The Society Of The Spectacle

25 hours of YouTube video are now uploaded every minute to the site. That, is alot of video, and let’s be honest, YouTube isn’t exactly the greatest website for finding content you like. While this doesn’t seem to bother the guys at YouTube too much, it leaves alot of the legwork in finding this stuff up to you, and as the guys at Devour put it; good luck trying to find something decent in your lunch hour.

That’s where Devour steps in, a curated and constantly updated website of YouTube’s best memes in waiting, as well as creative delights, oddball time capsules, and I guess anything else that is deemed suitable for their rather fetchingly designed site (simple, but I love the type over the screengrabs, seems to make them more important somehow). It’s one to bookmark, (or subscribe too) and visit with yawning regularity.

Yesterday I was sent a rather lovely film based around the relationship between image and words, WORDS is a disarming and gorgeous tapestry of human emotion, weaved together with care and love. I received another tweet this morning which help expand the backstory of where and who these people were. This film was from the website EVERYNONE. (Who turn out to be a pretty awesome NYC/LA Production company) One film in particular stood out, both for it’s content (A stop motion journey across America) and it’s beautiful marrying of image and sound. It beautifully captures the disconnect between much of America, how the sounds, moods and styles of places vary dramatically. The only consitent sounds are the sounds of the motel rooms that thread mainland USA. They are in fact, the spine of America and an unusual one at that. Here the visuals help paint a desolate, fractured world. Even though nothing ‘much’ happens, it’s a hypnotic journey and well worth the 12 minutes (especially in HD on Vimeo, trust me)

I found this fantastic talk from Michael Bierut of Pentagram, recently speaking at the 99% conference in New York. He talks extremely engagingly about the 5 ‘secrets’ he’s gleaned from the 86 notebooks he has compiled since 1982. Apart from a lovely insight into the designers’ thought process (as well as an interesting take on how he sees himself as a creative) he shows how the simplest of design ideas can translate across numerous executions, as well as transcend their original constraints (especially the final example). It’s an inspiring, and breezy 19 minutes. Take a look.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to experience the awesomeness of Maria Popova’s Brainpickings, then you are missing out. Among the cavalcade of brilliant stuff were these three little Vimeo gems. Simply put, here are films on the ever glorious New York City, in lovely HD. It’s a series of scenes from the city, from all five boroughs above and below ground, and everything in between. I love these sort of of videos because they absolutely get to the heart of the real city, they present their environments as a living entity. They remind me of  a very much of the idea of blog namesake and Situationist ‘leader’ Guy Debord’s theory of Psychogeography. These films in their own gentle way, reflect the best of this theory, as the city as a constant narrative, changing and evolving our behaviours as we go.It would be nice to see such a clear love letter to a  city be applied to London. (Although this book does a good job on Hackney for starters), so if anybody could point me in the direction of something similar, then shout!

Alma is a slightly unnerving film from Pixar’s Rodrigo Blaas, beautifully done with great ‘Up’ style music. Check it out. (Via @hellokinsella)

From @budcaddell. Some wonderous timelapse videos. I think a visit to the Joshua Tree might be in order…

This little youtube chiller was plonked on my lap yesterday, and certainly has left a mark. Think Blair Witch with added obliqueness. My cynical side says these are a hoax, but if they are, then I can only applaud the depth of production that has gone into them. If not? Well then this is some seriously creepy stuff. Here is the intro.

The next chapters are after the jump.If you dare…. (more…)

New York club culture, anyone with a passing interest in hedonism and classic disco will be very familiar with the names of the Paradise Garage, Danceteria and The Roxy (with a little bit of CBGB’s for fans of John Varvatos). It also happens that these clubs were embodied the rawness and edge that NYC was world famous for in the late 70′s/early 80′s. This youtube video of Jools Holland and Leslie Ash(???) presenting a Tube special on New York nightlife is packed full of amazing sights and sounds, and it captures the looseness, vibrancy and danger that made it such a unique and iconic time and place. Enjoy.