Brand association from an adorable 5 year old

Brand association. It’s kind of a gross term if you think about it. It speaks to the idea that we have an affinity for a brand, something that isn’t a “real” thing. It’s an entity that exists to make money, fueled by people and passion. So this video is both funny, and slightly unnerving to me.

Adam Ladd recently taped his five year old daughter, showing her brands and asking if she can identify them, resulting in some pretty adorable commentary. Cheetah, cheetah, cheetah.

Bobby

Time and Emptiness – A Film Review of Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life

In Texas, they execute their “bad” people. The years spent waiting on Death Row are compressed into a grim yet succinct ceremony which is carried out with callous precision and cold order. The journey from holding cell, to gurney, and “into the abyss”- post lethal injection – is completed within minutes. The case file is closed and all those affected try to move on with their lives. In his film Into the Abyss, documentary leader Werner Herzog introduces two inmates, whose crime is used to explore the societal environment of Conroe, Texas, prison life, and capital punishment in America.

Murder is always senseless. But it becomes even more disturbing when murder is committed on a whim, ‘just because’ and over a material possession. The crime in question begins with the coveting of a hot red Camero owned by Sandra Stotler, a middle aged mother living in a gated Texas community.  Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, both aged 19, both raised in a town where camper trailers and dilapidated trucks were the substitutes for warm beds and stable homes, wanted to take the car for a joy ride, so they killed her, her son and his best friend. It’s as simple as that. Using police footage from the crime scenes, and a participatory approach to questioning, Herzog leads Perry and Burkett through informal conversations that reconstruct the events of that night and the days subsequent to the murders. We learn that Perry sits on Death Row, and Burkett, who resides in the same prison as his father, was sentenced to life. Allowing the most poignant moments to occur organically, what emerges from the film’s discourse is the contrast between the thoughtless crime against the focused urgency of Perry’s fight for his right to life. Eight days away from being executed, Perry, disillusioned and appearing unremorseful, thinks he might still have a chance. Herzog objectively presents the case; can robbing a victim’s life actually be compensated through the arranged death of the perpetrator.

The circumstances of the events presented in Into the Abyss, are sad and gut wrenching, yet my emotional response was not peaked during Perry and Burkett’s exposés but rather, when the environment of living in Conroe, Texas was probed. Burkett’s father plays a significant part in describing their impoverished society, his regrets as a father and his profound feeling of failure. Also affecting are the scenes with Stotler’s daughter, who recounts the tragedies that have infected her life, pre and post murder.

Although Into the Abyss makes for a compelling documentary in terms of subject, there is an emerging trend in Herzog’s last two documentary features that has me worried. In his previous works, up until Encounters at the End of the World, equilibrium between form and content was assured. Respectful of his documentary’s focus, the subject matter explored was always coupled with the Herzog magic of awe-inspiring landscapes and photojournalistic sensitivity. What we expect from the Herzog brand is visual and oral poetry within the very real and often dark subject. In Cave of Forgotten Dreams I felt the Herzog charm slipping, and in Into the Abyss it is below the surface. His distinctive narration, which is the quintessential element that forms the rhythm and creates a profound connection to his films, is unfortunately absent.  The emotional content of a Herzogian documentary is still present, yet the empire of inspiring images has been replaced with convention. Perhaps it is his preference for digital format over film format that causes that special something to escape. It may also be that I no longer have the capacity to be amazed by a Herzog documentary. I really hope it’s not the latter. With twenty-five documentary features, nineteen fiction films, and countless shorts under his belt, Herzog is a prolific and masterful filmmaker. His connectedness to the human condition is unparalleled in cinema, and it would be a shame to see such empathy disappear.

- Christina Stimpson

Surreal video works from Sam Spreckley

Scotland based sound designer and video editor/director Sam Spreckley has totally captured my attention. About 5 days ago he released a new video called Surface ii, which is the combination of 8mm film melting and being destroyed paired with some really interesting and kind crazy sound design. The end result is this extremely detailed, nuanced piece of art that’s quite interesting. The sound choices he made are often quite odd but always fit. I hear things like ballons being stretched, bottles being broken and wires being tightened, things like that. He also does a nice job of panning the sounds back and forth between speakers, which gives it a layer of intricacy.

I’d also recommend the video he did below called Oil and Water… which is just oil and water. Except it’s got Sam’s magic touch, so it’s these basic materials that are being turned into art. The way he lit the video gives it a beautiful quality, and the symmetry created by mirroring the screen makes it seem so perfect. Really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with in the future.

Bobby

Eric Cahan documents the vibrant colors of sunrises and sunsets

A reader recently sent me a link to these amazing from Eric Cahan called Sky Series. He documented the sunrise and sunsets of different places around the world, predominately California, New York and Florida, showing the incredible range of colorful gradients each location has to offer. From top to bottom you’re looking at:

Bridgehampton, NY
Sunset 7:48pm

Fort Pond Bay, Montauk, NY
Sunset 8:10pm

The Dunes, Amagansette, NY
Sunset 6:47pm

Venice Beach, CA
Sunrise 6:15am

Bobby

The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring Ten Paces and Draw, with Rand Renfrow and Marisa Seguin

Well it’s February already, if you can believe it. But they say time flies when you’re having fun, right? This month’s collaboration with Ten Paces and Draw features a combo attack from Rand Renfrow and Marisa Seguin. You may remember that Rand sketched out the January wallpaper which we featured last month. This month Marissa did the initial sketch and Rand finished everything up.

I love that this feels like a connected wallpaper from last month, like a slow iteration. I also think it’s great that they were able to include funny holiday dates in this one, as I never knew there was a Public Sleeping Day. I hope you all enjoy the wallpaper and be sure to check back next Wednesday for another desktop wallpaper.

Bobby