United States President Bill Clinton will join international recording artists Will.I.Am and David Guetta, along with director Spike Lee, to launch MASSIVEGOOD, an innovative fundraising movement that will enable travelers to make a “micro-contribution” towards major global health causes every time they buy a plane ticket, reserve a hotel room or rent a car.
MASSIVEGOOD launches with a series of three events in New York City. On February 26th, the short film MASSIVEGOOD was presented at the New York Times Travel Show luncheon before 500 invitees. This will was followed by an event on March 2nd, where Grammy Award-winning recording artist Will.I.Am (Black Eyed Peas) recorded a new song, “MASSIVEGOOD”, written and produced in collaboration with international DJ, David Guetta. In addition, director Spike Lee premiered a new 1-minute film, “Masterpieces,” made for MASSIVEGOOD and featuring international recording artist Mary J. Blige, Hollywood stars Samuel L. Jackson, and Susan Sarandon, along withwriter Paul Auster and physicist Brian Greene.

Here is a look at the short film ‘Masterpieces’ below.

Spike Lee for MassiveGood Short Film ‘Masterpieces’ is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

A few weeks ago we showed you a book about the much talked about Spike Jonze half-hour short film titled “I’m Here”, now a smaller flip book as also been released at Opening Ceremony. Sold individually in opening ceremony stores, and as a set of 3 at their online store. Available for $30 at the e-store here.

Spike Jonze “I’m Here” Flip Book is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Banksy, a name which we’re very familiar with is set to debut his first film this month at the Sundance Film Festival. Titled “Exit Through The Gift Shop”, the film is billed as “the world’s first street art disaster movie”, and described by organizers as “…an amazing ride, a cautionary modern fairy tale . . . with bolt cutters.”. This will be the first time the elusive artist, will appear on film. (his publicists have stated however that his identity will not be revealed and only his voice will be heard.)

While “Exit Through The Gift Shop” was left off the official programme, it’s inclusion in the festival has been shrouded in secrecy. Initial speculation about the festival’s Spotlight Surprise turned to Banksy after four stencils, believed to be by the artist, appeared on walls in Park City, where the festival is held. Not surprising, given his notoriety for teasing his audience, toying with authority, and continually pulling the wool over people’s eyes to stage unexpected stunts.

His satirical humor and brash social commentary has won the hearts of many over the years, as he continually adopts new mediums of expression; from the stencil and spray can, to life-size statues, animatronic installations in 08, to mysteriously installed full museum exhibitions earlier in 09. The film will be a new medium yet again for Banksy, and I’m sure we’ll all be in for an impressive surprise as he has proven time and time again.

“Exit Through The Gift Shop” will host  its world premiere at the festival on Sunday as the Sundance Spotlight Surprise (full screening times here.).  It is described as the story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on him. Banksy said: “It’s the story of how one man set out to film the un-filmable. And failed”. Banksy’s publicist told the guardian, “It’s a film about a man who tried to make a film about me. Everything in it is true, especially the bits where we all lie.”

From the looks of the video, it seems that other notable street artists the likes of Shepard Fairey, Mr. A (Andre), Space Invaders and a few others will be featured as well. In the past, Banksy has both mythologised and subverted his own image, so the film could raise as many questions as it answers. John Cooper, director of the Sundance Festival, said the story was so bizarre that he questioned whether it could be real. ”Exit Through The Gift Shop is one of those films that comes along once in a great while, a warped hybrid of reality and self-induced fiction while at the same time a totally entertaining experience,” he added.

For those that can’t make it to the festival “Exit Through The Gift Shop” is due to open in UK cinemas on 5 March.

Take a look at the Trailer below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

More information at the Sundance website here.

More of Banksy coverage here.

Info: BBC, Sundance, Guardian

Banksy Film: Exit Through The Gift Shop | Trailer Video is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Berlin is a great city, one of the greatest in the world, internationally recognized for their history and culture. They are also known for The Firmanent as well as their techno scene.  The excellent clubs and dedication to the music is something that is best experienced first hand. Tobias Rapp released this book in February 2009 in German and it has now been re-released in English. It explores the importance of the culture as a whole and all the subcultures that are under the umbrella of the Berlin techno scene. I encourage everyone to buy this book!

Buy it at INNERCITYVISIONS. €22

Tobias Rapp “Lost and Sound” | Berlin, Techno and the Easyjet Set is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

A few weeks back, we saw the release of the highly anticipated autobiography of Aaron Bondaroff, titled “My Life in T-Shirts” . Widely considered as one of the most important and influential person in today’s street culture, the 64 page book  follows A-ron’s life from his days at Supreme right through till his most recent work with O.H.W.O.W. and everything in between. Here are seven minutes of excerpts from the autobiography.

1. Growing up in Brooklyn with a Puerto Rican mother and Jewish father, both of them New Wave health nuts, Bondaroff’s family was atypical in more ways than one. When he was young, A-ron’s father schemed to make extra money; the whole family sold “blue-green algae” with chlorophyll that was supposed to give you energy. “Kids who knew nothing about the health food game—we had them sold… We came up with a better hustle than the pyramid money scam; we had the super blue green algae!”

2. A-ron and his family had trouble with pets. They froze their hamsters and dyed Pepper the dog purple. But A-ron’s biggest problem was with the two Siamese cats; every time he brought a girl up to his room, the cats would sit and stare at the action: “Cats are very sexual like that,” He says in the book.

3. A-ron was always causing trouble at the camp he and his sisters attended each summer. One of his punishments for being (admittedly) a pain was clearing rocks off a field all day. Years later, counselors joked that the camp’s new arena should be named Aaron Bondaroff Field—because he cleared the way for it!

4. In the ninth grade, his friend’s brother began to DJ at clubs in the city. A-ron was under age, so he would carry the records to get in, nap until people arrived, and then dance for the rest of the night. “[We'd] do this every Thursday. Every fucking Thursday. I would hit the club, get home like 5 AM, and then wake up at 8 AM and go to school. I was living a secret life.”

5. After a long night in Manhattan, A-ron and his friends would take cabs back to Brooklyn (and usually cheat the driver by running out on the tab). When the cabbie refuse to take five people, they would stuff a kid into the trunk, until one friend, Salamander, was forgotten. “He ended up at JFK… The driver opened the trunk and Salamander popped out like the Crypt Keeper. He jumped out of the trunk and ran.”

6. Though he says he’s always been called A-ron, he added “the Don” to his graffiti tag, and it stuck. Later, friends started calling him the Dirty Rotten Don. “It’s funny when you have a name you start to become that name. Like Dirty Rotten Don. The name started to take over the person. I was getting dirtier and more rotten, but at the same time I was learning how to be a Don.”

7. A-ron claims he was always good with word play, so when he started his own brand, it follows that the name would be clever. aNYthing was all about living and breathing the streets of New York. “One day runs into the next—and as demented as it might sound to an average person, it’s still this freedom that we dream about and live, sometimes, in the city, a paradise island of opportunities.”

Source: Interview

You can get the book now from AndPress‘ online store here.

Aaron Bondaroff | “My Life in T-Shirts” Autobiography is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

According to today’s Variety Magazine British artist, and former Turner Prize winner, Steve McQueen is to make a movie based on the life of legendary Afican musician Fela Kuti.

Fela Kuti is one of the most controversial and exciting characters ever in popular music, its amazing no one has attempted to film his story before as it is so incredible it already reads like a movie script… and one which makes the “sordid” tales of many of today’s infamous rock and hip-hop stars seem lame in comparison.  Based on the biography “Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon” by Michael Veal, McQueen will be writing the screenplay, as well as directing the movie which is being produced by Focus Pictures.

Known for creating and popularising the Afrobeat sound that fused Jazz,  Funk and African Highlife music, with his bands Africa 70 and Egypt 80, it alone is a movement that makes him as important to the development of black music as Miles Davis, Berry Gordy, James Brown, Bob Marley or Afrika Bambata.   Kuti is also well known for his outrageous lifestyle, which saw him openly practice traditional African spiritualism, amass 27 wives and eventually contract the AIDS virus which killed him, however, its his political activism that has really cemented his status as a cultural icon.  He spoke vocally against the dictatorship and human rights abuses in his home country of Nigeria, which resulted in the ruling military party raiding his home, and his mother being thrown to her death from a window – Kuti responded to this by sending the coffin containing her body to the country’s president. Eventually he took the government head on by forming his own political party, declaring his commune home a separate state from Nigeria and attempting to run for the presidency of the country, sadly he was banned from doing so by the government who refused to recognise him.  A national hero, when he died in 1997, more than 4 million citizen’s descended upon Nigerian city of Lagos to mourn his passing.

If you are not familiar with his music check out the videos below, and make investing in his albums a priority.

Steve McQueen is no stranger to movies, he recently turned his hand to directing with the stunning but hard hitting, political drama “Hunger” which told the story of infamous IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.  The movie was universally praised taking several awards at the BAFTAS, British Independent Film Awards, Cannes Film Festival and others across the globe.

This is already a movie with a fantastic pedigree in both subject matter and talent behind the camera.   Its one that I am certainly looking forward to and I’m sure we will hear lots more about it over the months to come.

Artist Steve McQueen To Make Fela Kuti Biopic is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

After seeing the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox, which he states was an absolute must see, Humberto had the opportunity to talk to Wes Anderson about the making of the film, the characters, the plot and sub lines and the modeling involved in the making of the movie. They also get talking about personal favorites such as ‘best spots to see a movie’, ‘films to recommend’ and ‘best eatery in New York’.  See below for images of the miniature scenes and read the full interview here at Opening Ceremony.

Images Opening Ceremony

Humberto and Wes Anderson Talk Fantastic Mr. Fox is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

For 40 years, Kubrick fans and film buffs have wondered about the director’s mysterious unmade film on Napoleon Bonaparte. Now, ten books in one tell the fascinating tale of Kubrick’s unfilmed masterpiece ‘Napoleon: The Greatest Move Never Made’, all tucked inside of a carved-out book. Readers can imagine what his unmade film about the emperor might have been like, including a facsimile of the script. This collector’s edition is limited to 1,000 numbered copies. See below for inside images of the TASCHEN book. 

Images TASCHEN

Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon: The Greatest Move Never Made TASCHEN Book is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Written by Matt Greenhalgh, who is the same writer behind the Ian Curtis biopic “Control”, “Nowhere Boy” marks the feature film debut of Sam Taylor-Wood, outstanding artist and photographer. And if her work is anything to go by we should expect nothing less of a captivating feature on the peaceful music legend; John Lennon.

See trailer for the film below.

Film from PedestrianTV

Nowhere Boy | A John Lennon Biopic is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

The British publisher behind decades of iconic books that cover art, design, architecture, and photography; Phaidon, has joined the pop-up store craze (which we thought may have been exguahsted by now but it seems otherwise) in New York’s Soho district. Occupying a 2,500 square feet temporary store of only three months, the opening will take place on November 2nd 2009 where it will remain through January 2010. Offering Phaidon approved titles such as Wallpaper’s city guides, selected cook books and collector’s editions such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Nan Goldin, Martin Parr and Luc Tuymans.

Image from BlackBookMag

Phaidon Pop-Up Store Opens in NYC is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Produced in honor of photographer Juergen Teller, this limited edition numbered issue of biannual magazine ‘Self Service’ features  artwork by the artist, as well as contributions from Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und taxis, Princess Gloria von Thurn und taxis, Marc Jacobs, Elizabeth Peyton, Matthew Barney and Hannelore Knuts. Each issue is hand numbered, signed by Juergen Teller, and comes with a signed print by the artist. You can buy your copy now at Opening Ceremony online store. See below for inside images.

Juergen Teller ‘Self Service’ Book is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Christophe von Hohenberg is the photographer who documented Andy Warhol’s memorial service for Vanity Fair in 1987 has created his images into a book titled ‘Andy Warhol: The Day The Factory Died’. Signing copies of the book at Clic Gallery last week the photographer got to share his images of a sad occasion but of course a social event of that time. People who you can expect to see in the book are Yoko Ono, Keith Haring, Debby Harry, Diane von Furstenberg, Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Paloma Picasso and Stephen Sprouse. 

Image PaperMag

‘Andy Warhol: The Day The Factory Died’ by Christophe von Hohenberg is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Aesthetically the book is not far from the mind warped visuals that Mr. West, so often, gives us like his recent publicly released video short with director Spike Jonze. The book will be available for purchase on Nov 10. Amazon.com divulges that “The result is a one-of-a-kind book that initially grabs you and stays with you forever.” Alluding that this will once again be a Kanye West collectors item.

Kanye West | Through the Wire Book Preview is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Curious to hear what Daft Punk version of Tron Legacy theme sounds like? We got you. Clip after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tron Legacy Theme by Daft Punk is a post from: SLAMXHYPE

Martin Margiela, who is known as one of the Belgian 6 has created another exceptional publication. Set to release in October, the aesthetic of the book epitomizes the label and has been published by Rizzoli.

“Graduating from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s, Martin Margiela (and his contemporaries in the Antwerp Six) transformed global fashion with his aggressive restatement of traditional fashion design and a polemical approach to luxury trends. Working first with the house of Gaultier, Margiela absorbed the radical design of Japanese deconstruction, making it wholly his own with the founding of his own label in 1988. Margiela propounds a singular, enigmatic look, moving beyond the recognizable tropes of deconstruction—a monochromatic palette, outsized garments, non-traditional fabrics, exposed seams, or roughly appliquéd details—to develop a fully considered worldview, one with elegance, mystery, and menace in equal measure. This book provides an inside look at the design process from a craftsman who creates pieces prized for their originality, delicacy, and daring. In the spirit of Margiela’s garments, the book is a work of art in itself, designed exclusively by Margiela and complete with silver inks, ribbon markers, a variety of lush paper types, twelve booklets, and an embroidered white-linen cover. This book provides a window onto the intimate, handmade world of a unique designer’.

Thanks to Wallpaper for the info.

Maison Martin Margiela Book is a post from: SLAMXHYPE