Well? What HAVE you done?

faceCULTURE needs a tune now and again that acts like a little reminder of the time when this question could be asked with no sense of irony or suspended disbelief.  Sadly dear readers, even this blogger was caught looking in the mirror recently, skin pulled back from the temple and jaw, wondering 'what if?'.  The danger is that this process of critical regard of the self has become so normalized that no one questioned it, and instead offered helpful suggestions.  And this was in a public lift! 

Save me from my vanity.  Play on!

Caroline Saulnier

What is not to love about Caroline Saunier's work?

Die Antwoord - The Spectacle of "Fatty Boom Boom".

Referencing tribal decoration and the embellishment techniques of body painting with pigments made from stone, plants berries, mud and tar, Die Antwoord's take on the appropriation of cultural and creative references is epitomized by the 'Gagaesque' journey of the central character in this video.

Die Antwoord and the dancers within the video effect a, not sophisticated but by no means crude, novel dimension of performance through painting and disguising the body.  Consequently the seductive illusory effects examined here present the spectacle of human beings offering themselves as surreal and exotic works of art.  A decorative counterbalance to the stylistic appropriation of cultural artifacts often utilised by popular music icons. 

Sugar Rush

This is probably about as trippy as it gets....faceCULTURE has just overdosed on sugar.

Drawn in. Cartoon and Cosmetics

Watch as this young woman turns herself into a real life cartoon. The appreciation of cosmetic masquerade has taken a bizarre twist.

Levi van Veluw / Family / Origin of the Beginning

Van Veluw presents a claustrophobic vision of an environment based on repetition and insignificant detail.  Constructed from 20,000 wooden blocks, this beginning is drawn from personal memories, and explores the themes of loneliness, solititude and isolation.

Splashing the colour all over - Misha B.

Wild patterns on the face on body in this Misha B video, makes me want to get my paintbrush out and splash that colour all over.  Of interest is the behind the scenes video, also seen below. 

Adidas Pink

‘Adidas Pink’ features Chelsea Rose, in the process of being transformed by pink layers of existence. Under the watchful eye of her pink soft toys, Rose is overtaken by a liquid exuded by a pink shell.  Sploshing never looked so good.