Stephen Tompkins
Stephen Tompkins makes some impressive Lichtenstein-esque paintings that look like Dali comic books. He is also a prolific experimental musician who makes dark, ambient sound collages and minimalist, beat-driven compositions.

Tagged: collages, comics, Dali, experimental music, experimental musician, Lichtenstein
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People have drawn comparisons between Virus and Talking Heads. The Norwegian trio surely incorporates a lot of jazz, experimental, and metal (the band is a supergroup of sorts with ties to bands like Satyricon, Aura Noir, and Inferno) elements, but their distinct gothic rock sound has very little connection to David Byrne and company. That’s not to say that it doesn’t rule.
Hark! A Vagrant’s Canadian Stereotype Comics
The very humor of Kate Beaton’s latest web comic series, Canadian Stereotype Comics, is predicated on the stereotype that Canadians are too non-descript to really have stereotypes. Plus, Beaton herself hails from the Great White North. Is that totally meta or what?
Taiwan-born, London-based illustrator Page Tsou has a storybook quality to her work, whether it’s ink drawings or her steampunk-ish collages. Read more
Also by GERRY MAK
Sydney-based multimedia artist Rochelle Haley works a lot with shadows and reflections, be it with her textured paper pieces, her mirror and glass pieces, or her performance piece Strings, which involves live improvised drawing projected over dancers.
These awesome pieces by Sinta Werner and Markus Wuste are like core samples taken from modern life, implying fragmented moments. Read more
Harlan Ellison says Pay the Writer
This vitriolic rant by author and screenwriter Harlan Ellison (from the upcoming documentary about him called Dreams With Sharp Teeth) really hit a nerve with me. As someone who works in creative fields, I’ve encountered countless people/employers who think because I enjoy art and writing, I will be happy to do it for free. Read more
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Design company BrandImage has just come out with their line of paper water bottles made out of renewable resources. The bottles themselves are recyclable, and while not as reusable as a plastic bottle, can still be reused a few times. These are cool designs, even if they still pander to our on-the-go, single-serving, throw-away culture. Their environmental friendliness is also dubious, considering most people will still choose to throw these things in the trash rather than taking the time to find a recycling bin.
Threads or Dead is a new Australian-based online clothing store, based in Perth, and selling streetwear and contemporary fashion for both guys and girls. Says site founder Justin Greenwood: ‘As well as stocking some of the more well known brands, we also import a lot of labels exclusively from America, and produce a small range of our own clothing. We want to sell clothing that is unique and often has a story behind it. We don’t want to sell clothing that is available in your average High Street store’. Read more
Our friends over at SNAP!, Montreal’s only free and independent arts and lifestyle magazine have just released their fourth issue in which they look back and celebrate the faded beauty of past eras, grandmas and grandpas, Polaroids, antique finds, old wisdom and vintage style. Yeeha! They also remember the best of 2008 in Montreal arts, with a variety of writers and photographers giving their take on their favourite cultural discoveries.
Firekites, from small town Australia (Newcastle to be exact), are my new musical obsession, and have been since early yesterday when their song Autumn Story randomly burst into my headphones and latched itself deep into my inner ear iPod. I wish they’d been around when I last lived in Sydney; it would have been well worth the two hour drive north to see them play. The whole album (The Bowery) is beautiful, but this song especially rings out with poignancy. I love the subtle sound of the fingers sliding across the guitar frets, the gently whispered vocals, which hint at secrets and cheeky serenades, and the sense of soulful introspection that tangles itself elegantly amongst its minor chord tapestry.
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The philosophy of a beginning is to me, a wonderful concept. I really enjoy flicking through the back catalogues of a musician and discovering their origin, then tracing their musical journey to the present. So for American-born, Paris-based sister duo CocoRosie, who released their third album The Adventure of Ghosthouse and Stillborn to much acclaim, making the trip to their beginnings is more than worth the journey: their debut album, Le Maison de Mon Reve (released back in 2004) was a gentle stroll through their pop and classical influences, which melt together seamlessly into a backdrop for their unique and enchanting voices.
Thanks to the Julia Roberts movie of 1988, Mystic, Connecticut is home to what is perhaps the most famous Pizza joint in America. Read more
Athens, Georgia art rockers Circulatory System have delivered an extraordinary 46-minute album sculpted from five years worth of accumulated sonic experimentation. Signal Morning ricochets across every raw nerve from the poppiest of impulses to the edge of ostensible sanity, without revealing a single cut corner or uninspired change.
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Creative advertising packaging
Despite the intentions of many, it’s not so often that advertising — as an industry — truly thinks outside the box. Yet, when executed well, clever eye-catching advertising actually works. It does. As these examples will attest to. Read more
German painter Armin Rohr’s works look like stills from Stan Brakhage films, all acid-washed, scratched out, and ethereal like a sudden flood of memories. Read more
Kate Banazi’s silkscreen artwork
A three-lettered ‘wow’ explodes in my mind whenever I look at the work of Sydney-based silkscreen artist Kate Banazi. Her latest work is fantastically dynamic, stylistic and abstract, making clever use of colour-bomb palettes. Read more
Entre Chien et Loup by Amira Fritz
This fashion photo series — Entre Chien et Loup — is the product of a collaboration between Parisian-based photographer Amira Fritz and Matthew Cunnington and John Sanderson. Read more
Forget battery powered vehicles. Cars made from ice are the future of transportation: no pollution, no honking horns, no painful rap music blasting out of souped up stereos. And if they melt, they melt. You just swim the rest of the way down the slipstream.
It’s spring cleaning time and we have a massive pile of assorted new release CDs to give away to a randomly selected LAEM subscriber. To enter, just be a subscriber and leave a note under this message telling us the city you live in.
Australian illustrator Moofus is just 11 years old. As he says, ‘my mum and dad won’t let me leave school to get a proper job, so I draw lots of pictures’. This limited edition print of Sydney’s Coogee Beach is printed on Epson heavyweight matt paper with archival inks and is just US$20 through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
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