I stopped by a former school in Nolita this past weekend to check out a temporary art show that was raising money and awareness for public education reform. I wandered into vinyl-floored classrooms, through turquoise corridors, and past amazing pieces tacked on walls and bulletin boards.
Here were some of my favorites:
Claudia Pearson: Freshly Picked
Felix Jackson: Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez
Kelly Towles: Splatter
I think I'm biased, here, since Lady Linda shares my mother's name, but c'mon, look at her coif! She's sweet and stylin'.
I grew up on this stuff, but hadn't seen it since our family left India when I was eight. It wasn't until I started working in Lower Manhattan that I stumbled across both Thums Up and Limca -- imported, of course -- at the Bombay restaurant around the corner. Nostalgia never looked so good. And the taste? Out of this country.
This car is owned by someone in my neighborhood - it keeps bouncing around from curb to curb within a few-block radius. It's the quintessential car of every preschool drawing - a sunny rectangle with wheels. Whenever I pass by it on the street, it's like an unexpected treat: Cute car! Like a little bubble of goodwill that floated into my day. Thanks, neighbor!
This morning I rewatched Jane Campion's Bright Star - her film about the romance between the poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Seeing it again, I fell right back in love. In it, Keats describes the world he's created with Fanny as only being only partially tethered to the rest of the world. It's a fitting description for the experience of the film itself, which creates an 1800s-era England glowing with aesthetic beauty: realistic, yet only partially tethered to reality. I am enraptured by the film's color palette, art direction, and costumes. They create an ode to the sensual beauty of the world to which Keats opens Fanny's eyes. A moment after this still was taken in the movie, Fanny lies down and lets the breeze caress her entire body. So lovely (and hot!)
There's just something about a good-looking gas station. As much as I resent their swallowing land and contaminating ground water tables, there are moments when I just can't help but marvel at their sleek lines and contrived signage. I think photographer Edward Ruscha, who paid homage to filling stations in his book, Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1963), also knew something about their appeal. His image, Standard Station, transforms vernacular American architecture into ocean-liner elegance with the dip of a knee.
Amazing elements of the above image, itemized: 1) Do not assume you see a Pepsi clock hanging on that shelf -- it is a BEBSI clock. 2) There is a market for clocks that look like gears. These clocks are also known as "Vogue Clocks" and feature "Luxurious Design" made of plastic. 3) What else do you need when you have a clock in the shape of a soccer ball that is perched on a shoe? That's right, a lampshade. 4) The "Winnie-the-Pooh" clock needs to be in quotations. Thank you, Nicaragua!
