First Name: Gretchen

27/01/2021

Ernest Tino Trova. Pl***oy Bunny. 1989.
Chrome.
4 1/2 x 3 in. (11.4 x 7.6 cm).

19/01/2021

Veronica Lario. Tenebrae. Dario Argento. 1982.

01/01/2021

'Hugh Hefner provided, in the pre-digital, analog era, an unprecedented, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our team of architects, engineers, artisans, sculptors, landscape planners and lighting designers, dedicated to creating architecture and landscape design in harmony with nature. This is a story about what every architect or designer dreams of; finding a client who was able to articulate what he, she or they wanted, and then have those dreams and visions come true. What was eventually designed and built is extraordinary and functional to this very day.'

Inside Hefner's Pleasure-Domes: Designing Xanadu for an American Icon. Architecture and Dreams in Hugh Hefner's Empire. 2nd Edition. Ron Dirsmith.

21/12/2020

16/12/2020

Helmut Newton & Laura King.
Two auteurs of Hotel Hijinks.

15/12/2020

Bibi Andersson. Ingmar Bergman. Liv Ullman. 1966.

14/12/2020

Marilyn. Ginta Lapina. Signe Vilstrup. Vanity Fair.

10/12/2020

Anna Chapman wearing a creation by Shiyan & Rudkovskaya fashion house. Volvo Fashion Week. Moscow. June, 2010. Victor Boyko.

09/12/2020

The phrase that sums up everything: quantifying and eroticizing.

J.G. Ballard. RE/Search #8/9, p.49. 1984.

07/12/2020

Seated Ballerina. Jeff Koons. Rockefeller Center. New York. 2017.

For his Rockefeller Center return, Koons is revisiting a recurring subject, a ballerina perched on a stool, adjusting her shoe. The form, from his “Antiquity” series, is inspired by a turn-of-the-century porcelain ballerina figurine found in a Russian factory.

23/11/2020

Volupté. Albert Joseph Pénot. 1910.

23/11/2020

Salvador Dalí. Metamorphosis of Narcissus. 1937.

22/11/2020

Wuthering Heights
Luis Buñuel
Poster (aspect)
1953

22/11/2020

Fortunately, somewhere between chance and mystery lies imagination, the only thing that protects our freedom, despite the fact that people keep trying to reduce it or kill it off altogether.

Luis Buñuel

21/11/2020

THE ALICE PROJECT
A Play in One Scene

Int. Hotel Room. Night.
An airport hotel room located in Boston, Massachusetts.

The story’s heroine, Alice, a beautiful young woman in a stewardess uniform, lies on the couch. Her eyes are closed.

We hear the sound of fingers snapping.

She opens her eyes.

Alice
(To an unseen male OC)
Sorry doctor. I guess it didn’t work. Don’t feel bad. Some people can be hypnotized. I’m just not one of them.
(listens)
I’m hypnotized? Really? I'm in a dream right now? I’m not feeling particularly oneiric, doctor. There’s a test to see? What's the test?
(She stands up)
Okay.

Alice nods and snaps her fingers. A sultry song comes on.

She starts to sway.

Alice
Mmmm. I feel like I’m floating out of my shoes. I think I like being in a dream. So I can do anything I want? Anything at all? What should I do?
(listens)
You want to talk? You want to know something about me? I can do that.

She takes a swig from a bottle of vodka.

Alice
Okay I’ll tell you something. There is something you don’t know. Know about me. Something fascinating. Something of interest. Two things of interest. Two, in point of fact. Two. One and two. Both of them interesting. Both of them of deep interest to men. And trust me, darling. Trust me darling, when I say. You can believe me or not believe me. But have faith when I tell you. On the subject of men. I’m an expert. That’s one thing. The other thing is this. It’s my dream. A treasured dream. A cherished dream. Can you guess what it is? Do you want to try? Let me tell you. I want to tell you. Let me tell you my dream. My lifelong dream. Let me tell you my ambition. My ambition for so long. My dream, my ambition, my desire. My aspiration you could say. My aspiration for so long. My ambition to be. To become. To one day wear the uniform. This uniform. To proudly wear this uniform. To one day become a stewardess. And now look. Look at me. Look what I’ve become. I’ve become a stewardess. Look at this uniform. Look at me in this uniform. You can stare. I don’t mind. I’d stare too. Look at how it fits me. Look at how it hugs every glorious inch of me. Look at me in this uniform and ask yourself. The day I decided. Ask yourself darling. The day I knew what I wanted to become. To become a stewardess. Look at me. Then ask yourself Aren’t you glad I made that decision?

Alice smirks and drinks.

Alice
(cont)
This is fun. You know when you told me? Told me what you did. In the hotel bar. I thought you were pulling my leg. That you were a psychoanalyst and that you wanted to hypnotize me up in your room. And then I told you it would never work. And what you said. That you’d do it all night if need be.
(Smiles devilishly)
I like being hypnotized.

She starts to fidget in her uniform.

Alice
(coyly un******ng)
Do you ever wonder? Do you ever wonder darling? What it’s like. Have you ever imagined. Have you ever wondered? What it’s like? What it must be like? Up there. What it’s like up there?
(Points upwards)
They say. They, meaning people. People I mean. People darling. People say there are plans. Plans afoot. Plans in the making. Plans to build a hotel. Up there. Up in space. Up on the moon. And I just have to wonder. As I’m sure you must. I just have to ask myself. What it must be like. When you look. Look up there. When you look at the moon. So quiet and serene. Can you imagine darling? Can you imagine what it’s like? What do you think darling? Can you imagine? To sleep on the moon. To sleep and sleep. To sleep dreaming dreams. To dream so many dreams. To sleep and dream. To sleep and dream and then to wake. Like a lazy cat. Sleepy and Yawning. Yawning and stretching. Stretching and wide awake. Wide awake and hungry. Hungry and finding yourself where you are. In a luxurious penthouse. A glorious penthouse. A penthouse astride a hotel. A hotel on the moon. Like a pearl in outer space. And with the stars. The stars all around. Stars here and there. Here and there singing. Singing a celestial song. Singing like a chorus. Stars shining bright. Shining a thousand times brighter. So much brighter. Like diamonds. Diamonds, darling. Diamonds carelessly spilled. Diamonds spread here and there. Spread across the inky black backdrop. Burning away angrily in a sea of permanent midnight. And the quiet and serene moon. The alabaster moon. Reclining. Reclining in every direction. Waiting for my orders. Like a handmaiden. A temperamental handmaiden with an unknown agenda. Unknown and unknowable. Patiently waiting. Undisturbed. Like a bone white ocean of unbothered dust. And the sun. Can you imagine it darling? To have the solar system…right there. To have it laid out for you. Each sphere playing. Playing it’s part. Performing for you. Putting on a performance. Like actors and actresses. Each playing a part in a play. Performing their drama while you eat your breakfast of toast and jam. That’s what I deserve darling. That’s what I deserve if the truth be told. That’s what I deserve and no less. That must be what a cat thinks. While it laps up it’s bowl of cream. Lapping it up with it’s rough little tongue. This is what I deserve and no less. With it’s eternal grin of satisfaction. Satisfaction stolen from the bloody maw of kill or be killed. From the brutal play of the eaters and the eaten. Up on the moon there is no red in tooth and claw. There is only beautiful serenity. Beautiful calm. Beautiful peace. And it’s all there for me. But sadly no. Sadly never. Sadly darling because it’s always jam yesterday and jam tomorrow but never jam today. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun here on naughty planet earth. Right?

Alice is seriously turned on.

Alice
I think I better go.
(listens)
Because I’m beginning to think I might not be so hypnotized.
(listens, smirks)
Okay. So if I can grant your wish that’ll mean we’re in a dream?
(seductively)
Tell me your wish. I grant wishes.

Listens and smiles like she’s starting to think she’s being conned.

Alice
(clarifying)
You must think I was born yesterday. Let’s see if I have this straight. If I grant your wish, that will somehow prove that I’m still hypnotized? And this is actually for science and not just because you want me to make myself cm while you watch?
(listens and grins)
I can do that.

Reaches inside her purse and produces a d***o.
She slaps it on the coffee table, with great effect. She pulls her panties to the side. She smiles at the doctor and lowers herself down. She begins to ride the d***o. Faster and faster. Faster and harder until-

- she stops.

Alice
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. Is this really happening. Or not?
(listens, interrupts)
You know what? I don’t care.

She resumes fu***ng herself until-
She finishes magnificently.

She takes the bottle of vodka, raises it in a toast to his health and drinks.

The End

17/11/2020

Elmer Batters

15/11/2020

Black Narcissus. Michael Powell. Emeric Pressburger. 1947.

15/11/2020

Marion Cotillard. Another Magazine. Craig McDean. 2010.

15/11/2020

Monica Bellucci. 1994.

14/11/2020

Jeremy Irons. Dead Ringers. David Cronenberg. 1988.

13/11/2020

Romy Schneider. L'Enfer. Henri-Georges Clouzot. 1964.

13/11/2020

excerpt from Genus Humanus Gretchen

"CARMEN'S MONOLOGUE"

CARMEN
(earnestly)
Darling. Darling look. Look darling look. Look at my face. You like my face. Darling listen. Listen to my voice. It belongs to you. Look and listen. I’m here. I’m here as you can see. As you can plainly see. I’m here precious boy. Here for you. I’m here with a solution. A solution in fact. A solution in point of fact. I’m here with your solution. The solution you need. Be happy darling, the solution. The antidote. Do you see? Do you want to see? Can you guess? Darling guess. Guess darling. The antidote. The antidote to fear. Fear darling yes. An antibody born of fear. Darling yes. The fear that grips your heart. Darling. Dear darling boy! The fear that seizes you and grips you. Darling no! Pulling you close. So close! Pulling you near. So close, so near. Holding you tight. No, no, no! You struggle. There’s no escape. Sickened with fear. You struggle and fight. There’s no escape! So afraid. So afraid you can hardly breath. Holding you with it’s tentacles. This must be hell. The face of hell. The face of menace. Holding you with it’s slimy tentacles. The tentacles of an unseen enemy. The tentacles of a friend. An untrustworthy friend. Betrayal. A friend who watches you. Who watches from the dark. An assailant that watches you. From inside. A predator. A treacherous friend. The predator. So close. So close but look. Look darling look. The predator is gone. The predator is no more. Be happy darling for I have your remedy. Be happy darling for I am your remedy. I am your hope and salvation. I am your light. I am your rescue. I bring to you a message. A message of eternal destruction. A bright burning message of devastation. Devastation and destruction. To those who wish you ill. A message of joy. Joy to burn away the fear. Joy to keep you. To keep you and hold you. Joy to keep you safe. Joy darling. Joy like an atomic blast. A wave of fire that brings it all down. Joy as a message. I am that message darling. I am your angel. I am your bright burning angel of destruction. I am your bright burning message of joy. I am here to bring it all down.

13/11/2020

Beautiful Losers. Jack Vettriano. 1996.

13/11/2020

Love and Pain (aka The Vampire). Edvard Munch. 1895.

13/11/2020

Charles Baudelaire. With Her Pearly, Undulating Dresses. Flowers of Evil. 1861.

With her pearly, undulating dresses,
Even when she's walking, she seems to be dancing
Like those long snakes which the holy fakirs
Set swaying in cadence on the end of their staffs.
Like the dull sand and the blue of deserts,
Both of them unfeeling toward human suffering,
Like the long web of the ocean's billows,
She unfurls herself with unconcern.
Her glossy eyes are made of charming minerals
And in that nature, symbolic and strange,
Where pure angel is united with ancient sphinx,
Where everything is gold, steel, light and diamonds,
There glitters forever, like a useless star,
The frigid majesty of the sterile woman.

13/11/2020

Albert Joseph Penot. Couleuvre. 1890.

13/11/2020

Alfred Hitchcock. Grace Kelly. 1954.

13/11/2020

The Kiss. Auguste Rodin. 1882.

13/11/2020

Cupid and Psyche. Henry Fuseli. 1810.

12/11/2020

Dee Hess. Peter Basch. 1958.

12/11/2020

The Lovers. René Magritte. 1928.
Dellamorte, Dellamore. Michele Soavi. 1994.

12/11/2020

Kim Novak. Vertigo. Alfred Hitchcock. 1958.

12/11/2020

Sacred and Profane Love. Titian. 1514.

12/11/2020

Linda Fiorentino. The Last Seduction. John Dahl. 1994.