Let's Keep it Clean

For those that may be unaware, today is not only Father's Day, but it is the first ever International Day of Yoga. To mark the day we reminisce about another strange yogic event:

Our tale begins a touch over a month ago, when there was a strange happening on the streets of NY ...

Instagram photos from: @lizny3 and @grantgoldman3

Moving to the Upper East Side, was a certain yogi ... the Marc Quinn sculpture - the aptly titled 'Myth (Fortuna)' was coming to auction at Sotheby's at York Ave. & 71st St. in mid-May.

Lot 544 of Sotheby's Contemporary Art auction

Now, if the photos don't give you a sense of scale, let us specify the dimensions of the myth that is kate: Myth (Fortuna) is approximately 108 by 101 by 98 inches or for those more used to the metric system that would be 274.3 x 256.6 x 249 cms. So roughly 8.25 feet or call it 2.5 meters high, wide and long!!! This is not a small kate ...

From the Sotheby's catalogue:

"Myth (Fortuna) is an exquisite example of artist Marc Quinn’s renowned series of sculptures sculpted after supermodel Kate Moss. These reincarnations of Moss are a tribute to both the celebrity herself as well as the female body – a fixation among artists since the dawn of time. In the present work, Kate’s body is configured into an alarming back-bending yoga pose where her legs are hyper-extended backwards over her shoulders. This contortion places the subject into a fascinating realm where Kate’s body is both grotesque yet mythical at the same time."

Quinn's sculpture,  cast in bronze and painted over with a smooth layer of white paint, was created in 2007 and is incised with the artist's signature, title, date (2007) and edition (number 1 of 3). It was acquired by Sotheby's directly from the artist in 2008.

And Sotheby's estimate for Lot 544 of the 2015 Contemporary Art auction? A cool $800,000 to $1,200,000 for you to house Myth in your living room or back garden ... P.S. don't forget to add your buyer's premium, applicable taxes and shipping.

Now, our man in Havana told us that upon arrival the Sotheby's staff realized the piece was not going to be able to make its way into the showroom to be housed, due to its size. As such, it was determined that kate, her flexibility and her crotch would peer across York Ave. to all passers by. While this led to some distracted drivers and a few overly excited mutts - who would have tried to lift their legs to pee on kate, if it weren't for the around-the-clock security guard - there was another issue that came to light in the lead up to the auction ... the need to be cleaned due to NY dirt, dust and grime.

While ishotkatemoss was not present to witness the happenings, given our new-found instagram presence we managed to be made aware of not only kate's move to Sotheby's but also her primping and preening via other social-media users. Therefore, just before the May 13th auction, a well decked-out gentleman proceeded to take on the dirty job: 

Instagram photos from: @100fredrik, @zacknach, @ed.butler, @cassius_jae, @laurenareich, @marierousseaunyu, @maisonangelic,  and @maugalvan

In honor of all of these cleaning efforts, we posted 6 weeks ago - on Mother's Day - the following picture, that was so ably captured by @rlowkes with our caption: 

It's Mother's Day people ... let's keep it clean

So, a belated happy Mother's Day to all mothers! And of course: Happy Father's Day today to all of the fathers! A happy International Day of Yoga to all of the yogis! Plus happy cleaning to all of the cleaners, window washers, housekeepers and chimney sweeps - we are incredibly thankful for all of your hard work ... particularly when you have to scrub in those hard to reach, nooks and crannys. 

Oh, and a happy auction bidding to all of the wealthy art buyers out there ...

 

Epilogue: the sculpture was a pass with no-one choosing to purchase Quinn's kate from Sotheby's. It seems as though one million USD - like kate's sculptural crotch - is a touch high, although we may have another chance when kate and her appendages swings around again.

We were disappointed when learning about the lack of sale as interviewing the buyer would have been fascinating ... If it was possible to add in a frowny-faced yogi contorted emoji right here, iskm would! Instead we will leave you with this deep and important final instagram reflection from @kaitlinkaitlinkaitlinkaitlin:

Observe. Slown Down. Shoot. Submit.

www.ishotkatemoss.com

In Heat

This may be the greatest ishotkatemoss submission yet … and given that this was identified and sent to us by a general member of the public, it may in fact be the moment that iskm has officially entered into our society’s psyche.

It was with the utmost surprise that, post a recent screening of Michael Mann’s movie Heat (the modern-crime classic in which he brought together Al Pacino and Robert De Niro), an iskm follower emailed and told us to look it over and watch carefully during the pivotal bank robbery/gun battle scene on the streets of L.A. …

iskm founder Zev Jonas recently recalled: “I remember learning of Heat during its production due to De Niro and Pacino being paired. I went to a morning showing on the film’s opening day and it impacted me greatly. The lighting, the emotion, the violence and the constant tinge of blue painted a modern America that was harsh, striking and unparalleled.”

Just in case you are unaware, from Wikipedia: Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. For his work, he has received nominations from international organizations and juries, including those at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His major films include Heat, The Insider, Collateral, Ali and The Last of the Mohicans.

Mann's films contain fast-paced, artful, ingenious scenes … where often two opposing sides intermix, such as undercover policework and undercover drug trafficking, so that it is hard to distinguish between the two … Mann's films mix artistry (via music, stylishness and emotional intensity) with sexuality, strong violence, humorless noir-like stoicism, and complex plot twists.

Mann also produced Miami Vice in the 1980s and was the first to bring Hannibal Lector to the screen in Manhunter. All in addition to writing, producing and directing Heat, the remake of his own 1989 made-for-TV movie L.A. Takedown.

So watch a portion of the aforementioned scene from Heat below and keep an eye for a particular sequence (starting at approximately 1.30 minutes) when the character Michael Cheritto, played by Tom Sizemore, is separated from his crime partners (De Niro and Val Kilmer). Pay extra close attention at the 1.33 minute mark as he turns to flee, still with a stolen bag of money slung over his shoulder.

People! Did you see it!?! We watched it over and over again, carefully. And for those who need to reaffirm, we processed some movie stills:

MICHAELMANNSHOTKATEMOSS!!! And he did it almost 20 years before us!

Here again, zoomed in, is the money shot:

Now was this accidental? We think not. Michael Mann is renowned for caring about every detail and component within his movies.

So, as an ode to Michael, and all of his collaborators, we have submitted – on his behalf – the close-up images of this greatest of moments to the www.ishotkatemoss.com collage.

And “if you feel the heat around the corner” you know what to do …

Observe:

 

Slow Down:

Shoot:

Submit!!!

www.ishotkatemoss.com

She's dead ... oops, just kidding

According to a web site that simply creates and spreads rumors in order to increase internet traffic to its own site and therefore make more money from advertisers (ah, what a wonderful way to use this unlimited boundless technology to increase the knowledge of the human race), late last week kate died!

After fessing up, the headline on the site became:

"Kate Moss dead: 2014": Model killed by internet death hoax  

The report read as follows: "News of model Kate Moss' death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the September 2014 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the 40-year-old model is alive and well."

The piece continued on: "Rumors of the model’s alleged demise gained traction on Thursday after a ‘R.I.P. Kate Moss’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of 'our beloved model's passing at about 11 a.m. ET on Thursday (September 25, 2014)'. Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 40-year-old model was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax." 

According to the site: "A recent poll conducted shows that a large majority (75%) of respondents think those Kate Moss death rumors are not funny anymore."

On September 26th the model's reps officially confirmed that Kate Moss is not dead: 'She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet' they said.

Just as kate's recent neon purchase led us to Wataru Komachi's work, so this hoax leads us to another interesting artistic frame of reference ... after writing obituaries for the Daily Telegraph in London, British-born, NY-based artist Adam McEwen began producing obituaries for living and breathing celebrities (including Bill Clinton, Rod Stewart, Jeff Koons and, of course, Kate Moss) thus highlighting the blurred line between history and fiction:

McEwen's Untitled (Kate), 2007

McEwen is concerned with pop and consumer culture and his work resides somewhere between the celebratory and funereal. He approaches this landscape with a directness that is disarming yet full of dark, dead-pan humor. In addition to newspapers, his work appropriates the familiar formats of cell phone display screens, shop signage and credit cards. McEwen has also created machined graphite sculptures of such everyday objects as a water cooler or an air conditioner. According to his NY gallery (Gagosian), his repurposing of the over-familiar creates "momentary ruptures". 

Adam McEwen: I'm not really interested in celebrities so much - the works are more homages. But the person must be famous so the reader knows that the person is still alive. I'm interested in that brief second when you aren't sure ... I only need that moment in order to disorient enough to sneak through to some other part of the brain - to achieve that split second of turning the world upside down.

McEwen's graphite air conditioner

I don’t know what it is, but I know for me, an obituary of Kate Moss is the same thing as an air conditioner made of graphite. There is a part of me that doesn’t really want to put into words what that thread is, but it always starts from the same place. It’s the same thread that ties together a credit card made of graphite, a photograph of a Jumbo 747 jet or hardware signs that read, ‘Sorry, We’re Dead’ or ‘Sorry, We’re Sorry.’

Life has now mirrored the art and we don't need the fake obituaries anymore ... we have facebook, twitter and social media giving us a constant barrage of uncertainty and supposed clarification.

Yet death, McEwen says, is “like a perfect rule: It’s going to happen, though emotionally, I don’t want it to”.

Yes, but fake death? According to the internet survey 25% of responders still think it is funny.

Don't worry internet viewers ... ishotkatemoss lives on!
Sorry, Observe. Slow Down. Shoot. Submit.
www.ishotkatemoss.com

Appropriation and/or Doctorin' the Moss (redux)

Will it ever end? We think not. Therefore, let us observe and slow down in order to consider the "news" from, amongst many worthy sources, a recent edition of the NYPost:

Hefner sues blog over Kate Moss Playboy pictures

By Rich Calder

May 22, 2014 | 11:57am

Hugh Hefner sued Black Book for recreating images from Kate Moss' Playboy spread. Photo: AP; Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott for Playboy

Hugh Hefner won’t share Kate Moss without a fight.
Playboy Enterprises International on Wednesday slapped operators of the culture blog Black Book with a copyright suit in Manhattan federal court, alleging the blog reproduced images of the supermodel without consent.
The pictures used were art of Moss’ cover spread in Playboy’s 60th-anniversary special in December. (The apparent post in question appears to have since been taken down.)
The suit says Manhattan-based blog operator McCarthy LCC’s (sic) use of the photos was for “commercial” purposes, since it posts ads on the website.
Playboy wants $150,000 for each “infringed work.”
The suit comes four months after Playboy sued publishing giant Hearst, claiming its Harper’s Bazaar website reproduced some of Moss’ photos without permission.
Reps for McCarthy LLC could not be reached for comment.

I don't know why Rich just didn't ask iskm for comment!?!
"We here at www.ishotkatemoss.com will fight to gloriously share kate with you all. Unfortunately, due to the lack of advertising $s generated by this blog, oh and all of that 'fair use' stuff, we don't like our chances of being served a summons. That being said, we would like to offer iskm's service to Alas & Piggott (the generators of the original images in question), Playboy Enterprises International, McCarthy LLC and all of the readers of the NYPost,  in order to sue Mr. Calder for misleading and deceptive conduct. Specifically, we will work on your behalf against his false claim that said source pictures are in fact 'art'." 

Dear Hugh, Playboy Enterprises International and the good people at MCCarthy LLC, 

Can't we all just get along and share? There is enough kate to go around for all of us.

 Observe. Slow Down. Shoot. Submit.

www.ishotkatemoss.com