José de Creeft's sculpture of Alice and friends in Central Park. Commissioned by the publisher George Delacorte as a tribute to his late wife Margarita, and as a gift to the children of New York City. Unveiled in 1959.Shooting has begun for Tim Burton's next film, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times blog Hero Complex caught up with Burton on the set to discuss "Alice" and more."It appears his mission is to reclaim a children's classic, resharpen its edges and remind everyone that sapping the weirdness out of a...
Getting to Know Charles Bukowski
Jennifer Makowsky never really read or knew much about Charles Bukowski "apart from the poems [she] read in school and his reputation as the hardened “dirty old man.” She felt that the time had come to learn more about the "The Poet Laureate of Skid Row."To begin her descent into Bukland she takes to the screen to watch John Dullaghan’s 2003 documentary, Bukowski: Born Into This.Her review, "Bukowski: What Lies Beneath," appears over at Pop Matters. Here is the trailer for the film:Bukowski at WikipediaMuch more at bukowski.net
Street Signs
Marji King and Bruce Daniels have amassed a collection of over 100 handmade cardboard signs that they have used to panhandle on the streets of Seattle. For the last two weeks they have been setting up the display at various downtown locations."People tend to walk by and ignore one sign," Bruce says, "but can they ignore more than 100?"Here are some highlights:Fear change? Leave it here.Lost my rose-tinted glasses; Need money for new ones.If money is the root of all evil let me carry the burden."Aliens kidnapped my parents. $ for space fuel."Donations for the Church of Malt Liquor.Begging Sucks...
Library Violence
A librarian was at a commun
Cindy Sherman’s Librarian
Cindy Sherman, "Untitled Film Still #13"Gelatin silver print. 20" x 16"1978The image is part of Sherman's seminal "Film Still" series. The series consists of 69 images featuring the photographer in a variety of "womanly" roles.Last month at Christie's this image of Sherman playing librarian fetched $905,000, three times the pre-sale estimate.For a little perspective - in 1995, the Museum of Modern Art acquired a complete set of the "Film Stills" for $1 million.Granted this particular print is unique in that it was the only one of the series produced in this size, making it very desirable to the collector, but...