Nowhere Fast

2010-09-25T17:03:00.002+01:00

Kim Kardashian x Terry Richardson

The Sunday Times

2010-08-25T09:23:00.002+01:00

Da Dong, Beijing. July 2009

2010-08-22T13:14:00.005+01:00

kimiko yoshida

2010-08-22T13:07:00.003+01:00

2010-08-22T12:43:00.008+01:00

eastern congo

richard mosse, infra

2010-06-14T00:51:00.018+01:00

8,851.8km / 5,500.3mi long

beijing, july 2009

2010-06-06T21:27:00.010+01:00

university done

2010-06-04T15:01:00.005+01:00

2010-06-03T17:03:00.012+01:00

natural fashion: tribal decoration from africa

hans silvester

2010-05-30T20:42:00.001+01:00

2010-05-27T23:44:00.039+01:00

ryan mcginley x m.i.a

2010-05-27T19:22:00.013+01:00

distinctive and multifaceted

a heady mix of michael jackson, stevie, james brown, david bowie, eva, nina, ella, etta, jimi hendrix, bob dylan, nat king cole and more

like nothing you've ever heard before whilst simultaneously being the best of everything you have heard before

2010-05-27T00:16:00.038+01:00

drake f. alicia keys - fireworks

click here to download

2010-05-15T14:44:00.007+01:00

erykah badu, queen of neo soul

2010-05-05T18:21:00.047+01:00

Big Boi - Shutterbugg

Staccato base thumps, multi-layered funk

Find it here

2010-04-29T14:51:00.019+01:00

The XX - Crystalised (Dark Sky Remix)

Minimal Indie x Dubstep

Click here

Perfect.

2010-04-26T16:04:00.019+01:00

The Roman Gavras directed video for M.I.A's punk-rock rebel track Born Free premiered over on her website earlier today. It is, as you would expect, explicit, violent, politically charged and graphic

Click here to watch it

2010-04-24T13:28:00.044+01:00

BORN FREE

Photographer Jaime Martinez has just signed as the Visual Artist for M.I.A's label Neet Recordings. Head over to Fuck You Draculas to see more examples of his work in which he transforms haunting photographs into bold .gifs.

Click here to listen to Born Free (feat. Mixhell) from M.I.A's forthcoming album.

2010-04-22T14:56:00.013+01:00

2010-04-17T13:22:00.016+01:00

The Saam Farahmand clip isn't as repetitive as it initially seems.
Watch closely.

2010-04-15T16:12:00.018+01:00

Nishal and Lorena's wedding, 3rd April 2010

2010-04-12T15:37:00.006+01:00

2010-04-09T15:06:00.016+01:00

nabil x kanye west, wireless festival 2009

source

2010-03-29T11:50:00.012+01:00

Don't Sleep is a new independently published photography magazine, straight out of Australia. The biannual magazine, helmed by Chico, focuses on graffiti, tattoos and urban decay.

Issue 1 has just been published. Click here to visit the website to order yourself a copy, or to browse some more of Chico's photography.

2010-03-29T11:42:00.006+01:00

great wall of china
july 2009

2010-03-25T01:36:00.007Z

2010-03-25T00:15:00.036Z

5 stars for this modern classic

If you have to pay through your teeth to get a ticket to see Mark Rylance in Jerusalem before it closes on April 24th, then pay through your teeth*. It is one of, if not the most exciting pieces of theatre I have seen - funny, energetic and tragic. Rylance's performance will, I believe, be remembered as iconic for years to come.

Rickson's production and Ultz's set deserves every nomination, star, and award which it has received (or not received, in the case of the recent Oliviers - it was robbed).

You must see this

*Alternatively queue for on-the-day tickets from approximately 8.30 a.m. - the box office doesn't open until 10 a.m. but when you're sat on the front row of the stalls for only £10 you will not bemoan your early start.

2010-03-24T08:58:00.016Z

Directed by Dave Ma and shot in Inverness

2010-03-23T16:31:00.031Z

I love how unexceptional and innocuous the photographs in Gus Powell's Lunchtime Series seem at first glance, but once titled they appear cleverly constructed compositions

from top: Our Secret, Spotlight, The Juggler

NY-Z.

2010-03-23T02:08:00.005Z

Nicely edited.

Can't knock the hustle.

2010-03-23T01:27:00.014Z

Another show which I have seen recently, and one which I would quite recommend seeing, is Why I Don't Hate White People. The production is currently touring the country, and if you do decide to go, try and attend a performance followed by a q&a session, for Lemn Sissay is fascinating, informed, articulate, and funny - it was by far the most insightful post show talk I have attended to date.

The piece itself is a thoughtful exploration of white British attitudes to racism and features a very engaging and charismatic performance from its writer, Lemn Sissay MBE. It is, I believe, well written, and fairly well constructed, and is delivered from inside an all white set inspired by Sissay's 2008 Cape Farewell expedition to the North Pole. My main criticism would be of the physical enactment of the many poetic metaphors which I felt detracted from their meaning and encouraged only a literal reading - it is however still worth seeing if you get the opportunity.

2010-03-23T00:47:00.016Z

Promises Promises is an interesting one-woman show which explores issues of multiculturalism and integration within schools. It is, at moments, comic, and others dark, and features a fantastically polished performance from Joanna Tope. Currently touring.

2010-03-23T00:44:00.006Z

THE XX x PIERRE DEBUSSCHERE

2010-03-22T21:51:00.009Z

mercury prize winning acoustic, jazz-inspired hip hop

2010-03-21T23:51:00.024Z

An incredible short film

Click here to watch

ROBOTS ARE FRAGILE TOO

2010-03-21T22:37:00.022Z

Currently sat writing a paper on Lauryn Hill and the Black feminist struggle within Hip Hop culture. I have a long night ahead of me trying to articulate logically how Hill uses music as a vehicle for social protest and political activism within the context of the Black liberation struggle, but I thought I'd take a minute and briefly blog about the album to encourage anyone who hasn't heard it to ensure that they do. It is an incredible record which cohesively blends together sounds of gospel, blues, R&B, folk and rap and is, without a doubt, my favourite record of all time.

manganiyar seduction.

2010-03-10T14:28:00.025Z

Thirty six boxes, stacked four storeys high, containing 43 Rajasthani desert musicians. Yes, the Manganiyar Seduction is nothing short of spectacular. Staged by director Roysten Abel, the show brings an incredible theatricality to the performance of traditional Indian Sufi music, and I was fortunate enough to catch it on the first of its three night run at the Barbican Centre as part of the East festival and bite: 10.

Beginning with a solo musician, the production gradually built to an almighty climax as the 42 other musicians unveiled themselves from behind their curtains. Housed within a set which undoubtedly drew influence from Jaipur's Hawa Mahal and Amsterdam's red light district, these musicians were led, with tremendous gusto, by conductor-cum-dancer Daevo Khan. It was he who broke the formal delineation between the audience and the performers and was crucial in providing the energy which engulfed the theatre. He, rather deservedly then, drew his own applause.

After the performance, Abel came on stage to briefly provide context for the production. He explained how the Manganiyars are a caste of Muslim musicians from North India who also worshipped Hindu deities. Their music, he continued, fuses folk and classical genres and was traditionally performed for the kings of Rajasthan. His discussion was brief but insightful and was spliced with personable segments of humour in which acknowledged the difficulties which they faced whilst globally touring the production - getting 43 Muslim's through immigration control was no easy task, he joked.

What I will admit is I couldn't help but feel as though Abel's contextualisation of the work should have come sooner. I say this because of a number of reasons, firstly the staging provided no clues about the music's meaning, secondly there was no emcee nor were there subtitles, and thirdly programmes were only distributed as the audience left the theatre, therefore we, as audience members, were simply listeners in the broadest sense of the term. A more enhanced acknowledgement of the cultural distance between the musicians and the music which they were playing, and the audience to whom they were playing it to could, and should, have occurred from the get-go. Unfortunately as a result, the piece fell slightly short in terms of context or grounding.

Regardless, I remained mesmerised throughout - mesmerised by the colour, by the intensity of the music and by the production's originality - and as the audience unanimously rose to their feet in rapturous applause, I knew I was certainly not alone.

Photography source

bite size

2010-03-03T23:03:00.011Z

Produced by China Plate, commissioned by mac and Warwick Arts Centre and supported by The Junction, Cambridge, Bite Size is a daylong showcase of West Midlands theatre taking place this coming Saturday, March 6th, at Warwick Arts Centre.

Over the course of the day work from companies such as Stan's Cafe, Pentabus, New Art Club, Kindle and New Macho will be presented, offering audiences a one-off opportunity to sample a fantastically wide range of great work all in one place, all in one day. The day will conclude in the bar with an evening of 1930's dance music played by Untied Artists and the Gramaphone Party.

Day tickets cost £25 (£23), and include entry to all shows. Click here for more information, or to book.

I'm working the festival but I'm hoping to catch as many shows as I possibly can, either in rehearsal or in performance, and will endeavour to blog about them next week.

2010-03-02T16:19:00.013Z

banksy x sunday times magazine

2010-02-28T04:10:00.006Z

2010-02-23T23:50:00.021Z

LAMBETH PALACE

A pop up cinema in an abandoned tunnel in London is where Banksy has chosen to house preview screenings of his film Exit Through the Gift Shop in advance of its nationwide release on March 5th.

Described by Banksy as London's newest darkest, and dirtiest* purpose built cinema (*Cineworld Edmonton not included apparently), Lambeth Palace boasts "stunning" temporary toilets, a lounge bar, a popcorn stall and an usherette, who "sells spray paint instead of cigarettes". Furthermore, audiences are presented with tins of spray paint as they make their way out, and with the tunnel in which the cinema is housed declared an authorised graffiti zone, they are encouraged to "let rip" (to quote The Indy, ha).

Photography source.

2010-02-20T22:28:00.012Z

I THINK I LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM THROUGH DAILY.
understated.

unassuming.

introvert.

2010-02-20T00:35:00.008Z

MCQUEEN'S FINAL McQ

8 0 s p u n k

2010-02-19T01:25:00.022Z

Kevin Bauman captures 100 of the 12,000 abandoned houses in the Detroit region; an area which has seen its population drop from 2 million citizens to under 800,000 in recent years

Click here to see more

2010-02-17T18:24:00.010Z

ONE OF MY FAVORITE STOPS IN EDINBURGH

2010-02-17T17:15:00.007Z

FOR MCQUEEN AND COUNTRY

2010-02-15T00:25:00.009Z

max's 21st, february 13th 2010

2010-02-13T12:50:00.014Z

If you are in the Manchester area, I really cannot recommend this production enough. Perhaps a little long, but nevertheless, there are some incredible performances at the heart of Buffong's direction which are complemented by Ellen Cairn's meticulous design. Starletta DuPois as mother Lena Younger shines, her performance filled with stoicism, stubbornness and heartbreak. A great play, served well by this production.

If you are under the age of 26, there are 50 free tickets available every Friday night, or, £4 seats for a Monday night performance. The production is running until February 20th, click here to be taken to the Royal Exchange website.

2010-02-12T17:39:00.009Z

Enron - "a fantastically crafted script which explains & clarifies to those unfamiliar with its world whilst not patronising those who are" (Twitter).

Money at Shunt - fascinating and disappointing at the same time. The technicality of it, and its set are incredible, I just wasn't sure how much time had been invested in the actual text. TOO cryptic, yet still somewhat refreshing.

National Theatre Live's Nation - "Enjoyed ntlive - filming brought us much closer to the action. Today I realised how the National Theatre could be a national theatre" (Twitter).

Herons - I've seen Falling Leaves' production of said play twice now, enough said.

11 and 12 "sadly underwhelming..slow-paced...it made me feel very little" (Twitter). No emotional connection however created some visually appealing 'pictures'. More story telling than anything.

2010-02-12T17:21:00.008Z

DIANA+ DREAMER

2010-02-12T00:05:00.008Z

Baduizm

2010-02-11T18:09:00.007Z

M.I.A BEAT YOU TO IT, STILL.

2010-01-31T13:18:00.009Z

my dad, my camera, the maldives

2010-01-29T23:49:00.019Z

kaws x michael jackson

2010-01-29T23:34:00.016Z

Shot in Chernobyl by director David Ma some 23 years after the nuclear disaster

Delphic - This Momentary
Check for the cinematography

2010-01-27T16:39:00.005Z

VECKATIMEST - ON ROTATION

2010-01-27T15:40:00.016Z

LADY GAGA x DAZED DIGITAL

2010-01-27T15:08:00.006Z

viral

2010-01-21T07:59:00.005Z

2010-01-21T06:27:00.012Z

new images released

2010-01-16T12:06:00.024Z

Document is a photographic award launched by War on Want in which young photographers are encouraged to capture images connected with poverty and human rights

Kibera, photographed here, is Africa's largest slum and is home to a quarter of Nairobi's population. It is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, with some of the most challenging conditions in which to live and raise families. Post election violence, poverty, crime, poor sanitation, AIDS and corruption are among its many problems. Yet its residents are highly skilled, academically and technically, and form a workforce which contributes significantly to Nairoibi's growth - it is, today, one of the world's fastest growing cities.

2010-01-15T00:51:00.006Z

2010-01-14T20:28:00.021Z

FROM BRICKS TO BILLBOARDS, GRAMS TO GRAMMYS

jay z x craig mcdean

LEGO CL!CK.

2010-01-13T10:11:00.006Z

2010-01-12T21:37:00.009Z

Street photographers beware..You may be held under section 44 of the Terrorism Act.

Recently, police have been misusing the powers which they were granted under anti-terror legislation in a number of incidents where photographers were questioned for taking photographs of popular london landmarks and destinations. Just days ago, a BBC journalist was stopped and searched by police officers as he took photographs of St Paul's Cathedral.

2010-01-12T00:56:00.017Z

IF I LIVED IN LONDON I WOULD GO AND SEE...

Saam Farahman's 'physical music video' - an experimental three-dimensional interpretation of The xx's acclaimed album xx at The Vinyl Factory in London.

"Music videos are a 2D visual interpretation of a song. We are interested in creating spaces that exist as a 3D physical interpretation of a song or an album, and that is what we have created for the album xx. It shares sensibilities with art installations but it should not be considered in this context. It is in essence a physical music video, a looping shrine to the album that you cannot compress, send or turn off."

"The xx are the perfect ambassadors for the medium. Their music is mesmerising, and deeply physically affecting."

xx: A Sculpture of the Album is installed at The Vinyl Factory (access via Phonica Records, 51 Poland Street, W1).

Until Tuesday 12th January.

11.30am - 7.30pm daily.

Entrance is free.

2010-01-11T00:50:00.011Z

no sign of holding off

2010-01-11T00:42:00.009Z

david bailey, eye

2010-01-11T00:34:00.006Z

must see

2010-01-10T21:25:00.010Z

The US trailer has just been released. One of the best films I saw last year, I definitely recommend it.

2010-01-05T17:05:00.017Z

2010-01-01T22:46:00.005Z

on to the next one

happy new year

2009-12-30T02:55:00.019Z

Choose water over wine

and hold my own

and

drive.

2009-12-29T02:30:00.025Z

...I got a pocket full of dreams.

2009-12-24T02:55:00.029Z

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire is a brutal account of poverty, illiteracy, hate and isolation which swept the boards at this year's Sundance Film Festival and is already generating Oscar buzz. It tells the story of 16 year old Claireece 'Precious' Jones, played by Gabourey Sidibe, and serves as a dark social commentary on Black Harlem circa 1987. Obese, illiterate, HIV positive and the victim of incestuous rape, Precious strives for education in the hope of escaping her cycle of circumstance.

I must admit, when I heard Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry were on board, I was anticipating the classic (and frankly, often dull) "inspirational" arc, the see-how-far-she's-come narrative, which they both seem to favour. Of course their cultural influence is undeniable, but thankfully they were not the creative forces behind the film.

The film itself took some time to win me over, I wasn't sure how connected I felt with the characters and I couldn't help but see it as a modern-day Color Purple. I often found myself more in shock than feeling empathy for the characters, but the film's final scenes possess an authenticity and ugly immediacy which I challenge you to deny. Mo'Nique's final moments as Precious's abusive mother Mary boldly display her character's unnerving cruelty in a manner which is emotionally wrenching. She is revolting and terrifying and I will be surprised if an Oscar nomination doesn't come her way.

WE'VE HAD NO TIME TO PAINT THE PLACE.

2009-12-23T14:17:00.007Z

2009-12-21T23:12:00.006Z

NEW BANKSY

The elusive street artist's new stencils near Regent's Canal in Camden. Well timed with the Copenhagen climate talks of course

2009-12-20T17:54:00.011Z

TOMORROW NIGHT

Lady Garden and friends will be back at the Wilmington Arms in Islington tomorrow for another night of comedy. With Jonny Sweet, Two Episodes of Mash, Piff the Magic Dragon, Marvin Cheeseman, Max and Ivan, and MC Goronwy-Thom completing the bill, it's bound to be a evening you will regret not attending.

7.30 doors and only a fiver! Bargain.

Click here for a link to the Facebook event page.

2009-12-18T14:35:00.003Z

2009-12-18T01:01:00.012Z

new york city, june 2009

2009-12-17T23:18:00.005Z

Spotted on Hollywood Blvd. Ahaa

Los Angeles, May 2009

2009-12-17T02:32:00.007Z

THIS IS THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM

She even got Drake on backing vocals

DREAMIN', DREAMIN'.

2009-12-11T00:57:00.006Z

2009-12-10T20:24:00.007Z

2009-12-09T21:25:00.016Z

2009-12-08T00:15:00.008Z

TURNER PRIZE - ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD?

"The most important thing is that the paintings are painted over" - Richard Wright, 49, Glasgow

2009-12-03T11:23:00.011Z

PRETTY VACANT
A collaboration between theatremaker Tim Etchells and photographer Hugo Glendinning which is currently on show at Lancaster University, Empty Stages captures the elusive magic of theatre spaces without either performers and audiences.

2009-12-03T00:51:00.013Z

IMAGINE NONE OF THIS IS REAL

2009-12-03T00:29:00.009Z

Melbourne, July 2009

2009-12-01T14:48:00.028Z

WHEN LENNY HENRY IS YOUR FRIEND

Lady Garden and friends returned for yet another fantastic night of comedy at the Wilmington Arms in Islington, London last night. The night saw excellent performances from Nick Mohammed and Tom Bell, and saw the brilliant Lenny Henry make his return to the comedy circuit. See the Lady Garden website for more information about the next residency which is taking place on December 21st.

These photographs also feature in this week's Editor's Blog on London is Funny.

2009-11-26T07:53:00.025Z

Hidden away in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles is the Garden of Oz, a peaceful, whimsical and surreal secret garden, which can only be accessed by those who are in possession of a key.

I won't reveal its address, instead I leave you to your own devices to find it, should you wish to discover it.

Photography is prohibited; 'remember it with your heart' reads the sign.

2009-11-23T14:57:00.008Z

WINTER WONDERLAND, POSTPONED.

2009-11-22T13:49:00.015Z

The Whitehouse Photo stream is well worth adding to your favorites. There's something about it that makes the Obamas somewhat tangible.

2009-11-22T00:56:00.007Z

2009-11-22T00:47:00.008Z

Amit and Jyoti, July 2009

2009-11-19T02:26:00.026Z

Lil Wayne - The Carter Documentary

(click to watch)

'The Carter is a documentary about Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. aka Lil' Wayne. An internationally known rapper, his most recent album went platinum in a week, and he just might be the voice of his generation. But this ain't no VH1 rock doc. Rather, it is an intoxicating, cinematic journey into the thoughts and world of an extremely complicated man whose creative force is something to behold. He never stops recording. He has a portable studio that he carries around in a black bag, and it allows him to lay down a track anytime anywhere. It is his pressure valve and makes him a refreshing anomaly in a sea of manufactured prefab ""singers."" His work is his own: unfiltered, uncensored, raw, and powerful. Director Adam Bhala Lough, whose fiction film Weapons premiered in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, has unbelievable access to Lil' Wayne's public and private lives. He captures remarkably candid moments, such as Lil' Wayne recounting his first sexual experience, as well as him talking openly about his drug habits. Following him all over the country and to Amsterdam, Lough mixes fly-on-the-wall footage of Lil' Wayne in his hotel room and on his bus with artfully composed concert footage. The result is a shockingly intimate portrait of one of the most inspired (and eccentric) musicians of modern America.'

- Sundance Film Festival

2009-11-19T01:48:00.009Z

Great Ocean Road, Australia. August 2009

NEW JE T'AIMEY.

2009-11-18T16:32:00.010Z

Some unseen photographs from my shoot with Je T'Aimey last month.

2009-11-13T00:14:00.009Z

2009-11-10T18:06:00.009Z