Category Archives: Photography

Urbanist Lessons from Trip to the Southwest

aesthetics, American Culture, Architecture, arcology, Art Deco, California, capitalism, Cities, Class, Consumerism, Corporations, Culture, demographics, Disneyland, Donald Trump, Economics, Futurism, Grand Canyon, Hipsters, Historic Preservation, History, Las Vegas, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Middle Class, Mormonism, Neoliberalism, Neon, Photography, Politics, Postmodernism, Retro Futurism, Skyscrapers, social capital, social trust, Suburbia, Travel, Urbanism, Utah, Utopia, Wilderness, Zion National Park, Zoning

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas discuss their trip last fall to Las Vegas(Vegas Strip and Downtown), The Grand Canyon, and Zion.

Topics:

Las Vegas as the quintessential Post Modernist City
Creating an other wordy aura that does not exist in mundane consumerism
Creating something noble or grandiose out of consumerism
Las Vegas as an economic rather than geographic concept
Nothing permanent because architecture only survives if profitable
Vintage Vegas and Neon Signage
Irony of historic preservationist dismissing architecture of value because it is a product of capitalism
The pros and cons of private zoning
Casino Resorts functioning as an arcology or self contained city
Theme parks as models for urbanism
The potential for an urban alternative to over priced West Coast Cities
St. George Utah, sprawl layout, and high trust homogeneous middle class demographic
Alt-Urbanist solutions that seek to recreate those attributes in an urban setting
Southern Utah and Northern Arizona as one of the most scenic and geologically diverse regions in the world

Click Here to download!

This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Downtown Vegas Photo Album

aesthetics, Architecture, Culture, Las Vegas, Neon, Photography, Travel, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album Includes:

Bonanza Gift Shop
Fremont East
The Western Hotel
Fremont Street Experience
Four Queens Casino
Fremont Casino
Binion’s Gambling Hall
Golden Gate Casino
California Hotel & Casino
Plaza Hotel & Casino
Boulder Highway
Boulder Station
Sam’s Town

Brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




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Vegas Strip Photo Album

aesthetics, Architecture, Culture, Las Vegas, Neon, Photography, Skyscrapers, Travel, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album includes:

The Flamingo
The Venetian
The Wynn
Caesars Palace
Paris
Cosmopolitan
The Mirage
Luxor
The Shops at Crystals
Peppermill
Circus Circus

Check out Robert’s last Las Vegas photo album from 2016

Brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




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Robert Stark interviews SF based Artist Merkley???

aesthetics, Architecture, Art, California, Cities, conformity, Conservatives, Culture, Dain Fitzgerald, Donald Trump, Economics, Fashion, Gender, Historic Preservation, humor, Immigration, Leftism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Merkley???, Morality, Mormonism, Music, Philosophy, Photography, Political Correctness, Politics, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Social Justice Warriors, Social Media, Urbanism, Utah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Dain Fitzgerald talk to SF based artist and photographer Merkley??? Check out Merkley??? on Twitter.

Topics:

Merkley’s ex Mormon background, and the role of art, creativity, and philosophy within religion
SJW culture as a religion with the state as the figure head
How traditional religion is now more tolerant in comparison
Being a political outsider in the SF Bay Area
The fusion of SJW culture and Neoliberalism
Conservatives adopting liberal ideas from the past that stand the test of time
Merkley’s view that multiple identities will lead to radical individualism
Merkley’s response to the argument that identities provide a sense of social cohesion
Left Wing Puritanism
Using nude photography to poke fun at photoshop, advertisement, and the fashion industry(objectifying the objects)
Bay Area Housing Crisis, Airbnb, supply and demand, and historic preservation concerns
The impracticality of open borders
Merkley’s Ska Band and friendship with Gwen Stefani
Singing the wisdom of the Luddites

Click Here to download!

This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island

Robert Stark interviews Sven Kirsten about Tiki Culture

1950's, 1960's, 1970's, aesthetics, American Culture, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, California, Culture, Disneyland, Film, Historic Preservation, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Mid-Century Modern, Neon, Photography, San Francisco, Sven Kirsten, Tiki, Travel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to Sven Kirsten about Tiki Culture. Sven Kirsten is a Director of Photography, urban archaeologist and self-admitted “visual junkie.” Sven has spent over 20 years researching and documenting the world of  Tiki and Polynesian Pop. Sven’s four books on Tiki include The Book of Tiki, Tiki Pop, Tiki Modern and The Art of Tiki.

Topics:

Sven’s background as a cinematographer and his work on music videos for Madonna, Bill Joel, and The Cramps(IMDB Filmography)
The West’s fascination with Tiki, originating in Polynesia, from the explorer James Cook to the artist Paul Gauguin
Tiki’s popularity in Southern California in the Film Industry and in 50’s design
The Current Tiki revival
Sven’s favorite bar Tiki Ti
History of Trader Vic’s, the venue at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, and Sven’s upcoming book
The handcrafted wood carvings of Tiki venues
Tiki Neon and the building as a sign
The difference between Tiki and Hawaiiana
Devolution of Tiki style to the “Fantasy Island”/Fern bar style in the 70’s
Historic preservation losses and victories
The Tonga Room in San Francisco, it’s preservation, and the Tiki lounge as an urban oasis
The Tiki Room and defunct Tahitian Terrace at Disneyland
Exhibition at the Musee de Quai Branley in Paris
Sven’s upcoming book “Aztec Hotel” about Art Deco Mayan and Aztec revival

Click Here to download!

This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




San Francisco Trip Photo Album(Fall 2018)

aesthetics, Architecture, Art Deco, California, Cities, John C. Portman Jr, Neon, Photography, San Francisco, Skyscrapers, Travel, Urbanism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album includes:

The John Portman designed Embarcadero Center and Hyatt
The  Financial District
South of Market and the new Transbay Terminal
The Palace Hotel
Union Square, Neiman Marcus, Crocker Galleria, and the Portman designed JW Marriott 
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery
The Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel
North Beach and Broadway Neon
The Tenderloin

Check out Robert’s past SF Bay Area albums from 2017 and 2016.

This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings, Stark Truth TV, and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




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Robert Stark interviews Matthew Pegas about The Alt Center & Neon Nationalism

1980's, 80's music, aesthetics, Alicia Silverstone, Alt Center, Alternative Left, Alternative Right, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Asian Aryanism, Asian Culture, Blast From The Past, Brandon Adamson, California, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, Class, Clueless, Conservatives, counterculture, Culture, demographics, Economics, Erotica, Europe, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Film, Francis Nally, Futurism, Globalization, History, Homosexuality, Identitarianism, Immigration, income inequality, James O'Meara, Jamie Stewart, Journey to Vapor Island, Lasse Nielsen, Leftism, Liberalism, Los Angeles, Marquis de Sade, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Middle Class, Mishima A Life in Four Chapters, Morality, Music, Nationalism, Neon, Nietzsche, Nudism, Oligarchy, Philosophy, Photography, Pilleater, Politics, Postmodernism, Radical Center, Retro Futurism, Sexuality, Social Isolation, Suburbia, SWPL, Synthwave, Urbanism, Utopia, Will McBride, Xiu Xiu, Yukio Mishima

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew Pegas blogs at Alt of Center | Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit of Beauty

Topics:

How Matthew discovered the Stark Truth via the interview with Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu
Matthew’s political transformation from a Leftist to a “Starkian” Alt-Centrist
The connection between politics, sexuality, and aesthetics
Beyond Liberalism: A Political New Wave
Neonationalism; nationalism and politics based on aesthetics
Creating an Archeo-Futuristic sub-culture that is so aesthetically pleasing that it can out-compete Liberal-Universalism and Global Capitalism
Architecture as a form of erotica
The Alt-Of-Center Guide To Aesthetic Warfare
The phenomenon of progressive cultural interests gaining an identitarian consciousness
The scene as the inevitable result of urban, middle to upper class “SWPL’s” becoming “Red Pilled”
The Idea of Homonationalism
San Fernando Valley Photo Essay and Neon Signage on Ventura Blvd
Income inequality and the demographic transformation of The Valley and LA

Click Here to download!

This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island