In past years, remixing or re-editing my favorite film of all-time, Albert Lamorisse's "Le Ballon Rouge" would have been heresy. It is perhaps one of the most beloved pieces of art in my life and has been since I was a child, when my mother used to screen a 16 millimeter print on our living room wall.
But the times are a changin' and sometimes it's interesting to see others re-interpret source material. Enjoy this edit of the film with a Jose Gonzalez soundtrack. Not until I watched this, did I realize how important the original score of the film was in setting the playful tone that permeates the work. By changing the score, the pace of the film alters and the initial moment of Pascal's discovery of the red balloon becomes even more monumental.
6:!5pm, New Year's Eve. I sit here in San Francisco at Maz and Cez's, 10 years to the night we all met in London, preparing for a big night out. But before I do, I felt like writing a little note, a final entry in a year of few posts.
It's been one of those years where I've thought a lot about the meaning of objetsmart, but in the process of working on my photonovel, as well as multiple projects, I've spent little time creating content for objetsmart.
When I first created this blog in January 2007, it was my secret vice, a way to transcend work I found unsatisfying, an escape from reality. Several months after this began, I got a job I love, which involved blogging, and hence, my desire and need to create interactive content has gone into my work. Subsequently, I know, I don't update this enough and when I do, don't often say much with my posts.
That said, I enjoy keeping objetsmart, because it helps remind me that if you want to create something in life, you can't wait for others to pay you to do it. You have to begin yourself. You have to make that first move. As a child, I remember watching "The Red Balloon" in the living room of my parent's house over and over and as an adult, I wondered why I adored the character Pascal so much and why of any character in film, it was little Pascal Lamorrisse that has been my life-long hero. I think I've always admired this character for taking this red balloon that catches his eye and running with it. While his friendship, care and allegiance for this shiny piece of red mylar interferes with the world he lives in, it simultaneously transcends the difficulties of his life too. It's a story I've always related to, and one I think I always will, no matter how old I become.
While this site looks the same as it did some time ago, it still is the story of a woman that looked around at the ephemera and objects she had collected in her travels that she knew were not always art, but she found rather smart, and wanted to begin explaining why. I don't think I have ever really written that down before here, so I figure after 200+ posts, I probably should.
So here's to good health and great fortune to all in 2009.
Enjoy the last moments of "Le Ballon Rouge" and have a fantastic New Year's Eve.
Cheers.
My beloved 3 wheel adult trike, aka Max, has been stolen. He was locked in front of the French Market on Abbot Kinney and someone cut the lock and left with him.
If you have any leads, please email me at moi@objetsmart.com
So we're in Austin. It's raining, I lost my new objetsmart, the art toy, the Hogget on the plane and the airline lost my luggage (somewhere off of it). Check out some of the Hogget flickstream ...the CPS had just made Diggity their newest friend, but then nature intervened and I left him in the seat holder.
But at least I have one of my oldest friends, my chickenpants, a room with a view and we're listening to this...
I love surrealism so much that the other day I dreamt I was sprouting corn husks from my body. I entirely blame this on reading a Rene Magritte book before I went to bed. While Magritte's film contributions are few, my beloved Salvador seemed to be all over the medium as I have recounted previously with a newsreel of his surrealist ball...but I entirely forgot about what happened when Salvador met Andy.
Oh, there's a story here that I'm going to have to find out. Unless someone beats me to it.
Dali does it again - Warhol style. And he does dilly Dali a lot. (My homage to the beloved "Dinner At Magritte's - really one of my favorite children's books ever!) Enjoy!
I was thinking about film endings that change your life this week. A broad subject that needs time and contemplation to properly discuss. But while looking up clips of my favorite endings, I came across this, one of my essentials. And just watching it now, about 75 seconds in, I began to cry. No matter how many times I've seen this ending, and it would take both hands to count, I always cry watching this. And it happened again. I guess that's really the test to define beloved.
"Bite your lip and take a trip!" has always been one of my favorite soul mantras, on headphones and studio monitors. Curtis, Curtis, Curtis.
Yes, my heart is bruised, and I have been moping all day, again remembering the importance of music in transcending mood, especially good old fashioned soul.
Even when I feel troddled on , one thing is sure: great soul music is religious. It makes everything about life better. I wouldn't be here without Issac and Curtis, Marvin and Stevie. This song is and always has been one of those beloved masterpieces with its converging funk symphony and Curtis crooning, "Move on up!" in time to the horns.
"Just move on up! Move on up!" Nothing sounds better when you're down.
The ever wonderful project of the month has to be Jen Bekman's 20 x 200 site. Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2pm Eastern Time, new art is put up for sale here.
Here's the deal. There are three options for three different print sizes.
Size 1: 8.5 x 11 inches - 200 in the edition - $20 each.
Size 2: 13 x 19 inches - 20 in the edition - $200 each.
Size 3: 30 x 40 inches - 2 in the edition - $2,000 each.
You can purchase it all off the web while supplies last. No inside connections, gallery bs, etc.
The impossible has been made possible.
I know I'm still impossible though - and soon will have a print to prove it.
Now all we have to work on is the costly framing process....
As you may already know, I am a Big Lebowski kind of person. I live in Venice, California and I like to bowl. I hate to admit it, but I too don't mind sipping those white russians. In fact, I am core Lebowski demo, except for the fact that I'm a dudette.
I have been reading for years about Lebowski conventions, but just heard there's one coming to LA this October in celebration of, "I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski."
"How Deep Is Your Love"
Buy at 
Buy at 
