ElH Reports - MY CUP OF TEA OF THINGS TO SHARE.

Preston Sturges 11 rules of Box Office Appeal.

A pretty girl is better than an ugly one.
A leg is better than an arm.
A bedroom is better than a living room.
An arrival is better than a departure.
A birth is better than a death.
A chase is better than a chat.
A dog is better than a landscape.
A kitten is better than a dog.
A baby is better than a kitten.
A kiss is better than a baby.
A pratfall is better than anything.

There is a new place in Zurich that shares a function of a boutique hotel and a contemporary art gallery. Seriously… there are always changing exhibition happenings and a curated artist program. Now I know where to hang out at art openings and to place friends that come to visit, at The Proposal!

Yesterday FEMEN protested again, again in Zurich

Yesterday Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN performed a topless protest against the Hockey world cup in 2014 in Belarus. Again WHY? WHY ZURICH? WHY STILL NECKED?

Marina Abramovic’s Necked Gala, an art performance or immoral act of Art Business?

Here is a letter by Yvonne Rainer to Jeffrey Deitch:

“After observing a rehearsal, I am writing to protest the “entertainment” about to be provided by Marina Abramović at the upcoming donor gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art where a number of young people’s live heads will be rotating as decorative centerpieces at diners’ tables and others—all women—will be required to lie perfectly still in the nude for over three hours under fake skeletons, also as centerpieces surrounded by diners.

On the face of it the above description might strike one as reminiscent of Salo, Pasolini’s controversial film of 1975 that dealt with sadism and sexual abuse of a group of adolescents at the hands of a bunch of postwar fascists. Though it is hard to watch, Pasolini’s film has a socially credible justification tied to the cause of anti-fascism. Abramović and MoCA have no such credibility—and I am speaking of this event itself, not of Abramović’s work in general—only a questionable personal rationale about the beauty of eye contact and the transcendence of artists’ suffering.

At the rehearsal the fifty heads—all young, beautiful, and mostly white—turning and bobbing out of holes as their bodies crouched beneath the otherwise empty tables, appeared touching and somewhat comic, but when I tried to envision 800 inebriated diners surrounding them, I had another impression. I myself have never been averse to occasional epatering of the bourgeoisie. However, I can’t help feeling that subjecting her performers to possible public humiliation and bodily injury from the three-hour endurance test at the hands of a bunch of frolicking donors is yet another example of the Museum’s callousness and greed and Ms Abramović’s obliviousness to differences in context and some of the implications of transposing her own powerful performances to the bodies of others. An exhibition is one thing—again, this is not a critique of Abramovic’s work in general—but titillation for wealthy donor/diners as a means of raising money is another.

Ms Abramović is so wedded to her original vision that she—and by extension, the Museum director and curators—doesn’t see the egregious associations for the performers, who, though willing, will be exploited nonetheless. Their cheerful voluntarism says something about the pervasive desperation and cynicism of the art world such that young people must become abject table ornaments and clichéd living symbols of mortality in order to assume a novitiate role in the temple of art.

This grotesque spectacle promises to be truly embarrassing. I and the undersigned wish to express our dismay that an institution that we have supported can stoop to such degrading methods of fund raising. Can other institutions be far behind? Must we re-name MoCA “MOUFR” or the Museum of Unsavory Fund Raising?

Sincerely,

Yvonne Rainer”

Strange jobs famous writers had before they became famous.

J.D. Salinger served as the entertainment director on the H.M.S Kungsholm, a Swedish luxury liner.

George Saunders worked in a slaughterhouse, in a convenience store, as a doorman in Beverly Hills, as a groundsman, as a roofer, and as a geophysicist.

Franz Kafka was the Chief Legal Secretary of the Workmen’s Accident Insurance Institute, obviously.

Tom McCarthy was a nude model at an art school in Prague, tended bar at an Irish pub in Berlin, and fed waiters cat food as a sous-chef in a restaurant in Amsterdam.

John Steinbeck ran a fish hatchery in Lake Tahoe. He also led guided tours of the place, during one of which he met his first wife, Carol Henning.

review

Made in Russia: Soviet Design Oddities and Masterpieces

If you think that the Russian Classic Design is existing only for creating Sputniks, Lomos, and Kalashnikovs, you’re about to get old schooled! Here, I`m going to show you something. Edited and commented by Michael Idov.

Classic soviet toy, Nevalashka, self-stabilizing mechanism held within its bright, bulbous belly.By the way, I also had one…

review

Photo Essay: What It’s Like Always Being The Third Wheel

Have you experience, you`ve been dating this girl for months, when apparently another guy has sent her an invitation to a brunch? Or, your best G-friend started to hang out with the guy you`ve been seeing? Or, her roommate started giving her much more attention? I hope it doesn`t look too much familiar to you.

flavorwire.com

This year the Zurich Art Prize went to a swiss artist Mai-Thu Perret, whose work is distinguished by complex installations and sculptures and has a great deal of feminine themes and domestic symbols in it. Here is an interesting interview the artist gave in 2008 about her work and education. Today, Mai-Thu Perret current show can be seen at Hauskonstruktiv Zurich till October.

How Good Designers Think

We all know that really good designers somehow think differently from you and me about new products. But just exactly what does this difference consist of? The best summary of what makes really good designers tick was asimple post by Bruce Nussbaum back in 2007. Since reading that I’ve often pondered the subject and today, I find it helpful to look at my experience of how good designers think (and do) at each stage of the innovation process: insights, inspiration, and action.

Insight: They Look at What We Don’t Know
Most insight, because it relies so heavily on asking consumers, only deals with improvements to known/ existing products and services (I’d like it bigger, cheaper, quicker, smaller, etc). It rarely deals with the new/never been done before — the unexpected but relevant solution.

hbr.org

Design Miami Basel this year surprised again. Ohhhh, it`s just beautiful… and very cool…

This year one of the most inspiring person on earth will have his 100 Years Birthday. We`ll celebrate soon! More on Event ElH org

The top five luxury outlets of Zurich

Here is the shopping tip that even your best friend wouldn `t share with you! Here is the 5 top luxury outlets in Zurich:

Zurich Top Outlets

Grieder Stockout outlet

From Diesel till Akris, now 87% discount on shoes, clothes and bags, also a small selection of man`s wear. However, the store will be closed by the end of January. Hurry up!

Grieder Stockout

Konradstrasse 19

8005 Zürich

Phone +41 44 224 35 71