Images by Levi Van Veluw
Read an interview with him here at Ping Magazine
Posted in April 2009 …
HOME SWEET HOME
Says the Exposure Project:
In 2002, German photographer and archivist Peter Piller obtained over 20,000 aerial photographs from a bygone business venture that endeavored to sell homeowners images of their own houses. In the statement for the work, somewhat dryly titled Arial View Archive, Piller explains:
“The salesperson had used a ball-point pen to add some revealing notes to the back of the photographs: “Not interested in picturesâ€, “looks nicer from the groundâ€, “wife keen, but house too expensiveâ€, “you’ll get half a moped for thatâ€, “doing it himself†or simply: “deceasedâ€, for instance.
After several archive inspections, I was led to the first collection themes and classification categories: “Sleeping Housesâ€, “Floral Objects†and “Person in front of Houseâ€. Whilst sifting, for the forth, fifth and sixth time, through 18 removal boxes packed with yellowing photos and negatives; I eventually discovered the material that now constitutes the content of this book.”
NATHAN WOLFE, THE VIRUS HUNTER
Says the TED blog:
“Armed with blood samples, high-tech tools and a small army of fieldworkers, Nathan Wolfe hopes to re-invent pandemic control — and reveal hidden secrets of the planet’s dominant lifeform: the virus.” (Click here to see the video of a talk given by Wolfe before the outbreak: interesting views about pandemic movements.)
And now TED did a recent interview with Wolfe, talking specifically about Swine Influenza. Read here
TÓXICO PROJECT RESEARCH No. 011
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6vyuEKArUI&feature=related[/youtube]
Poema de Panero sobre sà mismo
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh5c5dmALKM[/youtube]
Jaime Chávarri habla sobre el Desencanto, documental español de culto de los 70s
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPqNn_ygFzw&feature=related[/youtube]
Fragmento del desencanto
(Gracias Carlitos Casas, Toxi-padrino y Toxi-musa)
THERE ONCE WAS A MONSTER FROM NANTUCKET
In the summer of 1937, Tony Sarg and several others promoted a hoax in Nantucket.
Sightings of a sea serpent were advertised… footprints were found… stories published…
Then, the serpent appeared on South Beach: it was one of Sarg’s Macy’s Day Parade balloons.
Tony Sarg (1880-1942) was an American puppeteer, illustrator, designer and painter. He is famous for creating balloons for the Macy department store parades and many illustrations for magazines. He owned a store in Nantucket, the Tony Sarg’s Curiosity Shop.
MAY (WE)
Tagged Monika Bielskyte, Photography
JOHN WATERS ON THE BENEFITS OF SMOKING AT THE MOVIES
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnpofBtijF8[/youtube]
TÓXICO EN BORDER
Una plática sobre nuestros proyectos, y las cosas que nos mueven.
BORDER
Zacatecas 43. Colonia Roma.
www.border.com.mx
Sábado 25 abril. 18 hrs.
AND THE PRITZKER GOES TO… PETER ZUMTHOR
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POSSIBILITIES RUN AMOCK WITH INVENTIVENESS
Silence! – In the event of a divine presence, by Louise Hindsgavl.
“With this group of porcelain figurines, I wish to incorporate the awareness that laboratories carry out magnificent craftsmanship, as skilful people seek to grasp how life is created and what potential for additional development this implies. At the same time, I wish to sound a warning against us becoming tacit, unquestioning spectators, accepting anything simply because it’s technically feasible.â€
(Via Denzeen)
RING BECOMING RAW
GoldJewelleryGoldJewelleryGoldJewelleryGold…, by Kim Buck
“Throughout the ages, jewellery has been viewed as an investment object, not appreciated because of its design and craftsmanship but merely because of the raw materials. Kim Buck seeks to illustrate this through his finger rings in fine (24-carat) gold. Through use, the shape of the rings will be deformed beyond recognition due to the softness of pure gold. The shape will be lost over time, and the owner is left with the raw material – pure gold. The rings are cast in a unique and secret process developed by Buck.”
(Via Dezeen)
AND TALKING ABOUT FOOD PORTRAITURE AT BREAKFAST YESTERDAY
Images by Sui Sicong. From The Last Situation Series
ALMOST NAKED
Images by Shen Wei
“Growing up in Mainland China, I was brought up strictly and conservatively, any untraditional and unconventional ideas of life-style can sometimes lead to misconceptions. The goal of my projects are to raise the question about human nature, about emotions, feelings, desire, instinct and identity, to reveal things that you can feel it, that are unexplainable but yet still solid. I am fascinated with exploring the complexity of emotional nakedness and psychological connection/disconnection, as it is often expressed not specifically but explicitly.”
You can see a video interview with Wei here.
ON URBAN PLANNING
“Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends.“
-Lewis Mumford-
*
WILLIAM KLEIN CONTACTS
Says Design Observer blog:
Klein is best known for his groundbreaking book New York, 1954-1955. This book is a stunning achievement — its urgent, messy and off-kilter images brought an edgy immediacy to what, in the 1950s, was a more complacent photographic tradition.When shooting this work Klein relied on speed and instinct. “I had neither training nor complexes. By necessity and choice, I decided everything had to go. A technique of no taboos: blur, grain, contrast, cock-eyed framing, accidents, whatever happens.†At the time, the book was rejected by U.S. publishers for what they considered its ugly and violent depiction of New York. It later gained renown after being published first in Europe (much like Robert Frank’s The Americans).His latest book, Contacts, is a kind of redux of his career. In it, Klein has gone back to his contact sheets and has re-versioned some of his original images by painting on them in bold, primary acrylics. It’s as if he’s taken a photographer’s standard working practice of marking up contact sheets with a chinagraph pencil and gone hog wild.
JAIME HAYON
“Siento que siempre hay algo más por hacer. Siento que la gente en general no se atreve mucho a hacer lo que realmente quiere, siempre estamos con esta especie de barrera extraña. Pero cuando uno empieza a experimentar, y empieza a crear su propio mundo poco a poco…”
(Pequeño fragmento de una entrevista que le hize ayer a Jaime, y que se publicará en el próximo número de la revista Código)
TÓXICO PROJECT RESEARCH No. 010
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RvmJan17q8[/youtube]
La Jetée, by the marvellous Chris Marker.
(Si no lo has visto, uff, te has perdido de una de las joyitas del cine.)
OH TERRIBLE BEAUTY, YOU
Images from an MIT exhibit showcasing the stroboscopic work of Harold Eugene “Doc” Edgerton, who was an MIT professor for years. The pictures above were taken by Doc with his Rapatropic camera in 1952. At an atomic test site in Nevada. (The rapatronic camera is a high-speed camera capable of recording a still image with an exposure time as brief as 10 nanoseconds (billionths of a second).
VOLUTAS DE HUMO
[nggallery id=45]
Imágenes de Gerardo Montiel Klint, ganador del premio de adquisición de la Bienal de FotografÃa 2009.
“Vivimos en el éxtasis más puro de visiones delirantes y terrorÃficas. Toda esta calamitosa tragedia humana es, sin lugar a dudas, la metáfora de un oscuro, terrible e indomable nuevo milenioâ€.
—
(Gerardo tomó el Tóxico Workshop de los Brothers Quay.)
TÓXICO CINEMA: DOYLE X DOYLE
Este lunes 13 de abril comienza un ciclo de pelÃculas de Christopher Doyle, escogidas por Christopher Doyle
HOY: Away With Words, dirigida por Doyle
Todos los lunes, 8 pm, durante un mes
Cine Lido: Tamaulipas 202, Col. Condesa
MONUMENTS FOR OTHER HISTORIES PAST
Images by Jan Kempenaers, from the series Spomenik: The End of History.
(Monuments erected by the communist regime in former Yugoslavia)
Via the Exposure Project
TÓXICO EN EL GIMNASIO
A petición de nuestro querido Jose Luis Cuevas estaré dando un taller de fotografÃa y diseño editorial en el Gimnasio de arte y cultura, en la Roma.
Empieza el 20 de abril, y ya casi está lleno el grupo.
Más informes en www.gimnasiodearte.com
(Nos vemos por ahÃ)
I DREAM THE CLOTHING ELECTRIC
Sound Suits, by visual artist Nick Cave
Sound Suits are sculptures with double life: they can stand in galleries objects, or can be worn by dancers as vehicles for sound and movement.
Says the New York Times:
The Soundsuits also explore themes of costuming and masquerading. Mr. Cave said he discovered this identity-altering power early on. “When I was inside a suit, you couldn’t tell if I was a woman or man; if I was black, red, green or orange; from Haiti or South Africa,†he said. “I was no longer Nick. I was a shaman of sorts.â€
(Via the wonderful C-Monster blog)
(Gracias Pacheco)
SEBA KURTIS
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Seba Kurtis nació en Argentina, en 1974. Su tema recurrente son las fronteras (psico)geográficas, y lo que significan los cruzes illegales a través de éstas. Lo cual se entiende: la segunda vez que visitó Europa coincidió con la crisis Argentina, asi que se acabó quedando como imigrnte ilegal en España. Su serie 700 miles–cifra que alude a la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos–es un buen ejemplo.
“There are currently 45million Hispanics working or living in the USA, (particularly from Mexico) of which 12 million are suspected illegal. This diluting of their race breeds insecurity in some American citizens, fearful of the face of America being changed. An anti-immigrant crusade has developed to prevent illegal aliens from crossing the southern border. In 2006 President Bush authorised the fencing of 700miles of the US-Mexico border of the states of California, Texas and Arizona. This $2.2 billion project is yet to materialise, but has been compared to the Berlin Wall. Patriotic Americans have given up their free time to become vigilantes “Minutemenâ€, who secure the border themselves and report any infiltration to border police from 24hour video cameras in their own home”
Puedes leer una entrevista con Seba aquÃ.
LAS BESTIAS DE BUENO
Imágenes de Manuel Bueno.
(Manuel tomó el Tóxico Workshop de Colors y Fabrica, y estará involucrado en un par de nuevos proyectos de Tóxico. Noticas pronto.)
CONFERENCIA HOY DE CHRISTOPHER DOYLE!
Tóxico Cultura Presenta:
*
DOYLEÂ XÂ DOYLE
Lunes 6 de abril
Cine Lido
8pm
Cupo Limitado
Entrada Gratuita
Lleguen temprano
Tamaulipas #202, Col. Condesa
*
En colaboración con Interior 13 Cine.
*
(Además de la conferencia magistral del reconocido director de fotografÃa, durante un mes se proyectarán todos los lunes en Cine Lido pelÃculas de Christopher Doyle, escogidas por Christopher Doyle)
*
Muchas gracias a La Fundación/Colección Jumex, Max Cruz, Sandra Gómez, Hotel Condesa DF, Gabriel Sabido, Ernesto Miranda, Enrique Covarrubias, Maricarmen Guajardo, Mauri Katz, Jorge Orozco, Ramiro Cháves, Victor y Ricardo Sotomayor.
DOYLE, OH DOYLE
While we sit back and enjoy señor Doyle‘s Tóxico Master-Class all day today, we leave you with a few of his still images. You can find some more here.
WELCOME TO MEXICO CITY SEÑOR DOYLE!
Asà es. Hoy llega Christopher Doyle. Mañana Master-Class para 40 personas. El lunes conferencia abierta al público en general. Oh felicidad.
SAM FALLS
Tagged A horse in the snow, Photography, Sam Falls
LA NADA Y EL SER: NUEVA EXPO EN LA FUNDACIÓN/COLECCIÓN JUMEX
La nada y el ser, o Nothingness and Being.
Septima reinterpretación de la Fundación/Colección Jumex, por parte de Shamim M. Momin.
A partir del 23 de abril 2009.
—
(La Fundación/Colección Jumex es el patrocinador principal de Tóxico.)
AWWW!
Fire-work drawings, by Rosemarie Fioré.
Via Pancho-Javier.
—
(“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!â€
-Jack Kerouac-)
TRACK OF THE WEEK: BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE
JOHNNY MERCER & MARGARET WHILING – BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE
A winter song for the beginning of spring.
DOYLE DARà CONFERENCIA PÚBLICA
Nuestro próximo invitado internacional, Christopher Doyle, dará una conferencia abierta al público en general. También estamos organizando–en colaboración con Interior 13 Cine–un ciclo de varias de sus pelÃculas emblemáticas, escogidas por él.
Noticias aquà mismo. Pronto.
OVERHEARD AT TÓXICO: CHRISTOFFER BOE
(While we wait for Christopher Doyle to arrive in three days, a little fragment out of Christoffer Boe’s Tóxico Workshop.)
**
On cinematic desires
“The internal dynamic of film always start with a hint of desire: something is wanted. Even if it is the faintest wanting, or even if it is the need of a want. Because some of the greatest movies are based on characters that don’t desire anything, but do want to desire something. Or they wanted something once and don’t want it any more. The presence of a desire is essential to movies, and to each scene, and to a character. It is also the way I work best with actors: in our mutual understanding of the desires that drive each moment. Instead of telling an actor to be funny you tell him: you want to make her laugh, you want her to love you with her laughter. It is a completely different thing, giving concrete wishes to people instead of generic instructions. In this there is also contrasts, and undercurrents. In every scene there is a desire, and a contrast to the desire: something is working against it, underneath it. The movie also wants and desires. The movie wants to portray a beautiful woman. We need a desire for the movie, a desire for the camera, and then we need to invent obstacles for them visually, to keep the need for enigma and the need of discovery playing with one another.”
BECA GUCCI / AMBULANTE PARA DOCUMENTAL
Hasta $400, 000 pesos en apoyo a la post-producción de documentales.
Más info en www.ambulante.com.mx
Fecha lÃmite: 12 de junio 2009
TÓXICO PROJECT RESEARCH No. 008
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBLJ3lmwV80[/youtube]
From Werner Herzog’s “Encounters At The End Of The World”
NOTICIAS SOBRE MASTER-CLASS DE CHRIS DOYLE
El grupo ya se cerró, y ya mandamos un correo a las 40 personas que alcanzaron lugar.
Dada la respuesta que tuvo la convocatoria, estamos viendo la posibilidad de hacer una conferencia pública además de proyectar una pelÃcula de Doyle (en colaboración con el proyecto cultural Interior 13 Cine)… noticias sobre esto pronto, aquà mismo.
(Muchas gracias a todos por su interés.)