| THE A & M BLOG |
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PADDY WALSH: I recently traveled to Los Angeles to visit the headquarters of Shepard Fairey; the graphic designer responsible for the iconic “HOPE” poster of President Obama. We were in the LA to track down some of his prints for a forthcoming exhibition, and there was no better place to s... Read |
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Helen Nianias: Between rows of imposing grey buildings, beneath four lanes of traffic, behind a secure metal gate, after a few hundred yards of damp, unpaved walkway sit two spiders weaving a 162-coloured rope.
Conrad Shawcross’s Chord is the most exciting, and possibly the only, underground exhi... Read |
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DARREN HAYMAN: Old
films make me think of death. When I was younger I used to imagine the
beautiful women of thirties and forties cinema as glamorous golden girls. Now,
of course, I can’t pretend these people are still with us as I could when I was
a child; too much time has passed. People... Read |
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ALUN EVANS: Tracey Emin is, without a doubt, one of the leading public figures in contemporary British art. The key word here is public; she has become as well-known for her public image as much as for her artwork. As such it was interesting, upon visiting her lecture at the RIBA, to hear her an... Read |
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DAVID BATTY: Winding through the many
stands at London’s Frieze art fair it’s easy to feel like you’re in an upmarket
department store rather than an exhibition space. Think of each gallery like a
designer brand stall, all displaying their most fashionable artists to vie for
your atten... Read |
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MARK SHEERIN: The dense reverb is always there. Artist Stephen Cornford has to speak up to be heard. In the room are eight customized turntables on plinths with speakers. None are switched on, but all are plugged in. And that is enough to make the air throb in Brighton's tiny Permanent Gallery.
... Read |
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DAVID SHEPPARD:
A private view for the
opening of an exhibition by the late New York photographer Robert Mapplethorpe
called A Season In Hell, inspired by the so named work of nineteenth century
poète
maudit, Arthur Rimbaud, might have
been a discreet little affair. That is had Mapplet... Read |
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RUTH COLLINS: A recent television advertisement depicting Adolf Hitler having sex has received heavy criticism from HIV charities in the US and UK. As part of a new campaign masterminded by German advertising agency Das Comitee and filmed by German AIDS-awareness charity Regenbogen, the graphic adve... Read |
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HELEN LENARDUZZI: Britney Spears sits in a barber’s chair, her vacant eyes, rimmed with smeared mascara, gaze through the glass of the mirror as she runs the razor over her partially naked scalp. Meanwhile, hundreds of camera flashes rebound off the shop window, each signifying another angle, anot... Read |
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MARK SHEERIN: You Don't Love Me Yet is a woeful,
mixed-up song by a troubled singer from a trippy 60s rock band. But artist
Johanna Billing is puzzled by Roky Erickson's little known classic. “It's quite
a hopeful song,” she suggests, “Because it's ‘You Don't Love Me Yet’ so
i... Read |
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Speak for yourself is a platform for artists and musicians to discuss what inspires and influences their work. Here the hugely influential painter, photographer, and skateboarder Ed Templeton, ponders the forces that have shaped his outlook on life. If you’re not familiar with Ed’s work then v... Read |
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EMMA UNDERHILL: For reasons too boring to go into, I have in recent years neglected the many delights that festivals have to offer so this summer I resolved to make the most of the season. With three fantastic music fests already under my belt, I was glad to leave the mud, chemical toilets and... Read |
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MARK SHEERIN: Judging by his
taste in alcohol, Dan Ormsby is a man who appreciates innovation yet can also
laugh at the notion. While on stage with band 4 or 5 Magicians he breaks off
mid-set to raise a bottle of his new favourite tipple and announce with
cheerful irony:
... Read |
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ALUN EVANS: With documentaries there's always a danger that the director's own personal judgements and biases (however subconscious or well-intended) will foreshadow the narrative; will lead an audience to come to a conclusion that's already somewhat pre-ordained. Indeed, the prolific American doc... Read |
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MARK SHEERIN: He doesn't quite hammer nails through his
piano, but shortly after beginning to play Kier Vine does get to his feet and
walk away. His instrument carries on playing, thanks to the magic of
electronica and the recital takes a turn for the weird. So does the whole
evening.
Tro... Read |
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DANIEL TAPPER: Is the music industry as we know it dying? Chicagoan Jazz prodigy Ken Vandermark argues that the death of the traditional industry is helping to revive the improvised Jazz scene:
At this point it feels like the entire systems of distribution (both for the music and the information... Read |
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