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Photography

Compelling Photos of People Running from Unseen Dangers

By Alison Nastasi on

In case you’ve been wondering what former MTV news correspondent Tabitha Soren has been up to, she’s been taking beautiful, if not somewhat surreal, photos of people running from unseen dangers. We spotted the evocative, cinematic portraits on Faith is Torment. “I want to address the sensitivity of the human condition, causing us to think about our unease in the world,” Soren stated in an interview with the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art. “My static landscapes needed people on the verge of something. The most intense way I could think of visualizing that was to ask them to run. I started out shooting friends but eventually was able to also put myself in the uneasy position of shooting strangers.” The narrative photos have a striking air of panic and isolation, and feel especially poignant in the wake of the recent Boston tragedy. Take a closer look, below. … Read More

Books

Incredible Reading Rooms Around the World

By Alison Nastasi on

We love libraries, have a soft spot for bookmobiles, can’t get enough of bookstores, and we really enjoy bars we can read in. We’re always in search of cozy, beautiful places to curl up with a good book, so when we saw that New York-based modern furniture company Vitsoe was opening a pop-up reading room in their downtown store, we went searching for other unique reading rooms around the world. Comfort, intimacy, atmosphere, and a great view play a big part in the design of these bookish spaces. See more in our… Read More

Art

A Brief Survey of Naughty Public Art

By Alison Nastasi on

Artist Paul McCarthy is at it again. We spotted his newest inflatable sculpture, a massive pile of feces, on Booooooom. You can see it after the jump, along with other public artworks that display a naughty, irreverent, and pervy side. It’s fascinating to observe the public’s reactions to subjects normally kept hush-hush in polite company. These installations, performances, and sculptures have nothing to hide, though. See how potty humor, private sex acts, and other naughty themes have entered the public sphere, framed by the fine art world. … Read More

Television

The Best and Worst of Last Night’s ‘SNL’ with Ben Affleck

By Alison Nastasi on

It was an emotional season finale with several regular cast members making their exit — or close to it if the rumors are true. Seth Meyers is slated to take over hosting duties for NBC’s Late Night, but will remain on board at least through the fall. Bill Hader said a tearful goodbye last night after eight years on the show. We’re thankful the eps were Hader-heavy. The closing shot of him doling out bear hugs was sweet. Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are “probably” taking their leave. One man, however, dominated the night: Kanye West. … Read More

Art

Nostalgic Drawings of Strangers’ Mixtapes

By Alison Nastasi on

The heyday of mixtape trading has passed, but Portland artist Kate Bingaman-Burt has revived the vintage format in her drawings that we spotted on Beautiful/Decay. Several of the referenced cassettes were found at thrift shops for mere cents, which is a little depressing considering that most people slaved over their conceptual compilations to create a deeply personal selection of songs. (At least they did if they were us.) Other tapes were sent to the artist at her request. The notebook-style drawings capture every detail that tapeheads miss about the format — including the miniature spools that threatened to snap and unwind from overplaying. Feel all the nostalgic feelings in our gallery. … Read More

Film

The Most Controversial Moments at the Cannes Film Festival

By Alison Nastasi on

France’s Cannes Film Festival has seen its share of controversies since it started in 1946. Blame the Riviera sun or the filmmaking iconoclasts that gather on the red carpet each year, but various high jinks and bizarre publicity stunts have often dominated the festivities. Bold action isn’t always required to shake things up, however. Often times it’s just the movies themselves that cause a scene with audiences and the Cannes jury. With the current 66th annual festival underway, we wanted to take a look at ten of Cannes most controversial moments. … Read More

Pop Culture

Joy Division-Inspired Street Art Around the World

By Alison Nastasi on

Thirty-three years ago today we lost one of England’s finest, Ian Curtis. Despite Joy Division’s short career and the singer’s tragically fleeting life, the influence of the post-punk pioneers is unmistakable. Curtis may have immortalized himself in the most devastating way possible, but fans across the world have done so through various tributes — like the street art we’ve gathered for your perusal. Fragments of the band’s album art and Curtis’ own somber image add a ghostly, poetic resonance to the urban milieux — and while we’re rather exhausted with the bazillion Unknown Pleasures copycats, we’ll gladly make an exception for these black-and-white sound waves on this day. … Read More

Art

Paintings That Capture the Alien World of Walmart

By Alison Nastasi on

Fascinated by the everyday routines of his subjects, painter Brendan O’Connell, who we learned about on Neatorama, ventured to Walmart to observe shoppers wandering the never-ending aisles. His expressionist-style artworks of Wonder Bread packed into the store’s cavernous shelves and people clutching bags of potato chips capture the garish glow and alien feel of the superstore. “I would argue that Walmart is the most visited interior architecture on the planet,” O’Connell said in an interview. We shudder at the thought. … Read More

Pop Culture

The Revealing Childhood and Teenage Letters of Pop Culture Figures

By Alison Nastasi on

There’s something incredibly intimate about letter writing: the indelible mark on a page, the permanence of ink, and the process of consideration before putting pen to paper. Even a typewritten page feels vastly more personal than one created with a computer. While you’re scrawling a Mother’s Day card to mum or your other significant parental person this weekend, the act may take you back to simpler times during your childhood when you shared your thoughts with a pen and not an iPhone. We’re sure it’s no different for the writers, musicians, and actors we revere. Before they were the names on everyone’s lips, they were sharing their hopes, dreams, and wondering about the world through their childhood and teenage letters. See what insightful missives we uncovered, below. … Read More

Film

10 Mom-Approved Movie Character Crushes

By Alison Nastasi on

Try as you might, mom won’t ever let you forget that she knows what’s best for you. In the spirit of Mother’s Day, we played matchmaker and set you up with a few film characters that mom would approve of. She only wants you to be happy. We chose ten films, guesstimated who you probably have a crush on, and then selected a character from the same movie that mom would prefer you invite over for dinner sometime. Feel free to leave your own mom-approved film character crushes in the comments section. … Read More