Art

Joshua Charow writes, "I spent the past two years creating my first photography book titled 'Loft Law. The Last of New York City's Original Artist Lofts' about artists living under the protection of the Loft Law. The law, enacted in 1982 (Article 7-C of the Multiple Dwelling Law), granted protection and rent stabilization to thousands of artists who were living illegally in commercial and manufacturing zoned lofts in neighborhoods like Soho, Tribeca, and the Bowery after the manufacturing industry predominantly left Manhattan.

"Two years ago, I found a map of the remaining protected buildings, rang hundreds of doorbells, and photographed and interviewed over 75 artists who are still living in these incredible lofts to this day. The photographs explore some of the most unique beautiful, and hidden artist studios across New York City. The book includes writing and personal stories from the incredible group of artists featured in the book."

A trailer for the book is below and you can purchase it here. Interviews with some of the artists follow.

Claire Fergusson

Carmen Cicero

Curtis Mitchell

Dorothea Rockburne

Josh Charow's YouTube page.

Tomohiro Okazaki is an extraordinary stop-motion animator from Japan. Here's a ton of his matchstick work edited together:

An oldie but a goodie. 14 year old Indian Beatboxer, Immortal:

This is an excellent track and a wonderful video. The song is by Blake Mills and the animation is by Lachlan Turczan, who says, "I made hi-resolution scans of banknotes from 23 countries ranging from the 1800s to the modern-day."

Watch at full screen.

Turczan continues, "Machine learning was used to further enhance these scans so that I could zoom in on the intricacies of the engravings. Using replacement animation techniques, the guilloché patterns wash over the viewer in a barrage of linework and geometry. Iconic scenes throughout history are also shown: the age of exploration leads to industrialization, wonders of the world are replaced by office buildings and icons of freedom stand in stark contrast to images of slavery. The project culminates with the collective eyes of all world leaders staring back at the audience."

More like this, please.

Randy is a puppet who tells a story about buying a bookshelf. Off gumtree.

Best drone shot I've ever seen — flown by JayBirdFilms. NYT coverage readable through this gift link.

Alexandra Bell is a multidisciplinary artist who investigates the complexities of narrative, information consumption, and perception. Utilizing various media, she deconstructs language and imagery to explore the tension between marginal experiences and dominant histories. Through investigative research, she considers the ways media frameworks construct memory and inform discursive practices around race, politics, and culture.

In her series, Counternarratives, Bell edits New York Times articles, altering headlines, changing images, and redacting text to reveal oppressive patterns in news reportage and society at large.

I've never known how to describe Smashed Peacock. Is it a play? A juggling act? Cabaret? A musical? Dance? A comment on gender or race? It's all of the above with a bit of opera.

Selfies is a short animation by Claudius Gentinetta. Might be a bit bleak for some and might not be safe for work if cartoon imagery offends your higher-ups.

While social distancing, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down rehearsed for 5 hours before filming a synchronized Zoom video for their new song, Phenom. Fantastic.