Nathan Coley is a celebrated Scotland-based artist and graduate of the Glasgow School of Art. While much of his work deals with political themes (a recreation of an IRA-bomb-damaged Marks and Spencer, an exhibition about Pan Am Flight 103, and his Turner Prize-winning recreations of churches, synagogues and mosques), I’m a bigger fan of his large-scale typeface structures like There Will Be No Miracles Here, shown above. The Tate describes this piece:
In THERE WILL BE NO MIRACLES HERE the glitzy typeface jars with the folksy light bulbs, the prodigious title simultaneously forbidding and admitting the possibility of divine intervention. It derives from a historical event where a King, in effect, imposed state jurisdiction over the ‘higher’ law of God. Opening up a range of possible readings, in Coley’s work truth and belief are considered unstable and relative. His work proposed strategies for us to engage more expansively with the world in which we live.
While Coley’s not without his detractors, I think the setting of the scaffolding and lights in rural areas or gardens are part of what makes it so interesting from a visual perspective. It’s a grand-scale, modern installation that, like a lot of contemporary art, maybe doesn’t really mean anything at all other than what you take from it yourself. Some more similar pieces from Coley after the jump.
Filed under: Menswear, Mr. Dool Approves | Tags: blazers, junya watanabe, Mr. Dool Approves, paris fashion week, things i probably can't afford
I’ll do a full post of some of my favorites from Milan and Paris sometime this weekend, but this striped Junya blazer is the first thing I’ve seen that I really wanted to own right away. The whole show is basically like a nicer version of my current wardrobe and I love pretty much every look they sent down the runway today. Nothing terribly groundbreaking here, just a nice collection of well-executed, wearable clothes. Yes, please.
Both images via GQ.com.
Filed under: Menswear, Style, sunglasses | Tags: "The Birds" still kind of scares me, campaigns, crows, nicholas hoult, tom ford
And here all I thought he and I had in common were our stunning good looks.
Nicholas really stepped in some good shit it when he landed a role in Tom Ford’s Oscar-nominated directorial debut “A Single Man” last year. Now not only is he no longer best known for his role in “About a Boy” and the teenage-trainwreck that is “Skins,” but he gets to star in all of Ford’s ad campaigns, like the one above for the designer’s A/W 10 eyewear campaign. Plus, he doesn’t have to endure fake crows tweaking his nipple, as his female counterpart Freja has to do in the accompanying woman’s campaign. Yikes. Two more (nipple-free) shots after the jump.
Filed under: Menswear, Style | Tags: APC, band of outsiders, john woo, maison martin margiela, nerds, star wars, viktor & rolf, visvim
This is the intersection of so many things that I like, it’s almost sick. Star Wars menswear art by John Woo (not that John Woo).
Filed under: Music, Video | Tags: alicia keys, biggie, boyz II men, chromeo, en vogue, horseshoes!!, lady gaga, m.i.a., Music, spoken word, tina turner, Video, we never do nothin nice and easy
Anyone who knows me well knows I love a good spoken word interlude in a song like nobody’s biz. There’s something so wonderful and so, so cheesy about the entire concept that just gets me every time, especially because I can’t help but wonder what goes through artists’ and producers’ minds when they’re in the studio cranking out hits and they all agree that this is a good idea. “What’s missing here? Oh, I know, inserting a completely fabricated monologue (or even better — a dialogue) into the middle or intro of this song will really give it that extra dose of emotional realism we need to connect with the audience. After all, emotions aren’t quite high enough right now, even though I’m FUCKING SINGING about something, so let’s show everyone what we really mean by dropping the melody…and talking.”
On a pretend phone call, for example.
Filed under: Six Things | Tags: Day Birger et Mikkelsen, diet butcher, dirt, dominique young unique, Effector, logan white, mark mcnairy, MNDR, Six Things
Six things I like this week. Click to enlarge picture. Details below.
I hate carrying bags of any kind. So much so that even when I go to the beach, I usually exploit the kindness of my friends and spread my belongings amongst their totes and backpacks. But, if I ever did decide to get something to carry all of my shit (in the interest of not being a brat and having friends who still want to go to the beach with me), this Industrial Canvas Jaws Coal Bag from Jack Spade is pretty cool. I like the dipped canvas and the pop art feel of the silk-screened Jaws photo. Plus who doesn’t want to be reminded of the killers lurking beneath the waves during an otherwise relaxing day of sun and sand? Always be prepared, beachgoers. Always be prepared.
Check it out here.
