Aperture Mag : The “Michelle” Look

I read Aperture Magazine on the flight home for Thanksgiving. Several articles on Robert Mapplethorpe, Carrie Mae Weems and On the “Michelle Look” caught my eye. 

Karen Finley’s piece parces how the black female body has historically been misused as a place of negative projection by a viewing public and the poise and confidence with which the First Lady carries herself, because she knows exactly who she is.

Suzy Yun, S/S 2010

Saw these lovely photos at She Breathes today, and was really inspired.

SyNAPSE

IBM replicated the brain of a house cat using a computer, although the computer does not exhibit the behavioral traits of a cat and is much slower. In an initiative funded by the U.S. military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), IBM has begun  the creation of another algorithm with the aid of several universities such as Stanford, that can map the connections within a human brain, hoping to eventually create an extremely powerful computer capable of mimicking it more exactly.

A Classic

A show running until December 12 at Danziger Projects on 534 West 24th Street features Polaroids by Andy Warhol of athletes during the 70’s & 80’s, including the iconic and ebullient Brazilian football player Pelé:

The Red Balloon

I recall only a few films well after a few years pass. This was one of  the first movies I saw that I remember with clarity, it is short with little dialogue and a favorite, cute but a little eerie too:

Le Ballon rouge, directed by Albert Lamorisse

Short & Sweet

Helvetica is everywhere in NYC but we often ignore it. Last week I read Michael Bierut’s book 79 Short Essays on Design. I was attracted by the yellow hardcover, wrapped back to front with text (titles) in different fonts. The essays range from 2-3 pages and run a variety of topics from Vladimir Nabokov to traffic buttons. It gives a sense of the ubiquity of design in popular culture.

Yesterday I found an article in the New York Times about how mistakes in typography the majority of us overlook actually annoy some designers/typographers. One thing I found hilarious in 79 Essays was that Bierut wanted to read a book, but because it was in a font he despised, it totally ruined the experience. On the other hand naturally he describes being  attracted to books because of their covers, frequently recognizing the style of a  particular designer he enjoyed. Sensitivity to type and design can be an enormous pleasure or a bit of a curse. I guess that is the impetus for creating.

Black Nerds Network

Found via the Afropolitan Network, here is a sampling of some of the amazing things you can find there:

I Love My Hair

These prints are beautiful:

I love my hair - via FLY

Home

I love this time of year heading into the Holiday season. Thought you might enjoy:

Kesha Bruce

Kesha Bruce, TOTEM FOR TASHA, 2007. Mixed-Media Collage on paper. 12 x 10.25 inches. (30 x 26 cm.)

The Totem Series presents
“narrative portraits” of hybrid beings
who are simultaneously
representations of an individual, a
memory, and a place.

Each portrait is part fiction, part
history, and part homage.