Modern Collective
by In surf culture circles, the second half of 2009 belonged to Modern Collective. Six of the world’s most innovative surfers taking on world-class breaks suited to aerial surfing. This is no Endless Summer soul-search; it’s a film about the new generation of surfers creating a new style of surfing. Throwing ridiculous airs is hardly a new thing, but the stuff these guys are going for – and landing – has been blowing minds. Surf magazine execs scrambled for early viewings, and as they held clandestine meetings in darkened apartments around director Kai Neville’s MacBook Pro the opinions were unanimous; the game has been changed, for good. This is the biggest surf film release in years, possibly decades.
We’ve been drip-fed video segments and photos, have seen exclusive interviews and the surf art aspect of the film is well understood. It promised to break the surf film mould and be as much of an art project as it is a surf film. And for the most part, Modern Collective has succeeded in just that – beautiful cinematography and some incredible rhythmic editing places this a good cut above a standard surf film composition. There’s some nice cultural inclusions too, so the surf travellers out there will recognise a handful of locations. After having watched it a few times through, the only disappointment is the soundtrack; it’s that soul-less electro synth pop stuff that’s just oh-so-cool right now but will be oh-so-forgotten in a year’s time. It’s completely mismatched to the visuals. Anyway, that’s a small point. In every other way, this film is absolutely incredible.
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There’s a great story behind this prog-surf film. Riley Blakeway was an aspiring surf film-maker with incredible talent and a handfull of small film projects to his name. Chippa Wilson was a relatively unknown but amazing aerial surfer without the opportunity to show the world what he could do. In 2009, they won STAB magazine’s Little Weeds competition, respectively taking out the film-maker and surfer prizes. Read more
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I love that people like Tessa Hulls are still creating fantastical fairy tale worlds full of benevolent animals and ancient future tribes. Read more
Simone Lourenco makes mind-blowingly intricate and abstract paper sculptures that are inspired by plants. Read more
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Canadian designer Michael Surtees takes pictures of the same patch of sky every day as seen from his Manhattan apartment. Read more
The uber-hip French producer M83 has compiled a Secret Playlist for us in which he props Brian Eno, Julee Cruise, and Tears For Fears’ Head Over Heels: ‘This song was the biggest influence for my new album. Our track, Kim and Jesse, takes a lot of inspiration from 80s bands like Tears for Fears. This is one of my favourites’. Read the rest of M83′s Secret Playlist.
Macedônian brutal doom outfit Potop, whose name means ‘flood’ in Polish, is one of the most anguished, despairing, dirty, hateful bands of the genre since Burning Witch. Their down-tuned, down-tempo sludge is virulently anti-life, oozing out of the speakers like poison gas. Read more
Made from 100 percent organic cotton and eco-friendly, this super soft tee celebrates a sinister world of kaleidoscopic colours and ripples of psychedelia, of serenading Queens, of dancing flamingos, of unimaginable euphoria. It’s all the work of Sydney label, Das Monk and it’s available through the Lost At E Minor online store for just US$40. Now, there’s one hell of a Christmas present, even if we do say so ourselves!
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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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Here are a couple awesome pieces by Matt Leines that were recently on display in the Doubting Thomases exhibit at Nudashank gallery in Baltimore. Gives me ideas for Halloween. Read more
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The return of the Brionvega rr226
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Now this is fun. This 3D watch dial actually jumps to life. The dial is a modern version of the 19th century art form of lithophanes: carved porcelain sheets that, when lit, deliver astoundingly detailed images. When the pusher is activated, the dial springs to life in 3D, with an LED light and afterglow effect. Read more
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