Under African Skies

Paul Simon and Joe Berlinger

A new documentary Under African Skies makes its debut at the Sundance Film Festival today. It tells the story of the making and lasting influence of Paul Simon’s album Graceland.

Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/01/20/under-african-skies-trailer/ Click here to watch the exclusive trailer. 

Family Portrait (from left to right) David Bowie, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Yoko Ono, John Lennon

The director Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills) collaborates with Paul Simon to take him on an adventure back to South Africa – which formally ended apartheid in 1994 - 25 years after Graceland’s release - covering where he recorded the album with local musicians, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and the political and musical implications of his initial journey.

His artistic decision to collaborate with African musicians created a new world musical fusion, combining American and African musical idioms while igniting an intense political crossfire, with Paul Simon accused of breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime.

Anti-Apartheid movement South Africa

Under African Skies features some key anti-apartheid activists and musical legends such as Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel and Oprah Winfrey.

"Prior to 'Graceland', the music of South Africa was largely unknown outside the country, except to a small minority of world music fans…" – Peter Gabriel

“In many ways, ‘Graceland’ was the most extraordinary experience in my entire career,” said Simon in a statement released by Sony Music. “The insight into rhythm was the great gift that I received from making the trip to South Africa and collaborating with African musicians.”

The opportunity presented a marriage of two subject matters Berlinger said he felt strongly about: social justice and music.

 Tallest Man on Earth (cover of Paul Simon) - Graceland

The universal appeal of the music of Graceland proved more powerful and enduring than the political hotbed attending its creation. In 1986, the album sold 14 million copies worldwide, and received universal praise from critics around the globe. Simon and the members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo performed on Saturday Night Live and appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Unique Exposure

Francesco Carrozzini (1982-)

Born in Milan, trained in LA and working in New York. Francesco Carrozini is a 27-year-old Italian photographer and a film director. Although the majority of his well known work is in high fashion photography, he is well recognized in both film and portrait photography.

FRANCESCO CARROZZINI 

“I’m more interested in photographing people who have done something, like writers or directors—even billionaires—as long as I can study them before I photograph them.”

Keith Richards (Francesco Carrozzini)

Keith Richards (Francesco Carrozzini)

Keith Richards (Francesco Carrozzini)

When asked to publish a few still from an art film he made with Linda Evangelista, he started to work for magazine finding portraiture his main interest. Some of his portraiture work has been in publications such as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, New York Times, The New Yorker and Italian Vogue.

Forest Whitaker (Francesco Carrozzini) 

Morgan Freeman (Francesco Carrozzini)

Heidi Klum (Francesco Carrozzini)

He also pioneered "The screen tests" for the New York Times, a collection of interviews featuring today's most influential people.  

http://www.stardustbrands.com/directors/francesco-carrozzini/projects/ny-times-magazine---screen-tests

“To me, the main and most exciting thing about photography is to meet people,” Carrozzini says of his process. “The picture is the result of what happened between me and them on the set.”

Probably the most notable screen tests carried out by an artist are those of Andy Warhol. Made at ‘the factory’ from 1964-66. Although now seen as screen tests, they were originally made as a short film portraits, done rather on film than on canvas. 

The video entitled '13 most beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's screen test' are short clips from the first ever authorized DVD of Andy Warhol's films. Released in conjunction with The Andy Warhol Museum, 13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests features 13 of Warhol's classic silent film portraits. Subjects inlcude Nico, Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick and Dennis Hopper. Shot between 1964 and 1966 at Warhol's Factory studio in New York City, the Screen Tests are presented with newly commissioned soundtracks by Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips. Wareham being closely associated with Andy Warhol's prodigies, The Velvet Underground.

A Thousand Words...

Relating to yesterday's post in which Cindy Chang is expanding her work worldwide, I decided to show some of the pictures I've taken of graffiti/street art from around the world..

'Venice Beach, LA' (Flo Whittaker)

'Paris' (Flo Whittaker)

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'Paris' (Flo Whittaker)

'Paris' (Flo Whittaker)

'Edinburgh' (Flo Whittaker)

'Edinburgh' (Flo Whittaker)

'Edinburgh' (Flo Whittaker)

'Edinburgh' (Flo Whittaker)

'Venice Beach, LA' (Flo Whittaker)

'Puerta Vallarta, Mexico' (Flo Whittaker)

Before I Die...

CANDY CHANG

I stumbled across Candy Chang's "Before I die..." project and it left such an impact that I had to write about her and her work. 

'Tried for Piracy'

Having read Grayson Perry's book for the recent post, one pot that stood out was one called 'This pot will reduce crime by 29%'. It is to do with the correlation between Art and social benefits. He wrote this quote about the pot "Many people in the culture sector believe fully in the regenerative qualities of culture. I think there are social benefits to art, but I don't think these things correlate in the easy way that some people would have you believe. So I made this pot with its cynical title as a joke about how it would promote understanding between ethnic communities, regenerate the local economy, improve schools and even reduce greenhouse gases."

'This pot will reduce crime by 29%' Grayson Perry

The reason that Candy Chang's work left such an Impression is because although, as Grayson Perry is right, it is hard to distinguish a direct correlation between an art work and the change in social benefits, she has taken one step ahead to bring the community together by completing the artwork themselves. She has merely taken an idea and left the skeleton of the piece for other people to fill in. 

Quoted from her website "Candy Chang is an artist, designer, and urban planner who likes to make cities more comfortable for people. She believes in the potential of introspection and collective wisdom in public space to help us lead better lives." 

Candy Chang is starting these walls all around the world. The first one being in New Orleans, it is now spreading to Amsterdam, Portsmouth, Querétaro, Almaty, San Diego, Lisbon, Brooklyn, and beyond..

Brooklyn Wall

 These are some of the responses from the wall: 

Before I die I want to… 

eat mad tacos, 

rally with the Occupy Wall Street movement,

 get an ‘A’ in math, 

hold her close, 

lose this damn weight,

 publish my book, 

experience true love,

 visit Libya, 

swim around Manhattan, 

see my Mom free from pain,

  get her back (someone else added: then go get her),

 stop smoking,

  be a super hero,

 be remembered,

  bring peace of mind to my mom.

EAT MAD TACOS

Here is the link to her website to check out her other projects - http://candychang.com/

CANDY CHANG 

'A Bigger Picture'

David Hockney

Despite turning down both a knighthood in 1990 and more recently the honour of painting a portrait of the Queen saying he was “very busy painting England actually”, David Hockney (1937-) has been appointed a member of the Order of Merit.

Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (1971)

Originally founded by King Edward VII in 1902, the Order of Merit is a special honour awarded to individuals who have made great achievements in the fields of arts, learning, literature and science.

David Hockney

The Queen is responsible for granting honours to people, from every section of the community, for acts of merit, service or bravery.

Membership is limited to 24 at a time. Hockney’s appointment arose after the death of his friend Lucian Freud (1922-2011), the only other painter in the order. Other members include Nelson Mandela (1995 honorary member), Margret Thatcher (1990) and David Attenborough (2005).

David Hockney in Lucian Freud's studio

Hockney is a member of Forest's (Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco) Supporters Council and has attended several Forest events in support of smokers' rights. Hockney said he was glad his campaign for smokers' rights had not worked against him. When asked for a response he said: "No comment – other than it's nice to know they are not prejudiced against the older smoker."

Although turning down the request to paint a portrait of the Queen, portraits of each of the 24 members are commissioned. Hockney who said, “I don’t give a fuss” about prizes also says "I put them all in the bottom drawer and leave them there. I don't value prizes of any sort. I value my friends. Prizes of any sort are a bit suspect."

My Parents (1977)

He is most well known for being a pioneer of British Pop Art, especially when he moved to California in the 1960’s to paint ‘sun, sex, young men and luxury’. This was shown most notably through his pool paintings such as Portrait of an Artist (pool with two figures) (1971) and A Bigger Splash (1967).

Portrait of an Artist (pool with two figures) (1971)

A Bigger Splash (1967)

Hockney was born in Bradford, Yorkshire and that’s where he lives now, focusing mainly on British landscapes. In 2007, Hockney unveiled what was the biggest painting The Royal Academy had ever had in their summer exhibition titled Bigger Trees Near Warter (2007)

Bigger Trees near Warter (2007)

Quoted from the Royal Academy Website “In January 2012 the Royal Academy of Arts will showcase the first major exhibition of new landscape works by David Hockney RA. Featuring vivid paintings inspired by the East Yorkshire landscape, these large-scale works have been created especially for the galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts.

'David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture' will span a 50 year period to demonstrate Hockney’s long exploration and fascination with the depiction of landscape.

The exhibition will include a display of his iPad drawings and a series of new films produced using 18 cameras, which will be displayed on multiple screens and which will provide a spellbinding visual journey through the eyes of David Hockney.” (http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/hockney/) 

Place Furstenburg, Paris (1985)




Beverly Hills Housewife (1967) sold in 2009 at Christies for £5.2 million

David Hockney's Ipad Art

XXtra Tasty

THE XX

According to NME (http://www.nme.com/news/the-xx/60866) The XX are making an album ready for ‘the festival season’ with Jamie xx saying “we’re just about to start recording” as of the 25^th December 2011. 

They say that the new album will be influenced by club music and added “Hopefully we'll get it done in time to be asked to do festivals next year, because that's the most fun.” Jamie xx carries on to say “We've all come back off tour and [have] kind of been partying a little bit more. So club music has definitely had an influence on the next record.”

Whilst recording the second studio album, The XX have set up an offical blog posting new information about the band and also tracking the progress of the new album (http://xx-xx.co.uk/). 

On it there is a little treat of what’s to come releasing a new demo called ‘Open Eyes’ on Christmas day. Below the video is a message that reads “Open eyes is a demo we did whilst creating our new album, we just wanted to share it with you. xx The xx”.

I also thought I would share some of the best and most well known sounds of the XX with you…