Ode to Ovation

A simple ode to Ovation, the cable channel that exists for the pleasure of the nerdy few. It is no Bravo - no omnipresent, handsome gay man or beautiful rich bitch. How it stays on air, I don't know. There can't be that many people interested in things like a honky-tonk singer turned opera performer or the design origin of greeting cards, but I don't mind minimal company. So here's to a few favorite Ovation moments:

Designer People - Ovation, why didn't you come to me before Amy Devers? I'm so much cooler (though I'll admit my wardrobe isn't).

Later with Jools Holland - Here's to musical talent and small venues but why 4AM?! Another reason to have TiVo.

Bathroom Divas - That honky tonk singer I was talking about? Episode 3.

Reality TV - About up and coming photographers, dancers, musicians, artists, and designers. Sure Project Runway started it all, but Ovation took into disciplines other channels wouldn't dare.

Documentaries -  On every artist, architect, musician, and designer worth mentioning and beyond. I celebrate a channel whose core content is built on these sorts of productions.

Tar and Feathers

Despite nearly a quarter century of involvement in the dance world, I had never seen the work of Czech choreographer Jiri Kylian. So when a friend who formerly danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater was raving about his work yesterday, I did what any educated person would do - I found him on youtube. I was not disappointed. 

There are a number of clips from his long works online. "Falling Angels" demands noting, but I prefer "Tar and Feathers," which is absolutely stunning from the dancers' movement (formalism meets the womb) to the music (ambient sound overlaid with notes from Mozart's "Jeunehomme") to the set design. And yes, that piano! For those not into dance but interested in Surrealism, watch the first clip below just for the piano. It's less than two minutes and worth your time, trust me. The second clip is a 1 minute section from the same piece.

For those with time and money to spare, take a field trip to see the Boston Ballet perform "Black and White," a five-ballet program of Kylian's work scheduled for the third and fourth weekends in May.

Tar and Feathers by Jiri Kylian
Tar and Feathers by Jiri Kylian (Clip #2)
Photo: Netherlands Dans Theater

The Musical With Something Extra

Part of my job is to read. I know, it's terrible but someone's got to do it. One genre that I follow on a daily basis is criticism. Literature, art, theater, architecture, film, typography, you name it: criticism speaks directly to its subject and attempts to engage the reader - novice and expert alike - in evaluating that subject, not as being good or bad per se but, instead, relevant or no, influential, tangible, topical, etc. Criticism puts creative work into perspective. It provides informative reviews of a given object, play, or building's place in the historical/cultural/socio-political spectrum and how it may exceed or fall short in comparison. Information equally prepares every creative professional to jump the quality divide - thus how good criticism can alter the course of careers and professions.

Architects hate criticism, but I think that stems from years of brow beating in school by smug professors who have never learned how to be good (read: constructive) critics. So I will not list an architectural review today. Instead, let's talk theater posters.


Yesterday the New York Times reviewed the new production of "La Cage aux Folles," the French musical production that became in the 1996 English movie translation, "The Birdcage" starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. It is a well-written piece by Ben Brantley (click here for the theatre review), but more interesting is the interactive feature on the design development for the production's poster art, "Ad Evolution: La Cage aux Folles." The interactive feature reveals a number of proposals for the ad campaign by NY creative agency SpotCo with voice overs by agency founder Drew Hodges. Click on an individual poster, and you get a closer look with Mr. Hodges relaying the inspiration for each design and the reason why it was (in the case of the final version) or was not chosen for the campaign.

There are some fantastic ideas here. I love the yellow show "girl" with the big red lips, but Mr. Hodges is right - that text is too small for Times Square. The simplicity of the pink poster with falsies, mustache, and the show's name in lights is another favorite as is the neon option near the end. The final version is excellent of course, but forgive me if I feel like I've seen it before - someone please help me remember where. Yes, I get the playful notion of the sex objects in heels and feathers being men instead of women, and this ad is so New York City.  I guess I just go for whimsy or Studio 54. When this show hits Miami, one of these other posters should travel with it.

I Heart Millinery

I have an undying love for all things hats, especially those which refer to that beautiful time in history when gloves, hats, and stockings with perfectly vertical back seams (or the wearer risked a tarnished reputation) were the rule rather than the exception. Okay, okay. I know there are many aspects of that time that I would never tolerate as a contemporary woman, but forget all that for now because we're talking about hats.  

I have a collection, which I know I should photograph at some point – little portraits, my children since I have neither spawn nor a pet – and each one is chosen for both its unique, individual character and its place in the collection. 

One item that is still missing from the collection is a top hat. Whether rooted in a recent affinity for the Victorian or my love of the burlesque, I have searched high and low for that perfect top hat for three years now to no avail. More easily found are the ultra traditional (refer to your local equestrian shop) and the tiny, whimsical versions (hello, hair clips), but I’ve not gotten as close to satisfying my mind’s eye as I have with topsyturvydesign’s millinery on, where else, Etsy.com. 

Below are a couple of my favorites - and yes, I realize they're all black, but top hats are traditionally formal wear. Topsyturvydesign does other colors, but, call me traditional, I dig the black.

What I think these clearly show, besides beautiful objects for the human body, is that quality millinery never strayed far from careful hand craft. It’s not just the details that require the hand’s attention, but the shaping and care with the fabrics and stitching as well. 

One of these will be meeting the other kids soon.