INSPIRATION CORNER #1

Today I just feel like presenting things/people to you - in hope of inspiring you guys. I thought that this would be the best way to do it - easy and clear. 

AI WEIWEI

A true warrior. His story is more than inspiring. He's a Chinese contemporary artist and activist that was until July of this year under country arrest. His passport had been confiscated in 2011 due to his openly critical views towards the Chinese authorities (to say the least) Until today, I still thought he was country bound;doesn't life surprise you? 

OIL SPILLS (2006)

He studied at the Beijing Film Academy and moved to the U.S. in 1981. You should definitely listen to some documentaries and interviews with him. It's definitely not a waste of your time. In fact it'll probably make you consider how lucky we are here in Europe to live in such freedom, where you can talk about everything with openness that we tend to overlook...

I've only been lucky enough to see one of his works, yesterday in fact at the MOCAK museum. The black dots are meant to represent oil stains (they're made from porcelain) - the badness in the world, the injustice, everything that makes our world 'polluted'.

BICYCLES (2013)

One of Ai Weiwei's most iconic piece of art is his 'Bicyles exhibition'. It's coming to London this September so if you're anywhere near there, be sure to check the thing out - I'd love to if I had the chance...

HARUKI MURAKAMI

 To say I am a fan of this man is the understatement of the century. I am obsessed with his books. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, as with most authors, but they definitely do the thing for me.... 

A quick profile intro: 

~Japanese contemporary author

~ his books have been translated into over 50 languages.

~internationally best-selling author 

His works are tagged as surrealistic with a touch of fantasy, not at all Japanese as one would expect. I myself, would describe them as a melancholic reminiscence of youth. I've read many of his short stories and my most recent read Kafka on the Shore is one of my personal favourites... A book that combines two interrelated plots craftily, about a mad old man and a 15 year old runaway. If you're one for mystery, terror, fantasy and complex love affairs this book is one for you. What I loved about it was the many references to literature and ancient traditions. 

You should also get your hands on his classic Norwegian Wood... A love story one won't forget. 

MØ

Lately she has been a key figure when it comes to inspiring. She's a singer from Denmark, now 27 years old. I discovered her over a year ago, by pure coincidence (through tumblr). I would describe her sound as electronic indie with a tendency towards street and soul . Her voice is pure and charismatic, her music is true to itself, you can hear the meaning behind the lyrics...Chills...

She recently had a concert in Cracow and my friend and I decided to sit outside because we couldn't afford to buy the tickets (the concert was in a tent). I heard her voice perfectly and I had the best time... 

Go and explore. This is one of my favourite songs, the one I fell in love with first. Her whole album is worth listening to.

Julia xo

//SUMMER BLUES//

Having some spare time on my hands yesterday (there was a power cut in the evening) I edited another short OOTD video. As beforehand, this time round there isn't a lot to my outfit. A simple halter neck dress/tunic, which gives off the vibes of being slightly bohemian, my sandals, which in my opinion let the outfit down a bit (you have to understand that I had to have comfy footwear because my friend and I decided to walk to the cinema - I walked over 12 km that day) and a few bits and pieces to go with that. The details of the outfit will be down below :)

 

 

halter dress - PROMOD

sandals - ???

tote bag - MOCAK

ring - BERSHKA

bracelet - hand-me-down

 

I feel like I'm obliged to share with you this musical duet I recently discovered by chance. They're called 'COALS' and they're a Polish band mainly composing in English. It's a hard job trying to describe music to a stranger, but I might as well give it a go. Before you listen, I'd say that their music is a melange of melancholic and electronic music with an additional drop or two of chill vibes and a hypnotizing effect which will get you listening to their album on repeat. If you're from Poland you may have heard of The Dumplings, I think their compositions are comparable, though COALS have an unpolished folklore sound to them which I've fallen in love with... I used 'November' in my video because it just seemed to fit the scenario. I'm sure you've all had that feeling sometime in your lives, when something just fits - end of. Take a listen!

Julia xo

PROJECT CANCER

Why Project Cancer?

 

You're probably sitting in front of you chosen electrical device and thinking, what is the girl on about. Has she got cancer? Is she a voluntary helping people that have cancer?

If so, you've got a totally wrong idea. Before you read on here is a hint.

 

 





Project Cancer is the title of a film about Ulay (real name Frank Uwe Laysiepen) a German artist, if you can even call him that. I don't think there is another word to describe him, but even this one doesn't do him justice. He is a creator of art, a recreator of real life in the art world, a performer, an observer, a poet. I don't want to smear all of my opinions onto his work so I will merely be a messanger, delivering the inspiration to you. You have to let your own mind do the interpretation - I can only go so far with this... But I have to say this one thing, his work carries a deep, deep message. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, it's something you'll either love or hate to bits. Its execution, both his earlier works (his era working with Polaroid) like the photograph above that explores the border between genders, - essentially the whole concept of gender as well as, his performance art is sharp to say the least. The simplicity seems to be the key here.

You see, you register, you think for a while, you understand, you realise what a genius Ulay is, you continue to admire his other works and then like myself, the whole concept of art becomes redefined in your head - nothing seems the same.

 

Getting back to the film, the first thing you should know is that it's a documentary. Pure and true in it's form, a great way to get to know the artist - how does he think? where does his find his inspiration? the way he dresses and talks? It sounds vain ( at least the last question), but I have to be honest with my readers... I find it a crucial part of the whole 'discovering an artist' experience to see him in his natural habitat and everyday life. Is he nice? Is he this is he that? This enables me to put a few pieces of the puzzle together and understand, even in the slightest, what the guy is on about. ( I do hope I'm not the only one!!!) To tie those thoughts up with the movie - it's just the thing a newbie to Ulay needs. I was one until 2 days ago. I only went because I saw Marina Abramovic in the trailer of Project Cancer and... the banner on the facebook event was very intriguing.

 

Enough of my babbles. Here are the bits and bobs I found to give you a head start in your discoveries. I tried to pick out things that won't offend anyone, because some of his work (along with his collaborations with Marina can be a bit, well ... shocking).

 

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

Marina and Ulay - they were together for 12 years.
They said their goodbyes on the Great Wall of China in 1988.

  

 

 

Julia xo 

 





A trip to MOCAK

My recent absence is unspoken for :( It's a shame I can't organise my time better. But...  it's half-term so I'll be posting more over the next week!! I've got some major plans for the approaching time. Making music,reading,fulfilling my film list (more about that in my future posts) and spending time with my family and friends ;) so without further ado let's get to the actual post...

This is a kind of photo diary of my recent trip to the modern art museum in Cracow - MOCAK. I absolutely love it there. All the exhibitions are truly amazing. They inspire you and have deeper meanings to them,even if just by looking at them it's hard to get them. I mean,most of the time I have to read the description of the exhibit before I can interpret it. I'm into this sort of 'arty' stuff - it's not only exhilarating, but also fascinating!
You can go check the website out for the details about the exhibitions there at the moment.
(I visited with my bestie Ania and it was a Tuesday because that's the only day admission is free. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to see all the exhibits, so the photos will only give you a vague idea about the atmosphere etc.)
Hope you enjoy!
P.S Be sure to visit the bookstore. One of my favourite places and so inspiring. Got a MOCAK tote bag from there. Spreading the inspiration everyday, cause you know,why not?!

MOCAK WEBSITE

MY INSTAGRAM PAGE

MY 8 TRACKS (if you want to know what I'm listening to)