Pina Bausch

" Dance, dance... Otherwise we are lost."

Pina Bausch (1940-2009) was a German exponent of modern dance and choreography.

She completed her studies on a scholarship at the Juilliard School in New York City. 

She became the artistic director of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (which in the beginning triggered much controversy). Her technical distinction achieved to receive an international recognition.

I was literally astounded when I watched the beguiling documentary 'Pina' by Wim Wenders ( who definitely deserves a whole new post as he is one of my favorite directors of all times ). It is not just the enigmatic choreography, but also the stage design; covered in soil or water splashing all over, costumes; plain and sexy. The effect becomes an alluring performance, characterized by interaction and repetition of  movements in an unearthly nature.

Here is a little piece from the documentary, see how she makes you feel..

Stubborn Heart

Give a warm welcome to Stubborn Heart; the Brits composing what may be termed as a blending of pop & dubstep music.

(dubstep: a genre of electronic music that originated in South London, England.) 

How they describe their own style: 'Electronic soul from the heart..' They also cite influences from 60s & 70s soul music, 80s synth pop and 90s techno. The combination of all, frames stunning music boosting with doleful vocals. If you are really digging electronic music like I do, enjoy...

Stubborn Heart - Unearthly Powers

Jeanloup Sieff

Jeanloup Sieff (1933-2000) was a photographer from Paris. He studied photography, literature and journalism.

After he began shooting fashion photography and moved to New York, he became incredibly popular and that was the very beginning of a wonderful career full of iconic images ranging from Monsieur Gainsbourg to Nico, Yves Saint Laurent and many more..

He is less known for his landscape photography. (though he has some bewitching ones) The best-known aspect of his work was the nude figures principally in black and white.

I love the way he photographed all those cult figures with a sense of dreaminess; meanwhile suggesting a kind of distance between the viewer and the model.

I regret to tell you that we have all missed that wonderful opportunity to be captured by the lens of this master; so, better make do with the ones in hand.

Banksy

Banksy is an artist, political activist and film-maker from Bristol, UK. He chooses not to reveal his name and lives under this pseudonym, avoids contact with mainstream media. He rather expresses himself on his mural stencils, a number of books and a documentary called: 'Exit Through the Gift Shop'.

He mocks all the governmental power and his edgy themes include an anti-war and anti-government stance. Some assert 'his art clearly glorifies vandalism', some claim 'he improves the aesthetic quality of urban surroundings.' I think that his striking images and slogans succeed in what message he attempts to convey in a sort of in-your-face manner and it is that idiosyncrasy which makes him stronger as an artist. Will let Banksy's work do the talk now:

Dombrance, The Witch

The French duo Dombrance did a wonderful job by featuring Sourya on their latest single 'The Witch'. 

Industryofcool defines them to be: " Taking beat and groove from minimal techno and melody and structures from a classy pop song format, Dombrance called up singer Sourya to add his elegant and soulful voice to transform the instrumental monster into a crossover tune without falling being a cliche."

Feel like I can listen to it on 'repeat'  on my itunes list. Put your headphones on:

Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli, widely recognized as Japan's most important animation studio, was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

Since the first day, the studio's pioneers have created masterpieces of top quality animation. Needless to say, they have globally received numbers of awards including an Oscar for the epic story 'Spirited Away'.

Ghibli (pronounced as jiburi) means ' hot wind blowing through Sahara Desert', a name used for the Italian planes during World War II.

I have always been in love with Japanese-animated characters in cartoons and comics since I was a little girl and seen most of the feature films from 'My Neighbor Totoro' to Kiki's Delivery Service', 'Porco Rosso', 'Ponyo' and many more.. 

The latest was 'The Secret World of Arrietty' based on a novel by Mary Norton "The Borrowers". It tells the story of little people borrowing stuff from humans. Here is the trailer, hope you enjoy it and spare the time watch it, too: 

Edward Gorey

Edward St. John Gorey  (1925-2000) was an American illustrator praised for his macabre style.

(macabre |məˈkäbrə; -ˈkäb|

adjective

disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury : a macabre series of murders.)
He is a Harvard graduate but mostly emphasized that his training in art was " negligible" as he majored in French.
His dark and humorous illustrations with Victorian settings became very well-known and paved the way to a Tony Award for Best Costume Design for the 1977 production of Dracula.
I enjoy keeping some of is books such as; " Amphigorey" and " The Gashlycrumb Tinies" his book of alphabet, in my library. Have a look at some of his beautiful macabre illustrations and see what you reckon:

Boneface

Boneface is a creative illustrator from Liverpool, UK known for his 'action-gore' work. In his subject matter he combines violence and humor. 

He defines himself to be an introvert as a child and that characteristics lead him to start drawing. 

His illustrations are beautifully brutal figures mostly from the 90's. He actually seems to be sort of stuck up in that era, during which every child had their own share of superheroes; ranging from Batman, who is Boneface's favorite chap ( so is mine) to Iron Man, Spiderman, X-Man, etc.

Most superheroes are depicted with nosebleeds in his work; a quality derived from his very own experience on a daily basis.

I love how perfectly he matches the color and the narrative in his work. To the question whether he would be doing something very different as opposed to being an artist, he says in an interview with Juxtapoz Magazine; ' I would be a full-time super villain. I'm only an artist to pay the bills.' 

Check out this super-villain's super-cool illustrations below:

Hakan YILDIRIM, Hakaan

Carine Rotfield, who was editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris for a decade, no doubt predicted that Hakan Yildirim would be a great designer when she flew to London just to see his incredible show. 

Turkish-born, London-based designer was among hundreds of his colleagues from all around the world, but was the only one to win the ANDAM award (2010) with his sleek design and cutout detail dresses. 

' There is always high-quality craftsmanship in my work, I do not enjoy doing anything shallow.' says Hakan when asked to comment on his own work.

One of the coolest and most successful fashion photographers of the world; Mert Alas, a good friend of Hakan's, did help him create his international network.

Although he has the typical Turkish looks, he claims in an interview with the Interview Magazine; ' There is no hint in my work that I am Turkish.' with which I absolutely agree.  

If only I was one with a talent of design, I surely would thrive my work to look something like Hakan's. Proudly presenting some images of his impeccable fall-winter 2013 collection (Would most definitely love to buy every single piece):

Yasunari Kawabata

Yasunari Kawabata (born in 1899, Osaka) was one of the most distinguished writers of Japan. 

He graduated from Imperial University, Tokyo in 1920. His first critical success was brought about by his novella ' The Izu Dancer.' 

He was the first Japanese novelist to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968.

I have recently read 'The Sound of the Mountain' and 'Snow Country' ,the latter regarded as his most famous work. 

'Snow Country' tells the story of a wasted love affair of a middle-aged man and an aging geisha; Komako, though she is well aware that the affair is doomed to have only one outcome: separation. Set in western Japan, the snowiest region on earth, it gives the reader a sense of isolation as well as sadness.

Get yourself a copy of this 'melancholy lyricism' if you feel like drifting away for a couple of hours...

Thomas Heatherwick, The Heatherwick Studio

Thomas Heatherwick ( born in 1970) is a renowned English designer famous for his innovative style.

He studied 3D design at Manchester Polytechnic and went on to the Royal College of Art for a two year MA course.

He founded The Heatherwick studio in 1994. The aim was 'to bring architecture, design and sculpture together within a single practice.' (in his own words) He has received numerous awards all throughout his career and was chosen as a `Royal Designer foR Industry.( I can tell the queen is fond of his work.)

Now this most talented man's designs are on exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. 

His profound commitment to elegant design results in many extraordinary works worth seeing. Take a look at his studio's website to discover even more of the unique designs. 

Patti Smith: Dream of Life

Today was all about Patti Smith.. Her eccentric style, androgynous looks, love of photography ( a great gift from her long-time partner Robert Mapplethorpe), her passion for poetry and William S. Burroughs and songs. 

Some labelled her as an icon. She says when people ask her how it feels to be an icon, she does not know what to say. Some, on the other hand, feel as though she was a bit of a 'poser'. 

I wouldn't consider myself to be a huge fan of her music, yet I do appreciate her intellectual mind. Take a peek and see if you`ll enjoy the documentary (like I did) which took almost a decade for Steven Sebring to complete.