The socially aware, innovative, street artist turn pop icon businessman would’ve been 50 years old two days ago.
Graffiti Research Lab @ MoMA
G.R.L. @ M.o.M.A. from fi5e on Vimeo.
(via Wooster)
156 Rivington, Lower East Side, NYC
A hundred years ago the Lower East Side was the first stop for waves of newcomers to America. Today this is the patch of town everyone is talking about. With streetscapes that are livable in scale and rich in history, there are scores of new restaurants, vintage and designer owned fashion and furniture stores & a diverse & vibrant night life.
The profile of the typical renter in the area is changing from the counter culture hipsters to the more mainstream hipster and young professional.
You are a downtown person and you want to live in the neighborhood you love.
The switch — boutique style quality and elegance. Five unique luxury 11 floor through homes located in New York’s Lower East Side.
Are you ready to make the switch?
A whole new view of the Lower East Side.
These two panels were stumbled upon by Molly while we waited outside to see a show at ABC No-Rio.
UPDATE: I found a clip of the documentary, 156 Rivington:
Persepolis: Animated Humanity
One of the many reasons I love visiting NYC is that I know I’ll most likely discover an inspiring indie film that has zero chance of reaching theaters back in Greensboro. Aside from the art house section within Carousel Cinemas, there just aren’t many theaters in the area that cater to such a niche.
Persepolis is a beautifully told and engaging, animated story of a young Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution and experiencing the changes that Islamic Law brought to her sense of freedom. Music is a huge element of the story, as she finds punk and metal to be the antithesis of acceptable forms of expression and a vehicle for rebellion — a similar post-puberty approach to rebellion by millions of kids back in the states, except this form of rebellion could get you hung… or worse.
The film is a tad bit long, but the story cries for details as it’s far more expansive than a coming of age story. Persepolis paints a vivid picture of life in Iran — how the Shah both entered and exited the scene, presenting a position on the United State’s role in the Iran/Iraq war and expressing day-to-day life in a country where freedom is more cherished by its people than oxygen — a complex situation often painted in broad strokes by Western media and history books.
The animation’s art direction is spot on and highly original. There were a few short war and protest scenes where the imagery seemed to be loosely referencing elements of The Wall, but much more as an ode to than a straight bite.
Persepolis is one of those films that really should be seen.
Along the lines of historical knowledge being dropped through art; if you’re looking for a song to provide factual, historical context to the situation in the middle east, I highly recommend Head (Of State) by The Coup.