WELCOME TO THE URBAN SPECIAL, Part One!

Starting with this winter edition, this is the first in a series of irregular-themed specials, which will also coincide with similar editions of FUTURE-ROCKER. Merry Christmas, and see you in 2014!

Scene from Digbeth, Birmingham, December 2013. Pic: ALEXI K.

DAMIANO VERDIANI & MAURO J PELLEGRINI : ITALIAN EARTHQUAKES

Chiesa di San Domenico, L'Aquila, 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Themes of desolation and abandonment pervade these photographs, taken by the two Italian photographers Mauro Pellegrini and Damiano Verdiani. Usually, buildings come to represent permanence, belonging, and collective memories, and so it is jarring to the viewer to be reminded of impermanence and therefore, of mortality.

Forty people were killed in Onna alone, and 85% of its buildings were destroyed. Across the Abruzzo region of central Italy, 297 people were killed.

Controversially, this was also the disaster in which six scientists and one government official were prosecuted and imprisoned for downplaying the likelihood of a major earthquake in the region.

These pictures were taken in 2012 - three years after the event - and it may be several years before any of these places are thronged with people again. The ruined and deserted streets have a kind of haunted quality, and you can see why in some cultures, it's considered bad luck to go back to places where earthquakes and other natural disasters have occurred.

Retro della Basilica di S. Bernadino, L'Aquila, 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Basilica di S. Bernadino, L'Aquila, 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Provisional modular habitat, Chiesa della Madonna, della Grazie, Onna ( L'Aquila ), 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Provisional modular habitat, Onna ( L'Aquila ), 2012. Photo: Damiano Verdiani

Pace e via G. Garibaldi, Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

San Giovanni Cemetary, Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

Via G. Garibaldi, Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

View of the historical centre of Concordia sulla Secchia, 2012. Photo: Mauro Pellegrini

For more information, go to:

Damiano Verdiani

Mauro Pellegrini

SUNKEN CITY - DIVING THE ZENOBIA: Photos by SEBASTIAN LEE with words by ALEXANDRA DIMITRIOU

Sebastian Lee's incredibly atmospheric photographs of the wreck of the Zenobia were brought to MONOBLOG's attention by scuba diver Alexandra Dimitriou. The sheer scale of this sunken leviathan, with its urban forms - such as the flipped trucks encrusted with marine growth - have the look of a post-apocalyptic city, hence its inclusion in this 'Urban Special'. Below, you can read Alexandra's description of the thrills - and hazards - of this particular undersea site.

The Zenobia wreck is the top third wreck on the planet. She is a roll on-roll off (RO-RO FERRY) not unlike the ferries that service the Dover to Calais route.  She sank in 42 meters of water in Larnaca, Cyprus on her maiden voyage in June, 1980 after departing from Malmo, Sweden.  Her final destination was Tartous, Syria but she never made it as after just a short while at sea her captain noticed severe steering problems. Investigations showed that the ballast tanks on the port side were filling with water, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The Zenobia actually made it into Larnaca Marina, but the risk of not being able to repair the problem in time and having a huge ferry trapped in a relatively small harbour was too great. She was moved out to sea, and she went down to her final resting place 1.5km off the coast on June the 7th at 2.30am.

Although the loss of property was huge (estimated at 20 million pounds for the ship itself and the 200 million pounds of cargo on board) the revenue that this metal giant provides to the dive industry is estimated to generate over 25 million Euros per year to the tourist industry. This shows you just how great she is, almost all certified divers will visit her at least once…and will return year after year to explore another section of her.

But what makes her so great?

The answer is simple. The sheer size of the Zenobia takes your breath away. She is over 174 meters long from bow to stern. It takes two long dives to cover just the outside of it in any detail.  Lying on her port side the shallowest part is in 18 meters of water and goes all the way down to 42 metres . Wow!  The 24 metres of width become the divers’ paradise. With 4 cargo decks, all packed with 104 18-wheeler trucks and the promise that no salvage has taken place, this wreck would take over 100 dives to see everything. There are even places that have still not had a human being enter for over thirty years…..that is exciting stuff for the experienced diver. Trust me, I am one!

Another positive point to this wreck is that not one single life was lost when she sank. Because she took over 3 days to go down all passengers and crew were safely evacuated long before the last inch went underwater. For this reason, unlike other top wrecks in the world, the Zenobia does not have a creepy feel to it. World War II wrecks are amazing, but the loss of life and suffering are never far from my mind when I dive wrecks like the SS Thistlegorm in Egypt.

There is something for everyone. Every level of diver, from open water to the most advanced technical diver has something to explore. Open water divers can dive to a maximum of 18 meters, and so the Zenobia is accessible to even entry level enthusiasts – this is very unusual for a wreck dive.

She was carrying 104 trucks when she went down (and one blue car – the Captain’s little blue Lada) which were all shackled in place. The diver can see each lorry and then look at what each was carrying; one of my favourite features are the spilled cargo of eggs which still lies at 42 meters in the sand. It is strange to see a 30-year-old egg still intact.  

The depth allows advanced divers to explore up to 30 metres and those lucky enough to hold the ‘deep diver’ speciality may go all the way to the bottom. That is not all. Diving a wreck is extra special if you get to go inside. Most doors and windows have been removed for safety, making it more accessible than in the times when my father used to dive it and had to hold open the hatches for his dive buddies to pass through!

The Zenobia is not without its risks, however. One of the biggest dangers is the fact that she lies on her side, and so the risk of becoming disorientated is high, especially if you penetrate into the really dark and deep places. The diver has to rotate everything in his mind by 90 degrees, so even the best memory of blue prints become a little hard to navigate through. This is the reason that training and experience are paramount to your safety. Never go anywhere that you haven’t planned to go before you enter the water. Never go further that your training allows you.  I hate to admit it, but there has been some loss of life since she sank….and this is mostly down to inflated egos and loss of direction from the more seasoned diver. The diver who “knows everything” is the worst diver to buddy up with. This kind of diver thinks they are above the laws of physics and they pay the ultimate price. They enter the wreck – go down passageways and elevator shafts and get lost. They run of time, or they run out of air (or other mix of gas) or they get stuck. I won’t go into detail, it’s too grim to talk about. Just remember this – the sea is a cruel mistress if you don’t treat her with respect.

Another risk is decompression sickness, but this is a well-known hazard and we stay closely away from no-decompression limits and always make safety stops.  Recreational diving is also known as “No-Stop Diving” – which means that you may end your dive and surface immediately without making any stops on the way up. Dive tables and computers keep us safe, and as long as we follow these limits closely, the risk of getting the dreaded bends is minimal.  If you want to spend longer than these limits allow, then you must enter the arena of technical diving…..which trains you in the additional skills needed for making decompression dives. You may even do one step further and join the Bubble-less revolution and use a ‘re-breather’. The re-breather recycles your exhaled gas, and oxygen is not wasted with your out-breath. One tank can last you up to 6 hours, and so the Zenobia can really be explored. It is a demanding way of diving however…so extensive training and experience is paramount.

Despite the risks, the Zenobia is Disneyworld for divers if you follow the rules.  The community of divers from all walks of life come together and have a shared experience that leaves you feeling part of a very large picture. If you are a diver and you do not dive the Zen – shame on you! This is one that must be logged, filmed and bragged about. Jump in, join in and get involved! If diving was a religion then the Zenobia would be our place of worship.

Sebastian Lee's Homepage

Sebastian's Dubai cityscapes in FUTURE-ROCKER

All Zenobia photos copyright Sebastian Lee, 2013 / Words copyright Alexandra Dimitriou, 2013.

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Alexandra Dimitriou's Scuba Website

Alexandra: Self-portrait below, using a Go-Pro camera. 
Copyright Alexandra Dimitriou, 2013.

GRID REVERENCE - postcards inspired by New York - a portfolio by ALEXI K

Editor's note: This summer, I went to New York for a wedding, and spent most of my stay relaxing with friends in the idyllic riverside town of Hastings-On-Hudson. However, on the morning of July 4th, my brother organised a 'siblings bike tour' of Lower Manhattan, which took in the Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park and the marina. After I got back, I did this series of ink drawings on postcards. ( I'll publish some of the photographs of the day itself in an end-of-year review on my personal blog, soon ).

( All images: Rotring Isograph pen on white watercolour postcards, copyright Alexi K, 2013 ).

For a closeup look, visit my personal blog here.

URBAN SPECIAL CONTINUES IN FUTURE-ROCKER BLOG!

Try our sister mag FUTURE-ROCKER for a parallel series of urban-themed articles.

Art copyright Alexi K / Axel Ki, 2013

SCROLL DOWN FOR MONOBLOG'S PREVIOUS EDITIONS!

Monoblog cover: All logo designs and graphics by Alexi K, 2013.

TENDRIL REACH OUT

TENDRIL is a design, direction and animation studio based in Toronto, Canada. Formed from the ongoing collaboration of Brazilian-Canadian directorial team Chris Bahry and Alexandre Torres, 'It is a place where directors, designers, and artists from diverse backgrounds create powerful, visual storytelling experiences,' says producer Molly Willows.

Not afraid to be experimental, 'we dare to be naive and see every new client and brief as an opportunity to create our best work.'

TENDRIL's amazing short film for STYLEFRAMES NYC is a good example of what is created when commercial constraints are removed: An ominous piece of 'sci-fi noir', in parts reminiscent of big-budget studio films DARK CITY and TRON:LEGACY, it depicts an anxious creative guy on an all-nighter at his desk. He's trying to come up with a pitch, yet haunted by conflicting creative muses. 

In the film, the aforementioned muses - or 'The Gods' - were an idea by co-director Anthony Scott Burns, and proved to be the project's eureka moment: 'The Gods are the ones we challenge when we accept the invitation to unlock new avenues of self discovery,' he wrote in his presentation to Stash Magazine, the event's organisers.

As a series of conferences and seminars, STYLEFRAMES attracted speakers from such notable companies as The Mill, Zaha Hadid Architects, and advertising heavyweights BBH. It focussed on that singular moment in any creative's life: 'The Pitch'. As such, TENDRIL's movie perfectly captures the late-night paranoia of the looming deadline. Check it out - 

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Interview with Styleframes Co-Director, Anthony Scott Burns

MONOBLOG: It's an impressive piece of work, considering that the team didn't have very long to work on it. What are your thoughts on the experience of the STYLEFRAMES production? 

Thanks so much for your kind words. Firstly, it was a pleasure to collaborate with Chris Bahry + Tendril, and John Black of CypherAudio. All throughout my career I have created work almost completely solo because I have never been able to find collaborators who see things so similarly. Chris, John, and I clicked immediately.

I think we all saw that this was the right project for us all to blend the best creative qualities in each other. We had all been wanting to work together on something for years, and Styleframes couldn't have been a better project to do this. It was an ambitious & short schedule, but I think we all loved the intense method of creating this piece.

MONOBLOG: After all the hard work, what was the reaction to the film?

The reaction so far has been great. I'm glad people have responded so well to it. It really was a labour of love for all involved.

MONOBLOG: When I first saw it, my first thought was 'I wish these guys had done Tron: Legacy'. If you had a wishlist, what would you love to work on?

My dream projects would be Tron 3, The Black Hole remake, and Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron.

MONOBLOG: Great choices. So what are you working on, next?

I've just finished my newest short film "Manifold". It's a science fiction mystery, and has already been picked up to be made into a feature. I had many of my good friends involved, including Ash Thorp ( - see elsewhere in this edition ) who was instrumental in all the design aspects of the film. The eight minute piece also has a dark synth score by the immensely talented Makeup and Vanity Set. 

My album Pilotpriest is going to be released this year on vinyl, and I hope to be primarily developing/making feature films from here on in. Ash and I have been building stuff for months, and as soon as we're ready, we'll unleash these on the public.

By the way - my new film is a black and white, too!

MONOBLOG: That's what we like to hear! Thanks Anthony. Congratulations to you and the team on this beautiful piece of work.

For additional interviews and background details, check out Motionographer.

Credits

Production Company: Tendril Design + Animation

Directed by: Anthony Scott Burns and Chris Bahry

Music and Sound Design: John Black of CypherAudio

Editor: Chris Murphy of Relish Editing

Executive Producer: Kate Bate

Creative Directors: Chris Bahry and Alexandre Torres

Producer: Molly Willows

DOP: Anthony Scott Burns

Costumes: Jessica Mary Clayton

Make-Up: Stacy Hatzinikolas

Grip: Chris Atkinson

PAs: Howard Gordon, Derek Evoy

Man at Computer: Travis Stone

Gods: Iain Soder, Jessica Mary Clayton

Motorcycle Rider: Kris Sharon

Guy with Binoculars: Dennis Pikulyk

Gods Concept Art: Marco Texeira and Vini Nascimento

Additional Gods Concept Art: Ash Thorp

Environment, Prop, and God Design: Anthony Scott Burns, Vini Nascimento, Chris Bahry, Andrew Vucko

3D Modeling: Vini Nascimento, Marcin Porebski, Renato Ferro, Andrew Vucko

3D Rigging: Renato Ferro

3D Animation: Vini Nasicmento, Marcin Porebski, Renato Ferro

Textures: Vini Nasicmento, Renato Ferro

Lighting, Render: Brad Husband

Compositing: Chris Bahry, Anthony Scott Burns, Brad Husband

ASH THORP - WE CAN RENDER IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE

Ash Thorp is a concept artist and illustrator who has come to prominence in recent years, working on blockbusters such as TOTAL RECALL, THOR, IRON-MAN 3, PROMETHEUS, and many others.

He is regarded by some in the industry as an 'uber-artist', which means he has a skill-set that allows him to pretty much do anything in terms of concept & design. What's all the more mind-boggling, is that this is a man who says he only started to take his career more seriously 'four years ago' - that's pretty good progress! 

MONOBLOG is proud to present ASH THORP.

Above: Concept art for Styleframes NYC.

MONOBLOG: Ash, what's your art background, and where are you now based?

ASH THORP: I attended a local community college and then a Cal State college. I obtained an AA and a BA in art and design. I currently reside in the northern outskirts suburb of San Diego County, in California. 

You obviously think in 3 dimensions. Can you describe how you get from thumbnails all the way to the bewilderingly complex images we see on screen..? I'm thinking in particular of the TOTAL RECALL GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE ( GUI ) content. Describe the process and how you collaborate with your colleagues on the project.

Above: GUI design and still from TOTAL RECALL ( 2012 ).

Ahhhh, this is a hard one. I think I always just kind of see them in my head, the rough sketches are reminder notes like a note on the fridge not to forget to buy milk. I use them as a bookmark of thoughts to come back to. ( See below ).

It’s a language I probably understand only to myself. I then begin to build the idea in Photoshop or Illustrator. I like to try and keep that flow of energy from my original idea. It’s hard to maintain the soul of a creation when you confine it to the rules and regulations that must fit within story-telling formats like film, but I try nonetheless. It is a big back-and-forth journey, as I add and subtract and add more and pull away until it feels right. Often times I am rushed to push things through and have to release ideas and work that are still very undeveloped, but that is the nature of film and this industry. Everything is extremely fast-paced.

What are your influences? You seem to be able to adopt any style - I see Kirby, Sienkiewicz, Mignola, Clive Barker etc, in your painted work.

Above: Three proposed figures for the Styleframes NYC movie short.

I have SOOOO many influences. I find it key to pull inspiration from all different walks of life, as it gives my work and personality its own voice. That being said, I love being inspired by other creatives. I grew up on comics and cartoons, which later turned to anime and film. I love such a wide array of things that it’s hard to pin down. Some things that hit hard for me are the art by Frazetta, Moebius, Otomo, Kubrick, Lucas, Kawajiri's films, Shirow… all the great stuff, too many to list.

Talking of Otomo, give us the scoop on your AKIRA art.

I am doing it out of passion and fun - I am trying to rediscover myself as an illustrator and using things I love to take me there. They are opening some great doors of opportunity, and we will see what comes of them as time progresses.

Below: Ash Thorp's interpretation of KANEDA, a character from Katsuhiro Otomo's graphic novel series, AKIRA.

In your portfolio, you also have some digital 3D pieces. Tell us about those.

I have very basic 3D skills, nothing too far beyond what a newer user in such programs might be. It's just a tool for me to expose ideas. I think some great programs to use are C4D, Zbrush, Modo, Maya, all those. Depends on what your going for. They all offer interesting results.

How did you get to work in the film industry? I'm sure many aspiring artists would love to know.

I decided to take myself and my work seriously about 4 years ago. I worked very hard after hours of a full time job and being a family man for 3 months, to build a portfolio in the hope I would get hired at a studio that I could go and grow at. That opportunity came when I was hired by the studio Prologue ( makers of opening titles for The Walking Dead, X-Men: First Class, etc ). I spent a year there working as hard as I could, and did my best to progress and learn. The big catch with this story is that Prologue's office is 2-3 hours away by car, one way. So I would spend about 5-7 hours of my day commuting from my home to the office up in LA. It was an extremely taxing year, on both me and my family, but it paid off. 
From that experience, I took everything I learned and am now able to work from home and love what I do. 

It’s a true blessing to comfortably say I love what I do for a living.

Below: Sketchbook

Below: Ash Thorp's compilation of Graphic User Content from TOTAL RECALL ( 2012 ).

COMIC-BOOK LEGEND JACK KIRBY, AND THE CIA's ARGO CAPER

In the 1960's, it was the teaming-up of artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee that began Marvel Comics' dominance over American pop culture. During their hugely popular and prolific early tenure at Marvel, many modern-day myths were born: The Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, and The Avengers, among others.

However, later in the seventies, a dispute with Marvel over ownership of original art and royalties caused Kirby to drift away from mainstream comics, to work on his own pet projects for smaller publishers, as well as for film and animation studios.

It was during his time away from the spotlight in 1978, that Kirby contributed designs for what was to be a movie adaptation of Roger Zelazny's Hugo Award-winning novel 'Lord of Light'. In its scope, Kirby's beautiful concept-art is reminiscent of the sci-fi vistas seen in The Fantastic Four, and also in his lesser-known comic works, such as the New Gods, The Eternals, and his expanded adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

It seems the artist was very much attuned to counter-culture fads for alternative religion and New Age thinking ( such as Erich Von Daniken's non-fiction best-seller 'Chariots of the Gods' ) and it was these prevailing ideas that inspired his elaborate depictions for the proposed film.

In light of what has happened to international relations between the West and the Middle East since the Iranian Revolution, Kirby's quote ( as reproduced on the Lord Of Light website ) is painfully ironic: "This film is going to have a tremendous impact in the world, it will show enormous strength. It will allow the Eastern man and the Western Man to relate to each other. And once mankind relates, they will never again have to fight. They will understand each other's needs and idiosyncrasies."

Ultimately, the film production of Lord of Light never happened: The concept - and Kirby's art - was left languishing in development limbo. That is, until it was hastily dusted off a year later, and used in a real-life CIA operation, by secret agent Antonio Mendez. Mendez' mission was to sneak into revolutionary Tehran and rescue six American diplomats who had gone into hiding at the Canadian Embassy. He was to 'exfiltrate' them across the Iranian border, disguising them as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a science fiction film called Argo. To back up the story - in case any Iranians were curious enough to do a background check - Mendez placed bogus notices in Variety, and Kirby's art was included with a script, to give the project credibility.

The diplomats were safely rescued, and these events were thrillingly portrayed in the 2012 movie Argo directed by - and starring - Ben Affleck.

It was perhaps only due to the critical and box office success of Argo that Kirby's Lord of Light concept-art surfaced at all, even though they were unable to use his originals in the Affleck film. Ironically, the movie allowed Affleck to find favour in Hollywood again, after several years in career doldrums following his poorly-received comic-book movie adaptation, Daredevil ( a comic that Kirby had also worked on, back in the sixties ).

Kirby, who died in 1994 at the age of 76, was not able to benefit from his cultural profile, or the billions generated in merchandising and box office revenues from blockbusters such as The Avengers or Captain America. But he nevertheless leaves a lasting legacy: Stylistically, he has inspired a diverse generation of comic-book talent such as John Byrne, Michael Allred, Jaime Hernandez and Shaky Kane. And perhaps most satisfyingly, his dispute with Marvel led to creator-owned properties being the norm in the comics industry, rather than the exception.

Below: Argo poster for the CIA 'caper', and ( right ) artist Jack Kirby.

...and finally...Kirby Couture..?!

MONOBLOG spotted these beautiful Classic Marvel-style outfits while researching this article. Looking closely, we think we can spot designs and stylistic signatures by legends John Byrne, John Buscema, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko...

From an article by Shitika Anand, with photography by Allan James Barger.

Hit KA-THOOM for the bigger, full-color article, True Believers!

With thanks to Tania Braukämper and our friends at FASHIONISING.COM

MONOMUSIC

Click on this link for our MONOMUSIC page - it's got the most out-there band videos you'll see on the net!

Above: Still from SUUNS video Pie IX