Jen Library Reference Department

CC image by philip.bitnar

Happy Halloween everybody! For your spooky enjoyment, please enjoy this selection of library materials on the art of the horror film. Curl up with a book on a dark and dreary evening, or choose a VHS or DVD for late-night viewing at the library. Plus, we’re open until 1AM on Halloween night! Just don’t go down to the basement…

Stuff to read – lots more to choose from in our catalog:

• Sound Design for American Horror Films (Thesis)
  
• Making a Monster: The Creation of Screen Characters by the Great Makeup Artists
• Cult Horror Films: from Attack of the 50 foot woman to Zombies of Mora Tau
• Horror Poster Art
• Horror International (about horror films worldwide)
  
• Hollywood Horror: From Gothic to Cosmic
• Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986
• Gorehound’s Guide to Splatter Films (two books): The 1980s and the 1960s and 1970s
• The Changing Vampire of Film and Television : A Critical Study of the Growth of a Genre
• Zombie Culture: Autopsies of the Living Dead

Stuff to watch:

• Poltergeist
• Psycho
• The Exorcist
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• Night of the Living Dead
• Nosferatu
• Frankenstein
• American Movie (about the making of a “no budget” horror film)

What are some of your favorite horror classics? Is there a book or film that the library should have, but doesn’t? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!

Printmakers, Renaissance history buffs as well as interactive designers: check out the excellent website for The Brilliant Line! The exhibit, now on view at the Museum Of Art at RISD, highlights the work of key Renaissance and Baroque engravers from throughout Europe. While it’s sure to be a fine showing of great art and excellent scholarship, the accompanying website is really stunning, because it shows users exactly how these masters created their etchings, layer by layer. Select a work and click “analyze lines” to give it a test drive, as I did with Robetto’s “Adoration of the Magi”:

Analyze Lines feature - via the Museum of Art at RISD

I couldn’t help but be reminded of MoMA’s “What is a Print?” tutorial. Fine printmaking is a rather obscure process to many, and both of these sites do an excellent job of explaining print history and technique for a general audience.

Have you been “wowed” by an exhibition website recently? Add a comment to tell us about it!

Diller Scofidio’s Library © Carlos Solis - via archdaily.com

Fall Quarter will soon be upon us, but those of you lingering in the NYC area might want to check out this fascinating ongoing exhibit: Unpacking My Library: Architects and their Books , on view at Urban Center Books. A prolific architect’s library is featured each month; Liz Diller and Ric Scofidio are headlining September. For those of you who can’t make it there in person, the exhibition website features some interesting highlights, and a catalog will be published later this year – leave a comment if you’d like to see it at the Jen Library!

The organizers state: “Each architect’s library is unique and informs their practice in surprising ways. Their personal statements, and favorite books, show that they are not bound by architectural themes or a canonizing of architectural history.” What an interesting way to demonstrate the wide-ranging and very personal sources of inspiration and research that architects, designers, and artists require. Collections of text, images, and random bits of paper and ephemera can form a creative laboratory of sorts, and upon examination reveal quite a lot about the keeper’s interests and history.

A quick Google search reveals that there are plenty of artists and designers who love books, and are blogging about it. A few examples can be seen here, here, and here.

Do you have book collection? How does reading fit into your daily practice? Is there a book that is a must-read for others in your area of specialization? Tell us about it!

I’m guessing that we all love edible art–beautiful food, an exquisitely done culinary experience, artisan pastries and breads.  But what about gelatin?

Two young men in Britain are trying to change the way we feel about “jellies.”  They wanted to open a little jelly storefront and were turned down, so now they are working on commission and making creative molds for parties and events.  They’ve even worked with professors to create glow-in-the-dark jelly.

Read the article here, and don’t forget to take a look at the slide show.  This just may make your mouth water for a wiggly gelatin treat!

Check out the Art & Design section of the New York Times.  There’s an interactive component right now to an article they have on “The Old Master.” Audio, good images of paintings, and a nice article about what was going on at the end of Picasso’s life.

Just a fresher look at an old Modern master.

Check out this article from the New Yorker.  We have it right here in Jen Library! You can find back issues of the New Yorker, along with your favorite magazines, in the Bound Periodical section of the library.  It’s on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs.  The periodicals are arranged alphabetically, so they are easy to search.  Enjoy!

“Made in the Shade” by Eric Konigsberg, from The New Yorker, January 22, 2007.

An article in today’s New York Times is critical of the recent shows in Milan, Italy.  Mainly, the writer feels that there was little creative response to the current economic downturn.  Other recent fashion articles in the Times have said that it’s apparent the 80s are coming back.  But how does this speak to the recession?  Balloon sleeves, bright colors–these speak to the decadence of the 80s and don’t really give us a sense of the austere times.

This leads to questions of how is fashion supposed to respond to these issues?

Some papers are running articles on how to dress stylishly on a budget, while others are talking about how women can look tough like 80s rockers–this makes a reader wonder how responsible the fashion world is.  Students, does fashion respond to the times?  Or is high fashion rarely, if ever, for the average person and therefore doesn’t need to respond to the “real” world?