It’s the little details that matters when it comes to good design, and this Kiwi designer is all about the details. We caught up with Welfe Bowyer, a New Zealand native making a name for himself…
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During his 18 years on the New Zealand national cricket team, Dion Nash learned the importance of putting in work during the day and cleaning up for post-match public appearances. After he retired from the sport he went on to work in the spirits industry and now, has once…
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by Frank Galland Billing itself as an “undercover espresso bar,” Happy Bones Coffee & Publications was recently opened in Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood by Kiwi clothier Luke Harwood of Stolen Girlfriends Club and contemporary artist and Florida native Jason Woodside. Fronted by Bond No. 7’s storefront, Happy Bones contains a shop…
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Study with some of the world’s best creatives at New Zealand’s award-winning design school
Advertorial content:
Given that technological advancements in digital art are progressing by leaps and
bounds, it’s almost impossible to produce an excellent portfolio by just playing
around on your laptop after work. If you’ve decided to bite the bullet and get back
in the classroom, New Zealand’s Media Design School is becoming one of the best places to get a visual arts qualification (undergraduate or graduate-level) in a range of specialists, ranging from interactive advertising, 3D animation and graphic design.
Located in stunning (and outrageously livable Auckland), Media Design School started with a class of
30 in 1998. Over the past decade and a half, it’s become one of the best places in the world to study creative technologies. Young Guns named Media Design School the fourth most creative
school in the world over the past decade, a hefty accolade coming from the organization
devoted to spotting young talent. Graduates have gone on to work with George Lucas’
Industrial Light Magic and Microsoft Game Studio, among many others. And New Zealand VFX and post-production powerhouse Weta Digital (owned by Peter Jackson) do their part too–they are the largest employer of Media Design School graduates in New Zealand.
But the best testimonial on behalf of the school is the work of the students themselves.
Led by James Cunningham, a 3-D filmmaker whose most recent work premiered at the 2009
Telluride Film Festival, Media Design School students produced “Das Tub.” Cunningham directed
the short film, and acclaimed New Zealand screenwriter Nick Ward wrote the screenplay.
The film recently won Best Short Short at the Aspen Shortsfest, one of the world’s top film festivals, and now qualifies for Oscar consideration—a considerable achievement for a film animated by students, who now have industry connections far and beyond what any of them might have imagined when they started their program.
Students in the 3-D department can also showcase their talents with Media Design School’ Real or Render Challenge. Even
seasoned connoisseurs of 3-D will have a difficult time pinpointing the differences
between real photographs and student-produced 3-D renderings of household objects.
Even an intricately detailed map offers no obvious clues.
All classes take place in Media Design School’s beautiful Auckland campus.
They’re currently accepting applications online, for both domestic New Zealand
and international students. For more information on the courses and how to apply,
check the Media Design School website.
You can check out the school in this video:
Video Walkthrough – Media Design School from Media Design School on Vimeo.
Two books on the art and people behind Australian and New Zealand tattoo culture
In an effort to cast light on the often unrecognized talents of tattooists in Australia and New Zealand, a small group of Melbourne artists recently banded together to publish two hardcover art books celebrating and highlighting some of area’s best ink.
John Entwistle, Tattooist: Melbourne, Australia honors one of Australia’s finest artists. With a career spanning more than four decades, Entwistle has become synonymous in the ink world for bridging the gap between older and newer generations of tattooists. With full-bleed images of his creations in color and text discussing Entwistle’s ability to thrive despite social pressure to conform and being largely unaccepted by mainstream Australia, the book presents a comprehensive overview of its subject.
The second title, Done with Electricity, by Bugsy and Adam Lockman, focuses on the top 64 tattooists working in Australia and New Zealand. According to Lockman, the book fills “a necessary gap in quality representation of the tattoos being done in this part of the world. For too long Australia has not been recognized as harboring such talent, and with books like this, it puts us squarely on the map.” The co-author goes on to validate both books, “The strength in both publications is that they skirt the fashionable side of tattooing to show the true validity and integrity of this profession. These two books demonstrate the legitimate history of this profession and that the legacy of the older generation of tattooers has been successfully and respectfully passed on to those who have followed.”
Done with Electricity and John Entwistle are available now through Books Mistress or directly through Inkship Books.
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.
