
Masataka Nakano’s ‘My Lost America’
Masataka Nakano’s ‘My Lost America’ photography book ran past my eyes at one of my favourite photography bookstores in Berlin. It’s a very nostalgic look at the lost years of America in the 80s, the centrepiece of which is a startlingly eerie picture of the twin towers hovering over New York before they were attacked in 2001. It seems that in the 80s people were happier, things were hotter, and people were far more subdued. But then again, maybe it was because of the huge cocaine boom? Who would have thought that a Japanese photographer by the name of Masataka Nakano would have undertaken such a project: ‘The colour photographs that fill every page of this book are then a slice of America that has slowly disappeared, yet draw on iconic and timeless images of people captured on the street, empty spaces, billboards and signage, streetscapes, parks and Cadillac’s and Chevrolets’. Simply dazzling!
Tagged: 1980s, Japanese photographers
RELATED
Retro throwbacks: classic 80s soft drinks ads
Oh man, the 80s were fun. Back then it was all beaches and smiles, lightweight soft drinks and squeaky clean advertising. Somewhere along the way, the message was corrupted, and the beach bunny actresses and guitar shredder actors of that golden era of naivety were forever tainted with the pastiche of their weird TV legacies. Read more
The renowned brand of pianos, Baldwin, launched a new line of Exoticos Products, inspired by the eccentric artistic viewpoint of pianos that were used by the master Liberace in the 70s and 80s. This collection has customizations for everybody: fluorescent reminiscences, African Savanna inspirations, a little bit of the casinos of Las Vegas, and the spirit of the American Way of Life.

Also by ARI STEIN

Ten years of German photographer Jürgen Teller’s candid, glamorous photo campaigns for Marc Jacobs’ men’s and women’s collections have been collated into one cohesive 576-page fashion bible. This book does an excellent job of detailing just how significant this collaboration has been for fashion, featuring appearances from the likes of Sofia Coppola, Charlotte Rampling, Meg White, Thurston Moore, Rufus Wainwright, William Eggleston, and Winona Ryder. Read more

One of the most intriguing stories I’ve come across this year is about a young artist called Yonlu, born Vinicius Gageiro Marques in the town of Porto Alegre, in Brazil. His story is short but fascinating. As it goes, this sixteen year old songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and virtual artist locked himself in his bathroom, signed on to one of the various suicide forums he belonged to on the Internet, and took his own life, remaining online until the very end. After his death, his father went through his computer and found numerous musical creations, including the songs that make up his debut album through Luaka Bop. It’s an amazing listen and very ahead of its time.

Edgar Muller’s three-dimensional street art
Some people are talented, others are just truly remarkable. German artist Edgar Muller makes these three-dimensional apocalyptic fantasy street art in cities across the world. His work is reminiscent of that of English artist, Julian Beever. Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (0)
No comments yet.
HAVE YOUR SAY
This photo from Rhode Island photographer Diana Brennan has made my day. The delicate beauty she captures, which is so tender and still, is a nice thing to pontificate over a rich coffee and a sense of quiet introspection. ‘Brennan shoots mainly with a digital SLR camera, but also enjoys using vintage film cameras and experimenting with different techniques. She believes that the essence of a scene is often captured best by photographing the details. Her work evokes her love of natural New England, her awareness of the environment, and her passion to create’.
A Dutch insurance company recently launched a pretty creative ad campaign that was put on the backs of buses in Amsterdam, making them look like they were actually moving backwards.
Converse kicks off its hundredth anniversary with 1HUND(RED), a special artist series with proceeds going to the Global Fund. The project is a year-long release of shoes designed by notable artists, including Auckland-based illustrator, Dennis Juan Ma, whose shoe [above] is number twenty in the series.
Beast is a new collaboration between the Montreal-based French producer, Jean-Phi Goncalves, frontman of the electro band Plaster, and singer Betty Bonifassi. Their sound inhabits a place where the cinematic grandeur of Portishead meets the immediacy of Rage Against the Machine. Bonifassi calls it ‘trip rock’, invoking the way haunting choirs and glitchy electronic bits run underneath saw-toothed bass and grinding guitars, and she may be onto something. You can download their single Mr Hurricane for free via the Music Download section of this site.
On a recent trip to San Francisco, I was lucky enough to meet with John Trippe, the main man behind the popular arts based site, Fecal Face. Read more
An intelligently told, morally complex tale with a raft of unexpected twists, Gone Baby Gone is one of the most original films of recent times. Most films give you a sense of their narrative arc and it is easy to recognise the major plot points. Read more
NASA has released some pretty amazing audio recordings of sounds from the moons of Saturn. The weirdest thing about them is that they actually sound like Theremin warbles and echoey whooshy sounds from ‘50s movies about space.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST

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.

Good thing Kris Kuksi channelled the trauma of growing up with an alcoholic stepfather, his disdain for ‘the typical American life and pop culture’, and his fascination with the macabre into obsessive, baroque assemblages, paintings, and drawings. Read more

Karen Caldicott’s clay head models
British born, New York-based model maker Karen Caldicott has been making clay heads for all major US publications over the last decade. Read more

There is not a medium that UK illustrator Lizzy Stewart cannot wrap around her little finger to make the most beautiful, whimsical images. Read more

Italian-born, New York City-based photographer Paolo Ventura creates fairy-tale like pictures out of amazingly constructed, miniature dioramas that almost trick the eye into thinking he’s a tilt-shift photographer. Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
New York-based artist Suzuki Mariko has made this handmade felt doll set of a mom and happy baby bear sitting on a sofa. At just three inches wide and two inches high, it’s perfect for your side table. It can even watch TV with you. Aw! We have it for sale in the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it’s not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.











