Lusine – Just A Cloud

Director - Michael Reisinger | polyc.tv DP - Jeremy M Lundborg Custom LED Lighting System - Alex Borton AD - Sierra Swan Sound - Phil Ryan Makeup & Styling - Katherine Dawson

This video for Just a Cloud by Lusine, like I’m fond of saying, succeeds as a simple premise well executed. It shows transcendence through a solitary moment, losing oneself as you might do with sensory deprivation or psychedelics…

There are obvious allusions to 2001 and the portal, a cinematic reference that you see over and over again because its so powerful and so well done. I’ve even tried to reference it, its such a huge landmark in effects an storytelilng and cinema.

Reisinger says he wanted to explore the idea of somebody waking up to the realization that we live in a simulated universe…
"In a lot of fictional examples, a character awakens from a simulated world and into the real world, where everything is the same. Color, light, matter—all behave the same as in the simulation. I wanted to put our character through a similar awakening, but into a reality that's overwhelming and incomprehensible. It's the same idea Arthur C. Clarke expressed about advanced civilizations appearing magical to us. If there is a higher reality, experiencing it for the first time would probably be completely disorienting."

I’m not sure I got that message, or if thats what I would have thought without reading that that was the case from the people behind it. I saw it more as an inward journey. The expansion of the of the self, of the mind. But that was just my take. This was a very well done exploration either way though.

There a lot more extended coverage here from Creators Project.

Lusine at Ghostly.

Walk Like You - Simon Stålenhag

Simon Stalenhag is a painter from Sweden who’s work describes a very vivid and compellingly decaying future.

I’ve been really fascinated recently of the idea of a large scene, rather than an intimate one, like a classical painting where there is a full story playing out before you. Stalenhags paintings imply the existence of a complicated and deep world. There’s so much in atmosphere and scale, as well as inference in these images. And it’s that inference, that suggestion without explanation, that is so fascination.

And this world is so intriguing that it’s actually getting its own series on Amazon. The pilot will be directed by none other than Mark Romanek. It will be very interesting. Theres a lot possible in Simon’s imaginary world to be explored.

I’ll be watching.

Walk like you - Charlie Immer

Charlie Immer is a painter. He lives in Maryland.

'My concepts come from my fascination with anatomy and my love of candy and toys. I have so much fun creating the blood and bones of my characters. The contrast of the smooth bodies and the complex systems beneath spilling out is very appealing to me. As I’m painting I also try to assign flavors to my characters like blueberry and green apple.'

From his interview on wow x wow

I love these paintings. There is very creative world building going on within them. A sort of logic of how these undead hordes of candy-coated skeletons exist and co-mingle. They are all cute and some are genuinely gross. Genuinely disturbing. It's awesome. Perfectly crossing fantasy, surrealism, cartoons and like a photo-real still life awareness of materials and color a classic oil painter. Very unique, very fun work. And the colors are just mouth watering.

re: Suicide

Every time we lose somebody it is shocking. It's jarring. And a suicide feels especially surreal. These public people that we all feel a little ownership of even though we may not know them... The ones that touched us. It hurts.

Its hard to have seen it coming. Maybe it's impossible. Even if you know somebody personally, a friend, your family, even if you know they are in trouble. Just look at Andy Spades note on his late wife... They had issues, she had her own as well, like any person does, and they were working through them. But it I'm sure it feels like he's been hit by a truck. Blindsided. How could it not?

For both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, outwardly they seemed to have incredible successful lives. Bourdain was literally globetrotting, eating the best food all over the Earth. Even I had a Kate Spade bag (Jack Spade). Her work touched most everyone. Reading about their family and friends, their personal lives seem pretty great as well. Which only adds to the shock. The people around them, closest to them, often didn't know the truth or depth of their own struggles. And I find it a sort of sad reality of being a person that:

As well as you know anyone, there's a lot you can just never know.

We communicate, some things get through, other things you only half understand. Partial understanding, generalities. Maybe what we perceive is correct, or at least in the generally area, but we never really get the whole picture. It's people misinterpreting or misunderstanding each other all over. Its missed connections all over the world.

My family unfortunately had to deal with a suicide in the last couple years. For us there was an attempt, a close call... And this person had family come to aid them, professional counseling. It was a serious wake up call. All hands on deck for us. And we thought that was the path out. They got help. We were there for them. It was scary and serious but they would be okay. And yet we were wrong. They tried again, and this time successfully.

And so even knowing there was a serious problem, and there was a whole family reaching out, concerned. Everyone trying to help, to offer a kind ear or understanding; This person still left us. We couldn't save them.

I don’t know what the lesson in that is really. I guess just that we should be kind to each other. To know that everyone is dealing with a lot more than we can hope to know. Even and especially people close to us. Even when you've been given ample warning that they are hurting or need help.

++

Be excellent to each other. Take a deep breath of appreciation for those you love in your life. They are all so precious.

And if you need help, if you are having a hard time, know that the people around you care about about much more than you can understand in the same way. Talk to someone. People do care about you. I promise.

--

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Birth of the New American Aristocracy

Birth of the New American Aristocracy by Matthew Stewart

You can even listen to the whole piece on Soundcloud

Matthew Stewart argues, 9.9% of the population comprises America’s new aristocracy, which often “takes wealth out of productive activities and invests it in walls.” But this group of people is rich in more than mere money, and its constancy poses an insidious threat to the promise of American democracy.

Clara Nova – Echo

Directed by Clara Aranovich

“Photography does not create eternity, as art does; it embalms time, rescuing it simply from its proper corruption.” -André Bazin

Aranovich writes, “This has long been my favorite quote about cinema; it gets to the heart of the nostalgic power of film, a power that overcame me at a very young age and has led me to pursue it ever since. Celluloid has always carried a mythical quality to me...”

from Booooom

Aranovich uses this simple premise, a sort of lo-fi take from both old and new, to tell a story of place and probably empathy and understanding as well. New mobile technology (instagram -boomerang) for it's premise; meets old film photography for it's aesthetic. It's interesting to see as well, with all the effort put into grading and color for digital film to get back to the tack and grit of old film, maybe its simpler just to go back and find film.

The technique is fun as well, shooting with a camera that has 4 side by side by side lenses. Its a fun idea to see 'steroscopic' in a why that is so immediate and intimate. like a Polaroid. Goofing around with your friends.

The story is simple: have a walk around LA, make friends, enlist people into your art/film/project, make some dance shapes with you dance friends. It's nice. It's wholesome. You can see they are having fun especially in using the fact they are shooting something to share with and meet new strangers along the way.

Beach House '7' Op Art Album

Directed by San Charoenchai

Okay, I'm a little odd in that I do probably most of my music listening from youtube. Call me crazy... but it works for me. There's of content thats not music, film, video, podcasts, news there as well and it just works for me to find songs and things there, along with episode of Frontline, or theory videos on Westworld.

And as I have done, I've seen the rise of the Lyric video or the Album Stream. Record labels like Matador or Subpop put up new releases, whole albums into a youtube video to play through. The 'video' is only the artwork,

This, '7' from Beach House is in that same vein but rather than just the album art, they've gone for animation, Op art that actually moves and responds to the music. Its simple, it looks great, and it must have been a whole lot of work. Thats a lot of building systems to power animation for 30-40 minutes. Very nicely done.

Walk Like You - Alex Prager

Alex Prager is a photographer and filmmaker who trades in beauty, nostalgia and surrealism.

There's a great deal of storytelling happening in these photos. Beyond just one surreal moment, or some reference to the past, she is setting up some scenes with many things happening at once. A car crash, a dead lover. Almost like a renaissance painting or comic book spread. Everything happening at once. A much bigger story implied by the specifics of this captured moment.

There's a lot of ambiguity here, but there's also implied depth.

Coming from animation or film I think this is a very interesting way to think about storytelling. Can you put enough details in the image to imply a bigger story? Can you tease them? Draw them in with a few threads but not weave the whole thing together? I think this is a powerful idea for film or photography alike.

Battles - The Yabba

Battles Yabba is a strong example of taking a simple theme and extrapolating it to build a much bigger greater idea.

Walk Like You - Esad Ribic

Esad Ribic is a painter from Croatia.

I've recently read Thor, the Unworthy (Coipel) and Thor God of Thunder, The God Butcher (Ribic) comics and I am blown away by the quality of the art on each page. A lot of this work is comprised of very strong compositions and watercolor, which in many instances show a sort of greyed down, washed out color into the shadows. A suggestion of atmosphere and depth that you seldom see. Comics tend to lean heavily on black, and fill in colors underneath. But these paintings are fading away, into the distance, and yet still remain dynamic and strong. Striking.

When You Die – MGMT

I hadn't realized MGMT had a new record from this last year, but came across this one through suggestions on youtube. And I like even from a simple storytelling perspective of repeating ones day, and weird dream logic, before all the visual effects. And the effects are great. As close as I have seen to how psychedelia actually works, applying patterns.

People have come a long way with algorithms to apply art styles to an image, or that one terrifying one which puts faces and legs all over everything and eyes and turns things into many faced frogs. eek. And this use, is one of the best I've seen in video.

And I always love when I see something where I'm not entirely sure how its made. Well done.

Directors: Mike Burakoff & Hallie Cooper-Novack

VFX Supervisor: Jamie Dutcher

Spike Jonze – Apple Home

I mean what can I say? I've been a fan of Spike Jonze since Mouse days, since Girl and Chocolate. He has made some of the most personally impacting and meaningful work that I have ever seen. And of course, he's still going.

This music video / film / ad is so simple in idea and so amazingly executed. And using props and sets and storytelling to show you, escape. Sanctuary in music. Expansive soundscapes.

It's wonderful. Truly. Bravo.

And a bonus, From Mouse 1996:

Walk Like You: Guy Bourdin

'Bourdin's photographs are often richly sensual but also rely heavily on provocation and ability to shock. Additionally integrating erotic, surreal, sinister components, Bourdin configured a whole new visual vocabulary with which to associate the goods of haute-couture. The narratives were strange and mysterious, often plainly exhibiting violence and graphic sexuality. Evident through astute reading of his compositional and thematic presentation, Bourdin profited from the influence of a diverse collection of contemporaries: first and foremost, his mentor Man Ray, but also the photographer Edward Weston, surrealist painters Magritte and Balthus, and Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel.'

–Wikipedia

Okay why do I like this? They are clever, they are sexy, they are deliberate and directed. They are weird. There are stories happening here, or maybe not. Maybe we just have 'art'. It becomes sort of open ended. And theres also some darkness implied, but in each instance its sort of light and whimsical.

Legs? A body? is this a murder? Oh but her shoes are beautiful.

I don't know what to say, but this work occupies a very unique space, and I really enjoy it.

Wild Nothing – Album Art Video

Wild Nothing. To Know You / TV Queen

Wild Nothing did an amazing job taking the photography from Life of Pause and creating a video actually living inside the space depicted on the album art. This one is buoyed also by the fact that I love the record and these songs particularly.

Directed by Shawn Brackbill.

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