The Kronos Quartet in Sartrouville, France

I am by no means a 'professional critic' - I listen with my heart and I write with my soul. I think 'critics' prefer ears and pens...

Anyways, last night I was amongst the lucky audience of the Kronos' concert in the Theatre de Sartrouville. The first 3 pieces were a very interesting example of contemporary classical music which, I find, I have to listen to several times over and over to relate to it emotionally after a while. This is the sort of music that takes its time to grow on me.

The 4th song seemed a technical challenge and I thought you ought to be the Kronos Quartet to play it that well. During the interlude its final theme, surprisingly, still echoed in my head. I didn't expect that.

What happened in the 2nd part of the concert was much more of an emotional experience for me. John Zorn is a great example of humour in classical music - I didn't laugh that much during a concert ever since I participated in a analysis of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'!

'A Thousand Thoughts' was so very Swedish and it did feel like actual thoughts! In the piece of Bryce Dessner I was wondering what the strings would say if only they could speak... It seemed like there were four monologues in that piece which all mounted to one in the end.

And that would have been it if it wasn't for the fact that Sartrouville didn't want to let the Quartet go yet. An unforgettable interpretation of Ramallah Underground's 'Tashweesh' followed and we almost let them go...


.... but not until they played Clint Mansell's 'Death is the Road to Awe'. Amongst the general euphoria and handkerchiefs I think the audience forgot to ask for more.

And so then we had a drink:)

Erika P.

I rarely speak about my feelings but somehow she managed to break a crack into my little shell.

I wrote my first poem in 10 years about 3 hours later.

Thank you, Erika.










































Erika P. is a professional model. If you want to book her for a project, please contact her agency in Mexico: http://www.quetarojas.com

When a picture says more than words - Tylor Shields

"i work more than i sleep. i sleep more than i eat. i eat spaghetti at 4 am while watching shitty mainstream hip hop videos on mtv. occasionally throughout the day i'll grab a slice of bread, untoasted, and a lemonade. my cell phone is louder than a fucking gun shot in downtown..yet i'm on it a good twelve hours a day. i won't let you smoke in my t-shirts. you couldn't pay me to drink coffee, but i know every 24-hour starbucks spot in southern california. my bedroom is the best room in the house. i won't take off my shoes or socks until i'm about to go to sleep, but if i leave a sock on the floor i claim that my room is a mess. i own two three-hundred dollar flat irons but i have no idea how to flat iron my hair. instead of taking lessons, i just chopped it all off. it looks good. i love the word amazing as much as i love analyzing the in's and out's of any and every situation. i have a bad knee but a good heart. i'll pick your brain and i won't take no for an answer. when i want something, i get it. when you're asleep, i'm lighting up spots in downtown with my pet lamp, blacky. my camera is probably worth more than your car..if you're lucky enough, you'll get to see it one day. my name is tyler jesus shields".

It's when I saw his work that I decided to create this blog. I feel like the message in his work is so... LOUD that I almost have to shut my ears with my hands!!

1) what inspires you?
my life and my mind do the work in that department
2) what impact are you trying to achieve with your art?
if someone can take something from it something positive that is amazing i just want to effect people
3) what would you like to achieve in the future? there are so many things i want to do i can't even begin to explain!

http://www.tylershields.com/

Thank you and good luck in the future!! Fingers crossed on breaking the record!!

Inspiring people: Iris Brosch

Iris is one of my favourite photographers. She is of German origin and she currently resides in a breathtakingly artistic flat in Paris. I think her work is well described on her website, http://www.irisbrosch.com:

''Her photographic style has been described as “ Miuccia Prada meets Leonardo da Vinci”. Brosch’s unique celebration of female sensuality moves in fresh and fascinating directions in her ability to rework timeless classicism with a thoroughly modern twist. The work of Iris Brosch is and isn’t anything we have seen before. It is Raphaelian. It is Modern. It is mystical and ethereal, anchored by the weight of a powerful female mind.''


Inspired? Here's a short interview!

1) What inspires you?
Society , human interaction , art and culture!


2) What do you consider the most valuable lesson that photography taught you?

images are a powerfull tool in society.
each pictures we create influence our mind and create on a certian level our future.

3) What would you like to achieve in the future?

Bringing female values to the industry,creating images where women DEFINE THEIR OWN IDENTY IN THEIR OWN FEAMLE WORLD, AND WHERE MAN ARE INTOUCH WITH THEIR FEMININITY with out loosing their masculinity.

Thank you, Iris!







(Note: all pictures are copyrighted by Iris Brosch)

Inspiring people: Jeffrey Zeigler

Jeffrey has been the Kronos Quartet's cellist for exactly 5 years now. I posted a video of him earlier where he is performing Michael Gordon's 'Industry' and had the occasion to ask him some questions. Below his replies!





1) What inspires you?

I tend to find inspiration from many different directions. Whether it is a book that I am reading or a song or a band that I am into, I feel that the most important quality is to be as open as one can be. At the moment, I am reading a set of short stories by Stacey Richter entitled, "Twin Study". In addition to being expertly written, her stories are cleverly sculpted with twists that are often pretty shocking. But most of all, what I like about her writing style is that it is personal and in a voice that is completely her own.

2) In what ways did your musical repertoire and lifestyle change after having joined the Kronos Quartet?

Musically, the range and scope of my performing required a good amount of expansion. Working with Kronos means being a part of an organization that is constantly challenging itself artistically and technologically. In addition to playing the cello, over the years I have bowed fences and gongs, played the harmonica, an arsenal of percussion, water bowls, and the electric bass. I have also become fluent in working with amplification and electronic effects. My learning curve was quite steep but the rewards have been tremendous.

Lifestyle wise, the biggest change that occurred for me was having to deal with the travel. We are on the road approximately 5-5 1/2 months a year. As grueling as that can be, everything became much more complicated when my wife and I had our first child a couple of years ago. Jugging our time together is a huge challenge.


3) What kind of artistic projects would you like to be part of in the future?
My wife [Paola Prestini] is a really wonderful composer who is constantly finding inspiration from so many sources. Finding the time to work together hasn't always been easy. And when I am not working with the quartet, I usually prefer to just stay home and be together with my family. However, I am always trying to find ways to collaborate with her as she is an extremely brilliant and inspired artist.

Thank you, Jeffrey, and I wish a lot more expansion to you, your family and the Kronos Quartet!


http://www.kronosquartet.org/

Karolina for president!

''[..] I mean, I never did stuff just for me anyway. I've always kind of done it for everybody around me, to help people and make them happy.''

Truths are simple because they are true and simple.




To read more http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/editorsblog/2010/05/25/this-weeks-model-karolina-kurk.htm

Photo from Karolina's official MySpace http://www.myspace.com/karolinakurkova

best energy

I love the energy that occurs between 5:30-7:00am. It just seems like I get the best portion of work done during that time. 7:30 is great for exercise and 10:00 is the best time to enjoy a pain au chocolat with a big bowl of cafe creme ;))) Mmmmh:)))