Blog — Page 179 of 283

Fashion Plates: 150 Years of Style

Yale University Press

MMXVIII – fashion, labels, advertisement, and connectivity - access all areas. When it comes to the creation of couture these days, there is hardly anything that cannot be gained access to in nearly real time.

Rewind to the end of the 18th century and fashion plates were the only medium to convey what the latest styles would look like.

Fashion Plate: 150 Year of Style is an opulently illustrated mélange of two-hundred depictions of what the the fashionistas of the respective eras from 1778 to the early 1900s not only feasted their eyes on but helped them to decide what to purchase.

No matter if it is French dresses from the early eighteenth century, Art Deco from the early twentieth century or male and female haute couture in between, the book presents a diary-like chronic of the fashion world before photographic evidence became commonplace.

The quality of the depictions is superb, with the plates having been meticulously reproduced on quality paper, which makes it a visually appealing addition to one’s coffee table book collection.

The accompanying elaborations and essays by fashion historian April Calahan give additional insights and contextualize them in a meaningful and enlightening manner, which should offer something new to discover for both the uninitiated as well as subject matter experts.

The fashion plates illustrated come from the Gladys Marcus library at the Fashion Institute of New York, with some of them never having been reproduced before.

A great overview of how fashion has evolved but also deteriorated over the centuries that offers plenty of eye candy and is substantiated by a foundation of solid research.

The Art of Brutalism: Rescuing Hope from Catastrophe in 1950s Britain 

Yale University Press

Black is the new black, beautiful the new ugly, ugly the new . . . et cetera, et cetera. Brutalism as an architectural movement is an interesting one – what was etymologically derived from French “béton brut”, meaning roughcast concrete, is an eye sore for some, inspiration for others.

What initially emerged as a necessity to build accommodations for booming populations in the post-war era, the unadorned architectural style is often being dismissed as unimaginary, monolithic and a product of conservative thinking.

Whatever your standpoint may be, The Art of Brutalism: Rescuing Hope from Catastrophe in 1950s Britain zeros in on the brutalist movement and the effects has not only had during its inception but explores how it infiltrated the realm of art and created a sensibility that reverberates to the current day and age.

Opulently illustrated, the sujet is meticulously researched and sheds light on the circumstances that spawned brutalism as well as the influence it exerts via depicting sculptures, collages and the aftermath of World War II.

Substantiated by documentary evidence, sketches and pop culture tidbits, the tome offers an engaging visually rewarding experience that rests on a solid foundation of art history, which helps to thoroughly understand artistic milieus and what informed them.

What is particularly interesting is when artists from seemingly unrelated disciplines describe how their approach has been informed by a brutalist approach, e.g. photography or sculpting.

The book left me intrigued and triggered research into current local brutalist landmarks in a bid to experience first-hand how a style that lacked a movement or distinct style came to be.

After exposing themselves to this book, haters might find themselves questioning if brutalism is merely a noun for failed architectural endeavours, as it makes the merits of its legacy transparent especially when it comes to finding hope in wreckage.

27 October 2018

Julius Caesar is not merely a tale of one political transition where the attempt to resolve upheaval serves as the cataclysm to cause the very outcome Caesar’s assassinators tried to prevent. Shakespeare’s closest and most overt equivalent to a political thriller is a timeless story that has never not been relevant to contemporary politics.

Bell Shakespeare’s novel take on the Bard’s tale it is an interesting one: The non-traditional, diverse gender and race blind casting with Kenneth Ransom as Caesar, Brutus portrayed by James Lugton and Ghenoa Gela’s energetic performance as Casca prove to be the strongpoints of the production, with the delivery of the other cast at times lacking the conviction that the rhetoric of Shakespeare’s powerful rhetoric would demand.

The minimalist and industrial set design is versatile, choreographed and serves as a veritable stage that keeps things flowing, specifically when speeches are set in scene, and the nature of the smart-casual costumes is not too dissimilar with the score being the diametric opposite with its thunderous bombast, overamplifying scenes that are already boosting with suspense as the battles, treasonous plots, infighting and political battles unfold.

Bell Shakespeare’s stylised approach is refreshing yet it seems to be caught in between the traditional and therefore lack dramatic depth. The next level, i.e. taking it a step further with a truly edgy interpretation would have added another dimension.

However, it was certainly one of the more accessible interpretations of a Shakespeare play I have recently seen, which is achieved through deliberately stripping back the production to its essentials and conveying the omnipresent effects that fear has once it seeps into the DNA of society.

A contemporary and at times dystopian take on a classic that adds new facets to its relevance.

Cultivate Folk is a fairly new initiative in Sydney with the main tenet being the provision of a forum to allow for Australia’s talented and passionate artists, educators and thought leaders to teach workshops in their Surry Hills classroom.

Having evolved from the brand engagement agency Our Friends Electric, Cultivate Folk’s offerings run the gamut from illustration and design to whiskey appreciation, floristry, writing, photography and screen printing, each class is designed to connect people with shared interests to professionals operating at the forefront of their respective game and who have taken their creativity and talent and turned it into a real, working career.

With classroom sizes being capped at 16, Cultivate Folk allows for presenters and trainers to engage in an intimate environment and cater to attendants individually, which truly makes it a curated classroom for the like of mind with the programs on offer being meticulously curated by the ex-brand manager of Sydney’s Tropfest, which we recently covered.

Housed on the ground floor of OFE’s new hub in Surry Hills, Sydney, the open space flexible classroom with moveable work benches and LED screens has been designed by award winning architects; Luigi Roselli, who was in attendance of tonight’s Whisk(e)y Masterclass.

Tonight’s master class was hosted by Joel Hauer, a whisky connoisseur and founder of Whisky Loot, a curated service that in essence sends subscribers a regular package of whisky samples in exchange for a fee. The content of Whisky Loot’s boxes focuses on the partnerships that have been directly formed with distilleries and is an educational exercise as it provides subscribers with relevant tasting notes and allows them to form their own opinions about varieties they would normally not come across. Each bottle is presented in a uniform monthly box devoid of label branding in a bid to enhance an unbiased representation, which comes along with a tasting booklet allowing people to write down their thoughts, as they taste.

Tonight’s master class made Whisky Loot come to live and after being sustained, Joel explained the basics and underpinning concepts of whisky for the uninitiated.

What followed was a tour de force across this earthround: What opened with a heavy-hitting Willett Family Rye, found its first highlight with Limeburners Port Cask. The malty mélange of honey, vanilla and berries was dangerously more-ish and made me come to the conclusion that the Western Australian distillery and its expressions warrant a dedicated feature.

Another highlight was the Ledaig 18 Year Old – a brooding, smoky little number that presents itself in a different smoke than the usual suspects from Islay with nuances of walnuts and ash.

Amrut has yet to release an expression that does delight in every way imaginable and the Intermediate Sherry was not an exception with a sheer endlessly lingering finish that followed what felt like chewing on Christmas cake.

A curiosity of the master class was the liquid emission of Italy’s only whisky distillery, i.e. Puni Nero Sole, an interesting zesty expression with hints of cheese and anchovies. While the dram proffered made me think the distillery is still at experimentation and calibration stage, it is definitely one to watch and one that I would have not been exposed to had it not been for the curation of Whisky Loot.

An enjoyable evening in pleasant company that proved to be the ideal transition into the weekend.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of what many consider to be the first proto-punk album in history, Kick Out The Jams. While this may or not be accurate, it was an album unlike anything that came before, and this band from Ann Arbour, Michigan began an aggressive rock n’ roll activist movement that continued for long after the band dissolved 3 years later.

There are many bands who work the tour circuit up and down the coasts, and through the heartland of the country with only one original member and often times it comes across as little more than a sad tribute act. But this tour was a celebration. A golden anniversary celebration of an album that was a true game changer. And original guitarist spared no expense in assembling a band that could do the music justice, including Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and Zen Guerilla vocalist Marcus Durant.

Opening with Rambling Rose, Kramer and company made it clear from the start that this was a celebration, made all the more evident from the smile on Kramer’s face that quite literally never left for the duration of the show.

Next up was the song everyone was there to hear, Kick Out The Jams. Beginning the complete album run-through right up to the final space-jazz improv strains of Starship, with Durant busting out the pocket sax and sounding great doing it. There’s been some cynical rumblings that Durant has co-opted the look and sound of original vocalist Rob Tyner, but anyone familiar with his work in Zen Guerilla, a criminally underrated, truly great blues rock band that was part of the garage-rock resurgence of the late 90s knows that he hasn’t changed a bit. A 6’7 afroed and sunglassed big ol’ bottle of swagger. His performance on Let Me Try alone is worth the price of admission.

In addition to ...Jams, the band also worked through a sizable chunk of their 1970 follow-up, Back in The U.S.A. - bringing out Arrow de Wilde, openers Starcrawler vocalist to handle singing duties on High School and tackling Durant in the process. Starcrawler, incidentally are a fantastic up-and-coming rock band from LA that are a must see, live. Just be warned that if you’re in the front row, be prepared for an interactive experience.

2018 also marks the 70th birthday of Wayne Kramer, who to be perfectly honest looks more spry and energetic on stage than musicians more than half his age and holy shit, can the man still play.

It’s rare to go to a show these days and feel like you’re witnessing something truly special and watching the musicians on stage feel the same way - like they can’t believe their luck and are having an unfettered blast. The MC50 tour continues through the US and Europe through November. Don’t miss it.