Month: July 2015

Antony Gormley, “Horizon Field”

Antony Gormley, “Horizon Field”;  Photography by David Levene

Located in the mountains of Vorarlberg, Austria, Horizon Field consists of 100 lifesize, cast-iron figures spread over an area of 150 sq km in the communities of Mellau, Schoppernau, Schrocken, Warth, Mittelberg, Lech, Klosterie and Dalaas. The work forms a horizontal line at 2,039 metres above sea level.

The figures in Horizon Field are expected to remain in the Alps for at least two years. Some of the figures in Horizon Field have been placed in isolation while others are easier to reach. All 100 figures were lowered into the meadow fields by helicopters with winches. This will be the last installation of this kind by Antony Gormley.

Death Cab for Cutie, “I Will Possess Your Heart”

Death Cab for Cutie, “I Will Possess Your Heart”

Death Cab for Cutie began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard in 1997, while he was the guitar player for the band Pinwheel and was recording under the name All-Time Quarterback. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords the same year. The release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the project into a complete band, recruiting Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as lead guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass player, and Nathan Good as drummer.

Death Cab for Cutie was officially formed at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and lyrics from early songs include local references that were important to the band’s development. Many of the early songs were recorded in the basement of an Ellis Street home Gibbard lived in with several roommates in Bellingham.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Max Ernst

Max Ernst, “Euclid”, 1945, Oil on Canvas, 65 x 57.5 cm, Menil Collection, Houston, Texas

In Max Ernst’s 1945 “Euclid”, a surrealist portrait of the ancient Geometer is presented in abstract form with the figure’s head rendered as a geometric solid, resembling a pyramid. The wise man is clad in noble, velvet clothes, rendered using the decalcomania technique, and adorned with two white roses. He is surrounded by a geometric background of overlapping planes, intersecting straight lines and rhodonea – like curves, some of which extend over its face, contributing to the formation of its features. His owl – like eyes, formed on an inverted antefix with the design of the ancient Greek anthemion ornament, glow bright yellow betraying intense intellectual activity.

Pierce Brown, “The Red Rising Trilogy”

“The Red Rising Trilogy” by Pierce Brown

Red Rising is a dystopian science-fiction novel trilogy written by Pierce Brown. As of current, it consists of Red Rising, Golden Son, both of which have already been released, and Morning Star, intended for release spring 2016. These are published by Del Rey books, an imprint of Random House.

The books take place at around 736 P.C.E (Post Conquering Era) in the Society.

Each book has a timeskip in between. The titles of each book pertain to the development of the main character, Darrow. Darrow was the Red rising, a part of the Rebellion. As he became more involved with Golds, and was part of House Augustus, he was a Gold. In the final book, he becomes a leader, just like the star sailors look at to point their way. The theme of the first book was revenge and justice. The second book was about trust. The last book was about hope and faith, and reveals two interpretations of Darrow: as a hero or a villain.

It has an official website at redrisingbook.com though sonsofares.com (coincidentally, the official fan club’s Twitter account hand is SonsofAres_) also redirects there.

Janet Echelman

Janet Echelman, Aerial Sculpture, Colored Polyethylene Rope, Boston

The 600 foot work by Janet Echelman was installed in a park in Boston’s Financial District using a cranes and scissor lifts. The orange and magenta netting made of polyethylene rope weighs a ton, and is designed to respond fluidly to wind and weather. It will remain suspended in the Rose Kennedy Greenway between two high-rise buildings across the Greenway through October.

Echelman is based in suburban Brookline. Her sculpture is inspired by ancient fishing nets. She has installed similar works in Seattle; Madrid, Spain; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Sydney, Australia; and other cities.

David Belle: Pakour

David Belle, Film Gif Excerts from “District 13” and “Brick Mansions”

Born in April of 1973, David Belle is a French actor, film choreographer and stunt coordinator. He is deemed the founder or leading pioneer of the physical discipline known as parkour. The term is based on the teachings of his father Raymond Belle and the exceptionally skilled training necessary for parkour’s execution.

Belle came to fame via his parkour videos and film appearances as Leïto in the 2000 “District 13” and 2009 “District 13: Ultimatum”, both written and produced by Luc Besson. He also appeared in Camille Delamarre’s 2014 American remake “Brick Mansions”. Belle was a consultant on the production of “Babylon A.D.”, “Prince of Persia”, “Colombiana” and “The Family”.

Note: There are quite a few parkour videos available online, one of which is “Still Alive”, a nine-minute excerpt from “District 13”. Set to music, it follows Belle’s fast-paced escape across rooftops, through windows, and down twisted flights of stairs. The video shows Belle’s agility, concentration, and skill in the parkour discipline. “Still Alive” is available for viewing on different sites at YouTube.