Cadavre Exquis--Subterranean Poets

In English, Exquisite Corpse, a poetry game/technique created by Surrealists in the 1920s and was a French cafe pastime of Henry Miller. There are various ways to "play" but our way is that each person writes 4 lines, folds the paper down to only reveal the last line, the next person writes 4 lines, and passes it to the next person until the page is full.

Click HERE to see some of our work--Subterranean Poets--the brainchild of one Miss CC Sheffield. Takes place a hop skip and a jump away on Wednesdays in the library room of 86--Rudolph Valentino's old speakeasy. Its just good therapy. Some free-writing. Easy fun.

Music + Style Inspiration of the Day

Watch Pretty In Pink. Its great.....

Postcard from Beijing

"I am chasing a dream. a boy, a life of art, and hope that doors will open up. Learning a lot and enjoying the un-real life of an expat."--xo Su.

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.--Oscar Wilde

Complete silence for the past 3 hours. Only now the sounds of a fan, of the crickets outside, and of the air brushing through the palm fronds. I am concentrating on these lovely things rather than the occasional machine noise of cars passing by. The night air is merciful. Finally, thankfully becoming cool. The lights of the city are twinkling in the distance of my picture window--past the inky silhouettes of palm trees against a violet night sky. I've always felt a calm looking at city lights in the distance--wherever I am. And such excitement at seeing the lights of a city upon approach. My mother often comments that I felt or acted this way even as a tiny toddler. Perhaps it was growing up in a small town with a bit of wanderlust in my being (I think inherited perhaps from my maternal grandmother's mother). The tiny city lights in the distance take me back to those quiet childhood moments sitting alone in the living room in the dark gazing at the simple beauty of the lights on our Christmas tree.
Through the weekend I've stolen time to read a bit of Oscar....my romanticized, idealized, glass-half-full take on him. Feeling close to Wilde--a fellow Libra. And some shared Irish blood. A lover, not a fighter. An observer. Perhaps bit naive in some respects. A dreamer. An admirer of the gift and beauty of nature. For better or worse though these characteristics may be in certain contexts or situations, I feel overall its these very parts of a being that keep our souls young and in tune with the earth, the moon, the sun and the stars. These qualities give us sympathy, understanding and forgiveness of other humans and keep our eyes wide open to all that can be possible.....
Some particular quotes today I am feeling in tune with....
"Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are cultivated. For these there is hope...."

I love that he was so much of a lover of nature....aren't you there with him right now?:
"The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac; or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn."

And well, I do quite like this one..... ;)
"I prefer women with a past. They're always so damned amusing to talk to."

Lady Calliope Callie Is One Lazy......

I know, its ridiculous. Lady Calliope, aka Callie, surely fell into the roll of pampered princess after surviving a stay in the LA county dog pound. I sometimes wonder what her story was before I knew her, but am glad for her now that this is the life she knows. This lazy dog will sleep til noon and looks at me as though I am crazy if I get up early and turn the lights on in the bedroom. Thus, the Warhol Jackie Kennedy eyes sleeping mask she likes to wear. Seriously.....

MOCA. Sterling Ruby.

Sterling Ruby. SP21. 2008. spray paint on canvas. 100"x 144."

So, here is what I've been up to work-wise. We had a superb turnout for and response to the launch of MOCA's Happy House. Its exciting to be involved in the birth of something new, creative, and out of the box as the saying goes.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) launched a brand new support council, MOCA Happy House, on Wednesday, June 18, 2008, at an exclusive preview and champagne reception celebrating the opening of Los Angeles-based artist Sterling Ruby's first solo museum exhibition, MOCA Focus: Sterling Ruby, SUPERMAX 2008. A black-light after-party was hosted by MOCA Happy House and its founders Karyn Kohl and Ezra Woods at the Mandrake Bar.

Artist Sterling Ruby and curator Phillip Kaiser with Jessica + Ezra.

Karyn (in a strapless vintage Valentino from Resurrection + African Kazuri bead necklace and MOCA's Adam Gross.

In an effort to inspire a new generation of cultural philanthropists, Happy House Chair Karyn Kohl—a dedicated MOCA patron and supporter of Sterling Ruby's installation at MOCA Pacific Design Center—and Ezra Woods will be collaborating with the museum to create unique events and outreach for an influential, young demographic interested in cultural engagement. The mission of MOCA Happy House is centered on cultivating lifelong philanthropic habits and generating support for MOCA programming.

Stephanie & Harold without Maude.
Ezra--always a dapper gent. He picked this dress out for me by the amazing designer Marios Schwab. The print is intestines. Underlayer prints are muscle & lung tissue. Alexis Bittar jewelry. Gaetano Perrone for Te Casan shoes. 1950's Vintage Whiting & Davis bag (a gift from Virginia friend Amy Wilson for my birthday in 1992!)

Thank you to Karyn & Ezra, the staff at MOCA and our amazing intern army!!!!

Sweet and Beautiful

Its like Linlee and Lucky :)

Buzz Buzz

Yesterday I was unable to go home for a while. I had taken little Callie for a walk. I had no phone, no cash, no water, just me and my dog. After our walk was through, we could not get back into our place for over an hour. So, we two gypsies just went with it. What can you do? We wandered around our neighborhood. We lounged in the grass for a good while, gazing up at a incredibly chubby and fuzzy bumble bee with a completely solid ochre-yellow tummy. He kept buzzing over us. He was curious about us it seemed and quite amusing. I started thinking how he seemed almost like a mini alien. He repeatedly came over to check us out for a good 15 minutes, and would then buzz about some flowers. The way they maneuver is fascinating, especially when you are observing from below. He was like an organic robotic helicopter. A bit surreal.

When is the last time you paused in life and had such an experience?

36th Anniversary of the Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust

Seriously. 36 years ago The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars-- this amazing piece of sound art--was released. Thats how visionary Mr. David Bowie truly is.

And happy 16th anniversary to Iman & David. Maybe they play dress up & do each other's makeup in the Ziggy costumes on their anniversary weekend? Thats what I would do....life is meant to be lived to the fullest my friends!

Fly Derrie-Air

THIS IS BRILLIANT!

Pack less. Weigh Less. Pay Less.

Derrie-Air will be the only airline that plants trees to offset every pound of carbon that our planes release into the atmosphere.

But not only will we do our part to protect the environment, we will expect you, our passengers, to do your part as well. The magic comes from our one of a kind "Sliding Scale"—the more you weigh, the more you'll pay. After all, it takes more fuel—more energy—to get more weight from point A to point B. So we will charge passengers based on how much mass they add to the plane. The heavier you and your luggage are, the more trees we'll plant to make up for the trouble of flying you from place to place.

The "Sliding Scale" comes from the notion that each of us is responsible for the energy we use. There's nothing wrong with toting around a little extra mass-as long as you pay for it.

The Hunger

Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to. --Oscar Wilde

Les Predateurs

Bowie, Deneuve and vampires. It doesn't get much better.....

Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve), is a beautiful yet dangerous immortal creature that preys on the lifeforce of humans, inviting a chosen few to be her human lovers, promising them eternal life... with a price. As the film begins, her current companion is John (David Bowie), a talented cellist she married in 18th century France. In the present day, they live together in an elegant New York townhouse posing as a punk Gothic couple.

Malediction Society Gemini Ball

"I have three types of absinthe, German, Swiss, and French. The French is the most expensive, $25 per ounce." Ezra and I had "death in the afternoon": absinthe poured over the sugar cube, lit on fire, and mixed with champagne. The dreamy feel of the drink was the perfect concoction for our foray into a gothic world last night.
"The goths are like hippies--they're very nice" Ezra noted. Its true. They welcomed us without question. It was wonderful to try something so different from the usual scene and its a bit liberating to know you can go somewhere and escape for a while. Especially yesterday, I needed to do that. It was like being transported back to some other time and certainly some other place. Aside from the palm trees, it certainly doesn't look like typical Los Angeles.

Another Love Lost: Yves Saint Laurent Passes Away in Paris

He was another one of my loves. His style and creative sensibilities created such an impact on fashion and culture. He was a perfectly sexy dandy gentleman who caused a stir 30+ years ago when he took masculine styling to women's fashion. The androgynous look of his famed safari chic and smoking/tuxedo jackets for women--the latter which was the perfect match for photographer Helmut Newton.

PARIS (AP) — A longtime friend and associate of Yves Saint Laurent says the famed couturier has died at his Paris home at the age of 71.

Pierre Berge says that Saint Laurent died Sunday evening following a long illness. He did not give details.

The innovative designer was an institution for decades in the world of high fashion.

He was widely considered the last of a generation that included Christian Dior and Coco Chanel and made Paris the fashion capital of the world.