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Flavorwire

New York

The Best Things Flavorwire Staffers Did in New York This Year

By Judy Berman on

As another year comes to a close, like everyone else on the Internet, we’ve compiled lists of our favorite films and books and albums. But in an office full of New Yorkers who spend so much time enjoying — and participating in — the cultural life of our city, we would be remiss not to look back on what we actually went out and did this year. Below you’ll find Flavorwire staffers’ favorite NY cultural experiences of 2012, from theater to art to live music to cinema; tell us about yours in the comments. … Read More

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New York

'New York in Black': Photos of Lower Manhattan After Sandy

By Judy Berman on

Amid the heartbreaking destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, some of the most shocking images to emerge were of Lower Manhattan. Although it wasn’t hit as hard as some parts of New York City, the normally bright and frenetic area lost power and was plunged into darkness for days. Trendland points us to photographer Christophe Jacrot’s New York in Black, a beautiful and disturbing series that captures that time more vividly than any other photos we’ve seen. Click through to see a selection of images from the set, then visit Jacrot’s website for more. … Read More

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Design

Simple, Elegant Posters for American States

By Judy Berman on

Little more than a subtle sense of harmony and balance sets great minimalist poster designs apart from the terabytes of half-assed efforts that abound on the web — and artist and designer Julian Montague’s State of America series, which we discovered via Fubiz, has it. Prints for each of the 50 states are available for purchase at Print Collection. Is it bad that, despite being New Yorkers, we’ve got our eye on Oklahoma, Vermont, and Maine? … Read More

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New York

50 Up-and-Coming New York Culture Makers to Watch in 2013

By Judy Berman on

New York in 2012 may be a city that runs on money, but, contrary to all economic logic, it remains a city whose character is equally defined by the art it creates. Artists — by which we also mean artisans, writers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, designers, chefs, dancers, comedians, and makers of all kinds — and the entrepreneurs and curators who support them still populate the city by the thousands, maintaining its status as the creative capitol of the United States. … Read More

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Art

Ghostly, Glowing X-Ray Images of Christmas Gifts

By Judy Berman on

Hugh Turvey has realized every overexcited child’s Christmas Eve dream: the x-ray artist and British Institute of Radiology artist-in-residence has discovered the contents of holiday gifts without ever opening them. Dubbed “Xograms” by their innovative creator, the images below reveal the teddy bears and jewelry and computers hidden behind layers of wrapping paper. Click through for some of our favorite works from the set, which we discovered via Faith is Torment, and visit Turvey’s website to learn more about his fascinating work. … Read More

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Television

'Gossip Girl's' Terrible, Horrible, Elitist, Misogynist Finale

By Judy Berman on

Last night, Gossip Girl went smugly into that glittery night. After six seasons and a seismic economic shift that rendered it suddenly irrelevant just over a year into its run, a limping teen drama that has recently had trouble exceeding a million viewers said its last “XOXO.” It’s been obvious for a while that the finale would be silly and superfluous and perfunctory, and it wasn’t hard to guess that its ever-present elitism would manifest in some vaguely horrifying manner. But who could have predicted the show would also end on such a misogynistic note? (For the few who are still watching Gossip Girl, expect spoilers below.) … Read More

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Design

Chad Sell's Fabulous Portraits of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Stars

By Judy Berman on

With their larger-than-life presences and glittery costumes, the gender-bending stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race are the perfect subjects for portraiture. Illustrator and comics artist Chad Sell pays gorgeous, witty tribute to the ladies in an extensive series that captures his favorite contestants’ finest moments. Click through to see some his best digital prints of Sharon Needles, Latrice Royale, Raja, and the rest, and visit his website if you see something you’d like to purchase. … Read More

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Design

The Smiths Songs as 8-Bit Video Games

By Judy Berman on

Mediocre pop-culture mashups are everywhere on the Internet, but when you mess with The Smiths, you’ve got to bring some inspiration. Thankfully, Brazil-based designer and illustrator Butcher Billy has done just that with a series of unexpectedly appropriate images combining Smiths song titles with 8-bit video game characters. We can’t imagine how Moz would feel about this project, which we discovered via It8Bit — but we’ll certainly have “Bigmouth Strikes Again” running through our head the next time we play a Mario game. … Read More

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Pop Culture

Your Baby Boomer Dad Reviews the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief

By Judy Berman on

Did you watch the concert last night? Come on, you know the one I’m talking about. The Hurricane Sandy concert that was on every channel, including the Cooking Channel, so you couldn’t miss it. You did miss it? I can’t believe it. You say you love music, and the three greatest living rock acts — The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and The Who — perform a big concert on TV and you miss it? Well, don’t worry — I taped it for Mom because I knew she was going to fall asleep right in the middle of it, and she did. I’ll just mail you the tape after she’s done with it. Yes, a real VHS tape. In the real, US mail. Anyway, I gotta tell you about this show. … Read More

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Photography

Photos of an Abandoned Detroit High School, Then and Now

By Judy Berman on

Detroiturbex does some of the most comprehensive and necessary work we’ve seen on Detroit, photographing, exploring, and leading tours of the city’s many abandoned buildings in an attempt to understand its rapid decline and document its current state of transition. Among its many projects, the site includes “now and then” photos of these decaying structures. BLDGWLF points us to an especially heartbreaking photo set from Lewis Cass Technical High School, before and after it was destroyed in a 2007 fire. Click through to see a gallery of images from the series, and visit Detroiturbex for the rest. … Read More

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