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4 Nov 2017

Fragments from a Dark History of Black Fashion (I-IV)

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Portrait of a Lady in Black (c.1580) I. In much the same way that black absorbs all forms of visible light, thereby collapsing an...
2 Nov 2017

Back to Black: Reflections on the Darkness of Being

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Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) I. Black isn't merely the darkest colour. It's also the sexiest colour; the most dangerous co...
31 Oct 2017

Vantablack: Notes on the Science of an Uncanny Colour and a Skirmish in the Art World

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A technician holds up a sample of Vantablack against  a silver foil background - et voilà! an instant black hole Image: Surrey Nano...
29 Oct 2017

Paint It Black: Notes on a Song

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Pure Evil:  Anita Pallenberg's Nightmare -  Paint It Black (2016)  Stencil spray paint on canvas (100 cm x 100 cm) Whilst i...
28 Oct 2017

In Praise of The Persuaders!

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Tony Curtis and  Roger Moore  as Danny Wilde and Brett Sinclair: a fine bromance I'm very grateful to True Entertainment ...
26 Oct 2017

Shit Bow: Larry David and Roland Barthes on the Art of Japanese Etiquette

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Larry David and a Japanese restaurant manager  discuss  bow techniques  in Curb Your Enthusiasm  [S8/E7] When is a bow not...
24 Oct 2017

Phallic Pictures 2: L'Origine de la Guerre by Orlan

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ORLAN: L'Origine de la Guerre  (1989)  Aluminium backed cibachrome 88 x 105 cm  orlan.eu For all his phallic bravado, I...

Phallic Pictures 1: Boccaccio Story by D. H. Lawrence

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D. H. Lawrence: Boccaccio Story  (1926) Oil on canvas (72 x 118.5 cm) Boccaccio Story  (1926) is one of Lawrence's most char...
21 Oct 2017

Insecticide and the Eco-Apocalypse

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Illustration by Luisa Rivera for Yale E360 (2016) Do people not realise that in a world without insects buzzing, there'll be...
20 Oct 2017

On Mini-Skirts and Morality in Africa

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A young woman modelling a mini-skirt  with an African print: what's not to love?  laviye.com Someone wrote to ask why it is I ...