I was not speaking of marginality one wishes to lose, to give up, or surrender
as part of moving into the center
but rather as a site
one stays in, clings to even,
because it nourishes one’s capacity to resist.
It offers the possibilities of radical perspectives
from which to see and create,
to imagine alternatives,
new worlds.
-bell hooks
Now that I’ve stopped smoking, I find it harder to focus and my mind wanders a lot more than usual. 5 hours sleep also doesn’t help much either. Luckily, a rare slow work day and the internet is perfect for this mental state, and I think this “blog” could use a little update. so…
I’m loving Nick Deakin’s illustrations. Some of his work reminds me a bit of…
The very interesting Things Magazine website features an amazing gallery of vintage Pelican Book covers from the 1930s to 1980s. According to the Penguin website the Pelican imprint was launched in 1937 to “cover serious contemporary issues and represented the first new and original books to be published by Penguin… The series was weighted towards History, Sociology, Economics and Politics and continued the ‘good books cheap’ philosophy of Penguin.”
The extensive gallery is an amazing historical and aesthetic archive. The 1960s collection is particularly revealing of the revolutionary nature (both technological and cultural) of the times.
Also worth checking out is David Pearson Design’s recent work for Penguin, especially the Great Ideas series (direct links here, here, and here) . Mmmm… debossed type on uncoated paper stock. Beautiful…
James Jean for Prada
Stunningly beautiful illustrative artwork by James jean over at Process Recess. His site is engrossing and I love seeing the process through which his sketches turn into finished works. Seeing his work makes me want to draw a lot more while at the same time gets me asking, “why even bother?” A very, very talented individual…
Also check out his professional portfolio and his collaboration with painter Kenichi Hoshine over at a polite winter.
On Oct. 3, 2007, Patti Smith visited Montréal as part of the Pop Montreal Festival and performed a “secret” show/poetry reading accompanied by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra… For a mere 5 bucks, we were witness to an intimate, honest and impassioned performance by the legendary punk princess at the Ukranian Federation. Silver Mt. Zion’s instrumental accompaniment worked beautifully with her words, sometimes billowing into frenetic waves of noise, while at other times just sparkling in the background. Truly kindred spirits at work.
Yesterday I stumbled across the full show downloadable as mp3s on BigO’s ROIO (Recording of Indeterminate Origin of the Week). Needless to say, I was ecstatic and wanted to share…
PS. Silver Mt. Zion will be returning to Montréal to play a show on March 20th at la Tulipe in support of their new album, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons. Anyone who wants to come by for some pre-Zion drinks, give us a holla…
PPS. Title and image stolen from BigO zine
“Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message — of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise, we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.”
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the States. Check out the great feature on Democracy Now. As relevant and moving as ever before. Where are the voices like his today?
It’s my last day at work before the holidays, I’m slowly recovering from the christmas party last night when random browsing leeds me to back to k10k’s issue 100 from Joshua Davis. I’m drawn in once again to the touching confessionary tale, one that brings me back to the heyday (or at least my heyday circa 2000-2001) in web design, when anything seemed possible, when the community was tightly knit and supportive, and the “cutting-edge” (irony partially intended) were sites designed with 45 degree angles, tiny nonsense type, and big fat arrows. Dik, surfstation, tDr, alt.sense, dreamless, etc. If you know what I’m talking about…
It seems strange to be feeling nostalgic about designing websites, but I am. Maybe its the season, maybe its the result of dancing my ass off last night like I haven’t in a while. Maybe its a twisted sense of hope that the excitement I felt back then in my “profession” can still be achieved. Because of or in spite of all the web 2.0 blather.
In a day before the popularity of blogs Davis recounts his personal struggles with addiction and poverty, and how Netscape 2.0 saved his life. Read on…