The Occasional Diaries Of Werner Herzog

WE'RE SUPPORTING

There’s something to be said for a really fun collaborative project. Says Ukraine artist, Sasha Shagi, about his Sparrow Project: ‘Twelve years ago, when I first touched the piano keys, I decided to become a famous pianist. I had everything needed to make my dream come true – long thin fingers, an open mind and too much energy. For seven years my friends were sharps, flats, sixths and seconds. Because of some changes in life, I failed to become a pianist and now I have nothing to do with these black and white keys. One year ago I decided to write a story of how I failed to become a pianist. I based it on different psychological experiments and trips abroad. It tells about the life of a guy named King of the Keys in four different cities – New York, Miami, Paris and Kiev’. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Originally hailing from Kendal, Cumbria and now based in Leeds, the Wild Beasts foursome are the next hopefuls for Domino Records, who sent the group out to Sweden to record their first album, Limbo, Panto, released on June the 16th. The new single — The Devil’s Crayon — shimmers in wide-screen around a sense of location, melody and wonder at the scale of things. Indeed, it sounds like the theme song to a new kind of very English road movie.

WE'RE THINKING

Now here’s a serious treat. The digital work of illustrator Aleks Senvald possess all the handmade charm of an actual painting, brimming with a giddy charm and sweetness, played out through her wonderfully rich narrative. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

The work of Australia’s Ben Frost is always interesting. He’s known for his controversial art juxtapositions that confront contemporary Western paradigms in our advertising obsessed society. Crapitalism is on display until November 3 at Opus Gallery in Newcastle, UK. I do hope any disgruntled viewers refrain themselves from slashing his work with a knife, unlike the infamous 2000 Australian episode.

History is the story of the winners, and western dominated culture recounts few triumphs from the east. Mongol is an effort to correct this balance, and the eastern influence is evident in much more than just the storyline. It is more like a fairy tale or legend handed down through generations, than based on fact, with mythical elements playing a major part, and the character’s motivations remaining simple. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Very Cheap Bag totes are eco-friendly and made from 100 percent unbleached cotton. They’re sturdy, yet lightweight. We love them, and think you will too. So we have them for sale in our online store for less than nine dollars.

WE'RE READING

Breakbeat duo, Evil Nine’s new album, They Live!, is one of the standout releases of the year. They Live! is powerful second album after 2005’s, You Can Be Special Too, its gruesome lyrics paying homage to all those misunderstood zombies out there. The duo — Automatom and Pardytron — compiled a Secret Playlist for us, writing about their eight favourite songs right now. Their first selection? Why, Toto’s Africa, of course [listen below]: ‘The epitome of smooth music, words can’t express how much this song rules! When the synths come in and the drums echo in the night, I’[m immediately transported back to my youth. Some people might say this is a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel no guilt. I just stick it on and bask in their mellow might'. Read the rest of the Evil Nine Secret Playlist.