Disqus - Latest Comments for tarts

Re: live or tell

tarts — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 07:04:08 -0000

OHHH YOU! not to rely on labels, but remembering that 'peranakan' exists just made me feel 1000% better about things that are bothering me re: heritage/ethnicity/everything else. thanks for bringing this to my attention! <3

Re: Write About Rap

tarts — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 07:00:00 -0000

Interesting to me for several reasons (Indonesia, economic anthropology) and very readable. Great idea, clearly exectuted, looking forward to reading your other summaries!

Re: Tuesday Timepiece: The Nixon Time Teller

tarts — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 07:32:26 -0000

channeling some serious molly young ("yung moll-e") vibes in your voice, dhany.
--cass "cashgranny" g

Re: Blurry photo + Career Change

tarts — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:38:19 -0000

This is great & I identify with you on so many points. I would say more but you've nailed it.

Re: http://blog.hermine.me/post/3325603886

tarts — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:55:29 -0000

how did it go?

Re: http://tarts.tumblr.com/post/1474711017

tarts — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:17:13 -0000

mintie just offered to send me a cheaper copy. JOIN! buy one and we can save heapo dolla

Re: http://tarts.tumblr.com/post/1411261126

tarts — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:03:47 -0000

makes me go 'hmmmm'

Re: I honestly don’t need the rest of the internet when moments like these happen on greader with increasing regularity.

tarts — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:45:25 -0000

more since then:

Cassie Q - So I wrote a long and surely not very insightful comment and it only posted the second half!

Vague recollection of what I was saying is that the art direction for this is a contemporary artist called Vanessa Beecroft, uses the naked female form as a' medium' of expression. She worked with Kanye on the listening party for 808s & Heartbreak. Has previously done works which feature "sculptures cast from live models, lying on coffin-like bases, beside 20 live naked female models in white body make-up. Beecroft’s women are meant to be virtually indistinguishable from the sculpted casts" She also highlights her choice of similar looking, hyper aesthetic women for her works. The homogenised ballerinas have a physicality that is sculptural but she says of the women she chooses generally that - "VB: I identify with the girls, being hard and desensitised, and eventually resurrecting. What I like about the sculpture is that it is impenetrable: you cannot access or possess her."

The whole resurrection/phoenix thing and the strange conversation about sculptures I guess are things that are on her agenda already.

Whether as a statement primarily of race/gender or both, the female/bird figure is a point of difference and the 'community' reacting negatively is interesting but ambiguously meaningful depending on whether one takes the bird girl as a character in and of herself or merely a reflection of Kanye's super ego (id!). Lots of gender and race things to think about, but perhaps we are overstating...IT'S UNCLEAR.

The interesting thing that I find in relation to these race question is the bringing of the turkey to the table, to the American audience will inherently be loaded with meaning and connotations in relation to thanksgiving and Native American colonisation narratives. It is this third party who are kind of backgrounded in the black/white dichotomy of race politics in America, the elephant in the room so to speak. It is unclear whether or not Kanye is capable of having a sophisticated tangential dispossession thread in this video, perhaps that is reaching but it is definitely something to consider. Especially with regards to the newly affluent position of African Americans in the rap culture and broader America, the irony of the (formerly?) dispossessed framing their expression/behaviour in the same schema as the dispossessors, ie the use of the eurocentric classical ballerinas, the all white waiters, fine china tea services, allegories and classical mythology motifs etc. Framing 'success' against a backdrop of dominant white modes of discourse/paraphenalia and 'stuff'.
.
Anyway, I haven't really thought this through rnough yet but after recognising the name Vanessa Beccroft I wanted to see if it was who I thought or not or not...on an amusing side note she herself is a bit of a funny character and has been described as "a raging attention seeking narcissist oblivious to her racist behavior." and as one astute commenter said

Substitute "He" for "She" and, well, anything derogatory for "racist" and you've got a spot-on description of Kanye. So the match makes perfect sense to me.

lol at kanye,

he is a sikknt. that is all. Oct 26, 2010

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Mia F-R - it ain't a turkey, i'm pretty sure. i think it's a pheasant of some description. Oct 26, 2010

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Matt S - Ha, Cassie, I think a Said-style Orientalism-esque critique of this video w/r/t the invisible position of Native Americans in this whole race discourse would totally be available here - not that I think Kanye has any particular conscious investment in that whole schmozzle, but cf. the resurgence of 'nativism', 'originalism' etc. in American popular thought. Also the animals in the forest/in his backyard! All sorts of things lurking w/r/t animal imagery here.

I also don't wonder if we're seeing a weird, lurid version of (re)modernism here with artists like Kanye, Gaga, (Sufjan?) in the appeal to 'high' culture and specifically European, modernist aesthetics, as Cassie was saying. (Does anyone know anything about the house Kayne's living in, in the video? Seems familiar, at least in style.) Oct 26, 2010

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Bronwyn W - thanks cassie! i have been trying to remember the name Vanessa Beecroft for the last month for use as related texts, wooo Oct 26, 2010

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Cassie Q - The architectural style is something I had actually referenced that in my original comment in relation to egs. of eurocentric aesthetics/symbols but forgot to re mention it, the modern eurpopean architectural spaces are reminiscent of minimalist bauhaus style as well as architects like le corbusier, funnily enough, these followed a maxim of form as following function which does not necessarily apply to the generally decadent style of the video. In his house in particular there is a clear contrast between this minimalist style with the modern technology and the sort of rococo, french, aristocratic furniture, drapery etc. I also forgot to mention the michael jackson parade in the middle is similar to a clip for a joy division song (?) that stamped itself on my brain during a late night rage binge, many moons ago.

With regards to the amped up, fancy 'turkey-style-bird', regardless of whether it is actually supposed to be a turkey/not, in the way it is presented in this setting, at the table would be instantly loaded with referential meaning for an American audience. In addition, there are turkeys present in the bushes in one of the backyard scenes.

I think that Kanye does have an investment in that dialogue about the position of Native Americans in the race discourse in the same way that any American does, whether it is conscious or not, that is a key part of the cultural narrative of that country, the Indigenous position is something of relevance most particularly when, as I said, the group that perhaps could have been seen to occupy a similar position of disenfranchisement and 'social inequality' in many senses have themselves become somewhat re-oriented to be more powerful.

I think that it is a (re)modernism that for me approaches hyper (post) modernism, like a strange ground between throwbacks to high modernist narratives, aesthetics, grandiosity and idea(l)s and post modern personal politics of plurality, pastiche and ambiguity. lots of p words there... But in Kanye's clip these styles/aesthetics/value sets and techniques are played off one another and also both taken to such an extreme, making the whole thing oscillate between moments of visual and semantic genius and truly ridiculously terrible shit. It doesn't sit comfortably in either world and it is unclear whether or not this is intentional or just unfortunate.

To me the intensely personal nature of this whole thing is also kind of reflective of this culture of oversharing in general via the interwebs. This is what happens when you have a narcissist with too much money, some talent, a ridiculous amount of 'passion' (perhaps read: stupidity?) and a generally naive but intense sense of 'responsibility' to share his glory with the world and make people understand his genius! Kanye should never have been allowed on twitter, look what we have arrived at...the way pop culture is going is continually intriguing to me...what next though? A collaboration between Willow Smith, Kanye and the amazing dancing bird.

Like I said, maybe this is extrapolating is all over generous or just pretentious, but it is an interesting thing to think about/way to distract me from my essay. Oct 26, 2010

Re: list of texts saved in my drafts folder, provided without commentary

tarts — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:04:50 -0000

fyi -- 75% of these quotes are cassie's doing

Re: http://unsustainable.tumblr.com/post/1199328236

tarts — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:36:02 -0000

totally pressed the wrong button there :( you won't be unfollowed any time soon, especially considering how long I've e-known you

Re: http://rachelhills.tumblr.com/post/605046422

tarts — Tue, 18 May 2010 01:35:59 -0000

Great points Rachel! I totally agree with the sentiment. Out of curiosity, have you seen/what are your thoughts about the Dove Superbowl ad? [http://www.youtube.com/watc...]

Also, because I find it interesting that a) it pokes fun at traditional 'masculine' tropes while simultaneously reaffirming them, especially considering b) it's targeted at women, I direct you to this ad: [http://www.youtube.com/watc...]

Re: chapter in your life - We talked of nothing else but blue skies.

tarts — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:35:42 -0000

What? No! Birds can moult without dying, you know!

Re: tarts

tarts — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:55:34 -0000

Exactly! I don't judge people who date Asians (that's like shooting myself in the foot). I *am* bothered, though, by people who specifically date only Asians, and a certain kind of Asian at that. There's a certain air to the (usually) dude in question, and you never gave me that impression. You're lovely and I'll see you soon, hurray!

Re: tarts

tarts — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:24:21 -0000

Sent! I'm assuming you already have a tumblr. Have fun, I trust you to use your discretion re: ladies worth the ladybanding!

Re: - things I post about: music, books, writing,...

tarts — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:45:22 -0000

Hey! Thanks, I actually just adapted a theme available through Tumblr's Theme Garden. The 'safe' theme is here: http://safe.tumblr.com/them... but when I checked the customisation page I couldn't find it. Perhaps if you root around a bit you might find something similar, or the right layout under a different name?

Re: Sitting 'round, killing zombies - soupsoup: saucy: Amazed by tumblr. 50...

tarts — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:15:36 -0000

I'M SORRY EVERY TIME I TRIED TO PULL ONE TOGETHER NO ONE REPLIED

I still have them stickers if you want them before I ship out

Re: this might seem obvious to you, but i am worried:

tarts — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:47:21 -0000

I'm not sure where you're moving from/to or how long it takes, but if it isn't more than a day, and if you keep it refrigerated as best you can (esky?) you should be okay. Though I'm pretty sure eskies are ann Australian-centric thing

Re: Online dating is soooo 2006

tarts — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:33:05 -0000

“The best part is trying to explain how you met to people who don’t use the internet. Non internet users don’t really understand it.”
This. Exactly.

Re: kat white

tarts — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:03:37 -0000

Aha! Thank you!

Re: kat white

tarts — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:31:48 -0000

Embedding disabled by request :(

Re: Benjamin & His Blog.. - Pro Camera Gear on a Student Budget

tarts — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:50:38 -0000

Thank you for posting this! I've been thinking about this exact thing for some time now

Re: tarts

tarts — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:08:15 -0000

Expect some good music? Really :) My favourite is the Jonathan Boulet track--it's such a great, sunny summer track. But the others are also pretty good!

Re: There is a distinct lack of writers on Tumblr

tarts — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:57:30 -0000

I was following this debate with real interest and totally did not expect such a nice shout-out. Thanks, Teresa--I now have a list of new people to follow as well!

Re: Trouble from the get-go

tarts — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:34:43 -0000

Tried triple-liking this but tumblr is a fussy old lady. Love! <3

Re: In which I encourage you to come out of the woodwork

tarts — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:47:33 -0000

Why hello there! And thank you very much, it's always nice to find people like the same things you like. As you can see I'm a little busy at the moment so I'm sorry for the lack of content, but I'm trying to reintroduce tumblr into my life again :)