Sundance Channel

Haikus everywhere, 5-7-5 all around, you just read one here

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:00:50 +0000

Over the past year or so I've observed haikus, that "less is more" form of Japanese poetry, making a quiet stealthy encroachment and presence upon online pop culture through a variety of means. Some of these I've mentioned around these SUNfiltered parts, which makes me wonder whether we're witnessing an emergence of haikus and a comeback for the genre of poems in general back into something possibly more mainstream or at the least "meme-stream." I had written earlier about a reader of the New York Times online edition who has gained some small measure of fame for his comments left in limerick form. The best recent example of the merging of pop culture with poetry occurred when Salman Rushdie tweeted his thoughts on the Kim Kardashian divorce in limerick form. In fact, the latest issue of New York Magazine's Intelligencer focused on the poets or at least on the tough economic realities of that noble profession (Walt Whitman had a second job as a government clerk). If you're not convinced of my thesis on the pop emergence of poems, but specifically haikus, I turn your attention to the following exhibits.

Tales of a NYC location scout

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:00:37 +0000

One of my favorite, little joys of living in New York City is having my way blocked by a film shoot. Sarcasm aside, there's something pretty wonderful about walking down a random street only to suddenly remember a scene from a movie that was shot in that exact location. It's a sensation that makes living in a somewhat difficult city (but one which has had an iconic role in countless films) worthwhile. And after living here awhile you occasionally come across an interesting street or building and you start thinking "This would be an awesome location for my theoretical rom-com about the pedicab driver who falls in love with an uptown girl" - in other words, pretending to be a location scout.

First Olympic marathon athletes

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:36:01 +0000

The other weekend, my neighborhood was teeming with runners from all over the world who were in New York City to race in the world's largest marathon, for which I woke up in time (no small feat for me on the weekends) to witness the thrilling come-from-behind-victory for the women's race by Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia. (Even more impressive to me than her win was the fact that Firehiwot Dado has the word "fire" in her first name.) Her winning time of 2:23:15 and, for the men, Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai's record-setting time of 2:5:5 compelled the television commentators to remark that the marathon had now become a sprint at the elite level and it won't be long before the 2 hour mark is beaten...

Vintage missed connections

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:01:41 +0000

I've previously mentioned the enjoyment I get from Craigslist's Missed Connections, the forever alone (meme definition here) corner of the Internet. It seems that New Yorkers' desire to seek out the stranger who caught their eye is timeless, as evidenced by these missed connections submitted and published back in an 1872 when our existence was a mere glimmer in the eyes of our great, great grandparents (yup, I just put that image in your heads)...

Illustrated missed connections

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:30:26 +0000

Since 2009, artist Sophie Blackall has been illustrating very artful and charming depictions of submissions on Missed Connections, one of my favorite time-wasting features of Craigslist. If you aren't familiar with this subsite because you've been quarantined from the Internet in the past decade, it's basically a message board for the hopeless romantic-optimists who were too shy to ask out a person when they initially saw them. Or as Sophie poetically describes: "Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I’m trying to pin a few of them down." This is nicer than what I like to tell them, "You'll all be FOREVER ALONE!" Kidding.

Deck of cards honoring NYC creative royalty

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:45:08 +0000

Class up your next poker game and pay homage to some of the artists, writers, thinkers and provocateurs who injected New York City's DNA, either directly or indirectly with their creative genius with these casino quality playing cards from Shipley & Halmos. Who said gambling can't also be both inspiring and educational?

Twin Tower movie cameos

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:10:24 +0000

Twin Tower Cameos from Dan Meth on Vimeo.

Just in time for the tenth anniversary this Sunday of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Dan Meth created this impressive mash-up video that pays homage to the fallen twin towers by stitching together scenes from various films from 1969 to 2001 that featured the World Trade Center "prominently in the foreground [and] sometimes lurking in the distance." The accompanying soundtrack with songs from these decades is also pitch perfect. Watching this made me feel sad for all the human loss and destruction, as well as a sense of nostalgia of my youth that some of these films (HOME ALONE 2! WHEN HARRY MET SALLY!) evoked for me. However, I'm looking forward to and hopeful for One WTC's completion, which, I anticipate, will serve as a similar anchor of downtown Manhattan and symbol of New York City in all the films yet to be made.

Hurricane Irene short film

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:24:39 +0000

Irene NYC from Buffalo Picture House on Vimeo.

Nothing says a good filmmaking opportunity like a hurricane bearing down on your city, or in this case a Manhattan-bound Hurricane Irene for a couple of filmmakers from Buffalo Picture House, who created this short black and white film during the storm. They were a lot more productive than the rest of us New Yorkers who took the chance to stuff our faces with our "emergency" rations (two pizza pies may or may not have been consumed by yours truly). However, Irene also served to remind us "that perhaps life should not fly by in a New York minute." This sentiment seems to be echoed in their inspired film with shots of closed and empty subway stations, shuttered storefronts, and deserted streets.

#BikeNYC photo series

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:43:30 +0000

Flickr's official blog highlighted Dmitry Gudkov's photo project titled "#BikeNYC" that was inspired by his own personal transformative experience with how he engaged with New York City after he purchased a bicycle. He became curious about his fellow bicyclists and reached out to them, first through Twitter (hence the hashtag origin of the photo series' name) and began snapping portraits of New Yorkers with their bikes along with an accompanying profile. He explains:

Photo series of people texting

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:00:17 +0000

Joe Holmes snapped this amusing photo series succinctly titled “Texters,” which focuses its lens on various residents of New York City texting. [Via]

Green tech finds (6/30/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:21:59 +0000

A car designed by teenagers that gets nearly 2000 mpg, white roofs for New York City, and how your DVR is jacking up your electric bill... this week's green tech finds.

Puma's "clever little bag" is biodegradeable: We mentioned Puma's alternative to the shoe box back in April of 2010; PSFK reports that the bags will also be compostable (or, if you're impatient, they'll dissolve in water in a few minutes). (via Environmental Leader)
The 2000 mpg car? OK, not quite... this design by students at Kingdown School in Warminster, UK got a mere 1,980 mpg. That was more than enough for it to win the Mileage Marathon Challenge at Mallory Park track near Leicester. (via Inhabitat)

The delicate dance between cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians in NYC

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:18:36 +0000

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

Ron Gabriel shot and edited this neat overhead video depicting the delicate dance between between cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians at a NYC intersection. In a follow up post to the video, which went viral and elicited many opinions, Ron explains:

The Best Street Photographer You’ve Never Heard Of

Matthew Rodriguez — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:48:22 +0000

As an enormous fan of candid street photography (discovering Cartier-Bresson and Weegee née Arthur Fellig years ago was a revelation for me), I was blown away by both the background story and photographs of Vivian Maier or as Mother Jones described her: "the best street photographer you've never heard of." Maier lived a relatively obscure and anonymous life as a nanny in New York City and then Chicago from the 1950s through 1990s. Never married, her constant companion through her life was her Rolleiflex camera which she used frequently, but apparently she never shared her work with others. It wasn't until 2007 when John Maloof, 26, purchased a box of Maier's negatives at an auction house that they came to light. Taken with the quality, he sought out others and ended up collecting more than 100,000 negatives as well as a few thousand rolls of film.

New York’s changing face

Bradford Shellhammer — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:37:48 +0000

James and Karla Murray’s New York City storefronts project is now a book. It took them 10 years to complete the project and in that time 1/3 of all the shops photographed have shuttered. It’s a visual documentation of the loss of Mom and Pop stores across NYC. From the couple: STORE FRONT is a [...]

Hipster trap

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:33:30 +0000

A redditor came across a culture hacker setting up this “hipster trap” in New York City (presumably LES or Williamsburg?) bearing the irresistible lure of PBR, American Spirit cigarettes, bike chain, and lastly Wayfarer sunglasses. It appears the trap has been successful in the past by the looks of the blood. Spoiler alert: The “trap” [...]

Weegee disguised as an ice cream man

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:45:56 +0000

I love this photo of Weegee. It was a revelation when I first came across Weegee (Arthur Fellig) when there was an exhibition of his photography at Brown University’s David Winton Bell Gallery. Although I couldn’t articulate why at the time, I distinctly recall the feeling of: Finally! Art and photography that for some reason [...]

Mark Twain’s 70th birthday dinner menu

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:14:24 +0000

From their historical collection of menus (among the largest in the world), the New York Public Library, in honor of this beloved American author’s recent birthday, posted the dinner menu for Mark Twain’s 70th birthday celebration which was held in 1835 at Delmonico’s in NYC. Mark Twain is enjoying a resurgence as his recently published [...]

Radio-controlled model airplane tour of NYC

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:46:39 +0000

The Internet is abuzz over this f’awesome video of YouTube user “nastycop420″ (lolz) piloting a RC airplane (with a POV camera attached to it) over Manhattan and Brooklyn on a nice clear day. It’s even more remarkable considering that this wasn’t shut down by the post-9/11 NYPD. I was also struck by how the close-up, [...]

Train to Hogwarts spotted in Union Square

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:08:33 +0000

Recently NYC straphangers spotted this apropos update to our subway service which you can catch from Union Square: the magical 9 3/4 train to Hogwarts. Before you run into the wall for the 9 3/4, let me know first so I can film you…running straight into a wall.

Thanksgiving dinner menu from 1899

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:00:15 +0000

Here’s a menu for a Thanksgiving prix fixe dinner in 1899 at Sturtevant House, which apparently was a popular hotel located on Broadway and 29th Street. It closed its doors around 1903. Look at all that food people could get in olden times for just 75 cents. Relatedly, New York Magazine has a round up [...]

Hard times at Ghostbusters

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:17:19 +0000

By the looks of this photo posted at Unseen NYC (a nice photoblog of random graffiti and seedier spottings in NYC), it looks like the Ghostbusters’ business shift to animal control isn’t going too well. This car was spotted in my old neighborhood of Park Slope.

Vintage photos from past NYC Marathons

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:15:59 +0000

Browse online the New York Public Library’s collection of photos from past NYC Marathons, such as the above image which was taken on 1st Avenue between 76th and 77th Streets at the 1979 race. No iPods, no Foursquare check-ins, and no silly costumes. [Via]

1908 camera lens captures NYC today

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:11:51 +0000

With the assistance of a mad Russian lens technician, photographer Timur Civan attached a vintage “Wollensak 35mm F5.0 Cine-Velostigmat hand cranked cinema camera lens” circa 1908 onto his Canon EOS 5D Mark II. He then roamed Manhattan taking photos and instantly transported New York City back to a pre-digital era.

Creator of “I Heart NY” presents two new variations

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:01:40 +0000

The New York Times recently asked readers to submit their own version of the iconic “I Heart NY” icon, but with the twist of remixing it with other brands and logos. You can view the submissions here online. YMMV (your mileage may vary) as some of them are terrific and others…terrible. The 81-year-old design guru [...]

Avoiding Fashion Week and dreaming of Eminem

Paula Froelich — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:07:21 +0000

The man of my dreams—Eminem. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/GETTY IMAGES)

I had this crazy dream like a week ago — two of 'em actually. The first one was more of a realization. I woke up in the middle of the night and was like, "Damn. I’m gonna be busy next year... So I better get some traveling in!" The other one, also random — involved Eminem, of all people. I mean, huh? I don’t even listen to or think about him. Must have heard his song somewhere — like the time I was in K-mart and heard a lovely muzak version of Richard Marx’s "Ocean’s Apart." Had a dream that night that I was at my mom’s dinner table introducing Richard Marx as my fiancé. My mother kept looking at his mullet with a hairy eyeball and my sister leans over and says, "Richard? What’s your last name again?" and as soon as he says "Marx," I woke up to her mocking laughter in my ears. I didn’t go to K-Mart for a long time after that.

Public art: Subway spoiler alert signs

Matthew Rodriguez — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:00:54 +0000

Newmindspace and Jason Eppink collaborated in installing these “Spoiler Alert” signs around the few New York City subway stations with LED displays as a commentary on their impact on certain commuter habits and behaviors. These LED signs also threaten historical social behaviors, rendering obsolete the time-honored New York tradition of leaning over the platform edge [...]

Summer fun in the hot city

Johnny Weir — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:31:52 +0000

GaGa shows off to the press. That's my girl! Photo by Nick Laham / Getty Images. With it being summer, I thought I’d put together a little cheat sheet about what’s hot in my imagination for this summer, my summer in the city. LADY GAGA Let’s face it, the last two years have been years of Gaga, but there is something so personal about her music and her style that inspires me every day. From the mini short clad dancers in her new “Alejandro” music video, to her whimsical display of her middle finger at major sporting events, there’s nothing not to love. Lady Gaga’s adoration for her fans is something that everyone who is blessed enough to have fans should learn from. There isn’t a morning, day or night in these hot months that I am not rocking my “Poker Face.” FASHION Summer fashion isn’t always something that I go for, I have disproportionate leg muscles which can make shorts and issue, and my skin is paler than Casper’s, but I love letting some skin show and making my skinny rib statements on every hot, sticky, miserable day. Chanel has some amazing tanks from their summer collection, Garreth Pugh put out an insane pair of leather leggings for those frisky nights out grinding to the “thumpa thumpa” and J Brand has introduced “Jegging” shorts, which are basically denim inspired biker shorts that make my booty look glorious. I may prefer bundling up in fur for winter, but this summer there are a lot of hot things to try.

NYC MTA FML

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:33:32 +0000

An Internet meme crossed into everyday real life when New York City’s beloved (note sarcasm) transit agency MTA updated a sign at a subway station at 14th Street and Sixth Avenue to reflect some service changes. The sign for train lines, F, V, and L was changed to F, M, and L. LOL! Bloggers quickly [...]

Last Night’s Party with Conan O’Brien

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:03:49 +0000

I felt lucky last night to attend Conan O’Brien’s “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour” at Radio City Music Hall last night. It really lived up to the hype, especially with all the surprises. Highlights included (Spoiler alert): Reggie Watts warming up the crowd with a killer set. CoCo defeating Steven Colbert [...]

Jump around: Jordan Matter’s jumping photos of dancers

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:04:41 +0000

It's not a big surprise to anyone that peruses through my Flickr or knows me that I've been a long time fan of jumping photos as both a participant and as the photographer. My friends and I however look like complete amateurs compared to these fantastic photos taken by photographer Jordan Matter (recently covered by Em and Lo here) of dancers leaping through the air in various iconic or familiar areas of New York City, such as Parisa Khobdeh at a Yankees game. Matter explains:

Dancers Among Us is a collection of NYC dance photographs featuring members of the Paul Taylor, Mark Morris and Martha Graham Dance Companies. This is an ongoing project that began in the spring of 2009. There were no trampolines or other devices used for these images, just thousands of hours of training.

A couple more after the jump that I really liked!

Leslie Buck, designer of iconic cup dies

Matthew Rodriguez — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:50:43 +0000

Leslie Buck, Holocaust survivor and the designer behind the iconic blue coffee cups, which is familiar to all New Yorkers and “Law and Order” fans, passed away recently at the age of 87. I’m sad that I learned of him only after his death. According to his New York Times obituary, after surviving Auschwitz and [...]

The Beauty of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and Planning My Redneck Roadtrip

Paula Froelich — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:38:32 +0000

Can’t wait to end up in Pigeon Forge — home to Dollywood! Oho — big news on Sullivan this week… the Goonies were busted BIG TIME! Tuesday night the cops swarmed in, blocked off Sullivan and Prince and went to town on the Goonies. The dealers were all up against the wall (very Law & [...]

Artistically detailed New York City skyline

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:57:19 +0000

Tofi Stoler shared with Boing Boing this instantly recognizable pre-9/11 skyline of Manhattan that is created entirely out of staples. I’m not completely sure if this is the most efficient use of office supplies, but it sure is one of the coolest. Speaking of New York skylines, in case you missed it, check out this [...]

Every Painting in the MoMA on 10 April 2010

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:58:02 +0000

One of my favorite art bloggers Hyde or Die shared this ambitious YouTube video titled “Every Painting in the MoMA on 10 April 2010,” which incidentally was the same day I too dropped by my favorite museum in New York City, primarily to view their new Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit (one word review: captivating!). Set to [...]

Epic 2010 Armory Show photo recap

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:16:11 +0000

Last week fellow SUNfiltered blogger Perrin Drumm did a nice write up on The Armory Show, "one of the most important fine art fairs in the world" which ended this past Sunday. I went with a friend over the weekend and while roaming through the various galleries booths and enjoying my (nine dollar!) Coors Light, I took photos of the pieces that caught our eyes. A lot of today's contemporary art simultaneously frustrates and stimulates me, because some seem so heavy handed and derivative, especially trompe l'oeil sculptures and Jenny Holzer-esque pieces, and yet it is these that I'm most drawn towards and excited by. This annual art fair is where these contradicting emotions most manifest (See last year's photo recap here - Part 1 and 2). View (Warning: A LOT) more photos after the jump (I'd like to caveat that pictures don't do justice for most of the art there).

Altered NYC street signs

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:20:08 +0000

A mysterious (well, aren’t they all?) street artist named TrustoCorp recently culture jammed the street signs of Manhattan and Brooklyn with some awesomely hilarious and topical replacement signs. [Via]

Views out the window

Matthew Rodriguez — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:09:46 +0000

Italian artist Matteo Pericoli convinced 63 notable and prominent New Yorkers including Stephen Colbert, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Junot Diaz (seen above) to permit him to illustrate the window views from their homes or offices for his new book “The City Out My Window.” Am I the only one that thinks only Baryshnikov could get away [...]

Last brownstone standing

Matthew Rodriguez — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:26:20 +0000

When I saw this remarkable LIFE photo of a defiant brownstone apartment building, I stopped cold in my scrolling mouse tracks. The photo, which reminded me of this year’s hit Pixar film UP, should be displayed next to the word “gentrification.” Its caption read “Construction in NYC: land being cleared for 20 story building in [...]

Paper cutout of NYC

Matthew Rodriguez — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:26:45 +0000

An impressive meticulously detailed large map measuring 6 feet x 8 feet of New York City cut out of paper by hand. It’s separated into four panels each representing the main boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens), except for the Rodney Dangerfield of the boroughs: sorry, Staten Island. Along with a Paris version, this unique [...]

Flash mob musical troupe break out in NYC

Sundance Channel — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:12 +0000

Note the police officer who attempts to break up the faux flight until the singing begins! Break Out In Song is an ambitious public arts project that pushes the boundaries of live theater as it dazzles unsuspecting audiences with free, spontaneous and fully staged Broadway musical numbers. The idea came to producer Ryan Mackey as he would listen to show tunes on his iPod, wishing that he could start singing and dancing. After seeing the viral video of about 200 dancers perform a song from THE SOUND OF MUSIC in a train station in Antwerp, Belgium, he decided he wanted to do something similar in New York.

Everyone forever now

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:11:02 +0000

“Everyone Forever Now” is an “episodic motion-based media project” that “is an examination of the collective wisdom and expression of human actions.” Creators Will Hoffman & Daniel Mercadante attempt to document and capture the mundane experiences of everyday like suntanning to the provocative such as shooting a gun. I particularly enjoyed their effort to document [...]

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale

Sundance Channel — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:08:10 +0000

The World Science Festival has just begun to release some clips from this year’s festival which was held in June 2009. One of the most notable is from “Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus” where Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation. World Science Festival 2009: Bobby [...]

Science and the city

Sundance Channel — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:17:23 +0000

Brian Greene, festival co-founder and theoretical physics professor at Columbia University, with the respected Dr. Bunson Honeydew From June 10-14, New York City will host the second annual World Science Festival, a series of programs and lectures that highlight the big questions in science and how they influenced the big questions in other fields, like philosophy, ethics, and the arts. The festival's primary mission is "to cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future," a reminder that that science part of all of our lives, from the philosophical to the practical, and is worth knowing about.

Times Square Beach

Sundance Channel — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:52:17 +0000

A kinder and gentler traffic in Times Square. Finally catching up to many European cities who have made their city centers "pedestrian only" for years, New York City's mayor, Michael Bloomberg has closed Broadway to vehicular traffic between 47th and 42nd Streets straight through the middle of Times Square in New York City. Bloomberg says that clearing both Times Square and Herald Square (from 35th to 33rd Streets on Broadway) of motorized vehicles will lower the number of pedestrian accidents and cut down on pollution.

Pet garbage

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:30:52 +0000

Once again proving the adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, Justin Gignac collects New York City garbage and carefully packages it in plastic cubes, which are then signed, dated, numbered, sealed and of course, available for purchase. [Via]