Streetwear is an acquired taste, we do not all have the image that goes with baggy pants, hooded tops and baseball caps. Maybe we are just not cool enough, but as the trend of this clothing and lifestyle grows it could be time to start to embrace it and climb on board…..and I don’t mean your skateboard.

Expression via Fashion

The Streetwear phenomena has come a long way and originated from many urban street influences in the 70′s and 80′s. The skateboard and surfing community, graffiti styling and hip hop culture were influential. A lot of these groups were not readily accepted by the mainstream and found a way to express themselves through graffiti and customised clothing.

Streetwear in many people’s opinion started in USA with the revered Shawn Stussy. He was a surfer that began putting his graffiti tag on his boards and t-shirts and soon became iconic and sought after, leading the way for more to follow. Japan and other countries were revolutionary in moving the looks and designs forward.

Streetwear has always been about functionality and looking good. The jackets were thick and allowed skaters and surfers etc to keep warm in the elements. They have always been colourful and full of attitude as displayed by the hip hop rappers that wear them. Due to the increasing popularity, major fashion brands have seen an outlet that reaches various age groups and cultures and is profitable as well. The designs and influences are forever changing but always have a cross over from the street that is evident.

There are core items that optimise streetwear hoodies, tracksuits, t shirts and trainers. The main brands over the years have been Addict, Atticus, Stussy to name but a few. The hip and trendy youngster have always been the main consumer of these products and in the early days found it conveniently affordable.

Inspiring Fashion Design

What we have started to see in recent years are more cross merchandise items that appeal to even more people. The savvy streetwear brand owners and designers are using their skills and innovative designs to produce, sunglasses, back packs, hats and various other apparel. Blackflyz and Eastpak have made an admiral foray into this market. This means that even if you have no interest in surfing, hip hop or skateboarding you can still have a piece of the young, fun and inspiring lifestyle. Over time women have also embraced the streetwear euphoria with brands such as MbyM and Gentle Fawn catering for the female market.

The new twist on streetwear is the smarter more conservative feel. Brands such as QWST and Fly53 are now mixing colourful designs, colour blocking and stripes to spice up shirts, jumpers and trousers. Once again a wider market is now wearing the styles that were once seen as a genre most people did not want to be part of.

The rich uber celebrities of today’s society have also played a big part in spreading the word for the most iconic brands. Hugely successful rappers and hip hop moguls have worn these names in videos and on red carpets across the world. Hence the youngsters that are coming up want to continue the brand love affair, although on a smaller less expensive scale to emulate their idols.

As a result of the celebrities merging with the corporate companies sneakers like “Nike Air Force” one and the original “Air Jordan MK1″, were market leaders in their time. Luxury brands such as Gucci, Fendi and Burberry have all made their mark in this area. It just goes to show that although something starts small, money and exposure can make it a worldwide commodity that we all want a piece of. As the new streetwear designers come to the market and wow us, we will finally realise that this sub culture is no longer hidden underground.

Learn more about the history and origins of streetwear along with streetwear brands to shop for.

Dave Meek works for Reprebate, leading specialists in urban clothing, street fashion, hip hop wear and skatewear.

The Contemporary Art Forum presents timely and innovative programs (lectures, conversations, and performances) that address pressing issues in contemporary art, and grow out of discussions with MoMA curators. Participants include artists and designers, critics, curators, and scholars, among others.

From Marcel Duchamp’s chess games to Lygia Clark’s puzzles, artists throughout the 20th century have adopted the structures and strategies of games. In recent years, they have begun to explore virtual, online, and video games in their work—as well as game theory, an increasingly critical framework for audience engagement and participation—to create social interactions. This two-day forum brings together artists, educators, curators, and game theorists to discuss the influence of game theory on art practice and the ways in which art making has reformulated audience engagement and learning.

This symposium takes place over two days, May 17 and 18, and separate admission applies to each day. Tickets ($10, $8 members and corporate members, $5 students, seniors and staff of other museums) are available online, at the information desk in the main lobby, and at the film desk after 4:00 p.m. Any remaining tickets may be picked up one hour before the start of the program at the Education and Research

Building ticketing desk.

How to get there:
Contemporary Art Forum: Critical Play—The Game as an Art Form
Thursday, May 17, 2012, 6:00 p.m.
Theater 3 (The Celeste Bartos Theater), mezzanine, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building

The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-9400 | Contact Us | Hours

If you enjoy anyone of those genre’s your going to love this band! Darin Bennett and the Requiem have this really great old school earthy tone. The kind of tone that is reminiscent of crossing LA with the Deep South.

Holdin’ Me is a music video directed by Andrew Cochrane. The video uses a one shot comic book frame style to tell it’s story. The cinematography combined with the dusty setting gives a real wild west feel which compliments the tone and feel of the song very well. While some scenes do seem fairly awkward (The shotgun scene and the scene with the man in black chasing the other man in white) the overall flow of the film is great, and provides a unique viewing and listening experience I am sure many will enjoy!

I look forward to their next music video and I cannot wait to see what else the band has to offer!

More about Darin Bennett and The Requiem
Darin Bennett and The Requiem features: Darin Bennett on Vocals, Guitar, and Banjo, Gerrod Miskovsky on Bass, Redbone on Guitar, and Cosmo Jones on the Drums.

If you want to hear and learn more about Darin Bennett and The Requiem (and we know you do!)

Check out their website!
Follow them on Twitter!
Buy a song from their Itunes Store!

Don’t be the last to hear this Great Band!

Patea Films Website

Lesson to be learned? The rules like “Seats for Elderly & Pregnant Women” might be arbitrary, but god help you if you break them.

SubWars from SeanSoong on Vimeo.

director: SeanSoong(seansoong.diandian.com)
Original music: 〃囍〃[Ayo_Chen](china-wave.cn)

Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, co-developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, was released on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, and quickly broke the record for the biggest opening launch in entertainment history. Join us for an exclusive behind the scenes look at how the visual effects were brought to life for this blockbuster title. Leads from both Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games will be on hand to share examples of lighting and weapon models as well as engage in an open discussion of the visual effects process, art and technology driving the 60 frames per second blistering action.

Seating for this event will be limited so we recommend arriving early.

Schedule
Saturday, April 21st
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Registration
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Event
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Q&A
Where

Gnomon School of Visual Effects
1034 Cole Ave. Hollywood, CA 90038
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RSVP

RSVP for this event

Guest Speakers

Dave Blizzard
Lead Lighting Artist, Sledgehammer Games

David Johnson
Lead Visual Effects Artist, Infinity Ward

Sandy Lin
Lead Visual Effects Artist, Sledgehammer Games

Taehoon Oh
Lead Artist, Weapons, Infinity Ward

Music: Nero’s Day at Disneyland (myspace.com/nerosdayatdisneland)
Art/Direction/3D/Motion: Lukas Vojir [eat-garlic.com/] [lukasv.com/]

Making of: lukasv.com/post/21081157749/click-the-images-to-see-full-size-no-money-down

In defence of Free Forms, parte 3

Open Form, 2011, foam core on wall and floor, 7 x 5,53 x 3,7 m exhibition view "Lies and Layers", Hunt Kastner Artworks, Prague. Photo: Ondrej Polak

Nothing could be done – men were only men, and space was their eternal enemy. (Ellison) 2009, masking tape and foam core on wall, 355 x 620 x 785 cm, exhibition view House of Art, Budweis, Photo: Jan Mahr

While forced perspective is not anything new in art, Stocker takes a minimalist approach at installing geometric shapes in physical spaces. The arrangement of these shapes forces a feeling of uncertainty and mental chaos in the viewer by adding a level of spatial depth that does not actually exist.

The limit of man – Stocker teaches us – is his veil of certainty and control. As the artist herself asserts “Control is always what we do not have. This is the human condition. – Considerations about “La solitudine dell’opera (Blanchot)” exhibition by Associazione Ko.Ji.Ku., Genoa, Italy

What do you think of Stocker’s play on the human condition for order?

Artist: Esther Stocker
Website: http://www.estherstocker.net
Contact: studio@estherstocker.net