she and him

it sounds nostalgic, like a very pretty blast from the past. Zooey Deschanel's distinctive voice croons over oldies background music, and takes you to a different era completely. 


She and Him is an American duo consisting of actress Zooey Deschanel (who acted in 500 Days of Summer and Elf  - two of my favourite movies :)) and guitarist/producer, M.Ward. this music is not everyone's cup of tea; it's like being in a time warp, completely and utterly. it's sweet, melodic, delightfully cheesy at times: it takes you to an era when love and relationships were romanticised and innocent. 


i love listening to She and Him after a long day - it always relaxes me completely and puts a smile on my face. Zooey Deschanel's voice is just so easy on the ears, the harmonies are beautiful... i love it.

i just love the way they perform this song:

street art

it's loud, it's irreverent, it's controversial, and it's sometimes brilliant: it's street art.
the term "street art" refers to any artwork in a public place, and can range from graffitti and installation pieces to flash mobbing (which is pretty much the coolest thing in the whole world).

breaking the law generally doesn't sit well with me (this is a good thing, i think :), but i think that some street art is absolutely brilliant. many street artists nowadays are moving away from the meaningless and mindless business of "tagging", and creating thought-provoking, meaningful works of art which actually make a social or political statement. some of them are ridiculously clever, and some of them are ridiculously rude - it's amazing!

one of the most famous (in infamous) street artists in the world is British artist, Bansky. his identity is shrouded in mystery, which is understandable considering his line of work is not 100% legal. Banksy's art works are often witty and tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the government or making serious social commentaries. i love his sense of humour, and his disregard for social norms. he's like a rebellious older sibling who you disapprove of slightly, but secretly admire.

LOVE this!

har har...

and here's some street art i found outside the KZNSA Gallery in Bulwer Road recently:

cool, huh?

street art brings out the rebel in us a little bit. but sometimes it's a good thing: it makes us stop and think about what we just accept as normal. it makes us question what is right and what is merely accepted. it makes us remember our ideals and dreams... so street art is a good thing.

hendrik stroebel

Hendrik Stroebel is awe-inspiring. he's a South African artist who specialises in ceramics and embroidery (when was the last time you heard of a fine artist specialising in  embroidery??). i lovelove ceramics, and so i went to his exhibition a couple of months ago... and it blew my mind. completely and utterly.

the embroidery was just so detailed, so skilled; he uses a needle and thread like a painter would use paint: it's simply amazing. my mum spent hours staring at these little cotton "paintings", murmuring in awe and pitying his fingers and eyes :) so the embroidery was lovely. but then we saw the ceramics, and my heart did a million little flips in my chest: they were beautiful. my words don't even do them justice (and neither do these pictures! sigh.)

there is something about delicate, pretty ceramics that makes me soso happy - and these were some of the prettiest ceramic works i've ever seen.



there was a whole wall of these turquoise-themed ceramic stars (some are missing because they were sold). i was in ceramic heaven!



so beautiful!

artists like hendrik stroebel make me want to make art. it's just so beautiful - even the simplest little ceramic star - and it brings so much joy.



how lovely is this frame?



like painting with cotton, right?