year lease with Industry City because she lives nearby and the rents were cheaper than in Manhattan. Hearing about the proposed rent increase in neighboring buildings, Shulick was nonplussed as to why that would happen across the street and not within her building. The two are fairly similar, but the 36th street building does have a coffee shop and event space.
Additional reporting by Paddy Johnson
[April 11, 2013: Since the original essay was published, changes have been made to protect the anonymity of tenants.]
Muskawoyummm
These pancakes…aren’t just any pancakes.
They’re…wait for it…
They’re Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes!
Of course, you probably already figured that out based on the title of this post.
I’ve always been really great at building suspense.
Or not.
I love this recipe so much, I put it in my first cookbook. It’s turned out to be one of the most-enjoyed recipes in the book.
Recently, I was sharing with Edna Mae (she’s Marlboro Man’s precious grandmother) some of the nice things people have told me about her delicious pancakes, and it dawned on me that I’d never, in the six years since I first started posting about cooking, posted it here on my website.
What an outrage!
What an oversight!
INCONCEIVABLE!
Well, I’m righting that wrong right now. Alright? Righty-Oh.
Right on.
I’ll stop now.
The ingredients couldn’t be more simple: Sour cream, flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla!
Sour cream is the star of the show.
Measure a cup…
And throw it into a bowl.
Sprinkle in the flour, and it is at this time that I’ll point out that aside from the comments I hear from people who love these pancakes after they make them, I receive quite a few questions from people before they’ve made them for the first time.
“That can’t possibly be the right amount of flour…can it?”
Yes! It’s correct, baby! That’s what makes these glorious little wonders so…well, wonderful. They’re not weighed down with flour; they’re light and a decidedly different texture. You’ll be able to tell from the first bite.
Next, add baking soda…
Salt…
And sugar.
A note on the sugar: Edna Mae’s original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon. I sometimes do two or three, because it makes the pancakes a little sweeter…but if you prefer all the pancake sweetness to come from the syrup you pour over the top, go ahead and keep it at one.
I realize that made no sense. Sorry.
Now, stir the sour cream and the dry ingredients until it just starts to come together.
In a separate bowl, crack 2 eggs…
Add a little vanilla…
And whisk it together until totally combined.
Pour it into the bowl with the sour cream mixture…
And whisk it until it just comes together. You don’t need to beat it to death, and you shouldn’t be concerned with lumps—that’s what it should look like.
To fry ‘em up, smear a whole bunch of butter on a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat (get the griddle totally heated before you do.)
When the butter’s sizzling, grab 1/4 cup of batter…
And pour it on.
Let it cook for 2 minutes or so, and when the sides look like they’re starting to set and bubbles just start to form…
Flip it over and let it cook for another 2 minutes or so.
Keep going with the rest of the batter until the pancakes are “done,” but note that they’ll be a little softer than regular pancakes. As long as both sides are nice and deep golden brown, they should be good to go!
So here’s how I roll with pancakes.
Keep going…
Keep going…
Keep going…
Okay. I think I’ll stop there.
Warm syrup is a must. A requirement of life. A mandate.
Lean in for a minute. I wanna tell you a secret.
Come closer…
Come closer…
You’re going to absolutely love these. They’re light but decadent, different but familiar. Lemme know how you like ‘em.
Here’s the handy printable.
Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!
Recipe
Print Recipe
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream with the dry ingredients until just barely combined (don't overmix.) Whisk in the egg mixture until just combined.
Heat a griddle over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Drop batter by 1/4 cup servings onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface and edges are starting to brown. Flip to the other side and cook for another minute. (Pancakes will be a little on the soft side.)
Serve with softened butter and syrup.
Posted by Ree on April 8 2013