It’s a breath of fresh air when a short film comes along that manages to capture the essence of its subject-matter in a non-forceful, artistic and downright brilliant way.
Doing just that is an independent gay short film titled ‘ADAM’ which aims to raise awareness of the importance of self-acceptance. Released today it is the first of its kind in the UK to involve online fans (social media followers from around the world) in the production process (from costume decisions to narrative choices and they even watched the project being shot live via Ustream).
The film mocks up a futuristic advert for a customisable robot and uses the mechanical metaphor to say we should never seek to control, suppress or silence a person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. We are not robots. (more…)
Saturday 29 October – Sunday 30 October 2011
Trashing Tate includes a tribute screening to underground film legend George Kuchar, a performance by Hollywood provacateuse Vaginal Davis, trash/camp films from Nigeria and the Philippines presented by transgender theoretician Susan Stryker, and Drag Show Video Vérité & Re.Act Feminism hosted by Bettina Knaup and Joe E. Jeffreys.
The series is part of Trashing Performance, a week-long project exploring performance, film and visual art practices that reject high seriousness by embracing cheap aesthetics, irreverent behaviour, and popular forms. The series provides a space to think again about the value of irreverent and sometimes overlooked performance practices by staging public exchanges between different performance audiences and artists, academics, activists, and curators. (more…)
It’s a crazy city out there and sometimes it makes us crazy too. But some things annoy us just that little bit more than usual. Here’s ten of them in no particular order;
1. Stopping in front of the barrier to find your Oyster card
You’re in a tube station and your goal is to get the train. You know that an Oyster card or ticket is required. Why then do you wait until you reach the barrier before you try and find it? Imagine the millions of lost minutes caused by people having to swerve around you, bump into the person behind them who is already taking evasive action and then try to go through the same barrier. Those minutes would be so much better spent in a nice pub. (more…)
To coincide with the opening of Frieze Art Fair this week, Champagne Pommery, the fair’s official Champagne sponsor, has collaborated with an acclaimed artist to produce a collection of limited edition bottles printed with real works of art.
Chilean artist, Federica Matta, who is renowned for both her painting and sculpture work, was commissioned by Champagne Pommery to create a series of six colourful illustrations for its innovative POP range. (more…)
Rihanna hit the O2 last night for the first night of her record breaking 10 show run at the venue – the longest stint by a solo female artist since it opened its doors back in 2007!
Proving she is as down to earth as your girl next door, Rihanna arrived at the O2 by tube, obviously not on her own while flipping through one of the freebie papers (or Beige magazine) and listening to her iPod, but rather with her entourage of minders and security in tow. She was however game enough to pose for photos and sign autographs for the unsuspecting passengers who found themselves in the same carriage as the superstar.
The show was packed with all of her top hits (and some lesser know numbers), countless costume changes, many of which included layers that were removed until she was in little more than sequenced hot pants and a bra and she made her way down to audience level on several occasions. The dance routines and visuals were slick and well choreographed and even if she was half an hour late on stage she definitely made up for it whilst belting out her tracks from a travelator, a raunchy S&M bed, rising platforms, a suspended piano and even on top of a pink tank which blasted out smoke and t-shirts into the audience.
Supported by the legendary Calvin Harris it was a top notch night out and if tickets are still available we recommend you go along and get LOUD!
Margaret Cho-Cho Dependent @ Leicester Square Theatre, London
Main House, 13 - 18 October 2011
Revered for her crass taboo-busting material, Cho is back with new stand-up and comedy songs from her 2011 Grammy-nominated album.
For more info and tickets:
http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126514377/events
They complained that her hat was too high. She was the one that was too high, according to Kenneth Anger’s book ‘Hollywood Babylon’: Carmen Miranda had cocaine stashed into hollows in her platform heels, and was seriously addicted.
I made a piece of artwork (which was shown in Portugal) based on Carmen Miranda’s heritage, called “I’m Not Really From Brazil” – the words were spelled out on her bandana/hat/headgear fruit-bowl. This was at the special request of Pablo Leon de La Barra who I am unable to resist. So this year when he asked me if he could show that piece at the Carmen Miranda Museum in Rio – and did I have anything else? – I went to work.
South America. Think of some women who represent South America and you will be hard-pushed to name five without the services of the internet. The most obvious is Portuguese-born Carmen, followed by (thanks to That Song) Eva Peron. I wondered what would have happened to the displaced Carmen Miranda had she landed up in Mexico instead, and drew the picture you see here. An alternative idea was a nether-region “Brazilian” based on an idea of a tattooed depiction of her fruity chapeaux placed with the odd hairy outcrop representing foliage on a (female) pubis, but you may understand why I went for the former (simpler yet more subtly complicated) idea instead. (more…)
“What are you so afraid of? That’s my question. Gay people getting married? What is so scary about that? It’s complicated.You grow up in a religion like that and you try to pray the gay away. I feel sadness for people like that. This is where people start short-circuiting, instead of being brave and questioning their beliefs, they are afraid and feel that they have to defend them. I don’t mind a world with religion in it. There are some beautiful tenets within all religions. What I get hot about is when they start dictating how other people must live. People suffer because of it. They are spreading misery.”
Brad Pitt, to Parade magazine, on gays and religion.
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