Gitta Krange,1959

Happy Thanksgiving

The Case Of The Missing Murals

 Today the Open Culture Blog has a piece summing up the current state of murals in the city of Los Angeles, with a short documentary called Behind the Wall, which harshly denounces graffiti artists who ruin murals, but also directly criticizes the city's inability to protect its cultural artifacts. As the film describes it, murals are "bludgeoned by graffiti, censored by the city." The film claims that the city spent $60 million on graffiti removal between 2008 and 2009, but none on mural restoration.

Los Angeles has long been known as the street mural capital of the world. But in the past few years the city has painted over more than 300 murals,according to the Los Angeles Times, enforcing a decade-old ordinance that makes it a crime to create murals on most private properties. “The mural capital of the world is no more,” street artist Saber told the Times. “They buff beautiful pieces, harass property owners and threaten us like we are in street gangs.”

Some of the problems started in 1986, when the city was looking for a way to alleviate the growing scourge of billboard blight. The city was being blanketed with unsightly commercial advertising, so the Los Angeles City Council adopted a code to reduce commercial billboards. The new restrictions exempted artwork. Advertisers responded by suing the city, arguing that they had the same right of free speech as the muralists. So in 2002 the Council “solved” the matter by amending the code to include works of art. “The law left many murals technically illegal,” wrote the Timesin an Oct. 29 editorial, “no matter how talented the artist or how willing the owner of the wall or how inoffensive the subject matter.”

A favorite from my childhood

During my 28 1/2 years in Los Angeles, Ive seen many a mural come and go, not to mention tagged over, and it always breaks my heart.  The ones I feel especially connected to are on the freeways, painted for the 84' Olympics. I remember images from my childhood much much more than actual events, and these are significant for me. Sadly, after decades of tagging, these seem to be disappearing the fastest.

Behind The Wall: The Battle for LA's Murals from Oliver Riley-Smith on Vimeo.

To be fair, Los Angeles has been making news with recent efforts to update the citywide Mural Ordinance, which would theoretically protect old murals and foster new ones. In addition to initial hearings in front of a joint committee of the City Council, the Planning Department has been holding public meetings to discuss the proposed ordinance.
· The Battle for LA's Murals [Open Culture]
· City Working on Bringing Murals Back to LA's Walls [Curbed LA]

Swiss Horn Sound

Via designboom:

italian designers isabella lovero and enrico bosa of en&is studio have updated ‘megaphone’, a ceramic passive amplifier created for the iphone and ipod touch. using no electricity, the sound waves are reverberated and distributed throughout the space. originally only available in white, the polished black and hand-painted gold versions further accentuate the contours of the form.

both the ceramic body and the solid wooden stand is developed and hand-made in italy.
although the black finish is applied in the same manner as the white, the gold version requires skilled decorators to paint the surface in the 24kt precious metal, after which it is fired in 720°C (1328°F). the high temperature assures the glazing is cohesive and the material is long lasting. the high gloss finish found on all three options are to help the sound resonate while the stand lifts the frame off any surface, increasing the vibrations emitted from the object.

Megaphone from RACOON_STUDIO on Vimeo.

Smoke Screen

What To Bring To Thanksgiving

Friday Bardot

"All Of Them Witches"

The origin of a witches broomstick, and hallucinogens? This might be the best paragraph ever.

I suppose the real question is, who's brave enough to try this?

11.11.11

I officially have pneumonia.
I'm exhausted.

But that doesnt change the fact that it's 11/11/11!

What does this mean? No fucking clue. No more or less that any other day though. So turn it up today and make it go to 11! Do it for Nigel.

Birkin.

“I’d rather live on my own than live with a face that looks at me with the wrong eyes.” ~Jane Birkin

DIY: Knitted Eames Chair

Just in time for winter! Cute and easy, like those stitching kits you used to get when you were a kid that came with a gigantic plastic needle.

Visit Apartment Therapy for more info

Sicko

I am sicker than I have been in years.

thats an apron.

I smell sick, I look sick, and yesterday I had a 24 hour fever and body aches that left me feeling like my bones were crumbling inside my body. I've always been sickly, and people close to me go on high alert when I'm ill, as it tends to take a lot of rest for me to recover.
Steven called my mom, and today she is over cleaning my house and making me homemade soup.
 I feel better today, and when I woke up I thought I was well, but I quickly realized that just because I dont feel like I'm dying.
It's probably because Im sitting here wearing my giraffe pajamas and feeling like a house marm  that Im looking at the beautiful lingerie on Net-A-Porter. Whatever the lifestyle is that accompanies this, sign me up.
I just picture this orange number descending a staircase.

this is ugly, but bonus points for feathers.

YSL Shoes

YSL shoes are my absolute favorite. As far as "designer shoes", this is the only brand I really drop money on. Keep your Louboutins, give me YSL.

I want to wear these in a parisian nightclub:

 .....and these blue suede babys walking down the promenade in Cannes

   

These belong to a midnight rendezvous:

I've been lusting after  these rainboots for a year now, and every time it rains I wish I had them. Is this the year?

 

 The fuschia are more limiting, but damn if they aren't fun.

Olivia And Steven: A Story Of Two People Who Dont Want To Work On A Rainy Sunday

The only good thing about this weather is getting to wear my fur hat.

Training For The Apocalypse

One of my close friends has made a most excellent documentary, sold it to National Geographic, and has started a Kickstarter page in order to put the finishing touches on it.
Watch the trailer! Donate!