NOV.14.12 Tokiminsta Audrey Kawasaki Koralie Supakitch Ian Teh KidRobot Shepard Fairey
TOKIMONSTA “JUST GO WITH IT”
Nov 2012 2
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ARTEXPOSED
MAKE PHOTOS AND LOVE.
Nov 2012 4
THERE ARE ARTISTS WHO SHOULD HAVE EXPOSURE AND WE WOULD LIKE EXPLORE AND SHARE OUR INTERVIEWS WITH THE ARTISTS TO THE PUBLIC.
IN OTHER WORDS, ENJOY YOUR READ.
-ARTEXPOSED TEAM
6
Paul Budnitz
16
Supakitch & Koralie
22
Expressive Wood
Kidrobot
One Piece, Two Artists, Unlimited Heights
Audrey Kawasaki
30
Ian Teh
36
Corey Rich
42
Tokimonsta
Dark Clouds
Rich’s Adventure
Just Go With It
KidRobot
Nov 2012 6
“Toys are pop art and folk art, it is all those things, you know.”
Article Written by James Healy
Kidrobot’s iconic toy lines are of its Dunny and Munny vinyl figures. Artists are commissioned to create the unique versions for Dunny, while the Munny is a blank canvas.
F
ounded by Paul Budnitz in 2002, Kidrobot has virtually created the category of themed collectible toys for adults. Kidrobot has become the world’s foremost creator of limited edition art toys and clothing at the intersections of street culture, pop art, and post-modern life.
Kidrobot currently has four stores in the United States including Miami, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco with rumors on expansion coming soon in the UK and Asia. The US stores were designed by the Mash Studios and employ a highly graphic, yet minimalist sensibility.
In the true spirit of the collabs that Kidrobot has worked with numerous designers and artists: Futura 2000, Shepard Fairey, MF DOOM, Ed Templeton, Mike Shinoda, Jamie Hewlett, Mark Hoppus and Huck Gee.
Their success is placed at the center of many cultural and artistic ideas: Japanese culture, pop art, 3D animation by companies such as Pixar, street art, skate culture, and others vendors that dig KidRobot.
JAMES HEALY: Can you give us more insight into the creative inspiration, the aesthetics, and the motivations behind Kidrobot. PAUL BUDNITZ: In a lot of ways, we see what we are doing as works of art. So, it’s really for adults. I went to China and convinced some factories that make money and millions of plastic toys—that produce plastic toys for Toys R Us and places like that—use the same machinery to make art work. So in a lot of ways, the toy is the canvas—the toy-form, the form of the toy is the canvas, but what’s being created is artwork. And that doesn’t mean that kids cannot play with it. I mean, it is really like pop art. Toys are pop art and folk art, it is all those things, you know. And we purposely keep this whole things pretty affordable so that it’s possible for people to get into it. JH: Have you been approached to do things with limited materials such as precious metals? PB: We have. We’ve done stuff with silver. We’ve done really great stuff with silver and with gems. An example Steuben Crystal did a $25,000 crystal Dunny that was two feet tall. Solid crystal, it was beautiful. We’ve done stuff like that. And you know, a little bit of work with bronze, but it is all plastic. JH: So, tell me about subversiveness and how it tapped into this aesthetic. Can you describe the usual Kidrobot
DaDaism customer in a way, because just to really combine this cuteness along with edginess, and also with dangerous—which you spoke about prior interviews. I do not know if we are getting desperate or we are just fed up with the political landscape or we are tired of being idealistic. What do you think about that? PB: Well I do not think that it is not earnest in a way. I mean, our work tends to actually be kind of earnest in a funny way. You know all forms
of art and really all modern art since Dada was around—there’s been the sense of irony in it. It always has a playful reference to something else. So a lot of what we do has kind of a playful cultural reference but it is been twisted and bent.
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Kidrobot is Adult
I mean, I was looking at the t-shirt I am wearing today, and the t-shirt and the printing colors might refer to something that might have happened in the late-eighties, that type lettering style is from a ‘50’s college letterman jacket, it has the little icon that would be “I Heart NY,” but it is not a heart anymore, and it is very toy-like, so there are layers of such cultural references. Then eventually, it feels like we are creating a new concept. I think that is the same with why you get a layer of cuteness on top of something kind of black and scary. I think it is a familiar feeling to the lives that a lot of people. Yes,it’s also very adult. When do you look at children’s toys they tend to just say one thing. They are happy or sad or cute or whatever. I have a daughter now, so basically our stuff says two or even five things at the same time and that is a much more mature experience. That’s also one of the reasons why the toys are a lot like adult, even if it’s scary, some of the toys are cute. There is an adult thing going on because there of the layers of different things happening. JH: Tell me what you think about Murakami and the rise of flatness, from the otaku culture. PB: Well I think he’s just utterly fantastic. He did one toy for our Munny Show several years ago. It was very kind of him. Everything he does is
very steeped into a certain kind of Japanese culture that isn’t Kidrobot. I think that a lot of Americans just think that it is so bright and colorful and funny, but there’s a lot of references in his works. I feel that even Kidrobot’s coming in at almost the exactly from a completely opposite direction work that are very specifi-
cally Japanese. Even to the way that works with Kai Kai Kiki, artists that work with him, it’s really a master disciple relationship. I mean, he has got a fine arts approach, and I think he uses the sense of irony.
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“You can look at us ironically, or look at us not ironically, there’s definitely a sort of form of what we do.” For us, we are in for the business of making art. He might be in the art of making business, I really love his stuff. I think he’s just tremendous and way out of reach financially for most regular human beings. I think that’s a difference too. He’s crafted toys, but he’s really into luxury. It’s almost like he is playing with Louis
Vuitton in the end. Although now it is kind of gone on for long enough that maybe they are just continuing it for the money. JH: Right. I know they popped quite expensively on eBay when they first came out. If you know about Murakami and that movement and otaku
culture, it is partially based on the social trauma—the trauma of having the bombs dropped on you. Japanese’s love of robots and their quest to make robots as human as those possible points to a dark existentialism, I think. But I’m just wondering with the rise of your toys if there are there parallels, or symbolic parallels in the States as things get a lot more and more difficult. PB: Are there even parallels to what we are doing? JH: Well, just kind of like the way of America’s thinking. Its loss of direction under the Bush years, banking issues, greed, wars. It seems to us that America wants to escape more than ever. Film is still doing extremely well regardless of the recession, video games are still doing very well. PB: Yeah maybe. But I’m not saying Americans do not want to escape. I would say that I’m really tied in with a very certain part of popular culture that I really love and care about, and in another way I don’t watch TV, I read The Economist, you know—I don’t read other magazines. I have some art stuff come to me, but basically I am really into what I am into and it’s hard for me to have a say on the rest of the issues. We grew up at the same time, and to me suburban myth culture has to been nothing but a nightmare.
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I have been spending most of my time since I was a sub teenager doing everything I can to block it out, you know? So I can’t comment too much about it. I think most human beings, including and especially Americans, are in some kind of survival, that they live pretty mechanically and that they’re just basically turning the wheel. And for me, that’s just dead life, and not interesting to me at all. I am interested in making money but I’m not interested in using it the ways other people do. JH: I finally that model is breaking its way back down. PB: Yeah, It does feel like it a bit huh? Like Obama is a big change, or we’ll see. At least having someone who seems very plain-spoken and honest. I think every culture wants to have a good king, you know? I am not sure if there is not a person that does not want a good leader. JH: I think so. In terms of the low art, high art discussion, I believe with Kidrobot’s work with other artists and designers—street designers, low art designers—has really pushed the street art forward into mainstream, now recognized in contemporary art worlds. Would you agree with that? PB: Totally, yes. It’s not really there yet. There’s a few people like KAWS that are kind of emerging now, but I wouldn’t say that it by any means compares to how much mainstream art work is going for. Now,I can get a painting from a street artist for ten or twenty thousand dollars still, and if you look at the fine art world there is nothing. So there’s still a ways to go. Which is a good thing!
going in and out of museums, and I studied art, so I have a pretty good grip on art history, but if you asked me who are the ten biggest artists today, I probably can’t even tell. JH: Do you consider guys like Haring and Basquiat to have come out of the street art or low art culture?
PB: I think that they were so talented and that they had a very a specific JH: Yeah, that’s right. Do you follow voice, and that is part of the street contemporary art? The big names? art thing. You have a very specific voice and then you do it everytime. PB: I don’t follow the big names so One of the good things about street much. I love museums. I have been art is that it really refers a lot to the
trademarking—, how a business is trademarked—they are just logos used over and over. I mean some of the artists that we work with really are just incredible with their hands and they’re just amazing. Some of them can basically do that one thing that is all they do. One thing. Over and over and over. They’ve got the logo and they can do variations on it and it doesn’t mean they do not have an incredible eye, but they’re not so versatile—and that does not mean the work they are doing isn’t just so remarkable in the end.
ARTEXPOSED
“I would say that what Murakami is probably doing to the art world, we’re doing to Disney.”
Nov 2012 12
JH: Right. That is a good segue to this question. Do you follow those work stuff with Shepard Fairey and the Associated Press at all? They did recently sue him for using that one photograph for the HOPE photo. PB: Oh I am sure he is loving that. He is a fine artist and he can do that. That is cool. Good for him! That is great. We usually go the other way. I mean, we had to write a cease and desist to Disney a while ago because they were copying our designs.
JH: Well, that’s one of our questions as well. Do you compare yourself to Disney? In all the different ways. Do you have any comments on that? doing—is playing with the form of a PB: Well, I would say that what Mura- popular medium. Getting to really kami is probably doing to the art mess with it. The fact that we are world, we’re doing to Disney. Do you making a movie with Paramount is know what I mean? You can look at to me completely wonderfu. They’re us ironically, you can look at us not great people, but the movie is going ironically, there’s definitely a sort to be animated. But the writers that of form of what we do. Toys, anima- I am working with are famous for tion, clothes and art. We are only relatively the adult stuff. Just like playing—I mean, basically I just love “Heavy Metal: The Movie” has turned
“Ninety percent of the time we actually have the stuff sculpted by hand in wax.”
ARTEXPOSED
around animated movies in the late seventies—yeah, it’s great. JH: That sounds cool. Will it mainly be 3D or drawn or maybe both?
PB: I would say a lot of both, but a lot of 3D because Kidrobot’s partner company, really, they invested in us, a company called Wild Brain, which is an animation studio and entertainment company. They do all different kinds of stuff. So suddenly we have them for resources—and they do all this cool animated stuff that is just starting to appear on our websites now just for fun’s sake. the time we actually have the stuff JH: I have seen it on your YouTube sculpted by hand in wax. Sometimes channel, a lot of interesting stuff. we have 3D modeling done. My own How do you take a designer’s work? experience with 3D modeling is it tends to be a bit stiff and takes a lot PB: We’ll generally start with some longer and costs a lot more. And I’ve stupid idea. Either I have the stupid got just an incredible sculptor who idea or the artist has the stupid idea, actually doesn’t speak English. He’s and my experiences are kind of very in China. But he’s the best as far as stupider, the better. As Frank Kozik will attest with me. So we come up with ideas and then we’ll start with sketches, and once we figure out what we want to do, the sketch gets turned into Adobe Illustrator files then, we just go through and do different angles. And the reason we use vector is because all the details, like eyeballs and little decorations and tattoos on the arms or whatever, can be translated directly to the factory I’m concerned. He’s got one eye and in digital format. If it’s in vector, it he is older—he is an amazing guy. can be resized perfectly and it turns I don’t know how he does it because out smooth and beautiful. he doesn’t have the same perspective—you know, two eyes give you a We go generally through some of sense of distance and perspective the turnarounds and then we go to but for some reason, he does it and the modeling stage and do one of he’ll just nail it. So he’s fantastic. So the two things. Ninety percent of I tend to use him as much as I poss-
ibly can. And we are doing some 3D. So anyway, from that we end up one way or another with a 3D resin or a 3D sculpture one way or the other. Then, we will take that, approve that, and then we’ll end up with a vinyl or plastic version, and then we’ll approve that, and then we’ll get a paint
“If you were a punk rock toy in the late eighties when style was getting really horrible, what would you wear?” sample, and we’ll approve that. They sometimes are hand-painted first, and sometimes they use stamp pads. So we get a production sample and then a top of production sample, and then the thing’s produced.
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ARTEXPOSED
“If you were a punk rock toy in the late eighties when style was getting really horrible, what would you wear?”
It can take anywhere from about six or seven months to even two years depending on how long it’s taken to get it right. I am pretty well known for killing projects along the way to the frustration of many many of our people, I know. But, the thing is that everything we make has to be pretty undeniable within our style and I just don’t like making crap, so generally we work with the same people over and over so we will keep reworking stuff until generally we get it right. Then the same thing’s gotta happen at the same time with the packaging because the packaging is a big part of it, the whole first impression. JH: Tell me about your moves into fashion: your thoughts and where it is going. I know you’ve got couture pieces in Barney’s now. Do you think that you are going to keep moving forward into different lines and different seasons, and really treat it like a real clothing label? PB: Yeah. We’re doing four seasons a year now and we hired PJ—who is from Japan but who I think has been living here for fifteen years. He is totally fantastic and he is now our Director of Apparel Design. So what he has done is taken the chaos we created and has been able to refine
it so that collections actually do look like collections. This is actually very good in terms with apparel because it kind of tells a story which can be a bit more consistent. We’re coming out with a really solid men’s line, and a smaller women’s line, and we have bags, and jewelry we’re doing with Tarina Tarantino for fun. Each season will have a theme, so the theme for the season that will be coming out this Spring is “If you were a punk rock toy in the late eighties when style was getting horrible, what would you wear?” So if you go to our website now, there’s some clothing that’s a slight reference to Eddie Van Halen’s guitar and just kind of funny aquas and these weird colors.
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Nov 2012
ARTEXPOSED
FEATURED COLLABORATIVE ARTISTS
Interview by Alexis Buisson
are two street artists from France who have joined together as a power duo in their craft. Both heavily influenced by Japanese art, their work showcases images of geishas, dragons and other elements of the culture. While much of their art is seen in a busy urban landscape, they’ve also brought their creations to the quiet walls of galleries. More recently, they have broken into the vinyl toy industry, translating their own individual, as well as collaborative designs onto platform figures. They were approached by KidRobot to design the 8” Golden Ticket for the French Dunny Series. The duo, who have also been romantically linked for a few years made street art headlines just this spring when Supakitch popped the big question in the most unique and appropriate way possible: while doing a joint wheat paste project on a New York City wall. Koralie’s reply was pasted on the wall shortly afterwards in the form of a speech bubble with a simple, “oui.” “Manga and music are my main influences; everything comes from there, but it is not nostalgia. The subjects I’m working on now are real and even if I treat it with my critical sense and my actual vision of the world, I’m still a big child who never grew up. “
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STREET ART AND GALLERY ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. EVEN IF THE SUBJECT IS THE SAME, THE TERMS ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Artexposed: In light of recent events that caused a rift between gallery and street art, do you think that there is space for street art in the galleries? Supakitch and Koralie:
Artexposed:
It’s silly to say ‘street art in galleries.’ There is no ‘street’ in galleries.
Does it feel any different having your work
You can say that there are street artists who get exposed in galleries
showcased in a gallery than on the street?
but street art is as it sounds: in the street. Street artists or graffiti artists who don’t like galleries are often simply jealous that they can’t get a
Supakitch and Koralie:
show at galleries.
Street art and gallery are totally different. Even if the subject is the same, the terms are totally different. When you’re painting a canvas,
Galleries have the capacity to let us live our passion, why would we
meant for a gallery, you can take your time, but when you paint in the
refuse? It’s not a lack of integrity to be in a gallery; it doesn’t stop us
street or paste a poster, you need to be quick. When you paint on
from painting on the street. That’s complementary work, really interesting
canvas, one is limited by the edge of it and one is limited by gallery
and which answer to each other. The advantage of being in a gallery
walls. In the street, you can use the landscape to express yourself;
is that you can show something else than what is on the street: sculpture,
you can choose the place of your painting by the visualization and the
dolls, toys, installations, you can use noble materials. You can also,
aesthetics of that place. You’re also not reaching the same people…
sometimes, earn money.
ARTEXPOSED
Artexposed: There seems to be a lot of Asian influence in your respective works. Was this style always something you have been interested in? Who are your art heroes? Supakitch: Supakitch and Koralie: We are both from the
When I watch a Manga by Miyazaki, I feel like
‘Manga generation’. We grew up with French
he made it just for me. I feel the same about
and Japanese shows like Goldorak and Candy,
music and vinyl. I remember when I was young
so we are influenced by that aesthetic. In
and I spent hours and hours playing my vinyls
a way, we are translating our fantasies where
of my favourite cartoon songs. Manga and
we can be those heroes: graphic robots, girls
music are my main influences; everything
with long coloured hair and happy monsters.
comes from there, but it’s not nostalgia. The
We are re-creating this universe and kawaï,
subjects I’m working on now are real and even
sweet and colourful characters. Our biggest
if I treat it with my critical sense and my
hero is definitely Hayao Miyazaki. We love this
actual vision of the world, I’m still a big child
talented Japanese filmmaker for his sensitive,
who never grew up.
magical, sometimes grave, deep, smart and really personal universe.
Koralie: I have great admiration for geishas and their aesthetic and knowledge. They are really good in the arts and smart too. Their beauty, their costumes, their hair and makeup and their significance fascinate me. What I love about Japanese culture is the opposition between the actual and the traditional, their captivity of innovation and profusion of visuals in graphics, architecture and style.
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Nov 2012
Artexposed: ARTEXPOSED
Is designing a 3-D image a lot more difficult than art that you’re used to? Supakitch and Koralie: Yes, it’s more difficult because you really have to think in 3-D. In 2-D, you can do everything. You can easily cheat. It means that you can easily fake that a character is standing, but in reality, it would not work. You can cheat on perspectives and proportions. In 3-D, you need to be realistic. It’s another way of thinking, we’re not working with raw creativity, but rather more logic.
IT’S ANOTHER WAY OF THINKING, WE’RE NOT WORKING WITH RAW CREATIVITY, BUT RATHER MORE LOGIC. Artexposed:
Congratulations on your engagement! How did you feel at that moment that the ring was
wheat-pasted on the wall? Was it a surprise? Supakitch:
Thanks! Koralie was not really expecting it. I made her think that this will never happen,
Koralie:
to make it an even bigger surprise. In fact, I
We have been together for seven years now.
printed a poster before leaving for New York
We have two children and I hadn’t really been
City and once we were there, I waited to find
attracted by marriage, but secretly I was
the right place and the right time to wheat
hoping that one day, Supa would ask me to
paste the poster. Once the two characters
marry him. I knew he would do it in a way
dressed for a wedding were pasted on the wall,
and I was curious to know how. I was teasing
I gave her the earphones for my iPod and I
him about marriage for a while, but every
played her favourite song, Stand By Me by Ben
time, he made me understand that he wasn’t
E. King. I pasted a bubble with a ring and a
up to it, so the day of the proposal, my joy and
question mark in it. I gave her a little box with
my love just exploded. I was super happy
the ring inside, which she opened in a second.
and I couldn’t dream of a better declaration. It
Then, I gave her a bubble that said ‘Oui.’ to
was perfect and it corresponded to our story.
paste on the wall. She did it while she was laughing and crying at the same time. I could
Artexposed:
not really see any other way to ask her; we
Do you think that marriage would change your
met like that, in front of a wall that we were
dynamic when it comes to working artistically?
about to paint together. Supakitch and Koralie: All the changes in our life influence our work whether or not it’s a collaboration between us. We want to work together more and more, and we’ll continue to do that. We are currently working on a future exhibit for 2009 in Brazil.
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Nov 2012
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Audrey Kawasaki
Pure enlightenment.2007
Article Written by Josh Herman Audrey Kawasaki is a artist who was born and raised in Los Angeles as a Japanese-American artist, where she currently lives and works. Kawasaki’s work contains contrasting themes of innocence and eroticism, conveying the mysterious intrigue of feminine sensuality. Kawasaki’s sharp imagery is painted with precision onto these wooden panels, the natural grains adding a touch of warmth to her enigmatic subject matter. The artist’s creative influences include eastern as well as western traditions such as Art Nouveau and Manga comics. She paints sultry, seductive and uninhibited female subjects with delicate
beauty and provocative, direct eye contact. Their graceful gestures and ghost-like features carry mysterious “expressions of melancholy and the longing.” Audrey considers the art of Japanese Manga comics to be one of her earliest creative inspirations.
on the natural world and the human sexuality. Contradiction is a concept that also plays an important role in Audrey’s provocative subject matter. The paradox of identity in the perception and allure of the unknown is what lies behind the direct gaze of her subjects—who remains a constShe is also heavily influenced by the ant mystery, even to Audrey. Other highly stylized and flowing curvilin- issues include: coming of age, social ear forms found in Art Nouveau—a pressure, inner-conflict, innocence, movement the origins of which hap- sexual maturity, idealizing, idolizing, pen to have been partially derived femininity and desires. from the flat-perspective of the Japanese woodcut tradition. These influence of both styles can be found in Audrey’s use of organic forms, focus
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Gaze into my eyes. 2007
Three days before the opening of her latest show, which was called “The Drawing Room,” Audrey Kawasaki was busy re-creating her studio in the window of Thinkspace—a sort of artistic mannequin advertising the pencil and paper etchings within. At 5’2, Audrey struggled a bit to hang a vintage Ouija Board above her desk before moving on to the decidedly easier (lower) sketch on an adjacent easel. Nearby: anatomical charts, vintage birdcages, porcelain owls, metallic keys to long-lost boxes and, of course, preserved butterflies and yes, pieces of wood, her canvas.
Across Los Angeles, plastic and those shellacked insects were being glued into my straightened and whitened hair. In one of the other interviews
installed her drawing room, but “she really, really hates interviews.” In an attempt to assuage her fears, I decided to dress up as one of her most
“She really, really hates interviews.” she gave, the first part mentioned the artist was not a fan of interviews. Andrew Hosner, the curator at Thinkspace, had two pieces of instruction regarding the show: that there would not be a line for the opening, that I was welcome to pop up while Audrey
well-known drawings, “Lydia,” which turned out to be one of the most difficult to transfer from the page to our dimension, further revealing that Audrey’s world is her own. In this titular piece, one of her traditional pale nymphets lightly touches her
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fingernails to her puffed pink lips, other hand caressin g a small centipede, her hair a melee of beetles, moths, snails, worms and, an assortment of other critters that feed on decay. Lydia is topless, and looks at the viewer with blue-shadowed, come-hither sensual eyes.
This was prefaced by an awkward 45 minutes in this beauty supply shop where two women were kind enough, or frightened enough, to paint my face as Lydia’s, with cobalt eye shadow, coral lips, sanguine cheeks and mascara that I “simply had to have.” Some two hours later, after shaving my chest and underarms (tip: don’t All I had was the pale skin. It took just use an electric razor, you’ll cry an hour in the salon to straighten my in pain each time you put on deodocurls, whiten my hair, and affix the rant for a week,) I walked into Home insects I had procured the previous Depot looking like Lydia (tip #2: do two days at various natural history not visit Home Depot dressed as a museums, costume shops, and to sexually conflicted 12-year-old male overstock science supply companies. with an insect infestation in your hair.) Surrounded by birds. 2007
But the raised-eyebrows, sneers and less tacit remarks like “Halloween’s over, dude, or whatever the hell you are” - did not dissuade me from the possibility of the notoriously demure Audrey was being sufficiently at ease around her paintings to engage in her conversation with me. Body shaved, shirtless, a surfeit of bugs in my hair, the right amount of makeup, I knocked on the windows of Thinkspace where Audrey finished hanging butterflies. I was nervous. Audrey scanned me, tilted her head, and smiled. “Who are you?”
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Compiled like a maze. 2008
Audrey Kawasaki is the daughter of two Japanese immigrants who met in Southern California. They fostered her talent early on. Following some metaphorical and literal wandering and adolescent “craziness,” she immigrated herself to the East Coast, spending two years at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, focusing on Fine Arts Painting. One of the leading art schools in the United States, they do have a long roster of distinguished graduates, including Mad Magazine’s Dave Berg, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, cartoonist Daniel Clowes, who wrote Ghost World, based his script Art School Confidential about his time at Pratt. In the film, a professor words of encouragement to give his drawing and painting class:
“I’m a living cliché just like the rest.” “Now I do not have any particular wisdom to impart to you people, except to say this, these four words: don’t have unrealistic expectations. If you want to make money, go drop out right now—go to some banking school, or website school. Anywhere but art school. And remember, only 1 out of 100 of you will ever make a living as an artist.” Audrey left after two years. Or, to borrow another line from the film, this from a student: “I’m a living cliché just like the rest of these guys. I’m the guy who keeps dropping out and changing his major just because he is afraid he really
sucks at everything.” Though it was not only Audrey that had these feelings of self-doubt—her professors, and the New York art scene at the time, focused on conceptual art and resisted her figurative, illustrative style. Having just sold 1060 giclees at an open sale would indicate that Audrey is that 1%. While the artist is typically coy, or naïve, about her accomplishments, she does acknowledge with a sly smile that when it comes to her professors, “I showed them. I wanted to do this, what I’m doing, but they said no. So I had left.”
Returning to California, Kawasaki found herself stymied creatively. “I lost it for about a year after the crap from my teachers. Like the struggle in her paintings between death and life, feminine identity and its obverse, to-tear-the butterfly-or-not, Audrey brims with contradictions. Seconds after reluctantly admitting her success, she adds, “I haven’t been strong throughout.” Though this is one of the few contradictions not difficult to reconcile—she’s incredibly, obsessively, persistent. A signature element of Audrey’s is the use of wood, and though she seems to master the wooden canvas, this wasn’t always the case—she initially sent her prints to someone else to place them on the wood. “I got so much guff from people asking ‘Why would you do that?!’ I could not work with it well enough yet, I was still experimenting and stuff. About to years later, I did do more of what you see now, but back then, I took a pen and essentially carved into the wood.” Those who’ve seen one of her creations in person know that any tree would be happy to give its life for Audrey. It seems as though it grew the way it did to compliment her lines of hair. Now, each of her pieces is born on wood, with only “some vague idea with sketches” beforehand. Removed from its living phase than paper, the wood’s texture — though she sands it down smoother than paper, she adds life to the kinetic women, given movement by their potential energy. Audrey’s Girls exists in that ideal second before or after The Event, Where she to paint them a second earlier or later. The piece, like Lydia’s hair, would fall apart. In Tear Me, She’d have ripped the butterfly. Death Of
exists
“Audrey’s Girls in that ideal second before or after The Event, where she to paint them a second earlier or later.” A Swan was one of her best pieces. Each woman out haunting the wood or paper have the same makeup, its deoxyribonucleic acid of Audrey’s own struggle with sexuality. “She comes to me in many forms, but it’s my main attraction.
ative of the psychosexual conflicts specific to the stage of development. Though Audrey acknowledges many young women go through periods of sexual uncertainty, “it goes on not only in your adolescence.” Just look at Her development. The Kawasaki Girl came into existence long before She “continues to struggle because the first sketchpads Audrey posted it’s been a constant struggle of mine.” online. “I was always drawn to those The Kawasaki Girl has the qualities types of image. Looking at them now, of an ingénue, inciting some to pos- I remember those images. Colors. tulate that the works are represent- Tones. Models. Magazines.” Always protected. 2008
Nov 2012 28
“Sometimes,” she adds, “I try to do would be her #1 fan. Surrounded by something and She says ‘No!’ I will hummingbirds, butterflies and exousually listen, but there’s times when tic marine and terra-firma flowers. I don’t, even if She’s telling me ‘No! The butterflies, porcelain owls, deer I don’t like it!’ and I will keep doing horn and anatomical chart of her insit, and finish it and it will totally not tallation are amazing. Once again, work.” She is careful not to spend Audrey is exceedingly coy about the too much time talking about Her, as genesis of her ideas, or perhaps it if doing so would chase her away. truly is as simple as she suggests, Audrey sounds disappointed admit- “I will see a shell, and like the way it that her girl is only alive for these looks. I do not go collecting on the small bursts of time. beach.” Pressed, “They’re visual. I’m attracted to the natural patterns and As many of her drawings are erotic lines that they have. I was actually nubile nudes — Humbert Humbert against butterflies before, but now Elegant hands of affection. 2008
I appreciate them for their beauty.” As for all the bones, gutted shells, the death-head moth of Ishiki, these thanatos elements, Audrey shrugs, “Death and life.” “The Drawing Room,” was not a solo exhibition, though Audrey’s name figured most prominently on those postcards as she curated it. “Some are artist friends that have shown regularly in my circle, some I have connected to through blogging. I’ve been inspired by them as a blogger and an artist.”
ARTEXPOSED Tied up in knots. 2009
“Andrew Hosner, Thinkspace’s curator, obviously had never checked eBay for one of Audrey’s prints before assuring me there’d be no line for the opening.” She was also cognizant that some 300–1000%, with Audrey releasing don’t show much as they’re street two giclees that evening with a block artists or illustrators and, unlike her long of fans waited from the window professors, wanted to give them the display down the sidewalk of Santa opportunity to express themselves. Monica Blvd. Asked why they were The through-line across the frames some had lined up 3 hours beforeseemed to be the feminine texture. hand and the answer was universally that double-edged mysterious power “Audrey Kawasaki’s prints.” The first that women holds over others and person in line had left work early to also holds them down. Missing the wait five hours, sprinted to the back pun, Audrey nods at this overture of Thinkspace, not knowing the final and says, “That is why I am drawn.” price would be, purchased the two framed examples — 1/200 — of the Andrew Hosner, Thinkspace’s cura- available prints, Uria and Hakuchou tor, obviously had never checked no Shi “Death Of A Swan.” All 400 eBay for one of her prints before prints would be sold out. It was one assuring me there’d be no line for of the most ecumenical lines I have the opening. With the markups of seen for a vernissage, ages and races
all over the almanac. While her fans have no problems expressing why they are attracted to Audrey’s art “It’s beautiful.” “It’s erotic.” “sensual, but I can still hang it up in front of my kids.” The object of the praise struggles to come up with reasons for her monumental success.
30
Nov 2012
ARTEXPOSED
IAN TEH
Can you tell us about yourself and how you got into photography?
“I tend to see my projects as films, the work may be inspired by a social, environmental issue.”
dark clouds
Ian Teh is a documentary photographer with a keen interest in in social, environmental and political issues. His photographs have been featured and exhibited in publications such as Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker and in The Independent Magazine. With his friends, Ian also co-founded Deep Sleep Magazine, an online publication. We were first mesmerized with his China: Undercurrents photographs, and asked him for an Interview. Here, he shares with us, his journey and insight as a photographer.
I had always an interest in photography from early on, but what made me seriously consider photography, as a way of life, was when I first saw Eugene Smith’s book about that one disease in Japan. Was inspiring that someone had the possibility to affect change by making the public aware of an issue. There was Henri Cartier Bresson who eloquently summarized the creative process of capturing a perfectly decisive moment. The way his words are used in his poetry has helped highlight what was essential and lay open a path in which many other photographers have followed. What cameras, lens and tools do you use to photograph and why do you use that specific one? I use an M6 Leica, Fuji 617 for my panoramics. I like those cameras, the simplicity of them. I love film, the texture of grain is more human. I like the discipline and the creative processes that comes waiting. The Canon 5d Mk II is the one I use for assignments and it is great for that. It has some technical advantages and there are also many other directions with digital that I have not explored; but I have yet to enjoy the working process in the same way as film.
Nov 2012 32
All Else Vanishes
Are you currently working on any of those photography projects at the moment? Can you tell us more?
Can you tell us some more about the project in China: Undercurrents?
Yes, Traces a new series of work I started this year. Essentially about the memories or traces that are evidenced on the indutrial landscape as a result of rapid economic growth. I’m interested in the landscape as a repository for humanity’s endeavors; being somehow a silent testament to our material desires. I will keep my audience posted in what I shoot.
That was a title for my book, it was published in conjunction with my show at the Paris Beijing Gallery in China. They represent the collection of stories I had shot over these ten years of working in China. The title made sense, as nearly every project I had embarked upon was a sideways glance at the underbelly of a very successful country. Stories such as
The Vanishing or my work on this coal industry like Dark Clouds may have a historical significance as time passes as it explores and records some of the sacrifices a nation has make under some of the developing.
Miner After work. 2008
ARTEXPOSED Days After Tomorrow. 2008
Tell us about ‘The Vanishing’ and how long did it take you to shoot those type of photographs? What was that like for you at the time? The work was shot over three years, from the winter of ‘99 through the spring of 2003 just before the waters of the Yangtze rose. I made the trip over several visits, stopping each time to revisit or to discover places to record the changes. This was a huge subject and in a way was the perfect metaphor for all the things that were going on in China. I chose to focus on on the transition, the last vestiges of an old way of life, that for me
was the most important because change is scary for most people and such a change was going to be monumental in its impact on people’s personal lives. In the earlier of years, it seemed like people weren’t really too concerned about the changes, but once busy streets of thriving towns became too
empty with only such a few inhabitants left behind it became depressing to see the fear and uncertainty in people’s eyes. I was literally upset when I was shooting my photos. I was weary and utterly sad.
Nov 2012 34
Input on China
A miner is tired and restless to work to support his own family despite the dangers and hazards. Jilin,China. 2006
My photographs convey a message of storytelling. In these sets, I have a few photos of workers in coal mines in China. I feel that this type of job for a life is very hazardous and extremely underpaid. Breathing in dust and coal can really harm the body. I took these photos to portray the tough lifestyle these workers have just to support their families. China’s the largest coal user in the world, they also claim the most record, that of the highestnumber of miners with lung problems. Black lung disease is one of the results of the lungs being coated with coal as miners work at the coal-face hacking out the coal, or else-where shifting the lumps of coal or mining waste. Black lung, comes from the distinctive blue-black marbling of the lung from the coal dust accumulation. This disease occurs mostly in those who mine hard coal, but also occurs among those mining soft coals and thegraphite. After about ten to twenty years of exposure, symptoms to set in and it may be aggravated by silica mixed with the coal, which can cause silicosis. I talk about these issues due to China’s economy is exploding and the industrial revolution powered by the very cheap labor that is helping. Coal for power, coal for steel, coal for cement. Coal and labour are the raw materials, the flip side and the dark side of this economic talk is of China. It comes at a big heavy price for the country’s environment and its people’s health.
ARTEXPOSED
“Within this world, I want to highlight the anonymity of these people in their own industrial surroundings. They are, as the English expression goes, just cogs in a giant machine.”
Have you ever visited Three Gorges era again after shooting your project on 2003. It was your first project in china. How did this project start? I visited that area yearly from 1999– 2003. At the beginning, I wanted to show life as it was before the change. Afterwards in later years, I wanted to show the changes as it happened, I wanted to capture the feeling of loneliness of people left behind because they did not have enough money to move. There was a real fear for their future and it was more pronounced especially when these towns being destroyed started to empty of people. my pictures were more ambiguous, more dreamy and even happier perhaps, I did it to signify a sense that it was a dream even if that ambition was largely a government one. The duality in the essay is my way of suggesting things are much complex than they do appear and that it does highlights those sacrifices that have been made for national pride.
Land of the forgotten. 2008
How long have you been living in China. We met a few years ago, you gave me a feeling that you are very quiet. Do you not you think Beijing is a bit too noisy?
You came to china relatively early, much earlier than western photographers whocame to dig gold. You were never too attracted, Why?
I had left China in 2008 after living there for two years. I like it there, it is exciting to feel like you are on the edge of some important changes in a country whose decisions will have a significant impact on the rest of the world. Beijing itself has seen an enormous transformation. They can feel too fast as there is not enough time for reflection as to what is lost.
I’m attracted by modern China, but I feel it’s more interesting to highlight stuff that have allowed modern China to become what it is. Some of my more important works look at the dreams of the Chinese nation, but it is contrasted by realizing this such a dream, as reality.
Nov 2012 36
Rich’s Adventure Interview by Hannah Thiem
C
orey Rich is one of the world’s most recognized adventure and outdoor lifestyle visual storytellers. Rich has captured many of stunning still photos and videos on the wide range of assignments, this includes rock climbing in India, a marathon racing in Sahara Desert of Morocco, train hopping in the American West, and snowboarding in New Guinea. His editorial work has assignments for National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Sports Illustrated and the popular, The New York Times. Some clients include Apple, Nike and The North Face. Today, much of his time goes into capturing both images and videos for multimedia projects for
commercial and editorial clients. As Vice President and co-owner of the Aurora Photos, Rich was the driving force behind founding Aurora’s Outdoor Collection, which is the world’s leading brand of outdoor adventure and wild lifestyle photography.
He is also on the Board of Directors for The Access Fund, member of the Visual Journalism Advisory Board at the Brooks Institute, co-founder and leading instructor of the National Geographic Adventure Photography Workshop, a member of the Rowell Legacy Committee and on award for He focuses on overseeing Aurora’s con- the Art of Adventure judging panel. tinued growth in sales and business development. Rich played a major His first published book, My Favorite role in thecreation of two divisions: Place: Great Athletes In The Great New York City based Aurora Select, Outdoors sold quite a lot. I had the focused on photos and videos for a pleasure of meeting with Corey in Portland, Maine-based Aurora Novus, person at the PhotoPlus Expo 2010 an innovative multimedia production in NYC, where we found a relatively company. Rich is a Nikon evangelist quiet corner to conduct the interview. and a member of the SanDisk Team.
“His editorial work has assignments for National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Sports Illustrated and the popular, The New York Times. Some clients include Apple, Nike and The North Face.”
Nov 2012 38
Start of a lifetime
Exceed yourself. 2010
How did you get into this whole vein of photography? I’ve been shooting pictures for 21 years now, I started at 13 years old when I picked up a camera for the first time. I went on a rock climbing trip and wanted to document the weekend trip. I fell in love with the outdoors and photography simultaneously and it turns out they’re these perfect parallel passions. It occurred to me just recently that I’m more excited today or at least equally as excited about photography and video today as I was 21 years ago when I first picked up a camera. I think it’s largely because of video. There is evolution in my crafts. This used to be shooting only still photography, I told stories with just still imagery. I tell stories with motion. I have the opportunity to utilize still photography, motion and audio. It’s from the same device that I had fell in love with 21 years ago, amazing.
I meet a lot of people who are the best at what they do, them being athletes, musicians, politicians, writers, and it’s very rare that you meet someone who says they’re as excited about what they do 20 years later as they were in the beginning. I can say this is partially due to the advance of technology. I feel like I’m evolving as a visual story teller today in a way I couldn’t have the imagined possible. The tech had became a great leveler that we are all on the same playing field—there are no more limitations in terms of video production. Now, mainly you need a DSLR, a camera that allows you to switch from still photography to video and whenever you feel like it. We are living in such a special time. We use light, composition, and the moments, but there is this whole new paradigm and oppportunity for creating images.
ARTEXPOSED
exposure 33
“I entered in all the upper division courses as a freshman, which in retrospect is why I do not even own a college degree.”
“I was exposed to the next levels of what finer photojournalism is like...”
As you started with a lot of sports, how did you see yourself progress? In some ways I followed a conventional path. I started my photography by looking into the world of photojournalism. I love the outdoors, but then I went down this track towards becoming a photojournalist. In high school, I worked for a local daily newspaper, 60,000 daily circulation. I shot everything from the pet of the week to the real estate section, to the mayor, parades. I went to photojournalism school at San Jose State University—Jim McNay was running the department. I was in a really fine program and he took me under his wing. I entered in all the upper division courses as a freshman, which in retrospect is why I do not have a college degree. He let me dive into the deep end first, but I was farther in my career and I did a newspaper internship at The Modesto Bee. I was
exposed to the next levels of what finer photojournalism is like, what it takes to be a photojournalist, to go out and work on a rigorous schedule where you’re doing 4–5 assignments a day and you have to deliver, there are no excuses, you need to be creative and need to tell the story. I had realized after almost two years of working at the Modesto, with a great staff of editors and photographers, that it was not my calling. I did not pick up a camera originally to be a newspaper journalist. I picked up a camera to document these outdoor adventures. I had sat down to chat with Al Golub, who was the Director of photography and my friend.
Nov 2012 40
The challenge. 2010
Who would you consider in your field to be oozing raw talent? I have a pretty high bar. In my entire
We have become friends over the years
career of admiring and looking at the
and at one point I drove to his house
works of hundreds and thousands of
in the Central Valley of California, and
photographers over the last 20 years,
was going to do an edit of his photo-
I think that there’s one person who I
graphy. I wanted to put his photos in
met. He is a pioneer of rock climbing,
the Aurora Photos archive. Also, I had
Tom Frost who is now about 70 years
thought it was the great opportunity to
old. Frost is quite the accomplished
spend time with a guy who I admired
business man who had founded the
and respected. I arrived early in the
lighting company. On top of that, he
morning and sat down with Frost and
was the pioneer of rock climbing. Tom
his wife—they were so excited to have
created the systems that we use today
a guest. He had his light table out, and
for modern rock climbing in Yosemite. The guy’s a legend. Along the way, he
all of his binders on the wall. Tom said, “Ok, here’s binder no. 1.” Of course, it’s
took some pictures. He has some black
black and white film and he is an engi-
and white photographs of the climbing
neer so it is meticulously organized.
and they are historic.
They are the most historic images.
ARTEXPOSED
“I think there’s one person who I met. He’s a pioneer of rock climbing, Tom Frost, now about 70 years old.” The perspective view. 2010
I move down this roll and I find twelve more amazing images that nobody has ever seen before and I circle them with a grease pencil. I’m thinking to myself, this is incredible—the world has never seen these pictures. It’s just laden with gems. I make it through the first fifteen rolls of film and I’m realizing that even though I told Tom we were going to edit out 300 images because it can be costly, I’m going to a thousand because there is a lot of rich content. There are such great, beautiful moments that is perfectly composed, great use of light, technically perfect.
42
Nov 2012
ARTEXPOSED
The Los Angeles-based producer doesn’t understand the fuss about her city. As RA’s Christine Kakaire finds, though, it was the perfect incubator for her psychedelic hip-hop.
Article Written by Christine Kakaire
The early generation of America’s electronic instrumen-
worldly melodies for London imprint Ramp Recordings.
tal hip-hop producers—Prefuse 73, Dabrye, Daedelus—
She returned again in March to participate in the London
succeeded in cleaving off a sub-section of the genre for
edition of the Red Bull Music Academy, and to play at fab-
themselves that was freed from the boom-bap sound
ric as part of a Brainfeeder showcase. Perhaps her most
aesthetic, and from the lyrical content that binds hip-hop
memorable performance outside of Los Angeles, though,
to specific places, conditions and experiences. In their
was her shortest: “Yeah, I only got to play for about 15
wake, a level playing field emerged that has allowed all
minutes,” she says, recalling her aborted set at Detroit’s
manner of unexpected hot spots—Amsterdam, Glasgow,
Movement Festival earlier this year. “It was pretty cool,
Stockholm—to erupt onto the post-hip-hop landscape.
at least the potential was really good.” Scheduled to play before Francesco Tristano, Lee attracted the early crowd
So when an authoritative voice like Mary Anne Hobbs
on the festival’s final day, but inclement weather brought
proclaims that of all these cities, yours, Los Angeles, is
things to a swift conclusion. “Initially when they told me to
responsible for “the most exciting electronic music on the
stop playing, I told them ‘I don’t mind the rain, I can play!’
planet,” it’s easy to understand why you and your small
But the stage manager looked at me real serious: ‘There’s
community of like-minded producers are feeling the glare
thunderstorms. Do you want to get electrocuted?’ I said
of the spotlight/microscope. “We love Mary Anne, she re-
‘see ya!’ to the crowd, and got off the stage.”
ally makes what we do seem so grand and amazing,” says Jennifer Lee, AKA Tokimonsta. “But,” she continues, “in terms of how it’s looked at by other people, saying, ‘Oh I wish I was there,’ it’s weird to me. We’re just like any other small home-knit group.” Lee’s home-knit group is Brainfeeder, the LA label/collective conceived by Steven Ellison, AKA Flying Lotus. Following Ellison’s second long form masterpiece for Warp Records, Cosmogramma, even more attention has been directed towards Flying Lotus, and his extended musical family (Samiyam, Ras G, Daedelus, Gaslamp Killer) and the new crop of producers being nurtured under the Brainfeeder umbrella—Nosaj Thing, Lorn, Tokimonsta—with noticeable effect. “None of us was traveling,”
New single by Tokimonsta feat. MNDR
says Lee, “maybe Steve or Daedelus would be the ones who traveled the most. Now, suddenly, every one of us is
When touring schedules allow, Brainfeeder personnel will
going on tour.”
touch base at the folklorish gathering Low End Theory. It’s tagged officially as a “psychedelic, glitch, avant-rap,
Lee toured the UK for the first time in November 2009,
IDM & dubstep” night, but as resident Gaslamp Killer suc-
on interest garnered from her debut EP, Cosmic Intoxica-
cintly puts it, “it’s a fucking beat movement.” The Wednes-
tion, a fusion of skittering, shuffling hip-hop and other-
day event, run by Gaslamp and fellow residents Daddy
ARTEXPOSED
“..the most exciting electronic music on the planet...”
Nov 2012 46
Kev and Nobody has become hallowed turf for local
mostly white and Asian upper-middle class beachside
beat fiends and wide-eyed visitors. A frequent attendee
city in Los Angeles county, Lee listened to the same rock
and performer, Lee cites the club’s griminess and excel-
and pop punk as her peers, but found the homogeneity
lent sound quality as part of the appeal, and credits the
of Torrance—”The city with a hometown feel!”—stifling.
egalitarian atmosphere—on both sides of the booth—with
Hip-hop beckoned. “This particular city grew my passion
keeping the local crew grounded. Happily, the decision
for hip-hop,” she says, “because didn’t want to be like the
proved serendipitous: It allowed her to showcase her
kids around here.”
range over an extended format, and develop her production chops outside of the Brainfeeder schema. “I think if
Based on her early works, a friend suggested Lee sign up
it was any other time, I might not have agreed,” Lee con-
for the Beat Cipher, a monthly night run by Project Blowed
tinues, about the Listen Up release. “But it’s working out
(a collective of hip-hop artists including underground lu-
really well. They worked really hard over there and the
minaries like Aceyalone and Abstract Rude) where hip-
exposure in Japan has been immense.”
hop producers, musicians and other performers compete early on in the evening, with the crowd favourite perform-
Toki: Bunny rabbit in Korean; Monsta: No explanation
ing a 30 minute show at the end. Lee’s first Beat Cipher
necessary. The Japanese connection has been essential
was supposed to be especially for women, but she was
for Lee as a producer, but will do little to prevent people
the only one, and the rest were the male regulars. “Not a
from assuming that she is from Japan herself. That’s
single person there thought I would play anything cool,”
something she says she has to frequently contend with,
she recalls, “I had no street cred. I’m this random Asian girl
despite being California-born, and of Korean origin. Her
that just walks up into south LA, and they’re like ‘What-
name doesn’t help. Tokimonsta unintentionally echoes
ever. This girl’s not gonna do shit’. Obviously I’m nervous. I
the prefix-suffix format and cutesy nature of anime and
started doing the beat cipher, and then I started playing it.
manga characters. But it’s meant to simply represent
Then I got my cred.” The Beat Cipher afforded Lee some
Lee’s two distinct musical impulses: Toki, the Korean
confidence, and around 2007 she began entering more
word for rabbit, is innocuous and playful, while the bas-
competitive beat battles. “...and I never won a single one,”
tardised monsta speaks for itself.
she says, laughing.
The gap between the two is bridged by Lee’s melodic sig-
“Not a single person there thought
natures, borne of the experience of more than ten years
I would play anything cool.”
of piano lessons. As a fledgling producer in her college years, the discovery of instrumental beatmakers like Prefuse and DJ Krush, plus the UK sound of trip-hop proved revelatory to Lee, who was less and less enamoured of the results that took place when she handed her beats over to rappers. “My music started compensating for missing vocals,” she explains, “and I would do more piano lines or more instrumentation or more noise to kind of cover that layer that was missing.” Growing up in Torrance, a
ARTEXPOSED
“Not a single person there thought I would play anything cool.”