Trish Keenan of Broadcast

I thought I would write a post on Trisha Keenan of the incredible band, Broadcast.  She sadly passed away last year on the 14th January.  I was just looking through my emails and I remembered right at the beginning of my inbox, back in 2008 are a few emails I exchanged with Trish in regards to possibly making a costume especially for her to wear during one of their tours.

 Broadcast for me, are one of my favourite bands.  Their music represented a new form of thinking within music, that essentially was quietly making its mark on the world.  I can remember many times listening to their albums and feeling like I was trapped inside this little psychedelic world of dreams and surrealism.  They offered something new to the world of music listeners, their sound had a new and fresh approach to music, one that was inspiring and not merely commercial for the sake of selling to a wide audience.  I saw them once at Shepherds Bush and it was a wonderful and mesmerising performance, one i'll never forget.

 I just wanted to share the image she sent me, which she had created to give me a bit of inspiration in regards to creating the costume.

I never did finish any costume for her sadly, but I was touched to be able to have this little peak into her creative mind.  She also introduced me to watch a few movies from the Czech New wave movement such as Daisies by Věra Chytilová and Valerie and her Week of Wonders which she told me inspired the lyrics for the song Valerie.  

  Rest in peace and I hope you are making beautiful music in heaven or wherever you are.

Modern Chinese Ink Paintings

I made a visit to the British Museum today, with the intent on viewing the temporary exhibition on Modern Chinese Ink Paintings, the poster looked divine.  Alas, it was a surprisingly small exhibition and the poster sort of gave the wrong impression - I was hoping that a lot of the works were going to represent the same calibre as the beautiful drawing of a poppy flower (2007) by Liu Dan.  It was a mixed bag - a lot in the very traditionalist style of Chinese ink paintings but with the subject having a contemporary twist.

The poppy in particular, as well as a series of paintings of a rock (also Liu Dan) were very much in tune with the Victorian style of anatomical drawing - seemingly mark making to the very last vein in the stem or crevasse in a rock.    These two paintings were my favourite and really represent the sheer skill and talent of these Chinese ink artists.  Complex yet delicate can only describe the beauty of these images.  

Then there was an incredible painting (also Liu Dan) of a Chinese Dictionary - the placard on the wall described how Chinese Dictionary's during the revolution became very simplified and therefore I think the artist was making a political stand against the significant importance of chinese culture which the revolution was set to curtail.  The two pages are open on the description of Jade and Water - which it goes onto describe the Chinese representation of Jade and water being a connection to Ying and Yang the ultimate opposites in nature, but also the fact that these two substances had massive importance in China and its history. The painting is pretty much photo-real, you really have to look closely to believe its painted. 

Film Spotlight: Zhora's Death: Blade Runner

Is just a scene of incredible imagery. I wanted to get more shots, but I can't seem to do the screen shot thing on DVD's. 

Its just an amazing scene, she's wearing a PVC mac and the blood is dripping on the inside of the plastic... The neon lights, the shop window and smashed glass.  Its beautiful.  The background music is amazing too, sort of warped synth music....

Cantina London

Last Thursday I went to see Cantina at the Priceless Wonderground London.  It was presented in a sort of circus tent type theatre which travels with the performance.  Hailing from Australia, the dance troupe present a modern take on the circus performance.  

One of the many highlights of the show was within the opening act in which a tightrope was walked in platform stilettos.  The performer became slightly unbalanced half way along the rope and had to take the heels off, but regardless she received a huge round of applause for this incredible feat of dexterity.  

The whole essence of the performance was seemingly (if not loosely) based around the relationships between people... sexual, bristling tension, anger, happiness, ecstatic exuberance... the performance was filled with tension and excitement.  One of my favourite parts was a sort of Tango in which the man and woman violently flung themselves around the stage in a vision of intense love for one another, almost verging on sado masochistic.
  Another fantastic moment was when a female performer 'walked' all over her male counterpart on stage wearing once again platform stilettos!!! It looked so painful, but yet it was realised with utter style and nimbleness!

I definitely suggest you go to see this performance before it finishes in september! Also the photographs are from the Cantina website by photographer Idil Sukan.  I couldn't take photographs during the performance.