creature

you got light in your ears

2009-05-08T20:47:00.006-04:00

Precisely one year ago, on Mother's Day, to be exact, I saw a Radiohead show at Nissan Pavilion just outside of DC that was, at that point, one of the best designs I had seen in a nontraditional integration of light and live music. The stage had large LCD tubes hanging around the band that created a brilliantly synchronized, ambient light show (here's a rough YouTuber that can at least give you a sense for it). One year later, the importance of and emphasis placed on light design in conjunction with live music may not have necessarily changed all that much. After all, Pink Floyd basically defined the practice as one of the first acts to tour with a dedicated traveling light show and was creating groundbreaking musical visuals as early as the 1970's, though visually peaking post-'84...and any Phish fan can tell you that the brilliant Chris Kuroda is basically a member of the band - his instrument? A buncha crazy-dazzling light gadgets. However, today we do see the possibilities of sensory integration has exponentially grown - allowing for the creation of interactive immersive environments that blend performance and performance art.

It was only a matter of time before sound and vision became a soupy blend. Structurally, sound waves and light waves are not so distant of relatives (take out your books, class. A bit of a physics lesson), the main differences being a) velocity, with sound waves traveling at a speed of approximately 1,100 feet per second, and light waves traveling at approximately 186,000 miles per second, and b) wave composition - sound is composed of longitudinal waves and light is composed of transverse waves in an electromagnetic field. As a result, it seems only natural that there's now a great emerging trend to use interactive light as a sort of musical instrument.

Well, Nine Inch Nails, with the help of Montreal-based new media agency MomentFactory has indeed made a fine bisque. For those of us lucky enough to catch the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour (and/or to catch the NIN Bonnaroo set), you'll be dazzled by the multiple large LCD panels that respond and react to the band's sound and movement.

Some great video footage below (although this may or may not be considered appropriate for the young ones, depending on which side of the Tipper Gore/Frank Zappa debate you fall on).

Take a look:

Nine Inch Nails: Only (Live in HD) from WhoRu? on Vimeo.

Be sure to check out the 'Making of' video (very much worth it) to learn more.

You can see more cool interactive light shows, including this one, through this recent FastCompany article.

all the little creatures

2009-05-05T17:10:00.005-04:00

Great new ads from DDB Brazil for WWF help to visualize, quantify and connect to the scale and reach of our impact as consumers; from the smallest of creatures who depend upon a single tree or reef for survival to the massive implications to our biosphere in the destruction of a forest or ocean. The beautiful infographics take on magnitude - filling the ads to the edges with thousands of species who inhabit our natural resources.

Truly stunning visuals - photo-realistic and nicely organized in a clear taxonomy. This would be a great new format for digital biology textbooks, with hyperlinking ability to drill down into each life form and the most minute of details, while still maintaining the bigger systems picture.

Click on the images to zoom in and romp around all of the detail in these ads!

byzantium

2009-04-30T21:36:00.003-04:00

Perhaps at the top of my art wish list right now is Los Angeles-based artist Richard Colman. The artist, working primarily in guache and ink, got his start as a graffiti artist in Washington, DC, where he commuted from his home base in Bethesda, Maryland. As stated by the artist himself, "while stylistically nearly irrelevant in terms of [Colman's] art," there are certainly some cues in his work that point to this early practice. "[Graffiti] is the kind of background that changes one’s perceptions of what is permanent and precious" - graffiti is "cocksure attitude, bristling edges, and menace – strange for a medium so utterly fragile." Certainly, one can see a menacing attitude coupled with human fragility in Colman's work, which often features imagery of sodomy and decapitation, though without any expressed emotion on the faces of his subjects.

Colman's aesthetic and visual lexicon borrows from Byzantine art (a pretty wide net), which is marked by a more abstract and symbolic approach, as opposed to a natural or realistic approach. Similar to Byzantine art, Colman's work utilizes a relatively flat plane, without shading or the use of other depth perception techniques. His subjects are frequently cast with a highly gestural use of their hands, an antiquated technique used to indicate a visual narrative, or flow, to the viewer, while their heads are often haloed in golden spheres, lending his images to the usually religious or royal-themed work from Byzantine artists.

To me, Colman's work seems to straddle the approach of this era as applied to subjects that look rather circus side show-ish, with somewhat disturbing human-animal 'acts' and freakishly tall or fat subjects who seem to be performing for the viewer. In an interview with Trippe from Fecal Face, Colman describes some underlying themes within his work:

"I started to think about some of my own feelings of being detached from my life, physically there but not really present, you know? I have become increasingly busier in the past few years so I've been feeling sort of like I have been disappearing from my own life...The characters...are sort of being swallowed up by the compositions, even becoming the composition. The end result represents the transition or metamorphosis of the character, changing into something completely different from what they physically are."

Since graduation from Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Colman's work has been exhibited alongside the likes of Ron English and Shepard Fairey, and remains a respected figure in the DC street art community. To see more of Colman's work, visit his website or check out his current show, C.H.U.D.Z. at the Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, which runs through May 24th.

womb with a view

2009-04-28T17:29:00.018-04:00

Bay Area artist Martha Sue Harris has created a series of multimedia works inspired by her own pregnancy. Expecting a baby girl, the artist's figurative installation portrays womb-like bubbles filled with plush fabric, yarn constructions and little fetal creatures.

According to her website, "Martha Sue grew up the only child of metalwork artists in a small house in the outskirts of Tucson, AZ." She attended The California College of Arts, where she received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in film, video and painting. She continues to be inspired by "the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert," which "gave her an eye for the strange and wondrous in nature."

Visit Martha Sue Harris' site for more of her multimedia works, including her work in installation, animation, drawing, painting and fabric sculpture.

bob dylan's 115th dream

2009-04-28T16:33:00.006-04:00

Although this spread from Vanity Fair is a year old now (May 2008 issue), and may be old news to you, it just came across my inbox today. Quite a lovely photo treatment from artists Andrew Nimmo and Beth Bartholomew, who brought the mind and consciousness of Bob Dylan to life by plotting the artist's words onto the photo by theme.

It's a beautiful concept, to take the intangibles - imagination, belief, emotion, soul - and create visual artifacts that piece together the fragments and multidimensional elements of identity so as to make accessible a greater understanding of self. The typography treatment is delicate and whispy, with Dylan's musings seemingly floating off into the ether as he perhaps walks down (Positively) 4th Street; his stature is appropriately thoughtful and introspective.

To delve deeper into the psyche and themes of Bob Dylan, check out his XM Radio show: Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour.

topographics

2009-04-27T12:04:00.017-04:00

I am absolutely loving the work of Jacob Magraw-Mickelson. His organically-structured compositions look like topography maps on acid, with farm plots and colorful, pulsating underworlds connected by plumbing sinews and electrical ligaments, creating vibrant Dr. Seuss-like landscapes. Ahhh...dreamy.

With representation at the Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica, California, Magraw-Mickelson's work has been featured in The New York Times, Fishwrap Magazine, McSweeney's Quarterly and in the Anthropologie catalog.

For inquiries on Magraw-Mickelson pieces available for sale, contact the Heller Gallery.

brothers grim

2009-04-24T11:08:00.016-04:00

We've heard the many examples from art history of works begun by one artist and completed by another - usually the case being that of master and student, like Giorgione and Titian, Viani and Cavazza, Giovanni and Belliniano, etc. In these cases, however, you find the student emulates the style of the master, completing the piece in what presumably was the original artist's vision and aesthetic. In other examples of group paintings, the mashup of unique styles leaves the resulting piece looking more like the remains of a food fight than a composition.

The work of the Clayton Brothers certainly is a great exception. Rob and Christian Clayton create pieces together that share a multidimensional voice and point of view. While the works embody the unique styles of Rob and Christian, the end result...just frankly works. While it certainly helps that both brothers are working in a psychedelic, surrealist style that allows for a variety of images and patterns to hang well together, there's something to be said for their unspoken understanding of the harmony and balance of their canvases. While the pieces are heavily layered and thick with detail that's both objective and decorative, neither artist appears to be attempting to 'dominate' the other. There's a clear perspectival plane and central image or theme that the brothers build together without using up the canvas for the sake of diffusing the others voice:

"The concept of symbiosis resonates through every aspect of their paintings and installations. In a practice devoid of ego and restraint, the Clayton brothers develop intense compacted narratives on an intuitive basis. Rob and Christian Clayton seldom work on the same canvas at the same time, or discuss of their projects during making. Playing off their unspoken synergy, they take turns inventing, adding to, and editing each piece, propelling their ‘stories’ through spontaneous improvisation. Entwining their independent approaches, styles, and palettes, their works operate as co-authored epics, fusing the concept of self with the communal."

There's something at once dark, snarky and celebratory about the brothers' work, which creates a dynamic and complex narrative on their canvases. Often in grisly states, they include the animate and inanimate - both somehow frozen in place and devoid of any expressive emotion, while great lines of movement and ecstatic splashes of color seem to imply a passing of time around these figures. The brothers include familiar imagery from their worlds, like branded products that indicate themes of consumerism and perhaps commentary on advertising as these objects also are somewhat lifeless and hollow, though contain designs and flourishes around them so as to bring attention and energy to their existence.

The brothers both received their BFA's from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where they now both hold faculty positions. Their work has been exhibited in notable shows throughout the world, including The Armory Show in New York, Art Basel in Miami and the The Royal Academy in London. To see more from the Clayton Brothers, visit their website.

happy earth day!

2009-04-22T18:53:00.002-04:00

It's Earth Day - our annual calender reminder of our impact and footprint as consumers. Each year, however, this day becomes gravely more important, and a change in our behaviors evermore critical. Inevitably, activities and events seem to pop up around this time of year in hopes of bringing the circumstances of our environment to the forefront of consciousness and awareness. But today is just like every other day. We consume, we discard, we use once and destroy, we produce, we build, we tear down...all in a day's work. Certainly, today is a great day for the small changes, but it's also a great day to ask what we are doing to not just change our behaviors today, but to change our rituals and habits, our philosophies of consumption and our purchase decisions everyday. We're hitting the dire straits, where the incremental changes to be made are now the table stakes, and transformations in how we live are a necessity. Maybe you and I don't feel the impact of our waste today...but is it worth waiting until we do?

I usually find most Earth Day programs and environment-focused public service announcements fail to create a lasting impact. They're too easy to forget and it's too easy to ignore their messages, partially, I believe, because of the lack of cold, hard facts. I want the numbers - I want to know what kind of a dent I will create if I choose to walk or bike to work instead of drive, or what will happen if I recycle my can versus throw it away. I want to know the global impact I have if I change my behaviors, and what will happen if I don't. The information is out there, it's just not necessarily present where it might be most helpful - like in our grocery stores.

So, in light of Earth Day, and in the name of quantifying our global impact, I thought that for today's post I might share a video with you that I found both informative and inspiring. This video was created for a special Earth Day exhibit from the New York office of agency Deutsch and the Bronx Zoo. The exhibit, on display now through April 26th at the Bronx Zoo, features large, skeletal-looking sculptures in the shape of our endangered animals made from recycled materials.

Check out the video and be sure to visit the Bronx Zoo if you have the opportunity!

Happy Earth Day!

houses in motion

2009-04-20T21:35:00.013-04:00

I have a mild obsession with miniatures - so much so that it's even the source of a nickname I've had since childhood, when I was a more avid collector of the tiny: dollhouse accessories, miniature tea sets, just about anything that played with the smaller side of proportion. It's no wonder that I stopped dead in my tracks upon seeing images of the latest work from Ana Serrano featured at Scion's Papershapers event in Culver City, California.

Serrano's latest is a combination of sculpture and collage, featuring brightly colored cardboard-crafted houses stacked on top of one another like homes built into cliffs for an at-all-costs view of the coastline. The 25-year-old first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles explores "those in low socio-economic positions, with particular interest in their customs and beliefs, as well as the architecture, fashion, and informal economies, present within this segment of society" through her work. A graduate (with honors) from Art Center College of Design, Serrano draws much of her inspiration from Wes Anderson, Michael Gondry and other stop animation films, which she watches while working.

If you have the opportunity, catch one of Ana Serrano's shows. The Papershapers event will continue through May 11th, while Serrano's work will also be featured at Desmadre: Fresh Latino Perspectives in America, opening May 14th at Vermillion Gallery in Seattle.

bang, bang, snap, snap

2009-04-16T20:08:00.012-04:00

This is what you get when you combine an air rifle, a Nikon D40 camera, a $300 homemade one-millionth of a second flash unit...and point it at your collection of small random things: play-dough, Christmas ornaments, fruit, razor blades, microscope slides, paint balls and M&M's. The California-based photographer Alan Sailer truly captures the moment. Take a glimpse into the micro world that begins and ends in a blink, leaving the naked eye with nothing more than a colorful splatter.

lego-lfactory system

2009-04-15T18:18:00.010-04:00

I had posted about this campaign on the Sign Language blog, which focuses on information design, but thought it might also be interesting for creature readers. I really took to these visual information maps which represent an award winning campaign from the Dubai branch of ad agency PF7 on behalf of Brainobrain Jumeira Child Development Program. Illustrated by artist Jason Freeny of Moist Production, the anatomy schematics for kids took top honors at the 2009 Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival presented by Cannes Lions, earning the Gold Medal in Print and the highest award of Grand Prix in the Outdoor category. As a result, $20,000 in scholarship money was given to the Brainobrain Jumeira Child Development Program in honor of this award.

The ads are playful, elegant and detailed - with multiple layers of information, packaged in kid-centric visual metaphors. Science IS fun when you use balloon animals, legos and gummy bears - and use map real estate to build on the metaphor, as seen on the balloon animal poster with instructions for making the balloon dog.

The ads utilize an important principle of information graphics and mapping: map as platform to expand your brand. The map employs the Brainobrain Jumeira program signature approach of whole brain development-based education for children by "activating left and right hemispheres of the brain," through the use of both logical and creative elements (i.e. visual information). Truly an excellent example of how proper execution of information design can reinforce the connection between your brand and your audience.

Ads that make you smarter - go figure!

distorts illustrated

2009-04-14T16:08:00.015-04:00

For Lorenzo Petrantoni, the old is new again. Creating illustrated mashups in the style of 1800's book illustrations and wood block engravings arranged into modern compositions, the Milan-based illustrator has established a unique visual voice that's at once both innovative and retro. As Evil Monito Magazine describes it, "the effect is elaborate without being overwrought, reappropriative without being hackneyed."

The graphic designer has recently caught the attention of major publications, including The New York Times, featuring Petrantoni's work in various editorials, as well as Time and Flaunt, which have made this Italian artist a cover boy. News print feels a natural fit for Petrantoni; he seems to treat typography as object, and likewise, icons and objects as typography, creating a fresh, pattern-like approach.

Look out for Petrantoni in the ad world, as well. Through assignments from JWT China and Grey Advertising, Petrantoni's work has also been used on behalf of major brands like Nike and Urban Outfitters. To see more from Lorenzo Petrantoni, visit his website and his portfolio at Synergy Art.

mighty mouse

2009-04-13T12:28:00.004-04:00

If you're familiar with music poster art, you've seen the work of the iconic Stanley "Mouse" Miller. Perhaps best known for his work with The Grateful Dead, Mouse is also responsible for the poster and album cover art for Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix and the Steve Miller Band, among others. Mouse's significance in the music scene of the 1960's and 70's goes undisputed. "Legendary concert promoter Bill Graham referred to Stanley Mouse as one of the most important figures from the 1960's," while Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart recognizes Mouse as core to their DNA, referring to Mouse as a “part of our mythology.”

Like his peers of the psychedelic era, Mouse's rock art was heavily influenced by the work of Czech artist Alfons Mucha (a personal favorite), the godfather of a style that would come to be known as 'Art Nouveau'. Mouse continued to work in this style, making rock art and memorabilia through the 1980's, later experimenting with a variety of media and ultimately producing a significant portfolio of illustration and fine art.

Today, you'll have the chance to meet the man they call Mouse at his gallery opening at the Govinda Gallery in Washington, DC. The exhibit will run from April 13th - 30th, and marks the first ever showing of Mouse's work in The District. It's no coincidence the exhibition coincides with The Dead show at Verizon Center on April 14th. In fact, "the majority of the artwork in this exhibition has been created especially in honor of this occasion."

sound and vision

2009-04-10T16:47:00.005-04:00

Every image does have a sound. True, a sound production company could be considered a dream client for any agency, but DM9DDB delivered a stellar "interactive" print campaign nonetheless for Saxofunny.

little red corvette

2009-04-08T20:42:00.009-04:00

Brilliant and beautiful ads for Mattel's Hot Wheels by Ogilvy & Mather London peel back the nostalgia of floor play for Dads. You know that inner kid - the twinkle sparked when they over-orchestrate the Science Fair project or obsessively keep the Nintendo going long after the young ones have gone to sleep. It's no wonder the ads, marking the 40th anniversary of the Hot Wheels brand, have been placed in adult publications like the Observer Magazine; the latest from Hot Wheels taps into that very set of ingrained associations adults have with childhood 'play' - the imaginary worlds created in years past - at about a foot above the floor.

It's a well-executed strategy by Ogilvy for the Hot Wheels brand, and specifically by Jason Mendes and Andy Wyton, the two creatives behind the clever Hot Wheels ads to come out of the anniversary campaign. The ads don't show the product or any sort of vehicle, but instead utilize a more subtle and sophisticated approach suggesting the sensory delights and resourceful childhood stunt constructions created when playing with the mini toy cars.

magical mystery tour

2009-04-07T09:59:00.007-04:00

After much anticipation and speculation, Beatles: Rock Band is set for worldwide release on September 9th of this year, marking the first video game licensing of The Beatles music. The game, which will be immediately available on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, will take players through the history of the band and will feature the entire music catalog.

According to Harmonix (the company that develops Rock Band) CEO Alex Rigopulos, Beatles: Rock Band seeks to deliver something a bit more experiential than just song licensing: "we're trying to create something that is an art object, that's really an extension of the Beatles' music into another medium." As a means to this end, the project includes collaborations with those closest to the source, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. MTV Games and Harmonix have also announced "a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career." Time to get practicing your sitar scales, mates.

The implications of Beatles: Rock Band are many and reach well beyond the obvious news-worthy excitement around the opening of The Beatles catalog for...well, anything. As the insightful 'entrepreneur's entrepreneur' Charles Planck pointed out, "the big coup for the publishers is that the game concept strikes squarely in the heart of a much older, non-traditional gaming market - the pre-Atari’s - and gets them into gaming in a way that I don’t think anything else could."

Certainly, there's a multi-generational appeal to the music only heightened by other recent Beatles projects, including the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE, creating a significant market expansion for The Beatles enterprise, and likewise with Rock Band, the gaming industry. The music of this era is in high demand in the industry for this very reason. According to Entertainment Weekly, "In June...Alex Rigopulos put the Beatles at the top of his artist wish list, along with Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones; 'titanic bands of that era that have a special place in people's hearts.'" MTV president Van Toffler sums it up: "We’ve been waiting, as everybody else in the world has been waiting, to get their music."

Rock Band = 1, iTunes = 0.

the art of surprise

2009-04-05T16:31:00.004-04:00

Visionaire, the limited-edition art and fashion publication, has released their 55th issue: Surprise. The first 2009 release of their thrice annual "gallery in print", Surprise features one of my favorite art forms...the pop-up. I know I recently posted a pop-up entry, but you just can't pass up on the beauty and brilliance dished up by Visionaire. Surprise contains 12 hardcover pop-up books with the likes of Sophie Calle, Mario Testino, Yayoi Kusama and Alasdair McLellan featured inside, bound in a beautiful purple, portable case.

Getting your paws on a Visionaire galerie à aller isn't easy or cheap. There's a $750 starting price for one of the 4,000 per issue produced, though collectors have been known to spend upwards of $5,000 on a single issue, like #18: Fashion Special, which came packaged in a Louis Vuitton portfolio case. Other popular issues include #53: Sound, which featured contributions from over 100 recording artists, including David Byrne, Kim Gordon & Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Yoko Ono and Animal Collective, and #37: Vreeland Memos, which features four-hundred original and intimate memos from Diana Vreeland to her staff at Vogue dating from 1966 to 1972.

Be sure to visit the Visionaire site to see a video on Surprise.

on your feet

2009-04-01T22:55:00.007-04:00

Industrial designer Marie-Louise Gustafsson gives the term 'happy feet' a whole new meaning. One part utility and two parts play and whimsy, Gustaffon's Mop Flip Flop and Mr. Brushy designs put the 'fun' back in functional. The Stockholm-based artist invents and designs home wares that truly bring to light the small pleasures in life. From a mobile bathtub to a beanbag computer chair on wheels, her designs uncover a sense of novelty and discovery in routine activity. Gustafsson reinvents the typically mudane day-to-day moments.

Gustafsson received her Masters of Arts in product design from the Royal College of Art in London and works as a freelance designer, both with self–initiated projects and commissioned work. She has exhibited all over the world, including New York City, Los Angeles, Berlin, Milan, London, Seoul and Tokyo.

beard brigade

2009-04-01T22:17:00.004-04:00

I love this poster created for the South Central Alaska Beard & Moustache Club by Young & Rubicam's New York office. Designed by Jason Nitti and Neel Williams under Executive Creative Director Scott Vitrone, the graphic serves as a promotional announcement poster for the 7th annual World Beard & Moustache Championships event to be held in Anchorage, Alaska from May 20 - 24, 2009.

The poster is clean with a nice retro feel. It's reminiscent of great rock poster art, containing imagery that represents both the band and some localized symbolism. Here, the dual-meaning visual is achieved through the morphed beard/arms, reinforcing the poster's purpose: beards and competition. Truly a great visual translation of the message.

Registration is still open if you're interested in competing for the Mr. Fur Face 2009 title. It looks like there's already some good representation from the United States in this years Battle of the Beards.

fruitful design

2009-03-31T19:02:00.005-04:00

In the wake of Arnell's Tropicana packaging debacle arrives a fruit juice package design that's sure to awaken and inspire the senses. Industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, formerly the head of IDEO Tokyo, has created packaging that looks and feels like the fruit contained inside. Fukasawa, who established Naoto Fukasawa Design in 2003, asserts that “materials are not the mother of design. Materials and means are the result of thinking how to create a sensuous effect.”

Fukasawa's fruit juice package designs were featured in the Haptic exhibit at the Nippon Design Museum in Tokyo. Curated by Kenya Hara, Haptic combines multidisciplinary works from architects, fashion designers, product designers, artists, graphics and interior designers - united by a common thread of sensory stimulation. “The ancient term haptic refers narrowly to the sense of touch,” says Hara, “but I prefer to use it in a broader sense as something that on sight awakens all the senses.”

Fukasawa currently works as a professor at Musashino Art University and a visiting lecturer at Tama Art University. The recipient of over fifty awards, Fukasawa has authored such books as An Outline of Design and The Ecological Approach to Design.

mixed tape

2009-03-27T18:46:00.007-04:00

I always love me some recycled art. Much like walking into a used record store, you sense the history - a soul that is left uncovered; a narrative untold for the imagination to build and romp around in. The stories, the emotions... if these records could talk... There's something to be said for infusing value into something perceived as value-less. For creating new meaning and new stories from the old and reinventing the discarded.

Enter the work of iRI5. The Georgia-based, self-taught artist works with all sorts of donated and discarded media - playing cards, credit cards, cassette tapes and used books. Her pieces are primarily figurative (featuring well-known public figures), though she asserts her fascination with "the workings of the world, from physics to fantasy."

I particularly love iRI5's cassette tape portraits - there's something very fun about the connection between the media (tapes) and the artists who have inspired and driven the evolution of the media (musicians). As reported by NoiseAddicts, "using these old tapes, iRI5 has turned them into works of art in a series that she calls 'Ghost in the Machine.'"

Check iRI5's website for more examples of her work.

castles made of sand

2009-03-26T17:23:00.009-04:00

It only seems appropriate, considering the current state of affairs in the housing market, to share the work of Amy Casey, which features imagery of houses in a tangle. They're chaotic, but without a trace of frenetic energy. There's an eerie calm - a surrealist objectification void of the human impact. The urban dreamscapes feature somewhat generic-looking houses dangling in knotted disarray, which tend to pose as representations of the anxiety and nervousness caused by today's state of affairs, destruction in the wake of natural disaster, our fragile vulnerability and the "illusions of safety."

Yet, the Cleveland-based artist also seeks to represent the silver lining of destruction. As stated by Casey: "My created world bands together to come up with coping plans...I am fascinated by the resilience of life. Every disaster is followed by a rebirth where we try to cobble together a plan b out of what remains." The 'plan b' depicted in Casey's work is evident - her paintings have a cobbled-together, jungle gym, feel that accepts the new reality - you can almost see the kids climbing the rubble-house fort-world or a carefree frisbee gliding from one stilted, dangling house to another.

Casey primarily works with acrylic on paper and is represented by Zg Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.

whopper wearables

2009-03-25T17:28:00.007-04:00

The King has gone arty... the Burger King, that is. On March 7th, The Home of the Whopper opened its first Studio Boutique located at Universal CityWalk in Orlando, Florida, where visitors can design and screen print their own edgy BK shirts. The Studio also boasts an art gallery featuring the bergerrific work of Manhattan-based artist Joshua Davis and Chicago-based artists Lana Crooks, Eugene Good and Joey Potts, among others.

It's an interesting move for Burger King to position themselves as a lifestyle brand. Following the attempts of McDonald's to transform the customer experience from a greasy pit stop into a nano-nosher digital hangout, Burger King is another chain walking down the one-off boutique path in hopes of peripherally changing the hearts, minds and brand associations of the hipsters of the world.

...In this case, it certainly can't hurt. The recession-affected and those strapped for cash could use a reason for it to be cool to hang out at Burger King. Everyone wins. But until the ratio of this new brand experience changes from the current 1 : 11,550 outlets, it's still a one-off touchpoint and perception of the brand.

razorfish

2009-03-24T13:21:00.007-04:00

I absolutely love these clean, elegant and clever ads from Italian ad agency Armando Testa for Cuki Aluminum Foil. There's a real simplicity in communication here - a single, detailed image used to playfully convey Cuki's message: their foil will protect, with armor strength, the foods that most need protecting in your refrigerator. The parallels in both visual (through color and texture) and metaphorical (utilizing the message of safety and protection) content created between the armor and the aluminum foil makes this ad campaign a home run.

the wild things

2009-03-23T11:07:00.009-04:00

Stunning film poster for Where the Wild Things Are published in Nick Magazine

Nearly two years in the making and riddled with rumors of complications and director-studio drama, Spike Jonze's highly anticipated adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are will finally take the big screen on October 16th of this year.

What we have seen from the film so far - the stills and film poster - expose a raw approach from Jonze, with stark, rugged on-location sets shot in Melborne, Australia against soft vanilla-sunset skies. The images are gorgeous and appear to lend themselves to the very real, very authentic and honest way the book has touched its readers for 40 years, speaking directly to the raw and sometimes overwhelming and scary emotions kids feel. Jonze certainly had an enormuous task before him to adapt the adored book, which chronicles the journey of the disobedient Max, who is sent to bed without dinner and escapes into his world of Wild Things.

According to Jonze:

"One of the things I was worried about is that the book is just so beloved to so many people. And as I started to have ideas for it I was worried that I was just making what it means to me, and what the book triggers in me from when I was a kid. And I’d be worried that other people were gonna be disappointed, because it’s like adapting a poem. It can mean so much to so many different people. And Maurice was very insistent that that’s all I had to do... just make what it was to me, just to make something personal and make something that takes kids seriously and doesn’t pander to them. He told me that when his book came out, it was considered dangerous. It was panned by critics and child psychologists and librarians, because it wasn’t how kids were talked to."

While the film can certainly be categorized as massively complex, the rumor mill (per usual) inflated any tensions that may have existed between Jonze and Warner Brothers - in an interview with Moriarty, Jonze dispells the myths and details the massive undertaking to capture his vision - from an all on-location shooting to the complicated sound stage setup. Jonze also offers insight into his casting selections from James Gandolfini to Catherine Keener and Forest Whitaker, to the Wild Things costumes from Henson, to the Score from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Carter Burwell to the post-production effects by Framestore.

Where the Wild Things Are is absolutely in my Top 5 most-looking-forward-to-films of 2009.

lacy lovelies

2009-03-18T16:19:00.003-04:00

As more of our labor and production becomes automated, and machines and robotics increasingly carry out our goods and services, my appreciation for all things handmade increases exponentially. When I first saw Aoyama Hina’s work, I immediately assumed her lace-like paper art had been done using a laser cutter. I was blown away to discover Hina had made her intricate and delicate paper cuttings by hand – using standard scissors no less.

The Japanese artist, who now resides in France, first sketches her design on paper, then with epic patience applies her scissors. Hina’s most impressive work is perhaps her “Sentences” series, which consists of phrases she cuts out of paper while utilizing the most intricately flourished of fonts.

As stated by the artist herself: “My passion is to create a finest cutoff beyond the level of the very time-consuming needle lace making. I don't follow traditional but I am trying to create a mixture of the traditional and modern styles and to produce my own world through this super fine lacy-paper-cuttings technique.” Hina’s innovative applications of her technique include the creation of a paper-cut comic strip – here the contrast between lace making as a traditional craft and the modernity of the medium she uses coupled with the output she produces is evermore present.

models need not apply

2009-03-17T17:06:00.009-04:00

There's an interesting, emerging trend right now in fashion editorials: fashion illustration. It seems more and more publications these days are looking towards illustrators and painters for their next layout, reaching beyond the traditional fashion photography approach standardized within the industry. It isn't surprising to see the bubbling of this trend - after all, art and design are driving desire and sales and our savvy consumers are demanding both form and function. I recently posted about my favorite fashion illustrator, but have come across another that has peaked my interest: Jonas Löfgren.

The 30-year-old Swedish artist's most recent work can be found in Lula Magazine #8 A Perfect Mess, which features stylized illustrations of celebrity fashion icons in last season's collections, including Chlöe Sevigny in Louis Vuitton, Edie Beale in Chanel, Diane Vreeland in Marc Jacobs and Mary-Kate Olsen in Lanvin. His illustrations are reminiscent of Tokyo-based artist Yoshitomo Nara. They have a clever, whimsical restraint that teeters somewhere between caricature and photorealism.

Speaking of Edie Beale, I couldn't be more excited about this little nugget of joy.

shake it, baby

2009-03-16T17:21:00.004-04:00

Last week the Khaki King, Dockers, launched the latest manifestation of their recent digital strategy: a shakeable iPhone ad to be launched within free iPhone games, including iBaseketball, iBowl and iGolf. The ad features Seattle street dancer, Dufon, who busts a move in some khakis, of course, when the phone is shaken. The ad utilizes the phone's accelerometer, or the movement-detecting technology that lets users change the orientation of the iPhone from portrait to landscape.

According to The Washington Post:

"[the ad] is similar to applications released by Gap and Target for the holidays. The Gap app allowed people to mix-and-match outfits with the swipe of a finger, while Target allowed you to search for gifts by shaking a virtual snow globe. The big difference is that the Dockers ad will appear in a free game that a user might want to download anyway, whereas Gap and Target were asking users to download their standalone apps."

In other words, the Docker's ad is the first push marketing (versus permission marketing) shakeable ad on the iPhone. At least they're entertaining us, right?

Patti Sircus Bender, Director of Brand Marketing at Dockers elaborates: "with the introduction of the iPhone and other technologies, it became clear to us that we need to talk to our target when and where he's open to our message...he's in gaming mode and in the mood to be entertained." Rightfully so, Dockers hopes to get back on the radar of 30-39 year old men by tapping into the evermore tech-savvy inclinations of this market.

Using Dufon wasn't a bad idea either - Dockers had found itself synonymous with sweater vests and hush puppies. In an effort to rebirth the cool, casual Bay area associations the brand once had, Dockers is now back to its original name Dockers San Francisco, while also adding edgier styles to its collection of traditionally conservative, pleated khakis.

alien invasion

2009-03-13T12:10:00.010-04:00

Check out the new video of Royksopp's "Happy Up Here" from their new album Junior, to be released on March 23rd. The upcoming album will feature collaborations with Robyn, Lykke Li, Anneli Drecker and the Knife's Karin Dreijer.

The video was directed by Ruben Sutherland of UK-based Joyrider. It's interesting - a bit apocalyptic, and has some familiar imagery of skyscrapers under attack...not quite the uplifting video I was expecting, but well done and I always enjoy some alien encounter content.

It's no "Remind me", which is one of my all-time favorite music videos:

waxing aesthetic

2009-03-12T11:17:00.024-04:00

We find, day to day, that the constraints of communication forms often lead us to utilize or discover new methods, supplementing our verbal communication with written, body, gestural and visual languages. Borrowing from Marshall McLuhan, the medium ultimately becomes our message as the form of the medium impacts how the message is received and the meaning assigned. For Granville, Ohio-based artist Christian Faur, the medium - wax crayons - and message are decidedly one. McLuhan would say that Faur's medium is a form without content, a limitation Faur has broken through the creation of a visual, crayon language he uses to embed his pieces with secret codes and phrases.

Christian Faur had experimented with painting with wax, but wasn't satisfied with the results his technique produced. Still interested in wax as a medium, Faur had an epiphany at Christmas in 2005, when his daughter opened a box of 120 Crayola crayons he'd bought her. The artist decided to create art out of the crayons themselves, using thousands of hand-molded crayons framed in wooden boxes to create pixilated-looking, texturized relief sculptures. Faur creates his pieces through a pixilation process - first, he scans a photograph into his computer, reducing the image down into individual pixel color blocks. Next, he creates a map with a grid to code where each crayon goes. Because the crayons create large, 3D "pixels", the message and experience of viewing the pieces changes dramatically depending on orientation to the piece, at a distance creating a portrait or other photographic-looking composition.

Faur's Forgotten Children series

The codes and phrases woven into Faur's pieces are crafted from his own "crayon alphabet", where each letter of the alphabet is represented by a different crayon color. In his Forgotten Children series, Faur uses bright colors among monochromatic crayons to spell out kid's names. Faur has applied his crayon alphabet to other media, as well. Take his Mating Jacket, which when read vertically contains cheesy pick-up lines like "I think I could fall madly in bed with you" and "Grab your jacket, you've scored." The Mating Jacket reminds me of Tom Robbins' Skinny Legs and All (a personal top-5 favorite), where one of the main characters, Randolph "Boomer" Petway, creates a trenchcoat with a bunch of secret, hidden pockets sewn into it. In each pocket is a piece of paper with a different code of the artist's own devising, and each coded message reads affectionately to his wife: "Randolph Petway III loves Ellen Cherry Charles." A MUST read.

Christian Faur's Mating Jacket

Faur's work incorporates a variety of media - though his specialization lies in sculpture, painting and new media. Having earned his Masters of Fine Arts from the Austrian University of Danube Transart Institute, Faur originally earned his BS in physics and a minor in mathematics, which seems to intuitively translate through his use of codes and patterns. Faur currently serves as the Director of Collaborative Technologies in the Arts at Denison University.

strictly commercial

2009-03-11T12:27:00.006-04:00

For those of you who follow the evolution of some of the largest brands on the block, you may already be familiar with the new "go" campaign from Visa, which has unveiled their new global tagline: More People Go With Visa. The spots from TBWA are hopeful and fun, filled with warm fuzzies and all the things that make you want to use your Visa Check Card while in the bowels of a recession.

My favorite from this campaign is the European spot, which features Bill Shannon and the song "Come On Train". I saw Bill perform at Pop!Tech in 2007 - you can watch the Pop!Cast here. He's a pretty inspiring guy.

I also enjoyed the two US spots, mostly because they featured two of my all-time favorite bands (click the bands for their respective spots): The Moody Blues and Smashing Pumpkins. And while we're looking at commercialized underwater worlds of wonder, check out the new Nordpol spot for IKEA.

As reported by AdWeek's columnist Barbara Lippert on the new tagline replacing "Life takes Visa.":

"I can see that going is more forward-moving than taking, which you kind of have to sit back and do. But as a phrase, it doesn't roll off the tongue. It seems like it's been translated from another language, the awkward result of too many focus groups...For the record, I still don't get why companies need these advertising "manifestos." Consumers...respond to messages that resonate. 'Let's Go' is, however, armed with a secret weapon: Morgan Freeman, who I am naming the official voice of God in this age of mild Depression. His voice is so distinctive, his line readings so nuanced, that the sound just breaks through and stops time -- a little aural stimulus package."

It seems in these hard times that more companies are taking the linguistic cues of late. Hope, change, "go" - our brands are tapping into the emo-political lexicon that has already changed the behaviors of millions of US consumers. With the uphill battle our brands face today, they're wise to position themselves as a vehicle for transformation.

pop-perfect

2009-03-11T11:02:00.006-04:00

Today I was going to share one of my favorite things to receive in my mailbox each season: Neiman Marcus's The Book catalog covers, which are always a perfect blend of art and fashion. But as I was looking for some great images to pull, I came across something even better: The Neiman Marcus Pop-Up Book from the holiday season in 2007. Stunning. The 3D book was put together as a retrospective of their history on the 100th anniversary of the iconic brand, and takes on a Cinderella-like fantasy narrative which chronicles the journey of a young girl from the opening days of the store up to the present. The surreal imagery captures some classic Neiman Marcus iconography, including the butterfly, NM's famous Christmas decor and art collection.

This isn't your children's pop-up book. The book features painstakingly complex pop-up scenes constructed from photos (versus the illustration typically associated with pop-up books), which took two years to craft and perfect with the help of paper engineers in England and Holland and under the creative direction of Tim Flannery. Flannery chose renowned fashion photographer Geof Kern for the project, who used laser guides to capture his subjects at the exact same moment from multiple angles and cameras. The result of this dynamic team is the timeless dramatics of style brought to life through discovery, novelty and imagination.

Unfortunately, The limited edition Pop-Up Book is no longer available through Neiman Marcus. You can find used copies at Amazon to adorn your coffee table. For further reading, I found this interesting article from illustrator Wilson Swain and Paper Engineer and Author Ray Marshall in Kite Tales which details the pop-up book-making process. You can download the pdf and turn to page 10 where the article starts.

punch you in the eye

2009-03-10T10:44:00.016-04:00

Jim Pollock Phish Hampton 2009 poster

For those of us who were lucky enough to make it down to the Phish Phamily Reunion at Hampton Coliseum, it was a weekend of both ear AND eye candy...and not just because of Chris Kuroda's unreal light show (see below). To mark the reunion after the band's five year hiatus, Chicago-based Phish poster artist Jim Pollock designed and hand pressed a poster specifically for the Hampton shows, using a 19th-century iron hand press. Only 750 of Pollock's 2009 Hampton posters were created, including those set aside for the band and management. Pollock himself was on hand to sign his posters for those dedicated souls who waited in line to get their hands on one of these rare gems at the Phamily Reunion: Best Poster Convention III, which took place at Hampton's Best Western Coliseum Inn & Suites on Saturday, March 7th. The linocut, three-colored, deckled edge, stonehenge stock, hand-numbered (whew!) posters were created with oil-based inks which went on rather thick - often marked by the artists thumbprints. These posters are the first hand pulled Pollock Phish prints since Shoreline in 2000.

The band's official commissioned posters from Daniel Lahoda of House Industries also did not disappoint. The large six-color serigraph, three-poster series was hand-embossed and hand-numbered, with similar artwork to the event tickets.

Official Hampton 2009 House Industries posters commissioned by the band

...and speaking of David Bowie, you can experience the Sound and Vision at livephish.com, where all three shows are available for free download in mp3 format, or for a minimal Fee (ha!) you can download them in all their glory in FLAC format.

My photos didn't quite turn out like these...all photos below courtesy of Phish.com/fromtheroad2009

feel good inc.

2009-03-06T18:18:00.012-05:00

I don’t know about you, but Fridays make me want to high-five people, do cartwheels down the street, eat grilled cheese, commit random acts of kindness …and hug strangers.

But in case you’re not quite comfortable embracing random unfamiliar folk, Keetra Dean Dixon has got it covered: she recently introduced her Anonymous Hugging Wall from her ongoing series METHODS & APPARATI for Social Facilitation and Mood Elevation. The malleable, fabric-made Hugging Wall installation allows visitors to walk up and hug, cuddle, or just shake hands with a completely anonymous stranger, who embraces the visitor through arm pockets.

Keetra Dean Dixon’s work is a perfect edge. Though whimsical, clever and dream-like, her aesthetic is edited; her execution well crafted. Her work is upbeat – pure sunshine without the sugary sweet – though sometimes deliciously and absurdly dark and twisted (like her blood puddle pillows). The Alaskan native works in a variety of media, from digital to traditional, for both personal and commercial use. Here are a couple of my favorite examples of Keetra’s work:

"Knife cast in Sugar - hard candy with food coloring. Knife was packaged & mailed via USPS with the hopes that it would fracture during it's journey. Recipient ate the hard candy shards."

"The Great Slumber - a.k.a. Blood Puddle Pillows. The pillows are inspired by those suspenseful moments when a sleeping loved one is a little too still for a little too long. Using an irreverent combination of comfort & fear the pillows parallel sleep & death. Project goal: taking ownership of morbidly intrusive thoughts through humor & play."

"The Tricky Photobooth - Holds no denotation of its unique qualities. Users enter the booth, pose for 2 shots and exit as usual. During the developing process, the photos are "analyzed" and customized with forecasts consisting of patters, symbols and messages - the resulting portrait presents an unexpected interference over a traditional photobooth image. The portrait becomes a custom souvenir of the unexpected".

recession marketing

2009-03-05T19:13:00.004-05:00

Interesting times and FedEx Office is responding. Let's just hope we don't see Home Depot offering deals on DIY nooses.

ballooning euphoria

2009-03-05T10:49:00.018-05:00

A friend recently introduced me to the ecstatically inventive balloon sculptures of Jason Hackenwerth...and my dreams haven't been the same since. His delicate masterpieces are constructed of thousands of vibrantly colored and precisely inflated balloons, fastened together to form what look like prickly reef-hugging amoebic creatures, desert cacti or the visions of blushing sexuality. The New York-based artist's pieces are fairly large scale, transforming the space they inhabit into hallucinatory breathing realms where light and the faint draft of industrial air seem to make the balloon animals dance ever so slightly.

Their beauty is fleeting - lasting about a month or so before withering and drooping, mirroring our own decay. Hackenwerth explains:

“the ephemeral nature of my installations is an unmistakable reflection of our own. Because of its delicacy, it is difficult to predict how long it will last. During its existence, these vibrant and organic forms undergo a process of transformation metaphorically similar to our own short lives. Shrinking and shriveling as they age, their spring-like luster sadly wilts, and in the autumn of their existence the can be seen struggling desperately against gravity as they slowly slip away."

Hackenwerth began his career as a street performer. While working towards his Bachelors of Fine Arts at Webster University, he made his living as a clown making poodles and noodles for kids parties and parades. Hackenwerth later completed his Masters of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums wordwide, including in London, Venice, Miami, Los Angeles and New York. He recently exhibited at Art Basel in Miami and was featured at the 2009 TED Conference.

square off

2009-03-04T14:15:00.010-05:00

The winning design from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture

I must confess, I was slightly confused and disappointed when, following the cutthroat competition to design the new highly anticipated Taipei Performing Arts Center, the Netherland-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) was named the winner for their design proposal led by Kolhaas and Ole Scheeren. I figured maybe there had been some kind of miscount, some sort of absentee ballot mishap or hanging chad incident. I chalked it up to bad taste. The winning design, to me, looks dated and unimaginative.

I was a much bigger fan of the design proposal from NL Architects. Their stylish, dynamic cube design was ultra-modern without feeling overly out-of-place, alienating or abrasive to the viewer. The design is intended to be considered as a “table with ‘four legs’” supporting a “’tabletop’ that accommodates” three stories. The playful approach to form and void and the open public square in the center allows the public to participate in the design – filling the void and reshaping the architecture through their presence and interaction with the building.

NL Architects proposed design for the Taipei Performing Arts Center

On the other hand, though aesthetically sleepy, OMA’s design is functionally superior: the project calls for a 430,560-square-foot complex composed of three theaters: two that seat 800 and one that holds 1,500 (as all proposed designs contain), all of which feed into a central cube cloaked in corrugated glass. As a result, the theaters can be used separately or together in various stage combinations. The curious show-goer can also see parts of the backstage area from a public path inside the cube, while the entire building is placed on a pedestal in order to preserve the existing local food market on the site.

The NL Architects design respectfully boasts a public browsing space with cultural facilities such as a multimedia library, music stores, galleries, lobbies, bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs, balconies and terraces with of swimming pools, a skate area, playground and garden. However, while these amenities have their appeal, the intelligent design of the OMA proposal creates exponential possibility for space utilization.

The Taipei Performing Arts Center project, which is budgeted at $112.8 million, is scheduled for completion in 2013.

press play

2009-03-04T10:09:00.001-05:00

I had just posted in February about the lack of music packaging interactivity in the market today. Well, this week, Pearl Jam and digital agency Freedom + Partners took advantage of the opportunity and launched the Pearl Jam Ten Game website in light of the reissue of Pearl Jam's debut album Ten, combining gaming and online music streaming. Fans complete a drag-and-drop style game, moving and aligning colorful cubes to unlock songs from the album (trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds). Upon completion the puzzle, a behind-the-scenes video detailing the history of the Ten re-release launches.

Users also have the opportunity to preview the reissue album art. The original Ten cover was designed under the art direction of bassist Jeff Ament, who recalls that "there were some elements of the original Ten artwork that didn't turn out the way we had hoped, due to time constraints." Ament, back in his role as art director and in partnership with designer Andy Fischer of Cameron Crowe's Vinyl Films, set out to create "the ultimate fan-piece...something Pearl Jam lovers could pour over as they experience an incredible record all over again, in an entirely new way."

Visit the Ten Game site to pick up your copy of this special reissue edition.

music that makes you a lil bit stoopid

2009-03-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

The Wall Street Journal and Pitchfork reported on the latest project from 25-year-old Caltech grad student Virgil Griffith, which correlates taste in music with intelligence. Griffith gathered his data from Facebook, collecting the "favorite music" inputs listed in individual profiles and plotting that information against the average SAT score of the associated school. The results? Puzzling and hilarious.

How it's possible for Dispatch fans to be smarter than Modest Mouse fans, or Counting Crows fans to be smarter than Beck and Bowie fans...or for Ben Folds fans to be smarter than Beatles fans... I will never understand. It's purplexing. And laughable. What's maybe funnier (in a sad sort of way) is that enjoying the stylings of Lil Wayne probably means you have a tiny lil brain with an SAT score somewhere in the neighborhood of 889, while Radiohead fans, like myself, have large, bulbous, pulsating, radiating brains and SAT scores that average around 1220. The truly gifted are geeking out on Beethoven, with an average score of 1371.

Pitchfork reporter Tom Breihan makes some interesting observations:

"You could point out how these results indicate how hopelessly Eurocentric the SATs actually are, with the whole chart practically cleaved in half between black and white artists. Or you could argue that really smart people don't necessarily brag about their musical tastes on Facebook, or that when they do list musical tastes they usually just try to out-obscure each other by naming individual guitar solos or whatever."

As far as the output itself, the map uses various elements to graphically display information: from color to scale and relational placement. While the x-axis refers to SAT scores, there's some room to tighten this graphic up visually and conceptually by utilizing the y-axis and cleaning up the taxonomy a bit. Reebee Garofalo's The Geneology of Pop/Rock Music is a true gem and a great example of a successful music infographic.

Check out the Sign Language blog for more on visual information maps.

sky blue sky

2009-03-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

A fun, creative new take on the billboard from Mumbai's JWT for Berger Paints.

disappear here

2009-03-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

If you're in the Los Angeles area this Friday, March 6th, you definitely will not want to miss the debut party for Kime Buzzelli's latest installation: Disappear Here: The Art and Fashion of Getting Caught in a Dangle at the new gallery Space 15 Twenty. The show will feature Kime's amazingly delicious art as well as fashion from the Show Pony designers with the band HECUBA performing.

The installation is rather timely; Kime recently announced the closing of Show Pony (oh so sad!!), her fashion & art installation space located in Echo Park, CA, after 9 years in business to pursue a "new chapter of creativity."

"The gallery established itself in 2000, and is home to local artists and designers who create magical one of kind pieces...this avant-garde boutique located on a funky corner of Echo Park Avenue has become more artists commune than shopping area. A breath of fresh air in a city built on mass consumerism, Show Pony blurs the line between fashion and art and turns shopping into an exercise in creativity."

You really just can't say enough about Kime - from artist to designer, stylist, entrepreneur to now recording artist (!!!), the ridiculously talented and creative Kime will be keeping busy these days designing the next line for Vans, the new packaging for Urban Decay, film posters for Star Trek, among other incredibly exciting projects. She's one of my all-time favorite artists (see two Kime paintings below from my personal collection!), so be sure to attend the Disappear Here event to celebrate the final days of Show Pony and the new adventures of Kime Buzzelli.

civil disobedience

2009-03-01T16:28:00.000-05:00

Washington, DC is known for its street art. From BORF to Kelly Towles and DECOY - these artists have brought art to our daily lives, transforming our streets into the canvasas of living social conversations that interact with the very environment in which they're installed.

In the heart of Washington, DC's Adams Morgan, a particularly political piece has been installed calling for "Climate Justice NOW." The piece serves as social statement meets announcement poster for the March 2nd Capital Climate Action protest at the Capitol Power Plant, "a plant that powers Congress with dirty energy and symbolizes a past that cannot be our future."

The upcoming protest has captured the attention of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who just four days before the protest have called for the switching of the Capitol Power Plant off coal and on to 100 percent natural gas for its operations:

"Taking this major step toward cleaning up the Capitol Power Plant’s emissions would be an important demonstration of Congress’ willingness to deal with the enormous challenges of global warming, energy independence and our inefficient use of finite fossil fuels. We strongly encourage you to move forward aggressively with us on a comprehensive set of policies for the entire Capitol complex and the entire Legislative Branch to quickly reduce emissions and petroleum consumption through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean alternative fuels."

The demonstration takes place tomorrow at 1pm at The Spirit of Justice Park. The protest organizers are committed to "a peaceful demonstration, carried out in a spirit of hope and not rancor," emphasized by their request that all attendees wear dress clothes in order to bring the cause and the demonstration "from margin to center." So bust out your best seersuckers and pearls and join the rallying cry of thousands of demonstrators tomorrow calling for a clean energy economy!

glassy eyed

2009-02-27T11:34:00.000-05:00

I read a great review today for Los Angeles-based artist Katherine Gray's first solo show, "It’s a Very Deadly Weapon to Know What You’re Doing,” at the Acuna-Hansen Gallery. Though Gray typically blows her own glass, the exhibit consists of glittering, eye candy sculptures made from pre-existing glassware, both found and thrift store purchased.

Gray's work is historic and socially-minded in nature. She responds to glass as a traditional craft through her reimagination of its place in modern art through minimalist constructions emphasizing form versus void and line quality. Yet, she also uses the medium as a testament to the form and ensuing void that marks the current state of our natural resources - the delicate and fragile quality of our environment. Gray's Forest Glass refers to 'waldglas', or Northern European Midieval glass, which was characterized by green and brown tints from the local raw materials used in the glass-making process. These glass factories were located in forests for easy access to, and ultimately were responsible for the depletion of, timber to fire the furnaces. As LA Times reviewer Holly Myers described, Gray's exhibit "draws on present-day notions of reuse and recycling to posit a clever sort of reforestation."

...nobody puts it more poignantly than Gray herself:

"Because skill is a trap, because the promise has faded, because no one told me about that trap, because our society is increasingly about the simulated experience, because creating is destroying, because we haven't learned from our mistakes, because it is all coming to an end, because I am out of sync, because objects are our history. And because glass is devastatingly beautiful."

Sadly, found object art certainly has a new relevance and a remergence since Marcel Duchamps original conception. But there's a haunting beauty in the creation that emerges from destruction.
For more, check out one of my favorite found object artists, Stuart Haygarth.

Stay tuned in late April 2009, when Katherine Gray's exhibition will travel to the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA.

london calling

2009-02-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

Though London Fashion Week wrapped yesterday, I've decided to share a different kind of art with you from across the pond. Today, The Guardian reported the latest project from British sculptor Antony Gormley to be installed atop the granite plinth in the corner of London's Trafalgar Square.

The medium? You.

The installation, named One & Other, consists of 2,400 British citizens who will position themselves on the plinth for one hour each. The exhibit opens July 6th, and will run 24 hours a day, for 100 days. What exactly will participants do during their 60 minutes of fame? Just about anything they can come up with. Gormley said yesterday: "I will be very upset if somebody doesn't take off their clothes when they get there." Nudity or not, let's hope this sculpture-meets-performance-art installation is more exciting than watching David Blaine prune up in a tank of water for a week.

Gormley went on to say:

"The idea behind One & Other is a simple one...through elevation onto the plinth and removal from the common ground, the body becomes a metaphor, symbol, emblem - a point of reference, focus and thought. In the context of Trafalgar Square with its military, valedictory and male historial statues to specific individuals, this elevation of everyday life to the position formerly occupied by monumental art allows us to reflect on the diversity, vulnerability and particularity of the individual in contemporary society. It could be tragic but it could also be funny."

The casting call for One & Other is already underway. But before you practice doing your best worm for the auditions, you should note that all participants will be randomly selected, but weighted to ensure equal numbers of men and women, and fair representation for all regions of Britain. Gormley himself will be applying for his hour in the sky, along with the director of the British National Portrait Gallery which will host a live camera link to the plinth through Sky Arts for the entire 2,400 hour exhibit.

The human form is a common subject for Gormley's art, which tends to be based on his own naked image and often contains strong sexual overtones (click here to read about his proposed 36-foot ejaculating man sculpture for Seattle's waterfront). His best known work is perhaps his Angel of the North, a public sculpture in Gateshead, England commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998.

Antony Gormley's Angel of the North

love of country

2009-02-25T18:02:00.001-05:00

Elegant simplicity. This design is by far a new favorite for 2009. Created by Granite Pass partner Greg Beauchamp, this graphic has now been translated into a poster for President Obama.

You may be familiar with other strokes of genius from Beauchamp; he's the executive producer of the industry documentary Art & Copy, and was also responsible for the McCain Poop Flag guerrilla campaign during the 2008 election where Beauchamp placed small flags with phrases like “McCain: Economic Policy” or “McCain: Healthcare Reform” in piles of dog poop throughout Venice, California.

Read more about Beauchamp's States United campaign here.

lucky dog

2009-02-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

It’s good to be a dog…especially if you happen to be the First Dog, or “Summa Canum”, also the name of this soon-to-be Obama family pooch’s new eco-luxury digs.

The Summa Canum doghouse by Sustainable Pet Design features a green roof with plants from Maryland nursery, Emory Knoll Farms. The doghouse will arrive unplanted, however, to give the First Family the chance to personalize their green roof garden. The roof itself is constructed out of historic naturally felled Tennessee Aromatic Cedar trees from President Andrew Jackson’s estate, The Hermitage. Summa Canum will also feature zero-VOC paint and varnish from Architectural Coatings and Design Center, solar panels, radiant floor heating, and a graywater recycling system.

…and what better way for the Summa Canum to arrive on White House lawn than from grunge-godfather-meets-environmental-activist Neil Young, himself. Young will be delivering the Presidential Pooch Palace in his all-electric 1959 Lincoln, LincVolt, which contains a turbine generator, regenerative breaking and electric motor to the White House over the coming weeks. For now, the dog pad is ready and waiting in Neil Young’s garage as the final touches to LincVolt are applied. Click here to watch the web cam from Neil’s garage.

high fashion for a low glamor economy

2009-02-18T12:19:00.000-05:00

There are few things I enjoy more than watching the returns come in from New York Fashion Week. Though today's economy doesn't exactly jive with the glamor and decadence that Bryant Park typically has to offer, we saw some interesting cost-cutting from the fashion houses this year, coupled with uplifting and colorful collections. Who says our fashion has to match our dreary financial outlook? ...and our Fall fashion, at that!

Here are some of my favorite looks from collections that took to the catwalk as of Tuesday night, circa 6:00 pm.

Adam

SAT. FEB. 14, 2 PM at the Promenade. Color is in this Fall! Gorgeous Fall jewel tones with a subtle preppy-retro-chic eclecticism. I love Adam's clean lines and delicate mix of plaid and metallic.

Matthew Williamson

TUE. FEB. 17, 11 AM at the Promenade. I LOVE this collection! A lot of animal (sorry PETA) with the fur and leather - but what a gorgeous Fall palette with light knits and playful layers.

Mara Hoffman

SUN. FEB. 15, 11 AM at the Promenade. Mara Hoffman delivered with gypsy-jewel prints. Playful and sophisticated.

Carolina Herrera

MON. FEB. 16, 10 AM in the Tent. What's a Carolina Herrera show without some fairytale gowns? The fashion house turned it on full force with a metallic, classic collection with gorgeously feminine silhouettes.

textile-phile

2009-02-14T15:20:00.001-05:00

In recent years, I’ve become increasingly interested in collecting textiles – namely, quilts. I’ve discovered few modern quilt artists out there today who have truly captured me. Not surprising – my Grandmother is a crazy brilliant artist; she’s a painter, an award winning gardener and quilter. Her quilts are inspired. I’ve learned to appreciate them so much as I’ve grown older – her varied composition and aesthetic (some have more traditional patterns – others are wildly psychedelic), the delicate, patient precision of her hand stitched quilting, the years it can take to complete one of her masterpieces, the love she puts into each one.

'COSMOS' Evellyn Yeager
2006

One of my Grandmother's quilts from my collection. She gave this quilt to me as a college graduation gift. The quilt tells the story of the universe - a nod to my love for the cosmos and Carl Sagan.

'COSMOS' Detail.

'Untitled' Evellyn Yeager
2006

A crazy quilt of my Grandmother's from my collection. Crazy quilting was all the rage during the Victorian Era in the final decades of the 19th Century. They're typically made of abstract shapes and various types of fabric sewn together with embroidery seams and motifs to embellish the quilt including flowers, birds and sometimes a spider and web for good luck. These quilts are typically made smaller than quilts used as bed coverings and used as decorative throws.

Detail of Untitled crazy quilt. My grandmother sews in fabrics, trimmings and other items that she has collected over the years - many of them come from the clothing my mother and her sister wore as children, old silk ties, various pins and clothing labels. I love hearing the stories behind the different elements - a true family portrait!

While I tend to prefer modern art (turn of the century and beyond), I’ve also begun to really admire Amish quilts from the mid 1800’s for their simple block patterns and color harmonies. The collective creation and storytelling of the Amish quilting bee gives quilts from this era a certain soul.

There’s a fabulous restaurant in DC, Restaurant Nora – one of the best in the city – that has this gorgeous collection of museum quality antique Mennonite and Amish crib quilts. In addition to the daily-changing, completely organic, unreal yummy menu, I can’t get enough of Nora for the art – a must try.

Restaurant Nora's Wine Library and Main Dining Room. Gorgeous Mennonite and Amish crib quilts.

Today’s modern quilts tend to borrow from other media – taking on a painterly or collage-like feel – mimicking perspective, shadowing, subject matter and composition, transforming the medium much like sculpture did for painting and industrialism and architecture did for music.

Two pretty psychedelic quilts from Brooklyn based, Tokyo born artist Ai Kijima

Quilts from Phoenix-based Regina Alexandra's Faces series.

scarlet begonias

2009-02-10T16:18:00.000-05:00

Brussels's Grand Place square in bloom. Every two years, a new 'flower carpet' is constructed out of nearly a million begonias in mid-August. It lasts for only a few days. Truly stunning!

jpegging the liner notes

2009-02-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

We had a great year in music in 2008, with equally stunning artwork to accompany some of our favorite new releases. Yet, while many speculate the diminishing importance of album art - after all, experiencing the album art and liner notes from a thumbnail just isn't the same as the tactile experience of a record, CD or other physical artifact of the album - these covers stand as testament to the continued attention, affection and relevance given by bands and artists alike to music packaging...at least from an artwork standpoint.

From an everything-other-than-the-artwork standpoint, there's a lot of white space in the market to leverage the endless possibilities of experiential, interactive music packaging available today, and thus asserting the relevance of album art in today's digital record shop. What vinyl bears in physical art real estate, Web 2.0 exponentially offers in multimedia opportunity.

...but what, really, have we seen in music packaging interactivity? Sure, we've seen some downloadable songbooks and bonus features... Radiohead, of course, in 2007 inspired Google themes through their cover of In Rainbows, while Neil Young's Greendale offered some online interactivity.

...Or what about making the physical album relevant again? Take Beck's 2006 sticker customizable album cover for The Information. Music packaging in general has offered scarce innovation in design. I'd love to see IDEO take this project on, a la the Identity Card Exploration.

What we did see in 2008 album art, however, was a lot of stylistic graphic exploration. Sure, there were your usual suspects stylistically: the retro effect, plenty of photographic band portraits and the continuous play with the band name wordmark. But we also saw some interesting trends and themes emerge:

A reimagination of art history

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes self-titled album details the 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold on the original paiting:

"When you first see that painting it’s very bucolic, but when you look closer there’s all this really strange stuff going on, like dudes defecating coins into the river and people on fire, people carving a live sheep, this weird dude who looks like a tree root sitting around with a dog. There’s all this really weird stuff going on. I liked that the first impression is that it's just pretty, but then you realize that the scene is this weird chaos. I like that you can’t really take it for what it is, that your first impression of it is wrong."

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Coldplay's latest combines almost graffiti-like lettering and paint splattering with furiously fast paintbrush strokes juxtaposed against the delicate perfection of Eugene Delacroix’s 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People. Art Direction & Design by Tappin Gofton.

Cubes

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow's cube plays with perspective and architecture - the building of things, with the urban skyline in the background and flanked on either side with cranes, perhaps illustrating the backdrop for the album track The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver.

It reminds me of the Apple store cube on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.

Black Mountain - In the Future

Black Mountain's In the Future feels eerily retro-post-apocalyptic, and was designed by the band's keyboardist, Jeremy Schmidt. Front man Stephan McBean notes, "I know Jeremy was inspired by all of those classic Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin LP covers. That’s the sort of stuff he loves, and so do I."

There's something shiny in your mouth

Santogold - Santogold

Santogold's debut album cover uses layering and mixed media, combining photography, a paper-cut-out styled wordmark and 3D-looking gold glitter breaking perspectival planes as it lays on top of the image and its reflection. Designed by Isabelle Lumpkin.

Foals - Antidotes

Again, a layered, mixed media treatment with handmade typography for the band name wordmark. Designed by Tinhead.

...and finally...

Hand drawn sketches

The Twilight Sad - Killed My Parents and Hit the Road

This eery retro-comic cover has the the kind of ironic caption (title) you might find in a Lichtenstein. The masks on the subjects make it difficult to determine their ages - but it has a Children of the Corn kind of possessed child quality about it only found in horror movies.

Minotaur Shock - Amateur Dramatics

There's a minimalist, yet playful simplicity to this cover that doesn't take itself too seriously - or maybe takes itself really seriously in a hipster kind of way... regardless, the subtle head cocking and oh-so-human stance gives the bird an endearing quality. The sketchy line quality implies movement, as the bird engages you directly - square in the face - seemingly about to move into the viewer's space.

Amateur Dramatics is David Edwards's 4th album. The cover was designed by a friend of Edwards', Warwick The Skipper.