Latest somethingdark news

Eroticon 2012: the UK’s first conference for writer’s of eroticaLatest News

Sat 04 Feb, 2012.

A conference for sex bloggers and erotica writers, billed as the first of its type in the United Kingdom, will be held in Bristol on Saturday 3 March.

More than one hundred bloggers and writers have signed up to attend thus far and conference organiser, the erotic author Ruby Kiddell, is expecting many more to participate. ...Read more

First Art Erotica exhibition ends with promise of more to comeLatest News

Sat 28 Jan, 2012.

Art Erotica, the exhibition that caused the odd stir in Mayfair’s gallery precinct, closed yesterday, Friday 27 January, after a memorable ten days that included more than just the exhibition itself. ...Read more

Art Erotica raises brows in MayfairLatest News

Fri 20 Jan, 2012.

Passers-by often stopped to look; sometimes amused, they smiled, usually sheepishly. Sometimes a jaw visibly dropped, even if just a little. Sometimes a phone or camera emerged from a pocket and snaps were taken through the front windows. Occasionally, an offended pedestrian on this most prestigious of streets in Mayfair’s gallery district would march through the doors of The Gallery in Cork Street and complain about the outrageous and offensive objects that, apparently, had ravaged the innocence of an unsuspecting outside world.

Complaints focused on the sculpture by Jas Davidson, Orc 3, and the occasion was the setting up of the first Art Erotica exhibition. This was during the day on Tuesday and Wednesday, 17 and 18 January, and the exhibition wasn’t even open; the private view was scheduled for 19:00 on the evening of 18 January. ...Read more

Better than ever: second-generation SDk:Mob tweakedSDk Updates

Tues 22 Nov, 2011.

In December last year we announced the release of a mobile version of SomethingDark webMagazine, SDk:Mob (see the item below for Thur 02 Dec, 2010). A second generation of SDk:Mob was developed for release soon after SDk02, and we are now pleased to announce that this latest incarnation of our dedicated format for smartphones has just been polished. We are confident it will, at the very least, do its job, and will compare well with the best that’s “out there”.

For the full SDk experience, however, nothing beats the big screen of your home or laptop or tablet computer – SomethingDark webMagazine is fully compatible with iPad, as we announced in February this year (see the item for Thurs 24 Feb, 2011, below). ...Read more

Eroticism in art and life knows no bordersLatest News

Tues 08 Nov, 2011.

Ruth Bircham is an exuberant woman full of a passion for life and art. Her own art, of course, is a specific focus of this passion. But, like the human body and the sex she so joyously celebrates, she believes art – and especially erotic art – should be shared, and that means exhibiting.

Besides pinning her heart on her blouse as much as she hangs her bold paintings on gallery walls, London-based Bircham is a determined woman who has shown some initiative in organising an exhibition of mostly black artists who work in the erotic genre, and Forbidden Fruit is the result. ...Read more

What is SDk?SDk Updates

Sat 05 Nov, 2011.

The world around us is not suspended in time or trapped in a vacuum, and neither is SomethingDark. That is, apart from constant development, we are always evolving. This means we’re not quite the same now as we were when we produced SDk01.

To reflect our evolution, we have just revised our “about” information, which in our terminology is the “What is SDk?” page on the SomethingDark website. The changes are subtle but significant.

In keeping with our orientation and direction, we have also updated our contributor information packs (CIPs), which prospective contributors can download as PDF documents from the “Want to Contribute?” page.

Latex fashion continues its march into the mainstream with a new book by GoliathLatest News

Thur 27 Oct, 2011.

There was a time, not so long ago, that latex clothing only came out at night, or perhaps was worn very discreetly beneath more conventional attire. Possibly more than any other material, latex flashed “fetish” in big, bold letters across the forehead of whoever was wearing it. It certainly was not acceptable in polite society.

This, however, is changing, as was seen rather conclusively last October when Atsuko Kudo hit the catwalk in New York with a collection of latex fashion that dropped jaws. See towards the end of a video clip of AK’s triumph – Atsuko Kudo/Lingerie New York Runway Show (at 6:15) – for two outfits, first in dusty pink and then in black, to see what we mean.

Atsuko Kudo is not by any means the only accomplished latex fashion designer, and the German publisher Goliath Books pays tribute to an international host of them in a new book, Latex Fashion Photography. Of course, as the title indicates, the book is principally featuring the photographers (and the models) who have done so much to portray latex design as a work of fashion art. ...Read more

Marilyn Jaye Lewis lecture at The Last Tuesday SocietyLatest News

Thur 20 Oct, 2011.

SomethingDark 02’s literature writer, Marilyn Jaye Lewis, will be giving a lecture in London on Friday 21 October at The Last Tuesday Society. Marilyn will be reading from and speaking on issues related to her latest book, Twilight of the Immortal, which, as a historical novel, was new territory for her.

Twilight of the Immortal is an extensively researched novel about Hollywood in the Silent Era, with a predominant focus on the gays, lesbians and bisexuals who not only worked in Hollywood movies at that time, but who also thrived in them. The main characters in the novel actually lived – for instance, Alla Nazimova and Rudolph Valentino, to name two legendary icons – but their stories are told through their interactions with fictional characters. The story spans the years 1916 to 1927.

Marilyn will do selected readings from the book, interspersed with discussions about the artistic genius and creative ingenuity of the artists of those times and of how their talents came to be trivialised – if not outright forgotten – over time. She will also discuss the scandals, trends and overall culture of that era in Hollywood, as well as the resurgence of interest in Silent Films that is reemerging in the culture today ...Read more

Breaking radio silence: SDk02 is launched!SDk Updates

Wed 19 Oct, 2011.

It’s been a long time since our last update and as the brand-new editorial of a certain online publication states, it’s been a long time between celebratory, issue-launch drinks. But all that has changed: SomethingDark 02 is out, and, with this milestone, we’re not looking back.

SDk02 represents a very significant step forward in technical development and the presentation of the magazine. And, of course, we think the photography, art and writing follows with the standard set by SDk01 and, really, would be hard pressed to be bettered.

It has, in fact, been a challenge to produce an encore to SDk01 with a team of two; some indication of this lies in the fact that email communications between Chris and Daryl became a document of 600 A4 pages (exactly) which is a word processing file of 3.3 Mb. But we’ve done it, and now we have secured some very experienced and capable editorial assistance from none other than SDk02’s literature writer, Marilyn Jaye Lewis. ...Read more

Radio silence: an SDk progress reportSDk Updates

Wed 06 Apr, 2011.

Today is the first day of the new UK financial year, and a fitting time for an update on what’s going on here at SomethingDark and what’s happening with the pending release of SDk02, which has set a new benchmark with regards to the challenge it’s posed to our two-man team. We know, as Britain stands on knobbly knees, relying on memories of a fading empire and clutching at straws to claw some of it back, excuses are too often pushed to the fore, and a little weak. So we hope our explanation is a little more substantial.

Much time over the last few months has been devoted to strategising for maintaining SomethingDark webMagazine in the long term, which includes the very finite area of finance and the fact that both Chris and Daryl have to work on other, bill-paying, projects to live in an ever-more-expensive country as well as make sure we stand strong in the event that any curve-ball heads towards the SDk venture. ...Read more

COMMENT: Dark politics, economics, and the business of intervention in LibyaLatest News

Mon 14 Mar, 2011.

He couldn’t resist: the Libyan crisis is showing all the signs of embroiling “the usual Western suspects” in another warmongering scandal, so SomethingDark editor Daryl Champion returns to his old specialty, Middle East politics, and looks at what might really be happening behind the scenes. In doing so, he hints at the economic motivations for intervention in Libya as a precursor to a number of articles in the forthcoming issue 2 of SDk magazine. This commentary is written in a more classic “blog” style, with satirical touches. We hope you find it an interesting addition to our Latest News section. ...Read more

Pens and Needles: an unusual exhibition in an unconventional galleryLatest News

Wed 02 Mar, 2011.

Strange sounds emitted from the building, as if a sequence depicting an alien planet from the soundtrack of a science-fiction film were being piped into the London night. The venue was London Miles Gallery in Notting Hill, and the alien noises, although very atmospheric and suited to an avant-garde gallery in a general sense, were not entirely in keeping with the theme of the exhibition that was in the full swing of its opening event.

Then the source of those sibilant sounds – the ethereal sighing, soft hissing and whooshing punctuated with metallic highlights – became clear: it wasn’t the office building that housed London Miles, but the traffic speeding along the elevated A4 under which the building was constructed, its concrete roof almost a part of the busy arterial road’s supporting structure. So no, it was not quite the soundtrack for an extraterrestrial world, but more of a soundscape for J.G. Ballard’s Crash, which not only complemented the gallery’s persona, but somehow did suit the mood of the event therein. ...Read more

We propose a toast to a true webMagazine: SomethingDark is iPad, tablet PC and mobile ready!SDk Updates

Thurs 24 Feb, 2011.

Our objective has always been to create a web-based cultural magazine at the forefront of technology as a platform for content of significance (as opposed to just another blog template presented as a “magazine”), and we are continuing to push the envelope in achieving this objective.

In early December we were delighted to launch a mobile version of SomethingDark – a project that had occupied us in mind for quite some time before we finally got around to putting it into action (see our SDk goes mobile! for 2 December 2010).

And now we can barely contain further glee in announcing that SDk magazine is iPad compatible. Which means, of course, that anyone with any of the devices sprouting on the burgeoning tree of new-generation tablet PCs can visit SDk webmagazine and view it as it was designed, exactly as it appears on a desktop or laptop PC.

Prost!

London gallery to examine and celebrate the culture of tattoo artLatest News

Wed 16 Feb, 2011.

London Miles Gallery will on 25 February open an exhibition not normally associated with the white-wall-and-plinth set, but then London Miles is not your garden-variety gallery that likes to take a “holier-than-thou” approach to art.

The exhibition in question is Pens and Needles, which will be a group exhibition celebrating and taking an in-depth look at all forms of tattoo art, lifestyle and culture. And it will be done with panache, which, apparently, is something for which the gallery is becoming known as it presents exhibitions of surrealist, pop, lowbrow, comic book and illustration art to a growing British following of discerning enthusiasts of these genres. London Miles Gallery’s mission, however, extends to “exhibiting, nurturing, and unearthing artists”.

Pens and Needles is, according to the gallery’s publicity, “the first UK art exhibition of its kind”, and aims to highlight the intersection of fine art and modern tattooing. In their words: ...Read more

We expected better from the GuardianSDk Updates

Tues 08 Feb, 2011.

Shortlisted entries for the Guardian-sponsored MediaGuardian Innovation Awards (“Megas”) have just been announced and we’re not so much disappointed that we’re not on it as surprised that said shortlist is a virtual who’s who of the corporate world, relatively well- to well-established agencies, and high-profile campaigns.

For example, in the “On a budget” category, the shortlisted entrants include the production of some consumer-culture offering featuring heavily marketed new pop duo Hurts, produced by the agency FOAM/Sony Music Entertainment UK, for Hurts and RCA Records; and a campaign produced by Mindshare to lobby Transport for London over their congestion charge structure on behalf of their client, Volvo Cars UK.

In other words, completely, utterly commercial and mainstream: not entirely something we expected from the Guardian, especially considering the information disseminated about the awards, which gave the impression that genuine space is provided for genuinely small, independent players. Yes, we knew we were taking on the big time, but the scale of what we consider to be a farce is what we find surprising. ...Read more

‘Sex and Regulation’: seminar focuses on the excesses of the state, media and lobbyistsLatest News

Thur 03 Feb, 2011.

A UK academic organisation, the Onscenity research network, hosted a seminar at the British Academy, London, on 1 February to draw attention to increasing state regulation of sex in relation to media, labour and the internet.

Julian Petley, professor of screen media and journalism at London’s Brunel University, chaired the seminar, and introduced it with his own presentation, “Censoring the image”. Petley is a veteran advocate of free speech, and he once again demonstrated his detailed grasp of a broad range of censorship and free speech issues in the United Kingdom.

Petley began his delivery with the sobering declaration that there were many UK laws limiting freedom of speech; he then tabled an overview of these laws, their history and their socio–legal impact today. He drew particular attention to the evolution and problems of the Obscene Publications Act (OPA), various child protection laws, and the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (CJIA) 2008. ...Read more

Japan's island of art: a sublime museum experience worthy of pilgrimageLatest News

Wed 12 Jan, 2011.

by Paul Cochrane

Viewing art is more often than not an urban activity. Galleries and museums don’t tend to be tucked away in forests or on small islands only accessible by ferry. Indeed, a remote island in Japan’s Inland Sea is not where you would expect to find a gallery devoted to Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series. Nor to be the location of what can only be described as a sublime museum experience.

But a remote location showcasing artistic masterpieces has the air of a pilgrimage about it as well as providing a more relaxed setting to ponder and appreciate the art you have traveled so far to see.

There was certainly a feeling of anticipation in the air as visitors boarded the ferry for the fifteen-minute ride from the mainland, around five hours by train from Tokyo, to the island of Naoshima. This is not a place that is on most visitors’ to-do list when visiting Japan, like including an afternoon to tour the Louvre when in Paris. Naoshima attracts the artistically inclined, whether architecture students staying at youth hostels near the port or well-heeled art aficionados checked in at one of the four hotels run by the Benesse Corporation. ...Read more

Past development paying off, more plannedSDk Updates

Tues 14 Dec, 2010.

Even on our little server, with SomethingDark crammed in with a few other websites, we’ve strived to make SDk as fast and as efficient as we possibly can, and, as you’ll see from the latest graph supplied by Google (click to view), with our most recent push we’ve finally managed to make the top 1% of websites with regards to loading times and performance.

Sure, there have been a few days of interruption or “oops, that didn’t work” along the way, but we’re finally there and aim to keep it that way. Then, if we manage to get the finance to upgrade to a new server (it’s on our “to do” list), we should be laughing – and so should the increasing number of visitors to SDk, who will see our pages load on their screen at a gratifyingly super-speedy rate. ...Read more

SDk goes mobile!SDk Updates

Thur 02 Dec, 2010.

We said we’d do it, and now we’ve just done it: today marks the release of SDk:Mob, the version of SomethingDark webmagazine developed specifically for mobile devices with internet capability.

Chris has worked overtime for the last two weeks to get SDk:Mob up and running, and some late-night proof-reading saw the last bugs ironed out in the text and formatting.

For some of the technical background, see our HTML vs. flash page, but, briefly, a streamlined version of SDk magazine can now be viewed at your convenience, on your mobile device, including on those larger devices such as the Apple iPad that do not come with the capability to view Flash-based sites (at least not without the purchase of extra plug-ins).

The full SDk website now has a link to SDk:Mob in the footer, and SDk:Mob has a link to the full site, so why not take a look at our new baby at m.somethingdark.eu; alterntivley, if you're an iPad user, check out our iPad magazine information page, or just go right ahead and view the website as normal – no special app needed.

In detail: why we opted for HTML over flashSDk Updates

Wed 17 Nov, 2010.

For some time we've been pondering on whether to explain in some detail why we chose to produce SomethingDark – the magazine as well as the website – as an HTML-based entity. We touched on the subject in our "more What is SDk?" document, which we made available after SDk01 was launched, but the itch to go the whole hog persisted.

Well, we've just scratched that itch, and the result is a much more detailed explanation of why we bucked the trend of doing an online magazine in flash, and why we think we're on a winner with HTML. We do go into the technology a bit, so those into the tech aspect will be like pigs in mud, but it does also make for interesting and straightforward reading for anyone wanting a glimpse of what we researched and considered before proceeding with SDk's development.

So, please help yourself to our HTML vs. flash page. And, perhaps, do a little pondering yourself.