I was surprised that I received the latest issue of Domino magazine in the mail yesterday. I had thought the subscription ended and I didn't plan to renew. In fact all my subscriptions have lapsed, since they aren't expenses that can be justified right now.
Domino used to be an interesting magazine. It had a quirky style, that stressed home decoration on a budget. Yes, there were a few luxe items that made it through from time to time. But not anything like now. Within the last year, I noticed that Domino transformed from a budget conscious angle to luxe living. Along with the change was an avalanche of ads that seemed to have overrun the slim magazine. Not that this is a crime, they need revenue. But it causes me to wonder if this sudden popularity among advertisers caused the change in the magazine's purpose.
However that is not the reason why I wanted to warble about Domino. It was about an article in the recent issue that dredged up a memory from my acting activities.
During productions, rehearsals are required. Most times, rehearsals are held in one of the many dingy rehearsal halls sprinkled around mid-town Manhattan. Depending on the economy these rehearsal halls open up or close on an irregular basis. In the recent past, there was a surge for their services. I'm not sure about now since I've been out of the auditioning loop, but I think a dry time is on the horizon for these places. However at the time of my story, rehearsal space was hard to come by and had to be staked out weeks ahead. Sometimes, to save money, rehearsals are held at the most convenient living space available among the cast members. For whatever reason, it is hard to remember at the moment, my rehearsal group ended up in the outer boroughs at a cast member home.
She had a nice apartment, if rather small(the most common NY apartment size). I seem to remember the walls being a nice, cool, pastel green. On this fellow actor's walls were very professional and attractive B&W prints. As I looked closer, I noticed the subject of these prints was my fellow actor. They were all over the apartment. My fellow cast member smiling out at visitors from every corner of her apartment. In one she was dressed in a kind of costume. It must have been a photo for advertising purposes. There was a glamour shot of her in the living room. I think there were even photos in the bathroom. I don't know, perhaps my memory is exaggerating that element. I was so flabbergasted at these photos, I didn't know what to think of them at first. It seemed amusing but as I noticed so many of them around her apartment it struck me as creepy. She was still a very young woman, so it wasn't as if she were trying to hold on to her youth. But all the same, I was getting a Mrs. Haversham, Nora Desmond, or Baby Jane vibe from it all. Do I have to mention that I was relieved when rehearsal time was over.
I had forgotten that incident until I picked up this latest issue of Domino.
The article was about some screenwriter in LA. Domino photographed her apartment which was decorated in a funky, personal style. Very artsy. Until one takes a closer look at the artsy. There were photos of the screenwriter all over her apartment. She even professionally framed her old grammar school writing projects and art projects. That same creepy feeling that I had at my castmate's apartment came back while I was reading about this screenwriter.
And I wondered again at it all.
What kind of person commemorates themselves in that fashion? Who would want to post portraits of themselves all over their living space? What must acquaintances think when they see all of this?
The Domino photographer took great pleasure in documenting all of this self-fetishizing. But was it as an example of good decorating or in mocking? I couldn't tell with Domino being the way it is these days.
Labels: culture, decorating, design, fashion, magazines, personal
