HANNE'S ART AND CULTURE BLOG

Remember Blackout Crew's "Put a Donk On It", above? Now VBS.tv has made a documentary about the phenomenon.

Since the advent of acid house in the late 80s, British techno music has been in a long, baffling search for some sort of universal lowest common denominator. Breakbeat, digital hardcore, and gabber all made strong efforts in the race for the bottom, but none of them holds a candle to donk. Combining the 150bpm madness of happy hardcore with indecipherable North English rap and then overlaying the whole mess with a single, infuriating "donk" sound, donk may well be the apotheosis of all ridiculous dance music to date. It is also the only local thing going for an entire population of working-class kids with dwindling outside prospects.

This winter VBS traveled to the UK's donk belt, a stretch of economically devastated post-industrial wasteland situated around the genre's focal points of Burnley, Wigan, and Blackpool. While donk is completely unheard of even 30 miles to the north or south, within this swath it has achieved a Beatlemania level of popularity. We followed Bolton, England's Blackout Crew--a donk "boy band" of sorts who rose to prominence through a series of often extremely hilarious Youtube videos--on a brief tour across the countryside. Every show was packed beyond capacity with "donkeys" choking back pills and dancing more intensely than anything we've ever seen. It was pandemonium.

I am curating a new series: "Artist Edition Coffee Mugs"! The first mugs are available at Dispatch in New York City. In related news, I designed Dispatch's new web shop, from where you can also get the mugs! So peoples, it's time to start doing some serious shopping! Stuff over there is not even very expensive so you can easily afford both a book and a mug, a.k.a. you get both the seriousness and the fun! Visit the Dispatch web shop here: http://shop.dispatchbureau.com/

The first four artists in this ongoing project are Ida Ekblad, Marcel Dionne, Guillaume Pilet and Lina Viste Groenli.

I am at a loss for words. Why, oh why didn't I come up with this incredibly great idea for an art show?

Curator Edward Shephard Jr.'s quote: "This is an exhibition of depictions of the Bichon Frisé in various works of art spanning over 2,000 years. It includes artworks that explicity identify the subjects as Bichons or as ancestors of the breed, as well as other works that I (in my admittedly non-expert judgment) have deemed to be possible depictions of the Bichon Frisé or its ancestors." "The pictures included in this exhibition are taken from various publications and I give full citation and credit to these works. (That's the librarian in me!) This is an ongoing project and I would appreciate learning of any other works of art that can be added to these galleries. Please contact me at eshephar@binghamton.edu"

Visit the exhibition here.

Such a great find! A 16 piece Picasso dinnerware set! I really like the way this photo is styled. I'm sure Picasso would approve. Ebayer's quote: "Flavor your next feast with artistic flair with this fabulous collection of dinnerware! Festive and fresh in mouthwatering hues of vibrant color ((I'll make sure to remember that line and use it in an exhibition press release sometime)), every place setting enlivens even the most casual meal. Each piece features the fanciful artwork and signature of the legendary abstract artist, Pablo Picasso. 16-piece ensemble contains full place-settings for a party of four". Buy it here.

The first official picture of Bo, sent out by the White House.

WASHINGTON- Barack Obama's girls Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, got more than just an Easter egg hunt this weekend--they finally got a dog! After months of anticipation, Malia and Sasha got a 6-month-old Portuguese Water Dog named Bo. The dog was a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, who owns three dogs of the same breed! The girls are said to be delighted about their new dog, but the family is still deciding where Bo will sleep and who will walk and feed him.

Local animal shelters were hoping that the Obama's would adopt a pup from them, but since Bo was a gift, according to the Washington Post, the family will make a donation to the District of Columbia Humane Society. Expect the First Dog to make its official debut on Tuesday!

There's a new mug in town! Created by artist Lina Viste Groenli. Buy at Dispatch. Go there!

I curated this. To receive the exhibition pdf, please email privatecirculation at gmail dot com.

This is Bo at 6 1/2 weeks! The earliest picture available on the web, courtesy of The Arizona Star. The web savvy/ crazy peoples of the world have already done what you might think about doing in six weeks: There is already a The Obama Dog Blog, and a painting. There is a stuffed-animal-Bo, "I Love Bo" t-shirts, and a diverse selection of "Bo Stinks", and "Woof We Can" items on Ebay.

Well, it's time to stop wasting any more time on this blog, get yourself over to the live blogging at the Bo Blog.

As far as I can see, this pin has nothing to do with Bo. But Ebayer thelastdetail2003 did not let that stop her/him: "Hand-crafted BO-PIN* features artistic DICHROIC GLASS CABOCHON (blue, black, aquamarine), SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL BEADS, and QUALITY CHAIN . Pin is 1-3/4 inches in width". To buy this item, go here.

If you still have not seen them, make sure to stop by Rachel Uffner Gallery to take a look at Josh's pants and sweaters. It will close on May 3.

Yes, I know, I know, it's a used front door. But not just any used front door. This is The Original front door to the Walsh residence of Beverly Hills 90210...! Ebayer robbatl's quote: "Believe it or not this is the actual screen used door for the long running series. It was used in all scenes where the cast open and closed the front door. I bought it when the last show wrapped along with a bunch of furniture. Yes, Yes I was a die hard fan. I actually had my assistant hound Mr. Spelling’s assistant until he sent me a letter with his signature on it. I was going to mount this in my home on the wall like a piece of art. It has been in storage for a long time. Update: Thanks for all the interest. To clarify this is a full size real door, not a prop. Its heavy. Replace your front door with it!!"

I would like to replace my front door with a Real Beverly Hills 90210 front door. Or hang it on my wall like robbatl meant to do, like real art..! But $2500 is a little over the top for my budget. If your budget tells you otherwise, you can go here to buy it.

I curated this. If you're in Cologne, go see..!

Yes, I know, I know, it's a GAP shirt. Could there be anything more boring than that? But this is not just any old GAP shirt. It's Barbra Streisand's GAP shirt! How exciting. How glamourous. It's only $9.99, and if you look closely at the images, you can see that there is still dirt and dust on it. How exciting is that..? No reasons to be sceptic to the authenticity of this GAP shirt, as "it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Barbra Sreisand". Go here to start bidding.