m. sedlacek: 2011

Bulls-Lie

I asked a co-worker over a semi genius Thai meal in Atlanta, what it was he would create if he had the dough to bake any cookie- AKA ability to launch any business he dreamt. His eyes lit up and the two young dimples that clutched on to his long-gone youth surfaced. "I would do a restaurant!," He proclaimed and continued to give me the A-Zs on the name, design, menu, and vibe. His eyes watered as he flowed with thought, excitement, and hope. He had clearly put some thought into this cookie...

When the question was thrown back at me, I stumbled. Even though I had spent countless hours and drop millions of "what if!" bombs on my boyfriend and patient family, I had never put all my ingredients into one concept. I quickly responded with what rolled most fluently off my tongue: "I love photography."

Long silence.

He asked me what it was that made me love photography.

Long silence again, interrupted with, "You must love it because it freezes time!" A quick gag reflex came over as this response seemed to be the new artistic cliche. "Not really." I responded. I drifted into my usual thought zone and quickly compiled a sentence that described my love affair with images. "Without photographers, I would live without seeing a significant amount of life."

The first example I could think of to better clarify this was the Eiffle Tower. Yes, you can go to www.google.com and type in E-I-F-L-E and it will say, DID YOU MEAN EIFFEL? And you will click yes! And then you will be directed to a page where you can view hundreds of images of the Eiffel Tower. 99% of these will be historical or modern cropped views of the Parisian tower with the surrounding landscapes, and some pretty lights. What makes a view that is unexpected, maybe unobtainable, and often wrapped in an underlying meaning, is a true photographer's perspective. Without these people and the raw pixels they produce, we would simply overlook the art of life.

Another case in point: Surfing. The basics and what a human sees from land versus the art of knowing an angle that is special and having the capability to introduce an object or human in a way otherwise invisible.

Photo by Morgan Maassen

Back to this cookie thing: You can pile in all the ingredients you want and stir that shit until your face goes prune and a day in the life of _____ becomes full of should-haves. The only way to create the taste you are after is to know the recipe that makes you become passionate. Go on... google it. You probably won't get too far as this sort of forte isn't found on Facebook.

The Way of Nature, The Way of Grace

Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days Of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, proves himself another round. Yes, it has an all-star cast (Sean Penn, Brad Pitt), but has little to do with line deliverance's and facial expression execution. The script come secondary to the cinematography that truly creates The Tree of Life. An impressionistic story of a midwestern family in the 1950′s that uses a constant metaphor of evolution, primal ism, and Americanism. Questions are proposed that many children and adults ask throughout their lifespan regarding religion and who it is that they should turn to in times of mourn; a young boy's fear of depression sparks at an early age, as shadows begin to unfold his predetermined future. The Tree of Life shows the human race at its most glorious moments and weakest hours; death is vaporized and birth is celebrated with the constant rise and fall of the sun. "A film of such aesthetic sublimity that it is almost a holy thing itself."
And a film for all those who are willing to examine the span of life beyond what we conclude in our simple minds. Images caught from the deepest crevasses of the earth's surface to the galactic space and cellular reproduction of humans. The photography is mesmerizing, and the story... is one that may feel oddly familiar.

Elke Kramer & The Geese of Beverly Road

Tracing my fingers along the glass of the jewelry counter, deja vu fogs over: I am a kid, I am in a candy store, and I have a neglected cavity. As a grown adult who purposely puts up blinders when strolling through pay check suicide, I am in a Newport beach boutique and I cannot help but stop and gawk. Foreign shapes, renovated hardware, odd finishes- pieces that rub you the wrong way but feel right. Large bangles and rings that make you question how you get them on and burn you with their natural ability to define style. When I first fell (hard) for Elke Kramer's work, I promised myself to keep the love affair hush hush, as her pricey gems are hard to come across which equals an extra zero on the tag... But after receiving my first piece from a near and dear friend, it was time to explore and share the inspiring work of the artist known as ELKE.

The Australian native infuses her travels to 7Th world wonders with brave and balanced formation. Her spring 2011 line focuses on her journey through the Far East, titled "The Shake of Ophelia" which she collaborated with (a personal fav) photographer Chris Morris. Her pieces embody beetroot, bloodstone, ash, jasper, and knotted patterns. The collection's story focuses on the life of a traveling spice merchant in Africa (below). Her extremely popular Trompe L’oeil range (2008) combined an unlikely family of chunky resin shapes, geometric art-deco inspired pattern, traditional tribal aesthetics, and even hand stitched elements (above).

The pieces are masculine, graceful, and fearless.

22

I found a lemon on my path today
I tucked it into my pocket for you
The little lemon seeped its sugar into my denim
As I passed the food bank and the church
Over and down the merciless hills of San Francisco
Until I reached rest in which I retrieved the fruit
And found it to be plastic.

Reflecting on a year of absolute change: when I thought it couldn't get any harder, it would. When I thought I couldn't push myself any further, I did. When I thought I was too tired to work harder, I found strength. When I thought I couldn't be happier- I was. The old me thought by 23 I should be so much further down the roads of success and now that I am approaching it, I find success in the present. I am thankful I have novels to learn and lands to discover, as this world has more to see than the span of one's existence- I look forwarding to aging wisely.