Culture: Deafheaven @ Bottom Lounge, Chicago 2014

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - There are many good things in life. Rock music is one of the best. Great rock concerts are pure joy. They can release you from the daily grind for a while and refresh your power. The Deafheaven gig I experienced @ Bottom Lounge, Chicago last Friday was one of them.

The black metal from San Francisco almost went beyond the limits of rock music. Their thoroughly composed pieces, based on delicately structured melodies,  reminded me a bit of baroque compositions like Händel`s "Music for the Royal Fireworks" and Vivaldi´s "The Four Seasons".  But the virtuous song lines rode on massive walls of sound. This created an unique melange of grace and sheer power - priceless.

Deafheaven´s greatest asset is the voice of frontman George Clarke. I have never heard anything like that. The frenetic energy of his screams  perfectly harmonized with the sound of the band (3 guitars and drums). Clarke is a master of celebration. The frontman orchestrated the crowd before the stage like a great conductor. As a part of the show he let himself fall frequently into the crowd while continuing his screams. He literally sought "das Bad in der Menge" (as we would say in German), loosely translated with "takes a bath in the crowd." The combination of band, voice and show mingled together into a very intense concert experience.

 

Before Deafheaven we enjoyed the performance of the hardcore band  "Perfect Pussy". 2 guitars, 1 keyboard and drums delivered a furious feedback orgy which backed the show of front woman Meredith Graves. The vocalist´s very elegant outfit, with well-cut hair, would be suitable for a hostess of an high-class party on Manhattan´s Upper West Side, but the girl rocked furiously. Her performance swung between svelte posing and dynamic movements. Her screams amplified the fierce sound of the band, even though the weak sound system of the venue swallowed much of her contribution. 

The event will stay in my mind for a long time. Thanks a lot Deafheaven & Perfect Pussy.

P.S. I used partly pictures from Deafheaven`s performance @ Chicago´s Pitchfork Festival 2 days later because my point-and-shoot camera had problems with the darkness at the Bottom Loung concert.

Culture: Street Art - What`s Going On In Lower Manhattan - July 2014 Edition

(Drivebycuriosity) - It seems Manhattan is a Mecca for street art lovers. Almost any day some new mural or other images are popping up, at least in the downtown area. Since my latest street art report from may 2014 (driveby) I discovered a lot new works on the streets of Soho, East Village and Lower East Side.

My favorite newcomer is a gorgeous mural by the Australian artist Anthony Lister (top of this post). You can find the work on Allan Street in Manhattan`s neighborhood Lower East Side. It  seems the wall belongs to Epstein´s Bar, a popular hangout for college kids and young "bridge-and-tunnel people". (Do they notice this art work when they party there?) Lister also has a current exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea, another neighborhood in downtown Manhattan (through July 26, 2014  jonathanlevine).

Another favorite of mine is the "robot" art by Nick Kuszyk (rrobots) at the corner of East Houston & Elizabeth Street (Lower East Side). This mural belongs to the fashion store Rag & Bone, that frequently commissions street artists.

And there are more new murals, of course. I especially like the cityscape in trompe l'oeil style which I found in the East Village neighborhood.

There are also new roller shutter murals (displays sprayed on shop gates) which are typical for the Lower East Side.

.....and of course more stencils (driveby).


Let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy.

Contemporary Art: "Summer Collective I", Impressions From An Exhibition @ Bertrand Delacroix Gallery (BDG), New York City

(Drivebycuriosity) - New York City is not only the world capital of finance, the metropolis also is a mega-center of the global art scene. Besides a row of amazing museums, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Guggenheim, Whitney and others, there are many gorgeous galleries.

Last week my wife and I visited the Bertrand Delacroix Gallery (BDG  bdgny ). This is a spacious contemporary art gallery in Manhattan`s art rich district Chelsea (535 West 25th Street, New York). According to their website they represent "emerging and established artists whose works defy traditional categorization".

We enjoyed their current exhibition, called "Summer Collective I", which runs through August 16, 2014. They are showing paintings from 4 artists plus works from 2 sculptors. I used the occasion and made a collection of pics. Unfortunately my point-and-shoot camera did not capture the paintings very accurately. Therefore the pics here are just proxies and I add links to correspondent web pages which should deliver better images.

The works of Elizabeth Allison caught my eyes (you can see more here bdgny and here elizabethallisonart). I enjoyed the atmosphere of the paintings created by a special technique. The French artist works with watercolor. This media is very common but she employes it in an original way. As Allison explains on the gallery`s website, "dense layers of built up pigment and a labyrinth of drips create each painting. By turning a big sheet of paper this way and that, I manipulate the drip. I lay the painting on the floor to apply broad washes and let the paint puddle up, creating unexpected watermarks. I splash and splatter- the nature of the medium is imperative to the outcome of the painting". A video on the gallery´s website shows how she uses a hair dryer to move the drops of watercolor to create her paintings. The results are mystical fairy tale landscapes where witches might live.

 I also was fascinated by the Jorge Enrique´s powerful compositions (bdgny ). The Cuban artist uses thick layers of paint and resin to create a high intensity. My favorite painting ("Crossroads No. 1") you can see on top of this post.



                                                                           Zest For Life

         
                                       

The works by Ayline Olukman look at first view like photographs, but a closer look shows they are collages (aylineolukman ). The French artist uses own photographs and pictures she discovered on her travels and adds strokes of oil paint to them. I enjoyed the zest for life and the optimism radiated by these pictures.


                                                                   Magical Realism

Federico Infante (born in Chile) completes the quartet with delicate and charming studies inspired by the culture of his home country (bdgny).

Integrated in the gallery`s walls are some sculptures by Matteo Pugliese. The works of the Italian artist radiate some magical realism (bdgny).

These are just examples selected by my personal taste. You will get the best - and authentic - impression of these beauties when you visit the gallery, which is highly recommended. Enjoy.

Culture: 4 Knots Music Festival 2014, New York City

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - New York City is a very expensive place. But many things are for free, for instance a lot of open air rock concerts. Yesterday my wife and I attended the "4Knots Music Festival" (villagevoice). This is a free of charge event at Manhattan´s touristy South Street Seaport. The annual concert, which is hosted by the Village Voice, a print and online magazine about New York´s culture & nightlife, replaced the "Siren Festival" which had taken place some years ago on Coney Island inside a leisure park on one of New York´s beaches.

As in the years before there we 2 stages where 10 bands played, including "Those Darlins", "Radkey" and "Dinosaur Jr." The program was very family friendly and attracted many New Yorkers and tourists. The whole area around the popular South Street Seaport was way more crowded than usual.

Many visitors enjoyed just the relaxed ambient and used the occasion to meet friends and other people, took pleasure of the sunny harbor place at the Southern edge of Manhattan and had fun. Here some impressions from our visit. Enjoy!

Btw: Thanks a lot to organizers and security people who guaranteed that it "4Knots" was a peaceful and fun event again!

Movies: Snowpiercer

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - Watch out Hollywood. The globalization is gonna eat your lunch. The movie "Snowpiercer" is a proof that action packed popcorn thrillers can be made elsewhere (imdb). The film is directed by Joon-ho Bong, a citizen of Korea, based on a French graphic novel ( "Le Transperceneige" by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette) and shot in a studio in the Czech Republic and on the mountains of Austria (Hintertux Glacier, Tyrol); the post-production happened in Korea (wikipedia).

"Snowpiercer" is one of these dystopian science fiction movies which are so popular, but the film is outstanding in several ways. Basic idea: After a failed climate experiment the whole earth is an uninhabitable ice desert. The surviving rest of humans lives in a super-train, the "Snowpiercer", which runs around the whole globe over a year´s time.

In the beginning I had problems with a crude left-wing ideology. The passengers where divided in 2 groups: An arrogant wealthy upper class who rejoice their lives in the front of the train and a very poor underclass who vegetates in the rear of the vehicle. This leads - of course - to a revolution. I think the differences between the rich and the poor are painted in too garish colors. But as the story advanced and became a bit more complicated and twisted, I got more comfortable with the plot (no spoilers here as usual)

I think the idea of a train as a complete and closed eco-system in an otherwise uninhabitable environment is an interesting concept. The train, which is very long and has many different segments, is comparable to a spaceship but it also can be understood as an allegory to planet earth. There is a lot talk about sustainability.

Watching the superb ensemble was really fun. Tilda Swinton - almost unrecognizable - gave a hilarious and gorgeous performance as a representative of the arrogant upper class. John Hurt`s appearance as a kind of mentor of the revolution also was awesome. The Briton is one of these actors who are getting more impressive the older they get - like Cocnac. Ed Harris delivered an equally remarkable performance as mastermind of the ruling class and a kind of elder statesman. The younger and more action oriented actors, especially Chris Evans (American) and the Korean Kang-ho Song, did a good job too. I also enjoyed the international debut of the young Korean actress Ah-sung Ko whom I wish to see more often on the screens.

While making the movie director Joon-ho Bong benefited from the long list of train movies which has been made in the history of cinema. I also recognized influences from some  surrealistic movies like the films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("The City of Lost Children/"La cité des enfants perdus") or Terry Gilliam ("Twelve Monkeys"). The greatest asset of "Snowpiercer" are the awesome  cinematography and the special effects (made in Korea!). I indulged in watching how the train literally pierced through the deep frozen landscape and will remember the furious final a while. Bravo, Mr. Joon-ho Bong.

New York City: The "High Line" - Impressions From A Nightly Walk

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - New York City is full of awesome places. One of my favorites is the "High Line". This is an an aerial greenway, length around 1 mile (1.6 km), which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan on an elevated former New York Central Railroad spur (wikipedia).

Last sunday my wife and I had walk there - short before closing time (11 pm). It was a hot summer night which attracted a lot of other strollers. The path was girded by illuminated trees, bushes and flowers. Sometime the lush plants build a green roof and created the illusion of being in a rain forrest.

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A fascinating look creates the bluish illuminated Chelsea Market Passage. There the former train track cut once through the former National Biscuit Company factory complex. Now the building is home to the Chelsea Market, which hosts an urban food court, shopping mall, office building and television production facility.

We also enjoyed the interesting architecture along the High Line. The construction of the park, which is now a magnet for New Yorkers and tourists, attracted a lot of money and is still shaping the neighborhood. There are many classy and stylish buildings left and right of the Line, including the IAC head quarter designed by star architect Frank Gehry (nymag).

It also was fun to take a look on the nightly neighborhood, Manhattan´s classy Meatpacking district. In the far distance greeted the blue-and-red illuminated Empire State Building, apparently  celebrating Independence Day.

A walk on the "High Line" is highly recommended.