SHOW'n The Way

Todd Lynn project on SHOWstudio

Anyone who has happened to notice that we have updated the sections on the right of this page may also have noticed that we have put SHOWStudio at the top of our links section. This Nick Knight-driven venture is all class. Say no more. Check it for yourself...

8 Inches Of [Computer] Love

OK. Time for some unabashed gadget-gushing!

Just as you may be a glass half full or glass half empty person, so may you be a Mac person or a PC person. For many years the PC geeks guffawed at Apple's perceived slowness and lack of processing power. For just as many years Mac users didn't care. PC? What's that? Pathetic Computer? Poor Cousin? Petty Crime? In recent years the difference between the two platforms has narrowed to the degree that both seem to have each other's attributes. However, in the field of design, user-friendliness, and sheer cool factor Apple has tended to lead the way. Until now.

The Sony VAIO P Series is, at 8 inches, pocket-size - yet bigger than the plethora of hand-held/mobile devices, and let's face it there are Blackberrys and IPhones everywhere to do that job. No the lovely P Series is big enough to be a laptop or notebook but small enough to slip into your jacket's inside pocket. It has all the bells and whistles, Sony's cross-media connectivity and it looks hot.

The VAIO P series notebooks will be in stores from Fenruary 2009 with an RRP of $1,699 (hard disk drive, models VGN-P13G) and $2,299.95 (solid state drive, models VGN-P15G).

The Black Rock of Varvatos

Here at Black Magazine there are a number of fashion and style signatures that we simply cannot go past, or refuse to avoid. The effortlessness of black and the conceptual integration of rock'n'roll influence for example. Every now and then we come across a collection which ticks quite a few of our boxes at once and the John Varvatos, Fall/Winter 2009 collection on show in Milan last week most certainly does. The palette is dark, moody and elegant and the silhouette is chic and sleek, and somehow, we just felt like we were looking at a Black Magazine editorial on a runway. The collection clearly heralds the arrival of a new John Varvatos era.

The John Varvatos Fall/Winter 2009 runway show took place Tuesday, January 20th 2009 at Chiesa sconsacrata di San Paolo Converso, Milan, Italy.

Ship Of Fools, Sculpture Anchored In Gulf

Fletcher Vaughan's Ship Of Fools

At last. A good reason to go to Waiheke Island that isn't of the jazz festival, wine festival, dance party at a vineyard, hope-you-make-the-last-ferry ilk. The Headland Sculptures On The Gulf exhibition is more than likely the most impressive outdoor sculpture exhibition yet staged in New Zealand with works from 26 sculptors and artists on display. The 2009 exhibition is the fourth in a series which began in 2003 and has quickly become a drawcard on the island. What better way to see art than to wander around the gentle island cliffs perusing the artworks framed against the Hauraki Gulf. We are particularly excited to see that Fletcher Vaughan, whose work appears in the latest issue of Black Magazine, is an entrant this year with a work entitled Ship Of Fools.

Headland: Sculpture On The Gulf, Waiheke Island, 2009
Friday 23 January - Sunday 15 February
Exhibition opens 9am - 6pm daily for 3 weeks only

Word Of The Week - Euphonious

euphonious \yoo-FOH-nee-uhs\, adjective:

Pleasing or sweet in sound; smooth-sounding.

"She combines alliteration and deft word choices with the grace of an oral storyteller, creating euphonious and precise sentences that are perfect for reading aloud."
-- Amy L. Cohn, "Children's Books", New York Times, March 10, 1991

Or perhaps:

"It was strange to observe the Fijian leader Frank Bainanarama perched above the parade. In name, so euphonius. In nature, so erroneous"
--My Life As A South Pacific Reporter, Wolfgang Schultz, 2008

Knight Light, Knight Heat

The Lights of West Moreland

Who is your Light In Shining Armour? Find out yourself at Simon James Design. Or Backhouse Interiors, Staple, Decode, Native Agent, Port Chalmers Design Store or Whiteroom. These simple, sexy and ultimately wearable-like-your-embarrassing-uncle-at-a-party lamps are otherwise known as the David Moreland designed Knight Light - in black and white

You can buy these from David direct or go here.

Katherine Mansfield, Society

Katherine shows her snazzy hairstyle, side-on, early last century.

New Zealand's greatest writer Katherine Mansfield has been honoured today with the announcement of the establishment of the international Katherine Mansfield Society. The influential modernist writer inspired a fundamental shift in the way writers in New Zealand and most notably abroad, put pen to paper. The Society, anchored by a pantheon of literary leaders including Emeritus Professor Angela Smith of the UK and Emeritus Professor C. K. Stead of NZ, is chaired by Emeritus Professor Vincent O’Sullivan who says the K.M.S aims to educate:

“Katherine Mansfield’s influence is still being felt by writers and readers today, and we want to ensure this recognition continues. The Society will work to ensure Katherine Mansfield is on school and university curricula in New Zealand and overseas and aims to establish a Mansfield memorial in her home town of Wellington. We will also be creating a biennial Katherine Mansfield Society literary scholarship – a Rhodes scholarship for literature as it were – for work in the modernist sphere.”

This is good news for the emerging Mansfield-inspired writers of the world, but the online presence of the K.M.S as a comprehensive resource for all things Katherine, may just be the icing on the cake. It includes images, literature on Mansfield and downloadable versions of all her short stories. Membership options range from a 'donation' to a 'student/unwaged' membership of 15 pounds a year right up to the champagne club-level three-thousand-six-hundred pound Life Membership.

Still, we wonder. Will the Society explain the Mystery of Maata?

http://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org

Erdmann Masterclass

Erdmann shot from the latest Crash Magazine, Paris

Hello, hello, it's good to be back...after a week shooting with Robert Erdmann and crew here in Auckland. Like a photographic whirlwind, Mr Erdmann, assistant Chek and master H&M artist Eric Gabriel flew into town, took over Kingsize Studios and whipped up two world class shoots. It was fascinating to watch a photographer of Mr Erdmann's level operate and even more fascinating to see the quality of the creative collusion between the Americans and our own Black Magazine crew; fashion director Rachael Churchward, fashion editor Atip W and assistants Ant Gratten, Dan Max and Phil Grindle. To see it, you will have to wait until Black 10 goes on sale at the end of March, with, again, a boy cover by Robert Erdmann - but this time featuring our own male model king Vinnie Woolsten - and between 24 and 36 pages of undeniably the best fashion and photography to appear in Black Magazine yet.

To get an understanding of the level and quality of Robert Erdmann's work go here to his agency site. This is his arty site.

Robert Erdmann and crew stayed at New Zealand's fashion forward Westin Hotel which they described as 'world class'.

Gran(d) Torino

For a long time now - too long, of course - I've been wanting to spend time visiting the elderly in their nursing homes. I'm assuming they'd want my company, of course, but I think there's nothing sadder than being alone, and to be alone when you're old and have so much to share, and deserve such respect and admiration, is the saddest thing of all.

As much as I want to do something nice for the people who may not have friends or family to visit them, I also want to spend time with characters, with people with great stories and even greater wisdom. If I could design the person I'd like to visit, their name would be Walt Kowalski. He's acerbic, he's blunt, he grunts and snarls and by God he says the most hideous, inappropriate things - and yet he is a great man, and completely lovable.

Walt is the character played by Clint Eastwood in his latest directorial effort, Gran Torino. It's a terrible, uninspired/uninspiring title for the best film I've seen in a long time - and that's saying something.

If for nothing else, see the 78 year old Eastwood in what may be his last performance ever - and what a performance it is.

No doubt about it

I can't be sure why - in fact I have my doubts (boom boom), but from the poster art and some mixed reviews I was anticipating Doubt to be a slow, excruciating, black and white period piece of a film which I'd appreciate, but certainly not adore. Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Doubt is a beautiful film, fast paced yet considered, smart yet utterly entertaining. With Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the lead roles, I always knew the acting would be incredible but, as always, still managed to be surprised at just how good, good can get.

It all went so fast and left me so enraptured that as the credits rolled and the lights went up, I felt almost as if I'd been watching a short film. It doesn't get better than that.

The Town Bike

The Bike In Town

Ok. So you don't live in town. But you've got a bike. You want to ride to work, play, study, lunch, visit the art gallery etc - but you don't want to ride all that way, shackle your precious cycle to a handy chain-friendly fire-hydrant and turn up dishevelled and sweaty. Oh, your bike needs a little fixing, you are hungry and you need a coffee to boot. So where you gonna go in Tamaki Makaurau?

Bike Central of course. Situated across the road from the venerable K Rd Post Office or at 3 Britomart Place downtown, Bike Central's two locations offer those living in the inner suburbs - or beyond - an opportunity to realistically take the bike instead of the car. In-built shower and bathroom facilities, towels, lockers etc, and the ability to park the bike up for the day plus get a morning coffee/snack means that Bike Central is offering something unique. A sustainable/eco-friendly, one-stop shop that acts like a 'town terminus' or, if you wish to hire a bike and go sightseeing, a 'bike station'.

We love it.

Downtown Auckland: 3 Britomart Place, Auckland. Ph: 64-9-3651768
Uptown Auckland: 305 Karangahape Rd, Auckland. Ph: 64-9-307 0710

Here's the website.

We're Feeling IQONic

A month or so back we were feeling a little chuffed when our MySpace friends total lurched over 20,000 and 100,000 profile views. We have had our MySpace profile since late 2006 and it has been a useful way of communicating with and finding out about fashion photographers, beauty personnel, model agencies, other publications, online communities and the like. It has also had a hand in positioning Black Magazine as New Zealand's international fashion, beauty, arts and culture title among a community of international fashion people. On the other hand for a magazine that doesn't take submissions we receive around 100 finished fashion shoot submission per week - we'd need to employ somoeone full time to reply to them all so we don't.

We have also been present on several other communities and networks for some time - including the London/Paris-based fashion community IQONs. We set our profile up in early 2007 and up until yesterday morning had received about 8,500 'profile views' which was reasonably good given the community is largely populated by fashion professionals like Diane Pernet, Bernhard Wilhelm etc

Yesterday, IQONS named Black Magazine as its recipient of '15 Minutes Of Fame' - in other words, the profile of the day. We were unaware and surprised to discover our inbox full of friend requests this morning and another 8,000 'profile views' or hits over night. We've had another 3,500 since 10 am this morning and it's still going strong.

It's nice to feel loved...thanks IQONS.

Dogue

Canine couture may soon be a thing of the past, with London's RSCPA declaring that doggie dress ups is "humiliating and sends out the wrong message about pet care." I, for one, aren't sold. Yes, it's self indulgent, naff and probably completely unnecessary, but when well executed, it's also cute as hell. 

Enjoy.

Got wood?

As our regular readers are aware, I spend Tuesdays in Newtown at Club Dendy. Please note that I refer not to the club that you pay to join for discounted tickets etc, but instead a club that serves solely as an excuse for my friends to get together regularly and see great films. It doesn't hurt, of course, that I get to choose them. Control freak? I prefer discerning...

Tonight, being Tuesday, I just got home from this week's screening and am buzzing with the pure, unadulterated excellence of Woody Allen's latest effort, Vicky Christina Barcelona.

Now, old Woody has to work hard to get my respect. I adore him as a director - Annie Hall, enough said - but the whole incest thing took a little of the shine off. But with Vicky (may I call you Vicky?) he is one shining, shimmering, sparkling sequin of a man.

This is the tale of two American women who travel to Barcelona - the free spirited Christina (Scarlett Johansson) who dreams of "a counterintuitive love" and is unwilling to settle for safety, stability and a white picket fence, while Vicky (Rebecca Hall), the yin to Christina's yang, is engaged to a man whose Pantone colour would be an unassuming yet irritating beige named Doug.

Enter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) and his passionate, sultry, sexy saucy confronting incredible ex wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) - the kind of woman that I hope to be, even when wielding a gun.

It's this intensity, this ferocity that makes Vicky Christina Barcelona such a truly fabulous film. I can't help but think of the inspirational quotes that dot graduation speeches and greeting cards alike - be bold, live the life you've imagined, go confidently in the direction of your dreams et al. Vicky Christina is a two hour testament to exactly that, and in my books, a must see.

Olivia's Got It Covered

Olivia Hemus, one of our favourite local photographers is back from her overseas soujourn and starting to add some quality work to her book. She has recently shot for Anthem Magazine in the US and this hot cover for Frankie Magazine. Olivia will be shooting for Issue 10 of Black in the coming weeks. Here's her website.

Robert Erdmann To Shoot For Black Again, In NZ

Robert Erdmann shoot from Black Issue 9

Roll on next week. The last issue of Black Magazine ran two covers, a boy cover and a girl cover. The boy cover and a 16 page shoot inside was photographed by Robert Erdmann, one of the fashion/photography world's biggest names. Check out his Felix Management site here to get an idea of the scale of Robert's repertoire. We were chuffed to have him shoot exclusively for Black Magazine and figured that, given his schedule, it might be a while before he would shoot for us again. However, this week he is flying into Queenstown on a commercial campaign and next week he will shoot with our Fashion Director Rachael Churchward here in Auckland for the next issue of Black. We're feeling rather excited!

She's Out, Out On The Street - Glam Canyon

"She's out, out, out on the street" sang Alistair Riddell in the eponymous chorus for Out On The Street in 1974. Riddell was the lead singer of New Zealand's one and only original 70's glitter rock band Space Waltz. He was our first androgenous rock star - all Bowie and Roxy Music meets Split Enz - which is not surprising given Space Waltz also included Eddie Raynor, and Paul Crowther. But I digress. We received an email on our MySpace site yesterday from Katja Hentschel, a London-based photographer and fashion eye who also populates the nicest places in Berlin. Her blog Glam Canyon is not about 70's glitter or glam at all but delivers a fabulous mix of Euro street style and vibrant at-the-party party pix from 2009 and beyond. Here is a selection of images from Glam Canyon to encourage the bookmarking of her blog - not least to see some of the excellent street fashion on offer in Berlin and London - last week.

Happy New Year - The End

Bag Raiders, in the Modular mix

Hey there! Happy New Year to all and sundry - we hope your break was of the good kind. Firstly a big congrats to our lovely Deputy Editor Helene Ravlich and partner Jooles Clements and a big kia ora to Wolf Milan Clements who arrived on Monday.

We have a number of thematic and editorial plans for BlackLOG this year, as we do for Black Magazine itself so stay tuned to the BlackLOG. Black Issue 10 - a landmark issue - is on sale late March and it will be a large bundle of Black goodliness.

In the meantime great news this week from the Sohomo people. Modular Records, one of the it-est (is that a word?) music labels in the world is planning a series of bi-monthly parties in Aotearoa entitled The End. Some of the bands on the Modular roster include Cut Copy, The Presets, Ladyhawke, Muscles, Wolfmother, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Robyn, Soulwax, Van She, The Klaxons, The Avalanches, The Bang Gang Deejays, Bumblesbeez, Chromeo, Colder, MSTRKRFT, New Young Pony Club, Leave Them All Behind, The Whitest Boy Alive and Tame Impala. You get the drift, hot, now, danceable - it's a who's who of electro grooviness.

The Sohomo partnership in this country can only add a touch of class to the whole thing. Headliners are The Bag Raiders, the Sydney dancefloor and remix kings whose impressive debut ep featured the seminal single (and delightfully named) "Fun Punch".

Should be special. Bring on The End.

27th Feb @ Good Luck - WGTN
28th Feb @ Cassette Number Nine – AKL

Great, Great Songs Number 7. Merry Xmas From BlackLOG

The Ghetto by Donny Hathaway 1970.

The first single off Donny Hathaway's debut album Everything Is Everything (which actually came out in 1969) The Ghetto is a legend, as a song, all by itself. Not particularly famous at the time - it peaked at number 87 on the Billboard charts in 1970 - the song went on to become an all time soul classic most famously loved and rolled by George Benson. The Ghetto has been covered, cloned, clipped and sampled by anyone and everyone with the soul, the jazz, and the fonk in the bones. The covers are numerous, but Donny's original is the business - a trailblazing groove. R.I.P The Don. Thanks for staying tuned to BlackLOG.

Merry Xmas to all our friends and whanau...Love Black...

It became the ultimate soul jam here:

Here's the original masterpiece:

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Welli Welli Two - It's A Jazz Thing!

Roy Ayers

Not wanting to be typecast...(sorry)...the Wellington City Council and peeps behind the International Art Festival will follow TypeSHED11 with The Wellington Jazz Festival. The inaugural festival runs from 5- 8 March 2009 and the stage 1 announcement suggests it will sensationally snazzy. Among the artists confirmed to play at the Pacific Blue Note, a purpose-built jazz club in the Wellington Town Hall are thought-provoking bluesman Otis Taylor; legendary vibraphonist/vocalist and pioneer of jazz/funk Roy Ayers (wahoo!); the adventurous jazz, classical and rock pianist Brad Mehldau; blues troubadour Eric Bibb; and the ‘Polish Miles Davis’ – classic and cool trumpeter Tomasz Stanko. It is the first of the confirmed headline acts though that suggests this will be a special festival - the Mingus Big Band, direct from New York will perform at the Michael Fowler Headliner Series. The knockout 14-piece band is devoted to continuing the legacy of Charlie Mingus, the late great jazz composer and virtuoso bass player.

Eric Bibb

Speaking ahead of a full programme announcement on 21 January 2009, Wellington Jazz Festival Artistic Director, Lissa Twomey, said “our inaugural Jazz Festival is for everyone, from the passers-by to the dedicated hard-core jazz enthusiasts. Over four days, we’re offering a wide musical palette of traditional and contemporary jazz, Latin, rhythm ’n’ blues, gospel, soul and more. The programme is designed so that audiences can discover how far the roots of jazz stretch into so many of the musical styles and genres we enjoy.”

Brilliant! We can hear it now...everybody loves the sunshine..the sunshine...

Welli Welli One - TypeSHED11

David Bennewith Suggestions poster
A0 (841 x 1189mm), 4 colour process (CMYK), white lithopaak 115 g/m2 paper, printed by Mazon Screen, Maastricht, edition: 75, 2007

Listen up you jazzy typographers! There are a couple of events hovering on the Wellington arts calendar which should have your mouths watering. First up, TypeSHED11 is a five-day international typography symposium organised by Typevents Italy and Catherine Griffiths, New Zealand. Wellington has a proud history of typographic excellence - including the achievements of one Joseph Churchward - so the event held at Shed 11 from February 11-15, 2009 is sure to be well attended by knowledgable types - pun intended. TypeSHED11 will host typographers and designers from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Pacific, Australia and New Zealand for five days of workshops, lectures, exhibitions and experimental installations focusing on typography across the disciplines - graphic design and advertising, photography, film, literature, architecture, music and the visual arts. “TypeSHED11 has stimulated enthusiasm across New Zealand and the international design communities, and is a unique opportunity for New Zealand to locate its typographic feet,” says organiser and NZ-based designer and typographer Catherine Griffiths.

Leonardo Sonnoli
Tribute to Gianfranco Grignani, 2001

Key speakers include: New York’s Christian Schwartz, awarded the prestigious Prix Charles Peignot in 2007, and considered one of the world’s most influential contemporary type designers, Melbourne typographer Stephen Banham, described by Eye Magazine as a ‘typographic evangelist’; Japan’s Masayoshi Kodaira, recognised for pushing into three dimensions with his large-scale typographic installations; Austrian Walter Bohatsch, regarded by Wolfgang Weingart as “one of the best designers we have today”; and influencial Amsterdam trio Experimental Jetset, who starred in ‘Helvetica’ the movie, and whose work was recently acquired by MoMA.

It all sounds like the ultimate excursion for New Zealand's Type Set.

Registrations for the symposium and workshops are open online:
www.typeshed11.co.nz/register

Thom's Tastic!

When Thom Kerr first stumbled into our office his quiff got caught on the top of our front door frame. The 6 foot something twenty year old arrived in 2006 from Queensland saying "I love Black. Can I work for you?" "Yes" we said putting him straight to work on the coffee machine. Thomas stayed for about two months as the best wrok experience guy a magazine could wish for and in the two years since has become a regular visitor to Aotearoa. He has also made great leaps in Australia having shot for Oyster, Duke, Cream, Poster and Kurv among others. Look out for his work in the upcoming issue of Black we think he is really going places. In the meantime check out his work at his website.

Music Is The Answer

Right now, the recession is not the world's biggest concern. War, pestilence, poverty, famine and disease, climate change, overpopulation and the welfare of the world's children probably should be, one would think. And, in a year when possibly the most important change in political history has taken place with the American people giving a black man the mandate to rule the most powerful nation on earth - as the year closes, we should all be celebrating the potential global goodness and not stressing too much about why the office Christmas party was crap this year. What better way to celebrate this climate of change than with music. Playing For Change is a foundation, born out of a documentary series based on making music around the globe and filming it. Similar to One Giant Leap, Playing For Change is now in its 10th year and in early 2009 will release a new CD and DVD - Playing For Change Peace Through Music. So, if you are feeling the pinch, we strongly advise you watch this clip, the people of the world playing a simple, utterly uplifting tune together, Stand By Me.

Band Of Gold

Spoken Word/Vocals - Paul Amlehn

Guitar/soundscapes - Robert Fripp

Viola - Joan Jeanrenaud

Piano - Mike Ganson

Drums - Jim White

You have to hand it to NZ artist Paul Amlehn. The multi-media artist doesn't tend to do things by halves so when we heard about his latest art project, effectively a band, we were intrigued to find out more. The 'band' has no name as yet and is really a multi-media performance created online and curated by Amlehn himself. So who is in the band then? First up, Robert Fripp, the founder of King Crimson who has collaborated with artists such as David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, and Brian Eno. Fripp has already recorded his part - over 60 minutes of soundscapes at this stage. Amlehn has now sent those soundscapes to Joan Jeanrenaud who was a founding member of The Kronos Quartet, and has worked with composers such as John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Philip Glass. Once Joan has done her thing, Amlehn then forwards the composition to Mike Garson, David Bowie's long-serving piano player, who has also collaborated with NIN, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Once Amlehn has received that back he will record his spoken word and singing onto the recording before sending it on to drummer Jim White. White is a member of The Dirty Three, and has played with the likes of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey.The music project will be finished in early to mid 2009.

Hoother That!

We received this picture from New York photographer Tom Linkens who asked us if the cover of the latest Black Magazine featured the one and only Hoother? "Sorry?" we enquired..."Hoother' he said referencing the lovely Heather Marks " Is that issue still for sale? I've been one of her fans & partners in crime since NYFW Spring/Summer 2008, and this is a candid pic I took of her..." Thanks Tom...

A Sign Of The Times - All Hail Hailwood

Oh bugger! Another one (shop that is) bites the dust. Today, Adrian Hailwood, one of New Zealand fashion's brightest stars has announced that his retail operation is to close in February 2009. Hot on the heels of a number of other rising stars turning the lock, the news is symptomatic of the difficulties facing emerging designers here and abroad. Hailwood says he will now focus on web-based sales - his t-shirt line can be viewed and ordered at www.annahstretton.co.nz and the current Hailwood Summer 09 collection can be viewed at www.hailwood.co.nz.

Although he’ll miss the daily interaction had with his customers, Hailwood says, “It’s not been a hard decision – retailing from this location in this market is simply not sustainable. To continue to do what I love doing I need to focus on keeping ahead of the current climate." Well said.

We can't help but notice interesting parallels to other industries too, that are not so much indicative of the recession encompassing the world but simply of a change in global behaviour. We know only too well that hard copy publishing faces an uncertain future - the online options are manifold, far-reaching, cost-effective and sustainable. The music industry no longer relies on CD and 'unit' creation to light the industry furnace, instead we see the rise of management companies, production companies and an explosion of live performance coupled with a direct and responsive online market.

The similarities? Online and 'live'. Perhaps, and we think this could be a good thing, this might mean a greater commitment to kick-ass fashion shows or events, coupled with a strong online strategy as the way of the future for fashion business. Of course, retail will always have its place, but surely, the times, they are achanging...

So all power to Adrian, may Hailwood online live long and prosper!