Stylites - Beijing Street Fashion

This post is of a somewhat different flavor from the other entries this far. Despite my fact that my primary interest is in art, it doesn't stop me from occasionally straying to different subjects. This fashion blog in particular has managed to find its way onto my daily ritual of sites to visit.

Stylites is surprisingly unprejudiced in its selections of models. Ranging from a raging fashionista to an elderly man wearing updated Manchu style robes. The only defining criteria is that they are walking the streets of Beijing and of course, have a clearly defined sense of style. Go take a look at this wildly successful, yet humble blog - I promise you'll learn something new, and if not, it will at least be an interesting read nonetheless.

Daito Manabe

Daito Manabe is a composer, DJ, computer programmer, hacker, and performance artist based out of Tokyo. Even more impressive than his list of skills, is Manabe's extraordinary ability to fuse all of these media and skills into a single entity. Most of his pieces work between the area of new media and performance art. Using his computer-prowess, Manabe is able to create connections between technology and the human body in a way that most would consider impossible. His playful videos are often infused with beats or tones that openly display his interest in music and sound.

"Face Visualizer"

Manabe's Face Visualizer series was the first piece of work that I saw of his. Most have seen the facial twitches featured in the video, (which in this case are forced by an electrical current) as individuals, but when a series of mouth, eye, and nose spasms are done simultaneously it creates a singular alien movement. The image of it appears so foreign that it even seems to be a form of computer graphics, but this isn't the case with Daito Manabe.

Here is another video which Manabe tests an LED light with sound in his mouth. Like Face Visualizer, this video is just a test; which is arguably more intriguing than the actual works themselves. Its so rare in the art community, especially for new media and more computer-based artists, to share their processes and tests with the general public. For this reason it really is a blessing that Manabe shows his process in a public venue for those of us who aren't as computer-savvy. If you would like to see more of his youtube videos please click here for his official youtube page. And for exhibition information, blog, and biography, his personal website.