October 2007 - Style Of Eye

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Style of Eye - October 2007

beaches

October 31st 2007 05:57

I’m not here to wax lyrical about that horrendous chick flick starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. God forbid. I’m here to lay down some gorgeous images of beaches and bays. Summer is fast approaching down under, so its time to sort your bikini and board-shorts out boys and girls!

In the meantime, I’ll say that I spent my childhood and adolescent years spending weeks and weeks at a time in the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand during the summer school break. It helped having a father who was a drama school teacher, as his holidays coincided, so we were away for up to two months! It was bliss.

Lonely Bay was my favourite. It had the most awesome soft pebble sand. But it also had a ferocious undertow. The bluff beside the beach was known as Shakespeare’s Cliff because from certain angles the craggy rock face looked like the bard’s profile (although as a young boy this meant nothing to me). There was hardly anyone there ever, and you could skinny-dip to your heart's content!

I’ve always admired the long stretches of beach, especially the white sandy ones. There was a beach we’d visit while summer holidaying which had streaks of black iron through the grey-white sand. As I possessed a rather dark sense of humour I’d scoop up a handful of the dark sand and then throw it across the white sand at an angle and create what looked remarkably similar to the crash site of the Mount Erebus Air New Zealand airplane disaster. Terrible, I know, but it looked damn impressive.

Wouldn’t it be grand to own your own beach? Some of the super-rich bastards in the world do. The Richard Bransons, who not only have their own beaches, but own their own damn islands as well! Just give me a quite little bay somewhere in the Mediterranean, and I’ll be happy. As long as the sharks don’t stray too close.

Well, enough of the fond memories from my youth and the fanciful dreams of my adult life. Here is a selection of beach pics. I couldn’t help but throw in a couple of the same beach, the photography demanded it. And it is the photography that counts in capturing the beauty of a beach. If it’s overcast, it’s all over.

Damn, I need to by lying on these beaches! Right now! But where does one start? I am lucky though, living in Sydney, Australia, there are some fabulous beaches around where I live in the Eastern suburbs ... But I gotta get my tanned ass back to Lonely Bay, or perhaps Waikiki ... Ipanema is alluring, I just wonder how much of distraction the local fare would be from the beach itself.

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: photography

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fish

October 29th 2007 05:48

… and chip butties. Yummy. But I’m not doing a post on great weekend easy meals. I’m doing a post on those cold-blooded swimmy things that live in the oceans and sometimes rivers.

Feeesh, I say in my adopted Aussie accent. Yeah, they can be as ugly as sin and as beautiful as a tropical sunset. Mind you, even the dog ugly ones command a certain majesty about them; wet and cold and dark, but a dignity nevertheless. Take the Barracuda for instance. A damn impressive fellow he is. Bloody scary lookin’ too!

But if you want the fear factor, then one goes no further than the white pointer, the Great White shark that is. Eeek! That monstrous beast elicits more fear than a dozen Halloween movies! There are plenty of different types of sharks. I’ve included three in this post; the three most interesting.

I plan to go scuba diving one day. I wish to be among the Beautiful People of the fish world, the tropical ones that meander and swagger with such divine underwater nonchalance, their colours dappling in the filtered sunlight, as they swish past a bed of sensational coral.

Piranha is an intriguing one. Small, but very mean looking, with those razor-sharp teeth, and that taste for copper. I’ve got a yellow one on my bookshelf, stuffed mind you. He keeps an eye out.

I wanted to include Manta rays, but I think they’re classed as rays, not fish. I thought about the sturgeon, but I can’t stand caviar. As much as I love whales they’re not fish, they’re mammals. And I didn’t include any eels either … ‘cos they’re eels.

So, without further adieu, here are my fishies:

Aren't some of them so pretty! And other ones damn fierce!!! Gotta say that Barracuda is a great pic! And the jaws of the Great White I have a morbid fascination with. I honestly can't think of anything scarier! How's the Devil Fish?! The eye of that piranha is something to behold too! But my favourite? The Blue Groper. What a gentle charmer!

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: nature

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robots

October 24th 2007 06:39

In Isaac Asimov’s famous novel about robots, I, Robot (which was eventually adapted into the dire and wholly dissimilar Will Smith vehicle) the Three Laws of Robotics were laid down. Every other science fiction author admired the clarity and humanity of his regulations. Although they were broken here and there, many writers to this day utilise their basic principles.

original cover to Isaac Asimov's I, Robot

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Robots have come in all manner of sizes and designs over the decades. And as we push deeper into the 3rd millennium robots are starting to appear more and more as real utiltities designed to aid and abet the human race.

Personally I can only see tears before bed time. Automaton will eventually seize the planet in earnest and we’ll end up with a scenario not too dissimilar to the prologue of the brilliant sf-action-thriller The Terminator. Robots will have taken over the world. It’s a scary thought, and one not to be taken too lightly, regardless of how absurd it might seem.

We already have sentient artificial intelligence; machines that can think and operate by themselves, without human interference or executive control, and the more we experiment and make breakthroughs in robot technology the more chance of something going awry. Japan is leading the field.

But enough of the serious implications, what about the entertaining kind of robots? The Iron Giant, Number Five, Robby the Robot, ED-209, and Hector from the Farrah Fawcett vehicle Saturn 3. Actually some of those have been not only down right mischievous, but murderous. What am I talking about?! Well, let’s not get too hot under the collar, for a start they’re all fictional robots, created in movieland. But I’m sure US military has been plugging away on robot technology for strictly combat purposes.

I’m a great fan of Survival Research Laboratories. They’re an American team of industrial designers and engineers who specialise in building robots and remote controlled devices that they pit against each other in specially monitored arenas for public amusement. One of the organisation’s originators lost most of one of his hands while building one of the robotic beasts. No, it didn’t bite it off, it blew up.

SRL made a short film I saw in the late 80s at a film festival. I believe it was a combination of animatronics, stop-motion animation and remote-controlled robotics. It was called A Bitter Message of Hopeless Grief. It featured several robots underground battling it out to the nasty end, occasionally re-fuelling from an underground spring of crude oil. The film left a deep impression on me like a strange and troubling dream.

I've included primarily robot robots. But there are a few androids/cyborgs. I do like that metallic skin. My favourite film is Blade Runner, which features replicants: flesh and blood androids. I had a crush on Sean Young as Rachael. "Do you like our owl?", "Artificial, isn't it?"

I've sent the future and it works. Yes, automaton is just around the corner. Best get yourself a little robot dog for a pet, one of those service robots to clean the house, and one of those Naomi Campbell sleek 'bots to service other needs when you're all alone. My favourites here are Maria from Metropolis, which you can see George Lucas blatantly ripped off for C-3P0, but hey, I love Star Wars, so whatever. I love the Nanofly 'bot as well, kinda cute'n'clunky. Bender always makes me laugh though, and that's imperative in this incoming cold climate of metal and chrome.

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: technology

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models

October 22nd 2007 05:19

Of course this post is all about the visual aesthetics. That’s why they’re models. To be alluring, so that the viewer becomes hypnotised and the next thing they know they’ve bought the clothing because they want to look like the model, or has the hairstyle to look like the model, or buys the accessory to feel like the model.

There are actors who model, then there are models who try to act, there are strictly fashion models and there are adult models (models who bare it all), and then there are the super-models.

Supermodel Linda Evangelista famously said many years ago, “I don’t get out of bed for less than ten thousand dollars.” The supermodel was born. Fair call, I guess. Evangelista was part of the core group of the original supermodels which featured Cindy Crawford (whom Prince wrote a flirtatious song about on his infamous Black Album called Cindy C.), Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer, Tatiana Patitz. There were others that floated peripherally, but those ones were the most famous.

David Bowie married a famous model; Iman. Many other rock stars and some actors have dated and had relationships with models, such as the late Michael Hutchinson, who was with Helena Christiansen for a few years. That Babyshambles frontman dated Kate Moss for awhile. Tommy Lee married Pamela Anderson. The list goes on and on.

Models work the runway, play the catwalk, schmooze the catalogues, drink the champagne, powder their noses, and throw tantrums when they don’t get their own way. Okay, so I’m generalizing. I haven’t got much to say for this post. What is there to say? Models; seen, and seldom heard. Pretty faces, gorgeous figures, pony walks. Some models are way too thin. That whole heroin chic bullshit that was around for while seems to still be poking out its ribs; it’s as ugly as sin. Call me old fashioned, but a model should have some curves, and not look like she’s been starving herself.

As for the male models, it’s funny, but there really aren’t many famous ones at all. And they all look the same too. It’s a weird anomaly, but the world of modeling is very female-centric. Of course there are thousands of male models. But I couldn’t be bothered finding any pics of them. The women rule.

So here they are.

Of course, none of these models are as beautiful as my Mediterranean lover, my Butterfly Blue, but she prefers to be on the other side of the camera herself. And I'll be showcasing some of her best work in the future. Of the supermodels I was a big fan of Christy Turlington back in the day, until I saw Laetitia Casta and Adriana Lima. Of the adult models Alley Baggett and Tabatha Cash win hands down. Of the actors who model young Josie Maran is the quiet achiever here, but Claire Forlani smoulders. And then there's the divine curves of Morian Atias.

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: fashion

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footwear

October 19th 2007 02:11

They say the shoe makes the man or woman. Certainly it defines a person’s look, probably more so than hats, or shades, or even jewelry. Footwear comes in so many shapes and sizes, colours, textures and price-tags. Women can spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on shoes. And they do.

In fact women with money (and some with not so much money) tend to have wardrobes set aside just for shoes; shoe closets, they call them. It’s a kind of status thing, they more shoes they have the more powerful they feel, which reminds me of an American television commercial from around the late 70s, early 80s. It was an ad for Hush Puppies, a brand of shoe for men and women. “How many pairs of shoes do you own?” asked an off-camera voice to a well-to do lady, “Ten, eleven, twelve pairs of shoes,” the woman replies smugly to the camera, “But I live in Hush Puppies,” she adds with a sly smirk.

As a teenager I wanted a pair of Fry cowboy boots. The funny thing is, I can’t remember if I ever ended up owning a pair. At high school, when it was mufti day some of the punk girls would come to school in their knee high patent leather Doc Martin boots. Boy, that was a statement-and-a-half.

I’ve never been able to wear what Aussie’s call thongs comfortably (I’m talking about flip-flops, not a g-string!). In New Zealand we called them jandals. I just couldn’t stand the piece of rubber between my toes. Ugh! I wore what I called thongs, which used fabric instead of the rubber. But I much prefer sandals such as Birkenstocks.

I loved my sneakers though, or trainers as they call them in Australia. I owned a sensational pair of Pumas, black with red stripes, very cool. But I don’t like the contemporary sneaker design, all tubing and pumped up fittings. They look naff. I prefer sleek, minimal styling.

Now there’s nothing sexier on a woman than a great pair of boots. Knee-high is the go, but on a perfect set of long legs those thigh-highs can cause quite a stir. Something very suggestive, come hither about boots, especially the thigh-high ones, pure sex, teasing “You wanna fuck me?”, or perhaps, more correctly, they’re making the statement “I like to shag in these boots! All … night … long!”

Shoes are great for height too, especially if you’re vertically challenged; platforms and stilettos. Prince wears three or four inch platform boots (which still only puts him at about 5’6”). Women put their feet through hell wearing stilettos all night long, but there’s sense of quiet power that comes with the elegant height they provide you.

At the moment (off the top of my head) I own two pairs of black boots, a pair of Adidas sneakers, a pair of Diesel designer sneakers, a pair of Birkenstocks, a pair of D&G thongs, a pair of Italian designer dress shoes, and a pair of Italian sandals. There are more in the closet, but they probably need throwing out. Like t-shirts I seem to hold on to them way past their use by date.

white buckle patent leather thigh high boots

dollhouse wonder knee high cowgirl boots

Some very practical footwear, some very cool and stylish footwear, and some dan sexy footwear too! If I was a woman, I'd be owning a pair of those faux fur boots fer sure. I dig those red modern moccasins, and those bonsai sandals tickle my fancy too. But for sheer old school comfort and durability the street player in me recommends a pair of of the Converse basketball boots. And for the ladies? Try those gorgeous sheer black stilettos on for size.

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: fashion

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sunglasses

October 17th 2007 01:10

“Put ‘em on your face!”, that was the tag which sunglasses manufacturer Bolle insisted on. Fair enough, although I’ve never been a fan of Bolle’s designs. I prefer the old school wares, like the Raybans’ warefarer design, made famous in the movie Less Than Zero.

The Aviator design, also by Raybans, has been a fixture for decades, made famous in the movie Top Gun, but pilots have been wearing them since the 1920s. Personally I prefer the less ostentatious look of the classic black 1950s look which Italian actor Marcello Mastrioanni wore in Fellini’s 8-and-a-half. If I could find a piar like that I’d be a happy man

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: fashion

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hats

October 14th 2007 23:12

Hats are a curious thing. The can look exceptionally cool, or down right silly. I’m hat fussy. I’m also hat intolerant. I really only dig certain hats. On the whole I think of them as masks for people to hide an element of insecurity behind, in an unconscious kind of way, I might even proclaim a shy kind of vanity.

I can’t wear hats on the whole. My head is too big. That sounds conceited, but it’s simply that I have a large girth. My head, that is. Ahem. Most hats don’t fit me. And when I do find one that fits, it just looks wrong, because as I said, I’m hat fussy

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: fashion

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wonders

October 12th 2007 01:28

The wonders of the world, apparently there are seven, in differing categories: ancient world, modern world, industrial world, etc. Well, I beg to differ. Wonder is totally and utterly in the eye of the beholder. One person’s wonder is another person’s ho-bloody-hum.

Awe is a beautiful thing. What causes a person to gasp in astonishment or marvel with unbridled passion? It’s a combination of things: scope, scale, perspective, arrangement, feat, ingenuity … aesthetics, basically. These aesthetics might be bizarre, they might be beautiful. But they command out attention because we feel privileged to be able to witness them

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: photography

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statues

October 10th 2007 02:20

There’s an elegance and majesty about statues that eludes other art forms; the silent stare, the brooding gaze, the deliberate pose, the triumphant stature. And yet, there is also a poignancy as well, even a melancholy.

Usually a statue commemorates a famous person’s life or an historical event. Other statues are merely an artistic statement of someone’s self-importance, while others are constructed for the sheer amusement of city park visitors. Who will ever forget the travesty of “art” that was the massive statue of Michael Jackson which traveled down the Thames on a barge to launch his greatest hits package HIStory
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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: art

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sculptures

October 8th 2007 05:00

“Sculpture is the art of the hole and the lump”, a quote from legendary sculptor and artist Auguste Rodin. I have it on a t-shirt of mine, which my lover brought back from the National Art Gallery in Canberra.

Sculpture has also fascinated me. The reduction of one thing to create another: marble, stone, wood, metal, paper, cloth. From famous figurines to expressionist abstraction, sculpture is in many ways the ultimate piece of motionless art; three dimensional, with texture and true form

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: art

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demons

October 5th 2007 02:54

In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon (or daemon, from the Greek) is a supernatural being that has generally been described as a malevolent spirit, and in Christian terms it is generally understood as a Fallen angel, formerly of God. The word the demon, like angel, is a word that has been thrown around for centuries. Both are potent images, but, for some reason the imagery of demons tends to be more expressive and more imaginative than the imagery surrounding angels.

According to the Colombia Electronic Encyclopedia a demon is a “supernatural being, generally malevolent in character. In general, the more civilized pagan societies came to consider demons as powerful, supernatural beings who lacked the dignity of gods and who, depending on the circumstance, might be either benevolent or malevolent in their dealings with men. Some demons, like the Greek Pan, were nature spirits; others were guardians of the home or fields or watchers over travelers; still others were spirits of disease and insanity or dream spirits. Some demons were considered to be intermediaries between men and the gods.
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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: art

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faeries

October 2nd 2007 23:28

Faerie folk, or the fae, are an ancient race of people who lived in the British Isles long before the Celts or the Anglo-Saxons arrived. They are believed to have descended from the Tuatha De Danann (the tribe of the goddess Dana), a magickal race who flew into Ireland in ships descending from the clouds on Beltane (Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1st). They came from four great magickal cities: Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias, and brought with them four great treasures; the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), the sword of Lugh, a magic spear, and the cauldron of the Dagda.

It was from these cities that the Tuatha De Dananns learned all their knowledge, skills and magick. Indeed the De Dananns were said to be unmatched in their knowledge and beauty. From them, came the vast majority of Gods and Goddesses of the Irish Pantheon

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Posted By: Raoul Duke - Category: art

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