iamamiwhoami

        Back for good and for real. I was originally intending to write a post on one of the many artists I've bookmarked over my absence, but because it is currently very late in the evening (or rather early in the morning) and I've been animating all day and have therefore lost my mind, I'll leave you with something a little more cryptic, which I stumbled upon today.

        A YouTube user by the name of "iamamiwhoami", has been periodically posting one-odd minute videos which I can not make heads or tails of, but am absolutely fully drawn to. I'm guessing that the channel belongs to the girl in every video (so I'll refer to the artist as she for now), but I am not claiming to know this as the whole thing is currently some sort of big secret. Quite a few commenters have theories as to who the girl is, but none of them are people that I'm familiar with, so I will not go there. (Her most recent video, posted two weeks ago, which jumps from one to almost five minutes in length, suggests that she is a musician.) This is the video that I first encountered, and is actually my least favorite, although it is still extremely intriguing, a little terrifying, and somehow beautiful.
        The video reminds me of a dream I might have if I had a cold and went to bed with some Sudafed having just watched the scene with the hand-eyed monster in Pan's Labyrinth. Creepy and wonderful. I thought at first that the stretching/bending of some of the shots might bother me (it often reads more as just "effect" than actually adding anything), but I came away less concerned about it and more involved in the general bizarreness of it all (her long eyelashes around hauntingly blue eyes, the strange men looking on), it has some really beautiful moments.
        I was more interested however, in the six shorter uploads, which seem to be pieces to one big puzzle, although they don't fit quite exactly. You'll have to watch them yourselves, as it is difficult to put my finger on what exactly draws me to them, but they are really beautifully filmed, and the editing goes well with the sound/music.
        I'm also really interested in the way the work is being released (in little snippets, and anonymously), and think that it's almost equally as conceptually important as the work itself, but that is a whole other discussion and I am way too exhausted for it. In any case, watch the videos, they're wonderfully bizarre.

iamamiwhoami's youtube channel




images: screen shots of iamamiwhoami's recent videos

Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson 1969-

        Sorry for the few days absence, I needed to collect my mind as I gear up for the start of a new semester.
        I was on Marilyn Manson's website trying to find clips of his film project Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll (which to my utter sadness still has no official set release date, though imdb says this year), and stumbled upon his paintings, which I had probably not looked at since my freshman year of high school. While some of them are inarguably pretty vulgar (to be expected), his painting style is absolutely beautiful and strange.
       Manson's paintings are done with watercolor, and sometimes absinthe, which he discovered accidentally, "I was drinking as I was painting and put my brush in the wrong one. It makes a nice stain, so I figured I didn't want to waste it." It sounds sort of over the top, but it's very him, and the images are still really cool, regardless of whatever associations you may have with the man behind them.

-Manson's website (artwork section)
*note: There are some paintings on his website that feature nazi imagery. Though Manson is a known shock-artist and most of his work is a little controversial, usually in a way I can appreciate, I just feel the need to say that I am NOT in support of these specific pieces.
-Some of his work is also on MTV's website with comments by Manson




images: marilynmanson.com

Pitchfork's top 50 music videos of the 2000s

        Today marks my 100th post! I actually intended to post this list closer to new years, but it slipped my mind entirely. Pitchfork has tons of staff "top" lists on their site, and of course one that held particular interest to me was the "Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s". I slowly worked through them from 50 to 1, it's pretty interesting, many of them I hadn't seen or even heard of the artists. (I will warn you, that if you begin to work your way through the list, not to get turned off by the graphicness number 50, which consists of two people having sex with flashing graphics and blocks of color behind them...... I'm hardly prude but even artistically it's worth skipping, the lo-fi thing has been done).
        It's hard not to mention more of these; there were a bunch that I really liked the concept of but the actual video didn't hold my interest, some where I had no idea what I was seeing (in a good way), and a few that were just really cute, but here are some favorites:
#45. The Dead Weather "Treat Me Like Your Mother" (Jonathan Glazer 2009) : This is honestly my favorite video from the list. So simple and SO badass. And of course the end shot is gorgeously sick.
#44. Fever Ray "If I Had a Heart" (Andreas Nilsson 2009) : Bizarre and really eerie. It fits the song perfectly and the filming is absolutely beautiful.
#32. Battles "Atlas" (Tim Saccenti 2007) : Really simple, but a really interesting and new (as far as I know) take on the typical band-in-a-room-performing music video. I also love the hint of sci-fi vibe.
#30 Kanye West ""Can't Tell Me Nothing" [Oldham/Galifianakis version] (Michael Blieden 2007) : Most hilarious thing; Will Oldham (aka musician Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) dancing in the background in bright orange shorts while Zach Galifianakis mouths the lyrics in a totally serious way atop a tractor. Nothing could contrast the song better.
#21. Björk "Wanderlust" (Encyclopedia Pictura 2008) : Björk and stereoscopic 3D. Need I say more?
#10. OK Go "Here It Goes Again" (Trish Sie 2006) : Everyone has seen this. It's just brilliant. And very them.
#9. Fatboy Slim "Weapon of Choice" (Spike Jonze 2001) : Why is this only #9?!


There are quite a few videos that I think deserved to be on the list (Spike Jonze's video for the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's "Y Control" for example?!??!), and plenty that I would take off, but it's just one opinion by a couple of guys. While they may not be the 50 most artistic music videos of the 2000s, overall they're definitely an interesting look at the last decade's culture and technology.

The full list, with videos embedded



images: Björk "Wanderlust", Kanye West ""Can't Tell Me Nothing" [Oldham/Galifianakis version], The Dead Weather "Treat Me Like Your Mother".

2009 wrap-up

        In case you haven't been following my every move this year, here are my top ten favorite discoveries (all are artists that I had not known of before this year, since I sometimes write about long-time influences of mine):

April 18th : Bianca Casady (knew of her before 2009, but not her artwork)
April 29th : Jan Švankmajer
June 5th : Nadine Byrne
June 7th : Miwa Yanagi
July 24th : Compagnia della Fortezza
July 29th : Andrea Marshall
August 12th : Ali Scarpulla
September 23rd : Bert & Bertie
October 9th : Susanna Majuri
December 21st : Miru Kim




        I realize that the majority of this list is women, and while this did not surprise me (I tend to seek out female artists), I was slightly surprised after a bit of investigation, that the reasoning for this is also partially that the male artists that I've written about this past year are almost entirely artists I had prior knowledge of (and therefor did not include). This coming year I'll try to find some guys who are new to me.

images (top to bottom): Miwa Yanagi, Bert & Bertie, Andrea Marshall & Susanna Majuri

Sam Moss

        This month Sam Moss launched a blog which chronicles his most recent visual project, daily drawings which he has titled Imagined Faces. He states that though the "imagined" aspect is not a rule, the drawings (which he often does "on the cusp of sleep") typically turn out this way. He scans the drawings directly out of his sketchbook.
        The faces remind me of a combination of Ray Johnson's work and Ken Kesey's sketches in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (though this may be off the mark as I haven't seen the book in a while and google books has removed ONLY the pages with illustrations). Johnson for the composition and Kesey for the style.
        The fact that he is so close to sleep is possibly responsible for some of the stranger aspects of the drawings, as just before and just after sleep are generally considered to be the times when the creative and subconscious are most readily accessible. Little bits of other information (sometimes less immediately obvious) find their way into the portraits, giving them a strange transitory movement. Some of the drawings feel like they could be imprints of the artist's mind, with floating shapes, images and text all mashed into the same plane as the figures. It is difficult to speak for them because their language is very visual.
        The works very clearly represent Moss' artistic style, which can be seen in his other visual work (mainly drawing and collage) as well. While I imagine he would identify foremost as a musician, Moss is also a visual artist, a sizable sampling of which can be seen on his website alongside his music.

Imagined Faces
Moss' website




images: imagined-faces.blogspot.com

Karen O. and the Kids

        Music is not really a language that I speak (vs visual art) so I'll do my best to stumble through this and not get too involved... but I felt that it was worth mentioning the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are, both because it is awesome and fits the feel of the book (and I imagine the feel of the film, which comes out the 16th) and because it represents part of a movement back to single artists composing a soundtrack (from what Matt Sullivan refers to in his review for Esquire as the "Zach Braff ... hip-guy playlist", you've seen Garden State- you all know what he's talking about). If you've seen There Will Be Blood, you may or may not have realized that the soundtrack, which not only plays integral part in creating the mood of the film but carries so much weight that it almost seems to take on its own identity, was composed by Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood. Similarly, Karen O. (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), along with the assistance of multiple other talented musicians ("the Kids"), has composed the soundtrack for Where the Wild Things Are.
        I believe that this is a really important move, because despite the life-changing effect being in a feature film can have for the dozens of indie-bands that are so frequently comprising the soundtracks of recent films, the film as a whole can really benefit from having a single artistic mind (whether this is one person or a collaboration) behind the music and having music that has been specifically created for the film. As Sullivan points out, anyone with iTunes or Pandora can make a decent mix to create a mood. The change represents a small, possibly even unnoticed difference that I believe makes the film more genuine and effective.
        It was especially important, Where the Wild Things Are being one of the most honored picture books of our culture, that this film be true to the feel of the book. Throwing together a bunch of songs by different artists, fitting as they may have been, would have created an entirely different film.
        Karen pulls everything together beautifully. She brings the (important) aspect of indie artists to the film in an even better way than just throwing in songs, pulling members from well known indie-bands such Deerhunter (with more lesser known groups) as the band for the soundtrack. The children's chorus featured throughout is untrained, which gives off a vibe that matches perfectly with the book/film; feral yet innocent.
        If you are familiar with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs you will immediately hear the way Karen has adapted her sound to fit the earthier feel of the book/film. Screaming vocals have been replaced with humming, clapping and a softer more child-like voice, but the feel and true passion are as present as they are in her music with the YYYs. I have a feeling that if they made a children's album (which would be brilliance) it would sound something like this.

        I truly hope that the film fits the book as well as the soundtrack. I have a feeling it will.

UPDATE: 10/16
saw the movie. totally lived up to my expectations, and the soundtrack is absolutely flawless and plays an important structural role.



images: Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack booklet

Nabil Elderkin

        annnnd just real fast because i know i've been posting a lot of music videos, i have to say that this one is worth watching. if you're not familiar with older horror/thriller film effects this video may seem lo-fi in a somewhat hokey way, but if like me you've watched a few too many old horror films, you may find yourself somewhat enchanted and charmed as i was. (i will apologize for the music, for as much as i like him i'm not entirely sure how kanye gets away with this lyrical situation he has going on here...)

Kanye West's Paranoid, directed by Nabil Elderkin.


        and i'd promise that i'll chill out with all the werewolf-related artwork after this post, but that probably won't happen. i'll do my best to break it up though. bear with me loves!

photos: screen grabs from Paranoid

Tunde Adebimpe

        i was under the impression that i had already written this post, so you can imagine my confusion when i realized i had not. i'm done with school now, so my hope is to begin updating this closer to daily again! so gear up... and without further delay... cool things!


        if you know who Tunde Adebimpe is it's probably by his position heading up TV on the Radio. you may not have realized that Adebimpe is a true renaissance man. he acts (Rachel Getting Married) and, more importantly, has created the BAD. ASS. music video for the song Pin by another of my favorite bands, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. according to interscope, both the animation and direction are by Adebimpe! i'm on a stop-motion kick, so seeing this was really exciting! anyway, check it out. i promise you won't be disappointed.

watch the video here!


        another beautifully done music video featuring some stop motion (that i posted a while back) and is co-directed by Adebimpe (with Jon Watts) is his own band TV on the Radio's Wolf Like Me. i'm of course biased in my excitement because it's my favorite band and about werewolves, but it really is a beautiful video, so check it out!

photos: screen grabs from Pin

Quickie: Tv on the Radio

i ordered tickets yesterday to see my favorite band in october!!!!

for anyone who hasn't heard of/listened to Tv on the Radio, they are AMAZING. they have remained in the #1 slot for me since high school, and that is quite a feat, as i tend to go through phases when it comes to music. i frequently listen to them while doing artwork, and i think they definitely have an effect on it. you may have to take a few listens before you understand what they're doing, but trust me, once you do, it will be a magical moment.

this is their website: http://www.tvontheradio.com/
as of right now you can buy presale tickets there for all of their shows, (normal tickets are also available on ticketmaster).

and, in running with my recent theme of posts on music videos and wolves,
i give you a combination of the two:
the music video for one of my favorite songs Wolf Like Me, by Tv on the Radio. (the video is absolutely BRILLIANTLY made, directed by Jon Watts. not only do i find the song energizing and beautiful, but the music video is incredibly visually stimulating. the combination of the inspiration from the song and the visuals seriously blow me away. i get really excited about this video. i can be a little geeky when it comes to TOTR.)

Danny Clinch

        watch this
        alright, now, what you just saw was a music video (Lie To Me by Tom Waits) directed/shot by Danny Clinch. it was brilliant, no? a relatively simple idea, but not quite as easy to do i'm sure, and wonderfully executed (despite the fact that you can see by the numbers on the film that a little bit of understandable cheating is going on) and definitely inspiring to me, hence my mentioning it here.


(i found this while watching Tom Waits music videos on youtube -he picks GOOD directors, let me tell you. the videos for his songs are all rather strange but very artistic -and thus quite suiting to his musical style and character. another good one worth watching is God's Away on Business, directed by Jesse Dylan. this one is my personal favorite of Waits'; jittery camera work, emus, bubbles, how could they go wrong?)

        anyway, Danny Clinch is a photographer worth checking out. his style is very commercial (he does mostly musician portraits/promo work) but he has an outstanding concept of light and color. he started off interning for famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, and has since been published in magazines such as vanity fair and rolling stone, and has photographed greats such as Johnny Cash and Tupac. Clinch also started the film company Three on the Tree Productions (under which Lie To Me was filmed).

Clinch's website (with portfolio of his photography)
Three on the Tree Productions (with more of his videos)



photos: http://www.dannyclinch.com

Quickie: Joanna Newsom

        i was reading an interview with joanna newsom a few days ago, when i came across a particularly striking question!

"chickfactor: do you collect anything?
joanna: embroidery, bones, teeth, vintage dresses, flowers preserved behind glass, friends' art, unredeemed gift certificates, diamonds."

        that's right, anyone who has ever come into my apartment for the first time and judged me by my jelly jars of teeth and small bones, i am not alone. and not only am i not alone, but i am in the company of JOANNA NEWSOM. needless to say i couldn't be more pleased.

        if you don't know who joanna newsom is, she is a harpist/singer-songwriter/pianist/harpsichordist. what first drew me to her music were her lyrics, which evoke a lot of imagery/inspiration for me, and are not only (in my mind) absolutely beautiful, but also definitely place her as a storyteller, something i admire greatly. she has two albums, The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004) and Ys (2006), both of which i would recommend.

check her out!
chickfactor interview