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Clock-Work
. So you think there’s no art to telling time? You think that whether it’s analog or digital, it’s purely utilitarian? Check out, then, the Schiphol Airport clock in the Netherlands, created in 2016 by artist Maarten Baas. It features … Continue reading
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Tagged Art, Maarten Baas, Mondrian, Schiphol Airport Clock, What Time Is It?
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Cosby’s great fall
Bill Cosby has spent his first 24 hours behind bars. You can’t help but wonder what that must have been like. When did it become real for him? Was it when he heard the sentence, or shortly thereafter, when he … Continue reading
Putin on the Potomac (a painting, a prank)
New York City artist Brian Whiteley is laying claim to an epic prank executed last month at Donald Trump’s very own D.C. profit center, the Trump International Hotel. The hotel, located near the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, on the … Continue reading
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Tagged Art, Brian Whiteley, pranks, Trump, Trump International Hotel
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Labor Day ’18 – a movement on the cusp
If you’re a worker, today’s your day. Labor Day is more than just the unofficial end of summer—it’s the annual recognition of the irreplaceable role that callused hands and dripping sweat and unyielding grit have played in building our civilization. … Continue reading
A 15-storey tribute to Johnny Cash’s Folsom Blues
Half a century ago Johnny Cash gave two performances at Folsom Prison near Sacramento, California, and thereby shone a rare light–for that time–on prisoner rights and the need for prison reform. Contemporary graphic artist Shepard Fairey is also a champion … Continue reading
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Tagged Art, Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash, mural, Sacramento, Shepard Fairey
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H.P. Lovecraft’s not-so-private horror
Howard Phillips Lovecraft would have turned 128 this week. As it was, he died in 1937, aged just 46, but if he’d enjoyed such startling longevity we likely wouldn’t be discussing today what infernal bargain was keeping him alive, but … Continue reading
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Tagged cthulhu, Ernest Hemingway, H.P. Lovecraft, literature, prejudice, writing
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RIP Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 – Aug. 16, 2016)
She was one of a kind with pipes of gold. Her privacy was preserved, for the most part, throughout a long and heart-breaking illness. She died today at home in Detroit. May the Queen of Soul rest in peace.
They stole the crown jewels! (This is not a metaphor)
Here’s an obligatory disclaimer: thievery is bad, mmkay? And we endeavor not to encourage or glorify roguish behavior in any form. Even if it’s in really, really badass form. On July 30th a pair of pilferers pulled off a daring … Continue reading
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Tagged art theft, Strängnäs Cathedral, Sweden, Swedish crown jewels
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A symphony for the people
I’ve boasted more than once about the state of the arts in my beloved hometown. We’re at the resilient epicenter of a rust-belt renaissance, and we take our public arts very seriously. Not to put too fine a point on … Continue reading
A pox on all our houses
I won’t go so far as to say this country has become ungovernable, but it surely isn’t being governed. That’s become evident as we wrap up a jaw-dropping couple of weeks. The madness coincided with Trump’s foray off-shore; he started … Continue reading
On this date…he threw away his shot
On July 11 1804, founding wunderkind Alexander Hamilton committed history’s most misguided act of chivalry by deliberately firing over Aaron Burr’s head during America’s most famous duel. Burr, who was only the first U.S. vice president to shoot someone will … Continue reading
The art of the Fourth
Happy birthday, America. Enjoy this retrospective of Independence Day in the arts…
The way of no attachments
It’s been a quiet few weeks here at Deconstruction Central; perhaps you’ve noticed. There may or may not be a reasonable explanation for this…I guess it all depends on your definition of reasonable. I might partially blame it on a … Continue reading
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RIP Anthony Bourdain (June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018)
This one stings. Today and in coming days we’ll be hearing a lot of descriptions for Anthony Bourdain: celebrity chef, TV host, travel guide…but to me he’ll always be remembered as an extraordinarily gifted writer. Not sure how Bourdain preferred to … Continue reading
Weekend craftiness
So here is a purposeless little project I wrapped up this weekend—because sometimes I feel the call to make something, even if that something has no practical value whatsoever. Sometimes the making is simply for the making’s sake. It started … Continue reading