A little Uruguayan sunshine

Recently returned from Uruguay snuggled in between Brazil and Argentina, and met this excellent photographer who is based in Montevideo. The images are all taken using an analogue camera (which in Uruguay is a trend that has not really managed to surpass the digital craze). They range from the more abstract to some fantastic portraits of people from in and around the country.

Winter with the Real Odd Shutter

Happy New Year to all, I thought I would kick off 2012 with an (eclectic) bunch of photos I have taken over the Christmas break:

Pain

Pain.
It's good for you,
That's what I've heard.
It helps you grow,
It helps you learn.

But enough! Enough!
One day, I'll say,
So tough! And up,
My life will swing.
How now,
I wait,
For better things.

The Film of 2012 (so far)

 

This post was initially intended to be a brief round-up of the year's upcoming cinematic treats. This idea was scrapped this afternoon, as soon as I left at the end of the 15:20 screening of Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist. Here's what oft-accurate film magazine Little White Lies had to say on the subject:

''Heartfelt, heart-warming and sparkling with charm. You won't get the smile off your face all the way home.''

http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/ 

I couldn't agree more. Not only was this the best film I've seen this year, but I have a suspicion it may continue to hold that title for the forthcoming three hundred and fifty-five days. Do not let yourself be deterred by the lack of spoken dialogue until the closing scene, or the lack of colour (not to mention 3D); this film is a thoroughly modern masterpiece. Genuinely genius, and highly recommended.

A.C.

Hedi Slimane

The father, the Sun, and the Holy Ghost

At this time of year, a time of the extraordinary, the miraculous, and the downright crazy parties; is a time which always reminds me of one man. A man who came down to earth from on high to open our eyes and to teach us the joys of intergallactic music. Fasten your seat-belts; the Ra Ship has landed.

Lost and found...

I found these two pictures when searching through some old folders on my computer, unfortunately the photographer is a mystery to me. If anyone knows, and wants to show off their cultural knowledge, please reply on our Facebook page. The main reward can be smugness.
https://www.facebook.com/heliconmagazine
F.H.

Ten one-liners. Some may be longer than one line.

1. I'm so alive, and yet I should be feeling grave.

2. One day, my dear, like a king and queen of the same heart, we'll be much better suited.

3. I'm struggling to decide between two competing theories of neurological composition. I can't make up my mind.

Anguish Languish

In 1940, professor of languages Howard L. Chace authored a curious re-imagining of a very familiar story. Using the technique of homophonic transformation (replacing original words with ones nearly identical in sound, but not meaning) the bizarre 'Ladle Rat Rotten Hut' was born. The effect is baffling, and demonstrates the importance of intonation in creating meaning in language.

To listen to the story read aloud, click here (Real Player/VLC required) or read it here.

- K.H.

Quand l'art t'attaque

Because Neil Buchanan is my hero.

But mainly because crafting Santas in toilet paper is still cool.

N.M

The Moment

The moment when, after many years
of hard work and a long voyage,
you stand in the centre of you room,
house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,
knowing at last how you got there,
and say, I own this,

is the same moment the trees unloose,
their soft arms from around you,
the birds take back their language,
the cliffs fissure and collapse,
the air moves back from you like a wave
and you can't breathe.

No, they whisper, you own nothing,
you were a visitor, time after time, 
climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.
We never belonged to you.
You never found us.
It was always the other way round.

Margaret Atwood

L.O.C

Back to the Future

Irina Werning created the 'Back to the Future' photography project last year, and she's done it again this year! The project is a remake of a childhood photograph, with people from all over the world. Have a look at the 2010 & 2011 projects here, http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the-future/.

Music and Life...

Matt Stone and Trey Parker, best known as the creators of South Park, would not often be thought of in relation to modern philosophy. However their animations bring to life some short extracts from the work of Alan Watts, best known for his role in popularising Eastern philosophies.

This short extract (and there are many more worth listening to) shows Watts at his best, critiquing many people's modern blinkered lifestyles.

F.H.

COMPENDIUM #1

Home is so sad. It stays as it was left,
Shaped to the comfort of the last to go 

As if to win them back. Instead, bereft 

Of anyone to please, it withers so, 

Having no heart to put aside the theft.

And turn again to what it started as, 

A joyous shot at how things ought to be, 

Long fallen wide. You can see how it was: 

Look at the pictures and the cutlery. 

The music in the piano stool. That vase.

         

                                                                                              

                                                                                            Philip Larkin

The Little House, Walt Disney

Fractal Surrealism, Larry Carlson

Hansel and Gretel, Kay Nielsen

The Little House in the Prairie, Michael Landon

Wooden Bird House, Cuba Gallery

The Garden of Earthy Delights, Hieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Eden, Michael Stern

She's Leaving Home, The Beatles

The Abandoned House at The Sea, Anne Weirich

Country Musician Sitting, Fred Price

The Pianocktail, Boris Vian

Body Painting Vase, Anonymous

N.M & J.D

Bristol At Night Through The Real Odd Shutter

So the nights are arriving earlier and lasting longer. I took this chance to try and capture some Bristol scenes in the serenity of the night, with the help of some long exposures. If you have a SLR, whack the exposure up to 15 to 30 seconds and some sort of tripod (or conveniently placed wall/sign/bollard) and go shoot some photos. Here are a few that I have taken over the last week:

Bristol's forgotten corners: Interview with Simon Hopkinson

Local artist Simon Hopkinson uses his painting to explore the areas of our city that he believes have been left behind, gone unnoticed, or simply glanced at on a daily basis but never thoughtfully observed. Many of the parts of Bristol Simon relishes in are those that others may consciously avoid, or those through which we walk hastily with eyes cast determinedly downward, choosing to gaze at the pavement instead of the city. Artworks like Simon's help us to recognise the people and places that effect our perceptions and constructions of home, even if their contribution is never consciously acknowledged. Over the past nine months Simon has been showcasing his work around Bristol, attempting to draw our eyes to the corners of our own city that we may never have noticed, or may even have willfully neglected. He aims to expose those shadowy places that we can be so quick to ignore but in which he believes we can find a distinct beauty, a unique charm that can come to define a city like ours. The success of these exhibitions has led Simon to produce new paintings for an upcoming exhibition at Bocabar to expand his portrayal of Bristol's unpolished beauty.

Helicon recently had a chat with Simon about his perceptions of home in light of his exploration into all of Bristol's hidden corners.

Kaleidoscopic Art

Andy Gilmore: http://crowquills.com/

He is a New York based designer, take a look at some of his beautiful 

drawings and kaleidoscopic digital art.

L.G.

Live Poetry - Boston Tea Party - Park Street

Massive poetry night coming up and its f-f-f-f-f-freeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Top poets and a great chance to see how the contemporary scene is kicking it right about now. Get there early, it's gonna get busy!

Park Street Poetry
More information below.

Nitin Sawhney

You probably shouldn't listen to this song until you have good speakers or at least decent headphones.
But when you do I think this is quite an audio experience.

F.H.

LISTEN: Shabazz Palaces

'If Bedouins herded beats instead of goats and settled in Seattle

 instead of the Atlas Mountains, this would be their album.'

That's how Sub Pop describes Black Up, the debut album of first hip-hop act ever signed on the legendary label.  Shabazz Palaces.