The BQE

We were lucky enough to attend the world premiere of The BQE at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2007 - the symphonic/cinematic piece composed by Sufjan Stevens commissioned by BAM. Two years later, its release from Sufjan's label:

The official album release of The BQE follows nearly two years after its original performance at BAM, providing the songwriter (and his various collaborators) ample time to wrestle out all the thematic incarnations of the project, and to attempt an appropriation of Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work"). The resulting album might be best described as a grand creative franchise-incorporating movie, symphony, comic book, dissertation, photography, graphic design, and a 3-D Viewmaster® reel-in which a songwriter's interrogation of one of New York's ugliest landmarks expands athletically to forums and formulas outside of the song itself. In fact, the BQE is everything but a song.

Makes me love Brooklyn even more. via Pitchfork

Helga Steppan

In this series called 'See Through,' Swedish artist Helga Steppan did an audit of all her belongings, divided them according to color and then photographed them. More here. via designer's library

Inspirations from Brooklyn Museum visit today:



"Maiden & Moonflower" Wallpaper, Kiki Smith. (The museum displays the top-left vermilion version. Many other gorgeous colors discovered from Studio Printworks.)


Homage to the Square, Josef Albers. (Not exactly the ones on display at the museum, but it's similar to this colorway)


Hanging Room Divider, Ted Hallman.


Landscape, Stuart Davis.

Other pieces of note that I can't find good images for: a vase by Pueblo potter Grace Chino and a gorgeous painting entitled "Light Extending Itself" by Irene Pereira.

Eley Kishimoto's Flash pattern on wallpaper, a dress and many other things. Would've wanted the pattern in a pair of tights but they are not to be found. (via Urban Outfitters: Blog)

Thomas Forsyth's drawings from spinning tops using pens as the spindle. (via Core77)

Photograph from Marc Tremitiere: The Baby Deliverer, one of the 2-minute stories of New York characters told using sound and images from New York Times' One in 8 Million series. Really moving - as if I couldn't fall in love with this city even more. (via swissmiss)

ginza Polaroid giclée by Fernanda Montoro. (via Oh Joy!)

Stills of Zooey Deschanel in Catch a Tuesday, a short film directed by Autumn de Wilde for Oliver People's 2009 campaign. Kinda Breakfast at Tiffany's meets The Royal Tennenbaums. (this post inspired by Ally)

From top to bottom:
1. Clip from The Red Balloon (1956), Directed by Albert Lamorisse (via Three Potato Four) - you can also watch the entire film on Google Video
2. Still from Flight of the Red Balloon (2007), Directed by Hsiao-hsien Hou
3. Photo by Max Wanger (via Cup of Jo and swissmiss)
4. "Monsieur III" print by Blanca Gomez (via Oh Joy!)

Stamp work by Karl Nawrot of Void Wreck. (via ~>O<~)