AMERICANA OVERLOAD

Given the adorably contradictory title of "World's Largest Miniature Village" by the Guinness Book of World Records, Miniature Village is a manditory stop for anyone with the good fortune of finding themselves in Shartlesville, PA off the I-78.

Laurence Gierenger started building the village in the early 30s after realizing he had a fascination with small things because- this is amazing- as a boy he thought that distant buildings were actually tiny and didnt realize that they were simply really, really far away. It also inlcudes a "night pageant" every half hour with projected images of Jesus with the American flag and a very tinny sounding God Bless America. There are over 1000 handcarved trees, and hundreds of moving parts- this photo doesnt do Miniature Village justice in the least.

its seriously far out!!

SPA CASTLE

I'm surprised nobody thought of this before; a 24 hour relaxation Amusement Park. That's basically what Spa Castle is. After driving through the middle of nowhere queens, you stumble upon five floors of LED sauna utopia. There are traditional Korean baths, along with four other coed floors that consist of salt saunas, gold saunas, infrared lounges, foot reflexolgy parlors, and lazy boy chill zones. Just in case you get too hot, you can take a break in the North Pole room. Families sit in robes eating everything from bimbambop to corndogs. Not only can you get carnival food at Spa Castle, but there's even a swanky bar called "Tonic" located on the top floor. This place is a truly bazar and genius invention. Great for a birthday party or a first date. Please go if you live anywhere near Queens.

VHS OF THE WEEK: SHERMAN'S MARCH

Oddly compelling 1986 documentary about trying to find love.

This film prominently features awkward conversations with family, long car trips through the South, holiday meals, Civil War sites, boredom, rollerskates and Burt Reynolds.

Seemed appropriate. Happy Thanksgiving from Asheville, North Carolina.

VENA CAVA CONVERSE

Hand drawn with a sharpie, brought to you by Converse RED. On sale Dec 5th. See the converse website to buy. http://www.converse.com

Hidden in the drwaing are shout outs to Pappy Van Winkle, chocolate covered orange peels, Greta Garbo, Peter Lugers, Dr. Strangelove, and walrus.

GRAPHIC MAGICK

My buddy Jonathan (DJ Intellectual Property), passed this along last night:

ajourneyroundmyskull.blogspot.com

My new favorite blog. Just makes ya wanna draw.

The dutch pulp covers from the 30's and 40's are pretty incredible.

Also the top four are by German fantasy architect Herman Finsterlin. His stuff is bazar, mammalian like, and way ahead of it's time. Please notice the second sketch- a design for a Vegetarian restaurant in 1919.

DINNER CAVE

Next time we're in China to visit our factories I hope we can eat dinner in this cave near Guilin.

It comfortably seats 1000 so we could bring all our friends. And check out those red tapers!

Thats one classy cave.

HOLY MOLY!!!

Yesterday we had a trunk show at the Barneys flagship on Madison and were treated to a big surprise downstairs.... an awesome post-it display with an entire window of Vena Cava!

Yippeee!!!

VHS OF THE WEEK- 70'S CHICK FLICK TRILOGY!

All three of these movies have been reacurring inspirations for past Vena Cava collections. They are great to watch in a row...just get a bottle of rose, some virginia slims, and a nice rare steak. With the recent vampire movie bonanza that seems to never end, it's nice to take a step back into the 1970's female phychological horror film.

MARTHA

Fassbinder 1974

I watched this movie on the way to China last year. 

The whole thing is utterly miserable and continues to get worse as it unfolds. Margit Carstensten's psychosis and neurosis cause her to have a mental break down. She walks edlessesy through her mansion in 1970's YSL looking mens suits. The set design and costumes are spot on- make sure to check out the plants that inhabit her overgrown German solarium. 


SISTERS
Brian DePalma 1973

This movie has amazing 70's interiors that contain lots of tonal carpeting. Margot Kidder stars in this movie about two siamese twins that are separated in late adolescence. Great music, with a score by Bernard Herman who did Phycho and Vertigo.


THREE WOMEN
Robert Altman 1977

Starring Sissy Spacek, Shelly Duval, and Janice Rule. Apparently Altman imagined this movie in a dream. The palate is dusty and sunbleached with images of the southwestern landscape. A desolate resort town with desert bars and strip malls is the setting. Nothing about this movie is logical or lucid, which is the best thing about it. It reminds me alot of another great surrealist chic flick- Celine and Julie Go Boating (also from the 70's with amazing costumes and hypnotic images).

PORTRAITS

Amazing artist and illustrator Hanna Terese Nilsson recently sent us this portrait in pencil of the two of us. I think we need to start using illustrations of ourselves anytime we get a request for a photo. Hanna's drawings of objects are particularly great; sensitive without being too fragile, and technical at the same time. Here are two of my favorites: 'love' and 'peronalida2'.