Style Genus: Whitney

As fashion has evolved, so has the public’s ability to reinterpret it and make it our own. The classes aren’t as clear-cut as jock vs. nerd anymore. Style genus is where we finally make some sense of our biodiversity in dress. Think of us as cultural anthropologists— for the fashion-conscious. Clothes, after all, do make the man as well as the woman.

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— Michael

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Tag, That’s Art

Love it or loathe it, graffiti is a provocative form of expression we all live with. Widely considered the deplorable craft of vandals and gangs, even the ancient Romans were plagued with cleaning up the wall scrawl of prostitutes and renegade polticos rife with something to say. Long before we had the internet and blogsites to quell our innate desire to be heard [ahem], graffiti has provided a means to voice our inner creative. And its continued evolution has served as a breeding ground for some of the more original contributions to the world of art and social commentary.

Street art, as it is now commonly categorized, has become something of a global phenomenon. With world-class museums such as London’s Tate Modern providing a forum for collectives of international street artists, the art world and the public-at-large is finally starting to take notice. And, on a scale that typically engulfs the buildings and alleyways on which they’re produced, who wouldn’t notice?

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Artists cite influences from comic-book legend Robert Crumb to Spanish surrealist Joan Miró. But unlike more traditional forms of art, street art maintains a critical involvement with the urban environment. English graffiti artist and stencilist Bansky uses his work to satirize politics and challenge principle. Commemorating the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Bansky created a series of works on derelict buildings in and around New Orleans. Although many fail to see beauty in the blight, many of Bansky’s original works go on to sell for hundreds of thousands at auction.

bayareagraffiti_show01San Francisco’s 111 Minna Gallery recently played host to its own celebration of local street art. The event launched Bay Area Graffiti, a collection of distinctive and innovative works documented by photographer Steve Rotman. Featured at the gallery was a diverse collection of tagged found art and mixed-media projects by many of the book’s writers and contributors. Though continually misaligned and misunderstood, it is just these sorts of projects that are capturing public fascination and critical praise. There’s a new Renaissance afoot and it’s happening in the streets.

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Bay Area Graffiti, official website http://unaesthetic.net/bay-area-graffiti/, can be ordered at amazon.com.

—Michael

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Hauntedly Ever After

cartoonmuseum_coraline1Call me a traditionalist, but I’ve always preferred the more old-fashioned modes of film-making. We’ve made some amazing advances with the advent of digital photography and CGI, true, but there’s no substitute for realism. As schlocky as it may have come across the first-time out, Jabba the Hutt was just infinitely creepier before he got the digi-treatment. With all due respect to Mr. Lucas, there was no magic without those puppets. I might be fighting a losing battle here, but something tells me Jim Henson’s got my back.

Now the Portland-based animation studio LAIKA is set to bewitch me and a myriad of other believers with Coraline. We are invited to follow the story of a young girl who discovers a secret door to a parallel world with spooky similarities to her own. Coraline promises to deliver the tried and true grass-is-always-greener parable in unusual nightmarish design. Director Henry Selick is the visionary mind behind the cult classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”  But, this time out, he’s taking his audience on a more interactive ride with 3-D. Selick looks to “expand the other world, draw people into the screen.” An enticing ticket, no question.

For a limited time, The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco is showcasing a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the intricate world of the LAIKA art department. Browse through production stills, illustrators’ concept sketches and an impressive array of real puppets. This is silver screen magic at its up close and personal best. It may not be the next Muppet movie but Coraline looks certain to become a classic all its own.

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Coraline opens in theaters Friday, February 6. The Art of Coraline is on exhibit through February 15 at the Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, SF. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm. (415) 227-8666.

—Michael

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