Paxton Gate

Some snapshots from Paxton Gate in Portland, OR, on a recent visit. It's a fascinating place, part cabinet of curiosities, part natural history museum shop, part contemporary art gallery. There is fanciful taxidermy. There are fossils and botany books. There are clever pieces of art and design. A wealth of inspired ideas and faux-scientific aesthetics. Here is their website.

Life Drawing

A great, innovative little ad for a life drawing class at the Book Club in London, made by Wriggles & Robins. The way they've incorporated animation conveys the idea of what life drawing is really well.

(via Colossal)

Book By Its Cover wants Submissions

Book By Its Cover is a great little website that examines all kinds of gems from the world of printed matter and gives a lot of space to small-press things. It's looking for review copies.

More info here.

Robert Hughes 1938-2012

Robert Hughes, the great art critic, died yesterday. I've posted this quote before, and I'm doing it again, because what he says is essential and true.

"And I don't think we are ever again obliged to look at a plywood box or a row of bricks on the floor or a video tape of some twit from the University of Central Paranoia sticking pins in himself and think 'This is the real thing. This is the necessary art of our time. This needs respect.' Because it isn't and it doesn't. And nobody cares.

The fact is that anyone except a child can make such things because children have the kind of direct, sensuous and complex relationship with the world around them that modernism, in its declining years, was trying to deny. That relationship is the lost paradise that art wants to give back to us. Not as children but as adults. It's also what the modern and the old have in common: Pollock with Turner, Matisse with Rubens or Braque with Poussin. And the basic project of art is always to make the world whole and comprehensible, to restore it to us in all its glory and its occasional nastiness, not through argument but through feeling. And then to close the gap between everything that is you and not you... and in this way to pass from feeling to meaning."

..

Robert Hughes (The Shock of the New, 1980)

The Paper Cinema at the Battersea Arts Centre

I was introduced to The Paper Cinema sitting on the floor of a dark, hushed, crowded room in Edinburgh. The screen was luminous - we were all hypnotized, like children watching their very first magic lantern show. This is special stuff. They will be performing at the Battersea Arts Centre in London for most of February. Do not miss it, you fool.

Fun at the Museum of the Moving Image

The Museum of the Moving image is located in Astoria, New York City. This is not it. This is the Tyrell Building from Blade Runner. It's about the size of a piano and it's only one of many objects from film history exhibited here: 

Prosthetics from the prologue in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Almost all of the apes were played by actors. The  face pieces were especially developed for the movie, to allow the actors maximum expression.

John Hurt's prosthetic from The Elephant Man. 

Hair pieces worn by Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver. 

Al Pacino and Christopher Walken life masks. Life masks are used by make-up artists to create facial prosthetics. 

The single movie that has the most space devoted to it is Silence of the Lambs. There is an extensive exhibit of production design from this one. Above is a detailed scale model of Jame Gumb's house, complete with  the well in which he kept his victims. 

A beautiful sketch of the same house.

Detail.  

A sketch for the scene with the crucified guard. It's based on a method of torture/execution called the Blood Eagle. Only click on the link if you're not squeamish. Here is an interesting analysis of the film. 

The museum also has a large collection of filming equipment from different eras, television sets, pre-film era machines such as the zoetrope and film franchise toys. There are some rather interesting choices in terms of what movies and shows are represented. For example: one of Elizabeth Taylor's dresses from Cleopatra is placed next to a Robin Williams costume from Mrs Doubtfire.

A few random snapshots:   

Screening of Boxing Cats, a short film from the earliest days of cinema where films were simply a few minutes of people or animals doing something quaint. 

Authentic Cosby Sweater.

Star Trek Barbie and Ken dolls. Observe that Barbie is a Redshirt.

Crockett and Tubbs suits from Miami Vice.

 Museum interior. Like something from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

Ok, but the museum is not all about movies. Example: an exhibit of arcade and video games, which you can play. What got me most excited?

I used to have one of these! You can sit down and play Super Mario Bros 1 on it. It's a funny feeling when you find something you used to own in a museum.

The End
(Music swells)

Badges for Friends

A couple of portrait badges made for friends.

                         
                            
           
                            
                           

Fox & Comet Facelift

Yes, it's true. The fur is brushed and shiny. The colourful ribbon has been placed just so. The teeth are sharp. Welcome.

I'm on Tumblr

You can look at my ever growing collection of interesting pictures here.

The Muppets Cover Bohemian Rhapsody

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My two favourite things rolled into one.

No Comment Necessary

Why am I posting this? See the last category.

source: http://www.murraythenut.com/

Let's Save the Forest

 Dear friends of my blog,

some of you are already familiar with The Forest, some aren't. The Forest is a volunteer run arts and events space which has been a hub for alternative culture in Edinburgh for the past 10 years. There's not enough room here to tell you about all the incredible things that have happened in this place, but let me give you a few examples: Paper Cinema, paint parties, a man climbing into space in 30 days, a baptismal font converted into a communal hot tub, the first UK staging of Boxwars, Monster Bike workshops, Bad Food Day in the Forest Cafe, gigs by Aberfeldy, Amanda Palmer, Patti Plinko & Her Boy, Terrafolk and Sxip Shirey, art exhibitions and happenings . The thing is, all events in the Forest are free, and people work here for free, because we believe that culture should be accessible to everyone. 

Now the Forest faces a problem: its landlords have declared bankruptcy and will have to sell the building that houses us. The Forest needs to raise £500 000 to buy it, and thereby ensure its own continued existence. We're asking for contributions, even if it's just a few pounds. 

I cannot stress enough how essential the Forest is. Not just to the city of Edinburgh, but as a presence in the world. The Forest is all the best human traits - creativity, cooperation, generosity - put into practice and flourishing. If you have been to The Forest, think of the things it gave you and give something back. If you haven't been there yet, give something so that you one day will be able to. 

Click here to find out more.   

The Forest Cafe.

Paint party.

Uke Boogie night. Hosted by Alex.

 Me painting a mural in the Forest-run Total Kunst gallery in 2005.

The band Silk performing during the Forest's 10th birhday party.

Me with poet Ryan Van Winkle outside The Forest.

Fuck Yeah Crows

There's a whole website dedicated to pictures of crows. It's called Fuck Yeah Crows. How great is that? Crows are my second favourite bird. Number one is still seagulls. Crazy, vicious seagulls. Yes.

Hughes

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"And I don't think we are ever again obliged to look at a plywood box or a row of bricks on the floor or a video tape of some twit from the University of Central Paranoia sticking pins in himself and think 'This is the real thing. This is the necessary art of our time. This needs respect.' Because it isn't and it doesn't. And nobody cares.

The fact is that anyone except a child can make such things because children have the kind of direct, sensuous and complex relationship with the world around them that modernism, in its declining years, was trying to deny. That relationship is the lost paradise that art wants to give back to us. Not as children but as adults. It's also what the modern and the old have in common: Pollock with Turner, Matisse with Rubens or Braque with Poussin. And the basic project of art is always to make the world whole and comprehensible, to restore it to us in all its glory and its occasional nastiness, not through argument but through feeling. And then to close the gap between everything that is you and not you... and in this way to pass from feeling to meaning."

..

Robert Hughes (The Shock of the New, 1980)