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Mada
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Mada
Plastic Jesus, real devotion
Xenia Nikolskaya's latest photobook Plastic Jesus presents a selection of photographs of Coptic merchandise and architectural interiors from her trips across Egypt between 2003 and 2010. The hardcover book, designed by Omar al-Zo'bi, includes 52 images, an introduction by Adam Makary and a love letter by Nikolskaya herself. The book derives its title from an American folk song — a religious parody about finding temporary solace in a plastic Jesus figurine, which opens with the following verses: I don't care if it rains or freezes long as I have my plastic Jesus glued to the dashboard of my car comes in colors pink and pleasant glows in the dark cause it's iridescent take Him with you when you travel far Nikolskaya's voice rises a pitch when she asks me, 'Have you heard the song Plastic Jesus played by the famous actor in that scene?' I pull up a low-res Youtube video, which I watch a few times on repeat. In the 1967 chain gang drama Cool Hand Luke, a rebellious prisoner who refuses to submit in a Florida prison camp gains the admiration of his fellow inmates with his heroic attempts to escape. Luke, a small town guy, is serving two years of forced labor for breaking off the tops of parking meters, just because there's 'not much to do in the evenin'.' The establishment wants to beat him down, but Luke refuses to let anyone think they've broken his spirit. When he receives a telegram about his mother's death, his cell mates, in a show of respect, silently leave the room one at a time, allowing him to grieve in privacy. Luke sits on a bunk bed and, staring into space, grabs a banjo and sings the popular folk song Plastic Jesus as a requiem for his mother: Get yourself a Sweet Madonna dressed in rhinestone sittin' on a pedestal of abalone shell goin' ninety, I ain't scary 'cause I've got my Virgin Mary assuring me that I won't go to Hell Nikolskaya's reference to the folk song in the title of her latest photobook completes a journey that unfolded over twenty-two years, and which brought her from Russia to Egypt. The book launches in Cairo this month. It comes at a time marked by a dramatic shift in the digital media landscape and the ways in which we engage with images and news stories. What coincides with a volatile global political moment is the possibility for horrific images of war, of detonated bodies, starved children, to be broadcasted live daily and reported by citizen-journalists out of closed military systems. To witness ordinary people forced to become heroes just to survive unimaginable pain under extraordinary conditions makes tangible the saint-like figure we often encounter suspended in the disbelief of fiction or religious scripture. We live in a moment where 'the saint-like heroes are the heroes of war,' as Nikolskaya puts it. In the image of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the first pope of Alexandria, believers see the symbol of a religion born amid the quiet whispers of secrecy. Saint Mark, whose family is said to have been a close companion of Jesus Christ, was himself chosen as one of the Seventy Apostles. He established the first church in Africa and spread Christianity through various places in Eurasia. With the founding of the church in Alexandria, he became the first in an unbroken lineage of Coptic popes. According to Coptic tradition, he was martyred in 68 AD by a mob of Romans who dragged him through the streets for two consecutive days until his death. He was also the first to inaugurate a far grimmer continuity: the steady current of Egyptian martyr-saints. A religion that spread under the threat of persecution would go on to favor concealable everyday objects over large structures to symbolize faith. The images of saints featured on ordinary items are redolent of a decentralized church, they are 'things that you have in your pocket,' Nikolskaya explains, 'in your car, your home. It's not the Cathedral of St. Mark, but for you, it can be as amazing as any of these monuments.' It is the church ever present in your home. Plastic Jesus depicts 42 disposable but sacred artifacts collected, or rather purchased, from Coptic gift shops along various historic monasteries and church complexes down the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt. The photobook is designed as a counter-museum catalogue with local religious figures featured on fridge magnets, pillows lined in faux-fur, mugs, pens, watches, rubik's cubes, smartphone cases — all either laser-cut, carved or printed on variations of silicons, aluminums and plastics. I. Coptic Kitsch Plastic Jesus evokes a nostalgic desire for kitsch objects to counteract the colonial and class biases of 'high' culture. These ordinary artifacts that populate the lives of believers are found in a variety of ever-changing trends in any Coptic gift shop across the country. Essentially, they're keeping a cultural economy alive in rural Egypt, where many of the workshops and factories are found. Coptic-kitsch re-packages ancient imagery for a new generation of consumers (read: believers). The book carries a certain air. It is cool, aloof, and doesn't give a shit if you think these objects are sacred — it tells you they are. The cover is laminated with a Gothic cross in hot pink pasted across an etching of Jesus Christ. Lined in matching pink paper, the book's sober typography and minimal color-scheme are designed to point your attention to the colors, textures and shapes of the 'flamboyant' artifacts in the collection. It asks that we play a game of code-switching, to reconsider these objects, not in their pure materiality, but in the image of what they represent. It doesn't question the sacredness of these objects, but rather celebrates it. It is precisely because they are sacred that Nikolskaya creates a museum-grade catalogue to exhibit them. Visitors in a Coptic church will often lay their hands and kiss icons on the church walls as a symbolic act to connect with a saint via a tactile engagement with their image. The image of a saint, believed to be sacred in the Christian tradition, is an imprint through which, in a collective effort of remembrance, the epic tales of struggle and the saint's attributes are kept alive. As Adam Makary points out in the introductory text, the preservation of sacred emblems is itself a sacramental act and a church duty. The images of saints also serve to reflect something back to believers by evoking their emotions. 'They're handlebars on a long journey,' Nikolskaya says when I ask her what they represent to her. With an almost religious assertiveness, she dedicates the book to 'the people of Egypt,' emphasizing that it is 'made by them for them and for us to truly believe what we believe.' The bold font, all in capital letters, of the dedication text, echoes the graphic intensity of iconic works of contemporary feminist art: the neon-colored posters in Jenny Holzer's 'Inflammatory Essays,' wheat pasted across city streets and Barbara Kruger's 1980s stark slogans in Futura Bold, layered over found imagery. II. Sacred Junk In between a steady stream of softly-lit artifacts in Nikolskaya's Plastic Jesus are spreads of architectural spaces where some of the objects reappear in context. Having first travelled to Egypt in 2003 as an archaeological field photographer with the Russian Egyptological mission, Nikolskaya wryly points to the colonial underpinnings of the field: 'I was often surprised,' she says, 'by the artifacts they chose to save.' She leaves it at that. But her critique surfaces through her architectural photography, which highlights archaeological sites not just as historical locations but as significant spaces that continue to be utilized to this day. The ancient sites are lived-in, even when in the absence of people — they display traces of movement. Rather than kill an artifact in order to preserve it, Nikolskaya engages with the tradition while it is still alive. These plastic trinkets, often dismissed as cheap commercial goods, are seldom included in the corpus of Coptic heritage. But by granting them museum-grade treatment, the book quietly insists that we reconsider them as tangible material of tradition. However the parody, as highlighted in the following verses of Plastic Jesus (the folk song), is that, while sacramental value is often associated with being eternal, cheaply-made things are manufactured in cheap material, which is prone to breakage, wear and tear, and disintegration into microplastics—so, at what point in the breakage of a Jesus figurine does it stop being sacred? Can we dispose of a sacred object and if so, how? Plastic Jesus, Plastic Jesus riding on the dashboard of my car though the sunshine on His back makes Him peel, chip and crack a little patching keeps Him up to par Plastic Jesus, Plastic Jesus riding on the dashboard of my car I'm afraid He'll have to go His magnets ruin my radio and if I have a wreck, He'll leave a scar III. Holy Assemblage Nikolskaya identifies as a secular Christian and places herself in the narrative. She seems driven more by curiosity than a set itinerary through the local landscape. Although she relies solely on natural lighting in her architectural photography, she manages to bring our attention to the stark contrast of colors and meaning. She highlights points of tension in the ancient sites: an electric fan on a bench near an altar in a fourth century monastery; a fluorescent pink satin fabric dripping off an old wooden cupboard against a wall painted in lime green; a digital embroidery of the last supper hanging crookedly above a row of plastic tables, themselves covered in Pepsi-branded tablecloths. 'If the light is there, you have the image,' she says, as if it were so effortless. The photos in Plastic Jesus, in the sheer amount of detail they carry, invite you to indulge in the tense juxtaposition of old and new, holy and mundane, authentic and mass-produced. The book highlights the affective (read: emotional) experience of a niche cultural economy of Coptic-kitsch artifacts, and emphasizes the need for a more nuanced approach to cultural preservation. But in the age of the made-in-China and as we continue to witness the catastrophic effects of microplastics on our environments, wildlife and subaltern communities, the book may leave you wondering: Have we crossed a threshold whereby microplastics are now so enmeshed in the fabric of our lives that they have even become things of eternal sacramental value? If the saints are with us, maybe they're made of plastic. Maybe that's the point.
Calgary Herald
30-05-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Brookman: City's communication lacking in reciprocity
In the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke, the brutish southern sheriff tells his prisoner, 'What we have here is a failure to communicate.' To the sheriff, 'communicate' means he tells the prisoner what to do and the prisoner complies or suffers the consequences. Article content Article content Communication can be seen as an exchange of ideas that results in a mutually agreeable outcome. Article content Municipal governments seem to now believe an effort to be more transparent and to communicate simply comes down to them telling the people what the government intends to do. When council says, 'We need to be more transparent,' it does not mean they are open to discussion, but rather only want to tell us what they have already decided. Article content Article content The disruption and ongoing work along 33rd Avenue in Marda Loop has become the subject of jokes across the city. Traffic is in chaos, residents are upset and businesses struggle, but the City of Calgary soldiers on. Article content Article content Last week, I attended a community presentation that involved two proposed buildings along 34th Avenue. One is shown as 16 storeys and the other is 18 storeys. Article content Parking is proposed at 66 per cent, meaning one in three units will not have a parking stall. Never mind that this area was to have a maximum height of six-storey buildings. Never mind that many young couples own not one, but two cars or that the whole area is already crowded with cars parked along residential streets. Article content Article content None of that matters as long as city council has 'communicated' their intentions to the community. At the presentation, a City representative asked, 'What do you think?' When the responses were 'too tall and not enough parking,' he responded that, 'Everyone says that, but this is what the City wants.' Article content Article content This is nonsense, and no established community in Calgary is being spared. Article content The City wants to establish a new committee to protect the urban forest, but then approves developments that begin with the demolition of charming old homes and the tearing down of hundreds of trees. Is this what communities want? Is this what the residents want? Is this transparency and communication? Article content The answer is clear. This city hall is driven by an ideology of increased density. Never mind what happens to charming old neighbourhoods or established communities. Never mind about individual privacy or use of your backyards, and forget about parking in front of your own home.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Don Baker, Actor Known for 'GoldenEye' and 'Cape Fear', Dies at 89
Joe Don Baker, who appeared in three James Bond movies and films like The Natural and Cape Fear, died at 89 on Wednesday, May 7 Baker's family announced his death in an obituary published on Tuesday, May 13; he was married for 11 years and had no children The actor "is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will miss him eternally," his obituary readsJoe Don Baker, a Hollywood actor whose career spanned nearly five decades on the screen, has died. He was 89. Baker's family announced his death in an obituary published on on Tuesday, May 13; Baker died on Wednesday, May 7, according to the obituary. A cause of death was not immediately provided. "Joe Don was a beacon of kindness and generosity," one section of his obituary reads. "His intellectual curiosity made him a voracious reader, inspiring a great love of nature and animals, particularly cats. Throughout his life, Joe Don touched many lives with his warmth and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him." Baker was born on Feb. 12, 1936, and grew up in Texas. He graduated from North Texas State College in 1958 after receiving an athletic scholarship. After college, Baker served in the U.S. Army for two years and then moved to New York City, where he studied acting at the famed Actor's Studio and began performing on the stage, according to his obituary. Baker's onscreen career began in 1965, when he appeared on one episode of the television series Honey West; he first made an appearance in a feature film in 1967's classic Cool Hand Luke. Throughout his career, Baker notably appeared in three different James Bond movies — as a villain in 1987's The Living Daylights, opposite Timothy Dalton's Bond, and a CIA spy in 1995's GoldenEye and 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, with Pierce Brosnan's 007 — in addition to movies like The Natural, Walking Tail and Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "As we say goodbye to Joe Don, we hold onto the memories and the love he shared with us," his obituary reads. "Though he may no longer be with us in body, his spirit will always remain, a guiding light in the lives he touched. Rest in peace, Joe Don. You will be dearly missed but never forgotten." Baker had not acted for the screen since he appeared in Matthew McConaughey's 2012 movie Mud. During his career, he received one nomination at the BAFTA Awards in 1986 for his work in the miniseries Edge of Darkness. According to Baker's obituary, he was married for 11 years and does not have any children. His funeral service will be held in Mission Hills, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, at 10 a.m. local time. "He is survived by relations in his native Groesbeck, who will forever cherish his memory," Baker's obituary reads. "He is mourned by a small but very close circle of friends who will miss him eternally." Read the original article on People
Irish Independent
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘I got into 150 fights in the schoolyard', says Barry Keoghan
The actor and Hollywood star recently returned to his roots in Dublin 1, accompanied by photographer Greg Williams, for an interview in Hollywood Authentic. Filmed in March, the video offers fans a glimpse into Barry's early life as it showcases the 'formative places' in Dublin that shaped him. The actor, known for his roles in Dunkirk, Banshees of Inisherin, and Saltburn, opened up about his journey from growing up in Summerhill, to being thrust into international stardom. During the interview, Barry revisits his O'Connell Primary School near Croke Park, where he reconnects with his former deputy headteacher. He fondly remembers performing in his first Christmas play there – a production of Oliver – in the school's PE Hall, and poses for pictures with staff and pupils. In the Hollywood Authentic video, Barry reflects on how 'mad' it feels to return to the very place where he spent his early years. Recalling his time in the schoolyard, he admits: 'I had many fights out there … 150!' Growing up in Dublin, Barry and his brother spent several years in foster care after the tragic death of their mother, who battled heroin addiction. Barry speaks candidly about how his turbulent early years, living in 14 different foster homes, influenced both his development and his career. He found solace in acting, drawing early inspiration from classic films like Cool Hand Luke and performances by Marlon Brando. ADVERTISEMENT He credits these films with teaching him about male behaviour and composure in the absence of a father figure. He also shares how his acting career began when he saw a notice for a local film role outside a shop in the north inner city. The ad was seeking young males with no previous acting experience, and those who had scramblers and bikes. For Barry, it was just an opportunity to earn €120 and take a break from school. However, the role in crime drama Between the Canals helped kickstart his career. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The actor also spoke openly about how his own struggles with addiction led to a stint in rehab. 'Niall [his driver] literally drove me and put me on a plane himself, came with me and brought me to the rehab in England,' he told Hollywood Authentic. 'I went back to visit. It was nice to see the staff again, and for them to see the change in me. They were quite emotional about it. I'm forever grateful.' In the video, he also visited Cineworld on Parnell Street which he said he used to sneak into on a regular basis before eventually getting barred. When he later showed up to the cinema for the premiere of Dunkirk, he was turned away at first, before explaining to staff that it was a movie he was starring in.
CNN
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Gene Hackman wanted to be remembered as a ‘decent actor.' He far surpassed that with these roles
Gene Hackman knew how he wanted to be remembered. 'As a decent actor,' he told GQ in 2011. 'As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion.' His career is now being reflected upon as the 95-year-old actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their home in New Mexico earlier this week under circumstances officials deemed 'suspicious enough' to warrant thorough investigation. Hackman, a two-time Oscar-winner, was way more than a 'decent actor.' Here are eight of the roles in which he proved just that: By Hollywood standards, Hackman was a bit of a late bloomer. He didn't have his first break out role until 1967, when at the age of 37 he caught the industry's attention with his scene-stealing role as Buck Barrow, the older brother of Clyde Barrow played by Warren Betty. Hackman shined in the gangster film based on the real life story of outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, whose crimes during the Great Depression made them legends. Hackman scored an Oscar nomination in the best supporting actor category for his role and while he lost to George Kennedy, who was nominated for 'Cool Hand Luke,' Hackman's mix of menace and manners as Buck Barrow is unforgettable. Hackman won his first of two Oscar sin 1972 for his portrayal as hard-nosed detective, Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle in 'The French Connection.' The film is considered one of the best crime dramas ever produced and Hackman was hailed for his performance, even though he told Cigar Aficionado in 2000 that he was 'pretty unsure of myself' going into the role because Doyle 'had to be pretty ruthless.' 'In the early parts of the filming, I just wasn't up to it. When we shot a scene with the drug pusher that I chase down the street in the first scene of the movie, I wasn't very good; it was just kind of weak. And I went to [director William Friedkin] and I said, 'I don't know if I can do this or not,'' Hackman recalled. 'This was like the first or second day of filming, and he would have been in big trouble if, after having gone to bat for me, I couldn't have done the work. And he said, 'We'll put it aside for now and continue on and maybe we can reshoot the scene later.' And that's what happened.' Leaning into crime also helped Hackman with what many may consider an unexpected role for the actor. As villain Lex Luthor, often referred to as 'the greatest criminal mind of all time' in the DC comics universe, Hackman got to camp it up a bit opposite Christopher Reeves as Clark Kent/Superman in the 1978 superhero film. Even though an undercurrent of humor accompanied Hackman's over the top approach, still present was the strength that fans of his acting were used to seeing. This 1974 classic cemented Hackman as a man who understood the assignment when it came to powerful acting. As surveillance expert Harry Caul, Hackman managed to convey all of the character's paranoia, brilliance and utter isolation with little dialogue. Instead, Hackman leaned into physicality - from facial tics to looks - to portray a scared introvert in one of his most subtle performances that was nevertheless powerful. Hackman and Willem Dafoe played two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in the 1960s in this 1988 crime thriller. As agent Rupert Anderson, Hackman has a memorable scene with some less-than-friendly locals who remind him that he left the area and is no longer welcome. He puts more into his iconic line – 'Don't you go mistaking me for some whole other body' – than some actors put into full performances. 'The French Connection' director William Friedkin said in an interview posted by the Academy eight years ago that Hackman 'grew up disliking authority and he disliked racism' because he grew up without his father in a community where the Ku Klux Klan had a strong presence. This dark comedy gave Hackman a chance to have some fun opposite stars Ben Stiller, Danny Glover, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Murray, to name a few. As the patriarch Royal Tenenebaum, Hackman perfectly executes the dialogue in this project directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by actor Owen Wilson. The character is both eccentric and not exactly honest in his quest to reunite with his estranged, now adult children in the film. In the hands of any other actor, Royal may not have been beloved as he has been over the years. But Hackman gave the character a humanity that still continues to resonate with audiences, years after it was released in 2001. Hackman clearly came to play opposite Denzel Washington in this 1995 crime thriller. As Capt. Franklin 'Frank' Ramsey, a submarine commanding officer, his character clashes with Washington's Lt. Cmdr. Ronald 'Ron' Hunter, who is the executive officer. Some of their scenes crackle as the pair disagree on whether or not they should launch nuclear missiles. And while Hackman was in the final stage of his acting career, he was no less up to the challenge as he infused the role with dignity, diving into the layers of a complex role. Hackman won his second Academy Award more than 20 years after his first for the 1992 Western that starred Clint Eastwood, who also directed the film. As brutal sheriff 'Little' Bill Daggett, Hackman once again reminded audiences that the bad guys are often more than just villains. Ironically, it was a role he later said he almost passed up. 'It had been sent to me before when Francis Ford Coppola owned it and it didn't happen. When Clint sent it to me, I didn't give it a lot of thought. I thought it was just another Western,' he said in the Cigar Aficionado interview. 'My agent, Fred Specktor, convinced me to read it again and to think of it more in terms of a bigger scope, a bigger picture. And he told me that Richard Harris and Morgan Freeman were going to be in it, so I reread it and decided to do it.' He credited Eastwood with its success. 'I think the interesting thing about 'Unforgiven' was that it was the opportunity to totally commit to a character without having to think I was going too far or not to have to editorialize or edit myself in terms of what I was gonna do,' Hackman said. 'And I think that was due to the atmosphere that Clint Eastwood set up.'
