Afraid Of Light

Monique, 11 years old, was born with a fear of the light. As a newborn, she would cry, scream and wail until all the lights were turned off. Her parents learned to keep her bedroom dark and had many failed attempts to bring light into her life. They tried small lamps, shear curtains and tiny candles- all to no avail. Every time Monique would cry, not just any cry, a scream and intonation of the worst torture imaginable.

When Monique turned 5 her parents brought in psychiatrists and specialists, all trying to find a cure, a reason and a cause. How would Monique go to preschool? How would she ever live in our society? They tried everything, from hypnosis, art therapy to extreme counseling. Monique was a difficult case. She was so small and sweet that a single tear would make a monster disappear.

Then one night while sleeping a boy entered Monique's room. He spoke to her in her sleep, "The dark matter is gone. Be born star."
Monique woke up that morning and ran outside. All the animals in the neighborhood greeted her presence. Monique was not an ordinary girl. Monique was life.

Illusions of a Beautiful Reality

These images have made my day just peachy! I am always impressed by the power of a beautiful image. It gets a smile on my face faster than any joke ever could.
<3 s.

The Boy of Blue: Handmade Photography

Wayne Martin Belger is an artist who designs, fabricates and uses pinhole cameras in a holistic approach. Every project starts out with his desire to learn about the present world, past world and the world inside him. He creates custom pinhole cameras, one for each of his evocative photo series. His cameras are beyond mere tools, more than means to an end, the camera is an artwork itself. With no lenses between the tool and the subject, the scene, the light and the depth of field are captured in smoky stills - as if snapped by the mind’s eye.The cameras and the results are simply gorgeous!

It's Friday, It's Playtime!

Time to come out and play!

Beautifully Grotesque

I just have this obsession with carnivals. I always have, it's one of my favorite hobbies and biggest sources of inspiration: to research carnivals and their lovely 'freaks'.Not that I've ever been to any amazing carnival, Miami only had Barnum & Baily's; where the treatment of animals and overall stench would simply depress me. I guess it's just the characters that fascinate me- like a pinch of the surreal in our oh-too-predictable everyday life. Perhaps if filmmaking doesn't work out I'll join the circus.

Johnny Eck
Johnny, born in 1911 without legs along with a normal twin brother, Rob. Despite the doctor's fears that he wouldn't survive the week, Johnny did live and was walking on his hands by his first birthday. He began making public appearances at age fourteen with traveling shows. He often appeared with his twin, and the two were famous for a trick in which Rob was sawed in half, producing a half-boy, Johnny.

 

 Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy
Jo-Jo The Dog-Faced Boy  was born Fedor Jeftichew in St. Petersburg and toured with his father until the father passed away. He eventually got a contract with Barnum who made him a star by the created back-story that a hunter in Kostroma, Russia, had tracked Jo-Jo and his father to their cave and captured them. The father was described as savage and could not be civilized. His promoter made a point of stressing his resemblance to a dog, and explained that when he was upset he would bark and growl. In his show Jo-Jo obliged by barking and growling, apparently quite the showman.

 

New Toy Camera

Just some photos I took of Timur in Hermosa Beach and Griffith Park, trying out my new toy camera...

Pure Fantasy & The Importance of Imagination

Timur and I made it a movie day yesterday. We see movies once every few months and try to see the important ones at that moment. First we saw "Avatar" then "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". I hate to be the contrary one, but I don't understand what all the hype about Avatar is about. That movie didn't stand a chance to Terry Gilliam's film, especially since I had seen a special preview of it at the Directors Guild a few months ago and already was enchanted by it.

Nothing is neat and tidy in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus," and the film itself advises, "Don't worry if you don't understand it all immediately." But if you are looking for pure mad fantasy, for someone to take you through the doors of perception themselves, this is the place to go. It is a film that questions your own imagination and the power of art itself. While most cinema tries to portray everyday reality, like "Avatar" with war, demolition and destruction of nature and tons of macho high-testosterone action lead by the jarhead title role, "The Imaginarium" is simply about living your dreams. It's central character, a thousand years old shaman whose only preoccupation is to help people feel their imagination and live inside it, but at the same time not be tempted by the indulgences that do not benefit others in any way-- the devil.

It seems like most stories are about the struggle about good and evil, but it's the story and how it's executed that ultimately remains in our memories. "Avatar" felt like a safe movie, with a hollow score, superficial characters, CG to the point of obvious animation and extremely impressive technology. "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" leaves me thinking, daydreaming and remembering scenes, the exquisite characters, the weathered and gorgeous nostalgia of a time when art was as important as philosophy and magic was still real.