MYSTERIOUS ORDINARY

The last months have been a whirlwind, an exciting blur that is as enchanting as it could have been destructive . . . depends on how you want to take it.

For me, finally, I have a moment, to breath after this full force collision.

What to do with these pieces/fragments of these collisions? That is the fun of it all, how to make it coherent, how to make them matter, not just to myself but beyond myself. This blog has enabled me to pull together my thoughts, what I see and express them. I wonder how many of these things matter to others. I hope they do, a little, there is so much beauty in the world and at the same time so many problems and issues that it enables us to ask questions, attempt to find answers/solutions and ask even more questions. Such is life. The question comes up after 2 1/2 years of Chomontherox as I ask myself what is next. Venice inspired this blog and in a way Venice has inspired me this year, to move on. It is funny how the same city of meandering canals and water can inspire such different things at different times. Recently I have started to contribute more and more to printed newspapers and magazines, these too take time, it even takes time to go out and buy a copy.

This is NOT a farewell but rather a beginning . . .of something new, called Mysterious Ordinary. Whilst I prepare to launch that to the world, you can find me on Tumblr at Mysterious Ordinary Journal which has been in the works . . .quietly, for a while, it is my moodboard.

Here are some flashbacks of the last few months . . .

Film on the Rocks Recce - to come in 2012, curated by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Tilda Swinton produced by Nat Sarasas and Mysterious Ordinary (me!).

P'Joei and N'Teem in the jungle

my partner in crime, Nat Sarasas

the rocks

the village

A day and night with Rirkrit Tiravanija and Pette for 2 Mag . . . (Super limited 2 Mag x MYSTERIOUS ORDINARY Edition Art Issue and more widely available 2 Mag Art Issue at good newstands in Thailand, Singapore and HK)

Tangmo on the run

P Rirkrit

Dean, P'Ruay, Lynn, Me, P Rirkrit, Pette

please compare this to the published version

P Rirkrit and Lynn

the kitchen

Tangmo = watermelon

the cover shot

Paris SS '12

Betak magic continues with Viktor and Rolf and Galliano. . . .

The Brigettes at Viktor and Rolf

Galliano post-Galliano

Bill (not John)

a bit of nature

Chanel underwater

stripes while waiting at the Bar du Marche

Patsri et Moi

Valentino

See even in Paris, they get that Chanel in the day time and Valentino at night is ideal . . . it would be perfection. Well for me at least anyway, especially now with how very cool Valentino has become, defo not for big haired ladies, elegant, minimal but still totally glamourous. I loooooved it.

OLT

Cleo

me with Le Tans

Miu Miu was monumental

it was as if I had entered Metropolis

amazing.

and back to Bkk in time for more Frenchness . . . Apichatpong's speech upon receiving his Legion d'Honneur

then from Palais Royale via Tokyo, Corto came to visit me in Bkk. What a treat.

Pette with Corto and a bright red Susan

Lynn, Corto and Jane

Corto and Ti Foster at Mahanakhon for 2 Mag shoot

and more

Corto

T I F O S T E R (C) 2011

Not only Corto was in town but one of my favourite persons in the world, Stephanie Betant and her mum, who I will see in a few days in Beijing.

Then a few days after that was the 2 Mag Art Issue dinner . . .

hosted by Lynn (editor-in-chief of 2 Mag and my BFF), Pette, Ying (the publisher) and me. We decided not to call it off even though it was very much the height of flood hysteria that weekend. It did not flood . . .

Atmo . . .

chairs that walked home with us.

Dinner was to launch this . . . . this is the real version. There are 60 Fake Limited versions floating around the place too. With outtakes and posters.

2 Mag Art Issue Oct/Nov 2011

Finally. . . it is always kinda fun to visit a new place or to visit an old place in a different light. Bkk the last few months has been a very strange place indeed, human error that led to what should not have happened and created a crisis, flood hysteria, melancholia and actual severe damage. I decided to become a flood refugee for a week and it was amazing how light it felt, to not feel victimised or so helpless. Singapore, usually robotland was fun this time around, and a breath of fresh air. I also did a small detour to KL where I have never ever been. It was interesting. . . especially to see the possibilities of an empty lot, an old building recently demolished next to the Petronas Twin Towers to be the canvas of Buro Ole Scheeren's first building, Angkasa Raya.

the floating building will take the place of the empty lot on top

me

Skyscrapers, especially ones like Ole's make me think of The Fountainhead. It then makes me wonder how possible it is to actively create or at least attempt to create what you believe in or that you love and continue to do so when there are so many obstacles. I guess I've been kinda lucky in that those I encounter in their own mysterious ways, do this . . . constantly and yet make it look like it is the most ordinary thing.

This is not farewell, it is platform migration.- Doy Moreau

See you very soon.

www.mysteriousordinary.com

Return to Venice - Part III - memories

Venice is but a distant memory, it was 3 months ago but there are somethings that have stuck to me and continue to inform some of the things that I have been thinking about. This is particularly so with TRA, the exhibition at the Palazzo Fortuny. Curated by 4 curators with the big standout name of Axel Vervoodt. Sure it felt like INFINITUM of 2 years ago and the show he did 2 years before that, after all his signature is so strong but the completely seamless juxtaposition of old and new, cold and hot, soft and hard, the collection is nothing but perfection. Brilliant.

I loved the ground floor of Italain and Japanese abstract painted panels that felt like Pollock but predates it all by 3 decades, of ancient Buddhist statues and a video by Araya, of her singing to 2 corpses. Perfection. Dark, cool perfection. I still want to live in a place like that, to be so effortless yet so perfect with still some room for surprise.

Not to mention that the Palazzo is next to one of my fave restaurants in Venice. My favourite restaurant in fact. Delicious lunch of pasta and meat and too much wine, and accidently and lovely catch up with Waan and P'Eric (have not seen them since their wedding, they are in Venice as Jim Thompson foudnation is one of hte patrons of th eThai pavilion) a boat ride away from the Giardini for P'Navin's opening.

What a perfect opening, at that golden hour of 4 pm on the roofdeck of the Gallery Paradiso with beer, champagne and snacks. There were too many people there to actually have a look at the art (good sign) but the pha kao ma bags on the guests on the roofdeck with the most brillaint view of the sea under the shade big trees, that is what an openign is all about. So happy to see Eric and WAan, and joined by my new friends, the Visionaires + Patrick Li and Ole before he left Navinland for Neverland (china).

Polly
Ole
Navin

Waan and Eric

We then trudged on to the Fondazine Prada opening, talk about a traffic jam at the entrance! We then thought we would walk from there to our favouriate cicchetti place near the Accademia, when we go there after a 40 minute walk expertly navigated by Chris Bollen, it was closed because it was an Italian holiday that day and it was too much work to stay open. Yes, that's Italy for you. We settled for simple sandwiches near Accademia before going to Big Bambu by Michael and Doug Starn next to the Guggenheim. Patrick Li worked on this as it was by Manifesto magazine, a magazine Gucci has commissioned Stephano Tonchi (of W) to guest edit. It was fantastic. The Big Bambu was actually 5 times the size at The Met in NY last year, reduced in size but defiitely not in impact. Especially when the bamboo would crack and walking up, to catch a glimpose of Venice in a Bamboo shelter could be life threatening, though it was not really. When we go up, total surfer vibe, cushins music and everythinbg divine. I considered stating a sponsoring Chomwan to sleep in Big Bambu innitiative, Patrick even asked the artist but it did not happen. Really it was just spectacular, I loved it. Felt like home, maybe this is what it was like to live int he make shift bamboo fort last year in Bangkok. Who would have ever though this would be considered art when after all bamboo is in a way of life, but there is no denying its ability to shock, shelter and in this case to stun and entertain. Way to go Starn brothers! If I were to create something from bamboo, I would recreate that fort, or simulate that same sense of danger, community and anger smack in the centre of venice. or not. Loved the view

View
artist
Cecilia and I

Then on we went to the Bauer for Dasha Zhucova's Garage CCC oepnign of Commercial Break curated by Neville Wakefield and supported by Post Ipad mag which is Xerxes' mag. GREAT turn out, the biggest turn out probably in Venice. London was in full effect, with very little of the "art" world, so no it was not "serious" but then again past midnight, what is? It was absurd and shocking to also see grown adults fight at the door, perhaps part of some kind of installation, or real life? Props to Nadine Johnson who totallly kept it under control.

twins

me and Cecilia

me and Patrick

Jason and David

I was happy in our little corner that Dee Poon and I discovered away from the crowd with our smuggled alcohol. The NY crew left earlier to search for food but we struggled on. It was hard to see the little breaks as their original intention of breaks on boats did not happen. By the time that Jefferson got on the decks at B-bar all I wanted to do was go home. It was after all 4 am and I knew that I still had the Arsenale to wander the next day.