10.30.09

collapse

This is the documentary I wanted to make after I finished my Buckley film back in 2003. I even begun pre-production on it with a friend. It was going to be called “The Shift.” However, my research was so depressing and so overwhelming (and so frightening after I spoke with a man who worked consulted for a Pentagon think tank), I decided it best for my mental health not to immerse myself in this material for several years. Thankfully, Chris Smith did! Smith, one of my inspirations (he made one of my all time favorite docs, American Movie), has taken on a subject – THE subject – that I have been obsessed with for the past decade… the collapse of society as we know it. If you know me, then I’ve already chewed your ear about this a million times. And, I’m not talking about a collapse unfolding over the next few decades, but a radical spike in chaos over the next few years culminating in some pretty wild stuff that acts as a catalyst for systemic change. I truly believe that we all happen to be alive at the apex of a cycle that’s been winding to a close for hundreds (maybe thousands of years.) It’s like those of us who are alive at this juncture in history have won a bizarre lottery. This is no longer a slow unfolding, it’s the official turn of the tide.

Collapse, while highlighting the chaotic scenario as independent writer/researcher Michael Ruppert sees it, will also inevitably venture into what “knowing” this kind of information does to a person like Ruppert. Once you look behind the curtain of what mass media presents and investigate what’s really going on inside all of our major institutions from the Federal Reserve to Agribusiness, it’s enough to make even the most staunch optimists cynical, hopeless and paranoid. And, honestly, just because the word *conspiracy* is uttered around some of these topics, does not mean we should throw out the baby with the bath water. There are half-truths, lies and manipulations everywhere these days. Sometimes we have to open ourselves up to selective bits & pieces of conspiracies in order not to qualify as fools. It’s a delicate balance. My only worry is that the film is not going to delve into why this coming collapse will, ultimately, be one of the best things that could happen for this world – even if it’s going to be a rough ride for a bit – but I will save the post collapse discussion for another day!

This is definitely one of the must-see documentaries of the year. (It’s getting stellar reviews.) GO SEE THIS FILM when it opens on November 6th and we’ll talk…

10.29.09

norwegian cliff flying

I know this has been making the rounds for awhile, but in case you missed it, you really must watch this. Total. Bad. Ass. (Thanks for reminding me about this Sarah!)

10.25.09

and the wolf jumped over the moon

Here and here.

10.18.09

bright star

This weekend we went to see Jane Campions’s, Bright Star, about John Keats love affair with his next door neighbor Fanny Brawne. It’s such an exquisite film with its delicious color and textures, the furniture, the teapots, the linen, the butterflies, the flowers, the handmade chapeau….and THE LIGHT. Everything in this film is so lovely and romantic and English! I wanted to jump inside and live there. The story, of course, chronicles a besotted Keats and Brawne and the poetry/letters their love inspired - You have absorb’d me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving. [Sigh] Oh, to live the gentle life.

Here is a review of film, interpreting Campion’s unique approach to the affair, which focuses on Brawne as much if not more than Keats, worth reading if you liked the film. In retrospect, I can see how Campion chose to focus more on the “stuff” of Keats writing, rather than Keats himself.

10.18.09

ireland

More of Peter’s beautiful shots from a long-ago trip to Ireland. (That first photo is where I dream of retiring, the Dingle Peninsula.) Peter is finally grouping all of his Ireland shots here. I can’t get him to print them for me fast enough!

10.18.09

{artist} bryan ash gill

I’ve been combing through all the inspiraton on Sophia Brueckner’s blog and discovered Bryan Ash Gill. Here is an imprint he made of the growth rings of an old hemlock tree. He imprints the textures and patterns of the wood onto washi paper using a “laborious rubbing technique,” the process of which you can see here. Such an eye-popping image that captures both the simplicity and complexity of wood grain. His prints are sold at Ashes & Milk.

10.11.09

{artist} valerie hammond

Ever since discovering Valerie Hammond on Design*Sponge last year, I’ve been salivating for more of her artwork. There is such a magical mixture of earth and spirit in her pieces. It’s as if she captures the fingerprints of the Divine on paper and fabric.

Design*Sponge recently posted an interview with Valerie accompanied by plenty of luscious images of her work and inspirations. (According to D*S, Valerie’s next projects are a “photo series related to spirit photography and fairytales” as well as glass sculpture.)

10.11.09

{artist} sophia brueckner

Lovely swirls of colors in these round gouache paintings by Sophia Brueckner. Love the mixture of zebra and peacock. More of her work here and here.

10.7.09

the wild things

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers — “based loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze.”

How come I’m just hearing about this now? This sounds fantastic (sort of a YA version of Where The Wild Things Are) and the reviews (that I could find) are great. It was just released Oct. 1.

Also, the design for these books are gorgeous. See here for the slip cover version and the furry version (!)

10.6.09

psychedelic

But “when you look down at the ground, it’s like looking up at the sky,” Desjardin said. “Every little ’star’ was a little mushroom–it was just fantastic.”