Check out this “record player” iPhone app. The author, Theodore Watson, threw it together in one morning. I really like projects that get the point across quickly. It’s a build-to-think mode and sparks dialogue (like this blog post) that gets people thinking about how to use what’s around them.
At Free Art and Technology, via NOTCOT
4 Hits print by Roman Klonek, on show at the Kemistry Gallery, London
If you spy a crazy red and white cartoon figure adorning a wall on Charlotte Road in Shoreditch, east London, writes Charley Helfet then you’ve found the Kemistry Gallery, currently home to an exhibition of the art of Roman Klonek – a young Polish-born graphic artist whose work ostensibly references early European comics and cartoons and Russian propaganda posters…
We Have The Same Interests
The way in which the one-room Kemistry exhibition space is used, entering the current display of Klonek’s work, entitled Flux Gate Kasachok, feels like walking into a technicolour playroom.
That
Prints of all different sizes are scattered across the walls of the space (in accordance with Klonek’s wishes, apparently) and a gaggle of strange half-animal, half-human characters dance around the canvasses, enacting bizarre situations in amongst the Russian Cyrillic script.
Hej Chumps I’m Home
Wait
Klonek makes prints from individually-made woodcuts and, looking at them closely, it’s pleasing to note the gaps where the ink hasn’t met with the rough textured surface. This naïve, painterly look – far from betraying the vivid nature of the prints – gives them a character that distinguishes them from the slicker kinds of contemporary graphic art and digital techniques that are used to create cartoon characters today.
Nic Nie
While influenced by artists such as Jim Avignon, Yoshitomo Nara and Jim Woodring, perhaps the most interesting references in Klonek’s work are the 8mm silent cartoons that his father collects, and that Klonek Jr would watch as a child.
Apparently, a recent Latvian visitor to the gallery recognised one of the characters Klonek portrayed in his Consider This print, from a cartoon about an ugly swamp dweller.
Consider This
Rely On Me
Though the influence of these early European cartoons remains purely visual rather than conceptual, as Kemistry Gallery’s Alastair Coe explains: “The key point is that he hasn’t grown up in that era… it’s not as if it’s his life experience, so it’s not first hand – it’s diluted. He might just have a very vivid imagination.”
It All Happens Here
In Klonek’s hands, what may look like political indictment is more likely just a cat in a hat making his escape from communist Russia – but before he runs he’s just got time to give us one Last Song For Today at the piano; as depicted in one of Klonek’s most charming prints.
Last Song For Today
Roman Klonek: Flux Gate Kasachok is at the Kemistry Gallery in east London until 30 May.
Kemistry Gallery
43 Charlotte Road
London EC2A 3PD
Pennsylvania is second only to New York in its collection of New Deal post office art, but access to some of the artworks is reserved for those in blue serge ensembles. The situation has sparked a debate over the fate of two New Deal murals painted by Social Realism-minded twin artists Raphael and Moses Soyer that once hung in a Philadelphia branch post office and were assumed to be lost—until they turned up on the walls of the regional corporate offices of the U.S. Postal Service in Philly. Commissioned in 1939, the two 15-foot-long murals “depicted iconic scenes of Philadelphia from both the Colonial period and the 20th century: Independence Hall, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the skyline from the Delaware River, and the Ben Franklin Bridge,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. New Deal murals divided into panels and hung in office hallways? Cue the image of FDR rolling in his grave:
“I’d like to see them put it in a public venue, which was the intention of the program from the beginning,” said Curt Miner, curator of the New Deal post office art exhibit at Pennsylvania’s State Museum. “FDR, who brought art to America in the most public of places, would be turning in his grave knowing only bureaucrats could see it.”
The Postal Service is open to moving the murals, although no one seems to have a good idea where they should go. In the meantime, Pennsylvanians (or anyone) craving New Deal art can sate themselves with “A Common Canvas: Pennsylvania’s New Deal Post Office Murals,” the Miner-curated exhibition that runs through May 17 at the State Museum in Harrisburg.
To tie in with his guest editorship of the July issue of Wallpaper*, Peter Saville is creating an “Erotic House of Pop perversity, sexualising an entire post-modern environment and fetishising furniture, fashion and flesh alike”. The shoot is being streamed live today by SHOWStudio
Saville has teamed up with long-time collaborator Nick Knight for the shoot in which, we are told, the fetishisation of contemporary furniture will be explored, creating an ‘eroticised abode’.
When we checked in just now there didn’t seem to be any sound, which was all a bit frustrating, but you can go here for the live feed.
We’ll update if anything interesting happens…
UPDATE: 16:09 “The team are still discussing how the first shot should look”. It’s going to be a long day…
UPDATE: Actually, the Twitter updates are more interesting than watching the live feed:
This latest scenario takes place in the cool, clean, plasticised confines of Gideon’s tiled ‘Clinic’ – with Mariacarla playing the Nurse!
Alana meanwhile is clad in Beatrix Ong shoes and a fleshy latex House of Harlot dress custom-made for the Soft Furnishings shoot!
Mariacarla is in that armourial red leather Prada coat (with distinctly fetishistic Alaia boots)
Mariacarla is back, this time in vintage pink coat from Rellik, latex leggings from Atsuko Kudo and Blumarine heels.
Fran and Peter agree that it’s better for Alana to have bare feet.
Nick, Peter and Anna discuss how Alana should position herself in the next shot.
MariaCarla has removed her black Sergio Rossi heels for this shot.
We’re having a graphic Allen Jones Pop fetish moment with a glimpse of stocking against that glossy lime-green podium
etc etc
All of us can relate to the continuous bombardment of spam in our inbox. Word is that spam counts for 95% of all email. While headway has been made to eradicate this daily annoyance— Italian studio ToDo has put it to good use by developing a spam-based generative wallpaper. This project was presented as part of Milan Design Week 09.
“…instead of sweeping spam under the carpet, we decided to save some junk-mail in order to turn it into a wallpaper for your house before it’s too late: someday a brilliant scientist will find the definitive solution to eradicate from the web the bittersweet pleasure of spam.”
Check out the project’s Flickr gallery here.
ArtPrize is the largest art competition in the world with prizes 10 deep. First place artist takes home a quarter million, which would probably afford you the opportunity to finally get those Golden brand acrylics you’ve had your eye on.
We Got Time by Moray McLaren, director: David Wilson
Here is a rather overdue round-up of some of the best videos that have passed under CR’s nose of late. First up is David Wilson’s rather fine promo for We Got Time by Moray McLaren. And if you’re wondering how it’s made, you can find out all about it here.
No One Does It Like You by Department of Angels, directors: Patrick Daughters & Marcel Dzama
Next up Patrick Daughters teams up with artist Marcel Dzama to create a surreal film for Department of Angels.
Warrior’s Dance by The Prodigy, director: Corin Hardy
Corin Hardy has created this animated video for The Prodigy, which features puppets created from cigarette packets. “I’ve always loved the Grimm fairy tales and there is a little of Elves and Shoemakers in this idea for me,” says Hardy.
Luftbahn by Deichkind, director: AlexandLiane
AlexandLiane has created this hilarious vid for Luftbahn by Deichkind. At least we’re assuming it’s all a joke, anyway…
Black Hearted Love by PJ Harvey & John Parish, directors: Jake & Dinos Chapman
Artists Jake & Dinos Chapman directed this video for PJ Harvey & John Parish. According to a predictably provocative article by Jake Chapman about the video that ran in the Guardian last month, the duo would like people “to watch our videos, go out into the street and burn their Porsches”. CR doesn’t own any Porsches but we’re still not sure that this film would initiate such action. We’ll let you make up your own mind though – let us know if any cars get torched.
Teddy Bear by Midfield General (feat. Ralph Brown), director: Kidda
This video is the latest collaboration between Midfield General and animator Kidda.
The Reeling by Passion Pit, directed by Hydra
Directing collective Hydra (Sam Stephens, Ariel Danzinger and John Hobbs) has made this video for Passion Pit. Inspired by the worn away layers of advertising and flyers on New York’s streets, the film was quite an undertaking. According to the production company, Humble, “the video, shot on the new handheld Canon EOS 5D II DSLR, was edited, tracked and composited in normal post workflow. Then, every other frame, some 4305 of them, was printed out, crumpled up, spray mounted in stacks, and then reshot on homemade animation stands. A month of long nights, razor cuts, toxic fumes, and a terrabyte of stills later, we came out with this.”
Titles sequence for Off Camera film festival, by Richard Morrison
Something different now – a new titles sequence by Richard Morrison, created for the Off Camera independent film festival, currently taking place in Krakow, Poland.
Outside Lands festival preview, directed by Elliot Jokelson
Finally, we end on another festival-related film, this time for the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco. Elliot Jokelson has directed this super-cute video which introduces viewers to this year’s festival line-up.
Remember our January cover? The one where we had the artwork made at a letterpress workshop in São Paulo? Coolhunting has made a very nice film at the same workshop, interviewing the guys who printed our cover artwork
CR January cover, artwork printed at Grafica Fidalga
We spotted this at The Denver Egotist
A Peaceful Bomb Vase($49) designed by Owen & Cloud, as a statement against war.
“Taiwanese design duo Owen and Cloud designed this piece as a statement against war, and the result is a one of a kind, striking piece.”
I would so have these all over my lawn, if i had a lawn.
Couple of interesting art and museum things to keep you occupied for the next little while over at ArtInfo. First, they’ve put together a great timeline for all the ups and downs (mostly the latter) in the museum world since the economy headed south, beginning with September 18th’s news that the Detroit Institute of Arts saying it would be cutting nearly a million dollars from its 2009 budget and had suffered “total losses of almost $100 million in the past decade.” And it ends just this week with the Brooklyn Museum‘s announcement of more cuts. Second, the Associated Press vs. Shepard Fairey story keeps getting more ridiculous, as now Fairey is saying that it wasn’t he who broke copyright laws but the AP for repeatedly publishing his Obama piece without his permission. This, to us, is about as absurd as this thing can get and runs the real risk of damaging the good grace Fairey had received lately by championing artists’ rights just a few weeks back.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
