Paul McCarthy's Dirty White Snow - Discretion Advised

Excuse me if I'm somewhat reluctant to post on this one but I don't get to choose the news. -- OK I do, but I wouldn't be reporting responsibly if I didn't at least wave you all in the direction of the fairy tale elephant in the newsroom of the New York Times...

No, I didn't get my titles backward. This is Snow White as portrayed by "transgressive artist Paul McCarthy" in the Park Avenue Armory. Just to be clear, we're talking a shock-value, XXX rated, large scale installation of a disturbing interpretation of (interestingly, Disney's version) of Snow White.

I'm really not interested in the "what" here but the "why". Why Snow White? Why like this? Why on such a HUGE scale??

I'm just going to give you some quotes, add some brief commentary, upload some family friendly pics then let you go follow the links if you're interested in seeing more.

Excerpted from gothamist.com:

...The show, called WS, "weaves together a fantastical forest and a three-quarter-scale house modeled after McCarthy’s own childhood home, with multi-channel video projections to immerse visitors in a world of fantasy and depravity."

Sounds really interesting, right up to the last word... 

"WS is a true Gesamtkunstwerk," says Alex Poots, Artistic Director of the Armory.

Wow - that actually sounds pretty great. I wish I wanted to see it. *blink* (Irony strikes while the shoes are hot.)

[Note from Wikipedia: A Gesamtkunstwerk (translated as total work of art, ideal work of art, universal artwork, synthesis of the arts, comprehensive artwork, all-embracing art form or total artwork) is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. The term is a German word which has come to be accepted in English as a term in aesthetics.]

"It is an overwhelming creation born out of the original Brothers Grimm fairytale and the subsequent popular interpretations that became iconic American symbols in the 20th century. Going far beyond the confines of the story, it explores the vast and at times distressingly dark corners of the human psyche."

Again: Why Snow White to explore this? Is it because she's supposed to be so innocent and free of vice that's it's all nudge-nudge, wink-wink? Isn't that a little simplistic for "high art"? The one thing that catches my eye is he includes a Walt character in the "shenanigans-is-too-nice-a-word". There are certainly more than a few people who have issues with how Mr. Disney portrayed women but I'm not even sure that's even one of the aims of the display here.

WS is an evolving work-in-progress which will continue to change during the course of the exhibit, which opens to the public tomorrow and continues through August 4th. The first thing you'll see upon entering the drill hall is a massive artificial forest filled with towering 30-foot tall trees and colorful, oversized flowers that extend across a raised lush landscape. Nestled at the center of the installation is an 8,800-square foot yellow ranch-style (haunted?) house (a three-quarter-scale exact replica of McCarthy’s childhood home), where the project’s video performances were filmed. 

(From the NYPost:)“right down to the stains in the bathroom sink,” as Damon McCarthy, the artist’s son and collaborator, put it.

Do we need to know that? I guess we do... *would not be surprised to see a portrait gallery of therapists lining the walls of one of the rooms* 

 Note: "A seven-hour video of performances shot in and around a massive set is part of the work."

7 ???! Hours!

Thanks to descriptions supplied by the NYPost I have one positive expectation from this: considering the use of roast chicken during the exhibition, there's a good chance viewers will turn vegan (or at least anti-chicken). Ick.

From the Armory press release:

Surrounding the installation, large-scale video projections feature scenes from a subversive and explicit alternative fairytale in which the character Walt Paul—played by McCarthy as an amalgam of himself and the archetypes of a movie producer, artist, father and other roles—cavorts with a cast of characters including White Snow, a figure who represents both the archetypal virgin and vixen, a daughter as well as a fairytale princess. Dwarves, the Prince, and doubles for Walt Paul and White Snow are part of the action. Drawing loosely upon the classic story and interweaving references to the history of art, the performance becomes a bacchanal.

• Is it news? Yes. (To deny this is to deny the fairy tale elephant in the press room this week!) 
• Is it big? YES! (All seem to agree that the size of this is... big.)
• Is it amazing? Probably.
• Is it an achievement? Yyyeee...sss? (Depends on what you're trying to achieve... All the giant trees, food and sprinkles splatter, sound a little large-scale hokey to me, as do the shock-factor antics - but, of course, to give props, that takes work too... *wonders about funding, realize I don't want to know*)
• Is it necessary? Not for me.
• Is it Art? ...(please fill in the blank)...

I'll leave you with one more thing: this is the most thoughtful (and useful to fairy tale people) quote I found, wading through all the splashy-splashy, snicker-snort, avant-garde-kowtowing, shock-horror, how-dare-he-sully-Snow! extremes of coverage today. (I should preface it by telling you the article first makes it clear just how depraved some of the acts are, that viewers pay to see. Discretion advised if you go look them up. Seriously.) 
From Vulture.com:

There's a long history of fairy tales being not just scary but actually sexual, involving adult romps, cannibalism, chaos, torture — the whole nine-yards of our twisted inner lives. McCarthy is trying to tap into that. He always has, sometimes fantastically well. This time, that drilling down didn't strike the darkness...

One very tony Upper East Side lady pulled me aside at the opening and whispered, "What's shocking about all this is how un-shocking it is. It's just standard clowning around." She’s right.

And now the ELEPHANT has been acknowledged. 

From here on, I can blog happily, ever after.

- The End -

(I'm wishing...)

Abigail Larson: A New Beauty & the Beast Project & More

Beauty & the Beast - a new project in progress by Abigail Larson

Dark fairy tale artist (& Poe fan) Abigail Larson is back to working on her Beauty & the Beast project, which includes writing a new story based on the tale as well. (Can't wait to see more on that!)

Older Beauty & the Beast piece by Abigail Larson - May 2010

[She used to go by MirrorCradle on deviantArt but has since become uber-famous and much loved and has admitted to her real name. ;)]

And there is more fantastic news which I, ahem, only just found out:

1) Ms. Larson is working with best-selling author Erin Morgenstern on "a promotional product" (details to come) for The Night Circus (which, if you have not read and love fairy tales, you really, really should.)

2) Ms. Larson is asking for fairy tale suggestions of what to draw next..! (I-will-not-'fangirl'-I-will-not-'fangirl'.. Oh what the heck: "Squee!!")

Here's the journal entry from her deviantArt page:

Greetings creeps!

I have two things I want to discuss with you:

The first thing is an announcement directed at the hundred or so of you who have been begging me to read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. Well, through a mutual connection completely unbeknownst to me, Erin was introduced to my work, and loves it! So we've begun collaborating on a promotional product for the novel. Which is super cool. So now, not only do I have a great excuse to read the novel, but I suspect you'll all be seeing artwork from me based on the novel.
The second thing is a question: Does anyone have a favorite Grimm fairytale you'd like to see me make? I've been asked to participate in a show this October, and I'm doing fairytale characters. I'm of course working on "Beauty and the Beast" and I've got "Sleeping Beauty," "Rapunzel," "The Seven Ravens," "The Glass Coffin," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Snow White and Rose Red," "The Little Mermaid" (which, yes, I do know is by Andersen, but, whatever), and "Cinderella" on my list, but those where the ones I thought of at the spur of the moment. I could flip through my own fairytale books, but I really want to know what you all want to see!
Thanks! And keep creeping!

~A

Dark fairy tale & fantasy artist Abigail Larson

She is posting updates on all her adventures on her Facebook page HERE and her Tumblr HERE and, of course there's her deviantArt page HERE.

If you want to see more of Ms. Larson's beautiful work, including a lot of fairy tale pieces, (although, please note they're not all under the "fairy tale" folder in her deviantArt gallery) apart from checking the links above, to get a quick overview I made a Once Upon A Blog Pinterest "gallery" (surprise, surprise) of some of (ok, of many of!) my favorites.

You can see that HERE.

Goodreads Author Chat: Ask Kate Wolford About Writing New Fairy Tales

Want to have an "Enchanted Conversation" with Indiana University writing professor and fairy tale teacher Kate Wolford?

She'll be on Goodreads on Wednesday and Thursday (June 19 & 20) to answer any and all questions on the behind-the-scenes of fairy tale writing  - something we rarely get the chance to do! (No critique questions please!)

With her new release Beyond the Glass Slipper, Ms. Wolford has created a brand new resource for, not only fans of fairy tales and fairy tale readers, but those who want to write them as well. Take advantage of this unique opportunity and go ask her some questions! She is one of the most down-to-earth and encouraging teachers I know, inspiring creativity and excellence in all who work with her.


A screencap from the Goodreads site with words from Kate herself:
 

ANYONE can join. AND IT'S FREE! (While you will need to join Goodreads or sign in through Facebook you can choose to opt out of notices, emails etc and generally not be bothered by Goodreads afterward if that's what you prefer.) Opening remarks begin at 8am EST.

Go get some tips from our very own Fairy Godmother of fairy tale writing! 

Here are some starter ideas to prompt you:

• ask about trends and ideas in recasting the tales
• ask about submission suggestions in general
• ask about tales that weren't included in the book and why
• ask about choosing tales to rewrite
• ask what the challenges are - and the perks! - in writing new fairy tales 

While there's no instant spell for writing a good story, Ms. Wolford is the best at discerning your rotten pumpkins from your magic ones and showing you how to transform them to their full potential. Over the next two days you'll get a chance to peek into this Good Fairy's bag of tricks and discover some of that for yourself.

The magic awaits. You just need to ask...



Click HERE to go to the Good Reads link and join the Enchanted Conversation.

Breaking News: "Frozen" Releases Trailer, er, 'Toon

As anticipated, Disney has finally released a trailer for Frozen!

As promised, here it is!

Imma let you watch:


?

Huh.

OK. So it's not a trailer, it's a 'toon. And first impression is: if Disney gave Scrat (Ice Age) a makeover maybe this is what it would look like... although, this doesn't actually look Disney-esque at all. (?)

Don't get me wrong. I'll happily watch a little slapstick - even slapstick on ice, although Bambi and Thumper discovering Winter was precious and hard to top. And I might even watch a movie about a bumbling snowman and his pet dog, er, reindeer but... where's the.. EVERYTHING we're looking for in the next big Disney fairy tale?

I'll let you know when there is some actual fairy tale news. Please return to your regularly scheduled programs.

Note: Frozen is set to release on November 27th in the US and December 6th in the UK.

"The Snow Queen Cometh" (!)

"The Snow Queen Cometh" (gawd)

With a trailer coming out today (stay tuned for that) and official images released just yesterday (Monday) Disney's Frozen is officially counting down the days to the Thanksgiving release.

Here are the five new images:

  

Action shot - I really want to be impressed but I'm distracted by the prominent boxer-flattened schnozes of the character designs. And how they look a LOT like certain moose Disney have used before...

 

Going to give this one the benefit of the doubt since it's probably from a very nice looking sequence (though why release this still then...?).

I'm seeing a goofy (and very familiar looking) reindeer (not the majestic, iconic animal companion all Snow Queen fans adore)...

 

... and a talking snowman sidekick (What. The. What?)...

 

... and not very distinctive looking characters at all. (Who are these people? They look like CG stock!) Except for the goofballs, that is. Well, some of the goofballs. Which is... not what we want. :/

First official image from Disney's Frozen

My impression continues to jive with the "Tangled in the snow" quip I've seen thrown around since they changed Anna's hair color from an eye-catching white-blonde...

... to a much-closer-to-Rapunzel-colored strawberry-blonde (not to mention changing her eyes and face to be much more Rapunzel-round).

Overall it just looks... like-Alpha and Omega-met-Brother Bear-as-Tangled-went-on-a-ski-trip.  :(

I really don't understand why they're releasing these sorts of images. Presumably (hopefully?) I'm way off the mark with all the parallels but if this all we have to go from what else are we supposed to think?

This is appearing everywhere as Disney concept art but it's not. More is the pity. This is everyone's favorite go-to, "look at the pretty" Disney is doing image but it's actually by Laura Csajagi.

Even if these impressions are not what the movie is like (oh please say it isn't!!) there's a world of potential in HCA's The Snow Queen that I'm barely seeing signs of being tapped. It's as if someone said "we're doing a fantasy in the snow, with a girl and a snow queen" and that's all they gave the artists to work with. :( :( (Yes, that's a double-sad face.)

Jennifer Lee - Disney's 1st female director

I wish I could be excited about Frozen having the first female director (EVER! Sheesh! Although she's actually sharing a Co-director credit with Chris Buck, but still...) but I'm guessing Jennifer Lee had a lot on her plate just holding on to juggling her job (notes from up to 150 people?? OMG). She did display good writing chops on Wreck It Ralph however so I'm holding out some hope...

Unfortunately, it's pretty clear Frozen's plot isn't based on Andersen's fairy tale. At most, it's "inspired by" the beloved story but first looks tell us it's barely that either. Right now, the most I'm looking forward to from this movie is the "Art Of" book, especially if it includes anything like the images above, because that could  be from a classic tale.

[Little side note: no matter what negative things people have to say about the look of Frozen, how the new Anna looks like Rapunzel or that the new villain is looking a little too delicate, EVERYONE seems to love that image by French artist Laura Csajagi above and is hoping this is what they end up seeing... Too bad.]

But here's something more positive from USA today, which gives me hope for a beautiful film, even if there's no reference to the classic fairy tale:

The animators traveled to Norway to scope out the winter world firsthand and incorporated the look into Frozen's 3-D-enhanced scenery. (Co-Director, Chris) Buck says his team had "a blast" re-creating the beauty on-screen.
"The light is amazing, the way it refracts and dances off the snow and ice," Buck says. "We're still working on the film, but what we have seen is stunning."

Here are a few screen grabs, presumably from todays' trailer (not yet seen as of this writing), from a behind-the-scenes YouTube news source I found a while back.

 It will also be the first time Disney has had a beautiful evil princess...

... with powers! (Which you can see a glimpse of above.)

And I particularly like the concept of the snowflake bridge and use of animation to have the sun shine through the snow and cause rainbow reflections as it drifts down.

Fan-made posters - they look similar to final designs though

But will Elsa stay evil and be a unique addition to the Disney villain canon?

Chances seem slim with a "girl sets out to save sister" premise. Does Anna fail? Does Anna turn to the dark side?

Mehinks... no.

From Collider yesterday:

The story will focus more on the relationship between Anna and Elsa.  “That’s such an important part of this,” co-director Jennifer Lee tells USA Today.  “Two sisters torn apart by a big family secret.”  (Kristen) Bell (who is the voice of Anna) adds that Anna is “not a good fighter, she doesn’t have good posture, she’s not very elegant, and she’s constantly putting her foot in her mouth.  But, Bell  adds, “she’s a good person and she’s utterly determined.” 

Sounds just like.. never mind.

I'm afraid it must be said: so far, Frozen is leaving me cold.

Fairy tale bonus of the day: A gallery full of Frozen art - some legit, some not but all exploring the Disney movie-to-be based on The Snow Queen.  Some very pretty pics here (and a few wishes too). Click HERE to go see the shiny.

Breaking News: Disney's "Frozen" Taking Over The Weather Channel

It's marketing time!

And to kick it off we're going to talk about the weather. (Heh.)

I have a feeling this was (happily) grabbed during a test to go live properly tomorrow, since there's a link to the as-yet-unreleased trailer, and I can't get the site to show me this anymore, BUT it appears that Disney's Frozen is taking over The Weather Channel.
(source BleedingCool.com)

Look!

• Frozen background
• Frozen colors
• Promo poster
• Gallery
• Link to a trailer
• A reindeer/moose (?? check the link, you'll see what I mean)
• A sidekick snowman... (Oh no!)

What are you thinking of the first marketing look?

I have a much meatier (and prettier) blog post set to go live at midnight for you all, complete with bigger views of the newly released images and much more.

And I should be posting the trailer some time tomorrow too...

Stay tuned!

Herakut: "My What Big Tales You Have!"

"The little giants & the goddess of dreams" - 2nd mural in Lexington KY, USA

Herakut are taking their new fairy tale to the streets, then leaving it there, one chapter at a time...


 The Giant Storybook Project by German street artist-duo Herakut is one of my coolest discoveries of late. The artists are creating a new children's book (chock-full of fairy tale themes), wall by wall around the world.

Waking the Giant from The Giant Storybook Project - Montreal, Canada

The project began in September 2012 and is continuing throughout 2013 so we can watch as the story of Lily, Jay and two giants unfolds (if you're lucky and live in a town they will be painting in - literally!) in murals and on buildings (from warehouses to monasteries) around the globe. Check HERE for some very cool pics on the development of a few different paintings. There is also a fantastic and beautiful promo video below which shows some of the process too.

The Giant Story Book Project - Trailer

If you aren't familiar with Herakut here's a little background from Inspire Me:

1st mural "Lily & the silly monkeys" also in Lexington, KY USA

Herakut is comprised of Hera, a classically trained painter who “creates gestural, emotional figures in a freestyle manner using numerous tools including spray cans, brushes, and her hands.” and Akut, a completely self-taught yet skilled painter, creating hyper-realistic images of animals and flesh using only a spray can. 

Their pieces range from traditional canvases to urban decay art installations / murals and can be seen clear across Europe. Their pieces are loaded with symbolism and context and you’d be hard pressed to stand before their work and not feel a piece of you reach out in appreciation or possibly discomfort. (More on their work, book releases and projects at the Inspire Me link above.)

I've also created a Pinterest board dedicated to their artwork - which includes a number of The Giant Storybook Project pieces - and chose pieces that display their use of symbolism, metaphor, animal people and fairy tale themes in images and words, painted in unexpected urban places. You can see that board HERE.

Miami FL, USA - 8th mural of The Giant Storybook Project

You can follow The Giant Storybook Project (and Herakut) on Facebook HERE, on Pinterest HERE and on Tumblr HERE.

Here's their description from Facebook:

"I am different" painted on side of a monastery in Eresing, Germany

We are Giants and Children and Monkeys and Chameleons. Come along and see our story...

The Giant Storybook Project will follow the creation of a new children's book being created by the internationally-renowned street artist duo Herakut. Launched in September 2012 and continuing through 2013, the project follows the artists as they introduce the story's characters on murals that they are painting around the world. If you're in one of the cities where we're painting, come on by! If not, follow the progress through this (Facebook) page. Either way, get to know Lily, Jay (her brother), the giants, and the other interesting characters as they reveal more of themselves over the coming months!

Jay's Creative Spirit - The Giant Storybook Project installment in Leslieville, Toronto, Canada

And here's an excerpt from Chapter 1; the first draft, of Herakut's Giant Storybook:

They were also involved in the (crazy-popular music event) Coachella, teaming up with Poetic Kinetics Inc. this year in April with their giant (seriously giant!) snail Helix, to help promote their project and spread inspiration.

Helix in the sunset at Coachella 2013

Currently they have completed eleven storybook page murals (I believe Helix's paint does not count as a storybook page) and are working on fundraising projects (via some truly beautiful looking prints, among other things) before they continue traveling, painting, storytelling and inspiring...

"Will power always consume the ones that seek it?"
Possible children´s-book-version of our wall in Rochester, NY.

Here's a list of where the The Giant Storybook Project murals are so far:

Lily & Jay meet up in Kathmandu, Nepal

• Lexington KY, USA (murals 1 & 2)
• Eresing, Germany (3)
• Montreal, Canada (4)
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada (5)
• Rochester NY, USA (6)
• San Francisco CA, USA (7)
• Miami FL, USA (8)
• Melbourne VIC, Australia (9)
• Kathmandu, Nepal (10)
• Lily at Coachella (on Helix) Indio CA, USA (no notes on where Helix can be seen sorry)
• Bad Vilbel, Germany (11)

Print of Lily for fundraising*

Oh and YES! 

There will definitely be a book of The Giant Storybook Project (on the various pages I've linked to, you can see Herakut making mock-ups of how a mural could be adapted for print as a page or double-page spread for a book). It is yet to be named although, really, The Giant Storybook Project seems just fine. :)

The release date is, understandably, yet to be announced. 

"How you do something reveals your talent. Why you do something reveals your character." Lily uses her gift to make gifts. June 2, 2013 - The Giant Storybook Project latest installment: Bad Vilbel, Germany

*The print is (adorably) titled "You know there is something wrong with you if you don't even get along with your imaginary friends."

"7D" - These Are Not the Dwarves You Are Looking For

 

With Snow White still being a buzz name in entertainment these days, Disney has dug into its archives and ordered a new animated series for Disney Junior based on its first feature film. But it's turning out to not be as reminiscent of the beloved film as you might think. This series was in development 2011 and production started about a year ago. With the 2013/2014 season program slate recently released (in March) and 7D firmly on the ticket, we should be seeing more from these guys soon.

Here's the premise, according to Deadline:

Described as a comedic take on the world of Seven Dwarfs in a contemporary storybook world, 7D takes place in Jollywood where Queen Delightful relies on the 7D — Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc — to keep the kingdom in order. Standing in their way are two laughably evil villains, Grim and Hildy Gloom, who plot to take over the kingdom by stealing the magical jewels in the 7D’s mine.

Dwarf fight - classic style

Knowing the popularity of Grumpy products is making quite a mint for the Mouse House these days, I would have been more interested in a series with him as the main character (the grumpiest dwarf with the biggest heart") and seeing various fairy tale tropes, obstacles and issues being played out through him and his seven companions.

That won't be happening.

The dwarf's names will remain the same but they've been completely redesigned. The new looks were unveiled some time ago and, well, call me old school, BUT.

Maybe I should make that bigger:

BUT:

!

This is not the incarnation of Snow White's legacy I was hoping for.

(And I'm not the only one).

Not everyone is having such a bad reaction, however, and there is some hope as Craig Shemin (Jim Henson Company staff writer) wrote the test episode, which has been described as sweet and whimsical. Unfortunately it feels very much like we're in for an(other) Enchanted Kingdom mash-up, of dwarves, fairies, magical items and other pop-fairy tale staples that have little to do with time honored märchen.

ABC's Once Upon A Time - Grumpy is "born"

I'd be happy to change my mind on this (please!) but it's going to take some excellent writing to convince me. (Please-don't-let-them-hatch-from-eggs-please-don't-let-them-hatch-from-eggs!)

At least we won't be inundated with even more princess stuff. (Or will we?)

The new series is slated to debut on Disney Junior in 2014.

* The characters were designed by Fish Hooks creator Noah Z. Jones; Tom Ruegger (Animaniacs) exec produces.