Barnaby Hartford Davis: May 2009

MASHUP

What’s the secret?

I keep a pillow book, I jot things down - dreams or poems or things I've read in books. Or kind of diary-like entries, or I'll cut out articles from newspapers, anything that I want to remember. One answer is that she has consistently pursued a very particular and unusual aesthetic. Critics claim this is symptomatic of a too-cosy relationship between journalists and the politicians they are supposed to cover, and accuse scribes of fawning over Hollywood stars. However, they were not just stars but heroes.

"The only way to do something in depth is to work hard. I'm at my most creative when the pressure's on.” Art is about learning and about living with people. It's alive. So, I keep this scrapbook, and a lot of times I'll go back and draw ideas from it. Obama, referring to complaints that he is too reliant on a teleprompter, joked that he wanted to speak "off the cuff" -- then brought the house down as two of the devices appeared by his side. Good artists are always trying to go against something or trying to be innovative in a way that is not obvious.

Generally, it's music that kicks me into thinking a certain way or feeling a certain thing. I rely heavily on the people that I collaborate with to inspire me. However, sparky comedian Wanda Sykes, joked that African Americans would disown Obama, the first black president, if he did not do well. "The first black president -- that's unless you screw up. Then it's going to be -- what's up with the half-white guy?"

Sooke, Alastair. “Miuccia Prada Interview: Fondazione Prada.” UK Telegraph (May 2009), http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/5277507/Miuccia-Prada-interview-Fondazione-Prada-Milan.html (accessed May 18, 2009).

AFP News. “Obama plays comedian-in-chief.” Sydney Morning Herald (May 2009), http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/obama-plays-comedianinchief-20090510-az1q.html (accessed May 18, 2009).

Sawyer, Miranda. “Madonna.” The Face (August 2000), http://www.madonnacatalog.com/music/theface.htm (accessed May 18, 2009).