The Hippest Thing Since Sliced Pelvis

As sophisticated design pervades every facet of today's visual experience, the world seems sleek and stylized, from screen-printed t-shirts to wall-paper to stationary to the walls of the Whitney. But this aesthetic is not so hard to conjure up. It is aggressively stylistic, bohemian but bourgeois, and constantly alluding to some political or social commentary. Susan Sontag wrote that "design is mute," and so mistaking an Arab kaffiyeh scarf for a fashion accessory is effectively silencing the ur-culture and its aesthetic.

So here are some quickly conjured up hip images, done in just a few minutes each. Not that I am not proud of these silly things (the 2nd one done with kuso.net, the others by yours truly) but....it's easy, try it!

Less than three (<3)

This won't be a cynical Valentine's day post, but a few thoughts on hearts.

The best story is, in my opinion, Hanuman, the Hindu Monkey God. Here's the story:

Once Sita gave Hanuman a necklace of pearls. After a while, the residents of the city observed him breaking the necklace and inspecting each pearl minutely. Intrigued they asked him the reason. "I am looking for Rama and Sita," replied Hanuman. Laughing at his apparent naivety the spectators pointed out to him that the royal couple was at the moment seated on the imperial throne. "But Rama and Sita are everywhere, including my heart" wondered aloud the true bhakta. Not understanding the depth of his devotion, they further teased him: "So Rama and Sita live in your heart, can you show them to us?" Unhesitatingly, Hanuman stood up and with his sharp talons tore open his chest. There, within his throbbing heart, the astonished audience were taken aback to find enshrined an image of Rama and Sita. Never again did anyone make fun of Hanuman's devotion.

Above is a more traditionally executed image, and here's a more popular version of the same scene:


Althought it's a Hindu story, Hanuman is in some ways the ideal Jewish son: devoted to Ram and Sita...and also a heart surgeon!

By comparison, I find the Christian Sacred Heart less exciting.

Rollin' Barthes

This photo is of Lewis Payne, a conspirator in the Lincoln plot. He is handcuffed and awaiting execution. A somber occassion indeed, so why does his disaffected patina make me think of high fashion photography? It's by Alexander Gardner (1865), who also did Civil War photographs, some of which have a similar macabre eroticism. Roland Barthes recognizes a homoerotic element in this image; is it his resignation to death, his captivity, or the eye-contact with the viewer, an expression of neither regret nor fear...?

Let's compare and contrast. Below is a recent photo by David LaChapelle of Paris Hilton called "Class Struggle."



Aside from the obvious differences between the two images -- the colorlessness and hyper-pigmentation, the sincere and ironic intentions of the photographer -- both show celebrity in chains. Lewis Payne's infamy is of a different order of magnitude that Paris Hilton's , but both are characters reviled enough to be photographed. What interests me is the different gazes. Payne, as noted above, is unsettling precisely because he is aware of his fate but indifferent, whereas Paris, who is not renown for her insight, does not seem aware of the satirical and hyperbolic character of LaChapelle's project. (Just see how other celebrities are more visibly "directed" by LaChapelle). The image signals the entrapment of celebrity and iconicity, but just as Payne shows no regret for his murderous collaboration, Paris is unapolagetically vapid. She is her own caricature, and like the criminal behind bars, is untouchable, however condemned.

For a fantastic insight on Paris Hilton and the American psyche, check out Kay S. Hymowitz's "The Trash Princess."

The Drawing Board

For lack of anything better to do, and motivated by a strong exhibitionism, I'm hereby joining the unfortunately named blogosphere. With time, I hope that this will be a contempo version of Roland Barthes' "Mythologies" as we explore the typologies and social florae and faunae that comprise this puzzling moment in history. But not to be taken too seriously, I promise a hearty dose of kitsch, starring Chinese propaganda posters.