Libération's week

Monday November 3, 2008

Tuesday November 4, 2008
Wesdnesday November 5, 2008


Thursday November 6, 2008

Friday November 7, 2008

Australia

Baz Luhrmann is back with a big epic movie about the young Nation of Australia. The home land of the director of "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge!" is beautifully put under the spotlight in this story in which the heroes Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman promise a very romantic intrigue.



Until the movie comes out in France on December 24th, here's the official website : http://www.australiamovie.com/.

"What's the use?" #01: Executive Desk

Dale Mathis is a surprising artist. He carves wood, glass and mecanics to create objects that can really be qualified as marvellous...

Here's his "Executive Desk". A piece of art that's rather extraordinary, heavily "steampunk" influenced: this new mix of industrial revolution and victorian era.


The machinery is articulated in the shape of a desk that totally circles the worker.
A video shows the object in action: click here. You can click here for the artist's website.

Ultimate Obam'art (+ Madonna)

Obama's beaming face, the title of a 90s' catchy anthem, flashy colors? It's simply a t-shirt sold during Madonna's American leg of the Sticky & Sweet Tour. It would probably have sold well among European fans too. You can still get it from the official merch site!

Talking about Madonna, here's a video of the intro during the Paris show. The film is titled "Sweet Machine" along with the whole theme of the show and the diva's latest album. The video was produced by British studio Rockstar, after original drawings by Eugene Riecansky. Veneno Inc is the firm responsible for the video installation of the show.



One last Madonna info? Her outfits... They leaked on the Internet a little before the tour began and I was in awe with this brilliant pink and black bohème-inspired piece of clothing by Givenchy. A hit on stage!

OK I'll stop about Madonna for now ;)

Imagine R is back

This year's visuals are even better than last year's (check them here) for Imagine R. They really try to pull out something edgy with their agencies H and Lézilus.

The feminine visuals are signed by Jeanclode, a very cool collective whose blog can be seen here. I noticed their wonderful "Faisons Connaissance" campaign for France 5.


The masculine visuals are signed Cream and Hello.


Each teenager (let me remind you that Imagine R is aimed at high-school and college students) has their own personality and their own style. Without being too cliché, their universe displays different metro/train station in different fashions. A cute idea.

Broadway Baby #02: Cheyenne Jackson, from United 93 to Xanadu

You might have already seen Cheyenne Jackson in United 93, he was playing the role of a heroic young man who attacks the terrorist in order to avoid a catastrophe...


Not very famous yet on the big screen, this actor is more used to Broadway scenes. Cheyenne Jackson has starred in many leading roles in very different musicals!


Exemples? Rocky, the beefy naked creature of the famous Rocky Horror Show that I actually saw on stage on Broadway (maybe it was Jackson this night?) Radames in the fabulous Aida by Elton John and Tim Rice and finally in... Xanadu, the adaptation of this cinematographic 80's UFO on roller skates with Olivia Newton-John.

His official website, right here.

Panda Crew

MySpace helped me discover Panda Crew, a Saint Etienne based artist. An impressive gallery gathers numerous drawings on different media: Photoshop, stencil, cardboard...


The website also enables visualize graphs left here and there... We can find some merchandising, comics and nice wallpapers as well.


I chose a rather soft sample of his work, but among Panda Crew's themes, we can find urban wars or video games.


More on the official MySpace (myspace.com/pandakroo) or on the website (pandacrew.com).

True Blood: I wanna do bad things with you...

This Fall's best show on HBO (I already wrote about it here), True Blood, is, as far as I'm concerned, a total hit. OK, only 4 episodes aired so far but although the press said it would suck, this mix of black humor and fantastic thriller in the moist of the South of the USA is priceless! Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, passes the test with the description of a Lousiana where vampires and human coexist.

Anna Paquin is wonderfully naive and fresh as the main character Sookie Stackhouse. Wecan also discover Stephen Moyer, a British actor with a vampire charm...




The opening credits set the tone. "Bad Things" by Jace Everett.

Please note that a new Australian actor, Ryan Kwanten, plays the role of Jason, the heroine's dim-witted and sex-addict brother...

Sarah Palin in SNL

The videos everyone talks about: Saturday Night Live axes Sarah Palin!
The wonderful American actress/comedianL'excellente Tina Fey (the creator of the amazing NBC comedy show "30 Rock") impersonate the aspiring vice president.

In a first skit, Fey and Amy Poehler are Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.



This week, it's the interview with Katie Couric and Palin's most twisted answers that are parodied. We are so close to the truth!



These skits (that are hopefully just the first of a long series) mark a certain come back for SNL. Even commented in France, they certainly highlight the new spirit of this emblem in US TV.

Tiji, more from the same ad campaign

New billboards in Paris present the 2nd leg of the amazing Tiji (a kid's channel) campaign. I already mentionned this visuals here last year.


This drawings are signed by Richard N'Go under the artistic supervision of Pierrette Diaz for the agency DDB. Kuddoes.


This last one is probably my favorite... I didn't see it in the streets though. A special shout-outs to the parents?

The Futur Triangle of the Porte de Versailles

The news just broke. A fantastic glass triangle should be built in the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles, in Paris. This 180-meter tall skyscrappers should host hotels (for the numerous business visitors), conference rooms, temporary offices, shopping areas, etc.

This project is signed Herzog & De Meuron (they built Beijing's famous "Bird's Nest") and could rise in 2010-2012.

I find this project a lot more exciting than the future (ecological, but black and square-shaped) tower designed by Jean Nouvel on the Défense business district. I can't wait to see this bridge between Paris's XVth arrondissement, and the suburband cities of Vanves and Issy-Les-Moulineaux... According to Paris's mayor Bertrand Delanoë, some 5,000 jobs should be created.

New Tahiti 80 album

Tahiti 80's first single, "Heartbeat"


This small band from Rennes, France, is already releasing its fourth album (many more EPs in between). The first one, released in 1999, had caught my ear with the perfect "Heartbeat".

"Big Day", first single of the album Fosbury (2005)


After a short 2 year hyatus during which Xavier Boyer was working on a solo project (Axe Riverboy), the original lineup is back.

"1,000 Times", one of my favorite Tahiti 80 songs, on the album "Wallpaper For The Soul", the most electronic opus to date, in 2002

The new album, Activity Center, is just out. Its more rocky sounds still capture the etheral and fun spirit of Tahiti 80.

"Changes", with a rather cool video (2005)


Their official website, click here.
For their MySpace, it's here.

Lehman Brothers - New York City

The business bank Lehman Brothers closes its doors...
I'm wondering what's gonna happen to the superb building in which it had its New York offices next to Times Square.










Untwist is the company that manufactured this LED screens. More info on their website: http://www.untwist.com/

They did it!

Dots Obsession

La Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris presents an installation by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in the frame of its "intercultural dialog: when different types of madness meet".

Dots Obsessions is a multitude of inflattable pink baloons with black dots, some of which you can enter, see pictures below.

Kusama, who's considered at the avant-garde of Japanese art scene started her work in the 1950s with Andy Warhol. She stages her nightmares and child hallucinations (such as dots). She states that her "life is like a dot, lost among thousands of other dots".

Kusama hovers between minimal virtuosity and destructive madness... In 1973, ill, she goes home to Japan and destroys many of her pieces. She's been living ever since in an instution that treats insanity by artistic expression. She's had a workshop built next to her clinic.

These huge pink bubbles provoke a weird feeling in every visitor, they're first surprised and amused, walking through this light and imposing figures. The dots then almost subjugate and absorb the audience's attention. On a screen, a short movies shows us the artist in a pink wig reciting a daunting poem.


The artist's website: click here.
Through Aug. 17, 2008 only at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris (metro Porte de Pantin). Hurry, no entry fee, closes at 10 pm.

Erwin Olaf - Paradise

Erwin Olaf is a Dutch photographer born in 1959.


Olaf lives in Amsterdam since 1980, his work got praised in 1988 with the "Chessmen" series, showing naked bodies (obese or pregnant women, young and vivid young men) enbodying the different pawns of a dusty chess game.


Through his work, the artist explores different themes like gender, sensuality, humor, despair and grace...


"Paradise", that I chose to represent here, is a series of photographs from 2001 focusing on a dark and baroque world inhabited by obscure clowns that express both happiness and sadness.


Erwin Olaf also got some attention in 1999 with the flamboyant and provocative visuals of a Diesel campaign that won the Lion d'Argent in Cannes. We also remember his beautiful white and red creations for Lavazza.


Olaf twork on video too, he directed some more or less disturbing shorts in the 2000s.


To close the series, the artist presented a series of portraits of the characters of the scenes. Important: click on the images to enlarge them, they're quite big, enabling you to observe the details of those peculiar faces.


Erwin Olaf's website: click here!