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Charlie Kaufman's Animated "Anomalisa" Attracts a Budget Beyond Its Wildest Dreams From Kickstarter

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Charlie Kaufman's Animated "Anomalisa" Attracts a Budget Beyond Its Wildest Dreams From Kickstarter
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Who need Hollywood anyway? Charlie Kaufman’s scripts for “Being John Malkovich, “Adaptation,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and “Synecdoche, NewYork” proved that the conventional mode of studio storytelling was not holy writ. With his next venture, the stop-motion animation picture “Anomalisa,” Kaufman is proving that traditional movie financing isn’t sacrosanct either.

According to Deadline, Kaufman, Don Harmon (creator and former showrunner on NBC’s cult series “Community”), Dino Stamatopoulous, and the Starburns Industries production team have raised $400,000 through the Kickstarter “crowdfunding” website. That’s twice what they needed to make. Secured from private investors, who contributed as little as $5 (for a mention on the film’s Facebook page) and as much as $10,000 (for an executive producer credit), the movie’s haul for its budget is a record for Kickstarter.

“Anomalisa”’s two-month Kickstarter video pitch to the public was delivered not by Kaufman (still less by a hustling screenwriter like the one portrayed by Richard E. Grant in “The Player”) but by an animated little guy with a grey beard, a bowtie, and a soothing voice, who steps from behind the table in a playful version of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." He then says: “As many of you know, the entertainment industry is filled with incredible scripts, written by incredible talent, that have not or will never get made, or worse, they’ll be changed into something that is nowhere close to what the original creator envisioned.”

The low-key pitchman continued: “Starburns Industries does not want to compromise the original vision of Charlie Kaufman or any other artist. The only thing we want to change is the way artists are treated, and that’s why we need your help.”

"Anomalisa," which should start production in November, is about a famous motivational speaker whose transformative effect on others doesn't estend to himself, so he leads a meaningful existence

The Kickstarter model has enormous promise for independent filmmakers wary of going the studio route. Launched in 2009, the website had, by August 22 this year, launched 68,224 film, art, and media projects, of which 3,772 were in progress; the success rate is 44.01 per cent. Those that have been realized include the Oscar-nominated documentaries “Sun Come Up” and “Incident in New Baghdad,” Matt Porterfield’s well-received documentary “Putty Hill” (which was shown at the 2012 Whitney Biennial), and the 2011 MoMA contemporary art exhibits “EyeWriter” and “Hip-Hop Word Count.”

Duke Johnson, who will direct “Anomalisa,” told Deadline: “Right now there’s a little bit of hesitancy from people in the industry of using crowdfunding, because I know some people don’t like being seen asking for money in public. But as it gains momentum, and people see what it’s worth, and that they can do it on their own, that hesitancy is going to disappear.” 


Eye on the Runway: Gucci Spring 2013 at Milan Fashion Week

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Eye on the Runway: Gucci Spring 2013 at Milan Fashion Week
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Gucci's spring 2013 collection was all about jewel tones. The label's creative director, Frida Giannini, sent models down the runway in sharply tailored looks done up in super-saturated shades of ruby, sapphire, aquamarine, and peridot. Designs were topped off with architectural ruffles and necklines were adorned with clusters of plastic gemstones, while slender-heeled ankle-strap shoes and python bags provided the final flourishes. 

Visit Artinfo.com/fashion for more fashion and style news.

ARTINFO Fashion is now on Twitter. Follow us @BLOUINFashion


Slideshow: 9 Stunning Art Objects From Paris’s Biennale des Antiquaires

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9 Stunning Art Objects From Paris’s Biennale des Antiquaires

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9 Stunning Art Objects From Paris’s Biennale des Antiquaires
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The glassy Grand Palais is hosting the 26th edition of the Biennale des Antiquaires through September 23 (see ARTINFO France’s report on sales at the fair, here). As usual, splendor and big international names are on view, in a jewel of an exhibition designed by Karl Lagerfeld. The Biennale is a chance to uncover rare finds, though this pasttime may be limited to those with well-nourished bank accounts (with a few minimal exceptions).

Still, if you can’t purchase are of these treasures, you can always dream about them. ARTINFO France has selected nine unusual objects whose aesthetic originality reminds us why we love this slightly straight-laced event that launches the fall art season in Paris.

To see ARTINFO France's selection from the Biennale des Antiquaires, click on the photo gallery.

 

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Gear Up for Scott and Amundsen's Intrepid "Race to the South Pole"

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Gear Up for Scott and Amundsen's Intrepid "Race to the South Pole"
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Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are to produce “Race to the South Pole” for their Warner Bros.-based outfit Pearl Street. No one has yet been assigned to direct Peter Glanz’s screenplay, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, Ben’s brother Casey is attached to play the British Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott. The Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård will surely be in contention to play the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, with whom Scott conducted a polite rivalry.

Scott (1868-1912), who led Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) and Edward Wilson on the ill-fated 1901-04 Discovery expedition to be the first humans to reach the geographic South Pole, attempted the feat again on the 1910-12 Terra Nova expedition. Spoiler alert: They arrived there on January 17, 1912, only to find that Amundsen (1872-1928) and his four colleagues and 16 dogs had reached the Pole (90° 0′ S) on December 14, 1911, 33 or 34 days earlier. "The worst has happened,” Scott recorded in his diary. "All the day dreams must go… Great God! This is an awful place.”

Scott, Wilson, and their three companions perished on Antarctica on their return journey. The bodies of Scott, Wilson, and Henry Bowers were discovered 11 miles shot of the next food depot by a search party on November 12, 1912. Scott's last diary entry was dated March 29, the probable date of his and his men’s deaths. His last written words were as follows:

“Every day we have been ready to start for our depot 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. I do not think we can hope for any better things now. We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity but I do not think I can write more. R. Scott. For God's sake look after our people.”

Although CGI will enable the Pearl Street team to re-create authentically stirring images of the intrepid explorers and their dogs battling through blizzards, one hopes they will shoot some of the film on tundra locations. An inventive visual stylist such as Peter Weir or John Hillcoat is clearly required for the director’s chair.

In 2002, Kenneth Branagh excelled as the title character in Charles Sturridge’s well-received Channel 4 miniseries “Shackleton”  (shown on A&E), which depicted his 1914-17 Antarctic expedition. It was filmed  in Britain, Iceland, and Greenland.

The loss of Shackleton’s ship Endurance in November 1915 culminated in the heroic escape and survival of his entire crew in lifeboats. When they disembarked on Elephant Island, it was the first time they had set foot on solid land for 497 days. 

Canvasses on the Catwalk: Art-Inspired Looks at London Fashion Week

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Canvasses on the Catwalk: Art-Inspired Looks at London Fashion Week
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London Fashion Week came to a close on Tuesday, and the five-day event lived up to its reputation as a prime venue for fresh, innovative talent. A handful of designers searched for inspiration at museums and galleries: John and Simone Rocha went like father, like daughter – both designers used artists as starting points for their own collections. Roksanda Ilincic compared the abstract paintings of Josef Albers to the fantastical sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle, and of course, Piet Mondrian showed up on the runway, this time in the opening look for Paul Smith. View the slide show to see the rest of the art-inspired looks of London Fashion Week. 

Click on the slide show to see art-inspired looks of London Fashion Week.

Visit Artinfo.com/fashion for more fashion and style news.

ARTINFO Fashion is now on Twitter. Follow us @BLOUINFashion

 

 

Slideshow: Blouin Creative Leadership Summit 2012

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Slideshow: Space & Design Panel at the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit 2012

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Blouin Summit Attracts Experts From Arts and Business to Address Global Issues

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Blouin Summit Attracts Experts From Arts and Business to Address Global Issues
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“When I bought my first company,” publisher and philanthropist Louise Blouin told an audience on Thursday morning, “I went to lunch with people who asked me 'Why are you buying this junk?'” Felicia Taylor, a business anchor for CNN, nodded knowingly, saying “I love that.” Speaking at the opening of the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit, both women seemed to agree that confidence might be the key to  harnessing the power of creativity to address issues of global concern.

Optimistic innovation, as it turns out, is the overriding theme of this series of discussion panels and networking events taking place in New York this week, where topics of conversation will range from advances in bio-engineering to regional dynamics in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring. Though such heady subject matter may have been almost as intimidating as the problems being discussed, the summit has thus far been dominated by a can-do spirit of technocracy and forward-thinking, buttressed by the expertise of a vast array of experts from the arts, science, and business fields.

Blouin and Taylor's conversation was followed by a talk from Roland Rich, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOP), who spoke briefly about how scientists and political leaders around the world can learn from one another to foster prosperity and cooperation between nations. Rich, in turn, was followed by Irina Bokova, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who went out of her way to mention that 2012 marked the 40th anniversary of UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites. Before commencing the days proceedings, Bukova gave a few words on the vital role of culture as an engine for fueling economic development and creating jobs. “The challenge,” she told the audience, “is to use culture for innovation and development.”

To see more photos from the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit, click the slide show.

Top Architects and Designers Debate Forces Shaping Innovation at Blouin Summit

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Top Architects and Designers Debate Forces Shaping Innovation at Blouin Summit
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The Space & Design panel at this year’s Blouin Creative Leadership Summit began with a question that, to panelist and architect Charles Renfro of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, immediately intimated “a line drawn in the sand.” Renfro was among a group of five esteemed panelists gathered this afternoon in the library of New York City’s Metropolitan Club to discuss what designers can learn from architects, and, conversely, what architects can learn from designers. But Renfro, along with MAYA Design President and CEO Mickey McManus, Phillip Anzalone of Columbia University GSAPP’s Building Science and Technology Department, Gisue Hariri of architecture practice Hariri & Hariri, and Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Design Anne Guiney, quickly steered the conversation toward an entirely new set of lines in the sand and then proceeded to muddle them.

“It almost makes my teeth hurt to make a distinction between these two categories of people,” said Renfro, who remarked on the interdisciplinary practice of his own firm, which has allegedly designed everything from drinking glasses to master plans. Guiney picked up on a similar note, expanding the question to ask what architects, planners, developers, journalists, and policymakers can all learn from each other. “When you’re talking about the scale of the city,” said Guiney, “all of those disciplines and others... have to be at the table.”

However, what began as a general consensus about cross-discipline collaboration soon dissolved into a more complicated and contradictory understanding of the hybridized field of architecture and design. When architect Hariri introduced the near mythical success story of late Apple CEO Steve Jobs into the conversation, a new line was drawn, this time between the role of capital in innovation and the role of the unquantifiable currency of ideas. Moderator Benjamin Genocchio, editor-in-chief of Art+Auction and ARTINFO, turned to the panel to ask if these two forces were at odds.

“Good design is good business,” Hariri asserted. “This is how to get [architecture and design] connected to commerce and also the economy of the world.” Hariri reiterated her point when she later averred, “if it’s a good idea, it will get done.”

But the notion that good ideas will always be heard — and, importantly, receive the apposite patronage to be realized — hit several road blocks as the discussion began to question the roles that governments, institutions, and the general public play in innovation. McManus argued the need for designers and other creatives to be catalytic individuals behind sweeping societal changes, but he also recognized the difficulty of that premise. Many of the panelists seemed to agree that the very institutions and the communities that architects and designers seek to serve often become the conservative parties that fear the change brought on by their non-conforming ideas.

When the forces that enable innovation, such as capital investment, public support, and institutional patronage, can become the same forces that control and constrict innovation, there is no singular answer to the question of how design spurs productive change. And so the discussion ended on a somewhat ambivalent note, though not without gleaning some of the core issues in the disciplines of architecture and design. “It would be nice if we had more informed conversation,” McManus said towards the end of the Q&A session, “and didn’t just kind of look at the easy answer.” That is because there is no easy answer.

To see photos from this afternoon's Space & Design panel at the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit, click the slide show.

JR in Hong Kong

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Three Burning Questions Answered About Salt

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Salt — it's the ultimate condiment. It's the only rock we eat, and it makes our food taste better. There are dozens of varieties, from hand-harvested Himalayan pink to plain-old kosher, to various herb-infused blends. But, as we report a lot around here...

An Ultramodern New Wing Adds Flare to Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum

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An Ultramodern New Wing Adds Flare to Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum
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This month sees the reopening of Amsterdam’s primary modern and contemporary art venue, the Stedelijk Museum, after more than eight years of renovations. Following that long period marked by construction delays, cost overruns, temporary relocations, and two successive new directors, the museum, now under the leadership of former L.A. MOCA curator Ann Goldstein, is ready to move forward. Debuting on September 23 in the refurbished century-old building is a rehang of the
 museum’s permanent collection of modern art and 
design, while the prefabricated white addition, designed
by Benthem Crouwel architects, houses a show of new work by
 20 contemporary artists with connections to the Netherlands. But problems remain at the museum — where recent tussles range from complaints about the new visual identity to dealing with requests for cuts in operating expenses from city funders — and for the local art scene more broadly. Art in Redlight, an annual event held at the Oude Kerk in the city’s infamous red-light district, will take the form of a fair the same weekend as the Stedelijk’s opening, only partly filling the void left when Art Amsterdam, which had been planned for this month, was canceled due to lack of exhibitor interest.

To see photos of the renovated and expanded Stedelijk Museum, click the slide show.

This article appears in the September issue of Art+Auction magazine.

 

Wines of France: Rhone Valley Serves Up Affordable, Quality Wine

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Wine drinkers are opting for cheaper varieties from the Rhone region. Some would say the wines of France are so old they are new again and for many wine consumers, especially those under 40, it's likely a true statement. Thirty years ago French wines...

Week in Review: 100 Iconic Artworks Ranked, Expo Chicago Inaugurated, And More

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Week in Review: 100 Iconic Artworks Ranked, Expo Chicago Inaugurated, And More
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Our most-talked-about stories in Art, Design & Architecture, Fashion & Style, and Performing Arts, September 17-21, 2012:

ART

— We ranked the 100 most iconic artworks of the last five years, from Amanda Ross-Ho’s “White Goddess 16 (La Côte)” to Christian Marclay’s “The Clock.”

— Chloe Wyma recapped the latest episode of the Bravo reality TV show “Gallery Girls,” which took the New York art worlders down to Florida for Art Basel Miami Beach.

— Rachel Corbett talked to artist Paul Chan about the book of Saddam Hussein speeches he illustrated and is debuting at the New York Art Book Fair

— Coline Milliard interviewed Clare Lilley, curator of the 2012 Frieze Sculpture Park for next month's Frieze London

— Julia Halperin reported from the inaugural Expo Chicago, including Jerry Saltz’s keynote speech, artist Kelly Anderson-Staley’s antique photography, a booth curated by painter Christopher Wool, and an encounter with actor Billy Zane.

 

DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

— Architect Zaha Hadid’s new building, the Pierresvives housing the Cité des Savoirs et du Sport, was inaugurated in Montpellier

— Kelly Chan got an inside look at the renovations of the Drawing Center with Claire Weisz and Mark Yoes of WXY Architecture + Urban Design

— Top architects and designers discussed innovation on the Space & Design panel at at this week’s Blouin Creative Leadership Summit

— Coline Milliard previewed the temporary structure designed by Selldorf Architects that will house next month’s Frieze Masters in London.

— The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) issued an open call for designs for the M+ museum in Hong Kong

FASHION & STYLE

— Katharine K. Zarrella gave an overview of London Fashion Week, its fresh talent and offbeat style.

— The art-sourced design of London Fashion Week was chronicled by Ann Binlot, with inspiration from Josef Albers, Piet Mondrian, and Niki de Saint Phalle

Wild hats and headpieces in the Philip Treacy spring 2013 collection at London Fashion Week were highlighted by Caitlin Petreycik.

— Also at London Fashion Week, 18th-century decadence in corsets and brocades turned up on the Meadham Kirchhoff runway

— Jewel tones were the color scheme celebrated in the spring 2013 Gucci collection showcased at Milan Fashion Week

PERFORMING ARTS

— Reid Singer analyzed the troubling economic state and uncertain future of US orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

— J. Hoberman reviewed “Radio Unnameable,” a documentary by Paul Lovelace and Jessica Wolfson on radio personality Bob Fass that opened this week. 

Tom Krell, the R&B singer and producer behind “How to Dress Well,” gave us his playlist of the 10 songs that influenced his sophomore release, “Total Loss.”

— $400,000 was raised on Kickstarter to make screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s stop-motion film “Anomalisa.” 

— Graham Fuller looked at “Race to the South Pole,” a film being produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck which will feature Casey Affleck as Robert Falcon Scott, one of the explorers who was engaged in the often ill-fated competition to be the first to the South Pole.


Slideshow: Young Brazilian Artists on the Rise

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Slideshow: "Culture Beyond Borders" panel at Blouin Creative Leadership Summit 2012

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Experts Debate Art Institutions' Roles As Cultural Diplomats at Blouin Summit

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Experts Debate Art Institutions' Roles As Cultural Diplomats at Blouin Summit
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“Museum directors are cultural diplomats,” educator David Ross told the audience at the Metropolitan Club early this afternoon. Speaking to the roles that cultural institutions might play in nourishing peace and understanding between nations, the group of experts gathered at the first “Culture Beyond Borders” discussion panel at the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit seemed to agree that museums and auction houses have the potential to be increasingly benevolent actors in buttressing local identities and promoting international understanding.

A decisive factor in this, as Kathleen Doyle described it, has been the international art market. More than ever, institutions that deal with culturally valuable objects — including museums and auction houses — have dedicated themselves to establishing provenance in a way that gives as much dignity and respect as possible to an object's history and culture of origin. Institutions which in the past may have been the passive enablers of cultural theft committed by a hegemonic invader in an unstable region of the world have in recent decades begun to see the light. This, at least, has been Doyle's policy as the president and CEO of the auction house Doyle New York. “We feel really strongly about getting these things that have been missing back to the rightful owners,” she declared. “Nothing could make us happier than to find that thing and return it to a museum.”

This isn't to say that cultural diplomacy has not faced some gruesome challenges in recent memory. Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, a decorated officer of the U.S. Marine Corps with extensive exposure to cultural larceny, spoke  in stark terms of his experience recovering Sumerian and Assyrian artifacts purloined from the National Museum of Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion. “The world watched in horror as the cultural patrimony of a nation — indeed, of a world — was completely destroyed and looted,” Bogdanos said, describing the 500,000 relics that were exposed to theft from the museum, a great many of which remain at large. The search to repatriate these artifacts has nevertheless been a heartening one. “These treasures were theirs,” he told the audience. “They did not belong to Saddam Hussein, and we watched month after month, year after year, how pieces of cracked alabaster with funny writing on them worked a magical cathartic charm over an entire nation and an entire region.”

To see photos from today's “Culture Beyond Borders” panel at the Blouin Creative Leadership Summit, click the slide show.

 

Increasing Demand and Urbanisation Challenge Global Food Systems

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A women walks at a market in Luanda, Angola, on August 25, 2012. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko NEW YORK (AlertNet)—With most of the world’s arable land already in use, more efficient and sustainable methods of food production that provide higher yields are esse

 

Wine Cruises Boom in Popularity

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Enjoying a simple glass of wine with dinner on a cruise is one thing. Going on a wine cruise is something else, and more and more travelers are choosing to combine the vacation fun of a cruise with a theme that pleases their palates.On a wine-themed crui

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