Art and Culture
Our editors sit down with writer and performer, Leah Mueller, to discuss her plethora of life experiences. Inspired by the likes of Don Marquis, Charles Bukowski and many more commentators of the underside of the American dream, Leah brings a great wealth of tales, from the crazy to the tragic. From working as a ‘sales clown’ in 1980s Chicago, to a short lived stint as a topless dancer in New Orleans, Leah’s writing takes in all aspects of American daily life, from the dead-end jobs to the humanity in mundanity.
‘To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost, almost all of the time — and in one’s work. And part of the rage is this: It isn’t only what is happening to you. But it’s what’s happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary and criminal indifference, indifference of most white people in this country, and their ignorance’ – James Baldwin.
So far, complex titles ranging from the heart wrenching narratives of Baldwin to the mind-expanding prose of LeGuin have been met with such turns of phrase as ‘it was alright’ or ‘it was good’. Now, given that the English language is prone to the kind of linguistic flare afforded to it by an unequalled vocabulary and system of expressions, I feel I could do more justice to these totemic works of literature than my long-suffering missus has hitherto been privy. Clear? Then on with the show.
To commemorate the centennial of Degas’s death (1917), many books were published and shows were held. In London, The National Gallery show “Drawn in Colour” was organised in conjunction with it and with the marvellous opportunity to include works from the Burrell collection. I visited together with Dr. Penny Florence (Slade) and as we both come from a different background, our conversation in front of the paintings spurred new insights and encouraged me to write about Degas’s work, the way I see it.
I mean, even the first time round, who the actual fuck was Alice? And who cared about living next door to her? I’m not very good at either listening to or remembering pop lyrics, but even without knowing any of the rest of them, I understood that it was a song about the girl next door. But rock stars didn’t want the girl next door, did they? They got on planes and travelled, got off, collected all that gear, got into vans and disappeared up the road, in search of more glamorous girls.
As the first part of our ‘Spotlight’ series we focus on individuals trying to make a name for themselves in the creative industries. Sarah A. Wessendorf is a German actress and artist currently based in Berlin. She has caught all the right eyes with her talents ranging from painting to dance and acting. Sarah sat down with us to talk about her career in acting and her latest project the film “When kingfisher catch fire“.
To me, both language and football can give sensory pleasure to the ears and eyes respectively. When I hear a well-composed sentence, it evokes an appreciation of something far beyond the successful exchange of information. Equally, for an impartial observer in football, a crisply struck shot finding the top corner is of far more sensory merit than a deflected, scrappy effort sliding its way into the net, though there is no difference in terms of reward.
Viewing Renaissance art can be numbing. Let’s be honest, it can be boring. To some, it might even seem irrelevant. We’ve all taken some art history classes and/or sat through tiresome exams where we’ve crammed so many dates and names and mediums into our heads we’ve vomited oil on canvas for eight months straight.
It might sound strange for a non-native speaker, especially for an English one, that in addition to the common classifications we all use to distinguish substantives such as singular/plural or concrete/abstract, the Spanish language has one particularly problematic noun class that involves genre.
Making it in the world of modern art is tough. Want the insider’s guide to artistic super-stardom? Here are some secrets of the trade that will capitulate you to be the next Damien Hirst.
Writer, Joseph Meehan, spends a day with some of Oakland’s premier graffiti artists.
Talking Soup caught up with the ‘godfather of Scots-Funk’ turned politician, Jesse Rae after the 2015 UK general election.
Visions of Albion, a short film by ‘EYE’ follows a group of Chinese tourists across Britain, showing what defines Britishness in the eyes of tourists.
London is undergoing a living crisis. We present two short films courtesy of England Your England that discuss a very modern problem plaguing the city today
Susan Copich’s photography puts a dark twist on domestic life. Leanne Jenkins, mother of four, gives her take on the controversial family photographs.
Haitian Heroes is a photography project by Dominik Prinz. Haitian Heroes tells stories of courage, bravery and hope among Port au Prince’s poorest children.
Khalik Allah is a NYC based photographer and filmmaker. His latest film ‘Field Niggas’ is a gritty portrayal of street life in East Harlem.
