You're viewing the classic version of The Blackmail which was in use from July 2009 until August 2011. The latest version of The Blackmail is now here.
As well as fronting up Sydney’s Monster Children Gallery, Joseph Allen Shea is also an artist, publisher, curator, writer (Kill Pixie/ doingbird) and runs a hefty mixed business named Izrock. This week, we asked Joe to tell us a bit about his extensive Izrock blog…
I started the Izrock blog in February 2008. I had just created a new site to show the books and zines I had been making and wanted to have somewhere to post updates.
It is a very personal weblog and was in more ways than not a response to my friends who lived overseas and had blogs. Living far from your friends, it can be hard to keep up on what they are doing. So it was always great to see regular posts from my European pals like French, Marcus Oakley, Stefan Marx and others. So it really started for them to see what I was up to.
I soon became aware that there is a larger audience than just people I know and I consciously try to make the blog interesting for others. At the same time I try to be honest and not vain or self-conscious (or grossly self-promotional). I try not to censor myself and I try not to be concerned if I want to post something dorky or embarrassing. I try to forget my ego.
It is odd to me, the lives we now lead are often in the public arena. We are so aware of image and audience. We are more than happy for everyone to know our business, our interests and personal details. This can be positive but can also be truly ugly and also dangerous. Our culture is so grossly obsessed with celebrity and it makes sense that we want our 15 minutes. It is so easy these days for authorities to keep track of us (and marketing companies – who are just as evil), and here we are making their jobs easier. They are making money from the information we supply.
I think there will be a backlash. I definitely see myself flipping back the other way and falling back to privacy and some more reclusive behavior. But until then I am enjoying this outward spew of open information. The internet gives us the possibility to obtain niche information and indulge in niche interests and that is the greatest thing about the web. This blog is my contribution to anyone who wants to know about sub culture and the relating art in Sydney.
I hope this blog is an insight to what is going on with my peers, so many of whom are making incredible work. It is something I am interested in and therefore interested in showing.
The Cheeky Freak Of The Week this week is the wonderful Sarah Larnach who chats to her long time friend Ladyhawke in the current issue of The Blackmail. Sarah is the amazing artist responsible for Ladyhawke’s album, poster and film clip art. Seen here is Ladyhawke’s clip for My Delirium which features animations of Sarah’s incredible watercolours. Click here to see the behind the scenes video.
Ladyhawke kicked off her Australian tour last night in Brisbane and plays Panthers in Newcastle tonight and the Enmore Theatre, Sydney tomorrow night. Click here to view our story and here for tour dates.
Tonight in Melbourne look into the fire eyes with Canyons monthly Parlor Disco at Sorry Grandma with sounds from Andee Frost, Otologic and Ooh Ee!
People of Sydney, head to China Heights tonight for the opening of Human Roll featuring Perth nationals Jacob Ogden Smith, Gian Manik and Clare Wohlnick. Saturday night either go see Ladyhawke or make your night a Siberian one at our favorite venue Good God with the official Midnight Juggernauts after party featuring Juggernaut DJs, Golden Ron, Jimmy Sing, Don & Johnson, No Art DJs plus A Nintendo DS Kraut Jam (Live)… Sounds like winner!
Those in Brisbane, be sure to check out the opening of Go Font Ur Self at Nine Lives in Fortitude Valley… Cool!
No, it wasn’t my imagination, there was definitely an increased level of hysteria surrounding Halloween this year. Excitable water cooler chatter months in advance, mile-long queues in 40 degree heat at the costume shop, children actually trick-or-treating in cheery swarms, a sight not seen since the “stranger danger” revelation of the 90′s. People have fallen in love with Halloween again! But to whom do we owe this sudden mid-season merriment? I’ll give you a tiny clue, the exsanguinous century-old Gemini is the cover-star of Vanity Fair’s much anticipated upcoming December issue… Uh-huh, I’m talking about the hottest of the cold-blooded, the most breath taking of the breathless, the cadaverous cad soon to be a household name – Robert Pattinson.
As the male equivalent to Helen of Troy, R.Patts has the face to launch a thousand clothing campaigns. Between Nordstrom’s ‘New Moon Fashion Line‘ and Hot Topic’s licensed ‘Twilight Apparel Collection’ he’s got it covered. From devilish duvet covers & demonic door hangers, to tasseled cushions & cardboard cutouts, the unlikely list of merch goes on. The fanged fiend finds fans in the most unlikely of places, with the ‘New Moon’ soundtrack popping up as Triple J’s unexpected feature album last week, he manages to somehow turn the incredible credible. And, as if he hadn’t done enough already, R.Patts paved the way for dirty south heart-throb Mr. Compton (True Blood), and Vampire Diaries’ sultry Stefan Salvatore, warming mass consciousness to varied other teen sci-fi romance phenomena – enter James Cameron’s’ timely cinematic release of interplanetary love story ‘Avatar‘. Is our very own Sam Worthington about to be anointed into the ranks of these paltry paladins? Check the newly released Avatar trailer and be the judge.
Check back each Thursday for more on the fashion world from Billy Bride
Ive become slightly obsessed since my last post on Li from Luxirare. I just cant understand how she manages to create all of these incredible creations and do so with so much equipment. What does she do? Does she work? Is she rich? Can I eat this food? So many questions.
Upon further research, I found the chef from which she gains most of her inspiration. His name is Ferran Adria, he came up with the concept of the caviar juice balls that were used in Li’s parfait, he has been called the ‘Salvador Dali of the kitchen’, and is the head chef at restaurant El Bulli, situated in Cala Montjoi, which is approximately 177km from Barcelona.
Despite its quaint location, El Bulli has 3 Michelin Stars and has been voted the Best Restaurant in the World, thanks to Adrias innovation in the kitchen.
One of the strongest codes of which they work by at El Bulli is that the notion of taste is not the only sense that can be stimulated by food, touch can be played with, as well as smell and sight, therefore making the five senses the main reference of the cooking process. Adria is the famous for using ‘molecular gastronomy’ in his cooking, which is the scientific discipline that studies the physcial and chemical processes that occur while you are cooking. The notion is to seek and investigate the chemical reason behind the transformation of ingredients.
He has also invented ‘Culinary Foam’, which is now used by Chefs around the world. Culinary Foam consists of natural flavours being mixed with a gelling agent, which is then placed in a whipped cream canister, where the foam is created with the help of nitrus oxide. Amazing.
The good folks over at Dosh have been working on something pretty special for the last few months. They’ve collaborated with a bunch of different artists to create unique wallets including 50 hand painted offering from Kill Pixie that are available for auction on their website until the end of today.
