Many have gathered to make art in the form, and spirit, of collaboration. Little of it transcends. Originally, the Louvre was a place for a sort of artists’ collective, during the French Revolution. But collectives borne of necessity have a distinct advantage over graffiti artists getting together to do a mural for Nike. Maybe this kind of thing has been done before, but I haven’t seen it. A UK Website here proposes that an interaction on the site results in instant action/reaction at a real art studio. Like much art that relies on technology, rather than a more viscous material, it feels a bit cybercold underneath it all, but from what I’m seeing, the art that’s getting made at the studio itself is secondary to the possibilities that this opens up. Remember Christy Brown, of “My Left Foot” fame? Putting that into context with today’s technology offers some very encouraging possibilities. Beyond that, the gap bridged by technology has never seemed to reach into the world of fine art. All of the sudden, the Internet is a real tool for expression and the spreading of paint, clay, pencil lead and many other things. It is well time that our exponential growth in technology lead to something more artistic, human, tactile and expressive. I’m into it.
One of my new daily check-in spots, Hipster Runoff, is worth bookmarking. Strangely, I’ve been listening to his show on Blog Radio on XM and catching his updates on his sites WITHOUT KNOWING IT WAS THE SAME GUY. WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME???? This is why you should not do things that ruin your brain, like drink from the cat bowl and eat only microwaved potatoes in college (always always always poke holes in it first, with a fork).
On the radio he is recognizable for his monotone voice and not-so-provocative questions, that turn out to be more provocative than you first give them credit for. It’s a style of talking that is one part plain-stupid truth, one part snarkasm and one part keenly observant ponderings of indie culture. He clearly knows his way around the music scene, but to me, it’s all about the cult of him. Sitting at the brink of popularity – a fine mess for a guy who admits he only likes bands that aren’t popular, because pop music themes are too universal. Watching him watch himself walk that tightrope is immensely interesting, even if it’s delivered in the least interesting kind of way.
Interesting news to comic book fans. For those of you who haven’t been keeping tabs on the Captain, Mr. America “died” a little over two years ago. The events of his death, and subsequent rebirth (“Rebirth” is also the name of the program that lead to his super human abilities, btw) are the subject of the upcoming series.
Captain America, as an entity, remains controversial. Born of an anti-Nazi sentiment, he represents America’s military at its most glamorous: protector of freedom, fighter of evil. As the definition of evil has become hazier, though, it will be interesting to see how the resurrection of Captain America reflects (or doesn’t) a renewed understanding of war and America. I, for one, like to follow history through the eyes of artists and comics are no exception. As our troops return from the Middle East, this will be a topic that affects all of us.
The first pages were released at the LA Times today, re-posted here for your perusal. The pages will be drawn by comic artist legend Brian Hitch and, aside from the political sub-text, it promises to be a whole lot of sweets for the eye.
The uprising will be July 1st. Official site here.
I don’t know what I’m doing. Am I looking at it? Buying from it? Learning from it? Being inspired by it? Knowing what day it is by it? I am helpless before it but somehow better because of it. It is Uniqlo.
This forwarded to me from curator of cool, Jason, at work. Who, interestingly, has a blog about work. If you’re wondering what the day-to-day looks like in the creative department, that’s as good a view as any.
My favorite quote from the comments on the video reads, “You won the Internet today, my friend.”
I was just reading somewhere that people don’t like long blog posts, so I’m really resisting the urge to write a short story here about my history with cassette tapes and my first “art canvases” – the cassette tape cover. Suffice to say, the art of cassette tapes, and their covers, was a love affair with music, the mix tape and popular culture. I’ve often thought that a collection of cassette tape drawings would make a really good art show. Now I don’t have to imagine it, as (of course) a Flickr group has arisen with the same thought in mind. If you’re from the time where this was an important part of your life, enjoy the walk down memory lane. If you’re not, just marvel at the obsessiveness of it all.
History has proven that rollerblading was an embarrassment to all that is street culture. Hell, it’s an embarrassment to the street itself. This new deck design from cool designer Rinzen for even cooler Paris hot shop Colette gets all up in its face. It’s a bit like an older brother picking on his little sister, but you know, she kinda had it coming on this one.
Video game covers and trailers, to date, have taken on the same rule of thumb as comic book covers; gorgeously painted works of art on the outside but inside the numerous panels are too time-intensive to render in that kind of quality. Likewise, video games often look good in a trailer, filled with well-rendered cut scenes that don’t get lived up to in actual game play. That’s all changed.
Attending the press event for Playstation and then walking through E3 today, I was floored by the insanely good artwork all over the place – from posters, to trailers, to booth decorations to, yes, game footage. The frame rates, chip capabilities and disc sizes have all grown up before our very eyes, to a point where anything seems possible. That has actually been true for a while, but until this year, not many game developers were truly taking advantage of every piece of available space to them. They are now. And from an art direction standpoint, many games rival many movies. But more importantly, unlike movies, the gaming industry takes it on as a personal challenge to out-do itself every year with more stunning visuals and more engaging experiences.
