It's Friday. Find joy today. [c/o Ane Brun]

I knew this song. And I liked it. But watching the video has made me love it even more. The storyline is trippy. There's a man. He's in a hospital. He finds freedom. He loses it. He ends up in hysterics, imagining himself on a beach trying trying trying to float away. But before he ends up stranded, tied to a dozen balloons in attempts to fly away, he finds joy and he dances and he smiles.

So, let's focus on the joy. Watch now.



[Thank you to our fellow bloggette at Walk This Way LA for the reintroduction.]

Yoga + Dining + Community.

Pals o'mine. I don't want you to get off your rocker excited and hurt yourself now. But this Friday, March 16 will launch Downward Dining, a new yoga and dining experience in LA. To tell you it's going to be amazing would not be enough. To tell you the yoga teacher for the launch can do things you only dreamt possible in Cirque shows--To tell you that your meal of M Cafe goodness and Bella Savour vegan cupcakes and Honest Tea awesomeness will knock your socks off--To tell you that the gift bag will be heavy. And it will be good. And it will excite you--None of this would be sufficient.

So, I guess you'll just have to come and see for yourself.

Tickets are available (but not for long) at www.downwarddiningeventbrite.com. Get yours.

And tell your friends.

Follow Downward Dining on Twitter.
Like Downward Dining on Facebook.
Join the Downward Dining mailing list!

Herakut reminds us of the inner monkey.

"You seem to be forgetting that there is a monkey in you, too."
- Herakut at LeBasse Projects, Chinatown last week.

If Rachel Zoe created artsy offspring with a farmhouse...

Becca Kallem, your watercolors are magical. And so superbly insightful. If I were a giraffe, I'd wear Burberry too. I'd have a long neck. I'd want to cover it up in style. This is obvious to me. I'm glad this is obvious to you too. And were I a bird, I'd wear Louis Vuitton. I'd buy from the old Murakami, multi-colored logo collection. I'd scout it out on eBay, pay at whatever cost, and wear it to all the most chic bird nest parties. Obvs.

I just bought a print from Becca's online etsy shop. I bought it cause Becca gets it. Also because her prints are only $22 (less if you buy before January 31st while her New Year's sale is going on). And lastly, but not insignificantly, because Becca donates $2 from each sale to the Washington Animal Rescue League. Aaah, a philanthropist too--Becca, you are amazing!

Oh, also because I'm a Leo and us lions like to see pictures of ourselves. We're totally narcissistic and we accept this about ourselves.

Check out Becca's etsy shop. Check it out now!

[via Design Sponge]

Mr. Brainwash. Today. Go.

Today is the [extended] last day of Mr. Brainwash's art show in Los Angeles. Whether or not you like the man's work, it's 80,000 square feet of positive messages and creative use of space. And that's worth seeing.

Some pics from my own visit last week are below.

Now, go.

960 N. La Brea

LA, CA

Doors open at 2 p.

Farms, Schools, Art & MGMT.

What do farms, schools, art and MGMT have in common?

Not much til my rad friend Mark Macinnis brought 'em all together for a sick benefit event this Saturday. Mark directed an incredible film called Urban Roots about the urban farming movement.

Artist Anthony James was then inspired to create some pretty amazing sculptures.

James and Mark are now working to raise money to establish farms in underprivileged urban schools through the Field of Dreams initiative.

And Ben Goldwasser of MGMT will be joining the guys this Saturday night in Venice to raise some money for the program.

I'd tell you to join. But I'm sure you already realize you should. See you there.

MOMAI
711 Hampton Drive
Venice, CA 90291

Saturday, December 3
7 - 11 p

Buy your tickets online.

Yoga + breakdance + grace. [video]

If I could do even one of these arm balances for 10 seconds, I would be happy. This guy can do them while breakdancing, appearing as though this routine is what he casually does before breakfast every morning. He probably does.

Break ton Neck from Alex Yde on Vimeo.

The incredible song, if you're wondering (you must be), is by Awolnation. [via Yoganonymous]

Street art is everywhere (the Austin, Texas edition).

I went to Austin, Texas last week. And I could tell you about the food (oh my god, the food--there was so, so much of it). Or the people (they were just like us Angelenos, it turns out--save the fake parts and the bleached blonde). But I'm going to save my words and show you the art instead. Because the art--it was everywhere, on every street. And in one case, the same wheatpasted, bespectacled, afroed fellow appeared over and over again. The street art in Austin ranged from the pasted to the tagged to the stencils in multitude. And it seemed to fit the landscape as much as the live music and barbecue.

I want to rest my head on this.

In Austin this week I discovered a store called Spartan (more on Austin later, promise). At Spartan, I discovered the most perfectly merchandised boutique I've ever seen and this pillow collection by Coral & Tusk. The brand makes other things but I am a sucker for decorative pillows. True story.

The pillow above is appropriately named 'man eating tiger.' It is incredible in so very many ways.

The beautiful Balloons of Bhutan.

Jonathan Harris is a photographer and a micro-storyteller and a traveler and a personal hero of mine.

When I describe art I always say: I don't know about art. I just know what I like.

I know that the richness and colors in Jonathan's work is as moving and incredible as it gets for me.

Harris' latest released project, Balloons of Bhutan, visited the region of Bhutan where happiness reigns supreme. He used balloons to measure the happiness and wishes of 117 residents.

Writes Harris on his site documenting the project, "Instead of "Gross National Product", Bhutan uses "Gross National Happiness" to measure its socio-economic prosperity, essentially organizing its national agenda around the basic tenets of Buddhism."

A beautiful project about a beautiful region of the world and its beautiful people.

http://balloonsofbhutan.org/

LA gets a piece of Glen Ligon.

Glen Ligon's work is smart, it is beautiful, it is a commentary on black America, it will be on show in a mid-career retrospective at LACMA starting Sunday.

Consider the following part non-sequitor and part warning. Glen Ligon is a Wesleyan graduate. This is a general guarantee of awesome.

Radical Face plays LA tonight.

Radical Face has no pretensions. You can hear it. You can see it in Ben Cooper's unkempt facial hairs and the clear freedom in his bad button down shirts. Radical Face is powerful and makes gorgeous sounds. Radical Face plays LA tonight at the Bootleg Theater. Let's go.

Beautiful things happening at the tarpits.

I've been having stronger than usual feelings lately that I want to be enveloped by beautiful art and beautiful sounds and beautiful people. How lucky for me that Tarfest is happening tomorrow at the La Brea Tarpits and all of the above will be in plentiful supply. And for free. One can't beat beautiful things for no money at all.

I'm excited for:

Sounds by Saint Motel and Everest

Live art curated by the Merry Karnowky Gallery and featuring Deedee Cheriel, Edward Walton Wilcox, and Vox Humana artists Augustine Kofie and Shark Toof.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, some of my favorites.

RIP Troy Davis.

The United States government--the one that aims to create peace in every other nation on this planet beside our own--should feel something far more devastating than shame for its actions yesterday.

I am not a religious person and I do not believe in an afterlife. But Troy Davis did. And so, Mr. Davis, I hope that you rest in peace.

[NY Times: Troy Davis Executed]

Tonight.

 

To be concise: Lykke Li makes beautiful sounds that I want to listen to.

Appreciating Richard's art in this digital age.

We live in a time when you can search for 'farm art' on Google (there was a reason at the time for my interest in agriculture art beyond time wasting on the internet, I assure you), come up with an image like this, fall in fast love with it, and then contact its maker via Twitter within minutes to inquire. Of course, sometimes the artist might reply to you with a complete loss of words himself for when he made it, where it is, or how I might get my hands on it. But, as I live in this modern time as well, I can drag it, drop it, and upload it to share with you all in this digital archive of Things. I. Love.

So, enjoy. And, you're welcome.

And, of course, thank you to Richard Hogg for creating a piece that moves me so. Even if he doesn't know where its original is.

Your girl got dicked by Ricky Powell. Photos on display.

 

 

 

Ricky Powell (well, his photos) are coming to LA. Actually, they're here. Tomorrow night, House of Exposure presents 'Dicked by Ricky Powell.' As the Beastie Boys so elegantly put it:

Homeboy, throw in the towel Your girl got dicked by Ricky Powell

Photos from $250 - $2000. 8 1/2" x 11" prints of the famous Basquiat/Warhol pic for $50. Lollipops with Basquiat and Warhols' sillhouettes. Priceless. But at this event, $10.

 

What? You want more news about future exhibits of awesomeness and limited edition wonders? Well, sign up for House of Exposure's mailing list.

A lullaby by Little Joy.

To my friend who introduced me to Little Joy and to this song, I cannot offer enough thank yous. If lullabies were written for the children in all of us, I would ask to be rocked to sleep nightly to this sweet, sweet song.

Shed rather be scarred than be scarred with love.

Matisse on a Sunday.

I've spent much of my Sunday watching--on and off--the BBC Modern Masters episode on Matisse. I could have done worse, I suppose. I could have spent my day watching straight-to-DVD films with Heather Graham [like I did yesterday]. But today I opted for a little culture--60 minutes to be exact--drawn out with breaks and breakfast and naps. And the English accent of the BBC's narrator gives the pretense of grandeur and sophistication to my YouTube video streaming, I think, and sophistication and grandeur were exactly what my Sunday called for.

A few faves, newly appreciated after my studious Sunday telly watching.

Touched by a tot.

This week a child touched me. Not metaphorically, but really. She actually reached out and touched me. It happened on Larchmont. I was holding a bright blue wallet and she waddled on up--this adorable little girl--and she just touched my hand and stared at me and smiled. It happened on Thursday.

The world is a magical place for a child on a Thursday on Larchmont when a woman who must appear very old to her--and tall too--meanders down the street holding a fabulously bright color in her hand.