The Trimalchio Project

Wrapping Up Trimalchio

Just a few final items that should bring us to the end of the Trimalchio Project:

• Glam Gatsby, a Gatsby-inspired fashion Tumblr from Teresa Simonsmeier
• My Flickr photo set of the Trimalchio weekend
• And finally, for those interested, a Storify page covering the Trimalchio Project from conception until completion 

I don’t think I’ll keep this Tumblr going. It was created solely for the purposes of the Trimalchio Project, and I didn’t intend for it to be a permanent thing. Unless otherwise noted, any future Gatsby/Fitzgerald related items will be posted on my main Tumblr site.

Thanks again to all who made this project such a wonderful, amazing experience. Perhaps we’ll do it again next year with a different book. 

Andy

“And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.”

Fresh, Sweet, and Deceptively Potent

Another Trimalchio project: A cocktail menu based on characters from the Great Gatsby. Design by Nicole Braseth. Text by Nicole Braseth, Marilyn Kontz and Vanessa Grabia.

A Flickr photo set of the cocktails can be found here.

Gatsby’s Song

I will reach, I will strive,
She is why I’m alive,
Though I wish I could tell
What she wants me to be.
I’ll put on any mask,
I’ll perform any task,
To make her sweet laughter
Belong just to me.
 
I don’t know my own story,
I’ve changed it so often,
I scarcely remember
What’s true and what’s not.
Only one thing is certain,
This love, my sole glory.
If I cannot have her,
Then all is for naught.
 
And I reach and I strive,
Till I’m barely alive,
And I wish I could tell
What she wants me to be.
I put on any mask,
I perform any task,
To make her sweet laughter
Belong just to me.
 
Then our hearts beat fast,
And we kiss at last,
And the whole world stops.
Then goes.

Just when I thought I had her,
I lost her, I lost her,
She slipped through my fingers
Like water, like sand.
I must have to try harder
To be what she’s after,
I reach for the light,
Soon I’ll have it in hand.

Still I reach and I strive,
I’m just barely alive,
And I wish that I knew
What she wanted of me.
I’ve put on every mask,
I’ve performed every task,
And still her sweet laughter
Belongs not to me.

I wrote something for Trimalchio, but what you just read is not it. My piece is not ready for public consumption yet, so instead I wrote a song. This one is just called “Gatsby’s Song.” There’s a tune for it that sounds a little too much like “The Streets of Laredo” at the moment. I’ll sing it some day when I’m brave. — Karen Unland

The Bright, Ecstatic Smile

For her Trimalchio project, Marilyn Kontz designed five pieces of clothing inspired by The Great Gatsby. Each item—Green Light at the End of the Pier, Hydroplane, Gatsby’s Car, The Ash Valleys, and Bonafide Printed Matter—is based on an event or location from the book. Marilyn’s beautiful hand-drawn sketches are featured below. 

The Ghost of Gatsby

For Trimalchio,  I wanted to do a bunch of little projects, rather than one big one, and this is the first one I completed. It’s a mix inspired by the book ( I also took the picture and designed the cover). Some of the songs resonated with me because of the lyrics; some resonated with me because of the mood or atmosphere they created. In the end, I went with a collection of songs that I felt captured the ecstasy and sorrow of The Great Gatsby. Below is a track listing and Grooveshark widget that will allow people to hear the mix. 

Pretty In Pink - The Psychedelic Furs

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths

I Want the World to Stop - Belle and Sebastian

The Spirit of Jazz - The Gaslight Anthem

Motorcycle Drive By - Third Eye Blind

Dusk and Summer - Dashboard Confessional

Set the Fire to the Third Bar - Snow Patrol & Martha Wainwright

Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine

Sick Man Blues - Bobby Long

The Great Escape - Patrick Watson

Samson - Regina Spektor

Lover’s Spit (Redux) - Broken Social Scene

Mojo Pin - Jeff Buckley

Bedtime Lullaby - Mark Kozelek

Love is All - The Tallest Man On Earth

Holocene - Bon Iver

New York City Serenade - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Jazz Age Lawn Party

Amazing images from the Governor’s Island Jazz Age Lawn Party, which happened last weekend, the same weekend as the Trimalchio Project. You can see more under the Jazz Age and Jazz Age Lawn Party tags on Tumblr, or through an image search on Google.

Needless to say, I would LOVE to do something like this in Edmonton. Looking at the pictures, I think a location like Quad on the UofA campus would be ideal. Nice big space, old buildings in the background. Perfect. 

The Jazz Age

fromme-toyou:

Tucked away on an island off the southern tip of Manhattan is a bygone world brought back to life in the most roaring fashion with finger waves and pie contests, afternoon cocktails amidst the charleston, Model T’s and parasols under the enchanting tunes of Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra…This is the Governors Island Jazz Age Lawn Fest

Missed this past weekend? Don’t fret my pet- we can all kick up our heels again August 20 & 21!