JR & José Parlá: Wrinkles of the City

on Nowness.com

Wake up + take a trip to Havana, Cuba with longtime collaborators José Parlá + JR in film short, ‘Wrinkles In Time’.   Commissioned by the 2012 Havana Biennale, it’s part of a global series of public art installations + expressionistic murals centered around enigmatic portraits of the residents in each metropolis, from Berlin to Shanghai, this trip was extra special for Brooklyn-based Parlá.  Considered a homecoming of sorts, Parlá’s parents emigrated from Cuba to Miami, where he was born.

Today’s self-directed film captures the duo’s citywide project that ran from Old Havana to Vedado.  It’s a beautiful snapshot of such an old city like Havana, focusing on the life of any city, it’s residents.  I especially loved the part of the old woman telling her life story, while the wall for her face is being prepped for installation.  Then there’s that shot in the rain, with a solitary girl in the distance, accompanied by the the silhouettes of the surrounding buildings.

Here’s what the artists had to say on how their backgrounds as multilingual expatriates impacts their work to NOWNESS:

José Parlá: JR’s work is a commentary that is sharing something positive with the present or with history. Working together as we have has been organic because we both think alike. If I can’t make something happen, JR steps in, and if he can’t, then I communicate it. In Cuba we spoke Spanish, Portuguese, French and Japanese, inventing ways to share.

JR: José and I have that in common, we always feel language is not a barrier. I guess it’s because we speak with our own hands a lot.  

This is how any story should be told.

Enjoy!

(via NOWNESS)

Photographer Jefferson Hayman Really Knows How To Capture Dreams

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Balloon (Still Life Series)

When I first came across Jefferson Haymon’s work, I had to stop to really take hold of the moments captured by this guy.  His sense of wit along with the ability to create questions with visuals, makes his artwork special + unique.

Take his ‘East River – Hudson River’ picture below, from his NYC series – a very unique translation of the these two rivers.  To take two bodies of water, on opposite sides of an island + bring them together in this diptych, with waves lined up, making one image as a continuation of the other, is pretty clever.

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East River – Hudson River (NYC Series)

‘Argus + Pax’ below just made me chuckle a bit – love how Hayman put framed pictures of cameras on a tripod.

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Argus & Pax – Two framed prints mounted onto vintage tripods (Still Life Series)

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Button Down Collar, Black Shirt (Still Life Series)

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My Wingtips (Still Life Series)

I love the ‘Daymoon’ piece from Hayman’s Miniatures Series below – the moon , so far left, with all the negative blue space of the sky, surrounded by a black frame, just makes it that much more special + quite a treat to open when alone or to share with your ove interest.

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Daymoon, And I Will Take Paris With Me (Miniatures Series)

This collection of seascapes framed inside mirrors is a bit unsettling, but simultaneously, there’s solace in that fear.

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A collection of seascapes (The Sea Series)

Going Skin Deep With Norma Kamali Eyewear

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Nude polish is the best thing ever, but to find a shade that closely matches your skin tone, is very rare.  Not that that is the case always, but it’s always my goal.  My caramel skin tone proved to be a challenge in finding that perfect nude tone but when I did,  I then affectionately called it ‘foundation for my nails’.  Well, it seems that designer Norma Kamali had the same idea when designing her famous square cat eye eyewear in skin tones, as part of her Summer 2014 collection.  Now whether or not this is true, I’d like to think so.  But don’t get it twisted, you don’t have to match your Kamali’s to your skin tone either.  The tan pair would look sick with an all tan look especially when you’ve been kissed by the sun.

Available in tan, brown + chocolate, you have the option of sunglasses or eyeglasses (not shown).  My favorite sunglasses are the green lens versions, giving it that real retro feel.

If you’d like a pair from Norma Kamali’s eyewear collection, for purchase, click here.

IURI Will Knock Your Socks Off Just To Wear One Of Theirs

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Made in Italy, IURI, the premium fashion accessories brand caters to sophisticated individuals + eclectic jet-setters of the modern world.  IURI’S debut collection of socks express geometry, architecture, minimalism, freshness, + colors.  Available for both men + women, these socks are very graphic, popping with color, making them perfect to wear with some of this Summer’s newest kicks or sandals.

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From the back of the short socks, a Harlequin pattern is implicated until you come to the front + see how great the colors flush into each other.  The same happens with the long socks for women yet with a larger infusion of color making once believe the socks 

For more on IURI socks, go to WE ARE SELECTERS.

Solange Azagury-Partridge’s New Men’s Line Will Have You Stealing From Your Boyfriend

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Called the ‘Alpha’ collection, jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge’s new mens jewelry line is very masculine yet very female friendly.  To make the launch even more special, she enlisted the help of hot actor Mark Ruffalo to star in fashion film ‘Alpha’ + also do the voice-over, reciting the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘If.’  ’I think Mark has such a great voice,’ Azagury-Partridge told WWD.

According to WWD, the film shows Mark ‘as he paces around home, fiddling with his Alpha jewelry, it becomes clear that he’s in the doghouse following a row with his other half. When he tries to enter the bedroom, a sharp exchange follows + he winds up riding the sofa for the night.In it, we see Mark pacing around home while fiddling with his Alpha jewelry, evoking how he’s in trouble with his other half.   When he tries to enter the bedroom, a sharp exchange follows + he winds up riding the sofa for the night.  And the moral of the film? ‘No matter how Alpha male you are, it’s the woman who is in control of things,’ she said.’  The designer’s own voice made a cameo as that of the angry female. 

Comprised of everything from cuff links to necklaces, it’s a mix of black + yellow gold with a variety of stone insets including emeralds.  With a mix of both ‘hard + soft’ symbols, including that of snakes + skulls to peacock feathers + prancing horses, there’s something in the collection for every man, even those who say they don’t wear jewelry.    For more on ‘Alpha’, go to http://solange.co.uk.

(via WWD)