Beny Ong x WATIM #19

My mate Beny Ong recently got featured on the WeAreTheImageMakers issue #19.

It is a pretty sweet feature and they used the shot I did for him a few weeks ago.

You can check out the WATIM catalogue Here

SHOWstudio is Heaven

Image still from The Fringed Project by Nick Knight

I love my Internet... because you can where and essentially who you want to be.
It is very much about what you want, the whole communication process is largely interactive rather just passive consumption say with Radio and TV. The web has become so much more open, you can even contribute to what you enjoy doing, which is what a bunch of working artists started doing and it became SHOWstudio.

SHOWstudio is a bit of Heaven of Creative Genius hang out. For the creative hungry aspiring artist kinds, it is a surely a name that you would have come across whether through word of mouth or a friendly blog that you have happened to stumble across. I first came across the website through my love of Nick Knight but the content and contributors have grown considerably since my first encounter. I can't believe I never went on to the SHOWstudio Youtube channel until I saw the Gareth Pugh 09 presentation, which I think is the future of runway in one form or another, whether it will take over entire the industry. only time will tell...

I am still doubtful since the glamour element in the press would be totally absent where the sponsors would not be so pleased with their PR dollars going down the drain if the shows were to be entirely produced in digital format. But in the context of the current economic climate, I think Pugh has paved the way for a new generation of artists and designers to present their work in a totally creative and new format that Fashion has not yet seen with the fusion of film and art driving the interpretation of a collection.

Whatever the future may hold, I think the Internet will pave the way in how people communicate and get ideas from each other. Looking at the progess of SHOWstudio - various peeps working on special projects. The virtual studio concept is definitely a pretty attractive option to work and stay fresh with what is going on around you all within a few clicks.

Rose V

Last weekend, I did some portraits for Rose.
She is a model I met on a shoot for Kluster Mag when I was assisting Kasia Werstak on the Desert Rose story.
She went away to Paris for a little while but now she is back and we have always seen each other out ever since, so we decided to do something together so here are some of the shots.
Rose V is now with Scene Model Management.

The Duke Spirit was here!

Last night thanks to Sweetie, I got to see the Duke Spirit.
I first heard of them from the SXSW showcase, it was a massive deal for any band to be there and they were certainly one of the up and coming bands at least I thought so.
It was super exciting to finally see them play LIVE, of course I couldn't resist on taking a few photos for myself to remember the fine show. It seems like for most of the International bands who do make it down to Australia... they are as excited to be here as we are to watching them, which is quite beautiful really.
ps. Leila Moss is amazing! and I am just a sucker for blonde front woman, e.g. Deborah Harry @Blondie... = o

Duke x Kurt Cobain 15th Anniversary party

Duke is having a party over the Easter Long weekend 9th April!
You should Dress up and come =) YES!
This is going to be a seriously fun party.
Duke mag is always an interesting title to read, their parties are pretty much an extension to their amazingly crafted pages. The party will be wild and if you are not a fan of the music - you should just come dress up and have a drink & dance with us all anyway.
I got some ideas to get you started for pote from bands such as MudHoney, The Posies and Nirvana (of course).

Party On by Radge On!

This is one of the funniest blogs visually I think.
I really the vibe Radge takes his photos. They are so candid, it just makes me smile everytime I look at it.
For those who don't know Radge is a graphic designer so the blog layout is pretty sweet.
Check it out if you can't make it to all the parties too.

Yayoi Kusama Film!!

OMG Thanks to 2Thousand I have another excuse to spend more cash.
A very worthwhile reason to spend money aside from "stimulating" the economy.... i went to see yayoi kusama's show at the MCA last week and I was thoroughly moved by how she started her work from the 50s... her time spent in NY was nothing short of legendary.

The film looks awesome, judging by the trailer.
It looks like it only goes for 2 days....@ the Dendy - Circular Quay.
Anyone want to come check it out?

I can't say no to Pop

This is Mickey Gang
I found these guys a while ago..randomly and probably procrastinating which is the best time to do scanning on various blogs... before I lose all sense of time
I've been meaning to post it up to share it with my friends for ages so here it goes.
They remind me of The Teenagers when I first discovered them..... catchy pop with cheeky lyrics can never hurt. Enjoy x

An oldie but a goodie...

Lately I have just been flicking over some old mags and Matt Irwin will usually pop up over a photot that I really like.
I got to know his work quite well from reading Dazed UK.
He produced this short film for Armani Exchange a while ago (it was a pretty nice idea for a store opening to promote the brand's affiliation to pretty young things that may or may not wear the actual label)... regardless of the commercial affiliations, the video is rad because it was on super8, people are not talking and the clip is laced with a killer track.

It is probably one of the most enjoyable brand funded pieces that has circulated the web over and over at least in small circles of media that like this kind of look and sound. I really like Matt's idea for the piece.... you can read a bit more about it.
Track by damn arms - i second that emotion

Beny Ong Portraits

I love Beny's photos, they are beautiful and very well composed.
He told me he was getting a cat soon so I had the idea of doing a portrait of him with his newly acquired friend... if I remember correctly I think he named the new furry cat "Donut" haha
It was a pretty simple set up, I used a little film light to light the backdrop at Ben's studio and I just took some snaps and got the look down pretty quick. Portraits are good fun and I am stoked Ben is happy with them as well.

No Art No Art

One of the best live shows I have seen in a while
No Art is a brand new band and they are pretty amazing.
I got to know Trish and Viv through 123 Amazing (RIP) but thankfully No Art has become a new permanent project for the talented kids and Charles is the new amazing drummer to finish off this beautiful new formation of sounds.
They remind me of the post punk sounds of SonicYouth with a touch of romanticism that is still a little 123 amazing but more soothing.... their demos on Myspace does not do them justice compare to their live shows. I was really blown away from their first live show @ the art factory 2 weeks ago.

keep an eye for this band, there are many bright and exciting things to come from them I am sure.

If you liked their sound on Myspace, you can catch them at the My Filthy Riot Festival @ the Annandale Hotel this Sunday 22nd March..

Cody

I missed the kick on party after the teenagersintokyo show....
So i can avoid the hang over and hang out comfortably on Sunday. I knew it was going to be a huge week at work so I need all my brain power. Especially after GayBash I was not keen to stay awake on Monday at work.

Anyway on Sunday, I just hung out with Cody and I decided to take some photos for his portfolio so he can update his comm card for Sydney Fashion week.

The photos were pretty simple but I like how they turned out.

Teenagers back and out

This was a really special show.
It was Teenagersintokyo's farewell show on Saturday and I told them I wouldn't miss it.
The show was amazing and it was really great hear some of the new material they have been working on, the album will be really exciting I think.
For those who do not know, the teens was the band that I first took photos of on my own and then got to meet loads of other bands from taking photos for them. It felt like a full circle for seeing them one last time in Sydney before they are off to the UK to do some more music and experimenting.

I wish them all the best with backyard recordings and if you are going thru Europe after May, be sure to check out their Myspace for any show updates.

xx Au Revoir teens.
For more info about the band, head over to their website. http://www.teenagersintokyo.com/

Your Twenties

Photo by Owen Richards

A friend of mine passed this band along to me. We used to exchange music loads when we were working together so it is a bit like finding candy or loose change in your pockets unexpectedly when I get music recommendations in emails these days.
Anyway, the band is call Your Twenties and they play really catchy Pop songs.
Have a listen and if you are keen go blog hunting for some demo tunes, they are currently running on my iPod rotation and it is good, perfect morning music. I really like the Track - Annie.
Enjoy.

Ps. Owen Richards takes really nice photos and his website is nice, I was totally thinking along the same line with the wording and layout of for my website too. Owen Richards takes pictures. Genius!

Friday is not all about the Horror

If you got a free hour or so before Dinner.
Pop into China Heights for a beer or 2 for Mike O'Mealley's solo show
I saw Mike at Semi Permanent a few years ago, his photos are really good. I think I was just starting to shoot then, I remember the kids went nuts when he was throwing all the free skate merch into the crowd inside the dome.
He also contributes to Monster Children, he was the photo editor there once upon a time... I haven't read the zine in a while so I can't be entirely sure, if that is still the case.
Anyway his new solo show looks rad and I love black and white shots so I am sure there be some good snaps for me to check out.
There are also limited edition books and prints on sale on the night, so don't miss out come E A R L Y!
www.mikeomeally.com

Money Gra$

Gaybash was MAJOR. Oxford st looked like a war zone, it was insane.

It was a blurry night - I had to go straight to the party after working with Cybele for the day but from what the photos look like.... it was a lot of fun. You can see a few more photos @ Pedestrian x enjoy.
A party is always more fun with friends.

RVCA x Wasson world domination

RVCA & Erin Wasson has been collaborating on a signature range.
For all intents and purposes, it is a pretty sweet fit.
It gives the original streetwear label some of Wasson's modelling charms and girls can't get enough of it.
I am not really a fan of non designer fashion mash ups but I think the simplicity of this partnership just works beautifully and the look of the pieces are still very RVCA-esque with a touch of Wasson's sensibilities.
The photos of the looks were taken by Kenneth Cappello.
I love how he didn't even use any flash units to style the shoot, he went raw guerrilla style - with an external hot shoe and snap away against a blank wall in a house of course.
You can enjoy the video of the behind the scenes footage of the shoot. x




Erin Wasson x RVCA • Fall 09 Collection from RVCA on Vimeo.

Noah Intrigues me

I first stumbled across Noah's work through youtube, it was a massive deal, loads of views and comments etc etc. I didn't know or think at the time, he was actually a photographer though so it was exciting to find his website.
A friend of mine (boudist) recently tweeted about receiving his first issue of Kalina mag in the mail.
I am super excited, the layout looks really clean and the photos are rad clean too. If you like zines, go check it out @ Kalina Magazine

Interview x Supreme

I don't really like the whole streetwear look, it is a bit over the top for me.
I don't really understand the idea of "Fresh" labels and it is probably just a little unusual if you were to be head to toe in Dior Homme or Rick Owens for the sake of having a look. I personally prefer to dress in moods rather than have one preference of buying clothes, more importantly I believe in quality.

Supreme is a label that I really do admire for its origins. From humble beginnings the label have differentiated against other commercial driven skate brands and defined their own look which has inspired countless other labels to follow their path in design to support its own culture that span from Skateboarding to fine art.

I came across this interview piece on James Jebbia from Supreme on Interview Mag. It is quite good and gives you a nice insight to how the label got started and how the label has evolved over the years especially with their choice in artist collaborations.