The Reconsidered Archive of Michelle du Bois, a problematized documentary project, explores the larger-than-life persona and culturally-weighted sexuality found in the visual fragments and wondrous archive of Michelle du Bois. An American woman who turned tricks while traveling through post-WWII Pacific Rim cities during the 70s and 80s, she took, collected and kept hundreds of tourist photographs, family snapshots, and pornographic images of herself. Her problematic and slippery identity, her exotic everyday, culturally, sexually and otherwise, becomes manifest through her personal experience, proposing an identity that rises from within rather than any social construct imposed upon her from the outside. Playing with the imaginary du Bois engages in, perpetuates and represents — her fantasy of Asia, the fantasies she poses for, the artist’s fantasy of her and her fantasy of the artist, along with the fantasy of the archive, the false promise of travel and an obsession with transience and the identities it provokes- the work manifests as reconfigured clusters of images and, ultimately, a book.

Claremont Museum of Art: 18 May — 31 August, 2008

A Puerto Rican man has been granted his wish to remain standing — even in death. A funeral home used a special embalming treatment to keep the corpse of 24-year-old Angel Pantoja Medina standing upright for his three-day wake. Dressed in a Yankees baseball cap and sunglasses, Pantoja was mourned by relatives while propped upright in his mother’s living room. His brother Carlos told the El Nuevo Dia newspaper the victim had long said he wanted to be upright for his own wake: “He wanted to be happy, standing.” The owner of the Marin Funeral Home, Damaris Marin, told The Associated Press the mother asked him to fulfill her dead son’s last wish. Pantoja was found dead Friday underneath a bridge in San Juan and buried Monday. Police are investigating. (AP)

Thanks Ryan

The Exiles chronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles. Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the film follows a group of exiles — transplants from Southwest reservations — as they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance.

Filmmaker Kent Mackenzie first conceived of The Exiles during the making of his short film Bunker Hill—1956 while a student at the University of Southern California. In July 1957, Mackenzie began to hang around with some of the young Indians in downtown Los Angeles. After a couple of months, he broached the subject of making a film that would present a realistic portrayal of Indian life in the community.

Mackenzie spent long hours making friends and earning the confidence of these Indians who finally agreed to re—enact a scenes from their lives for this picture. All of the actors, some of whom were recruited on the spur of the moment during the shooting, play themselves in the film.

The Exiles was directed and photographed by a group of young filmmakers — Mackenzie’s college mates, fellow employees, and friends holding down a variety of day—to—day jobs in the motion picture industry. Much of the picture was shot on “short ends,” the leftovers of 1,000—foot rolls (varying from 100 to 300 feet of stock) discarded by major film producers.

In collaboration with cinematographers John Morrill, Erik Daarstad, and Robert Kaufman, the shooting of The Exiles began in January 1958 and the first trial composite print was privately screened in April 1961. Premiering in the Venice Film Festival that year, the film received acclaim from many critics but tragically never found commercial distribution.

It was Thom Andersen’s compilation documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself which kicked off the rediscovery of this lost masterwork. Andersen contacted the daughters of Mackenzie to receive permission to use footage to illustrate the lost neighborhood of Bunker Hill. Although the original negative and fine—grain (interpositive) existed for the film, it was decided that a theatrical distribution of the film could put the materials at risk. So Milestone, in cooperation with USC’s film archivist Valarie Schwan, brought the film to preservationist Ross Lipman and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Milestone who distributed last year’s critical and box office hit, Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep, is releasing the restored version of The Exiles, will be playing at UCLA through Saturday (8/23).

Thank you Stephen

League Final at 7th and Union vs this seasons rivals, Lima. After several shots off the post, we took 1 point from a beautiful series of passes built up from our backline, through our midfield and into our forwards for an easy goal. Several of our strikers were taken down inside the box with no call — in the second half #19 Rivera had his leg taken out from under him on a scissor kick attempt and a penalty kick was finally awarded. Rivera’s kick was deflected by the keeper — but with no shots on goal, Lima was neutralized. Frustrated, Lima began pushing, kicking and hacking our players, leading to a red card and ejection of their midfielder.

The 7th and Union League is currently accepting new teams and players for those interested. Please contact us for additional information.

Parkside 1 — 0 Lima, W

Chris with Teacup — a living photograph.

Thanks Michael.