We’ll let the website, whitehousefarmer.com, speak for itself:

“This site is a forum to follow up on Michael Pollan’s (New York Times writer and author) call for a White House Farmer. The farmer will be charged with transforming ‘five prime south-facing acres of the White House lawn and plant[ing] in their place an organic fruit and vegetable garden’ whose produce will be used by the White House Chef, and given to area food banks.”

Although nominations are now closed there are 100 worthy candidates from 34 states awaiting your vote. The top three nominations will be presented to President Obama’s staff and hopefully, in particular Sam Kass, the newly appointed White House Chef and local food proponent.

We at The Rathaus are partial to Diane Endicott (24th from the bottom), the founder and director of the Good Natured Family Farms’ alliance, and with the help of her husband also the proprietor of a 400 acre organic farm. We, of course are completely biased on the issue since Endicott lives and works in Kansas, just like The Rathaus. But regardless of who you vote for, do so quickly because voting ends tonight at midnight and you’ll want to have your voice heard on this positive idea.

VOTE HERE!

posted by: Harold Johns III

In their first collaboration, b. d. eek and Jouvelt have created these nine original works for their upcoming art show at the The Community Mercantile in Lawrence, KS. Since the pieces will be located in the cafe section of an incredible organic market, the artists chose to create these food-inspired, post-modern works, which because of the layered details are worth a closer look.  The show runs from February 1st – March 31st and a reception is being worked out so stay tuned for details.

posted by: Harold Johns III

We were contacted recently by Color Scavenger, an online clothing shop constructed by the collaborative effort of a few up-and-coming artists and designers out of California. The store is comprised of one-of-a-kind vintage finds and new pieces. And although they are just beginning, The Rathaus commends Color Scavenger for donating 10% of their proceeds to charity. So check ‘em out.

Color Scavenger donates to

World Vision
The Humane Society
Life and Mission
Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods

posted by: Tricia Rock

Our days of doing the hokey pokey are over. It used to be something we all did, everybody could get in on it. At birthday parties or the roller skating rink, even at camp, it was a group thing. No more. The hokey pokey is being exposed for what it truly is…a bigoted narcotics pushing propaganda vehicle. For years English speakers everywhere have been putting their right hand, left hand, and even elbows in and shaking evil all about.

Origins of the song and dance are said by some to have come from Great Britian where the song was used by Protestants to chastise Catholic Mass.

“This song does have quite disturbing origins. Although apparently innocuous, it was devised as an attack on and a parody of the Catholic mass,”

-Peter Kearney, a spokesman for Scottish Catholic Cardinal Keith O’Brien.

The famous Irish song writer Jimmy Kennedy coined the official lyrics to the melody after the Second World War. This January his son revealed that his father’s hit was in fact inspired by an early 20th century Canadian folk tune sung by miners glorifying the uplifting properties of the drug cocaine.

and THAT is what it’s all about.

full story at canada.com

posted by: Scott Starrett

An interest in the apocalypse seems to be intensifying, with huge pop culture successes such as the Left Behind Series, The Matrix, and even an entire week dedicated to the Armageddon on the History Channel. Amateurs and professionals alike add fuel to the fire. The theories of the the Mayan calender and the Earth’s shifting magnetic poles are all the rage right now and astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson informs us that a giant asteroid impact will most likely bring civilization’s end. We may not be the first generation aware of the ever approaching end of times but we sure know how to make the most of it. Mass anxiety over impending doom is seemingly timeless, but an obsessive fixation on the end can also be used as an inspiration for art, products, and films that force us to question the sustainability of our modern societies. The popularity of the dystopian aesthetic sheds light on our morbid fascination with the fall of civilization. Dystopia is characterized by its bleak and often post-cataclysmic conditions. The tradition of the dystopian aesthetic is rich with both innovation and appropriation, and has made its place within our culture as the foreboding prophet of the consequences of our actions and our ignorances.

For the first in a series of posts exploring the dystopian aesthetic in various mediums, The Rathaus presents Scott Starrett’s Dystopian Installment .01 : FILM.

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The Rathaus’ 5 dystopian films made in the last 25 years that you should see

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Brazil 1985 Terry Gilliam

Brazil, written and directed by Terry Gilliam, is arguably one of the most revered films in the dystopian genre. With its elaborate sets, full of industrial equipment excessively adorned by wires, tubes, cogs, and gears Brazil revised the tone of dystopian fantasy. Fascination with the aesthetic of Brazil has influenced numerous films since and played a major role in sparking the steampunk industrial design movement.

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The City of Lost Children 1995 Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

In The City of Lost Children, Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director of the critically acclaimed Amélie) blend pre-industrial age gadgetry, medieval Europe, and futuristic sciences to create a nightmarish fairy tale and a dystopian masterpiece. In the tradition of appropriation and homage within the dystopian genre, The City of Lost Children imitates as well as modifies Brazil’s excessive use of gadgetry and machinery. Although similar, Caro and Jeunet’s mechanisms also include wood paneling and brass hardware, a method later adopted by the steampunk movement. The City of Lost Children is a timeless fantasy that raises philosophical questions about the schism between human purity and technological advancement.

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Twelve Monkeys 1995 Terry Gilliam

Ten years after the release of Brazil, Gilliam revisits the dystopian genre with Twelve Monkeys. Original, epic, and deservedly mentioned among our dystopian films, Twelve Monkeys has a fascinating story to accompany it as well. With Twelve Monkeys Gilliam may have taken the tradition of dystopian appropriation and homage a bit too far. When visionary and architectural polemicist Lebbeus Woods watched Gilliam’s film, he was surprised to see that the chair used to levitate Bruce Willis was in fact an exact replica of his drawing “Neomechanical Tower (Upper) Chamber.” Woods sued the producers of the film and was awarded a six-figure compensation for illegal use of his work. Woods did, however, allow the film’s distribution, as well as the dystopian tradition of appropriation, to continue.

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Dark City (suggested: director’s cut) 1998 Alex Proyas

Although Dark City combines a heady mix of psychological thriller and science fiction, neither aspect overwhelms the other. The film is an intricate mesh of interwoven time periods and constantly shifting aesthetic elements. The visual complexity of the film is relative to the plot, and the result is captivating and challenging. Mention has been made considering the similarities between the philosophical quandaries in Dark City and the 1999 Wachowski Brother’s film, The Matrix. Although little to no discussion of The City of Lost Children’s influence on The Matrix could be found by The Rathaus, the parallels are uncanny.

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Children of Men 2006 Alfonso Cuarón

Children of Men is a distinct distopian film due to its convincing plausibility and not entirely futuristic aesthetic. While most films in the genre show a world deep in the clutches of ruin, Children of Men takes place on the brink of a disaster, showing a modern world where humans are witness to a sudden and disparaging phenomenon that precursors the dystopian society. The inability of humans to reproduce has brought civilization to its knees in this bleak but eerily believable, cautionary tale.

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These films can be found on Snarkarati’s Top 50 Dystopian Films. The site utilizes IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes user ratings to rank each film.

by: Scott Starrett

If you’re a thrift store junkie like myself, you probably know the drill:

1. Purchase clothing
2. Take out shoulder pads!
3. Wear clothing

But looking forward to spring and summer we may want to reconsider Step #2. Big shoulders are slowly creeping their way back onto the runways, making appearances at numerous Spring shows including Margiela (above top left), Proenza Schouler (above bottom left), and Balmain (above top and bottom right). However, the new big shoulder isn’t just an 80′s throwback to the shoulder pad stuffed power suit. For 2009 shoulders have a geometric edge that compliments a new era of structured dressing. So next time you’re tempted to rip that shoulder pad out of your newly thrifted purchase, take a second look because you may find some hidden, or not so hidden, potential.

Tibi and Lanvin

Balmain and Chloe

The Rathaus’ Tricia Rock

by: Tricia Rock