A solitary figure walks slowly toward me on the floor-to-ceiling flat-screen panel, emerging through the darkness to the steady, piercing thuds of his footsteps. He stops. Water trickles down his face, accumulating into an enormous waterfall. The deafening roar and dynamic contrast of the gushing water against the male figure is enough to mesmerize spectators. This is the world of Bill Viola. The internationally renowned video artist's new exhibit at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo introduces this and other representations of raw human emotion to Asia for the first time this fall in an exhibition entitled Hatsu-Yume , or "first dream". Having lived in Japan in the early 1980s, Viola was strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism and Noh theater, spawning meditative journeys through everything from forests and oceans to extreme joy and anger using cutting-edge video technology. As esteemed museum director David Elliott's last stint with Tokyo's favorite new art venue, Viola's work makes a powerful impression as the Mori marks its three-year anniversary.   
LISA KAYAYAMA

 

Tight and tapered, that's how we like them—and no one's cornered that market quite like Cheap Monday. The jean line started out modestly enough, as a gift from Swedish denim connoisseur, Orjan Andersson, to his loyal costumers. Capitalizing on hot brands such as ACNE, he launched several stores specializing in premium and rare denim. Despite brisk sales, Orjan's D.I.Y. sensibility was troubled by the stiffly priced designer blues (reaching upwards of $200). Coolness, he thought, should be an inalienable right. His solution? Produce a cheaper line to offset the luxury offerings. The catch? They're only available Mondays. The first 800 pairs cleared out in four days--and broader distribution plus daily availability produced similar results. Stateside, they've caused a stir, flying out of hip Soho outposts, eager costumers braving public indecency just to slip on a pair of coveted gray skinnies. It looks like a denim revolution, but it's no secret-formula—just well designed, cool jeans at irresistible prices.   
FRANKLIN MELENDEZ

 

In Japan, commercial sex unveils itself at many intersections—up the windy roads of Hundred Hotel City, among inconspicuous suburban apartment complexes, off of main shopping streets in basement toy shops and upstairs hostess bars. But despite its glaring existence, what lies behind the hot pink and sometimes gold doors is a mystery to most women who don't work there. But for the past two years, American photographer Joan Sinclair worked her away into brothels and gained the trust of hundreds of employees and customers of these mystery zones. The end result? Pink Box, a colorful depiction of a world whose existence is openly acknowledged and accepted by Japanese society despite anti-prostitution laws, tells the story of the men who shamelessly buy sex and the girls who voluntarily sell it in a series of fun, revealing photographs. Like the technological innovations and anime characters of global fame, the imaginative span of the sex industry in Japan is astonishingly wide for what is otherwise known as a country dedicated to conformity. But a look beneath the surface of Japanese culture shows an undeniable, almost oxymoronic link between outward rigidity and its creative offshoots.
LISA KATAYAMA

 

 

We often repel from the sight of something horrific, but what happens when photography captures the beauty of decay and destruction and keeps our gaze? The founders of the Canary Project, a visual record of climate change, want to captivate us enough to call attention to global warming. And they do. The images show how landscapes are being affected: melting glaciers, sea-level rise, drought, extreme weather events, dying habitats. By providing visual evidence of the changing climate, Canary Project hopes to address more fundamental issues, like people's feeling of disconnectedness from the forces of nature. "We are unabashed in our desire to influence public perception." says co-founder Susannah Sayler, whose plan is designed to reach diverse audiences from skeptics to activists, people in rural areas to those who are young and urban. CP's campaign includes 45 Denver city buses carrying climate-change photographs, an image-based t-shirt line with Loomstate, a citywide public education program in NYC, as well as a slew of museum shows nationwide. Not only is the cat out of the bag, the canary is out of the coalmine, and is screaming its head off. Are you listening? Or just staring?
MARINA GARCIA-VASQUEZ

 

 

A musician like Piers Faccini could only exist in this day and age. To start, Faccini is the intersection of at least 5 bloodlines: gypsy, Polish, English, Irish, and Italian—a self-described "mongrel". So it's not surprising that he's absorbed many of the world's musical styles, unprejudiced, to enliven his own songs. What's surprising is the way he mixes these disparate elements into a focused sound—the postmodern challenge which is Faccini's blueprint. "The last thing I wanted to do was make a 'pastiche record' and be like a tourist," Piers says. Instead, the songs on Tearing Sky showcase worlds that he has truly inhabited: Southern California colors with rainy British folk, Malian Blues and tribal percussion that transcends (or predates) nations. Most striking are Piers' African-influenced guitar flourishes, a reverent nod to Ali Farka Toure and Boubacar Traore, both of whom he speaks of with a fan's enthusiasm. "That's the nature of the mongrel," Piers says, "you're this cauldron of stuff." And from the sound of it, he's starting to master the recipe.   TODD ROSENBERG

 

This Month's Fashion Story, In the Name of the Father, by Enrico Sacchetti


STYLING Becky Seager at Victoria Lees Management

HAIR Sascha Breuer at DWM

MAKEUP Carol Morley at Frank Agency

MODEL Monica Pedro at Isis Models

 

 

Various Artists
Serious Times
XL Recordings

Serious Times marks a return to the classic mix of social commentary and irie of the Rasta music forefathers. Writer Knox Robinson plays selector and Max Glazer of NYC's Federation Sound does the megamix across 16 diverse cuts that show equal love for reggae's classic form and its later derivations, including dancehall, raga, and dub. Incredible vocal and lyric performances abound, most notably Turbulence's bumpin' redemption song "Notorious", Gyptian's island-infused R&B on the title track, and the Steel Pulse-like "Wall of Babylon" by Morgan Heritage. It could be 16 one-hit wonders from the last three years, or maybe it's a window into the vibrant, modern Jamaican music that's been languishing in obscurity. Either way, it's brilliant.
TODD ROSENBERG         

 

The Kooks
Inside In/Inside Out
(Astralwerks)

Falling somewhere between the post-Strokes crunch of The Fratellis and the symphonic sensitivity of Coldplay and Keane, The Kooks off-kilter three-minute tracks are filled with hooks as anthemic as anything from the golden era of Brit Pop. In England they are a household name after five consecutive charting singles and a rivalry with fellow buzz band Razorlight. But in the States knowledge of their bright, spunky songs—like "Naïve", "Eddie's Gun", and "Ooh La"—is restricted mostly to those who frequent Anglophile blogs or have caught a rare touring NME club night. With their debut long player Inside In/Inside Out finally getting a domestic release, the lads from Brighton should finally see their stars ascend in the U.S. as well. Catch them now—next time you'll be singing along with a stadium full of punters.
SAM WICK
 


Editor
Derek Peck

Managing Editor
Domingo A. Robledo

Designer
Carolina Palmgren

Production Coordinator
Diana Heom

Interns
Rannie Balias
Bryan Derballa

Contributors
Marina Garcia-Vasquez
Lisa Katayama
Franklin Melendez
Todd Rosenberg
Sam Wick


PLANET° is seeking writers and reporters covering cool cultural content from around the world. Drop us a line at: contribute@planet-mag.com

To become a media partner of PLANET° Online, email us at:
advertise@planet-mag.com

For inquiries regarding creative services in custom publishing, advertising or web design, contact Derek Peck at: derek@planet-mag.com

To receive future editions of our online version, sign up here

PLANET° Online is a periodic newsletter addition to PLANET° Magazine’s quarterly print edition. You are receiving this newsletter because you have either registered on our website, subscribed to our print magazine, signed up at one of our events or been registered by a friend.