Street art is fascinating enough on it’s own but, given it’s ephemeral nature, the act of photographing it is essential. And sometimes a photograph of street art, when it’s from an interesting angle or incorporates experiments with color, light, and/or contrast, is a piece of art in itself. Annie Ridlon, of Moontree Studios in Jamaica Plain, writes on her Flickr page:

"In my neighborhood there's a 300 foot wall tucked away behind the train tracks, which serves as the canvas for one of the most gorgeous, ever-changing street murals I've ever beheld. It's pretty much a secret, so there's not many people who even know of its existence.

The wall is in a constant state of flux. Every day new pieces are added, old paint crumbles or is intentionally destroyed, layers of tags and signs and full-blown pieces are layered on top of one another. It's an incredible riot of color and texture. It's also a testament to the creative subculture which created it, and to the ever evolving nature of art itself."

Photographing the mural has become a project for Ridlon, as it has for many members of Flickr’s street art groups, who scour the streets on an unending treasure hunt for the perfect (or imperfect, which can be just as alluring) stencil or freshly wheatpasted poster. Below, a smattering of Ridlon’s photos, which she’s selling prints of on the website/crafters heaven, Etsy.







Photos by oxymephorous.

We're also digging this conceptually similar, up-close photo of the Wall in Central Square, snapped by eatskisleep.



And speaking of crafting, knitgirl is injecting originality into Vancouver’s street art scene, one brightly woven cozy at a time. If Banksy spent a few afternoons hanging out with your grandmother, this might be the result, and we totally adore the concept. knitgirl’s works seem to be everywhere - poles, trees, bikes - and it’s making us want to steal the idea, pick up some knitting sticks, and spread the trend to Boston. There’s just something so friendly - not to mention more accessible - about it. Not all street art is so easily likeable - sometimes glaring tags can be offputting. knitgirl's work is like a friendly reminder that street art can be created in any medium, and in any place. After all, who hates mittens? Photos below. 


Photo by Yorri¢k.


Photo by REDRUM (AYS).


Photo by Knightmusik. [Ed. note - We totally want one of these for our bike.]

More knitgirl photos here.

--Caitlin E. Curran

5/5/2008 4:52:58 PM by Will Spitz | Comments [0] |  

And speaking of not detoxing, here's more shizzle from the Interwebs. Garfield Minus Garfield is exactly how it sounds: the lonely, depressing tale of John Arbuckle or, as the GMG mastermind puts it: "Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?" A sampling:











More here.

-Caitlin E. Curran

4/24/2008 3:35:34 PM by Will Spitz | Comments [0] |  

Incoming!

Behold the big, beautiful baby heads, entitled Day and Night, installed in the lawn of the MFA. The sculptures, by Spanish realist Antonio Lopez Garcia, are emotive enough to stop traffic.

MP3: MFA contemporary art curator Cheryl Butvan talks to FNX about the baby heads and existence.

Day

Night

4/10/2008 2:46:10 PM by Ellee Dean | Comments [0] |  

Tee hee! We're all a-titter over this week's Observer cover, although we can imagine Anna Wintour has an enormous bee buzzing in her bonnet right about now. Oh my!

Here is this April's cover of Vogue, featuring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen. It was shot by Annie Leibovitz: click for what might have been her "inspiration." As you might imagine, its been causing quite the stir!



Weeee! Here's the Observer's silly little spoof, conveniently timed to their magazine-themed issue. Doesn't Si Newhouse look ever so dainty?

4/2/2008 3:32:32 PM by Sharon Steel | Comments [0] |  

Yes, I know, I should rename this whole street art series something like "Sporadic Street Art Updates," or "Sometimes daily street art." Let's just say I'm using the term loosely. This weekend I plan on visiting my favorite street art-related spot in town: the Wall in Central Square, so I can capture some photo updates of what's going there. As I've mentioned before, the whole project began last October, when a who's who of Boston and New York-based street artists threw their stuff all over the formerly boring brick outside of Central Kitchen (and on the roof, and other how-did-they-get-there? spots). Then, inevitably, shit fell down or was spray painted over with non-interesting "0's," etc. NOW there's more art over the old art, this layer over that layer over that layer, so it's spanned beyond just a street artist's roll call - it's a concentrated statement of what's happening in cities all over the world, everyday. Here's hoping it keeps going!

I don't know a ton about today's handpicked local artist, noirboston, but I'm a fan of his gold and sometimes neon, Scooby Doo zombie character-like stencils currently lining the streets of Boston with other familiar characters, like Nineta and Goldenstash, like Boston's freaky, unofficial street art mascots, greeting en route to wherever you're going.

As for the non-local, Roadsworth's stuff seems to be popping everywhere, from Amsterdam, to Montreal, to Quebec, to Berlin, if Flickr is to be trusted as a location source. Roadsworth's shtick is using road markings as a base for artwork, transforming crosswalks, manhole covers, and other common city staples into statements of inspired cleverness. This is a somewhat Banksy-ish tactic that I've written about before; and the artists who do this - use pre-existing environments a the catalyst for artistic ventures - are the some of the most interesting. It's a means of changing expectations for what you might see on a daily walk - who doesn't want to stumble across art right under their feet?


In Boston: noirboston






Photos by noirboston.

Not in Boston: Roadsworth



Photo by nomsaleena.


Photo by greynotgrey.


Photo by hobbes313.


Photo by François @ Edito.qc.ca.

Sidenote: Any e-mail responses I've received in regards to daily street art over the past few months have been wholly positive, however, one or two commenters were not so happy about the fact that I use mainly Flickr photos. Sorry dudes, I wish I could be everywhere to take my own photos, but unfortunately I gotta be at the paper's offices at least some of the time, and Flickr's got the best street art collection. I always give photographers credit, but if you ever see your photo up here and don't want it to be, shoot me an e-mail and I'll take it down ASAP. Also, if you want to send a photo for me to use on the blog (with credit, of course), that'd be cool too.

--Caitlin E. Curran

3/21/2008 12:47:28 PM by Will Spitz | Comments [0] |  

Obama the Giant Has A Posse

Not bad for a guy who started out making "Andre the Giant Has A Posse" stickers, eh?

Today, the campaign of Barack H. Obama unveiled its newest campaign tool -- a limited (but not too limited) edition poster of the candidate designed by Shepard Fairey, the street-art provocateur who helped popularize the idea of brand-theft/street-art/anti-marketing as a swiss-army tool of urban resistance. Let's first say this about the Barack posters: they're pretty fucking cool. The one at top was unveiled by Fairey on his own site and sold out in seconds (b&W paster pdf is available here if you want it; it's also available as a t-shirt.). The one at bottom is coming soon to an Obama online marketplace near you.

Even more remarkable is the personal thank-you note he got from Obama, in which the candidate bravely ignores the political consequences of endorsing the defacement of public property. It reads, in part:

"Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign. I am privileged to be a part of your artwork and proud to have your support." 

You heard it here first: Barack Obama, the wheat-paste candidate.

Although the Andre stickers were mainly a wacky RISD sk8er-boi in-joke at first, Fairey was able to speak enough artspeak to enough critics that he was granted his own artform. The idea of promoting something that doesn't exist is now so thoroughly ingrained in the culture (and on its lampposts) that it seems impossible to imagine a world without it. Fairey proved so good at promoting imaginary, anti-concept concepts that, inevitably, he was able to get lots of actual commercial work. Later, he developed a fetish for Soviet- and other mid-century Communist propoganda -- in the process further cementing some nice critic-friendly connections between consumer culture and totalitarian rule.

Here comes the punchline. Ready?

Shepard Fairey has now made the leap from making art about political propoganda to making political propoganda.

Without naming names, we will simply pause at this juncture to recall that history has not always been kind to artists who use their aesthetic talents in the service of coercive political messaging.

Then again, Mitt Romney had a posse first.

Here is Fairey's statement, courtesy of the Obama camp:

"I wanted to make an art piece of Barack Obama because I thought an iconic portrait of him could symbolize and amplify the importance of his mission. I believe Obama will guide this country to a future where everyone can thrive and I should support him vigorously for the sake of my two young daughters. I have made art opposing the Iraq war for several years, and making art of Obama, who opposed the war from the start, is like making art for peace. I know I have an audience of young art fans and I'm delighted I can encourage them to see the merits of Barack Obama."

We've admired Shephard's art for many years. Most recently, we jonsed severely for his MC5/White Panther Party streetwear line. But if you are the kind of person who just thought, "Shit, maybe they shouldn't be mentioning the words 'White Panther Party' and 'Barack Obama' in the same blog entry," then you understand why this whole thing is making us just a little bit uncomfortable.

3/12/2008 2:46:25 PM by Carly Carioli | Comments [0] |  

We're really digging the Parisian artist C215's mosaical, stenciled portraits, which are currently gracing bleak slabs of city concrete across the globe. Stenciling is the old stand-by for street art and graffiti artists, but when it's done with a certain amount of creative vision, not to mention precision, it can be one of the more impacting methods. C215's portraits are pieced together by lines and shapes that feel like years worth of cracks or erosion, and the result is strikingly intimate, in a similar way to Swoon, but with a slightly different style. He's got a whole gigantic slew of his artwork on his MySpace, but we'll give you a sense of what we're talking about, below.

We also found some local stencils worth mentioning, by an unknown artist, and  - drumroll, please - there's some new art going up on the Wall in Central Square, which we've gushed about before, and was starting to look a bit tattered due to peeling wheatpasted art, and some not-so visually (but inevitable) interesting defacement. Feast your eyes on the new stuff!

Not in Boston (but everywhere else: New York, Rome, etc.): C215





Above images taken from C215's MySpace.




Photo by shoehorn99.

In Boston (Central Square): Stenciled tourists - who's watching whom?


Photo by sushiesque.

AND new art at the Wall:




March update photos byThe Wall mastermind hargo.

3/7/2008 4:07:40 PM by Caitlin | Comments [2] |  

Yesterday's New York Times travel section had an interesting piece about graffiti and street art in Berlin. From the article:

"Nearly everywhere you go, from the cafe-lined streets of Kreuzberg to the leafy schoolyards in Grunewald, hastily drawn “tags” stream across the sidewalk and crawl up the side of buildings, in an elaborate zigzag of cartoonish graphics, puffy letters, photo-like wheat pastes and bold stencils. Parts of the city look as splattered as a New York City subway car from the 1970s.

And it’s not just no-name graffiti writers who are contributing to the visual assault. With no shortage of vacant buildings, weedy lots and creative nomads, Berlin has become a blank canvas for graffiti artists far and wide, turning the German capital into arguably the most “bombed” — slang for graffiti-covered — city in Europe."

Catch the video interview with Berlin street artist Ali here, read the rest of the article here, or enjoy a collection of Berlin street art photos I've assembled below, via the Global Urban Art Pool.

Photos by K!WA.

Warhol bananas, as mentioned in the NYT. Photos by nolifebeforecoffee.

Photo by LoisInWonderland.

3/3/2008 4:07:20 PM by Caitlin | Comments [2] |  

Maybe it's just my inner cynic creeping out, but Valentine's Day seems like a holiday created by greeting card companies to make everyone feel bad about themselves. Okay, that's my totally subjective (and pretty much completely false) take on it. According to Wiki, though, the first mass-produced Valentines hailed from Worcester, Mass., so apparently it's partly our (and by our, I mean the past and present residents of Massachusetts) fault:

"The first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.... Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States, usually from a man to a woman. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry."

Yes, we all know about those diamond commercials, they make me want to chuck something at my television. So, in honor of the big V, here's something better to rest your eyes on - Valentine's-themed street art!

In Boston (Nineta mends her broken heart):

Photo by l a i a.

In France (Paris):

Photo by Aaltra.

In Italy (Rome):

Photo by art crimes.

In Spain:

Photo by goandgo.

In England (Bristol):

Photo by iyers.

Also in Spain (Barcelona):

Another flick by goandgo.

Somewhere in Europe (robot love):

Photo by -Three-.

AND, in New York City:

Photo by RFullerRD.

Happy V-day.

2/14/2008 1:17:16 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Cambridge): Stenciled-on musicians are brightening those bleak, concrete walls







Awesome pics by sushiesque, who also captured a heartbroken Loch Ness monster. We miss Elliott and Kurt too, Nessy.




Not in Boston (???): Christine Autturio, my artsy, in-the-know co-worker, pointed out Skelewags, the crafty, Tim Burton-referencing street art currently decorating sewers and other unappealing city locations, by an artist called Chewy, on conceptart.org.  Actually, decorate isn't even the right word, because Chewy incorporates his artwork into pre-existing structures, cracks, pipes, plants, etc. These things are not just canvases for the artwork, they're part of it. It's sort of Banksy-type thinking, that street art can be both inspired by and an improvement upon it's surroundings. Chewy's website is currently unfinished, and I wasn't able to pin down exactly what city these photos are from, via extensive Google researching, but my could-be-totally-wrong guess is somewhere in Portugal, based on this. If anyone knows for sure, help a sista out and shoot me an e-mail.











Photos by Nuno Caria.

2/8/2008 12:34:28 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

Maybe not, but it could be a good distraction at least. From the inbox:

2/4/2008 12:50:29 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Allston): I wrote about Goldenstash, the famed Hanna Barbera–esque, comically seductive, unapologetically womanizing cartoon creation of a local street artist; back in September. To refresh your memory:



Now, the man behind the stache is having an art show at Herrell's, in Allston. The show opens tomorrow, with a fiesta from 7-9 pm, and the works will be on view for the next two weeks. Go check 'em out!



He's also got some sweet kicks on his Flickr page:





Where can we get some of these? Proletariat, perhaps? Hook us up!

Not in Boston (Detroit): Swoon is an awesomely awesome street artist based in Brooklyn (looks like she's got a web page, but it's not working at the moment), but her artwork seems to be everywhere - Detroit, Paris, etc. I enjoy it's pencil-sketched feel, and seemingly perfect rendering of human contemplation:


Photo by Leshae.


Photo by Erikthered.




Photos by _Kriebel_.

1/25/2008 2:56:05 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

I recently discovered that the Library of Congress has a Flickr page, and I can't stop looking at it. Srsly. I need to be banned, or I'm never going get anything else done. Here are a few of the best flicks - visit the actual page if you like, but don't say I didn't warn you.

The coloring on this one is amazing:


Description: "Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Shown checking electrical assemblies. 1942 June"


"Children in the tenement district, Brockton, Mass. 1940 Dec"


"Rural school children, San Augustine County, Texas. 1943 April"


"Japanese-American camp, war emergency evacuation, [Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, Calif.] 1942 or 1943."

Look at all of these bad-ass women! These ladies rock:


" Women at work on C-47 Douglas cargo transport, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942 Oct."


"Woman machinist, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. 1942 Oct."


"An A-20 bomber being riveted by a woman worker at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant at Long Beach, Calif. 1942 Oct."


"Yaqui Indians. [between 1910 and 1915]"


"Lincoln, Nebraska. 1942"

(I wonder how much longer that lasted.)

1/18/2008 2:07:37 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (swirly, drippy snake in Inman Square):




Photos by me.

Not in Boston (Hawaiian street art):


(I had to look here to get it).




All photos by a Honoluluan called dubside.

1/16/2008 4:59:29 PM by Caitlin | Comments [1] |  

Hi. My street art posts have been MIA for the past few weeks, and not in the good, "Paper Planes"-kinda way - sorry about that, dudes. I fell victim to newspaper deadlines, but I will neglect daily street art no longer! As a piece offering, I've got a plethora of new and fantastic street art photos and news. Let's get started.

In Boston: An art show in Davis Square

There's a graffiti-inspired art show up at 38 Cameron Gallery through February 28, and the opening reception is tonight from 7 to 9 pm. The show features works by Rene Gagnon, who "began tagging in 1985, which led to painting larger production pieces in 1986, and was considered to be the most widely recognized graffiti artist/tagger in the area, under the alias, SNO," and Kenji Nakayama, a Japanese-born artist now living in Boston, who is "focusing on photo realistic multi-layer stencils and capturing a moment of my daily life, inspired by graffiti, street art, and industrial structures." Here's a sneak preview, courtesy of 38 Cameron's website:


(Rene Gagnon)


(Rene Gagnon)


(Rene Gagnon)


(Kenji Nakayama)


(Kenji Nakayama)

Not in Boston: Mona Lisa's everywhere


Covering-up Mona by ©athrine, from Oslo, Norway, who also posted a mooning Mona:




Snowy Monas by Rash., from Tehran, Iran.



Large, horizontal Mona by natalie_guinsler, in Columbus, Ohio.


Faceless, hiding out on a broken window Mona by Toots Fontaine, in Melbourne, Australia.



(For the record, here's what it's like when you try to see the real thing at the Louvre.)

1/11/2008 2:14:21 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Allston):



Photo by walknboston.

Not in Boston (Medellin, Colombia):



Photo by deuniti.

12/12/2007 7:57:51 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

First, the news:

Click here for more info.

Back to our regular program. In Boston, as previously reported, Monopoly everywhere:









All photos courtesy of hargo, who'd like to share this "timeless holiday story about family, love, and codependency" with you. Watch out for those reindeer around South Station.

Not in Boston (Rome, Italy - we think):







All photos by the Jango.

12/6/2007 1:08:48 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Allston), who's watching whom?



Captured by mikeyallswell.

Not in Boston: Don't worry - it's not the oft discussed Banksy (who we personally find hilariously inventive, even though the fact that the dreaded Brangelina is now worshipping him makes us feel nauseous, but that's a discussion for another day) and his controversial exhibit at the Holasek Gallery in Chelsea. Instead, we're going with Williamsburg, Brooklyn:



Pic by LoisInWonderland.

11/28/2007 5:16:35 PM by Caitlin | Comments [2] |  

In Boston:



Yipes + Mr.Buildmore flick by walknboston.

Not in Boston (works by laser 3.14 in Amsterdam, a frequent haunt on Daily Street Art. It's hard to avert our eyes from Amsterdam's awesomely awesome street art):









Excellent photos from a series by wojophoto.

11/27/2007 6:37:29 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

I'm late to the Project Runway Season 4 rehash game, but rest assured. I've already watched the debut twice (yes, twice) and I can say with a great deal of self-assurance that this is totally my favorite season so far. Not even A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila can top the happiness of Proj Run. Although it's fun to alternate Tila and PR marathons. In fact, I highly recommend it.

So. Simone, the only pretty girl, got voted off. Sad! Heidi Klum doesn't like to be upstaged by quirky-cutes. It's going to be okay, though. I'm not worried. Neither are any of the straight men I know who watch this show without any hand-holding or convincing from yours truly. Although Tim Gunn really does seem... deflated. What's wrong, Tim? I still like Guide to Style, even if the critics say it's a poor-woman's What Not to Wear. I enjoy Tim and Veronica Webb together, I like the presents hes gives away, and I would love to give him a double kiss on the cheeks. Just saying. Elisa, I think, is fantastic. She's so art-school. It's amazing to watch her work. The thing she did with rubbing the chiffon in the grass was magic. I want more. Forever. I already have a soft spot for Rami because he's Israeli and I appreciate his quiet confidence. Plus, his winsome, chic gray dress! And yes, I have a television crush on him. But. I feel like he's a bit too purposeful. We shall see. Oh, one last thing. It really bothered me that the puffed sleeves on Christian's jacket weren't even. I echoed Tim's concerns about that, though Nina Garcia didn't seem to care?! Christian's shtick is extremely loud and proud. Obviously I adore the 'tude. Although if I knew him I would probably be like -- move, bitch. He really is kind of a bitch, right? Except his word for that is Flawless. Or was it Fabulous? Hmmm.

11/20/2007 12:56:23 PM by Sharon Steel | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge):

There we were, enjoying a UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen, and the experimental, post-rock sounds of the Amherst-based instrumental band Hadoken at the Middle East Upstairs, when we spotted something on the right, above the posters for Dirty Projectors and the Most Serene Republic: a massive green and black tag boldly splashed across the red wall. "How long has that been there?" we wondered, immediately consulting bartender Matt Price, who estimated about two weeks. We had no recollection of what was there before, but Price said that, strangely, it said "ZuZu". Even though, you know, the Middle East Upstairs is not ZuZu and all. Regardless, we like it, and though it's not technically street art, since it's not so much on the street but, oh, 20 or so feet away from it, we thought it was worth posting a few flicks. Apologies for the graininess - darkness is the photographer's constant foe. [Update: The Middle East Crew say the artist is James Ovid Mustin III, star of this blurry but cool video.]

Not in Boston (Holland, The Netherlands):



Photo by wojofoto on Flickr.

11/20/2007 12:42:14 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Allston):



Photo by Seth Tisue.

Not in Boston (Mexico City, Mexico):



Contrast-y flick by a hundred visions and revisions.

Send us a photo? E-mail: ccurran@phx.com

11/16/2007 3:38:50 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (well, Beverly):



Photo by Bläck Döve, who also captured this gem:



The enemy?

Not in Boston (NYC):



Photo courtesy of RFullerRD.

And, of course, anytime you wanna send a photo of some cool street art, in Boston and beyond, send it to ccurran@phx.com.

11/13/2007 5:26:33 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston (Nineta, on Comm Ave and beyond):






**(This one's actually by Matt Siren)



Photos snagged from l_a_i_a.

Not in Boston (Talking Britneys in Vancouver, British Columbia):









Photos swiped from jerm9ine.

Help us out. Send a photo or two. Drop an e-mail here.

11/9/2007 2:20:56 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

In Boston:



Via hargo on Flickr. (Otherwise known as the man behind the Wall.)

Not in Boston (Tirana, Albania):



Via sys68escuadrilla on Flickr.

Send us your street art photos! Drop an e-mail here.

11/5/2007 4:14:56 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

Boston (Central Square):



A meeting of our Boston (and non-Boston) favs at the Wall at Central Square. Photo by l a i a on Flickr.

Not in Boston (Philly):



Photo by Phillybits on Flickr.

Got a cool Boston or non-Boston street art photo? E-mail it to us.

11/2/2007 1:19:18 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

Boston (somewhere around 93 north):

Photo submitted anonymously.

Not in Boston (Málaga, Spain):



Flickr photo by bayt, from the Windowzoo project. More here:



Got a cool Boston or non-Boston street art photo? E-mail it to us.

11/1/2007 2:41:05 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

Boston:



Photo by hargo on Flickr.

Not in Boston:



Banksy photo from Wooster Collective.

Got a cool Boston or non-Boston street art photo? E-mail it to us.

10/31/2007 1:34:34 PM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  

It takes a lot of work to make Boston a place that hits above its weight-class in smartypants culture, but the Harvard Film Archive could soldier on singlehandedly if it had to. Monday was no exception when the HFA brought us “An Evening with Arnaud Desplechin.” Desplechin is one of the most important French filmmakers working today — a point that was made right off the bat by the evening's host, Jean-Michel Frodon, the managing editor of Cahiers du Cinema.

 

When Desplechin was introduced, with his thin face, high forehead, and rumpled hair, it was hard to ignore his resemblance to Roberto Begnini. Despite this, I felt no urge to punch him in the neck. The first film shown was Desplechin's 1991 debut, La Vie des Morts. It focuses on a rugby team's worth of college-aged cousins descending on a household where another cousin has just shot himself in the head. With the grieving nuclear family pushed to the side — you barely even clap eyes on Mom — La Vie des Morts demonstrates Desplechin's early understanding that there's more to a film than the storyline, that mundane life continues to surge around tiny islands of profundity.

 

After the film, the floor was opened to questions. Most audience Q&A's get seriously embarrassing, since people's questions generally boil down to:

 

1) "I noticed something and aren't I terribly clever?"

 

2) "You didn't make choices that the one artist I know anything about makes."

 

3) "I have a crazy agenda that has nothing to do with your work."

 

Of course, Cambridge is the epicenter of this sort of behavior, but Monday's crowd refrained from intellectual spaz-outs. Someone asked why so many first-time directors take on tragic topics. Desplechin countered that his film, "isn't about people who are suffering, but people who are witnesses of people who are suffering. They are on a kind of elegai