I highly doubt that Amir Zaki’s short ‘Meditations on the Hollywood Juniper’ was created with the intention of sending people to sleep, but the persistent whispering and the fade to fade imagery has me stumbling toward slumber. That said, I’m not complaining. It’s mesmeric, and altogether illuminating.
As the odd shaped plants come and go you start to argue and find faults in what the people are claiming to see. But it’s more then that which made this stand out to me. It’s the surreal acceptance part way through that this video is playing a large part in the way you are feeling. For me, it was a lullaby. I wonder what it will do to you.
The contents page remains blank, but the process to fill it is in full swing. After much delay and concentration in other areas, mainly this blog, art&sons 2010 is on the verge of being a much needed reality. Expect less blog posts and more behind the scenes work. There is no target date for completion, but you will, of course, be the first to know when it’s available.
What will be in it? Well it’s really an extension of the blog. A chance to branch out from two-hundred word blurbs and single images. To talk in depth to people about their work and showcase art in print format.
The goal is to have a small print run, the reality, a pdf, although I have not given up on the former just yet. Image on second spread from ETC.
Confined to indoors today? Come, walk with me, let us journey around London. Our tour guide, Guy Sargent, has done a most excellent job of preparing our route. I’ll meet you here. Oh and bring your Dad along too.
There is no getting away from the fact that Tierney Gearon takes some pretty disturbing photographs. In fact I don’t think i’ll link you today, just you follow your nose if you so desire.
The crux of the issue, or at least the stigma, is that the content is largely comprised of her children, often naked and usually up to all sorts of antics. For me, the shame is that the truly great images in her collections are ignored, because they fail to provoke like those I have alluded to above.
Take the shot above for example. Amidst her other work it seems mundane, yet perhaps this is the intention, and the warmth this image allows the viewer to feel, after the uncomfortableness of the rest of the work, is what the initial goal was.
It is not possible to view the twenty images Stephen Chalmers has in his ‘Dumpsites’ project, simply as normal photographs. You see, as soon as you realise that the now peaceful woods, still rivers and snow covered hills were once the dumping grounds for serial killers, your gut shrivels and your mind unravels.
The sheer contrast that time has created in so many of these locations. The understanding that these places are beautiful, regardless of what man has been capable of, and in turn the significance of the capturing of these images and naming each one after the victim, well, it’s altogether a heavy piece of work.
In truth I would describe it as an eerie project, yet one which catches me. It had been on show in April, and you can read about that here, at Lightwork. Be sure to take a look through Chalmers’ other projects also.
Remember when you fell in love with that band? Remember when you went on and on about them, their lyrics, their quirks, how the music made you feel? Remember when you made several copies of their album and posted them to your friends? Remember when your friends never mentioned the band to you? Remember when you started and ended every mix cd for two summers with tracks from that band?
The image above, from Richard Colman, reminded me what it may have felt like to be your best friend.
Chris O’Dowd and Charlie Brooker have stolen the limelight above, but there are lots more images of BAFTA nominees over at the Radiotimes for your amusement, all with dapper outfits and ridiculous hats.
I do love this photoshoot, not only because it contains some of my favourite comedians in Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, but the attire among the fellows is so smooth it needs a mention. Here, case in point, Kevin Bishop.
This post should herald a return to norm, I trust, going forward. A few weeks on the run, work, travel, moving house, it tends to stifle the daily posting ritual.
Christine Schmidt’s Yellow Owl Workshop was my first port of call today when looking for a gift. She has a Californian outfit, selling handcrafted goodies. Stationary, stamps, letter sets, prints and paintings to get you started.
I am captivated, of course, by the designs and products themselves, but almost more so in the packaging for the stamp sets. What is there not to love about the hand-printed muslin bag which clasps each set together so ergonomically efficiently, yet at the same time with quirky aesthetics? Or, as above, the wooden slide box.
Helmut Smits’ conceptual and visual work is often so very straightforward, that you could place him in a league of his own, apart from the conceptual and visual artists who are trying their very best to be overcomplicated and thought provoking.
He first caught my eye with his Google Maps dead pixel, a 82 x 82 cm black piece of grass which would appear as a dead pixel from 1 km, then subsequently had me hooked with his ideas section on his website. It’s never too serious, and most pieces are created, not to cause outcry, but to satisfy an obvious curious notion, dreamt up by the man himself. This is refreshing, like a cup of colour.
His visual work is a delight, so please take a look.
What with geek being the new chic and all that nonsense, isn’t it time we all learnt the joys of data flow, and the inextricable link great graphic design has with the learning, and in turn appreciation, of such training material?
A good start would be a digital leaf through books such as Data Flow 2 - Visualizing Information in Graphic Design. Gestalten have it available, if you would like to be informed.
Apart from a truly fantastic array of books for sale, Gestalten, or at least their website, has a great ‘Shop of the Month’ feature. It’s a monthly selection that is sure to catch your eye, with hidden gems from the magazine, zine and book world celebrated with a bio and oft times an interview. It’s been on the go for for the last five years, so there is plenty to get browsing through.
Of course not every tattoo story is full of wonder, yet I dare say, thanks to the permanence of the act itself, the vast majority are well worth a listen.
With a show starting 16th May, in Temple Bar, Dublin, Aidan Kelly is presenting images of those who have a tale or two attached to some ink.
There are stories of the Merchant Navy, the Army and time behind bars. Half cans of cider, spiders and secret bids. It’s altogether a tribute to the tale of the Ink, no matter how mundane. Letting the reason for the creation be recounted and celebrated, and in turn some poignant images collected and exhibited.
Much like an airport brought to a halt through the spread of ash and strikes, the blog has taken a hit in recent days, with the usual flurry of activity drying up. Apologies.
What did we all do with our time before the internet came along and absorbed every drab second of our existence, thereby cultivating our Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons into joyous and productive periods, set apart and fully utilised?
Life without the pitter patter of keys or the clunk of the track-pad is, from my own experience this week, filled with the mother of all time wasting devices, TV.
Nothing too spectacular then. It seems life without the internet just propels us toward another box, this time with less options and less specific, but all the more infuriating, adverts, presented back-to-back, not just 30 seconds before a YouTube clip.
The transition to life before television was not too dissimilar to that of life before the internet. That box of tricks, the wireless, was the be all and end all. What is our fascination, as humans, with a box which provides all our entertainment, be it a computer, a television, a radio, or even a window? There isn’t anything like the day dream out a window to keep one’s mind from boredom.
Take a good hard look at the faces above. Who are you drawn to? Which of these lads would you like to know all about?
I can assure you that we all have different answers, and that we made our choices due to very specific and no doubt rather peculiar reasons.
Of course we will never know the real truth about these Army Boxing team members, but one can always create a story or two.
Were you drawn to Walter Penwrith? That’s him in the turtle neck, back left.
Walter was passionate about the sport of boxing, but forever as a trainer and never a boxer. In truth he couldn’t take the physicality of it.
A sickly child, he grew up dreaming of rough and tumble, wishing he could play in the fields surrounding the family’s country home. It wasn’t until he joined the Army, as an older and somewhat stronger fellow, that he was allowed to venture into the realms of assault courses and sporting clubs.
After attending a few introductory boxing sessions a hefty knockout in training put an end to any aspirations of titles, or in fact the completion of a competitive round. Despite his obvious passion for the sport, the brutality was far and away beyond what his weak physical structure could withstand.
Nevertheless he stuck to his role as chief towel holder and general mascot, serving in the Army Boxing team his entire career.
I’d be delighted to hear some other stories. Front row, second from the right. Looks like a joker to me.
