EMILY MOON

Visual musings of life, art, and reruns of The X-Files.

[emilymoonblog]

The crown jewel of horrifying holidays is almost upon us, and to further heighten my anticipation, here are an array of posters that either promoted or celebrated some of the classic and upcoming horror films included in our annual Halloween Marathon.

Artists attributed where I could find them:

An American Werewolf in London, 1981

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, 2014

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956

The Hallow, 2015 - Art Machine

Willow Creek, 2013 - Alex Pardee

Crimson Peak, 2015 - Guy Davis

Rosemary’s Baby, 1968 - Wieslaw Walkuski

The Body Snatcher, 1945

Beetlejuice, 1988 - Ken Taylor

The Witch, 2015 - Gravillis Inc.

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It’s an unfortunate fact that my patience for American Horror Story withered away a long time ago and after hearing about some of the brutality in this week’s “Checking In,” I’m not chomping at the bit to revive it. But my sentiments for the show aside, Los Angeles bombards us with endless AHS billboards at this time of year and that’s a promotional assault that I don’t actually mind. In fact I find a lot of the art surrounding the show to be quite intriguing and, back when I still watched it, found myself wishing the show itself was more like its promos and opening credits: photographically gorgeous, eery, and mysteriously disturbing rather than gratuitous and overt. Oh well, there’s a market for the uncanny and a market for shock value and I’ll just have to get my horror kicks from AHS’s lovely ad campaigns.

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I’m not much of an advocate of the current Disney remake craze--especially when it means replacing the gorgeous animation of the classics with CGI landscapes and creepy-ass lizard people--but one thing they seem to be doing right is the illumination of some of their leading ladies. The best part of Maleficent was the way Dean Semler lit Angelina Jolie’s face in certain shots and similarly Cate Blanchett was absolutely radiant in Cinderella. Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos employed lovely lighting throughout the film, but the combination of Blanchett’s porcelain complexion, her elegant costumes, and the way her sculptural features are defined by dramatic broad, short, and split lighting result in a scene-stealing visage whenever she graces the screen. It’s still hard to beat the stepmother’s iconic look of horror in the 1950’s version, but the definitive lighting, fashionable grace, and wild look in Blanchett’s eye make her a beautifully disquieting contender.

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For work this week, I was asked to look at Indian fashion designers associated with Exclusively and, although I’m faaaaaar behind the bandwagon, I was thrilled to discover the work of Manish Arora. If you’ve perused the previous entries of this blog, you've probably noticed I’m besotted with color, innovative design elements, and the fusion of cultural influences, and Arora’s vision marries the three beautifully. Having graced the figures of Rihanna, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and even Barbie, Arora’s maverick collections have set the fashion-savvy creative consciousness ablaze and taken the fashion world by kaleidoscopic, beaded, and rib-caged storm.

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It pains me to say this, so I’ll say it quick: this season of True Detective was not what I’d call entertaining television. Sunday after Sunday, my boyfriend and I tuned in out of allegiance to Nic Pizzolatto’s original tour de force, praying that some semblance of season one’s unnerving American gothic might grace the screen again; praying that every last gravel-voiced, furrow-browed character might lose a little monotony; and ultimately praying that some deity would step in to shed light on what the hell was going on each episode. But the nights passed with our prayers unanswered, and now the show’s over. We can only hope that next season allots the crew ample time to try to create another triumph; lament the fact that our city of Los Angeles served as backdrop to the lame season; and celebrate the one thing we actually enjoyed about the show: the opening credits. 

According to the voices of Internetdom, I seem to be one of the very few people who actually liked Leonard Cohen’s “Nevermind.” And although the double exposure aesthetic is a throwback to the freshmen photography courses of yesteryear, the production design studio Elastic does it so well and melds it so seamlessly with the music that we can’t help but be enthralled. So with these clips, we honor season one, say sayonara season two, and look forward with a shaken but resilient hope for the potential of season three.

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After a week of indulging my fasciation with the otherworldly and inexplicable by cruising through Aaron Mahnke's podcast Lore, I figured some excepts from fashion designer Iris van Herpen's oeuvre were in order. With pieces whose jagged or coiling silhouettes often look like cryptids themselves, Van Herpen is an artist who defies the "form follows function" construct and utilizes science, architecture, and 3-D printing to achieve structural individuality. Exploring themes of magnetism, the changing states of light and electricity, microorganisms, sky-diving, the disillusionment of digital entertainment, and radiation, Van Herpen is an artist clearly driven by her analyses of modern culture. Thus I present a small exposé on a large and fascinating body of work, highlighting pieces shot on set or backstage at the shows for Van Herpen's various collections.

Collection Credits:

Wilderness Embodied - Designed by Iris van Herpen in collaboration with Jolan van der Wiel, Isaie Bloch, Materialise, and United Nude; Photographed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino

Voltage - Designed by Iris van Herpen in collaboration with Carlos Van Camp and United Nude; Photographed by Ronald Stoops

Micro - Designed by Iris van Herpen; Photographed by Ronald Stoops

Capriole - Designed by Iris van Herpen; Photographed by Duy Vo

Crystallization - Designed by Iris van Herpen in collaboration with Benthem Crouwel Architekten and Daniel Widrig

Radiation Invasion - Designed by Iris van Herpen

Refinery Smoke - Designed by Iris van Herpen

ALL DESIGNS © IRIS VAN HERPEN.

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Coming off the cosplay heels of Comic Con, I figured it's time to explore some of the creatives that my boyfriend--a film major who unexpectedly found his way into the Hollywood comic book industry--gets to behold every day. Thus, the traditional mark-making and modern aesthetic of Marvel and Image illustrator Dan Panosian. While I've never actually read the comics (I'm a blasphemous girlfriend), I'm especially fond of Panosian's unsettling cover work for the series Ghosted.

ALL IMAGES © DAN PANOSIAN.

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I may not be the biggest feline enthusiast after growing up with the Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons, and meeting a shark may be low on my bucket list ever since swimming in the Atlantic at 2 a.m., but those ever elusive cat-sharks absolutely win my vote!

Thus, here are some of the freaky-fun inventions of talented creature and concept designer Brynn Metheney. 

ALL IMAGES © BRYNN METHENEY.

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One of the very few upsides of sustaining a leg injury is that you suddenly have a guilt-free pass to waste your weekend watching movies from your childhood… That and the pain stymies your appetite so you don't have to feel too bad about missing kickboxing.

While indulging in my movie marathon this past Sunday, I re-watched the only biblical film that reigns high on my favorites list: The Prince of Egypt. I'd like to think that my childhood self was astute enough to appreciate this film's stunning color palette and gorgeous environmental artwork, but if eight-year-old Emily was more tuned in to the fact that God sounded suspiciously like Madmartigan, at least the animation team's efforts went wholly appreciated this time around.

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It may be a cliché sentiment in the current American zeitgeist, but I love me some Lana Del Rey. I was first introduced to her as an artist whose low register was overrated, but when my sister came along and actually played the music for me I was transfixed. That crooning from a bygone era of pulp and lavish Americana; the fusion of 80s hip-hop and ethereal intonations that transport you to the loneliness of the sprawling Southwest; the fascinating and repulsive coalescence of the abject and beautiful; and the lovely cinematography in her music videos à la visionaries like André Chemetoff, Malik Sayeed, and Evan Prosofsky. With such a long-standing obsession, I'm giddy-silly that I get to repay my sister's gift of music by taking her to to the Endless Summer tour in a few months.

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I'm so glad Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style movement is helping the world recognize that aging is a progressive phenomenon rather than the decline into stagnancy that passé stereotypes would have us believe. If you haven't yet, indulge in the blog, pore over the book, dive into the documentary, and whatever art form you aspire to, practice, or admire, be utterly inspired by these fabulous ladies!

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METALLIC LOVE

Finding an inspirational artist you can relate to is always a pleasure, but Russia-born, Munich-raised Elizaveta Porodina didn't need a background in illustration, an obsession with aggressive, unnatural color, and a love of Karin Dreijer Andersson to captivate my attention. Her portfolio is an array of sci-fi dreamscapes awash with chiaroscuro lighting and rife with feminine assertion, and while she called this effect overwhelming, I find the over-the-top, atypical ambience engrossing.

Images featured in HYPE Magazine, 74 Magazine, and VICE Magazine. ALL IMAGES © ELIZAVETA PORODINA.   

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SEEKING AESOP

With Disney revamping their fairytales right and left and the magic of an impending Christmas tinging the air through all the commercialism, I figured it was time I add a little fantasy to this blog. Hence the uncanny and folkloric work of Tim Walker, conceptual fashion photographer and narrative set designer extraordinaire.

Image Credits:

W Magazine, December 2013; Model - Kristen McMenamy

Vogue Italia, January 2012, "Like a Doll;" Model - Lindsey Wixson 

Vogue Japan, November 2004; Model - Lily Cole

Vogue Italia, March 2014; Model - Mariacarla Boscono

Mulberry, Fall 2012; Model - Lindsey Wixson

W Magazine, December 2013; Model - Kristen McMenamy

Vogue Italia, January 2012, "Like a Doll;" Model - Lindsey Wixson

W Magazine, 2012; Model - Xiao Wen Ju

Vogue UK, March 2009; Model - Lily Donaldson

Love Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2013; Model - Karen Elson

ALL IMAGES © TIM WALKER. 

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MODERN TWIST on the vintage film poster aesthetic by commercial graphic designer Grzegorz Domaradzki, a sought after digital and traditional illustrator and typographer who goes by the nickname Gabz.

ALL IMAGES © GRZEGORZ DOMARADZKI.

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Because homemaking has consumed my life for the past month and kept me away from the internet, I thought I'd post an homage to my latest interior design obsessions. The lovely soft lighting and styling makes me nostalgic for my college stint as an interior photographer. 

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Another artist I've been smitten with since adolescence is traditional media painter Aaron Jasinski. Adhering to the philosophy that "all great art says something about being human," Jasinski melds pop culture iconography and fantastical environments to produce a dialogue between himself as the creator and the audience as the interpreters. With a similar mission in my own portfolio, I love the way Jasinkski's work gets us to cerebrate and, most importantly, imagine beyond the realm of possibility. 

ALL IMAGES © AARON JASINSKI. 

[emilymoonblog]

When I was in middle school and everybody divulged their secrets through Xanga and misspelt their qualms away on Myspace, we artists communed in a little creative hub called deviantART. While my deviantART days are a thing of yesteryear, one perk I can still glean from its archives are the hundreds of artist feats I saved to my Favorites list. Rife among those creatives I so avidly adored is a talented individual who goes by the handle "lerms." Carlos Lerma is a seasoned illustrator and graphic designer who partners at the Cancún design studio Golpeavisa. Well versed in pop culture, Lerma takes tropes that have inspired thousands of artists and expounds upon them in a visual way that is wholly unique, energetic, and thrilling. His use of retro modernism and cubism produce a totally distinctive portfolio that I've been smitten with since I was thirteen, and with Lerma's ever evolving style, I greatly look forward to the places art will take this digital era virtuoso next. 

ALL IMAGES © CARLOS LERMA.