Chinatown, Manhattan

Wikipedia - "Manhattan's Chinatown ... home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Manhattan's Chinatown is one of the oldest ethnic Chinese enclaves outside of Asia."
Wikipedia

Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti - Maya Deren (1985)

"Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1985) is a black and white documentary film about dance and possession in Haitian vodou that was shot by experimental filmmaker Maya Deren between 1947 and 1954 and edited and completed by Deren's third husband Teiji Ito and his wife Cherel Winett Ito (1947-1999) in 1981, twenty years after Deren's death. Most of the film consists of images of dancing and bodies in motion during rituals in Rada and Petro services."
Wikipedia, YouTube - 1 of 6, 2 of 6, 3 of 6, 4 of 6, 6 of 6

Good Morning, Mr. Orwell

"Good Morning, Mr. Orwell was the first international satellite "installation" by Nam June Paik, a South Korean-born American artist often credited with inventing video art. It occurred on New Year's Day, 1984. The event, which Paik saw as a rebuttal to George Orwell's dystopian vision of 1984, linked WNET TV in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris live via satellite, as well as hooking up with broadcasters in Germany and South Korea."
Wikipedia, Good Morning Mr. Orwell: 1984 live TV experiment with Cage,Ginsberg,Dali,Paik,etc - Video

Big Map Blog

Map of the White Pass and Yukon Route, 1904
"I came across many of the maps you'll see on the Big Map Blog while doing research for a film I'm working on. While searching, I found thousands of old and beautiful maps that are sadly being kept from the public that deserves them – sometimes by clumsy or unwieldly government ftp sites, and other times by archives with steep fees for research, and steeper fees for reproduction. I felt strongly that something should be done about this."
Big Map Blog

Susan Philipsz, Lowlands, 2009

"We are standing beneath George V Bridge in Glasgow. Beyond us, two other bridges sweep over the Clyde: the mighty Caledonian railway bridge, bearing the trains grinding in and out of Central station, and Glasgow Bridge. Here at the water's edge, says artist Susan Philipsz, 'It's a little seedy.'"
Susan Philipsz: Lament for a drowned love, Wikipedia, YouTube

Looking at Music 3.0

"Looking at Music 3.0, the third in a series of exhibitions exploring the influence of music on contemporary art practices, focuses on New York in the 1980s and 1990s. In this dynamic period, imaginative forms of street art spread across the five boroughs, articulating the counter-culture tenor of the times. As the city transitioned from bankruptcy to solvency, graffiti, media, and performance artists took advantage of low rents and collaborated on ad hoc works shown in alternative spaces and underground clubs."
MoMA, MoMA: At the Crossroads of Art and Sound in the 1980s, MoMA: Listening to Art, MoMA: Nightclubbing, MoMA: Interactivity, MoMA: Looking at Hip-Hop 1.0, MoMA: A Monster-Like Force in the Transnational Lady-Made Movie Scene, MoMA: Riding the Trans-Europe Express, MoMA, WFMU - Video

Cast-iron architecture

Cast iron capitals, columns, and tracery, Borough Market. 1851, 1860s.
Wikipedia - "Cast-iron architecture is a form of architecture where cast iron plays a central role. It was a prominent style in the Industrial Revolution era when cast iron was relatively cheap and modern steel had not yet been developed."
Wikipedia, Google

Singular Visions

"At a time when images barrage us everywhere from our televisions to our mobile phones, the latest reinstallation of the Whitney’s permanent collection galleries invites visitors to slow down and experience art in a dramatic new way. Singular Visions presents twelve postwar highlights from the museum’s holdings, each in its own space, in order to create intimate and compelling encounters with a single work of art."
Whitney, NYT, NYMag

O. Winston Link

Steam Power
Wikipedia - "Ogle Winston Link (December 16, 1914 – January 30, 2001), known commonly as O. Winston Link, was an American photographer. He is best known for his black and white photography and sound recordings of the last days of steam locomotive railroading on the Norfolk & Western in the United States in the late 1950s."
Wikipedia, The Works of O. Winston Link, The O. Winston Link Collection, YouTube - O. Winston Link, and the N&W Railroad, Norfolk & Western

Killer's Kiss (1955) - Stanley Kubrick

Wikipedia - "The film revolves around Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith), a 29 year old welterweight New York boxer in the end of his career, and his relationship with a dancer and her violent employer. The drama begins with Davy in his apartment room, mentally preparing for a big fight against Kid Rodriguez. On the other side of the building, across the courtyard, he gazes upon Gloria Price (Irene Kane), an attractive taxi dancer, getting ready for work."
Wikipedia, Twenty Four Frames, YouTube

Vertical Features Remake (1978)

"Vertical Features Remake is a playful parody of avant-garde theorising in which academics argue about the life and work of Tulse Luper, Greenaway's best known fictional character. In their efforts to reconstruct one of Luper's early projects, the publically-funded Institute of Reclamation and Restoration (IRR) end up with four versions of the film."
UbuWeb, Vertical Features Remake, Wikipedia

The Clash - I'm So Bored with the USA

Wikipedia - "The Clash is the eponymous debut album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was originally released only in the United Kingdom on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. It was re-released in the United States in 1979, dropping four tracks and adding five other tracks."
Wikipedia, W - Give 'Em Enough Rope, YouTube - White Riot, I'm So Bored with the USA, 1977, London's Burning, Hate and War, Capitol Radio / Janie Jones / What's My Name / Garageland, Police And Thieves, Clash City Rockers, Jail Guitar Doors, The Prisoner, White Man In Hammersmith Palais, I Fought The Law, Tommy Gun, Safe European Home, Bankrobber, English Civil War

Visual Velocity: The Work of Stan VanDerBeek

"Visual Velocity is a tribute to the pioneering work of Stan VanDerBeek. VanDerBeek was an experimental filmmaker, artist, animator, and media visionary. Produced by David Donnelly, the work originally aired on PBS stations on THE TERRITORY, the longest running public television showcase of independent film/video in the country."
Visual Velocity: The Work of Stan VanDerBeek - vimeo

Zones of a Non-Linear Discourse on the Red Seal - Robert Kelly

Hadrian's Library, Athens. James Robertson
"Non-linear because I want to draw you into the circle of reflection and consideration and trial and error of this process I’ve been working on for several months now."
Inside Bard

Lowell Fulson

Wikipedia - "Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921 – March 7, 1999) was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker, Fulson was the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s."
Wikipedia, YouTube - Reconsider Baby, Tramp, Rock This Morning, Low Society, Lowell Fulson interview and performance 1970s

The Insolent Eye: Jarry in Art

William Kentridge. Ubu Tells the Truth, 1997
"Locks Gallery presents an immersive exhibition in homage to French author Alfred Jarry (1873-1907), on view April 1 through May 13, 2011. Contemporary artists Thomas Chimes, Rebecca Horn, and William Kentridge recreate the beguiling atmosphere of Jarry’s absurdist scenarios, with an historical prologue of artworks by Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, and Man Ray. The exhibition will include film, painting, installation, sculpture, and photography. "
Locks Gallery, (1), (2)

Al Green

"Al Green singing Tired Of Being Alone in Soul School"
YouTube - Tired Of Being Alone, Call Me, You Ought To Be With Me, Everything's Gonna Be Alright, How can you mend a broken heart, Love and Happiness, L-O-V-E, Sha La La, Belle, Livin' for you, Simply Beautiful {Live Acoustic}, I Love You, Take Me To the River, God blessed our love, Rev. Al Green - The Lord Will Make Away Somehow

July 2008: Wikipedia, Al Green

Original African Guitar Excellence - Zaiko & Ali Farka Toure

"African, congo, fun, ndombolo, soukous, rumba, africa, beyonce, afrobeat, werrason, werra, salsa, reggae, makossa, lingala, dance, koffi..."
YouTube

Venice Backstage. How does Venice work?

Venice, Bolognino Zaltieri, 1565
"Venice is not just a stage set. It is also a city with a resident population, which has productive activities, transportation and services. But how does the “Venice system” work? How do the tides in the lagoon behave? How are the canals formed? And the embankments? What’s under the buildings?"
Vimeo, Wikipedia

Famous Authors And Their Typewriters

Sylvia Plath
"There’s something magical about catching a glimpse of one of your favorite authors at work – even a photo of the epic event can send an anxious thrill down your spine, as if you might be able to see some hint of literary genius in posture or setting, in attire or facial expression. And it’s even better if they’re working on a typewriter."
Flavorwire

Cruel Sister (1970) - Pentangle

Wikipedia - "Cruel Sister was an album recorded in 1970 by folk-rock band Pentangle. It was the most folk-based of the albums recorded by the band, with all the tracks being versions of traditional songs. Whereas their previous album had been produced by Shel Talmy, and featured quite a heavily-produced, commercial sound, Cruel Sister was produced by Bill Leader, noted for his recordings of folk musicians."
Wikipedia, amazon, YouTube - A Maid That's Deep in Love - 1/6, When I Was in My Prime, Lord Franklin, Cruel Sister, Jack Orion - part 1, Jack Orion - part 2

Avigdor Arikha

Self Portrait. Collection of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Wikipedia - "Avigdor Arikha (April 28, 1929 – April 29, 2010) was a painter, draughtsman, printmaker, and art historian."
Wikipedia, "Avigdor Arikha obituary", Google

Radical chic

Wikipedia - "Radical chic is a term coined by journalist Tom Wolfe in his 1970 essay "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's," to describe the adoption and promotion of radical political causes by celebrities, socialites, and high society."
Wikipedia, NYMag: "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny’s", W - "Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers"

Two Sevens Clash - Culture

Wikipedia - "Two Sevens Clash is the debut album by roots reggae band Culture, recorded with producer Joe Gibbs at his own Joe Gibbs Recording Studio in Kingston in 1976, and released on Gibbs' eponymous label in 1977 (see 1977 in music). The album's title is a reference to the date of July 7, 1977. Hill said 'Two Sevens Clash,' Culture's most influential record, was based on a prediction by Marcus Garvey, who said there would be chaos on July 7, 1977, when the 'sevens' met. With its apocalyptic message, the song created a stir in his Caribbean homeland and many Jamaican businesses and schools shuttered their doors for the day."
Wikipedia, Reggae 1977: WhenThe Two 7's Clash, amazon, NPR: Birth of a Phenomenon: 'Two Sevens Clash' (Video), Jah Lyrics: Reggae Archives, Dailymotion - two Sevens Clash - live, YouTube - Two Seven Clash, I'm Alone in the Wilderness, Pirate Days, Black starliner must come, I'm not ashamed (Live), Too long in slavery (Live)

September 2009: Culture

Terry Riley - Shri Camel: Morning Corona

"Get comfortable and enjoy a 106 minute Terry Riley documentary filmed in the late '80ies on Riley's farm. Footage includes goat milking, a lengthy interview and a musical performance of 'Shri Camel: Morning Corona' shot in the framework of a cabin under construction." Live 1976.
YouTube - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Two in the Wave

"In Emmanuel Laurent’s new documentary, 'Two in the Wave,' the 'two' are the filmmakers François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. The wave, needless to say, is La Nouvelle Vague, a journalistic name that not only stuck to Truffaut, Mr. Godard and their colleagues, but that also changed the way film history is understood."
NYT: "Two Daring Directors Who Changed Film History", amazon, YouTube - Two in the Wave

Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany

"BBC Four documentary Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany - Documentary which looks at how a radical generation of musicians created a new German musical identity out of the cultural ruins of war. Between 1968 and 1977 bands like Neu!, Can, Faust and Kraftwerk would look beyond western rock and roll to create some of the most original and uncompromising music ever heard. They shared one common goal - a forward-looking desire to transcend Germany's gruesome past - but that didn't stop the music press in war-obsessed Britain from calling them Krautrock."
YouTube - Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany, Pt 1 of 6, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 5, Pt 6

The Impossible Collection

Emilie Le Fellic
"Being a true and honest dedication to one of the most fascinating analog inventions ever made, Impossible‘s passionate mission is to start writing a completely new chapter in the history of Photography. The rebirth of analog instant film brings new artistic and cultural possibilities along. It is an affair of Impossible's heart to embrace all the possibilites that the new instant films offer and to closely collaborate with artists and photographers."
The Impossible Collection

Locus Solus

Wikipedia - "Locus Solus was a journal of experimental poetry and prose that published five issues in 1961 and 1962. Locus Solus was edited by the novelist Harry Mathews and poets John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, and Jimmy Schuyler, all of whom contributed content. The journal was named after the novel Locus Solus by Raymond Roussel."
Wikipedia, Mimeo Mimeo - "Bon Voyage, Kyle", W - Locus Solus, W - Raymond Roussel, W - John Zorn, YouTube - John Zorn, Locus Solus

June 2010: Locus Solus - RealityStudio, RS -Eureka: Locus Solus V

Katrin Sigurdardottir

"Icelandic artist Katrin Sigurdardottir (b. 1967) has created two site-specific sculptural installations for the Museum's series of solo exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists at mid-career. Entitled Boiseries, the installations are full-scale interpretations of eighteenth-century French rooms preserved at the Metropolitan Museum, one from the Hôtel de Crillon (1777–1780) on the Place de la Concorde, Paris, and the other from the Hôtel de Cabris (ca. 1774) at Grasse in Provence."
Metropolitan Museum of Art, (1), NYT, Katrin Sigurdardottir, Google

Havana Centro Cuba

"Just a Friday afternoon in Centro neighbourhood of Havana, Cuba, late Dec. 2008. People living life."
YouTube

David Hykes

Wikipedia - "David Hykes (born 2 March 1953) is a composer, singer, musician, author, and meditation teacher. He was one of the earliest modern western pioneers of so-called overtone singing, and has developed since 1975 a comprehensive approach to contemplative music which he calls Harmonic Chant (harmonic singing)."
Wikipedia, Harmonic Presence Foundation, YouTube - Harmonic Chant / le Chant Harmonique by founder David Hykes, David Hykes and Timothy Hill "Brotherhood", David Hykes & The Harmonic Choir - Arc descents, David Hykes-Kyrie Fragments (Part One), (Part Two))

The Hurricane of '38

"As the storm made its way across the Atlantic and up the eastern seaboard, there was little warning. Radar had not been invented. The National Weather Bureau predicted it would blow itself out at North Carolina, but it didn't. No one had ever seen a storm like this."
PBS, Wikipedia, South Station, Quogue Library, Google, PBS/Video - The Hurricane of '38

Frontier Press - Ed Dorn

"Twenty-Four Love Songs was designed and printed by Graham Mackintosh in San Francisco, 1979. If there's an unsung hero of this era in American printing, it's Graham, who designed books for many prominent publishers in the Bay Area. I would love to see a carefully conceived exhibit of his work accompanied by a thorough bibliography."
Mimeo Mimeo

Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore recording Blackfoot chief Mountain Chief for the Bureau of American Ethnology (1916)
Wikipedia - "Ethnomusicology is defined as 'the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts.' Coined by Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos (nation) and μουσική mousike (music), it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music."
Wikipedia, UCLA Gateway, Eric Charry’s Homepage

Clyde Stubblefield

Wikipedia - "Clyde Stubblefield (born April 18, 1943 in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a drummer best known for his work with James Brown. Stubblefield's recordings with James Brown are considered to be some of the standard-bearers for funk drumming, including the singles 'Cold Sweat', 'There Was A Time', 'I Got The Feelin'', 'Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud', 'Ain't It Funky Now', 'Mother Popcorn', and the album Sex Machine."
Wikipedia, NYT: "Living Legend Tries to Make a Living", YouTube - Clyde Stubblefield/ Funky Drummer

Larry Wright

Wikipedia - "Larry Wright (born c. 1975) is a well-known New York City busker. He's credited as the first major drummer to use five gallon plastic buckets instead of a normal drum kit. He uses his foot to lift the bucket changing the sound patterns."
Wikipedia, BucketBeats, YouTube - More of amazing street drummer in New York subway, The Subway Drummer from New York, NYC street bucket drummer 1990, Interview with Larry Wright, NYC Bucket Drummers NYC Subway performance, Larry Wright bucket drums subway broadway station

The Spring Issue: Pavel Zoubok on Collage

David Poppie (1969–), Rabbit Hole, 2010, colored pencils on panel.
"Pavel Zoubok, the curator of our spring portfolio, opened his first gallery space in New York in 1997. Fifteen years later, it remains the only gallery in New York devoted exclusively to collage, though it has, over that time, helped nurture a broad revival of interest in the cut-up for the digital age, as artists and admirers turned on by remixing and repurposing have discovered again the appeal and the craftsmanship of the truly handmade. Earlier this winter, Pavel sat down to discuss his gallery, the portfolio, and the expansive medium to which they are both devoted."
The Paris Review

The Clash documentary - Joe Strummer

"The late Joe Strummer."
YouTube part 1, part 2

Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film)

Wikipedia - "Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 film directed by François Truffaut, in his first colour film as well as his only English-language film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury."
Wikipedia, amazon, YouTube, Dailymotion

Tellus #15: The Improvisors

"Excerpts from The Stephanie and Irving Stone Festival of Improvisors recorded at Roulette, NYC on November 8, 9, and 10, 1985."
UbuWeb

Kraftwerk - Documentary

"Made by Malik Bendjelloul for Swedish TV:s Pop i fokus in 2001. Interviews with Karl Bartos, Wolfgang Flur, Bjork, Moby, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Peter Saville."
YouTube - Kraftwerk documentary part 1, part 2, part 3

Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood

"Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, also known as Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision, is a short film produced by BBC Omnibus in 1978 on the subject of Hunter S. Thompson, directed by Nigel Finch."
Wikipedia, YouTube - Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood - Hunter S Thompson Documentary

How to make a cigar box guitar

"This is a rough how-to on how to make a cigar box guitar. Since each box is different I can't give you exact instructions. Hopefully you'll get creative and improvise."
YouTube - How to make a cigar box guitar, 1953 Wild Cigar Box Guitar Footage, Original Delta Blues Legend on his Broomstick cigar box guitar, Devil Got My Woman Blues by Skip James Cover / 3 String Cigar Box Guitars / Bottleneck Delta Slide

Sing Out!

Wikipedpa - "Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that has been published since May 1950."
Wikipedia, Sing Out!, FolkLib Index, The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, YouTube

Before I Die

"One month and seven hours of intense stenciling later and it’s up! With a lot of support from old and new friends, I turned the side of an abandoned house in my neighborhood into a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and remember what is important to them in life. Before I Die transforms neglected spaces into constructive ones where we can learn the hopes and aspirations of the people around us."
Candy Chang

RAW Music International

"RAW Music International is currently preparing to film a pilot episode in Kisumu, Kenya in December 2010 — exploring the world of East Africa’s Rastafarian population, and seeing what happens when a rich heritage of traditional music meets modern rap and dance in a packed nightclub."
RAW Music International

Broadway: A Poets and Painters Anthology

"Of Charles North's poetry, Schuyler himself once wrote, 'His joy in words, and the things words adumbrate, is infectious: we catch a contagion of enlightenment. To me, he is the most stimulating poet of his generation.' North met and befriended the psychologically troubled Schuyler in the early 1970s. Together they edited Broadway: A Poets and Painters Anthology in 1979 and Broadway II in 1989."
EPC - James Schuyler: Charles North Interview, amazon, amazon - 1

"An Underground Movement: Designers, Builders, Riders", Owen Smith

"In the mezzanine is a large three-panel mosaic entitled An Underground Movement: Designers, Builders, Riders, by artist Owen Smith, which were installed in 1998. The mural depicts the design, construction, and riders of the subway. Two other mosaics above the stairways depict amusement rides at Coney Island framed by the stairway of a Brooklyn brownstone house, and the New York city skyline with Rockettes and a paper tape stock ticker."
NYT Subway

The Making of "Painters Painting: The New York Art Scene 1940-1970"

"Painters Painting: The New York Art Scene 1940-1970 is a 1972 documentary directed by Emile de Antonio. It covers American art movements from abstract expressionism to pop art through conversations with artists in their studios. Artists appearing in the film include Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Helen Frankenthaler, Frank Stella, Barnett Newman, Hans Hofmann, Jules Olitski, Philip Pavia, Larry Poons, Robert Motherwell, and Kenneth Noland."
YouTube, (2)