meatsex

so, it's not really news that often in advertising meat gets associated with sex in one way or another. for example:
how about the mcdonald's ad with the ambiguous man who seems to want to fuck their hamburger?

or the carl's jr ad with paris hilton in a bathing suit washing a car/eating a burger?

or, more recently, the arby's commercial with the man getting a special arby's birthday treat? (doesn't that arby's symbol look like a penis to you?)


all of these (and so many more) are wonderful and disgusting examples of meatsex in advertising. however, i think that white castle has outdone them all.

picture this:
a person is dressed up in a pig costume. she is dancing on stage at a strip club to the delight of the men in attendance. then, channeling flashdance, she sits down in a chair and soaks herself, not in water, but in barbecue sauce. the crowd goes wild. some lick the sauce.

as i was watching this i couldn't help questioning the state of advertising today. because someone out there came up with this idea. and other people thought this idea was good. this does not make me want to try their new pulled pork sandwich. if anything i want white castle less than i did before seeing this ad.

unfortunately i can't seem to find a video of this commercial anywhere online. i guess it's too new. but keep your eyes peeled. it's pretty ridiculous.

mastercard with mascots.

i realize this has been out for a while, but i still have some gripes about it.

1. i feel bad for the man playing to Gorton's Fisherman. he's the only real person there. it must have been so awkward.

2. Charlie the tuna is serving tuna. that's a little bit cannibalistic.

3. if they were going to invite the Jolly Green Giant, couldn't they have planned for a picnic? it's rude to invite someone to a party and then make him watch the festivities from outside.

4. i understand that Mr. Clean really is the man for the job as far as dishwashing is concerned, but why couldn't he have been included in the dinner as well?

priceless.

beefscape: mountain

in honor of earth day, here's another beefscape:

humument.

i recently read A Humument. although i think read may not really be the best word to use. reading this book is as much a visual experience as looking at a painting. because you are looking at paintings. and words.

i think visual art and literature are often thought of too separately. written language is visual. in principle, any story that is written down becomes a visual experience just by default. this book seems to break down the boundaries that have been imposed between literature and visual art. the author has taken a victorian novel and created a story within the story. most of the original words have been covered up by paint and what's left exposed creates a brand new narrative. it's not exactly linear, but it is interesting.

i would recommend this book to anyone who is both interested in visual art and literature. particularly if you happen to think that those two things aren't really that different. and even if you do think they are that different, this book might just make you question that distinction.

beefscape: canyon

over the last several months i worked on a collage project based on a beef ad campaign called Powerful Beefscapes. i call it Where Would Cows Live in the Land of Beef.
i'm finally finished with them (mostly), so i thought it might be time to share them with the world. or at least the internet. or at least the small part of the internet that this blog happens to reach.
anyway, here is the first installment:

hamburgers & roker.

a few nights ago i had a dream that al roker left a bag of hamburgers in front of my door. i'm not sure how i came to be so close with al roker that he would drop off lunch for me.

regardless, those hamburgers were delicious.

short shorts.

dear men,

above-the-knee shorts worn with loafers and no socks is never a good look. never.

love,
katy

pirates.

I am so sick of pirates.

listening to NPR this morning, I knew before they even asked what the poll question on the Roundtable would be. pirates. i quickly changed the station.

pirates are not the housing market. pirates are an excuse to talk about something else.

i'm so sick of pirates.

theater as hitler.

from this week's New York magazine:

"ASTOR PLACE
A woman at a community-board meeting said the Public Theater's request for permission to build a larger staircase outside its main entrance reminded her of Hitler invading Austria."

ridiculous.

outsider art.

there is currently an exhibit up at The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College titled Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection. I haven't seen it yet, but i would like to. this got me thinking about Outsider art in general. I usually like that type of art, but I really don't like the term. i feel like there is something misleading or at least lacking in the terminology. it seems like this art is embraced (mostly after the artists' deaths) as a sort of novelty. a fascination turned appreciation that seems to me to be a little bit condescending.

i understand that there is a need in the art world to label everything, but why must art made by outsiders be labeled as such? there is no such thing as "insider art." if an "outsider" is making art that is then displayed and commodified by art institutions, doesn't that automatically make them an insider? i mean, isn't everyone an outsider in the art world until they do something that gets them attention from the powers that be? and if the person getting that attention happens to be a reclusive zealot, or a mental patient, isn't their acceptance the same as that of an artist with an MFA?

creative people create, regardless of background or inspiration. art is art. am i wrong?

indian thriller.

enjoy.