#i love when descendants of artists recreate their artwork

[dozydawn]

Victoria Magazine, July 1992. Photographed by Toshi Otsuki.

#i love when descendants of artists recreate their artwork #victoria magazine #frank benson #art #impressionist #impressionism #fine art #cottagecore #edwardian #mine #my scans #1992 #1990s #90s #frank weston benson #art recreation

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Discography Discussion: We Hate All Kinds of Violence

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you probably know quite a bit about H.O.T. I assume you have a favorite member. I bet you’ve heard tracks like “I-Yah” and “Hope”. But I haven’t really discussed the start of H.O.T in depth, nor the discography of their first album. After making you wait so long, let’s talk about how this influential group began.

Before H.O.T

In order to understand why H.O.T was created, we’ve got to understand Korean history.

(Note: As this blog is about one group and the point of this post is to talk about one album, I am leaving out a lot of notable events and people to give you a basic summary of what led to H.O.T.)

Up until 1988, South Korea had been constantly under oppressive political regimes. This oppression extended to music, which limited who could sing and what songs would be allowed to the masses. 1988 is a very important year in Korean history because that was when the country opened itself to the world and hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics in Jamsil, Seoul. Through various political, economic, and technological changes, Korea was gradually transforming into what it is now. However, music was still largely either patriotic tunes or shallow love songs.

You know what came next. In the spring of 1992 Seo Taiji and Boys debuted. They had mass appeal among young people in Korea because they made music directed to people in Korea that was about their problems. Even though there was management involved with the group, it was entirely under the control of Seo Taiji - not some executive who dictated what the group could say and do. Also, they were not the first group in Korea to use rock music or rap, but the way Seo Taiji combined different genres and styles was very different - and very appealing. Bland dance and pop music produced by large broadcasting companies weren’t going to cut it anymore.

Generally speaking, whenever there is some kind of innovation, businesses and investors crop up looking to make a profit. The Korean music industry is no different. The rise of Seo Taiji and Boys created this essential question: Could a company recreate Seo Taiji and Boys?

The answer came in 1996.

H.O.T Pre-Debut

Before SM Entertainment, there was SM Studio. It was Lee Sooman’s first serious venture into starting a music company. In 1990, Hyun Jinyoung debuted as the first artist in the company and led to the start of several careers. Lee Sooman eventually signed on other artists, such as Yoo Youngjin in 1993.

However, Lee Sooman had seen the Japanese system of training idols and wanted to adapt that for Korea. Some things came out of this and became standardized in K-Pop (to some extent), such as idols of the same group living together and going through training for a period of time. This also changed how artists were managed and signed on. It went from being like MGM during Hollywood’s Golden Age to the “factory” idea we know now.

The first idols (and lab rats) for this were H.O.T. Kangta was the first to be recruited for his voice when Lee Sooman heard him sing at Lotte World. Heejun was asked to audition due to his ability to dance, sing, and write music. Woohyuk passed his audition as he was also a talented dancing. Jaewon’s recruitment isn’t well-known other than that he gained points for his visual appeal, however, sometimes people make claims that he was previously friends with Heejun and yet aren’t able to provide credible sources (at least that I’m aware of). Tony, however, auditioned with his friend Andy in LA and was voted in by the other four members. Lee Sooman has said that Tony didn’t have much going for him, but he recruited him because he thought the teenager would work hard. Together, these five were everything the public wanted.

Before H.O.T debuted, they were seen in public. Heejun and Kangta were dancers for Yoo Youngjin, and Jaewon and Woohyuk joined them later (I’m not sure if Tony did, however, considering how late he joined). The group even performed their debut song at a festival at Heejun’s high school. They were generating hype and ready to begin.

The We Hate All Kinds of Violence Album

 H.O.T debuted on Sept. 7th, 1996. Their first album was called We Hate All Kinds of Violence. The cover art shows a person sitting on a step with their head in their arms in a way that usually denotes sadness or despair while wearing uniform with a hat that says “Workers”. The combination of group name, album title, and album artwork set the tone of the album at a glance as being geared towards teenagers. This was a smart move on SM’s part. Seo Taiji and Boys had disbanded earlier that year, so there was a void in the music industry that needed to be filled, and H.O.T seemed to fit the bill for a lot of young people in Korea.

Warrior’s Descendant

Their debut track was “Warrior’s Descendant”. Just hearing that title tends to interest people even before they hear the actual song. It gives off the impression that the song is about someone who has a fighting spirit like their ancestors, even if they themselves aren’t soldiers.

Lyrics (DISCLAIMER FOR THIS SECTION: TW: BULLYING)

The lyrics themselves are about bullying. The opening words are, “Ah~ Why are you hitting me?” (Lyrics Source) From there the lyrics are presented as though by the victim themselves asking why they’re being beaten up. Parts of the song seem to indicate that this isn’t a one-off thing, it’s something that’s been going on for a long time:

You changed me without a guilt You hit me Once we were friends You ruined me

I was beaten like a stupid idiot I lost everything and was roaming around Now with sounds of punch, steal and breaths My heart was torn already because of my lost friends

However, this person seems to believe that someone will save them and that this won’t go on forever.

It's time to stop, The violence, hate, and all the mess, It's about time someone should stand for what is right, That is right

Now I want my future that I've been dreaming of I think of everything can be back as it was before I trusted you I trust you once more Save me Someone someone can

Unfortunately, the song ends with the realization that no one is going save them. That someone can save them, but no one does.

Someone someone can,someone someone can, That I know it, That I know it, That I know it, Can Can That I know it, Someone someone someone someone someone can, someone can, someone can, someone can can can can can, But I know it won't happen, Now I give up everything; I have because of you. They ruined me, They took it all even my last hope You became my enemy and now I give you up They ruined me, They took it all even my last hope. I look for the hope; It's nowhere Now I'm gonna punish myself.....

The worst part of this is that the victim seems to be blaming themselves. They seem to think that they were at fault so they are going to give up. The last line itself, “Now I’m gonna punish myself” is especially troubling.

While you might have been hoping there would be a happy ending, this song wasn’t meant to have one. For a debut song that was supposed to target teenagers, this was a perfect introduction. Bullying is common everywhere, but it’s especially bad in Korea. If you’ve been a fan of K-Pop or K-Dramas for a while, you’ve probably heard a lot about this.

I think the reason why the song ends on a hopeless tone is because the song verbalized what a lot of kids and teenagers in that position probably feel like. Considering how many people follow this blog, I assume that at least one person reading this has been (or is currently being) bullied, so these words probably resonate with you.

And that is the point of “Warrior’s Descendant”, as it targets two groups of people. The first group of people are the ones being bullied, as it tells their point of view. The second group are the bystanders, as it calls them out for not doing anything about it. It calls for these two groups of people to look at each other and see that this isn’t just something that happens, bullying is a choice. The point of the lyrics is to tell people who are bullied that what they’re going through isn’t right, and to tell people to stop being a bystander and do something. This song was a call to action.

Also, the beginning of this song tends to get used in variety shows. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used to match up with the context of the lyrics. Next time you hear this song somewhere, you might want to take note of the feeling the song brings to the situation it’s used for.

(End of bullying discussion)

This was actually the first song Yoo Youngjin produced, and led to his long and successful career with composing and producing music at SM Entertainment.

The MV

The music video itself shows a story between cutting to H.O.T singing and dancing. The MV opens with a teenage boy looking up while bloody, then cuts to people walking away from him - great hook. It quickly cuts to the night before when the guy was walking with a girl while carrying his violin case. Three guys around his age come and beat him up, and then go after the girl. When the guy sees the girl being targeted, he gets up to fight them off of her and she tries to defend him as well. It ends with the teenager bloody in the daylight with his broken violin. Maybe it’s just me reading into things, but it looks like the guy got beat up in the alley and then possibly got dragged to a school due to the building in the background.

It also has a very 90s style to it. Their outfits were purchased by the members themselves - I don’t know if SM had a stylist who told them what to get or if they were just given free reign, but they did have to pay for them. In addition to the outfits, there were some hallmarks of the time period in the music video, such as graffiti, which was a very popular aesthetic in the 90s and can also be seen in Turbo’s “Black Cat” MV.

Also, even though I haven’t heard anyone else agree with me on this, I personally feel like “Warrior’s Descendant” sounds like “Come Back Home” by Seo Taiji and Boys due to the vocals, instrumental, and tone. Considering that H.O.T was largely created as a response to Seo Taiji and Boys, I think it’s quite possible that recalling the other group was intentional.

However, “Warrior’s Descendant” is simultaneously where Seo Taiji and Boys ends and H.O.T begins.

Candy

Does this song really need an introduction? Probably not, so I’m just going to jump into it. This is H.O.T’s most well-known song and is beloved by many people even years later. It was also their golden ticket and get-out-of-jail-free card throughout their time promoting together.

MV

This music video is iconic for so many reasons.

First up, the location is perfect for such a bright song. It was filmed at Lotte World in Jamsil, Seoul.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Jamsil? I’ve heard of that place before” and you would be correct! That’s where the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games took place, and it’s also a huge part of H.O.T’s history. They had their 918 concert there in 1999, their last concert there in 2001, and their reunion concerts have been there because of the 2001 concert as well.

As for Lotte World itself, it’s one of the major theme parks in South Korea. H.O.T filmed in front of the famous merry-go-round and various other sites around the park. Fun fact: this is also where the drama “Stairway to Heaven” was filmed at.

When I was in Korea, I visited Jamsil quite a few times and it was one of my favorite places. You have no idea how excited I was when I went to the Olympic Park and saw the stadium in person. I also got the chance to visit Lotte World and ride on the merry-go-round, as well as walk on the outdoor bridge they danced on. If you’re an H.O.T fan, I highly recommend going there.

Choreography

The dance for this song is very iconic because it’s bouncy and fun. When I say bouncy, I mean that literally considering as Heejun’s favorite dance move involves him bouncing on the ground.

Trademark Colors

If you’ve been a fan of K-Pop for a while, you probably know that a lot of groups have their own color. The first group that had an official fan color (to my knowledge) was Seo Taiji and Boys, and their color was yellow. However, colors became more of a big deal for K-Pop groups because of H.O.T.

H.O.T’s official color is white, which is why you tend to see them wear white suits and their light stick is white. However, they also have an official color for each member. Heejun is yellow, Woohyuk is blue, Tony is red, Kangta is green, and Jaewon is orange. If you see merch of the group, you’ll often see these colors being heavily associated with each member, and you’ll often see fans cheering with their individual color as well as white.

These colors helped the public to easily identify who was who when they were rookies.

They also had different accessories. Woohyuk had his floppy hat with eyeballs attached to it - that can be seen on that light stick he teased. Kangta had a bag. Tony had a hat. Jaewon had earmuffs - which was a win because it was getting to be cold when this track was released. Heejun, however, had a visor which he hated due to it not keeping him warm in the winter, nor cool in the summer. Their fluffy outfits also endeared them to the public because of how cute they were.

Lyrics

So now that we’ve talked about all the visuals, let’s talk about what “Candy” itself is about. First off, the lyrics to this song are so painfully 90s and cheesy. The story is this: a guy plans on going on break (or breaking up) with his girlfriend because he realizes he’s not the best boyfriend and their relationship isn’t doing great. He literally decides that suddenly when he wakes up in the morning - you can’t make this up.

To be honest with you I want to see you today to talk about us to tell you that I need some space Please understand me I’m telling you that it was a difficult decision Actually, I thought of it this morning

He admits that it’s something he needs to work on and says:

I will need to change myself Without your knowing it I’ve compared you to other girls

There’s a part of the lyrics that are very angsty and dramatic.

When I dream about us each time the dream would vanish and I am left by myself Crying so pathetic stuck in this position I decided I’m leaving you! I’m leaving you! Although I still love you I will leave I will forget and stop loving you As I look to the sky above me I told myself I must keep my heart cold towards you

However, he eventually realizes that even though their relationship needs work, he loves her and actually doesn’t want to be apart from her.

I love only you I said this to you All that I had prepared to say turned backwards I’ll always be by your side

It finishes up with Kangta saying this:

I’ll always be by your side You’ll never be alone again I’m here next to you

The conclusion the songs comes to is this: There can be problems with your relationship, but if you really love them and want to stay with them, you need to communicate and work on making your relationship better.

Also, don’t make huge decisions rashly - I think that should be the big takeaway from this.

Like “Warrior’s Descendant”, this song is also used on variety shows quite a bit. I’ve even heard it called, “The Perfect Song for Valentine’s Day”. Considering the context of this song is essentially about a breakup (until the end), I have my doubts when it’s used on broadcasts that are trying to hype up a love line.

(Lyrics Source)

The Candy Consequence

Earlier I mentioned that “Candy” was their golden ticket. Now that you understand the song itself, let’s talk about why it is that way.

“Warrior’s Descendant” was very serious and geared towards teenagers. “Candy”, however, took their popularity and gave H.O.T a family-friendly reputation. It was the perfect combination of cute guys, a sweet song, and iconic visuals that helped the general public to differentiate them from other groups at the time.

While Seo Taiji and Boys were massively popular with Korea’s youth, they were often thought of as being rebellious, especially since they famously criticized various aspects of Korea - such as the education system.

If you’ve read my other Discography Discussions, you’re well-aware of what H.O.T has done over the years. However, unlike Seo Taiji and Boys, they weren’t as censored or thought of as being nearly as problematic. Why? Look no further than “Candy”.

The popularity “Candy” has is two-sided. On one side, it’s annoying because people (especially newer or international fans) tend to associate them with it, instead of the rest of their discography. On the other side, because people associate them with it first, they tend to be more forgiving (and ignorant >.>) whenever H.O.T released tracks that were full of profanity or violence.

While “Candy” is quite different from most of their other popular tracks, it was the one that allowed H.O.T to rise to heights no one had been expecting.

Other Tracks of Interest

You’re Fast, I’m Slow - This tends to be one of those songs that H.O.T fans know because it gets used in compilations and as background music. The lyrics themselves are about a girl hitting on a guy and trying to make their relationship go at a faster pace than what he’s ready for. He’s asking her to slow down so that they can have a good relationship. They’re just friends, but the girl clearly wants to be more.

A day or two has passed and you've changed too much You kept catching me off guard with your "non-PG" questions You teased me, saying that I didn't have any courage and I was such a boring guy

And before y’all ask, yes, he’s into her. Warning: Explicit

But you don't know my heart I want all of you Don't rush it too much I want to show you my heart slowly

I want to have you, Something that I've deeply wanted If you give me another chance, I'll take you tonight

I'll make you feel real good Even make you groan & moan like I know you should

Remember how I said “Candy” allowed them to get away with more explicit stuff? “You’re Fast, I’m Slow” is Exhibit A. Yoo Youngjin is too obvious sometimes.

(Lyric Source)

Your Image in the Sunset - This is basically your standard breakup song. I’m just pointing it out because I love the instrumental and how this song sounds, tbh. It really gives off a 90s feeling.

Another Stressful Day - This song is about a guy who has a hangover and has to get to work. The kicker is that the members were too young to legally drink when this came out. Considering that the guy on the cover is wearing a work uniform, it is possible that true context of the image is that he is hungover, not upset due to some violent circumstance.

The Age of Individual Characteristic - This song has a great message about self love and not judging people by their appearances alone.

just because you think you're ugly, don’t just sit at home staring into a mirror, accept a new change - find a unique characteristic about yourself..

please, don’t let love follow changing fashion.. don’t let it change.. a male wearing tight short shorts with long hair and a female wearing torn long jeans with a 'sports cut' hair.. lets help each others individual characteristics prevail..

(Lyrics Source)

About Women - This is the final track on the album. It’s basically H.O.T saying that they don’t understand women, but they respect them. It starts out with talking about stereotypes men have for women, and then goes into arguing about it. However, these are the parting words H.O.T concludes the track and the album with:

Women sometimes make our lives hard and confusing, but we have to remember they're not toys, They're not toys but real deep beings... 

(Lyrics Source)

Conclusion

We Hate All Kinds of Violence was an excellent start for H.O.T’s career and a new era of Korean music. It was an album for teenagers by teenagers. Although a lot of their work has been forgotten over the years, it is certainly an important artifact that waits to be discovered by those it speaks to.

Where to listen to the album: iTunes Spotify

#h.o.t #high-five of teenager #kpop #k-pop #old kpop #Moon Heejun #kangta #Jang Woohyuk #lee jaewon #tony ahn #tw: bullying

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Bayly notes that much of the Indian subcontinent was populated by folks for whom the formal distinctions of caste and strict social hierarchies had been of only restricted importance of their life. Indian television started off in 1959 in New Delhi with tests for educational telecasts. These have been additionally examined by taking a glance at food and different style aesthetics which are often considered from a prejudiced lens. The concept of “popular culture” isn't a homogeneous one, even what is and what is not ‘popular’ is drenched in techniques of hegemony, political-economy, and sure historicity. When we ventured to understand the relation between caste and well-liked tradition, this was the first dilemma staring us in the face. Popular may be about numbers, about subversion, about hegemony, concerning the workings of mass industry, about manufacturing consent or igniting dissent. 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Manek Chowk is one other busy avenue within the night that's full of quite a few opportunities to eat scrumptious fares and in addition to buy. Far away from its impression of a historic destination, Jaipur is also one of many top places in North India to plan your nightlife holidays. As the sun falls asleep, there is a totally different air that begins flowing within the city and all the main target shifts from historical buildings to cozy pubs, bars, and discos. Listed under are a variety of the best nightlife locations in Delhi that are the most secure get together junctions in the city, redefining the meaning of enjoyable for you. While you’re out and about on this scenic land, make certain you know the place to head for an ideal party time with your mates. From ghost looking excursions to all night cafes and fancy restaurants, have a look to know what all awaits you here! Nightlife in Mumbai is a great attraction for the tourists who come to discover India. 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#PBN-Home

[adrift-in-writing]

Little Death: Chapter 3 - Safe

Read on AO3

May contain the sads. Also a bit longer than the previous two.

_________________________

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Part 1 - Alone | Part 2 - Together

Snow fell down a lot harder when the evening came along. Both Lena and Amélie were tasked with collecting Emily from her apartment all the way in the Croydon district, which was only approximately 30 minutes away on a slow night. Tonight however, due to inclement weather, Lena had decided to drive a little slower. The heat inside the car was on and Amélie was a little bit preoccupied with looking out the window. Though the hovercar itself had capabilities of auto-piloting, Lena still had to look out for any potential mishaps and other nonsensical drivers.

It was about 7:50 P.M. when the two girls departed from their Westminster loft, but right now it was 8:10 P.M., and they were stuck in traffic for a bit. Old records dating back 60 years ago were playing, namely The 1975's cover of Sade's "By Your Side". The ride was silent in terms of social interactions, so Lena had decided to spice things up a bit.

"So...whatcha wanna do tonight?" Lena had softly asked out of Amélie.

The woman peered over and hummed a little. "I...don't particularly know. Perhaps sleep early, prepare for tomorrow."

Lena had come up with her own suggestion. "Play the piano maybe? Ya can't just sleep an' leave her and I to figure out what to do for the rest of the night!"

Amélie smiled and lifted her head from her hand. "Okay. Maybe a composition or two, but no more."

The adventurer smiled and then nodded in approval, softly whispering 'Yes!' to herself. Amélie took a deep breath and began admiring the staggering skyscrapers around the city, rather than get lost in her own thoughts. Feeling a bit parched, she lifted up her water bottle and took a quick sip. The heavy snowfall didn't seem like it would stop any time soon, so they had best hurry things up if possible. The cars began moving again after Lena had bypassed all the clogging, and things went a lot more smoothly from that point on. When they had entered into the Croydon district, it was a fairly vivid lightshow in comparison to the posh and ultra-modern stylism of Westminster. Given of course, Croydon still to this day was the center of arts and culture, it made sense that the general themes and aesthetics in the buildings reflected it as such.

Roads only got smoother from here on out. The GPS had successfully mapped out Emily's apartment in the shortest time possible, and it took a few minutes before the two finally found, descended, and parked just outside. Lena was the first to prop open the car door, and she dashed over to the front gates of the apartment complex. Amélie had just gotten out, and the adventurer didn't want to continue on without her. Together, they walked in and were greeted by a row of abstract art mounted on the wall, and people sitting in the lobby chairs talking softly. One included what brand of chocolate was better, be it Toblerone or Cadbury, while another was about two inexperienced writers exchanging creative ideas for their story drafts.

The young girl scanned the list of people living on what floor, and almost immediately she spotted Emily's name. "Floor 25, Room 4!" She called out, and then marched towards the elevator doors. She pushed the elevator's up button, and the elevator doors slid open as a group of people who looked like they were about to go caroling out emerged. The two girls swapped positions with them, and Amélie held down the close door button and pressed 25 on the dial. With a small ding, the elevator doors closed, and then gradually ascended. The view of the borough's dizzying skyscrapers filled their eyesights. The young girl slid her hand over to Amélie's, gently interlocking their fingers together. She gave a gentle squeeze and giggled, wondering what the woman before her thought of all this.

Ding. The elevator doors opened up once more to a rather spacious hallway with additional chairs and a recreation of medieval armor sitting behind a display case. Room 4 was at the very end of the hallway with a holographic display signifying that Emily was residing here. A green light emitted near the door panel to indicate she was indeed inside, and with a quick buzz, she was notified that she was to have guests. The door unlocked and opened by itself. Emily was not there to greet them, but rather she was spending time in her creative zone doodling away.  "'Ellooooooo? Emmy? You in here?" Lena had called out.

The freckled girl lifted her head out of her drafting station and swung her head to check the time. Her eyes widened and then she quickly stood up. She had packed her bags already, but she hadn't realized she shirked on her duties to get the rest of her necessities in the luggage. "Coming!" She had said, and then rushed into the main living room. "Hey! Um gimme just a few minutes here..." The redheaded girl then brushed her bangs behind her ears and then gestured that they wait a moment, and ran off to go grab more things.

Lena sat down on a white sofa and patiently waited for Emily to finish up packing. The cold woman on the other hand was observing the apartment with piqued curiosity. For a moment though, she glanced over to Lena and noticed she was preoccupied slightly with tapping her hands on her lap and bopping her head whilst humming some song Amélie wasn't too familiar with. It was something to do, at least, so the woman kept on going. The only sounds to be heard were the shuffles of Amélie around the apartment floor, Lena's humming, and Emily stuffing her bag full of things in the background.

It then came to Amélie had diverted her attention towards a rather unique drawing that was framed on the wall. Something about it seemed...off, yet in a good way. Regardless, it entertained the woman for some few moments before she went to go sit down next to Lena. They didn't have a chance to talk as Emily had dressed herself up and strolled out with one large luggage bag filled with all the necessities. A bit overkill, perhaps, but she liked having more than enough even if it meant she'd only stay for 3 days. Above all else, she brought her portable drawing station with her so she could doodle on the go. The device itself was strapped on her thigh for safekeeping, and with a soft smile, she nervously scratched her head. "Sorry it took so long. Let's go."

Fast-forward another half hour later, the three arrived back in the loft. Lights inside the building turned themselves on as they entered in, and the quiet and snow-covered view of Paris transitioned into the wintery night of London. Amélie began taking off her scarf first and wrapped it around the coat hangar, then she took off her coal-colored overcoat blazer. The other two Brits soon followed, and the spider beckoned Emily to come with.

"As we agreed. You take my room, Winston takes the guest room, I share a room with Lena." She moved her hand towards the door leading to her own room and nodded. "Please do not touch anything you aren't supposed to."

"Aha, okay." Emily chuckled as she moved her luggage inside. She nodded in a little, mostly in approval about the minimalistic approach Amélie took to the pad. Then, Emily shut the door behind her and got to work unwinding. This left the two girls alone, with Lena getting her chronal accelerator off and placed in the charging station. Wiping her hands, the young adventurer propped herself right down on the sofa and loudly sighed a breath of relief.

"Nice to take that bloody thing off now. Felt too iffy with the last one I had." For a moment though, Lena reflected back to it and nervously scratched her head. "The uh...the one ya kicked in."

Raising her hand, Amélie brushed off the notion. She didn't like to be reminded of her past actions and preferred to keep those memories stored elsewhere. She too took a seat down on the sofa. She pondered about the conversations they had in the car, specifically one where Emily was still a student in an artistic school. Strange as it was, Emily preferred to practice hand-drawing. It was an ancient technique, especially in this day and age where all the artwork of the world turned to digital and simulated reality bending.

Just then, Lena nestled up to Amélie while she was still contemplating, and softly giggled when she caught the woman off-guard. "C'mere, you~" She wrapped her arms around the cold woman's waist and began teasing her. This had caused Amélie to laugh a bit and she didn't try to resist, knowing well enough that it'd be a little pointless. After a while, the two settled down and chuckled before kissing each other tenderly, just before the spider closed her eyes. She was suddenly a little tired out from tonight's ride back and forth. Then, Lena pressed her head on Amélie's chest, and she could hear a very consistent heartbeat that the woman seemed unaware of.

"Hey. Amélie." Lena whispered, and Amélie hummed, wondering what her love could want right now. "Your heart."

Blinking, the woman rose up slightly and looked down. "What about it?" She felt confused, but then the young girl moved her hands towards her heart. It was thumping at a regular, human rate - something Amélie hadn't felt in almost a decade. How odd, Amélie thought to herself. There was no chest pain to associate the accelerated heartrate, but she did feel...genuinely alive. In that moment, she warmly smiled and chuckled, a little astounded by what was happening.

But then her heart beat a lot slower, and it reverted back to abnormal palpitations. Clutching her chest, Amélie gasped in pain and almost fainted. The young girl rose up from her cuddling position and became a little alarmed. "Amélie!"

The woman remained still for a moment before inhaling a deep breath. "Agh...merde (Damn)." She slowly rose up from the couch and almost stumbled trying to even stand up. When Amélie steadied her balance, she ensured that things would be perfectly okay, but Lena wouldn't have any of it. The adventurer helped escort Amélie to somewhere she could properly rest.

Once the cold woman got her feet into bed, she had undressed to wear only a white t-shirt and panties, while the rest of her clothes were on the floor. Before long though, Amélie quietly requested she just get some sleep and turn in early tonight. Perhaps tomorrow, she was hoping to play the piano just for the pleasure of seeing Emily and Winston's reaction to it. A little light peered out at the door sill as Lena exited the room.

She didn't know how many hours passed as she fell asleep. Amélie could vaguely smell the scent of food and hear the two Brits laughing during the night, but after that...it was just silent. Eerily silent. She dreamed, and it was the first time this month she dreamed.

She dreaded it, mostly because her dreams quickly turned into nightmares of her past. It started off always in her old house - the Estate in Annecy, with her husband. Sometimes it would change to end with her killing Gérard, or sometimes it'd deviate and she'd end up doing something else. This one was different, and it was different because it didn't start off in Annecy, and it started in a lab.

Amélie was strapped in a chair and she was unable to move. There were people cruelly laughing despite nobody else being present in the room. A mechanical contraption loomed over her head, and she dreaded looking at it. This was the machine she feared and the one that kept her in her place. The dream was beyond distorted shortly after, and flashes of memories bled in-between like a sadistic montage of violent assassinations she committed.

In the real world, Lena had been sleeping right next to Amélie and had slid her arms around the woman's waist to keep her company. She was awoken by the sense that something was very wrong, and it became more obvious when she could feel Amélie shaking and muttering to stop. There were occasional gasps and whimpers, and this was something that had alarmed Lena the most. She didn't think it would happen again - and not in such a short amount of time. The last one was a couple of weeks ago.

The young girl rose up and tried to get Amélie to wake up. She softly whispered her name, and pursed her lips. "Amélie..." It was getting a bit more frantic as the few moments passed by. How bad was it this time? The memories kept flashing ever so faster. It fast forwarded almost a decade of horrible deaths, and then it slowed down.

It was still. The weather felt warm, and the night lit up. Amélie was on her back staring up at the night sky, with the cold concrete roof the only thing she could feel. A lot of commotion was coming from several stories below. She rose up and had found herself in King's Row again, the night she assassinated Mondatta.

Except it played out differently. There were no guards, for they were all incapacitated, and the crowd turned from some thousand people to almost a million in the streets. She had no control over her body, and before she knew it, she was coiling her grappling hook on her feet to position herself to kill the omnic again. Nobody was there to stop her, and not even Tracer had showed up. The moment was just perfect, she wasted no more time dawdling about.

Bang. Her Widow's Kiss fired off a single bullet, and in her sights was Mondatta. She looked down her scope just to confirm the kill, but the Omnic was still standing. She was now looking at Lena, who, in a split-second decision, body-blocked the shot. The bullet had penetrated through her accelerator core and splurted out blood that stained the podium and caused her to slump over. Her immediate bleed-out shocked the entire crowd. It was then Amélie had just realized she had shot Lena and she was too far away to save her from dying. A few seconds passed in the dream, and only then did it allow her to move freely now. She dropped her gun, and tried yelling out. She couldn't hear anything anymore, and her grappling hook detached to make her fall.

That was when Amélie woke from her nightmare and screamed out. It took a few moments to register it all, and she was panting heavily. She could feel beads of sweat fall down onto her face. "No. No...!" Her breathing was shaky, and her first instinct was to check on Lena. The woman's head turned to face the left-side of the bed, and she could see that the young girl was up, frowning slightly.

She stifled. Then she could feel tears roll down her cheeks, and Amélie's lips quivered. By instinct, she came over and swung her arms around Lena into a hug. She refused to be silent about it, visibly sobbing. Her grip tightened around Lena's body as her nightmares still swirled around in her mind. "It's very cold, Lena..." Her head was now buried on the side of Lena's neck.

All the young girl simply did was put her hand behind the nape of Amélie's neck and softly stroked up and down. "I'm here." She had softly whispered into the woman's ear repeatedly. It was hard for her to hold back her own tears, and she could feel them escape the more Amélie cried. "It's just a dream. You're safe."

Whatever happened must've been truly terrible, Lena had thought to herself. She didn't want to speak about it because it'd be painful for the both of them. Rather than do so, she consoled the spider and nuzzled her, trying to make sure she was okay. But the truth of the matter is...things were not okay. She knew damn well that things wouldn't be okay this early into Amélie's freedom.

"...Do you hate me?" The woman spoke through her sobs. "Because of what I've done...?"

"No, luv. That wasn't you." The young girl had replied back in a soothing voice. "That was never you."

The crying subsided after a while, and there were only sniffles to be heard. Amélie's tears had soaked through Lena's shirt as she backed away to look at her. "I..."

She didn't want to hear it. Lena placed her index finger to silence Amélie, and she sighed. "Please, don't do this to yourself..." Her tears were still going, but she wiped them away on her own and exhaled. "I love you. I love you so much, and that's all you need to hear tonight." Then, she caressed the spider's cheek. "Just look at me. Focus on me." With a small smile, Lena tilted her head to the left and let the small, intimate moments between them pass. She leaned in and then gave Amélie a deep kiss, right on her lips. It was sloppy and a little wet, but Lena could feel the other woman tense up and relax as she did so. As Lena pulled away, Amélie pulled her back in for an embrace. She closed her eyes and softly whimpered, sniffling every now and then.

That night, she didn't get very much sleep. Lena spent most of her night trying to ease and lull Amélie, and eventually she did. It perhaps 2:00 A.M. in the morning before Amélie had calmed down enough to go rest without anymore disturbances. The snow outside had lightened up, but it was still going and it had covered the windows with ice, thus the simulation of France was a bit muddled compared to the one for London. When it was time for Lena to lay down as well, she curled up with her love and then held her tight.

#Widowtracer #Overwatch #Overwatch fanfic #Widowmaker #Tracer #Emily Overwatch #Character: Emily #Character: Tracer #Character: Widowmaker

[artistsorrells-blog]

Homage: Shinichi Maruyama

 I came across the photographer last year in my photography 1 class. I love how as a photographer he uses crate use of the shutter speed. When we first did the project of how I found out about him we were talking about movement. And we were talking about how the use of a long Open Shutter Speed was over seconds and he does this with his nudes where he shows and has the dancer overtime showing the movement and in theory it looks like a photo that was captured over times and seconds cuuse you have the motion blur but it wasn't it was capture where he took 10,000 photos and one second with a strobe. And how this can only take a day to shoot it took him over a year to make the images that he wanted. The camera he uses is a phase one p45 camera and a bronecolor strobe to capture these images that he does. With the water sculptures and also the news these photos just so huge amount of movement on two different scales capturing one in a second and capturing one of them overtime and it just makes for a beautiful fine art.

 Shinichi Maruyama was born in 1968 in Nagano. Japan. He studied at Chiba University and worked as member of Hakuhodo Photo Creative as well as a freelance photographer from 1992-98. While in Japan the artist traveled frequently to Tibet to complete two photography books about the Spiti Valley region, The Spiti Valley, and Spiti.In 2003 he moved to New York City and began work on what would become his Kusho series (translated as “writing in the sky”). Completed in 2006, the series is comprised of graphic, abstract images of sumi calligraphy ink and water captured as the liquids collide and combine in mid-air. Influenced by the artist’s lifelong interest in calligraphy, this series has received critical attention worldwide and resulted in a solo exhibition held at the Bruce Silverstein Gallery in 2009. In 2010, the artist completed his second series, Water Sculptures, featuring images of water forms caught in mid air, with their accompanying shadows and reflections upon the ground.

 Shinichi Maruyama Statement:

Nude

 I tried to capture the beauty of both the human body’s figure and its motion.

The figure in the image, which is formed into something similar to a sculpture, is created by combining 10,000 individual photographs of a dancer.　

By putting together uninterrupted individual moments, the resulting image as a whole will appear to be something different from what actually exists.

With regard to these two viewpoints, a connection can be made to a human being’s perception of presence in life. Time-lapse photography has the unique ability to reveal hidden dimensions to even the most familiar forms. Take for example Japanese photographer Shinichi Maruyama’s nudes, which capture the human body in a way we’ve never seen before. Each image combines 10,000 individual frames snapped while dancers perform meticulously choreographed gestures. The result straddles the line between sculpture and performance art.

“I tried to express the beauty of both the human body’s figure and its motion as well as the concept of time,” he says.

Though the images are flowing and organic and appear utterly spontaneous, they were the result of months of careful planning. Maruyama is keeping the technical details of the process to himself, but did say that although shooting the images required only a day, the choreography took five months to prepare. Layering the images to create the final pieces required another eight months.

“I had planned what I’d like the final form to be,” says Maruyama, whose studio is in New York. “Jessica Lang developed and finalized the movements for the dancers.”

He cites Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase as a major inspiration for the project. Like Duchamp, Maruyama also drew inspiration from the early sequence photography of Étienne-Jules Marey. When discussing his work, Maruyama often invokes Zen Buddhism and its notion of impermanence. Even though his photos appear to be one fluid motion, he likes to think about them as the accumulation of distinct events.

“In everyday life, we feel that time is flowing but it is actually an endless repetition,” he says. “One moment appears and disappears then another moment appears after and disappears… In Zen, we think that every moment is independent from one another.”

   Gardens

 It is said that a Zen garden represents in a three dimensional space the spirits of high priests who have achieved enlightenment. The Zen garden is the expression of boundless cosmic beauty in a physical environment, created through intense human concentration, labor and repeated action.

 One can attain a feeling of serenity by simply being in the space of a Zen garden. It is its own universe, empowering the visitor to resist temptation, eliminate negative thought, and sever the continuous stream of inessential information emanating from the outside world.

 I have tried to represent this feeling I get from Zen gardens in my artwork. Although I am still far from those enlightened monks who labor in nature, my actions of repeatedly throwing liquid into the air and photographing the resulting shapes and sculptural formations over and over-endlessly-could be considered a form of spiritual practice to find personal enlightenment.

    Water Sculpture

 I am fascinated by the fragility and incompleteness that

exists with all things beautiful.

I throw water into the air, and in mid-flight it changes

shape constantly, being pulled by gravity and bursting

with surface tension. Each flight barely lasts more than a

second.

In each moment, the water becomes a beautiful figure which

can be defined as a “part man-made and part natural”

sculpture.

I wanted to capture these beautiful impermanent water

sculptures by photographing them in the exact moment, when

the essence of their existence is pure.

  Kusho

 As a young student, I often wrote Chinese characters in sumi ink. I loved the nervous, precarious feeling of sitting before an empty white page, the moment just before my brush touched the paper. I was always excited to see the unique result of each new brushing.

Once your brush touches paper, you must finish the character, you have one chance. It can never be repeated or duplicated. You must commit your full attention and being to each stroke. Liquids, like ink, are elusive by nature. As sumi ink finds its own path through the paper grain, liquid finds its unique path as it moves through air.

Remembering those childhood moments, of ink and empty page, I fashioned a large “brush” and bucket of ink. I get the same feeling, a precarious nervous excitement, as I stand before the empty studio space. Each stroke is unique, ephemeral. I can never copy or recreate them. I know something fantastic is happening. “a decisive moment”, but I can’t fully understand the event until I look at these captured after images, these paintings in the sky.

   He cites Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase as a major inspiration for the project. Like Duchamp, Maruyama also drew inspiration from the early sequence photography of Étienne-Jules Marey. When discussing his work, Maruyama often invokes Zen Buddhism and its notion of impermanence. Even though his photos appear to be one fluid motion, he likes to think about them as the accumulation of distinct events. “In everyday life, we feel that time is flowing but it is actually an endless repetition,” he says. “One moment appears and disappears then another moment appears after and disappears… In Zen, we think that every moment is independent from one another.”

[nofomoartworld]

Art F City: Museum Punk Show in Need of A Sound Guy

Gardar Eide Einarsson, “Always Carry A Bible / All Cops Are Bastards,” 2007

Punk. Sus rastros en el arte contemporáneo Museo Universitario del Chopo Curated by David G. Torres Until March 26th, 2017

Featuring: Tere Recarens, Martin Arnold, Johan Grimonprez, Federico Solmi, Dan Graham, T.R Uthco, Ant Farm, María Pratts, Iztiar Okariz, Chiara Fumai, Raisa Maudit, Fabienne Audéoud, Eduardo Balanza, TRES, Raymond Pettibon, Die Tödliche Doris, Mabel Palacín, Christian Marclay, Guerrilla Girls, Brice Dellsperger, Jordi Colomer, Pepo Salazar, Juan Pérez Agirregoikoa, Jota Izquierdo, Israel Martínez, Aida Ruilova, Antonio Ortega, Luis Felipe Ortega, Daniel Guzmán, Jimmie Durham, Mike Kelley, Tony Oursler, João Louro, Paul McCarthy, João Onofre, Santiago Sierra, Yoshua Okon, Miguel Calderón, Nan Goldin, Enrique Jezik, Guillermo Santamarina, VALIE EXPORT, Kendell Geers, Laureana Toledo, Sarah Minter, Semefo, DR. LAKRA, Gardar Eide Einarsson.

MEXICO CITY– I’m struggling to watch Aïda Ruilova’s 2009 video “Meet the Eye,” in which the actress Karen Black alternately attempts to seduce and crazily berate Raymond Pettibon between rapid edits. She’s wearing babydoll-style makeup, which gives her a subtly Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? vibe, and I’m hooked to the melodrama. But I have no idea what the argument is about, because I can barely hear the audio track over the sound of gunshots, a faint electroclash song playing somewhere, countless indistinguishable noises, and the invitation “Let’s go for it!” being repeated in a grating child’s voice.

The gallery is an ADHD nightmare. It contains not one, but two talking Mike Kelley works and several videos by other artists. In one, the Spanish performance artist Itziar Okariz is pissing on a parked car in the middle of New York City. On the other (source of the electroclash track) I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a dead-eyed princess dripping with cum.

By the time I turn back to Ruilova’s piece the loop has ended. My questions are unanswered. The curatorial strategy here leaves me with so many more.  

From Raisa Maudit’s 2012 “FART: Global Art Fair”

Punk. Sus rastros en el arte contemporáneo, now on view at Museo Universitario Del Chopo, is sort of a mess. That’s not to say the work here isn’t good—it’s great—but the show is an overwhelming, over-stimulating experience that’s often draining when it should be wholly inspiring. I can’t think of another exhibition I’ve been to in which I’ve loved nearly every artwork yet couldn’t wait to get the hell out of each gallery. Maybe that abrasiveness is deliberate? The experience did, after all, remind me of trying to have one-on-one conversations with dear friends while a noise musician performs on the other side of a party in a squat. If the past 35 years have rendered audiences numb to “shocking” artworks, perhaps subverting museum-caliber curatorial conventions is the last punk gesture.

That’s a thought I might not have had, were it not for the fact that (I think) I entered the exhibition backwards. The galleries are stacked in a concrete box addition inside the museum—an airy 1902 glass pavilion that, appropriately, was home to Mexico’s famous punk market “El Chopo” until the late 80s. I started from the top floor, the library, where punk memorabilia is arranged in vitrines, more or less chronologically alongside didactic text. This part of the exhibition, at least for me, was surprisingly enjoyable. The text places punk in an art historical context, citing Dada, the Situationists, John Waters’ films, and Warhol’s factory as conceptual forefathers. Alongside the familiar narratives of the CBGBs scene and parallels in London, the curators discuss Spain’s Movida Madrileña—one of my favorite, under-historicized moments in subculture—the Spanish-speaking world’s more recent equivalent of the experimental Weimar Republic years. I got an undeniable thrill from seeing a video of all-female Basque punk band Las Vulpess’ cover of “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” enshrined in a museum (in Spanish, the song translates to “I like being a slut”, and its broadcast on television sparked a debate about censorship, gender, and “decency” in Spain’s relatively new socialist democracy). From photos of drag icon Divine to punk band Eskorbuto, never had I felt more cool nerding out in a museum. Importantly, the show ties the influence of both European and anglophone punk to Mexican subculture in the 80s and 90s. That’s a topic I’m glad the show gave me an introduction to. (Indeed, I’d like to revisit Sarah Minter’s hour-long video “Alma Punk” from 1992 in a less overwhelming context. It’s a candid DIY document of Mexico’s punk scene from that era.)

Enrique Ježik, “La fiesta de las balas,” (The Bullet Party) 2011.

If the academic and “precious” vitrines of punk history and artifacts were unexpected, the gallery beneath it seemed like a contemporary assault on the culture of display—quite literally. The aforementioned gunshot sounds are from an Enrique Ježik sculpture, “La fiesta de las balas,” 2011. The piece comprises three bulletproof glass display cases, evocative of Damien Hirst works, riddled with craters from bullets. They’re installed in their own room, like a shooting range, but the sound from the shooting recording reverberates through half the museum. The piece stuck with me beyond my initial reaction (a teen boy destruction fantasy) as a commentary on both the cult of art object worship, and the futility of resisting it. Like Warhol’s “Shot Marilyns”, the piece’s value lies in it doubling as a record of the violence committed against it.

But “La Fiesta de las balas” also points to two of the exhibition’s most glaring problems: it’s one of the few works here that actually should be experienced as a physical object, and it’s loud as hell. There are only a few other sculptural works in the show, and at least half of them involve an audio or video component that’s competing with other sounds in an echoey gallery.

Still from Brice Dellsperger’s “Body Double 16“

And sound is a big, big problem for a show that’s overwhelmingly based on video. Don’t get me wrong: nearly every video here is fantastic. I spent untold hours diligently viewing relatively short works such as Raisa Maudit’s 2012 “FART: Global Art Fair” (in which the artist parodies the gallery/artist relationship in a tiara and semen during a fake interview with herself) or Ant Farm’s 1975 “The Eternal Frame,” in which the artists reenact the assassination of JFK, complete with drag Jackie O. But in such a busy exhibition, to expect visitors to sit through Dan Graham’s hour-long “Rock my Religion” is asking a bit much. If you’re curating a program with more time-based-media than a museum has hours, perhaps a gallery exhibition isn’t the way to go. I couldn’t shake the impression that Punk would’ve made a fantastic screening series and publication, with perhaps a much leaner gallery install where noise-emitting sculptures had more space to breathe. It felt like a missed opportunity for content with so much potential for event-based programming and critical writing—especially considering the museum has its own movie theater.

It’s frustrating to view video works when they’re all looping at different rates in a gallery context. There’s a rich history of subversive cinema as a collective viewing experience, and so many of these works would be better on the big screen. I am thinking especially of Brice Dellsperger’s “Body Double 16.” It’s short, but screams for cinematic treatment. In the piece, Dellsperger assumes a variety of characters in drag, committing various acts of violence against the other characters he’s also playing. The artist recreates scenes from A Clockwork Orange and Ken Russell’s Women In Love with surprisingly beautiful cinematography that makes the punk/masochistic content so much stranger. 

Pepo Salazar, “Yoga Alliance,” 2015.

It’s one of many highlights lining the ramp gallery (which is either the entrance or exit, depending on the route one takes). There’s really too much excellent work here to talk about it all—but I’d be remiss for neglecting Pepo Salazar’s assemblage “Yoga Alliance,” which is arguably one of my favorite artworks of the past few years. It comprises a digital print of bald Britney Spears, from her very public meltdown a decade ago, and a black wig hanging from the piece. It has a very “Punk’s not dead” (rather lurking in unexpected places) vibe, and the physical wig almost reads like an invitation to the viewer to join in the rebellion.

Install view with Die Tödliche Doris, “Das Leben des Sid Vicious,” 1981 (L); Christian Marclay, “Record Players,” 1983-84; and Guillermo Santamarina, “Frei vom jedem Schaden!” installation of albums thrown like a discus at the wall in the background.

Descending the ramp, through more video projections, the last piece I encountered (or the first for viewers who start from the bottom up) was Catalan artist Jordi Colomer’s “No Future.” The video follows an old car mounted with an electric sign bearing the titular text as it drives across European cities. The piece is from 2006, and as the “NO? FUTURE!” message crossed a likely expensive, Calatrava-looking bridge, it felt eerily prescient. Filmed just before the global recession and the political turmoil that ensued, Colomer seemed to know that punk would suddenly become relevant anew. If The Decline of Western Civilization is accelerating, at least somebody is still having a little fun while we’re along for the ride.

Jordi-Colomer-No-Future-2006

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