Since we’ve been especially psychedelic lately with our recent posts, it was important for us to go one step further and discover the psychedelic moods in the art and fashion of the day. There really was no better artist to turn to than Don Snyder, whose work is a cosmic collection of photographs taken throughout New York City in the 60s, as well as communes in New England and San Francisco.
The photographs he captured are both timeless and magical, and offer a beautiful glimpse into a not so far away world. His combination of stark reality with the whimsy of his surroundings create for priceless and spectacular moments caught in time. It’s all in the subtlety of each shot; the magic he has captured, proof there must truly be a God, or perhaps that Don Snyder is one.
Either way, let us not forget Don Snyder and his wicked gifts he has left for this generation to covet. Don passed in 2010 alone without a will, leaving an apartment full of prints and negatives the world might never get the privilege to see! He was known as a gifted photographer, and an even better teacher – “the alchemist of the darkroom”.
His friends and colleagues remember him for both the ingenuity and artistry of the man, but also his kind and dynamic spirit. While some might say the Psychedelic Art movement died with the times, young artists are emerging with some of the same sensibilities we see in Snyder’s work. Photographers like Petra Collins, Elliot Lee Hazel, and Ryan McGinley can all be seen as forgers of the same odyssey.
Sixties psychedelia has always “turned me on”, and while 2012 and the future seems to be striving for some sort of impossible sleekness. There is an unbearable inclination towards cutting-edge in technology, and perhaps we have forgotten the strides the “Age of Aquarius” took for us.
The influential people of this moment were not celebrities seeking hits on a web page. The influential people of this generation were making dramatic steps to shaping the future. Causes of consideration included civil rights, women’s rights, gay and lesbian rights, the liberation from the repression of sexuality, as well as the controversial use of drugs or “herbs” such as marijuana or LSD, all these things have been brought to the forefront of popular culture thanks to millions of brave “Aquarians” everywhere.
Now that all these steps have been made, it is up to younger generations not to let these messages fall to the wayside. We must keep on keeping on, or have our freedoms slowly and unwittingly fall to our wayside. Yes, steps have been made, but where are we going? This is the question Don Snyder asks. And his “Aquarian Odyssey” represents a moment of hope amidst great uncertainty for the future. Sounds familiar, right?
Don Snyder’s “Aquarian Odyssey: A Photographic Trip into the Sixties” is a rare book to come by these day, but there is no denying the spell kept within. Browsing Barnes and Noble, a few copies can be found in near perfect condition, and with the recent death of the artist, and the rising interest in this niche of popular culture and history, it wouldn’t be unwise to pick one up today! A sure-fire great addition to any well-rounded style library!
Don’t forget! When the moon is in the seventh house, The Eye of Faith will always be there! Snyder was a smart man for leaving his legacy behind with this one publication. Perhaps with these photos we can seek to find an answer to some of life’s great mysteries. Hope we helped you get there. Wherever that may be.
Everyone enjoys a mugshot, as much as the next. Invasive? Essential? Photography lent itself as a most incredible resource for law enforcement around the world. No one can doubt that!
These days we’ve all seen the Mel Gibson, Heather Locklear, and the yearly Lindsay Lohan. Somehow, it seems, the mugshot has lost all it’s vintage charm! What happened to the mugshots of yesteryear?! Not to fear, we have unearthed some treats!
“I’m not a prophet or a stone aged man, just a mortal with potential of a superman.”
Some cultures believe a picture holds your soul- your very essence. Before the days of digital, photographs were rendered using chemical processes that captured the very essence of the moment. So, if not your soul, definitely a true essence of ‘time’ has been made.
Pictures speak a thousand words, and most of the stories told here are in the eyes, and naturally, outfits of these “fallen” individuals who were all “taken in” for one thing, or the other. What could their crimes have been? Definitely ask yourself as you take in some special one-of-a-kind cruise through vintage angst, vanity, and liberation.
“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”
Why are we always fighting for freedom when we are all supposed to be free? We all have our reasons, and whatever they be- being true to yourself will never be a crime, no matter how you are judged. Keep on keeping on!
“But the whole point of liberation is that you get out. Restructure your life. Act by yourself.”
“Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. “
[Book of the Law: Chapter 2, Line 53]
Seems like the invocation went well last night.
Our demon brother walks the Earth, tempting the weak at heart and empowering the brave. We wanted to bring this PHOTOBLAST back to the hermetic roots of our wayward journey, and raise the demon brother in us all.
n. De-mon [dmn]
1. an evil supernatural being; a devil.
2. A persistently tormenting person, force, or passion.
3. One who is extremely zealous, skillful, or diligent.
4. Genius.
The word ‘demon’ has quite an interesting origin in the realm of man. Before gathering itself as a symbol of supernatural evil, the word came from the Greek , Daemon. The wise Plato invested great interest in these mysterious spirits. These metaphysical beings, who held a state between God and Mortal were “interpreting and transporting human things to the gods and divine things to men; entreaties and sacrifices from below, and ordinances and requitals from above…”
Plato believed that allotted to every man and woman, a daemon would distribute destinies and wisdom to us all. Call it, a conscience of man. Plato would eventually have charges laid against him for “”corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel.”
“Man tells his aspiration in his God; but in his demon he shows his depth of experience.”
-Margaret Fuller
So, dare not fear your demon brother, my friends, for there is indeed a voice that binds man in the form of the night. If we are all things at once, infinite, a journey to the dark is a quest to find your heart. For wrestling in the soul of man is a struggle bigger than that of you or I.
There is mythical genius in all of us, and what better way to display your gifts of knowledge than with the very threads you wear. The struggle is to find pride in your sacred identity, whatever that it may be. So don’t get mad if you find your own demon brother giving you tips on a star-filled night. He might just know a thing or two.
“Rosemary’s Baby” remains one of the single most affecting, and stylish films to ever grace the silver screen. Based on the bestselling novel by Ira Levin (“The Stepford Wives”), the film serves up the frightening tale of an innocent young couple pulled deep into a darkness once imaginable in the heart of New York City.
Many argue the darkness still purveys more than ever in urban sprawls all over the world. No longer should you fear the woods at night, as much as the threat of our own neighbours, and the things we can’t see, that has begun to send shivers up your spine. As Gary Indiana of the Village Voice describes:
“The movie appeared at a moment of optimum spiritual chaos in American life. Rosemary’s Baby remains an iconic memory trace of a time when anything seemed possible, including the birth of the Anti-Christ”.
The fear still prevails more than ever in these times, and many would argue that SATAN can be found everywhere we look these days; television, film, books, and of course, FASHION.
But, paranoid speculation aside, perhaps one of the greatest aspects of Roman Polanski’s 1968 classic, is the devilishly divine design by Richard Sylbert. Setting the film in the both epic and ominous Dakota Building in New York City, Sylbet acts on the trends and compulsions of the time that really give definition to Rosemary’s characterization.
Prim and proper Rosemary- the picture of perfection, really. From her committed DIY efforts around the apartment, to her of-the-moment Vidal Sassoon haircut (“Don’t you like it?”), Rosemary is a portrait of a woman, perhaps society, committed to doing what’s “Right”. In the end, her constant commitment to being the “good girl” has led her down the darkest path of all.
Artwork by Aaron Duarte for The Eye of Faith
Being obsessive fans of the film’s decor, it was such a treat to stumble upon “Rosemary’s Baby: Devilish Decor” on Nowness.com! The site always features dynamic and interesting stories in the realm of art, design, film, and fashion, but the celebration of Mia Farrow’s 67th birthday with a hillarious How-To for Satanist’ provided by blogging duo Unahppy Hipsters is just what Doctor Sapperstein ordered!
Gotta give it to Richard Sylbet for being so on-point with the yellow for 1968, considering the film would have started production at least a year before! Thanks Unhappy Hipsters and Nowness for this dangerous delight!
Artwork by Aaron Duarte for The Eye of Faith.
“All the while Rosemary is remaking the apartment to suit her needs, the building (and its inhabitants) are remaking her to suit theirs, which makes her choices of bright white walls and sunny yellow fabrics seem at first hopeful, then increasingly creepy.”
Well, well…what have we here? Come back for some more?!
While we’re on the topic of Devils, it seems, we couldn’t resist bringing you this little niblit of the Film & Style Divine. Kenneth Anger. From “Invocation of My Demon Brother”, to “Fireworks”, “Lucifer Rising” , “Scorpio Rising”, and “Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome” – this auteur to the max has brought to the world an esoteric, rebellious, and divine sensibility to all of his works.
Inspiration we are still reaping today! Take for instance, Ryan Gosling’s iconic gold satin jacket with scorpion on the back in 2011’s “Drive” – it was Kenneth Anger’s “Scorpio Rising”, an experimental film made by Anger in 1963 about bikers, the occult, the underground, Catholicism, and Nazism that inspired the logo that would become synonymous with Gosling’s “Driver” character.
Throughout his work you can see his love for cinema, for art, for style, for fashion, for creative people that don’t see the world the way other people do. People who gather together to be the truest, and most extreme versions of themselves they can be. It takes a true creative mastermind to bring that into fruition.
Blending the world of the occult with pop culture and art-house cinema, Anger’s films are all one-of-a-kind, kaleidoscopic dreams (and sometimes nightmares).
For instance, take “Invocation of My Demon Brother” from 1969. With music by Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones Mick, Yes), and cameos by some of 1960s California’s most notorious esoteric celebrities including Founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey (making yet another appearance here at EOF), and Bobby Beausoleil (later charged in committing a first degree murder with members of the “Manson Family ).
Invocation of My Demon Brother” is a rare glimpse into a dark underground world, as well as a visual poem to the horrors of War, humanity, and nature itself.
There’s nothing really to be scared of here. Just a bunch of Hocus-Pocus…Movie MAGIC, if you will. It’s really lucky to recieve an entire commentary on the film by the artist himself, as there are not many interviews with the often recluse director.
Anger usually centres his work on ideas of the divine, spiritual, decadent, sexual, and supernatural. The now 86 year old auteur (Happy Belated! His birthday was February 3) got his start in the glorious heydays of Hollywood Babylon itself, as the Changeling Prince in Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle’s 1935 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
Having seen the ins and outs of Hollywood and such a young age- a land full of magic, glamour, decadence, and of course, EVIL – it is fantastic to invite yourself into a Kenneth Anger piece, as you can always leave from it feeling a certain “je ne sais quoi”, as the French would say.
The French, and Europe in general, have always lauded this Prince of Darkness for his unique dark styles, as well as humor (yes, Humor!). Though it took upward of 40 years (40 YEARS!!!), the Fashion World finally seemed ready to let out a little Anger, and the American Auteur was given the helms of a short fashion video for Missoni’s “A/W 2010-2011.
We’re having that “je ne sais quoi” type of feeling again, how about you? If you want to learn more about the dark Prince of style you can visit his official website here. And to buy his masterworks, click here.
When I die, the scientists of the future, they’re gonna find it all. They gonna know, once there was a Hushpuppy, and she live with her daddy in the Bathtub.
-Excerpt from “Beasts of the Southern Wild“
For anyone who has seen the film, starring the young, gifted, and beautiful Quvenzhané Wallis, you must have figured out by now that “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is probably one of the best films to come out in the last decade, and will undoubtedly find a place in the timeless classics we will refer back on in the future.
It has a lot of deep, and often dark, melancholic undertones throughout, but somehow through the tireless imagination of young Hushpuppy (the revelation that is Ms. Wallis – who was only six during filming), and the unnerved determination of the residents of The Bathtub, an almost magic land cut off the from society by a flood wall in southern Louisiana; the message received by the end of the film was that of hope, community, and the ultimate joy of living.
The film’s prose weaves together very real issues with mythical, allegorical, and almost fantasy-like elements in a way not achieved since the whimsical narration of Linda Manz in Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven”. Indeed, there is a Malickian sensibility throughout the film- the camera pans effortlessly through the scenery, focusing in on the subtleties and beauties in nature, light, and human expression. There is also some Fellini-like sensibilities, with many quirky characters, and the ability to bring the most mundane and normal daily events into the most seemingly magical ones.
The film is nominated for 4 Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture, and Best Actress for Quvenzhané, who has become the youngest nominee ever for the category. However, with Awards season comes the snubs, and one of the biggest at this year’s Academy Award ceremony is most definitely the fascinating score for “Beasts of the Southern Wild“.
Co-written by Dan Romer and director Benh Zeitlin, the film’s music is as much a character to the film, as the beautiful words, and almost other-worldly imagery. So in spirit of raising awareness for this film, and awesome, inspiring music , we thought of featuring the main theme, “There Once Was A Hushpuppy” by director Benh Zeitlin as this MUSIC MINUTE.
Hope you enjoy, and definitely see the film! To learn more about the film click here.
When it all goes quiet behind my eyes, I see everything that made me lying around in invisible pieces. When I look too hard, it goes away. And when it all goes quiet, I see they are right here. I see that I’m a little piece in a big, big universe. And that makes things right.
I came across the article completely at random.
With the New Year just in our midst, it has had me reflecting much on life, the passing of time, and the revolution we have been living in and witnessing around us.
The world has changed profoundly. So profoundly so, that many people are still being left in the dust of our sound barrier breaking world!
This photo story from cabel.me really illustrates that paper thin barrier between the {past}, {present}, and {future}. I was really impressed with the photographs, and fell in love with the story.
A story of “An incredible basement, a video-game-level basement, a set-decorator’s dream basement” in Portland, with a beautiful past hidden, yet so completely on the surface of today’s quickly evolving future.
So please CHECK IT OUT! Enjoy !!
Somewhere in Portland, there’s a very old building, and that very old building has a very, very old basement. An incredible basement, a video-game-level basement, a set-decorator’s dream basement.
And when you walk past the janitors office, with the wonderfully decked halls…
And tromp down a sunken hallway…
You find a old room. Mostly empty, dusty, and dead quiet.
And then you start to look closer at the walls.
And you start to see things.
(You see that Brown didn’t often pay his dime for coffee.)
(You see that a lot of calculation was done right on the wall.)
(You see that World War I was front and center on everyone’s mind.)
(You wonder what was being tallied, and if it was better to win or lose.)
(And you learn the tongue-in-check “rules” of the room.)
And eventually, you crawl behind a corner, and discover a bundle of conduit.
“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.”
-Jack Kerouac
Every time style blogs or fashion mags bring up Jack Kerouac, they can’t seem to go past exploring his style choices with completely superficial mindsets. What would Jack Kerouac wear today? Where would he shop? Here’s where, and how?! Ta DA! NOTHING. OUTFIT.
“I went one afternoon to the church of my childhood and had a vision of what I must have really meant with “Beat”… the vision of the word Beat as being to mean beatific… People began to call themselves beatniks, beats, jazzniks, bopniks, bugniks and finally I was called the “avatar” of all this.”
Granted, Kerouac can be seen in the simple, utilitarian, work wear looks they attempt to recreate. The only thing is, Kerouac wasn’t going for a certain kind of anything. He just was. That’s kind of the first rule about him.
Completing his draft ofOn the Road in April 1951 on a single 36 metre (120-foot) role of paper, this autobiographical tale of Kerouac’s journeys across America with his friends is considered the defining work of the ‘Beat Generation‘, and includes hundreds of references to the stories of his adventures on the road.
II.
“John Clellon Holmes … and I were sitting around trying to think up the meaning of the Lost Generation and the subsequent Existentialism and I said, ‘You know, this is really a beat generation’ and he lept up and said ‘That’s it, that’s right!'”
The book wasn’t published until September 5, 1957 but would quickly garner cult status , with it’s wide array of colorful characters, as well as it’s wonderfully liberated prose inspired by the jazz, drug, and poetry that would define the Beat movement.
It was a movement towards freedom, however, it wouldn’t be easily received by the mainstream critics who’s conservatism would lead them to question Kerouac’s anti-establishment philosophies and writing style. In an era of conformity, stuck in the politics of McCarthyism in America, Kerouac would keep doing it his way all the way to the end.
“If critics say your work stinks it’s because they want it to stink and they can make it stink by scaring you into conformity with their comfortable little standards. Standards so low that they can no longer be considered “dangerous” but set in place in their compartmental understandings.”
-Jack Kerouac
Is it all just a great strange dream? Jack Kerouac thought so. He also believed in the meditating powers of Buddha, not to mention having encountered God himself at his first Sacrament of Confession in 1928. He was told he he would suffer in life great pain and horrors but experience salvation in the end of it all.
[Kerouac’s parents were of French-Canadian descent, making Jack an honorary Canadian!]
Funny enough, Kerouac wasn’t exactly the artsy intellectual type in high school, that you might imagine. No doubt he was deep but Kerouac found his tall brooding frame and superior athletic skills leading him to running back for the high school football team, and eventually a scholarship to Columbia University. Who says jocks don’t write poetry?!
Just as his football career began soaring, Kerouac dropped out from school, and continued life in New York City with his girlfriend, Edie Parker. It was there on the Upper East Side he would meet such influential figures as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Casaday, William S. Burroughs who would turn up in many of Kerouac’s works.
Together, this group of misfits, along with others who shared similar views on life contrary to the devastating conservatism of America would band together to foster a movement towards artistic and sexual liberation; freedom free from censorship. Kerouac knew his greatest power would ultimately be his honesty, integrity, and commitment to the truth of the world.
The truth, you ask? It’s the same truth we all are looking for today. The meaning of life, and the truths of existence. Driving the highway searching for the faces of God. In fact, Jack insists:
” ‘On the Road’ was really a story about two Catholic buddies roaming the country in search of God. And we found him. I found him in the sky, in Market Street San Francisco (those 2 visions), and Dean (Neal) had God sweating out of his forehead all the way. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OUT FOR THE HOLY MAN: HE MUST SWEAT FOR GOD. And once he has found Him, the Godhood of God is forever Established and really must not be spoken about.”
Though, Kerouac would most likely protest the fancy and folly of the fashion industry of 2012, there is definitely a regard to the poet and free-thinker for his laid-back and casual sensibilities. It’s easy to see the appeal – Kerouac is a very charismatic and handsome guy. Not only that, he always seems to have something on the mind- a sense of mystery.
And while polo shirts, trousers, and denim button-ups are easy to find, Kerouac’s one-of-a-kind rebel attitude and poetic insight make for most of Kerouac’s {anti}-style style. This is where style goes far beyond the clothes on one’s back, and reaches deep into the darkest depths of one’s very soul .
There aren’t too many public figures like Jack Kerouac these days, sadly. He died relatively young. On October 20, 1969 Kerouac experienced a violent attack on his body. While sitting in his living room, drinking whiskey and malt liquor, scribbling on a notepad, the writer felt sick, and began throwing up large amounts of blood (“Stella, I’m bleeding!”).
“Ah, life is a gate, a way, a path to Paradise anyway, why not live for fun and joy and love or some sort of girl by a fireside, why not go to your desire and LAUGH…”
-Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac was raw and untamed, but this we could not fault him for. Like a pilgrim searching for deliverance from evil, Kerouac wandered the land. He kept his eyes open wide, and with his account, a brilliant and timeless perspective of life as an outsider continues to inspire us to this day.
What works most about Jack Kerouac’s style sense is that every man feels they could dress like that. It is not an intimidating look, but really falls on comfort and confidence. There is a mix of his athletic roots, kind-of-academic, and streetwise to boot. Having the latter two is of the dire essence.
“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
Jack Kerouac “On the Road”
Sam Riley as “Sal Paradise” in ‘On the Road’ (2012)
Walter Salles’ long awaited screen adaptation of the Kerouac classic premiered on May 23 at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Sam Riley stars as Kerouac’s alter-ego, Sam Paradise, in the film. Click here to visit the film’s website.
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