Anatomy of Livers

Under the name This Is My Condition, Craig Comstock creates rock music using simply guitar, drums and his own vocals. This at first may sound like a stale and rather unimpressive formula, but consider this, as a one man band Comstock plays all three instruments at the same time. And with the help of a few guitar pedals and a custom made microphone he creates hectic songs that seem to be equal parts hardcore rock and free jazz.

Antatomy of Livers is the latest CD release by This Is My Condition and the second featuring the experimental saxaphone playing of frequent collaborator Dan Kozak. Comstock and Kozak tear through their new material described by the band as “33 minutes of pure now-ness and non-existence” which was recorded at Daybreak Studio in Lawrence, KS as part of a session for a split 7″ on Golgonooza Records. Not for everyone for sure but fans of Black Eyes, Lighting Bolt and Glenn Branca will revel in the madness.

To hear more of This Is My Condition click here.

by: Harold Johns III

Black Monday

Thanks to Jouvelt for the heads up on this show. Here is the info he sent The Rathaus via email:

ART SHOW AFTR THNXGVNG – 1 NIGHT ONLY

THE BLACK MONDAY
AFTER BLACK FRIDAY
ART SHOW / SALE

47 artists showing new art for 1 night only.

6-10 PM, Monday, December 1st, 2008.

Teller’s, 746 Mass St, Lawrence, Kansas

Free, all ages, wine specials at $5 a glass for 21 and over.

posted by: Brent Carter

Hello! Show

On Dec. 5th the Hello! Show, featuring the art and design of Dan Padavic and Tad Carpenter, will be opening at 1800 Baltimore, in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City, MO. Working from Vahalla Studios, which Padavic owns and operates, they have collaborated for over two years, designing and screen printing some of the best show posters in the industry for bands like The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie and Hot Chip.

In a nice departure from their graphic design roots, both Padavic and Carpenter will be creating original works especially for the Hello! Show. Without the restraints of designing for a client, it will be interesting to to see how they apply their talents for character design, color schemes and typography. In the coming days, The Rathaus will be interviewing Dan Padavic to help preview the show so check back for that. And if you can’t make the opening, don’t worry, because we will bring back plenty of photos.

posted by: Brent Carter

Cinema Style: The Last Emperor

Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 film The Last Emperor is regarded as a visual masterpiece. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, the film swept all categories including Best Picture and Best Director, Best Cinematography for Vittorio Straro, and Best Costume Design for James Acheson. The Last Emperor follows the true life story of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Chinese Ching Dynasty, from his takeover of power in 1908 at age three till his death in 1967. Told through a series of flashbacks, Pu Yi is shown in his childhood restricted to the Forbidden City, living a “westernized” lifestyle in Tientsin, Japan after being stripped of power, ruling the puppet state of Manchukuo with the support of the Japanese, imprisoned as a war criminal by the People’s Republic of China, and eventually in the last stage of his life as a gardener in a Maoist society. For Bertolucci, The Last Emperor came after six years spent in a self-imposed exile from filmmaking and represents one of his greatest artistic achievements.

Bertolucci on set with actor John Lone

After becoming the first production authorized by the Chinese government to film in the Forbidden City, Bertolucci allotted a $25 million budget to recreate the sets and costumes that would pay tribute to the history and culture. In conjunction with the cinematography, costuming within the Forbidden City is bold and bright, using reds, yellows, and oranges to accentuate the traditional dress and lavish lifestyle of the young emperor. Contrarily, the prison camp scenes of Pu Yi’s later life make use of blue tones and very simple, uniform clothing. However, the section of the film following Piyu’s expulsion from the Forbidden City interestingly combines these two techniques.

While living in Japan and embracing westernization, the characters are dressed in richly colored western styles of the 1920′s. However, the overall composition of the scenes are dull and shadowy, using the blue tones of the prison camp scenes to allude to the fact that Pu Yi is losing control. This combination is then flipped during Pu Yi’s reign of Manchukuo. While the cinematography again captures the brightness of the scenery, the 1920′s western costumes have become much darker and more subdued.

Though the cinema style of The Last Emperor may not easily translate to the here and now, the beauty of the film itself is a great inspiration. Due to a lack of available photos, The Rathaus was unable to include many pictures of the costuming during the time of Pu Yi’s 1920′s westernization. For a snapshot of these scenes please enjoy the following video.

Fun fact from Wikipedia: The Buddhist lamas who appear in the film could not be touched by women, so extra male wardrobe helpers were hired to dress them.

by: Tricia Rock

“Sky Farm” by Gordon Graff

For our second installment of six architectural projects dedicated to vertical farming, renewable energies, and the construction of a better, greener 21st century, s.a.johnson discusses the Sky Farm project by Gordon Graff.

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