Frank Warren’s Postsecret
I first met Postsecret lying in a Mexican hammock hung approximately a hundred metres away from a smelly dank dodgy hallway. ‘I wish I had lung cancer so my mom would quit smoking’, it told me. I was surprised. You don’t ever really expect to hear (or read) such a deep dark and tabooed secret, even from your nearest and dearest. But I guess if your nearest and dearest is the one who is the cause of that pain, you aren’t exactly going to share that with them. Right?
That is the problem of secrets and the beauty of Postsecret – we all (and don’t tell me that you don’t) like to tell strangers secrets deeper and darker than what we would tell those who know us best; it’s simply about who we are willing to hurt by our information. There is a certain anonymity in telling your deep dark to a stranger; there is no incriminating evidence.
Which is probably why, in late 2004, Frank Warren started receiving a steady stream of dank secrets in the form of postcards. You see, he had welcomed the country of the United States of America to anonymously paint their stories of pain, type their happiness in courier sans, collage their anger onto a six-by-four-and-a-quarter inch piece of cardboard and, basically, send all their confusion and mess away. At least for a little while.
Warren had given perfect strangers a perfect reprieve, however momentary, from the secret pain that they dragged around with them, and then put it all in a book. It’s dark and somewhat depressing, but I found it quite addictive. Like reading someone’s diary …what? You’ve never done that before?
Of course, it could just be me and I could be talking crap, but just remember what the smart (hatin’) Postsecret correspondent said: ‘When most people talk to me, I am thinking ‘what an idiot!’
Tagged: coffee table books
Also by JESSIE CHEUNG
When we feel bad about buying Made in China, we buy it anyway. When the kids at Peppermint Mag feel the guilt, they buy American Apparel. These cats have shown that it’s easy to be cute and stylish while being environmentally conscious. Enviro-friendly is no longer the domain of long-haired hippies and tie-dyed shirts. Welcome to the era of reuse, recycle and the revision of our tomorrow, one little pom pom hat at a time.
Oscar Diaz’s Ink Calendar has taken the month by storm — one ink blot at a time. After its initial display at the Diseño con alma de agua (Design of Water with a Soul) exhibition at Madrid’s Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Ink Calendar’s unusual technique of using capillary action to ‘stain’ each day of the month has reignited the design world’s senses. That humidity may render the ‘calendar’ inaccurate, but this should be ignored since it’s brilliant and utterly beautiful.
The allusions are endless. Sydney’s Pocket Bar is tiny, bursting at the seams with people wanting to get at the never-ending supply of stuff (namely the tasty nibbles and a raft of fine vino) and we’re pretty sure that they would have an offering of rubber bands and string if you asked politely. While these are indeed defining attributes in any establishment, we feel that what really makes this inner city Sydney café bar more than just another inner city Sydney café bar is the fact that it offers savoury crepes after 6, wine by the half bottle and National Geographic magazines. Now that’s my idea of heaven. [photo via Anik In The Pacific]
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Miaow is a Boston-based line of handmade plush animals. They use really fantastic fabrics, and the birds and penguins have articulated wings. I wonder how well they’ll go with my Iron Maiden bed sheets.
I’ve been admiring the work of Portland illustrator John Klassen for a while now. I’m irrepressibly drawn to his muted, textured landscapes, in all their mysterious glory. No coincidence then that a Coraline section should have recently appeared on his site. It just makes me want to see the movie even more. Read more
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I’m definitely one of those people who can’t help but believe the world will suffer humanity-altering calamities within our lifetimes. Robert Graves e Didier Modoc-Jones created these postcards depicting what London may look like by the end of this century. Read more
We like this blog, Silent Cities. We like seeing images of some of the most noisy and crowded places in the world momentarily bathed in silence. There is something both serene and eerie about these scenes. The images above and below are from London, Sydney and Detroit. Read more
I’ve just come across the music of Minneapolis band Cloud Cult, and their song Chemicals Collide in particular. Their sound is a mix of scratchy acoustic guitar riffs mixed in with staccato beats and airy harmonies, all infused with a beautiful sense of lyrical melancholy. Read more
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Never ever, ever, ever, ever park here
Some friendly advice for the neighbours, who simply don’t get it, or street art? You decide which one it is.
Pitched as ‘Ulterior Motives in Contemporary Art’, Disorder Disorder is running until November 14 at Penrith Regional Gallery. It’ll be well worth the trip out west of Sydney: the Australian, Japanese, American and European cast reads like a warriors of street art roundup and includes Mike Giant, Ed Templeton, Anthony Lister [artwork above], Ozzie Wright, and Jonathan Zawada. Read more
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Francoise Nielly’s Yellow series
Parisian visual artist Francoise Nielly brings technicolour to the forefront in her latest series, Yellow. Featuring thick impasto palette knife strokes and trippy neon hues, Nielly captures the vulnerable expressions of her muses to a tee. Read more
How ’bout this Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi guy, huh? Quite the illustrator, yessiree Bob. From Spain, too. Spain is great! Read more
Okayboss is an illustrator based in sunny Sydney who combines the powers of PB&J sandwiches, cats on the Internet, and a pocketful of edible crayons into a rainbow Voltron drawingbot. His shirts are anything from abstract space particles, to hands with expressions, while his music-inspired art prints are playful, witty, and gorgeous. Okayboss items are available for sale in the Lost At E Minor Store. Read more
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