Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception
Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception is a recollection of his ingesting of mescalin for the first time. The drug has been used for centuries by the native peoples of southwest America and Mexico, and is thought to be a catalyst for communion with deities. Instead of being another treatise on the positive aspects of drug consumption, this writing suggests that we can take a look at our daily rituals and ask ourselves ‘What am I doing?’ Most people are so preoccupied that they miss the wondrous beauty of life itself; the amazing depths of color, the richness of sounds, and the endless delights of touch and taste. Huxley claims that mescalin can peel away the layers of sensory deprivation we put up, and consequently suffocate ourselves with, on a daily basis. Part of this is a necessary means of survival, but ultimately we lose sight of what’s important and exciting about existence in our physical world - being in touch with our mind, body, and spirit, as well as the energy that pervades everything in our environment. I am a busy person, and so am familiar with being clouded by activity. This book helped me to re-evaluate my lifestyle in some ways and provoked some curiosity about what I’m ‘missing’.
Also by MATTHIAS SCHULZ - ENON
77 Boadrum was an event held in New York, and organized by the Boredoms, on the seventh of July, 2007. The idea was to set up 77 drum sets, spiraling out from the four Boredoms in the center. They would begin a rhythm and pass it along to the next drummer on the right until it reached drummer number 77. I wasn’t able to observe this epic event in total, as nearly 5,000 others were able, so perhaps I’m not the best authority on the subject. However, I was in the thick of it; lucky enough to participate as drummer number 75. I felt it. I played it. It changed me and the people who watched and absorbed it. Read more
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Sebastiaan Bremer’s drawings are some of the most stunning artworks I have seen recently. Words do fail. Read more
It goes without saying that Hip Hop has taken a few very low hits in the past decade. Thanks to the likes of 50 Cent and company, it accounts for around 40% of all music sold in America. It’s a huge industry. So where does that leave Hip Hop artists doing something a bit different? Lord T and Eloise wear wacky outfits, make crazy music and bring a whole lot of fun back into Hip Hop. What’s more, they’ve started a new genre called ‘Aristocrunk’. Watch out!
Brian Bress is my art obsession at the moment. I recently saw his show at the LFL gallery in New York, and his collages and photographs were so striking, modern and funny that I couldn’t stop staring at them.
Artist Bill Zeman has an ruthless, hard-nosed art director giving him orders — his four-year-old daughter. He posts the products of their stormy collaboration along with her devastating critiques on his blog, Tiny Art Director, where you can also purchase the book version. Read more
Having originally sprung from the Shaky Isles (otherwise known as New Zealand), I can appreciate the humour in the New Zealand cartoon series, Bro Town, the first homegrown animated series to screen during local prime time. It’s simply brilliant, a real play on the ‘thuck’ accent and small town ways of our Kiwi brethren.
Foster + Partners has declared that the walled city of Masdar in Abu Dhabi will be the world’s first zero-carbon and zero-waste city. Read more
Pioneering Australian designer Kara Smith can definitely give Urban Originals a run for their money. She creates the most innovative handbags for those that truly want to stand out. Detailed with lovely pockets and vintage buttons, Smith’s retro inspired designs literally transform original vintage fabrics into ‘one-off’ clutches, handbags, totes and accessories. I’m in love with her clutches! But yes, if you missed her over the week end at the Blue Mountain’s Leura Village Fair, she’s stocked in Glebe and Sydney’s Todae store, as well as at a variety of online outlets.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Muraida, Radioactive Green Edition
This wicked new villain, Muraida, from the OSK line is a 10 inch vinyl with six points of articulation. It comes in a combination of solid and clear vinyl, and is packed with more punch than a thousand GI Joe’s.
James Blagden’s neon fantasies
New York illustrator James Blagden’s work is so wonderfully trippy, I feel like I need to wear shades and a top hat when looking at them just to do them justice. Read more
While I am as impressed as anyone with an artist’s ability to render accurate and lifelike human figures, I’m more often compelled aesthetically by looser and more stylized images such as Camilla Engman’s. The wide-set eyes, bulbous bodies, and skewed proportions of the people and animals in Engman’s paintings lend them a certain expressiveness and melancholy. Read more
The work of Chicago artist Nigel Evan Dennis is emphatically modern and sparse, with textures and clean geometric shapes dominating the frame. I get the feeling I could really relax and breathe deeply with one of these beautiful images hanging on the wall. Read more
We asked Arizona-based artist Joe Sorren what we would have been if he hadn’t been handed the most ridiculously generous serving of artistic talent: ‘Art historian and conservationalist. Or a botanist. Or I’d work with horses. It would be interesting to be behind the scenes in politics, at least for a while. Or maybe a studio musician, or invent games, or a … I would rather paint’. Ah, we agree.
Legendary pop culture artist and Agit Pop founder Ron English will be a guest compiler of an upcoming issue of our email newsletter, writing about his favorite cultural discoveries. To read Ron’s edition of Lost At E Minor, simply sign up to our weekly newsletter. It’s free, you win!
This beautiful archival pigment print by New York-based illustrator, Fernanda Cohen, is called Fashion Ruined My Life. And it speaks for itself. Just look at her face! We have it for sale for just $75 in the Lost At E Minor online store. Read more
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