Brian and Shoshana Zisk

Brian and Shoshana Zisk are co-producers of the SF MusicTech Summit and the Future of Money & Technology Summit, wildly popular conferences here in San Francisco.   Brian is also co-founder of the SF MusicTech Fund, the Future of Music Coalition, and advises a variety of tech companies and nonprofits.  Shoshana is an entertainment lawyer […]

What the Hell is SOMA Anyway?

Fact: Originally an ancient Indo-Persian term invoking ecstasy, and later used by the Greeks and Romans to refer to the body, the word “SOMA” has meant many things over time. Aldous Huxley described it as a holiday from the ordinary, while William S. Burroughs used it to hypothesize the posibility of a non-addictive form of […]

Rich Brilliant Willing

The lighting and furniture design studio Rich Brilliant Willing was founded in 2009 by RISD grads Theo Richardson, Charles Brill and Alexander Williams.  In commissions for Artecnica, Urban Outfitters, Roll & Hill, Areaware, Partners & Spade, Swarovski, and Innermost, RBW has offered an aesthetic that is cleanly modern and elegant, while young and fun. SOMA […]

LAST WORD

LAST WORD: XVALA

XVALA is a guerilla artist — taking to the streets (or, more specifically, dumpsters) to create art that serves as social commentary upon the imminent threat that the internet poses today. The second to adopt the anonymous brand name, this particular XVALA (not Jeff Hamilton, the creator of the title) takes the practical joke avenue […]

Last Word – September 2011

Louis Mairone designs his “Dominic Louis” collection of unisex fashion with a menswear influence and darkly romantic perspective. Offering an avant-garde sensibility with exotic fabrications and a raw, tribal feel, Mairone’s vision is anything but mainstream. SOMA asked, “What does Fashion mean to you?” Available at Oak and wondermode.com, visit dominiclouis.com. – Michael Cohen

Jean-Marc Houmard

In the cutthroat urban jungle where hotspots have a 16 percent chance of survival after a year, Indochine achieved the impossible and just celebrated their 25th anniversary with a lavish ’20s Shanghai themed bash in the sultry space.  Joining the ranks of other New York City legends such as Studio 54, Indochine remains a downtown […]

Larry Clark

Offering sights of teenage sex, drug-use and violence sans artifice, photographer/director Larry Clark’s provocative vision of young adulthood has transformed contemporary cinema since his groundbreaking Tulsa and heart-wrenching Kids. Clark’s works portray youth in such a frank manner that they often embody a surreal, absurdist quality. Controversial and influential, his brutal phantasms of ecstasy and […]

Last Word

What the hell is SOMA anyway? Fact: Originally an ancient Indo-Persian word invoking ecstasy, and later used by the Greeks and Romans to refer to the body, the word soma has meant many things over time. Aldous Huxley described it as a holiday from the ordinary and William S. Burroughs used it to hypothesize the […]

Last Word

Credit is not always appropriately allotted, but Tom Verlaine’s seminal New York band Television literally founded the CBGB’s punk scene. Initially playing cool virtuoso to Richard Hell’s gutter poet, the revered guitarist went on to craft an enigmatic solo career which included work with Jeff Buckley. His anxious vocal delivery and frenetic guitar style have […]