Distortion 2010.

Copenhagen Distortion is Scandinavia's leading nightlife festival. This five-day festival offers 88 dance floors, including four huge block parties at different locations (warehouses, museums, sport halls, bridges, old breweries). Every day the festival is held in a different neighbourhood in Copenhagen, so Distortion moves through the different city districts, celebrating the city of Copenhagen.

The festival program is as eclectic as it gets - from formal dinner party events under a bridge, to skateboard contests through fire loops, jazz concerts and of course classic techno raves. The Distortion block parties take place in the streets, for free, while the sun sets, and the Distortion Club Clash program takes place during the night in spectacular Copenhagen locations, with overwhelming line-ups. A few names from the line-up: Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Kode 9, Len Faki, Gus Gus, the locals Who made Who and many other experimental-music-orientated artists.

Distortion was once an underground movement, but now, with their 10th anniversary, the festival has more than 40.000 visitors. "We make room for everyone - at least anyone who is good at having fun," says Distortion's Chef Orchestre and founder, Thomas Fleurquin. "Rock types, techno types, hip-hop types, hipster types, whatever types... we don't care where people come from, as long as they have balls and energy".

Distortion 2010
June 2nd - 6th 2010
Copenhagen

Written for BLEND.

70s Photography and everyday life.

© William Eggleston / Courtesy Cheim & Read, New York

In the seventies, photography was accepted as an art form for the first time and everyday life began to infiltrate in photography as a very important theme. Also, the camera was used as a social and political tool in times of political awareness and political and economic liberty of women. Now, the Dutch Photography Museum tries to give a unique image of the most important period in photography history with the exhibition 70s Photography and everyday life.

With the exhibition, pictures of different seventies photographers will be on display. For example, the work of David Goldblatt, William Eggleston, Eugene Richards and Ed van der Elsken. There's also a book, especially compiled for the occasion, called 70s Photography and everyday life as well. The opening of the exhibition is Saturday, June 5th, at 7.00 PM.

70s Photography and everyday life
June 5th - September 19th 2010
Dutch Photography Museum Rotterdam

Written for BLEND.

Friday Food \ Lemon Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp.

Friday, time for a new, simple, different and delicious recipe to begin your weekend with. And because it's the asparagus season now - I already ate it three times this week - I chose a recipe with this ingredient. And risotto might just be the perfect dish for spring: it's rich and satisfying for the chilly nights, but not quite as heavy as a winter stew. Add some shrimps and lemon, which brightens both the asparagus and the shrimp with its clean citrus spark, to the meal and you've got the perfect combination for a delicious bite if you ask me. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

* 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 2 cups water
* 3/4 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
* 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (remove the gastrointestinal tract of a shrimp)
* 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
* 1/4 cup grated parmesan
* 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add asparagus and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, for about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking, then drain. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.
2. Cook onion in 2 tablespoon butter with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, for about 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.
4. Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture and briskly simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy and tender but still al dente (it should be the consistency of a thick soup), for about 18 minutes. (There will be leftover broth mixture.)
5. Stir in shrimp and cook until just cooked through, for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Stir in asparagus, zest, remaining 2 tablespoon butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste. (Thin risotto with some of remaining broth if necessary.)

Recipe form Gourmet.

Written for BLEND.

Maison Martin Margiela '20' The Exhibition.

Maybe some of you have seen it before, but for the ones who missed it: Maison Martin Margiela '20' The Exhibition. This time not in MoMu Antwerp or the Haus der Kunst in Munich, but in the Somerset House London.

The exhibition is made for celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of the most influential and enigmatic designers. The exhibition captures two decades of Margiela's unique aesthetic and vision, incorporating garments, installations, photography and film. It will provide an opportunity to learn more about the brand and its philosophy through a visual examination of themes. The themes underpin the essence of the fashion house since its creation. Various iconic pieces from both the women and menswear collections will be on display, such as the highly replicated 'Tabi' boots, as well as specially recreated garments for the exhibition.

No other fashion house has had quite the same impact on our understanding of fashion and its relationship to history, craft, commerce and innovation. Martin Margiela's radical questioning and rethinking of what fashion is, how we clothe the body and ideals of human beauty, are still as groundbreaking as ever. And most of the time his creations seek the boundaries between fashion and art. Margiela's clothes are 'thinking fashion', imbued with obvious intellectual rather than monetary value.

Maison Martin Margiela '20' The Exhibition
June 3rd till September 5th 2010
Somerset House London

Written for BLEND.

Sziget Hippie Express.

Sziget Festival is one of the biggest festivals this summer, already excisting for almost 18 years now. And who hasn't heard of it? This years acts, already confirmed and sure to come to the island Óbudai in Budapest, are for example Faithless, Oi Va Voi, Vive La Fête, Iron Maiden, Danko Jones, Muse and many more.

Now restaurant and exhibition facility Canvas op de 7e has found a way to extend the festival. They found a way to let the festival begin 22 hours earlier and to offer you transport to Budapest: the Sziget Party Train Hippie Express. This train, like the name suggests, gives you the opportunity of entering Hungary while already partying.

The train leaves our country on August 8th from the railway stations Amsterdam CS, Utrecht CS, Rotterdam CS, Eindhoven CS and Venlo. One of the compartments of the train is completely tranformed into a club, where you can already adjust to the atmosphere of the festival.

Of course, a range of dj's will join the 22 hour long trip to entertain you and your fellow Sziget visitors. A few names of the line-up are Aardvarck, San Proper, Marvin Michel and last but not least, Baskerville, 3 FM's Serious Talent and also booked on Sziget Festival itself.

The trip costs about 300 euros but the ticket for the festival is included. For tickets, click here.

Written for BLEND.

New Collection: Sandra Backlund.

Sandra Backlund is well known for her knitwear in the fashion scene. Yet her Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 collection is a little different than we're used from her. Still employing her iconic knitting techniques, Backlund integrated different fabrics in her designs for the first time.

She uses ribbed motifs, angles, folds, rigid wings and exuberant pleated circles, that create sculptural geometric patterns and continuous variation. The result of all these forms is a collection with a strong three dimensionality that improves the natural shapes of the body. The voluminous yet controlled designs exaggerate and highlight certain parts of the body. Also different types of decorations are added to the collection: embroideries, appliquéd motifs, crystals and fringes.

However, half of her collection is still knitted, but this time she decided to approach the knitwear from a surface point of view: using stitches that give the illusion of fur and feathers.

Now, with this new collection, it's finally possible to buy the pieces Sandra Backlund made. This is one of the reasons Backlund made a little change in her work. So if all goes well, her work will appear in stores next fall!

Written for BLEND.

Greg Streak: Nothing Lasts Forever.

South African artist Greg Streak positions himself between different disciplines, working in sculpture, video, installation and documentary film making. His work is aesthetic and even minimalistic. Where most artists tend to specialize in one area, Streak is able to control almost any medium he turns to.

Streak's new work will be on display at the Soledad Senlle Gallery in Amsterdam, from June 5th till July 17th. The exhibition is a solo show, entitled Nothing Lasts Forever, and is an extension of the work from his solo exhibition Accumulative Disintegration in 2008.

“I am interested in the invisible space between a title and the accompanying work and how the work is transformed by the title and the title by the work. At best the works are supposed to float away into abstraction, multiple truths and fantasy and then the title functions as this cruel anchor that nails it to the ground.” thus Greg Streak.

Titles are critical in Streak's case. Nothing Lasts Forever is, as the title suggests, a search into the impermanence of things. One of his new works, called Biopsy, is a 1.2m diameter sphere with a thickness of 100mm and floats approximately 50mm off the ground. It is constructed from 60 000 wire ties into an intensely woven spiral. The title alludes to the fact that something is potentially wrong, but you don't know exactly what, just like a real biopsy.

"I sense that we live in a time where there is a lot wrong. The works are intimate reflections, metaphors for this abnormality and what I see as social haemorrhaging.”

Greg Streak: Nothing Lasts Forever
June 5th - July 17th 2010
Soledad Senlle Gallery Amsterdam

Written for BLEND.

Hilfiger Denim Live.

This Thursday, May 27th, the second edition of Tommy Hilfigers music event will take place in Paradiso: Hilfiger Denim Live. With this event, fashion, music, entertainment and rock 'n' roll will assemble. The headlines of the evening are two American indie rock bands: Matt & Kim and The Drums. Matt & Kim have also been photographed for the ad campaign for the Hilfiger Denim collection spring/summer 2010. Besides the headlines, there are also performances of Major Lazer, LeLe, Kraak & Smaak (DJ-set) and Parra Soundsystem.

Matt & Kim are an indie power pop duo from Brooklyn, New York, consisting of Matt Johnson (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums, vocals). Formed in 2004, they released their self-titled debut album in October 2006 and after that their second album, Grand, in January 2009.

With a very fresh pop sound, New York's The Drums can be positioned in the British music scene. Their music is minimal at times, but live it's a tetchy rock 'n' roll show complete with a beautiful, sweaty vocal and dance moves like The Rakes.

Together, DJ's and producers Diplo and Switch form the act Major Lazer. Their act is a mix of reggae, dancehall and pop. Kraak & Smaak DJ's have a more eclectic sound and their music includes a variety of funk, break beats, minimal and house. LeLe from Amsterdam, consisting of producer Rimer London, Pieter Parra and Serge Faberyayo, are specialized in disco and electro sounds. And last but not least, party team Parra Soundsystem, will be the final act of the evening. With Parra Soundsystem, DJ's Mr. Wix and Tom Trago combine their skills and are ready to let you move your feet.

Hilfiger Denim Live
Thursday May 27th, 9.00 PM till 4.00 AM
Paradiso Amsterdam

Written for BLEND.

Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other.

This summer, the New Museum in New York shows the work of Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander. The exhibition will put a spotlight on the artist's unique contribution to the narrative of Brazilian conceptualism and reveal her wide-ranging, interdisciplinary practice, that merges painting, photography, film, sculpture, installation, collaborative actions and participatory events.

Three installations in A Day Like Any Other will involve direct visitor participation. Like, I Wish Your Wish, for example. For this installation hundreds of similar ribbons will be printed with visitors' wishes from past projects, and will hang from the gallery walls. Everyone who passes by will be invited to remove a ribbon, tie it to their wrist, and replace it with a new wish written on a peace of paper, continuing the project that keeps generating new ribbons and dreams.

In addition to these participatory actions there are also a few major installations and several new paintings, like After the Storm, made with maps of New York counties exposed to a lot of rain, and Involuntary Sculptures, sculptures made by customers during conversations at bars and restaurants near Neuenschwander's home in Brazil.

For her exhibition opening, Rivane Neuenschwander will discuss her work with Richard Flood in the theatre at the New Museum on Thursday, June 24th, at 7.00 PM.

Rivane Neuenschwander, A Day Like Any Other
June 23rd till September 19th, 2010
New Museum , New York

Written for BLEND.

Gold.

Gold is the most desirable metal known to humanity. Gold plays an important role in themes as protection, decoration, power, immortality, value and worship. Still this day, gold remains a valuable commodity, in many aspects.

This summer there will be an exhibition about this subject in Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht. The Dutch fashion designer and (performance) artist Aziz Bekkaoui will give his personal vision on gold for this exhibition. Aziz will enhance the museum's own collection with remarkable, thought-provoking, surprising, old, modern and contemporary works on loan. And, for the first time, the collection from Aziz himself, in which he frequently uses gold, will be on display.

Gold
June 13th - January 6th 2010
Museum Catharijneconvent Utrecht

Written for BLEND.

Fashion & Architecture.

LucyandBart

Although there are frequent crossovers between fashion and architecture and other disciplines, the collaboration between fashion designers and architects is still at an early stage. But recently, architecture is slowly making its presence in fashion. The pliable metals, membrane structures, lightweight glasses and plastics used in building construction are creeping onto the catwalk. At the same time, architects are borrowing the techniques of pleating, stapling, cutting and draping from traditional tailoring to design buildings that are flexible, interactive, inflatable and even portable. No wonder, because both disciplines have so much common ground: they are both concerned with creating volumes in order to protect people, and both involve principles of construction.

So ARCAM, Ontfront and V2A Architectuur & Stedenbouw thought it would be time to combine the skills of these two disciplines. They have challenged four duos - each comprising a fashion designer and an architect who have teamed up especially for the occasion - to enter into a design process. The results will be on display at ARCAM this summer. The teams consist of Iris van Herpen & Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel, Mattijs van Bergen & Anouk Vogel, Farida Sedoc & Nicole and Marc Maurer and Kentroy Yearwood & Jeroen Bergsma.

Mutually inspired, the designers cut through the dogmas of their own discipline, make a design statement and allow the visitor an insight into the creative process.

Exhibition Fashion & Architecture
July 17th - September 11th 2010
ARCAM , Amsterdam

Written for BLEND.

Night Salon.

Friday the 28th of May, the foundation Museumnacht Amsterdam (n8) organizes a night salon in the Historical Museum of Amsterdam. At the same time, the exhibition The Hoerengracht will be on display here. The night is all about the history and the future of the Red Light District. What did it look like in the past? And what does the future have to bring to this beloved and controversial part of the city?

In the eighties, the American artists Edward en Nancy Kienholz made a 14 meters long artwork: The Hoerengracht, which is an interpretation of the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Besides the exhibition of the artwork, the night salon also offers a program filled with music, art and film, all about seduction, paid love and the Red Light District.

As part of the music program of the evening, the duo Saelors will give an acoustic performance, surrounded by 17th century paintings in the Schuttersgalerij. The minimal music of the two is also called folk-noir. And besides that, DJ's Wannabe A Star and Martin Duvall will show their skills. By giving you a mix of pop, house, punk and disco.

The courtyard of the Historical Museum of Amsterdam changes in an outdoor cinema during the evening. There it's possible to see the short movie Caresse, made by Jim Taihuttu, about the boundaries between paid and unpaid love. And the documentary Rondom het Oudekerksplein by Roeland Kerbosch, which will give you a unique image of the Red Light District during the sixties of the past century.

Also Bojana Panevska will give a performance this evening, which will be a play about the power relations between herself and the audience. And last but not least, different artists and fashion designers will tell about their experiences with the studios they owned in the neighborhood.

Night Salon
Friday May 28th
Historical Museum Amsterdam

Written for BLEND.

Plastic Fantastic?

Nowadays, plastic is an inevitable matter of our society. Everything is made out of plastic, because of the durability and just because plastic is handy and useful. But actually it disfigures our environment permanently with ever-growing garbage mountains: plastic will be the environmental problem of the future.

And besides that, plastic is increasingly used as decoration. You name something and it's probably copied and made out of this material. Well, this was what inspired photographer Richard Kuiper to make his own still lifes of this century: illuminated plastic everyday objects, in Golden Age style.

Still lifes with flowers, food, Chinese porcelain, beautiful silver and golden wine coolers, candlesticks en other normal utensils. At first sight, the objects look like they should, but when you look a little longer, they're not what they appear: the exhibition is a display of 17th century art with a remarkable twist.

The Dutch still life in plastic - Richard Kuiper
May 15th - May 30th 2010
Gallery Home , Amsterdam

Written for BLEND.

CUTTERS2010.

Collage is in no way a new medium. Lots of artists have practiced this art form in the past few centuries. However, as today's world edges closer to chaos with all its imagery and overflow of information, collage enjoys a newly found place among certain ways of expression.

CUTTERS2010, a group exhibition curated by James Gallagher, reaffirms the new recognition of collage with recent collage works of thirteen international artists. Using varied techniques and materials, each of the artists exploits the formal and ideological power of found images and they create a range of work with it that depict everything, from social commentaries to personal confessions and surrealist fantasies.

The exhibition shows us the work of different collage artists. You can behold Valero Doval's delicate vintage, Erik Foss's dirty girls, Sophie Kern's magical worlds, Matt Lipp's provocative silhouettes and many more. You can even see the work of pool gallery artist and CUTTERS curator James Gallagher, called private moments, composed of his own signature that includes vintage sex manuals and antique flea market findings.

Collage is an unexpected way of processing the world around us. Collage is the recycling, reinterpretation and reprocessing of our collective past, present and future.

CUTTERS2010
May 12th - July 15th 2010
Pool Gallery, Berlin

Written for BLEND.

Chicks On Speed: Don't Art, Fashion, Music.

For celebrating their 10th anniversary, Chicks on Speed in Berlin is organising a retrospective exhibition at the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre in Scotland. This is the first major solo exhibition in the UK of Chicks on Speed: an ever-changing multidisciplinary art group who apply punk-inspired DIY ethic to interrogate the boundaries of art, craft, fashion, music and new media.

Known globally for their melting-pot-style – encompassing cutting-edge pop music, performance art, a record label, collage graphics, painting and DIY fashion. Chick’s on Speed’s practice is chaotic and firmly against sedative art.

The exhibition will open with a live art performance for invited guests on June 4th. The highlight of their exhibition will be the unveiling of the ESHOE, this is a stiletto shoe that can be utilised as an electric guitar. They designed this stiletto together with the haute couture shoe designer Max Kibardin. These shoes will be unveiled alongside Chicks on Speed’s ever-growing collection of self made ‘objekt instruments’ – cigar-box synthesizers, super suits with sewn-in body sensors that trigger audio/video samples and two hats made in collaboration with Christophe Coppens and Hangar.org.

The DCA galleries will be further transformed into a giant stage and studio set for making music videos, experimenting with no-choreography and ongoing craft projects live, including loom-weaving inspired by Bauhaus design, lectures and workshops, film screenings of their fashion archive and selected video pieces. To coincide with the exhibition, DCA are co-producing a book with Booth-Clibborn Editions that will be launched in September 2010.

Chicks on Speed: Don't Art, Fashion, Music
June 5th - August 8th, 2010
Dundee Contemporary Arts , Dundee

Written for BLEND.

Copenhagen Photo Festival.

This week the Copenhagen Photo Festival takes place in Denmark. The festival will present significant Danish and international contemporary photography in art institutions, galleries and urban space offering a wide range of contemporary photography, from art and fashion photography to documentary and photojournalism.

Copenhagen Photo Festival will present a day and night program offering exhibitions, workshops, artists talks and seminars, along with a private view program of satellite exhibitions. Day & Night is Copenhagen Photo Festival's main exhibition in the public space of Copenhagen inner city. The exhibition is produced by Copenhagen Photo Festival and will be presenting new contemporary art photography from the international scene. Day focuses on fact and fiction and Night focuses on nightlife and excesses. While Day takes place in broad daylight, Night comes alive at dusk by being projected onto storefront windows, buildings and screens throughout the city.

Copenhagen Photo Festival
May 12th - 20th 2010
Copenhagen

Written for BLEND.

Gemma Slack.

Gemma Slack has a unique flair for combining extraordinary materials into tailored garments. Started at the Chelsea College of Art & Design in Fine Arts, she soon was encouraged to try fashion design. She enjoyed the process of translating her sculptures and paintings into garments and decided to change direction. Therefore she traded her paintbrushes for sewing kits and entered the Fashion Design Technology Womenswear course at London College of Fashion.

After a two-year internship with Gareth Pugh, she launched her first gothic inspired collection in Spring/Summer '09. Her sculpture background is translated into interesting shapes and structured designs. With her A/W 2010 collection, she makes her debut in menswear. The collection features all-black pieces including leather and sheer dresses, face harnesses, furry sweaters, oversized collared jackets and is inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Written for BLEND.

Friday Food \ Chocolate Puddle Cookies.

Today it's Friday, so we post a simple, different and delicious recipe for you to begin your weekend with. This time we've got you a tasty treat. We thought you might be bored in this long Ascension weekend with the sad and cold weather outside. And it's always fun to bake your own chocolate sweets on a boring afternoon. For this cookie you only need six ingredients and a big bowl and wooden spoon. So get your ass off the couch and indulge yourself with this delicious crackle-edged puddle of chocolate. Beware you save enough dough before you bake the cookies though!





Recipe from Heidi Swanson on 101 Cookbooks.

Written for BLEND.

Dear Diary.

Most people have, at one point in their life, kept a diary. Many stopped after a while and never looked back, whereas others kept on documenting everything that happens in life, both the good bits and the sad stuff. A diary can offer many curious insights into an unfolding adolescent life, for example, and often it's funny to read in, when looking back.

Dear Diary, an exhibition put together by Ctrl.Alt.Shift, showcases the diaries of selected people, such as Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and many others. Also a book has been created, called Dear Diary book, that you can buy here.

With the book and exhibition you can also dwell into the diaries of people you've never heard of before, dating back to the 19th century, for a snapshot of an unknown life. The British Museum’s collection of Irving Finkel diaries and Dan Eldon, who between the ages of 15 and 22 kept a diary about his adventures in Kenya, both have their journals on display as well.

But Ctrl.Alt.Shift. is taking the concept one step further and is asking you to submit your own diary, which will be continuously posted on the Diary blog.

Dear Diary
May 11th - May 23rd
SUPER SUPERFICIAL, Gallery 7, London

Geschreven voor BLEND.