November 07, 2006
Son of Stark, little Starkish.
Check out this small perfectly formed starkism, running in the classified section of yesterday's NZ Herald.
Not so starkishly serious.
Still no word on exactly what the 'starkish' PR promotion is for. In the meantime it's been interesting watching journalists respond to it. While some have reacted to it with outrage, a few have had a bit of fun with it instead. Check out this very wry post from Damian Christie at Public Address about his ethical wrestle with the starkish dilemma.
Starkish bidding.
A starkism discovered on Trade Me where someone using the word to sell a pair of Sass and Bide's.
November 06, 2006
Zoom, zoom.
Due to demand, threadless designer illustrate has asked if a close-up of the starkish t-shirt be hosted on this site. More than happy to help, so here it is:

November 05, 2006
November 04, 2006
T-Starkish.
Arguably one of the coolest starkisms discovered thus far, someone has submitted a very starkish t-shirt up on threadless.com . If the shirt gets enough votes the mad cats at threadless will print and sell the shirt, so jump on the site, create an account and vote like there's no tomorrow.
November 03, 2006
Starkish is my look.
Fashion label Moochi are now using the word in their recent advertising. Is all the recent activity of 'starkish' confirming that this is more than just a word and we are indeed witnessing the birth of a new cultural movement? It does seem that way.



The Starkish plot thickens.

Rumour has it that Philippe Starck is planning to open a Hotel in the Nuffield St district. Is this the reason for the explosion of starkisms around Auckland in the past few weeks, or just a coincidence? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Adhesive Starkism.
November 02, 2006
November 01, 2006
October 31, 2006
Jacquie 'Starkish' Brown
Jacquie Brown said "starkish" on Campbell Live tonight, or more precisely: "Starkish it isn't."
CupO'starkism.
October 30, 2006
Starkishpedia.
The debate continues. Should starkish be listed on internet encyclopedia site wikipedia? Sent into us earlier today was a link to the starkish page on wikipedia, which is currently being considered for deletion.
Currently posted on wikipedia for starkish is as follows:
Currently posted on wikipedia for starkish is as follows:
'Starkish' Is more than just a word, it is on its way to becoming a cultural movement. It has emerged as a counter-cultural response to a perceived flood of visual, verbal and pop-cultural dross within urban societal frameworks.Is the word merely a word, or because of its increased use in society, should it be allowed on wikipedia to document the birth of a possibly new cultural movement?
Starkish describes various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped of its unnescessary parts, down to its most fundamental features and core self expression. It has been used to describe the comedy/drama film Junebug, works of art from New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell and fashion from Karen Walker.
There is heated debated as to who first coined this term, as no one is entirely certain as to who first used it, or what the exact definition of it is. Many popular artists and fashion labels across Australia and New Zealand have been credited with coining "Starkish", which they have used the word in the popular context that "starkish" is "tasteful" and "stylish" almost bordering on "minimalism".
The term "starkish" can also refer to anything or anyone that has been rendered starkish or expressed in a manner that is considered starkish.
Word use.
Thanks to a keen blogger for this fabulous monday starkism.
"Shall I compare thee to a minimalist day.
Thou art more starkish and stylistically discerning."
"Shall I compare thee to a minimalist day.
Thou art more starkish and stylistically discerning."
Neologism.
Where do new words come from? This article from MED Magazine helps explain the process in which new words are adopted into everyday language.
“When we feel the lack of a word to express our meaning, there are a number of options available to us. The method most frequently used is affixation - the adding of a prefix, a suffix or both to an existing word to create a longer word that gets our meaning across. This comes naturally to us all from a very early age. It was through affixation that we got the adjective unbelievable. Somebody took the verb believe, added the suffix -able to create the adjective believable and then added the prefix un- to get unbelievable. It filled a gap that was felt in the lexicon and was adopted by others, becoming a common word in the language. Startlingly few new words (or neologisms) are created entirely from scratch, the overwhelming majority are created by recycling old words in this way.”
By this article, it could be said that "starkish" is an affixation of the word "stark" which according the the Oxford Dictionary means: "devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment: 'the blunt truth'; 'the crude facts'.
This in mind, would the correct definition of starkish be "anyone or anything exhibiting a sense of good proportion and taste but with all the 'crap' cut out"? Just leaving/showing the bare essentials necessary to exhibite a sense of good proportion and taste.
“When we feel the lack of a word to express our meaning, there are a number of options available to us. The method most frequently used is affixation - the adding of a prefix, a suffix or both to an existing word to create a longer word that gets our meaning across. This comes naturally to us all from a very early age. It was through affixation that we got the adjective unbelievable. Somebody took the verb believe, added the suffix -able to create the adjective believable and then added the prefix un- to get unbelievable. It filled a gap that was felt in the lexicon and was adopted by others, becoming a common word in the language. Startlingly few new words (or neologisms) are created entirely from scratch, the overwhelming majority are created by recycling old words in this way.”
By this article, it could be said that "starkish" is an affixation of the word "stark" which according the the Oxford Dictionary means: "devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment: 'the blunt truth'; 'the crude facts'.
This in mind, would the correct definition of starkish be "anyone or anything exhibiting a sense of good proportion and taste but with all the 'crap' cut out"? Just leaving/showing the bare essentials necessary to exhibite a sense of good proportion and taste.
October 28, 2006
More than a word.
Starkish.
What is it? There has been a lot of recent buzz about this new word 'starkish' in New Zealand. The recent surge in popularity of the word has seen it used by the media, DJs and bands, and as of now, it even has a site dedicated to finding out exactly what exactly 'starkish' is.
Currently there is a lot of confusion to what it means. Whether it is a new slang word adopted by popular culture or if it has emerged as a movement (like that of 'minimalism'). However, how did this term come about? After a quick check on Urban Dictionary this meaning was found:
"starkish. adj. 'Anyone or anything exhibiting a sense of good proportion and taste.'"
Examples of the proper use of the word found on the site included: "Wow, you're looking starkish tonight." "Snapped up someone Starkish yet?" "Yeah, she is really starkish."
This in mind, who qualifies (or what for that matter) as being "starkish"? Does Paris Hilton qualify as starkish? One could argue no, as she definitely doesn't "exhibiting a sense of taste".
Not only has the word appeared in newspapers such as The New Zealand Hearld and Sunday Star-Times, but also on TV One's Breakfast show. Where it was used to describe comedy/drama film Junebug. It also has been found being used around Auckland city. There have been sightings of the word being used around one of Auckland's 'trendy' suburbs, Ponsonby, along with other sightings High Street and Parnell.
Are we witnessing a neologism or much more, the growth of a movement within our pop-cultural sphere?
This site was created to provide an open debate on "starkish" if you love it or hate it, or never even heard of it! Your thoughts, sightings and own personal variations are welcomed.
t-2
What is it? There has been a lot of recent buzz about this new word 'starkish' in New Zealand. The recent surge in popularity of the word has seen it used by the media, DJs and bands, and as of now, it even has a site dedicated to finding out exactly what exactly 'starkish' is.
Currently there is a lot of confusion to what it means. Whether it is a new slang word adopted by popular culture or if it has emerged as a movement (like that of 'minimalism'). However, how did this term come about? After a quick check on Urban Dictionary this meaning was found:
"starkish. adj. 'Anyone or anything exhibiting a sense of good proportion and taste.'"
Examples of the proper use of the word found on the site included: "Wow, you're looking starkish tonight." "Snapped up someone Starkish yet?" "Yeah, she is really starkish."
This in mind, who qualifies (or what for that matter) as being "starkish"? Does Paris Hilton qualify as starkish? One could argue no, as she definitely doesn't "exhibiting a sense of taste".
Not only has the word appeared in newspapers such as The New Zealand Hearld and Sunday Star-Times, but also on TV One's Breakfast show. Where it was used to describe comedy/drama film Junebug. It also has been found being used around Auckland city. There have been sightings of the word being used around one of Auckland's 'trendy' suburbs, Ponsonby, along with other sightings High Street and Parnell.
Are we witnessing a neologism or much more, the growth of a movement within our pop-cultural sphere?
This site was created to provide an open debate on "starkish" if you love it or hate it, or never even heard of it! Your thoughts, sightings and own personal variations are welcomed.
t-2
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