Begin at Benin

The thoroughly amusing work of Mali photographer Malick Sibide is on display at the Wolfgang Roth Gallery in the Design District. Sibide's work is culturally anthropological in nature. As a recipient of the distinguished Hasselblad Award and Venice Biannale's Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement, Sibide's work offers an easy primer for the education of those not yet familiar with the captivating charm of all things African.

Malick's work alone is worth a visit but there is more amazing gems of Africana to enjoy.
This world-class show is a DON'T MISS.



The show features traditional bronzes from Benin. If you ever tried to smelt metal or extract bronze from buckets of earth then you know it ain't easy. The objects on display are sublimely beautiful and totally African. The style is distinct and undeniable, the craftsmanship superb.

Also of interest is a rich selection of the work by legendary Leni Riefenstahl the nazi film maker, chocolate lover, scuba diving granny. Her photos are also amazing images from an Africa that is probably forever lost in the modern world. She is the go-to gal for soft-erotic images of "jungle-bunnies" and "black-as-night-savages".


photo not related...
but nakedly very telling of the Germany of Riefensthal's youth.



It's a Lonnnnnng Way back to Berlin. Leni trolled the dark continent in search of talent to document the beauty in the eye of the beholder of the cradle of civilization.



There must have been allot of dust-shaking going on for the darling from deutschland.



She had to dive pretty deep to rinse away the crust of controversy and disdain piled at her work of nationalistic pride and journalistic lust for the dark continent.


photo not related, just kool.

And finally there is also some great stuff by my pal the incomparable african-american Peter Beard.

*

Yard-Sale Rent-Party

The Second Biennial Design-District Multi-Family
Y a r d - S a l e
is Today.

ONE DAY ONLY - SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21

N.E. 1 Court Between 38 and 39 Streets



... a pickers paradise.

*

LoveSick Fri13

On the eve of Saint Valentine's Day, nothing says "I Love You" better than sharing germs. What's a few sniffles between consenting adults. But there are some bugs out there today that are downright debilitating. Dear Mrs. was very sick early this week and so it is that swampthing is way under the weather and projecting from all ends, if you know what i mean. This 24 hour flu that is running roughshod is putting a damper on our weekend.



No amount of pepto-dismal will cure this malady. My otherwise fit self is but a shadow of a wreck. Whatever is going around packs a punch that leaves you worthless and longing for better days. Damn be those tiny monsters from the viral realm.



With so much to do this weekend, I wish it was easier to stop them blasted little bacteria. I have never felt so sick. Luckily it only lasts two days.

Sprechgesang Rock

photo not related.

Langerado Concert may be canceled but....

For the 80' New Wave band that got it's name from a flying fortress killing machine, the B-52s are still a force for Good Times today. Saturday's concert at the Jackie Gleason Theater on Miami Beach was a musical event for old and young. The only thing keeping the house from bubbling over with enthusiasts was the price of admission.



Juniors Beware. Fogies just gotta have fun.
Senior Fox Veteran Rocker aficionado enjoys a dance in the isles with young fan. Some of the kids there were delighted to see the cheerful crowd of mostly 40 plus types... sporting 20 something fashions and reeling in the contagious sounds that made the band world famous.



More than a One Hit Wonder.
With over 60 years on continued service The Stratofortress B-52 bomber is the pride and joy of USA defense department's arsenal of heavy lifters. It carries more hits than the B-52s.



If one is frightening, many is friggin' frightening. If we spend billions bombing the lobster out of other people, then we could invested a little to win hearts and minds around the world with popular musical talent like the B-52s. People love the sound and it would save tons of dough.



Band of Misfit Boys n Girls.
Originally from Athens, Georgia the B 52s are All-American Talent with 30 years of musical accomplishments and hairdos to rival the nose-cones of the bombers.



Live to Rock Another Day at the Funplex.



Mr. and Mrs. Swampthing back-stage with long-time pal Fred Schneider ( Mr. Sprechgesang).



Also back-stage a the Jackie Gleason found some great murals by legendary David LeBatard LEBO. Finally, special thanks to Miami's own Rhythm Foundation for their continued support of the local scene.


*

SFDB 1903

Congratulations to SouthFloridaDailyBlog.

Like an automatonic editorial dredge, SFDB has stood sentry over the sifting of under-reported anthropological relevance from a myriad of scrap on the web.

From it's tumultuous gestation- stuck on the expressways in the swamp, to the garage bugler of nuanced local web publishing SFDB continues a legacy of dedicated googling work. This grape-vine site is updated more often than the Herald but less often than Fark.

Vintage Clip Art - Hialeah, Florida circa 2007

Rick's is the preeminent Go-To Place for ranting, ruminating, vacillating, commiserating and sometimes consternating personal blog journal entries from Miami. Rick's place is up and running with the one year mark in the rear view mirror.

How would SFDB like a Vintage Truck for his First Birthday.
Compliments of swampstyle.

*

Duck, Cover, White-Wash, Repeat

In the old days, people were preoccupied with survival to the point of obsession. It was great business for the enterprising bomb-shelter and canned food folk. What's old is new again.



Where's the Tunnel At?

Miami the city-scape is an ever-changing attempt to create a utopian place that is just right for those willing and able to pony-up and get locked-in to the treadmill of revenue streams.



Best and Worst, Side by Side

But in the process of building utopia we will destroy the swamp and everything else. Evidence the changing face of urban graffiti. There are lots of new murals about town, some are striking others mundane. There is also a white-washing of old murals that are now gone forever, thanks no doubt to the county graffiti police wielding the sign ordinance enforcement for cash.



Hug Me, It's Nuclear Tuesday

This particular image in Wynwood is unique for it's content and character. The subject is of a lover's embrace in a landscape of apocalyptic nature. It is a near perfect sci-fi expression of how many must feel given the current conundrums of a city in flux at a time of national and world uncertainties.



DWNTWN without the TrOuble.

One thing is certain. The future will be here... someday. Miami planners are imagining a place that conjures images of BladeRunner ala swampstyle.



Here is a brilliant idea for living in a really small space... even as people are leaving South Florida in search of less green-greedy pastures.



And here is my favorite Graffiti of the Month.

>

SoBe Bummmer

Blogger S.O.S. Who the bleep is SoBe Bum and why is it futzing with this blog. What's up with all the links dumped onto swampstyle? Firefox freaks out with each visit to Bum site, it is a download drag.

Scholastic Fantastic Awards

In the shadow of Miami-Dade Downtown is the preeminent taxpayer funded MAM.
Most of their shows are rather starchy, garnering little public interest from mass culture.
But once a year the museum is flooded with new and truly emerging talent... and proud parents.

What i see without my glasses.

Currently on view in a 'salon style hanging' is an exhibition of selected works sifted from the avalanche of artworks submitted by local students from public, private and parochial schools. All kids, ages 7-12, are encouraged to submit their work... many of the participants featured are from the handful of public magnet schools.

Super-bowl of Recognition.

The Scholastic Art Awards are the largest and longest-running assessment and recognition programs for the visual arts in the U.S.A. founded in 1923 by the nations leading publisher of children's books and educational materials. Today the awards are administered by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, a non-profit. National recognition means scholarships for college.

Hail to the chief... and all the art soldiers.

Officiating the award ceremony was the museum director, Terry Riley rolling up his sleeves, and other dedicated members of the arts community.

Performing any art requires courage, critical thinking, and discipline.
Studying the arts fine-tunes our senses, develops discriminating judgment, and enriches our lives.
The arts assist us to know and respond to others; they nurture our intuition;they stretch our outlook; and they feed our souls and our spirit.
The arts strengthen our productivity and our sense of crafmanship.
They are "the signature of civilization"

Shelter from the Swelter

The list of winners was long and the sun was high in the swamp sky. Most attendees huddled in the shade of the inadequate building. Inadequate because the New Fantabulous Miami Art Museum is currently on paper only.

Strike a Pose, nothin' to it.

Norland Middle Art Teacher stumbles onto stage loaded with new talent.
Conspicuously by their absence were the local art gallery dealer predators eager to scout out next seasons crop of "emergers".

This delightful DASH denim sculpture alone is worth a visit.

*

Sho-Nuff Hi-Def Web-Estate

Fifty years ago the great Canadian Communications Theorist Marshall McLuhan had the insight to express his cautionary thoughts on the effect of television on people:

According to McLuhan, modern communication technologies such as radio and television globalize communication by allowing users from all levels of society around the world to easily connect with each other and exchange ideas instantaneously.


What would McLuhan say today about the condition of the Forth Estate? It would not be a stretch that he would be pleased at the precision of his predictions but astounded and dismayed at the consolidation of power in the hands of a few media moguls empires.

"... He describes the light bulb as a medium without any content. Likewise, the message of a newscast about a heinous crime may be less about the individual news story itself — the content — and more about the change in public attitude towards crime that the newscast engenders by the fact that such crimes are in effect being brought into the home to watch over dinner."



Due to the enhanced speed of communication online and the ability of people to read about, spread, and react to global news very rapidly, McLuhan says this forces us to become more involved with one another from countries around the world and be more aware of our global responsibilities.

Medium is the Size of the Message in The Global Village.

Information Islands on the Final Frontier of the Blue Planet.

There is some disagreement in the consideration of the Internet as promoting the idea of a global village. Modern theorist Glenn Willmott says McLuhan's idea of the global village is a clichéd phrase that does not take into account the corruption of the Internet by government and corporate censorship and control over information on the web (news and entertainment information in particular).

*

Opecarazystan

Oil, Crude Black Gold, How did we Get so Hooked on you?

You don't have to like someone to do good business... and you certainly don't have to suck face with them. But since there simply is not enough crude in Texas, California, Alaska or Gulf of Mexico to satisfy the thirst, we Cozy-up with those who would eat us for breakfast.

Chemistry 101- Plastics to the Rescue. Petroleum is not just for making our cars and trucks GO, it is used in practically everything we do and use. Number 2 is Methane Gas. We are so proud to be dependent on these two resources that it will take a long time and a myriad of CHANGE before we ever HOPE to be free.

Holding Lots at the Port of Long Beach CA.
All over the world Car Makers keep cranking out millions of new cars...
but they are not selling as quick as expected.

Here is a simple message for ya'll:

USE ONLY WHAT YOUR GREED NEEDS.

OPEC Dollars Beyond Their Royalist Dreams,
Courtesy of Allah and USA.

Parking for super-tankers only. No Condition is Permanent in the Swamp.

*