On Friday, Baron
Sebastian Coe, the conservative politician, former athlete, and Nike board member who
is chair of LOCOG (the London Organizing Committee) for the 2012 games,
ignited a furor
when he said anyone wearing a Pepsi T-shirt is likely to be "booted out" because it would
upset Coca-Cola, who is an official sponsor.
[more inside]
posted by CheeseDigestsAll
on Jul 21, 2012 -
79 comments
He is unknown. No name, no profession, no identifying details, but he looks out with the calm sternness of one who knows his place in the world. And because of this calmness, this sternness—the skeptical gaze and tight lips—we suspect it might be an image of the artist himself. Why Is This Man Wearing A Turban?, by
Teju Cole.
posted by timshel
on Jul 21, 2012 -
20 comments
"I'd like my work to be found in a skip, in Southgate or somewhere, in forty years' time". Nick Papadimitriou
walks and
looks and
writes and
thinks, as he ventures around London and its fringes. He eschews the term 'psychogeography', preferring the notion of 'deep topography' to describe what he does.
The London Perambulator, a short documentary about his work, was
released in 2009 and features Will Self, Iain Sinclair, and Russell Brand talking about his impact on their work. His first book,
Scarp, will be released by Sceptre this summer.
posted by hydatius
on May 1, 2012 -
7 comments
Tag Challenge! "The infamous Panther Five has pulled an audacious new heist: they’ve stolen the world’s 3rd most expensive jewel, the Adly Diamond, from the Overholt Showroom in Washington, DC. Now they’ve split up and fled—dispersed to five different cities. We’re offering a reward to help find them. We’ll release their mugshots here on game day: March 31, 2012."
If you can get a team together that can cover these 5 cities, then you've got a shot at $5000 (USD).
Washington, DC |
New York City |
London |
Stockholm |
Bratislava [more inside]
posted by juliplease
on Mar 12, 2012 -
28 comments
Friday dreams. Simon Raymonde, bassist of Cocteau Twins,
writes:
A rare nostalgia moment: i didnt think any footage from the Heaven or Las Vegas tour in 1990 existed and i remember how cool it was being able to have a lighting designer for the first time that tour but have never seen how our stage looked from the audience till tonight so this is a treat to me. The whole concert in on youtube now pretty much. And my god, what a voice Elizabeth had on this tour, absolutely perfect on every song. Some rare good memories. [more inside]
posted by timshel
on Mar 9, 2012 -
48 comments
"Everyone knows there’s a catastrophe unfolding, that few can afford to live in their own city. It was not always so." - China Miéville on
Apocalyptic London
posted by timshel
on Mar 1, 2012 -
58 comments
250 years ago newspapers like The Derby Mercury featured
breathless reports on the Cock Lane ghost. Fanny Lynes wouldn't rest until her husband was hanged for having poisoned her, and the story, supported by a Clergyman, led to crowds paying to visit the house.
The street outside was sometimes impassable due to the large number of spectators present at the séances until the Lord Mayor of London had to intervene, and he duly appointed a commission to look into the matter. Notables such as Dr Johnson spent a fruitless night next to a coffin before it was revealed that the truth of the matter
was more mundane.
[more inside]
posted by ersatz
on Feb 20, 2012 -
3 comments
Towards the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s the
Madchester sound swept the UK. Spearheaded by
The Stone Roses and the
Happy Mondays Manchester became the dominant force in English music. One notable exception to this Northern domination were the boys from London's Camden Town known as
Flowered Up.
[more inside]
posted by jontyjago
on Feb 15, 2012 -
25 comments
Empty London on Christmas morning (
full set).
A couple of years ago I had the idea that it might be fun to take photos of London without humans – yes, I was motivated by that scene in Westminster from 28 Days Later. Unfortunately, not being a film director I was not really in the position to have half of London sealed off for photos – but realised that on Xmas morning there could be an opportunity. Past photos
from 2010 and
from 2008.
[more inside]
posted by ersatz
on Dec 30, 2011 -
19 comments
"Piloting London’s distinctive black cabs (taxis to everyone else) is no easy feat. To earn the privilege, drivers have to pass an intense intellectual ordeal, known charmingly as
The Knowledge. Ever since 1865, they’ve had to memorise the location of every street within six miles of Charing Cross – all 25,000 of the capital’s arteries, veins and capillaries. They also need to know the locations of 20,000 landmarks – museums, police stations, theatres, clubs, and more – and 320 routes that connect everything up." Acquiring
The Knowledge changes the brains of those who acquire it.
posted by vidur
on Dec 8, 2011 -
73 comments
Ghost of Gone Birds. Over 100 artists were invited to choose an extinct bird and produce a piece of art inspired by that particular bird and celebrating its glory days. Birds celebrated in the show include the Dodo, the Matinique Amazon Parrot, the Black Mamo and the Great Auk.
posted by sweetkid
on Nov 4, 2011 -
5 comments
