Commercials

After watching the Superbowl’s commercials, I realized the only good commercials do is make us realize what companies NOT to support. Like these:

I’m not going to buy a FLO personal TV! Not only because their company has asshole marketing techniques, but because I don’t need to watch pointless tv every moment.

I will also not be buying a Dodge Charger, not that I was thinking about it:

Nor will I be buying cheesy Reeboks, mostly for the fear of my ass making other parts of my body jealous:

Burger King is far from tempting, and this makes me want to eat their nasty “food” even less:

Just what children need: lingerie

I hope this post doesn’t attract the wrong kind, but I had to say WTF about this:

The Cyrus parents have guided another daughter to the world of trashiness! Miley Cyrus’ little sister is launching a lingerie line for kids. Fantastic blog LOL/OMG dedicated an entry to lamenting this. So did Celebrity Fix (I just got linked there, I don’t spend a lot of time on this site…)

Kids don’t need lingerie! This is inappropriate! Arrgghgghghghghgh!!!!

No Man’s Land: Photographs by Bonnell Robinson & Dana Mueller at Rick Wester Fine Art

Whoa. No Man’s Land made it to the big city! I wish I was traveling there right now on the Chinatown bus to see this show, but I’m not, so I’ll just spy on it from afar. Rick Wester Fine Art is showing their work until February 20th, so get down there! Images from my homeland, Slovenia, and other places effected by the World Wars. Following her grandfather’s journal, Robinson traveled through Europe photographing landscapes. Mueller focuses on German history. Here’s a link to the press release.  I just can’t say enough good things about these photographers.

Also, this gallery represents Bea Nettles, who, if you don’t know, is awesome.

Moonsigns

Oops! I forgot I had a blog. Maybe it’s because I’m an Aquarius, with an Aries moon. Interested in astrology? May I recommend Moonsigns, out of the Boston Phoenix? Symboline Dai updates it daily based on the position of the moon (which is a different take on horoscopes; most are based on the position of the sun) and gives advice to different signs, depending.

Daguerreotypes in the 21st century

I’m super jealous. The Daguerreian Society is having their annual symposium in Philly in November. Sarah Weatherwax, the Curator of Prints and Photographs at The Library Company of Philadelphia, has curated a show of Daguerreotypes in Philadelphia, 1839-1860: Casting a Shadow.

They have a ton of speakers, tours of Project Basho, the community darkroom in Philly.  They’ll talk about restoring Daguerreotypes and there will be a place to buy your very own. If you’re in Philly, Takashi Arai’s first US show of Daguerreotypes he took in Japan are on view at Project Basho, called Flawless Lakes, through January 17th.

Gorgeous! How I wish I could make my own Dagurerreotypes! I could if I went to Takashi’s Daguerreotype workshop on November 7th at Project Basho. The following week he’ll be on a panel discussion with other contemporary practitioners.

So, so cool. I hope this trend of 19th century photography in the modern day continues. It looks soooo much better than digital, and has a craft to it. Take that computers!

No Man’s Land

Two of my favorite photographers–Bonnell Robinson and Dana Mueller team up to show work in their show at the Art Institute of Boston’s Gallery at University Hall in Porter Square in Cambridge, Mass.  Bonnell’s work focuses on the Western and Italian Fronts of the Great War (1914-1918), including stops in my homeland of Slovenia. Dana’s work is of former German prisoner-of-war camps in the US (1942-1945).  Didn’t know the US had German POW camps? I didn’t either until I stayed in one that is now a campground/shooting range in Laurel, Montana.  So, go to the opening of No Man’s Land on Thursday, November 5th, meet two of the loveliest women you’ll ever encounter, marvel at their work, and tell me all about it, because, alas, I’m still not in Boston. Ah well.

If this inspires you to want to learn from these photographic gurus, they’re involved in the Camera Eye Workshops, a set of classes by working artists, critiques, field trips, and most importantly, access to some of the most talented, kind, and amazing teachers in…America? The world? The universe?

Luis Gonzalez Palma at The Art Institute of Boston Gallery

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Ohhh if I was only in Boston, I’d be oogling this every day.  You only have through October 25th to get down there, see these photographs and congratulate the curators on another show well done. Thanks AIB Gallery curators! You know who you are and you are glorious.

This show is at both of their sites: Boston and Cambridge.  Hierarchies of Intimacy is making me want to be in Boston this fall.

If you want to see more of Luis Gonzalez Palma’s work, check out his website here.

I’ve been a big fan of his work for years, hope he has a show in the little ol’ Twin Cities soon. Or sometime during my lifetime.

Spirit Photography at AS220

Rhode Island has AS220’s Paul Krot Community Darkrooms for all their community darkroom needs.  In the spirit of Halloween, they’re holding a portrait event where you can pose with a ghost of your choice. Spirit photography used to be something that actually happened–photographers exploiting their scientific skills and the public’s confusion about how photography actually worked.

Here’s a supposed picture of Mary Lincoln and her ghostly husband:

Anyway, AS220 is giving you, oh scaredy-cats, to take home a picture of yourself with a ghost, and learn how to take your own spirit pictures. Fun!

The Spirit World

New Orleans Photo Alliance just opened a show entitled “The Spirit World”–a national juried show about spirits, the supernatural, unearthly; basically the feel of Nola encapsulated in photographs. You know how I feel about spirit photographs. Love them! Love that they continued to be considered, even if it does have to be around Halloween/All Saints Day/Dia de los Muertos. At least they’re getting their time in the sun, or in this case, their time in the ether, or misty midnight. Through November 22nd, if you’re around.
I do not feel good about juried shows tho. I don’t want to pay money to have the opportunity to show my work. I don’t have the cash. Ahhh!!

New Orleans Photo Alliance is an awesome artist-run collective dedicated to photography. They’ve got a lot going on and I’m super jealous I can’t be a part of it. Ah well.

Tupac’s academic papers

Well, maybe not academic, but the Tupac Amarau Shakur Foundation and Tupac’s mother donated his papers (I hope some rolling papers made it in there) to the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center.

Here’s an article about it.

I bet Tupac never considered nerdy-cute archivists would be creating finding aids and cataloging his work. But it’s happening, so if you want to do some scholarly research about Tupac, or my favorite song, “Gangsta Party”, you know where to do it.