Quantcast
Channel: Culture & Arts
Viewing all 18505 articles
Browse latest View live

Morrissey Cancels Remainder Of U.S. Tour Due To Virus

June 11, 2014, 6:27 am
$
0
0
Morrissey's tour to promote his new album, "World Peace Is None Of Your Business," out July 15, has not gone as planned. First, a bunch of fans tried to hug him too hard, and then he had to cancel and postpone shows in Atlanta, Atlantic City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., due to a virus.

Now, Morrissey has announced that the remainder of his domestic tour will be canceled due to health concerns. His camp released the news on his Facebook page: "It is with great sadness that the remainder of the U.S. Tour has been canceled. The respiratory infection Morrissey contracted in Miami has worsened, and in the interest of making a full recovery, all further touring plans have been halted."

Another statement on his website blamed the artist's cold, which led to the virus, and said the singer felt "unimaginable sorrow" upon canceling the shows. Morrissey collapsed on Saturday, June 7 after the Boston Opera House show and was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for "acute fever," according to the statement: "Morrissey and the band are otherwise delighted and very grateful for their experiences on the U.S. tour, some shows of which they considered to be their best-ever."

Morrissey's opener, Kristeen Young, confessed to "a horrendous cold," which was allegedly then passed on to Morrissey. Young denied the claim in a now-deleted Facebook post and said she "was asked to leave." You can read Young's statement in its entirety over at Pitchfork.
↧
Search
↧

Ireland's Suburban Ghost Towns Are Just. Plain. Creepy. (PHOTOS)

June 11, 2014, 6:35 am
$
0
0
Picture a place where Stepford wives meet their eerie Tim Burton-inspired neighbors and you just might find yourself in none other than Ireland. Despite being more commonly known for lush rolling hills and beautiful scenery, the country is also home to thousands of unoccupied houses. And unlike most of the haunted buildings that have made their way into the category known as "abandoned places porn," these ghostly structures, which bear now-ironic names like "Paradise Valley," were actually never occupied -- they were simply left unfinished when the luck of the Irish dissipated and the housing bubble burst in 2008.

Unfortunately for the Emerald Isle, the uplifting monikers as well as the perfect preservation of the uninhabited properties just simply cannot detract from their creepiness, which can be seen in Valérie Anex's book "Ghost Estates."

And while the number of ghost estates has dramatically decreased in Ireland since 2010, the pictures below help prove that the mission of Anex's project -- to depict how consumer fetishism led to the collapse of an economic system -- remains untainted.





Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

**

Are you an architect, designer or blogger and would like to get your work seen on HuffPost Home? Reach out to us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line "Project submission." (All PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)
↧

Professional Mermaid Dances With Sharks, Says Humans Are 'The Real Dangerous Predators'

June 11, 2014, 7:46 am
$
0
0
Hannah Fraser is a professional mermaid and an ocean conservation activist who makes compelling videos combining these interests.

In the latest, Fraser consorts with enormous tiger sharks -- commonly said to be the second-most dangerous shark around -- while wearing a dark wig, bikini and tiger shark-style body paint that she says was designed to help her blend in with the 15-foot-long animals, so they wouldn't mistake her for a fish. (Usually, she's blonde and wears a mermaid tail.)

Fraser has no air tank -- she told a U.K. newspaper she can hold her breath for two minutes underwater -- and, no, despite the nickname "maneater sharks," these creatures do not seem to take her for food.

hannah mermaid
Photo credit: Shawn Heinrichs



Fraser, who's 38 years old, is from Australia and now lives in Los Angeles. She says she made the video, which was shot at a popular diving spot in the Bahamas, to raise awareness about a controversial Australian shark cull that could kill more than 25 great whites and 900 tiger sharks.

For perspective: about 100 million sharks are killed by humans every year. In 2013, there were 10 fatal shark attacks worldwide; two were in Australia. Scientists say the Australian culls are likely ineffective in preventing future attacks.

"Many people have asked me why I would put my life on the line to do this, especially for dangerous predatory sharks," Fraser said in a statement. "We humans have a history of annihilating anything we see as a competition, so much so that we are now threatening our very existence on this planet. I advocate for greater understanding and awareness for all sea creatures, and hope to inspire people to see that sharks, despite being one of the world’s most effective predators, are also intelligent, and magnificent animals worthy of protection... Who are the real dangerous predators in this equation?"

hannah mermaid
Photo credit: Shawn Heinrichs



A global shark management expert, who asked to remain anonymous since his workplace doesn't allow him to speak publicly, told HuffPost that the Australian shark kill is relatively minor, if "immoral and stupid," and says he's concerned the tiger shark video gives off mixed messages.

"The Australians are culling sharks because some people think they are dangerous. But this video reinforces the idea that this woman's life is in danger, giving credence to the actions of the government," he said.

Indeed, one newspaper's story about Fraser's video is headlined: "An underwater dance with death: Amazing photos show daredevil model swimming with 16 foot killer tiger sharks in just a bikini and NO diving equipment."

But Fraser -- whose documentary, "Tears Of A Mermaid," is due to be released in 2015 -- says that, mermaid costumes and all that aside, she's just being realistic in showing the ancient fishes as they are: able to happily coexist with people, so long as those people are careful.

Tiger sharks may "enjoy the interaction and touch of humans," she said, but "we are under no illusions that a simple mistake by startling or arousing the curiosity of a shark can result in a fatal bite. Not because the sharks want to hurt us, but because they don’t have hands, and they investigate with teeth."

↧

Insanely Talented Teen Gives Her Prom Dress The van Gogh Treatment

June 11, 2014, 7:53 am
$
0
0
"I want this painting to appear on a prom dress some day," Vincent van Gogh once said.

OK, probably not. But that's what happened anyway when high school senior Julia Reidhead decided to ditch the usual prom fashion and instead, paint a replica of van Gogh’s "The Starry Night," on a dress. According to news outlet KTAR, the Mesa, Ariz. student found a plain dress for $40, and then spent 10 days painting it.

Story continues below photos.


julia reidhead dress 1


prom dress back

In order to make her masterpiece, Julia first drew it out on paper and then decided the tree would go on the side of the dress. Next, she painted from the bottom up.

Everyone at the dance was very impressed. “People would look my way and then do a double-take. They continued to look at me until I walked their way,”she told KTAR.

According to Yahoo! Shine, Julia is entering a graphic design program at Utah Valley University, but wants to switch to art school. She plans to use the dress as part of her application.

For the full story, visit KTAR.

Follow HuffPost Teen on Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pheed |
↧

Janelle Monae Revamps Bowie's 'Heroes' As An Inspiring Anthem For Today's Youth

June 11, 2014, 7:56 am
$
0
0
Sometimes the best way to tell an inspirational story is to revamp a classic for a younger generation.

Janelle Monae took on David Bowie’s “Heroes” for Pepsi's new “Beats the Beautiful Game” album. Comprised of original and cover songs from Monae, Kelly Rowland, Santigold and Rita Ora, among others, the 11-track album celebrates a love of soccer. With "Heroes," and a short film by artist collective Young Astronauts, the futuristic funk singer reworks the Bowie hit about lovers as an upbeat synth-anthem of courage.

HuffPost Entertainment caught up with Monae between shows in New York to discuss why she chose "Heroes," her favorite part about performing and "game-changing" new music:

What led you to cover Bowie’s “Heroes” for this album?
It was a collaborative effort between Pepsi and me. As we were going through songs, his name came up, of course -- I love him. I think he has done some exceptional work and he has inspired not just me, but many people with this song. I thought it would be the perfect song. I really do love the fact that it tied into a big project that has a lot of really eclectic artists on it. The lyrics to “Heroes” also represent the anti-bullying campaign. The Young Astronauts production company made this video that’s just so empowering that speaks out against it. I hope young people are really inspired by it and hear that message and are able to carry it with them as they go to school, and throughout their lives.

[Ed. note: Pepsi's "Beats of the Beautiful Game" is in no way affiliated with an anti-bullying campaign, this according to a representative for the company.]

The production of the song is so different from the original. How did you decide on this new sound?
I worked with my production team, Wondaland Productions. We already loved the original, of course, but it was just like, if we were in our dreams, how would the song sound? We wanted to experiment, but we loved the original a lot. We didn’t want to take the integrity away from the original.

The video reminded me of a lot of the movies “Harriet the Spy” and “The Little Rascals.” Did those inspire it at all?
Oh yeah. Alyssa Pankiw was the director behind it and her vision was just spot-on. It just had a very raw innocent appeal to it. I love honesty and it felt really honest to how we interact, our childlike spirits and what our instincts tell us to do when we feel up against the wall.

You also incorporate yourself into the video as the comic book hero. Are there any comic book characters that inspired you as a child?
Well, right now I deal with a lot of fiction in my work. From “The ArchAndroid” to “The Electric Lady” to Cindi Mayweather, who is an android, she is considered “the other.” I use her a lot in my work and try to use her as a beacon of hope and a beacon of light, one who brings people together. She’s creating that purpose, and really bringing people together through art. I use her and you can see all of her images throughout my work and the city of Metropolis. We have a graphic novel as well. So, yes, I am still inspired by superheroes.

You also shot the music video in Rio de Janeiro. What was that experience like?
It was incredible. I love Rio. I love Brazil, and I’ve performed over there quite a few times. Just to be able to capture the essence of Rio was so fun. There were a lot of amazing people we worked with. Just the culture and their love for music and art, all of that was great to be in the middle of. I was playing the guitar, that’s how I started my career really, just me and a guitar all around Georgia performing for anybody who wanted to listen. It was very organic for me to be with my guitar and just singing all dreamy-eyed.

You have a busy summer ahead, performing at about 15 festivals. What’s your favorite part of playing a festival?
There’s a lot, but just the entire experience of showing up and people are just ready to have a good time. They want to be moved, they want an experience they can always remember and share with their family and friends and loved ones. I just feel so honored to be integrated into so many strangers’ lives or people who are just not discovering me, people who may have already been supporters. Just them wanting to be a part of my life and me wanting to be a part of theirs is special to me. Music is such a universal language and for them to want to hear the way I speak and make a moment together it just magical.

Are you working on any new music now?
I’m always working on music. I have music to be released when the time is right. I’m working with a collective of incredible artists and we’ll be releasing something very soon. It’s such a big concept and big ideas. I think it’s going to be a game-changer.
↧
↧

‘Jean-Michel Basquiat Drawing: Work From the Schorr Family Collection’ at Acquavella Galleries

June 11, 2014, 9:00 am
$
0
0
This show of 21 drawings and two paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat from the collection of Herbert and Lenore Schorr, organized by Fred Hoffman, is invigorating and heartbreaking. And for anyone interested in gaining a fuller understanding of an artist who has recently become fashionable again, it should be required viewing.

Most of the works date to the first half of the 1980s, when Basquiat was in his early to mid 20s. They are densely packed with images and writing: quick sketches share space with lists, poems and stories.
↧

Chris Mason Johnson's 'Test' Is A Groundbreaking Gay Drama Set In The World Of Modern Dance (VIDEO)

June 11, 2014, 9:33 am
$
0
0
HuffPost Gay Voices is proud to present this exclusive clip from Chris Mason Johnson's "Test," the award-winning, hotly anticipated new film that's been hailed by critics as "delightful" and "deeply rewarding."

Set in San Francisco in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, "Test" centers on young dancer Frankie (Scott Marlowe) as he navigates the challenges of being an understudy in a performance troupe, where his classmates taunt him to "dance like a man!"

Meanwhile, Frankie also begins a relationship with veteran dancer Todd (Matthew Risch), who plays the bad boy to his innocent. Together, they face a world of "risk, hope, humor, visual beauty and musical relief," according to press materials.

"TEST isn't about getting sick or being sick; it's about the fear of disease," Johnson told The Huffington Post. "It's a universal theme but heightened because the early AIDS epidemic was insane. And while the shift to fear may sound like a small thing, it’s actually big when you consider every other AIDS movie has focused on death and dying. Maybe that's one of the reasons audiences seem happy after TEST. They don't expect the genuine hope that comes out of it."

"As a former dancer –- and ‘former’ is kind of silly because it never leaves you –- I have strong feelings about how dance is done on film," Johnson adds. "My favorite dance sequences all have this balance between respecting the fully framed body but also cutting the image for dynamic punch, which is what we tried do in TEST. I like the way dance is shot and cut in 'Cabaret,' 'Hair,' The Red Shoes,' 'Pina,' 'Pennies From Heaven' (Christopher Walken!), 'Swing Time,' 'Saturday Night Fever' and the Lindy Hop sequence from 'Helzapoppinn'’. I want to do more with dance on film, that's for sure!"

"Test" hits select theaters in New York and Los Angeles on June 13. Head here for more information.
↧

This Little Hedgehog Is A Master Of Disguise

June 11, 2014, 10:18 am
$
0
0
This little ball of spikes and cuteness is Marutaro, the hedgehog!




Marutaro is not your average hedgehog -- he is a master of disguise and deception. See below how he expertly assumes different identities.

Who is this dude with the goatee?



Excuse me ma'am, I'm looking for a hedgehog ...



Wait a minute, that's not a duck. Got us again, Marutaro! He is so good at this.



#まるたろう #hedgehog #lion pic.twitter.com/TqRVXqMr1D— ハリネズミ★まるたろう (@hedgehogdays) March 24, 2014







































When not in disguise, Marutaro also engages in different forms of hedgehog art.














Look at the talented little guy go!



To keep up with Marutaro and his many disguises, follow him on Twitter.

h/t Distractify

Like Us On Facebook
Follow Us On Twitter
↧
Search

Here Is Why Pixar's 'Inside Out' Might Be Its Best Movie Yet

June 11, 2014, 10:58 am
$
0
0
The plot for Pixar's "Inside Out" has been kept mostly under wraps for the past few months. Until now.

Director Pete Docter presented some unfinished footage and a synopsis for the film at the Annecy International Animation Festival. As Variety notes, "Inside Out" takes place inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl, Riley Anderson. Personified emotions, Anger (Lewis Black), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling), will run her brain "like the starship Enterprise."

Here's what we now know about "Inside Out," which is due out June 19, 2015, when it will then become our favorite movie:

  • Riley is really just a proxy by which we'll meet the emotions, in the same way Andy is just a way for us to meet Woody and the gang in "Toy Story."


  • Pixar's signature Luxo Jr. ball will obviously make an appearance. In the five minutes shown at the festival, viewers noted that they spotted the company's tell.


  • Psychologists were actually consulted for this film, since it mostly takes place inside the mind. Per Variety, all of Riley's memories are stored in orbs that are the color of their corresponding emotions. Each evening the memory orbs turn into Riley's personality. This is basically how it happens in real life.


  • "Inside Out" is loosely based on Docter's daughter, Elie, and how her emotions changed during her pre-teen years. “I thought I was making a film about my daughter, but the truth is, I’m more making a film about myself in relation to my daughter and understanding that," he said at the panel. "The film is told from a parent’s point of view, and being a parent, I just sort of slipped into that, I guess."


  • The opening scene will mimic the first few minutes of "Up," which Docter also directed, in that we'll see one of Riley's earliest memories and the trauma of moving from a small town to San Francisco. Bring tissues, we guess.
↧
↧

Placido Domingo To Sing Before World Cup Final

June 12, 2014, 8:21 am
$
0
0
SAO PAULO (AP) — Placido Domingo will sing before a World Cup final for the sixth time, announcing Wednesday he will perform at Rio de Janeiro's HSBC Arena on July 11.

The concert featuring the 73-year-old classic musical star will take place two days before the final at Maracana Stadium. The show also is scheduled to include pianist Lang Lang, soprano Ana Maria Martinez, conductor Eugene Kohn and the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira. Domingo has attended every World Cup final since 1970 with the exception of 1978 in Argentina. He sang the 1982 theme song in Spain, "El Mundial." He said the program next month will include classical music and Brazilian songs.

"I always think music and sport are the two great things many people can understand without any need to really speak the language," Domingo said in a telephone interview from London, where he is to conduct Puccini's "Tosca" next week at The Royal Opera. "I have friends from all around the world, and they are really fanatics of soccer and music. It's great to see many of the people I know."

He joined Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras at the Rome's Baths of Caracalla in 1990 to form The Three Tenors. They returned in 1994 at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, in 1998 at Paris' Champ de Mars and Eiffel Tower and in 2002 at Japan's Yokohama Arena.

Pavarotti retired from staged opera two years later and sang publicly for the last time at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Before the 2006 World Cup final, Domingo was joined by soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazon for a concert at Berlin's Waldbuehne.

Domingo remains active on opera stages, increasingly in baritone rather than tenor roles, and has been general director of the Los Angeles Opera since 2003.

He wasn't invited to sing before the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg, when he was in the middle of a run of Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" at Covent Garden. He traveled to South Africa for the final between performances and celebrated with players from his native Spain after it beat the Netherlands 1-0 for its first world title.

Domingo hopes Spain repeats as champion.

"I think they have as many chances as anybody else," he said. "There's Italy or Germany — they always smell the success. They are the other two teams that have been so many times champions, and they are ready."
↧

This Time-Lapse Video Of A Star Explosion Is Beyond Beautiful

June 12, 2014, 9:38 am
$
0
0
The wonders of space never cease to amaze us--or to challenge our ideas about the cosmos.

In the video above, a star 20,000 light-years from Earth explodes, lighting up the surrounding interstellar dust to create a stunning light echo.

The video -- a time-lapse of images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope over a four-year period in the 2000s -- shows the sudden outburst of star V838 Monocerotis.

What makes this starburst especially awesome is that it remains a puzzle to astronomers. According to the Hubble website, scientists still don't fully understand why the stellar explosion occurred. Initially, they thought it was a nova, a relatively common outburst. But now they realize it was something quite different.

From the website:

A typical nova is a normal star that dumps hydrogen onto a compact white-dwarf companion star. The hydrogen piles up until it spontaneously explodes by nuclear fusion -- like a titanic hydrogen bomb. This exposes a searing stellar core, which has a temperature of hundreds of thousands of degrees Fahrenheit.

By contrast, V838 Monocerotis did not expel its outer layers. Instead, it grew enormously in size. Its surface temperature dropped to temperatures that were not much hotter than a light bulb. This behavior of ballooning to an immense size, but not losing its outer layers, is very unusual and completely unlike an ordinary nova explosion.


Though the extraordinary video of V383's outburst has been on the Web for a few years now, it experienced a viral resurgence this week after being resurfaced by Gizmodo.

Hubble has been wowing us with its images since its launch in 1990. Just last week, a breathtaking Hubble image of roughly 10,000 galaxies was released.
↧

Birdy's 'Not About Angels' Music Video Is (Thankfully) Not As Sad As 'TFIOS'

June 12, 2014, 9:59 am
$
0
0
If you still have any tears left after seeing "The Fault in Our Stars," you might as well watch the music video for Birdy's "Not About Angels." Featured at the end of the movie when (SPOILER!) Hazel leaves Gus' funeral -- and thankfully the video avoids footage from the movie -- the sweet, sad song stands on its own.

"Not About Angels" is one of three Birdy songs used on the official soundtrack and music supervisor Season Kent told The Huffington Post that the singer was "so obsessed with the movie and the book." The song works because, as Kent said, "There's this whole back and forth that Gus and Hazel have about believing in God and believing in angels, and that's what her song is about: it's not about angels, it's about us."

↧

'Birdman' Trailer Is The Michael Keaton Comeback We Wanted

June 12, 2014, 10:22 am
$
0
0
Michael Keaton's comeback year gets its cherry on top with "Birdman." Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu ("Babel"), the new black comedy is Keaton's third feature of 2014, following "Need for Speed" and "Robocop." This one looks like the best of that lot by a wide margin, a deft mix of Charlie Kaufman weirdness and "Death to Smoochy." Here's the logline from IMDb: "A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory." Keaton, who played Batman once, is that washed-up actor. Support comes in the form of co-stars Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan and Naomi Watts. We're there and you should be too. "Birdman" is out on Oct. 17. Keaton's Oscar campaign starts now?



birdman trailer
↧
↧

Meet The Models: Exhibit Explores The People Behind The Paintings : NPR

June 12, 2014, 10:26 am
$
0
0
An artist friend, Virginia Isbell once asked me to pose for a quick pastel sketch in her Paris studio. I was flattered. And amazed to be on that side of a work of art. Never have I been looked at so intently, except by a parent or a lover. I was being fixed, examined, absorbed. And, for all the intensity, there was absolutely nothing personal about it.

I was an object to be replicated. Her eyes went from my face to her sketchpad, my nose, my eyes, mouth, chin — sketched in pastel in 20 minutes. It was fun. But it felt as if something had been taken from me.
↧

Nude Models Pose In Animal Print Body Paint (NSFW PHOTOS)

June 12, 2014, 11:09 am
$
0
0
Lennette Newell dreamed of being a wild animal as a kid.

The photographer took that childhood inspiration and channelled it into an NSFW photo series of models covered in body paint, posing as (and with) some exotic animals.

Which model/animal combination is your favorite?

Click to see the NSFW photos
↧
Search

Artist Filling In City's Massive Potholes With Mosaics

June 12, 2014, 11:16 am
$
0
0
CHICAGO (AP) — The perfect pothole might not exist for many people — but for mosaic artist Jim Bachor, it's one with a nice oval shape. Bachor began filling those potholes a little more than a year ago, after one in front of his house became a hassle.

Bachor doesn't just fill them with cement, though. He's turned pothole-filling into a public art project — one with a sense of humor. He fills them with mosaics.

"I just think it's fun to add that little bit of spark into (an) issue that people moan about," says the Chicago resident, whose work also hangs in galleries. He was first drawn to the ancient art form because of its ability to last.

With orange cones and vests displaying his last name, Bachor and his helpers look official enough to shut down a street section to work on filling a pothole.

Bachor uses the Chicago city flag design in his pothole art. Some versions hold phone numbers to local auto repair shops, while others simply read "POTHOLE." His most recent installment north of downtown Chicago — "#21914" — pokes fun at the huge number of potholes that exist in the city.

While his mosaic art isn't a permanent solution to the city's pothole problem, it's at least a small fix, he says. The city hasn't shut down his project, and some community members have expressed gratitude.

After his first project, one neighbor stopped to thank him. "And then 15 minutes later, he came back with a coffee and a Danish for me," Bachor says, "and so I thought that was really cool."

Gerry Shaheen, a resident of Peoria, Illinois, recently stopped to ask Bachor about his work, as the artist installed a mosaic. He says Bachor and his crew are welcome anytime to fill potholes in his city, one of many hit with an especially large number of the annoying craters after a hard winter.

"I'll pave the way for them," Shaheen said with smirk. "No pun intended."

"I just think it's fun to add that little bit of spark into (an) issue that people moan about," says the Chicago resident, whose work also hangs in galleries. He was first drawn to the ancient art form because of its ability to last.

With orange cones and vests displaying his last name, Bachor and his helpers look official enough to shut down a street section to work on filling a pothole.

Bachor uses the Chicago city flag design in his pothole art. Some versions hold phone numbers to local auto repair shops, while others simply read "POTHOLE." His most recent installment north of downtown Chicago — "#21914" — pokes fun at the huge number of potholes that exist in the city.

While his mosaic art isn't a permanent solution to the city's pothole problem, it's at least a small fix, he says. The city hasn't shut down his project, and some community members have expressed gratitude.

After his first project, one neighbor stopped to thank him. "And then 15 minutes later, he came back with a coffee and a Danish for me," Bachor says, "and so I thought that was really cool."

Gerry Shaheen, a resident of Peoria, Illinois, recently stopped to ask Bachor about his work, as the artist installed a mosaic. He says Bachor and his crew are welcome anytime to fill potholes in his city, one of many hit with an especially large number of the annoying craters after a hard winter.

"I'll pave the way for them," Shaheen said with smirk. "No pun intended."
↧

Short Documentary Pays Tribute To Legendary Wayfinder, Reminds Us We're All Part Of The Same Community (VIDEO)

June 12, 2014, 11:43 am
$
0
0
Right now two Hawaiian canoes are floating in the Pacific Ocean, guided by navigators who use the stars and waves to take them around the world. It's a worldwide voyage called "Malama Honua," or "to care for the Earth," and crews of the Hokulea and Hikianalia canoes want to show us that, whether we're on a small canoe, a continent or a planet, we're all a part of the same community.

But on land, Honolulu-based artist Kamea Hadar and students of the Pow! Wow! School of Art and 808 Urban painted a mural on the side of a warehouse in Honolulu to commemorate the launch of the worldwide voyage, and to honor one of its earliest advisors (Mau Piailug, who died in 2010).

This monumental voyage wouldn’t have happened if not for Master Navigator Piailug, who, at a certain point in the early 1970s, was on his way to becoming the last navigator in the world who navigated his voyages by the traditional Polynesian techniques of using stars and waves as a compass.

With the renaissance of Hawaiian culture in the 1970s and the emergence of the Polynesian Voyaging Society that had a mission to keep these traditions alive, Piailug, a Micronesian from the small island of Satawal, was asked to sail Hokulea canoe’s first voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976, as no Hawaiian knew how.

In the above documentary, directed by Vincent Ricafort and titled “Talk Of The Sea,” Piailug’s story unfolds as the mural is painted and the canoes prepare for their embarkment on such an arduous journey.

Polynesian navigators believed in the "talk of the sea," as the video shows, “that if you listened and watched, you would be guided.”

Storytelling is vital in the preservation of Hawaiian culture, and Hadar’s mural, as well as this video, tells Piailug’s and Hokulea’s stories beautifully.
↧
↧

Fandor Announces 2014 Queer Cinema Spotlight for Pride Month

June 12, 2014, 12:29 pm
$
0
0
Already done binge-watching "Orange Is The New Black"? Fear not: your list of view-worthy things to watch just got a bit more extensive.

Fandor announced its 2014 Queer Cinema Spotlight this week, an expertly-curated library of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) themed films released in conjunction with Pride Month. The list includes 22 different films that span a diverse representation of queer experience from the likes of Cheryl Dunye, Jean Genet and Todd Haynes, among others.

“This list represents only a handful of the exceptional LGBTQ films that we are delighted to offer,” Jonathan Marlow, Fandor's co-founder and Chief Content Officer, said in a statement. “Unlike other streaming services, Fandor meticulously selects titles for our extensive library in order to bring many of the greatest films (LGBTQ and otherwise) available to our members.”

Head here to view the 2014 Queer Cinema Spotlight listing in full.
↧

Picasso's Biggest Artwork Heads To New York Museum, Ending Dispute

June 12, 2014, 12:34 pm
$
0
0
NEW YORK (AP) — A stage curtain believed to be the biggest Pablo Picasso painting in the United States is moving to a museum after a dispute over whether it could stay in its longtime spot in the storied Four Seasons restaurant, the painting's owner announced Thursday.

The 19-by-20-foot curtain, called "Le Tricorne," is being donated to the New-York Historical Society, where it's expected to go on display after some conservation work, painting owner the Landmarks Conservancy said. The timetable isn't clear; the groups still are working out the arrangements. The agreement will keep the painting, which is so familiar a sight that its Four Seasons berth is known as "Picasso Alley." The pact also resolves a lawsuit that caused a stir among art lovers and preservationists, pitting the Landmarks Conservancy against a real estate magnate known as an art patron.

"It's going to be at a good home, where even more people will see it," conservancy President Peg Breen said. Historical Society President Louise Mirrer called the painting "an icon of New York for more than half a century, embodying both an influential social milieu and an important moment in the city's cultural development."

Picasso painted the curtain in 1919 for "Le Tricorne," or "three-cornered hat," a ballet created by the avant-garde, Paris-based Ballet Russes troupe. The painting depicts the aftermath of a bullfight.

Although praised at $1.6 million in 2008, the painting isn't considered one of Picasso's greatest pieces but stands as a major example of his theatrical set work, experts say. And it has graced the Four Seasons' landmarked, modernist interior since its 1959 opening. The painting itself isn't landmarked.

The midtown Manhattan restaurant, unaffiliated with the nearby Four Seasons hotel, is a power-lunch hotspot that has hosted high-wattage diners ranging from President Bill Clinton to Madonna.

The restaurant's landlord, RFR Holding Corp. — co-founded by state Council on the Arts Chairman Aby Rosen — recently said the curtain had to be moved for repairs to the wall behind it. The Landmarks Conservancy sued RFR to try to stop the move, disputing the extent of the wall damage and saying the move could destroy the brittle canvas.

The preservation group's concerns have been somewhat assuaged by the current plan, which involves carefully wrapping the painting on a huge roller and having conservators do any needed restoration work, Breen said. Rosen is paying for it all, said Breen, who wouldn't disclose the estimated cost.

Through a spokeswoman, Rosen and RFR declined to comment on the agreement, first reported by The New York Times.

Some art and architecture critics had decried the move, at least as initially planned, though others took the landlord's side. Rosen, an art collector whom the Landmarks Conservancy itself once honored as a preservationist, told the Times in March the outcry had "elevated this into something that it shouldn't be."

___

Associated Press writer Ula Ilnytzky contributed to this report.

___

Reach Jennifer Peltz on Twitter @jennpeltz.
↧

The 'Bruce Lee Of Bartending' Will Get You Drunk, Blow Your Mind

June 12, 2014, 12:50 pm
$
0
0
"What if Bruce Lee decided he wanted to be a bartender instead of being a martial artist?"

That's the question posed and answered by Kuma Films in their latest epic video. Just, whoa.



Award-winning Taiwanese flair bartender Po Sheng Hsu has been in the costumed-and-choreographed drink mixing business for a while, performing as Spider-Man in a number of competitions. Those spidey senses must have come in handy while practicing for the video.

Hsu takes classic movie drink order "shaken, not stirred" to a whole new level.

Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr.
↧
Viewing all 18505 articles
Browse latest View live
More Pages to Explore .....
Search

Latest Images

‘Pay day every day’ may become Shangri-La Group, BPOs’ secret to happy employees

‘Pay day every day’ may become Shangri-La Group, BPOs’ secret to happy employees

April 25, 2024, 5:51 am
Nonprofit donates custom home in this East Bay city for Marine injured in...

Nonprofit donates custom home in this East Bay city for Marine injured in...

April 23, 2024, 7:00 am
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo...

New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo...

April 22, 2024, 6:00 am
Ukraine bans military from online gambling amid addiction concerns

Ukraine bans military from online gambling amid addiction concerns

April 22, 2024, 5:17 am
ಮಂಡ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸುಮಲತಾ ದೂರ; ಹೆಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ ಪರ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಿಳಿಯದ ಸಂಸದೆ –ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ನೋಡೋಣ ಎಂದ...

ಮಂಡ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸುಮಲತಾ ದೂರ; ಹೆಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ ಪರ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಿಳಿಯದ ಸಂಸದೆ –ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ನೋಡೋಣ ಎಂದ...

April 20, 2024, 8:08 pm
OCBC Bank Singapore Offers Up to 2.8% p.a. Fixed Deposit Promotion from 21...

OCBC Bank Singapore Offers Up to 2.8% p.a. Fixed Deposit Promotion from 21...

April 20, 2024, 12:38 pm
National Poetry Month 2024: Maxine Starr

National Poetry Month 2024: Maxine Starr

April 19, 2024, 9:56 am
Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

April 19, 2024, 9:18 am
Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement

Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement

April 19, 2024, 7:03 am
New $4.5 million East Bay trail path will connect bicyclists, pedestrians to...

New $4.5 million East Bay trail path will connect bicyclists, pedestrians to...

April 18, 2024, 11:05 am