Journal

The pejorative use of the word ‘Millennials’ is something that pervades media and social discourse. The associated characteristics are laziness, a sense of entitlement, and a general sense of (unfounded) existential angst. Urban Dictionary: “Someone who just wants to die but copes with it by posting bad memes”, “Sorry for being such a millennial but no house no money just avocado”.

When searching for the right kind of sound ambience for our clients, we felt a natural gravitational pull towards lo-fi music. Lo-fi (low fidelity) brings in elements that are traditionally considered as imperfections in the recording process, as a deliberate aesthetic choice. Warmth, off-beat nostalgia, and authenticity are some of the resultant evocations; and we’re all about it. It’s a similar feeling to the effect of happy gas (nitrous oxide), which causes feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and calmness – this is why combining the two is a potent concoction for a nice dental experience.

New York-based Arsham’s varied oeuvre of pieces means many things to many people. But much of Arsham’s work has been inspired by a traumatic childhood experience. He was 12 when he hid in a reinforced closet at his house in Miami, as Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida in 1992. Lasting memories from this experience included “decimated drywall, shattered glass, pink insulation turned to mush, and warped aluminium studs”.

Takashi Murakami’s ubiquitous flower motifs confer on him an almost one-dimensional, saccharine childishness. However, a cursory glance beneath the surface reveals a furnace of purpose and emotion. He coined the term ‘Superflat’ in 2001 to describe his work, which carries a few meanings. It is firstly a nod to Japan’s proud history of 2D artworks (as opposed to the 3D aesthetics from the West) during the Edo period (1615-1868). The flat aesthetic is also a remark on the shallowness of consumer culture, which Murakami seemingly at once celebrates, and critically exploits – he has commented in a previous interview, “People hate me in Japan…oh, he’s just money guy”. Perhaps most interesting is the concept that ‘Superflat’ also flattens out the differences between high art and low art; this is exactly what he seems to have done.

It’s just simply hilarious that when Jersey-born Brian Donnelly moved to NYC in the 90s, he was a Disney animator by day and illegal graffiti artist by night. He created the KAWS tag, because he liked the uniqueness of the letter composition and phonetics. He eventually began to evolve from tagging, to subverting posters and billboards in an aesthetically-pleasing, artistic fashion. This seemingly marked a subtle shift in mentality from mildly-artistic vandalism to mildly-vandalistic art. Certainly, this new venture was considerably more attention-grabbing.