Chooseyourownadventure

TODD HIDO: "Fragmented Narratives" (2011) By Ian Epstein I once heard someone remark that the desire to have a perfect lawn was not unlike the desire to have a piece of perfect sculpture for a body – the lengths to which a person goes to achieve such perfection reveal a great deal. And so the coiffed and manicured American lawn that is a hallmark of the suburbs with perfect green grass came to resemble America’s plastic bodies, transformed by technology and money from flesh and blood into repositories of silicon in the hopes that perhaps, since timelessness is as impossible as death is unavoidable, perhaps instead we can achieve the perfection of Michelangelo or Venus temporarily, helped along by a little silicone. Fertilizer is to the suburban lawn what cosmetics are to the suburban face: a fickle attempt to sweep ugliness under the rug with a splash of color. Are Hido’s pictures just the literary refinement of the motifs that Atget discovered? Todd Hido is a renowned chronicler of America’s hollow parts. 9545-c, 2010 Women.

LEIGH LEDARE: "Double Bind" (2010) By Simon Baker, Brought to ASX by 1000 Words Magazine, 2010 There is a partially obscured photograph of the French writer Georges Bataille in Leigh Ledare’s Double Bind: just one of a number of ripped-out book and magazine pages that make up collage elements in a diverse installation of different kinds of photographic image; made, found and arranged, by the artist. Bataille, the anti-surrealist so-called ‘shit-philosopher’, was described by his friends as ‘impossible’: the impossible Bataille balanced a day-job in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France with night-time brothel culture; wrote scholarly essays on coins, and some of the most subversive and explicit novels ever published: the manuscript for his infamous Story of the Eye, having in fact been scribbled directly on the backs of library record cards, as though he’d written it at work. Simon Baker is Curator of Photography and International Art at Tate. ASX CHANNEL: Leigh Ledare

Please Don’t Promise Me Forever | Rotating Corpse Imagine this: It’s 1976 and you’re dating a man named Rick. He has a mustache and owns at least one reindeer sweater. High off of reading The Easter Parade and The Great Santini, he’s all pumped up to write the next great American novel but, to make ends meet, he’s currently working for Hallmark. The fact is, things could be better between the two of you; he forgot your birthday… then your anniversary. Now, imagine it’s Valentine’s Day and you’re not expecting much – but Rick surprises you. And this: “Please don’t expect me to always be good and kind and loving. And there’s even a photo depicting couples board game night paired with this text: “Please don’t… make me look foolish in front of other people.” I spotted this amazing treasure at Spoonbill and Sugartown and, of course, I had to buy it right away.

Jean Simmons and Marlon BrandoDeborah Ke Ingrid Bergman Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando Deborah Kerr Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Bob Hope and David Niven Marilyn Monroe Liz Taylor Fred Astaire dancing on the roof of the Savoy Hotel in London with his sister and dancing partner Adele Bette Davis James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor Kay Kendall and Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall Ava Gardner Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Buster Keaton Rita Hayworth Marlene Dietrich Ingrid Bergman Katharine Hepburn Sophia Loren Judy Garland Rita Hayworth James Dean Fred Astaire Ingrid Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock Paul Newman and Ava Gardner Natalie Wood Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly Sammy Davis Jr. Carole Lombard Cary Grant Audrey Hepburn Alfred Hitchcock Rita Hayworth

To let the earth rest, a photo from Geneva, West Critiques | Translate Zanni A picture from another world it seems to me. Particular atmosphere, great dof perfect exposure. The light coming from the right is superb. vapours Nice shot, its so crisp I feel as if I can reach out and grab the small plants. Rinie_Hoff Hi Yves, Happy New Year to you, too! bantonbuju a stunning view presented here; the tonality of the pic is tremendous; excellent sharpnes and the atmosphere created is really an "old the best for new year"; thanx for sharing and - all the best in 2005 RGatward Beautiful management, and use, of light for this one, as usual. elihesamian Thanks dear Yves,Happy new year and I have best wishes for you and your family,hope the earth be in tranquility and peace. I like the shot,great depth with an excellent light managing,wonderful result with a fine composition,Congratulation,Yves. ChrisJ Bonjour Yves I like the backlighting & the textured snow on a diagonal axis. papagolf21 Cher Yves, Sans nul doute, vous avez un don pour voir la nature. jef

Camelback Music A Stunning, Intricate Maze Made From 2,200 Pounds of Salt | Co.Design Motoi Yamamoto has to be the most patient man in the world. A Japanese artist, Yamamoto uses salt to create monumental floor paintings, each so absurdly detailed, it makes A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte look like child's play. He calls them, fittingly, his Labyrinths. Yamamoto's latest labyrinth creeps out from a brick tunnel at the Fondation Espace Ecureuil, a gallery in France. He made it -- as he makes all these installations -- by sprinkling salt on the floor through a plastic bottle used for machine oil, starting at the back of the tunnel, then moving forward to avoid stepping on the designs he's already drawn. Here's an older installation at Sankt Peter parish in Cologne: The story behind Yamamoto's salt sculptures is sweet and sad. Yamamoto takes pains to extend the metaphor beyond the walls of the art gallery. [Images courtesy of Motoi Yamamoto; bottom two photos by Stefan Worring]

Patriot gauntlets An alternative to lou duff style arm gauntlets. This was the basis for the 600 foot rope mummification I once did at Shibaricon The main bulk of the rope will always be behind what you are tying around. Make a bunny ear on the left side. Make another bunny ear on the right side. Pass the right bunny ear through the left. Make another bunny ear on the left side. Important: Place the end of the rope in between the two bunny ears you have at this point. Pass the left bunny ear through the right. Pull the bunny ear toward you to tighten everything up. Pull the bunny ear toward you to tighten everything up. continue the three step process. When you run out of rope, just leave the end as it is without make a bunny ear. Pass the end all the way through the last bunny ear you did. Pull the end toward you to tighten everything up. The finished pattern has a center ridge that looks like a braid.

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