A photograph by Erwin Blumenfeld

Title: Untitled, ca. 1940, by Erwin Blumenfeld (1897-1969).

A great artist and innovator in photography, Erwin Blumenfeld moved to the States and while working for the fashion industry in the 40s and 50s, he managed to push the borders of what was known and accepted until then as a fashion photograph. He experimented in the darkroom and came up with stunning results.

The above photograph, which is one of my favorites, is actually not only a fashion photograph but a philosophical statement at the same time. Combining the negative and the developed print in one photograph, he brings out the duality and even the mortality of his subject. He makes a statement about the passing of beauty or the dark side that we always keep buried deep within. It's perfectly fitting that Erwin Blumenfeld never gave it a title. No title could do justice to this work of art.

A stunning cover version by the South San Gabriel

South San Gabriel is the name of the group or Centro-matic. You choose. And they have been going for quite a while. Vehicles for the creative output of lead singer Will Johnson and his friends, they have been around since the middle of the 90's. In this latest record of the band called Eyas, they have included a cover version of a Lionel Richie song called "All night long". Come on, you surely know this song... You have danced to it in parties... But you better forget what you know and prepare to be swept away by a cover version that is different. In fact after listening to this song I started wondering if I should stop calling this song a cover and just call it simply an original. For this is creation from the start, sweet music to the ears and food for the soul. Please visit the site and support the band at www.centro-matic.com by buying their album. By the way Eyas is a young hawk taken from a nest in the wild or bred in captivity to be trained for falconry.

Listen to

South San Gabriel - All Night Long

I Met The Walrus

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced him to do an interview. 38 years later, Levitan, director Josh Raskin and illustrators James Braithwaite and Alex Kurina have collaborated to create an animated short film using the original interview recording as the soundtrack. A spellbinding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit and timeless message, I Met the Walrus was nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Animated Short and won the 2009 Emmy for 'New Approaches' (making it the first film to win an Emmy on behalf of the internet).

The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

When it comes to animation films, there is one film that has really set the standard very high in terms of storyboard and atmosphere. "The mysterious explorations of Jasper Morello" was written by Marc Shirrefs and directed in silhouette animation in 2005 by Anthony Lucas. Take a break and immerse yourself in 26 minutes of pure gothic bliss.