Rob Linsalata

50 years ago, after first premiering in New York City and then releasing in the UK, Stanley Kubrick released his dystopian cinematic masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange to the world. Kubrick’s vivid visualization of the future captivated film critics and viewers alike instantaneously. He took the already powerful Anthony Burgess novel and, fueled with a riveting soundtrack by Wendy Carlos, electrified it in a way few imagined possible.

Vivid and electrifying, his vision of the future has shaped every aspect of culture to this day — despite eventually being banned in Britain and other countries — from cinema to music to fashion & design. It changed moviemaking almost overnight. And it’s impact on music, art and culture continue unabated today. Myriad musicians and bands drew their influences from the film, including the legendary David Bowie . The British synthpop band Heaven17 even got their name from the famous record store scene. But of all the riveting visual stylizations that Kubrick created for the screen, the most vivid for me even today is the Korova Milk Bar . The stark high-contrast pop modernism of this scene has been a powerful influence for me from the moment I saw the film. The Milk Bar Mannequins, the flowing psychedelic typography hyping the drug-infused Moloko, the wardrobe, and the lighting all conspired together to create one wild trippy experience.

So, viddy this well then, me brothers and sisters. I give you A Clockwork Moloko, my tribute to A Clockwork Orange and most especially the Korova Milk Bar…

A Reflection on Isolation and Emotional Upheaval in the Time of Covid

Words and images by Rob Linsalata
Featuring Deanna Marie Kennedy
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From hardship and loss to the threat of terrifying illness and even death, we have all been held in the grip of fear for more than an entire year. Political turmoil, civil unrest and a relentless pandemic created the perfect storm to rip apart the emotional foundations we all thought we had.

Yet for all of these looming horrors, perhaps the most insidious of them all has been the pervasive sense of nothingness: Isolation, loneliness, the inability to socialize or even safely take care of family members or friends in need. Just non-stop time alone — and for many, the worst kind: idle time. All while staring at the same four walls. Nowhere to go, no one to see and nothing to do. It is in the depths of this darkness that the mind can inflict its own special horrors upon itself. From the unbearable longing to touch another, to utter despair and the fear that comes with it. This is the pendulum swing of emotions that this photographic essay seeks to explore.

Copyright © 2021 Rob Linsalata.

ANIMAL MYTHOS is a collection of stories about our ancestral and primal connection to our animals kin.

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF NATURAL HISTORY
Primal, nocturnal, ritualistic and dark, our bond with our ancestral kin is in our blood. From spirit animals to archetypes, ANIMAL MYTHOS is a collection of visual stories about our ancient connection to our animal kin — and the animal within us all. From the shared lore that connects our disparate cultures to the place animalistic imagery occupies in our dreams, there is a part of all of us that is drawn to both the majesty of animals and at the same time those more visceral aspects of our ancient selves. 

MARIE ANTOINETTE REVISITED
A Photographic Series by Rob Linsalata (aka Papa Rob)
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Marie Antoinette was, in every way, the pop superstar of her time. At the age of 14, she became a ripe offering of peace as the promised bride to young king-to-be, Louis XVI. From that moment forward, her life was launched into mega-celebrity status. Along with that came all the tabloid speculation that today’s young superstars experience.

Gossip, myths and outright lies about her extravagant lifestyle and her equally extravagant sexual escapades abounded. Adding fuel to the fire, she clearly had a flare for the dramatic, and she happily drank up all the attention that her famous, gravity-defying pouf hairdo – with its many trinkets and embellishments – brought her. Like Marilyn Monroe, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, the public image of Marie Antoinette ultimately became a cultural phenomenon, and her life’s story – real, imagined or otherwise – became more and more provocative right up to her dramatic demise.

This photographic series seeks to take a fresh look at all the tantalizing, excessive and scandalous rumors, confessions, myths and lies that made the world’s most extravagant femme fatale who she was – and who we still long for her to be.

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Models featured: Carlotta Champagne, Cherelle Champagne, Erica Jay, Theresa Manchester, Jen Sanders