Arts
The World’s 50 Best Design Blogs
The Times published a list of the best – and most beautiful – fashion/interior design blogs. The list features: Brooklyn Limestone – the story of the renovation of a traditional townhouse; Pillar Box Post – Observations on beautiful London things by an expat American; Oh So Beautiful Paper – pretty paper things such as wedding […]
Bacterial Ads
Glowfungi is a new communication medium made from glow-in-the-dark bacteria created by CURB, a company that provides sustainable advertising and corporate communications. As well as disco fungi they have created ads and messages in wood, crop fields, moss and dust. Visit CURB to see more. Hat tip: Springwise
Selling the Unsellable
NYC-based artist Justin Gignac sells ‘Garbage of New York City‘ cubes containing sidewalk trash. The project grew out of Gignac’s desire to prove how important packaging is to a product. His each clear plastic cube is signed and dated by the artist and costs $50. So far he’s sold more than 1,200 cubes, including limited […]
Out of Print Clothing
Out of Print “celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion”. In other words, they print out of print book covers onto T-shirts; featured books include such classics as On the Road, Catch 22, Slaughterhouse-Five and 1984. But buying a t-shirt isn’t just an expression of your literary taste, it’s an act of philanthropy, as each […]
Nudes Needed
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that there is a shortage of models for life drawing classes, as most models tend to be young, thin students, but art teachers need a models with a range of body shapes and sizes. One model booker has taken to approaching interesting-looking people at parties and in the street to ask […]
Cory Arcangel: Depreciated
Cory Arcangel: Depreciated is an exhibition showing the work of US digital artist Cory Arcangel. The exhibition consists of reworked feature films and hacked video games. A video sequence depicts cats playing an atonal composition by Arnold Schoenberg, edited together from found footage on YouTube. Cory Arcangel: Depreciated is on at the Netherlands Media Art […]
Mapplethorpe vs. Michaelangelo
Earlier this year Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy staged an exhibition, Perfection in Form, that juxtaposed the work of Michelangelo and Robert Mapplethorpe. The exhibition came about after a conversation between the show’s curator, art historian Jonathan K. Nelson and Mapplethorpe’s muse Patti Smith. The hundred works were intended to “construct a conversation between the […]
Mr Brainwash
Mr Brainwash is a French artist (with a very engaging interactive push button website). His real name is Thierry Guetta, and he specializes in a pop art meets street style. He recently staged his first solo NYC show, and his fans include Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Berlusconi. Read more in Flavorwire.
Wonderwall
Japanese interior design firm Wonderwall has a colourful and playful website that shape-shifts (and clicks and squeaks like an ocean-going bat) as you move your mouse over their portfolio. It makes you want to reach out and touch it… Run your fingers over it and go oooohhh here. Hat tip to PSFK [via The FWA]
Noir Alphabet
When was the last time you saw a decent abecediary? Never, huh? Try this one: The Noir A-Z by by photographer Julian Hibbard. What does it all mean? Find out on Flavorwire.
My Last Polaroid
My Last Polaroid is a site that is attempting to gather images of the last ever Polaroid people take as a tribute to the format. There’s also a documentary in the making. Director and photographer Steve Glashier is filming people who have used Polaroid film in their work – artists, fashion photographers, forensic scientists and […]
Typeface
Typeface is a computer programme that scans your facial features before coming up with a custom designed typeface. Produced by students at the Copenhagen Institute of Interactive Design it is one of several programmes that encourage interaction and play between user and computer. Explore more programmes here.
The Architecture of Segregation
The old Montpelier railway depot in Virginia has recently been restored and opened to the public; what sets it apart from other similar buildings is that it has been restored with the segregated waiting areas and signs for ‘Coloreds’ and ‘Whites’ intact. A single ticket office served the two waiting rooms (the one for black […]
Galley Cat Book Reviews
For you literature lovers – Galley Cat has a daily book review (of books of any genre) and a monthly digest of the best review content. It also includes links, Twitter directories and recommendations. Explore the reviews via Scribd.
Modern Fossils
Christopher Locke looks forward to a time when people will look back at the technological advances that didn’t survive the evolutionary fight for survival, such as the audio cassette, Sony Walkman and the Atari joystick. He’s created a series of ‘modern fossils’ using concrete – see them here.
Host an Artist
LoCurativo is a cultural exchange that aims to match groups interested in “the arts, collective practices, social justice, grassroots organizing, and community development”. It brings together international groups who want to collaborate on art via a cultural exchange. The resulting art projects are shown locally before setting off on a tour of the United States. […]
35 Best Movie Dance Scenes
The good folks at Flavorwire have compiled a foot-tapping, hip-wiggling chronological list of the Best Movie Dance Scenes, starting with 42nd Street (1933) through to the Jai Ho dance sequence in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) via Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Fame (1980). Watch clips of all the dances on […]
Chick Lit Rewritten
Flavorwire suggests the new wave of chick lit might be a little less glossy and aspirational in a response to the difficult financial climate, perhaps providing titles such as: The Devil Wears Vera Wang for Kohl’s Banana Republic Brunettes The Madoff Diaries If you can’t identify the original titles, you obviously having been paying attention […]
Vanity Book Awards
Vanity publishing got a little vainer with the advent of vanity publishing awards. The National Best Book Awards has 150 categories; every entrant is a finalist and some categories have only one entrant. Those lucky winners can then buy a gold star with which to adorn the dust jacket (for a reasonable fee of $69). […]
Be sad: get ice cream
You need one of these in your office… British artist Demitrios Kargotis, has invented Dr. Whippy, an ice cream machine that asks you several questions to ascertain how stressed you are and then dispenses a dose of ice cream depending on how stressed or unhappy you are – the more in need of cheering up, […]
Night of the Ad Eaters
The Night of the Ad Eaters is an international travelling show that screens five and a half hours of adverts from around the world, including Russia, Asia, Africa, and South America, Mongolia, Iraq and the Guarani region of India in “an enthusiastic fairground cum rock concert atmosphere”. The tour happens annually and visits 40 countries. […]
Last Supper Portions
A Cornell University professor and his brother, a religious studies professor, studied paintings of the Last Supper and discovered that artist’s through the centuries have gradually been increasing the amount of food being eaten by Jesus and his disciples, which they say mirrors socio-cultural changes through the ages. Read the full article on Reuters.
The Evolution of Classic Tales
Laphams Quarterly has published a map that shows how four classic stories – Pygmalion, Oedipus, Faust and Leviathan – have evolved over the centuries. For example, Pygmalion can be traced thus: Cypriaca c.250 BC, Cyrene; Metamorphoses c. 5th century poem, Rome; La Roman de la Rose 1225 poem, Lorris; The Winter’s Tale 1611 play, London; […]
Makemende
Makmende is Africa’s first viral video star – described by Monocle as “an African version of Shaft, mixed with a bit of Chuck Norris, he is the karate-chopping, damsel-rescuing star”. Makemende first appeared in the music video for Kenya’s but soon had a Facebook fanpage with 26,000+ fans and topped the Kenyan Twitter chart for […]
Michael Jackson Museum Plans
Michael Jackson’s father Joe and the mayor of Gary, Indiana are planning a museum tribute to the late singer, which is expected to attract up to 750,000 visitors a year to the town. Read more on CNN.
How to Build a Medieval Castle
French landowner Michel Guyot has been conducting an unusual architectural experiment since 1998 – he’s building a medieval castle in the style of a design by 13th century French King Phillipe-August. The Chateau de Guedelon is being painstakingly built using materials and techniques used in 1200s. Read more at BBC News
Dulux’s Let’s Colour Project
Dulux has a global project – Let’s Colour – that aims to “transform grey spaces with colourful paint”, and so far they have painted Jodhpur pink, London orange and Rio rainbow. Local communities can sign up to have some colour added to their drab surroundings.
The Johnny Cash Project
The Johnny Cash Project is a user generated music video for Johnny Cash’s final studio recording Ain’t No Grave. Users are invited to draw one frame using an image as a template and then all the different frames are integrated into a moving tribute to the man in black. See it at work here.
Parallel Lines
“Five very different films. One piece of dialogue.” Parallel Lines is an online movie project that allows you to watch five films that are all based on the same script (as you might expect from the tagline). Watch them here. via @jph
Consorting with the Rockstars
Flavorwire has revealed the five rockstar “consort” memoirs you must read. They are: Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie by Angela Bowie with Patrick Carr Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone with Wendy Leigh Faithfull: An Autobiography by Marianne Faithfull with David Dalton A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of […]
Upcycled Fashion
Chicago fashion designer Christina Liedtk created a ballgown from 600 Peanut M&M wrappers. The dress was commissioned by TerraCycle’s Green Up Shop to celebrate and highlight the power of recycling. Read more on PSFK.
World’s Ugliest Statues
Foreign Policy has put together a top ten list of the world’s ugliest statues, including: African Renaissance Monument, Senegal; A rotating golden statue of the late leader of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov; The Jersey Teardrop – an unloved, and rejected/relocated, memorial in Jersey, USA dedicated to the memory of victims of 9/11. Read the full article […]
Stefan Zweig’s Extraordinary Music Collection
Stefan Zweig was an Austrian writer and one time collaborator of Strauss, until they fell out at the start of the Nazi occupation, when Strauss’ behaviour became abhorrent to the Jewish Zweig. Over the course of his lifetime, Zweig was an avid collector of signed musical manuscripts – from Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Mahler to Debussy, […]
The Dangers of Artists and Scientists Cuddling
Martin Kemp, emeritus professor in the history of art at the University of Oxford, is interviewed in The New Scientist about what artists and scientists can learn from each other, but he also warns against them cuddling – in other words, being pleased and surprised that they actually get on, without actually doing anything that […]
Rude Britannia at Tate Britain
Just opened at Tate Britain is Rude Britannia: British Comic Art, a ground-breaking exhibition about the role of humour in British visual culture. Through a great diversity of art forms – including painting, drawing, sculpture, film and photography – comedy, the comic, and visual humour are explored in their many dimensions. The exhibition is presented […]
Sudden Genius
Sudden Genius: Creativity explored through ten extraordinary lives by Andrew Robinson looks at the nature of good ideas – why some people have loads and some seem to have few, if any. And how does a ‘sudden flash of genius’ happen? He explores these questions by examining the lives of five artists and five scientists […]
Jim Henson Remembered
Wired has put together a tribute to Muppet creator Jim Henson who died twenty years ago, including some videos from his memorial service. Read the article and watch the videos here.
How to Be a DJ
Where did the time go..? DJ Danny Rampling, one of the titans of the dance and rave scene has been commanding the decks for twenty years. He’s got a book coming out – Everything You Need to Know About DJ’ing & Success – in which he shares his insights and tips for DJing and business […]
The Greatest Art Heists of All Time
Inspired by the recent theft of five valuable paintings from Paris’s Museum of Modern Art, the folks at Flavorwire have carried out an investigation of their own: to track down the most greatest art heists of all time. Included on the list: The theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, Paris in 1911; Two […]
Risk: The Movie
Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired from Hasbro, Inc. the motion picture rights to produce RISK, the classic board game brand of world conquest. The game was invented in 1957 by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse as La Conquete du Monde (The Conquest of the World). Two years later, Parker Brothers published the game in the U.S. […]
The Boy Who Bit Picasso
The Boy Who Bit Picasso, by Antony Penrose, is an account of the author’s memory of, and relationship with, Picasso who was a childhood friend. He tells how Picasso used to have a goat in a crate outside his bedroom and the two boys enjoyed enacting play bullfights. (Pub: Thames and Hudson, September 2010).
Deaver Breathes New Life into Bond
Best-selling American thriller writer Jeffery Deaver has been commissioned by Ian Fleming’s estate to write a new Bond book set in the present day. Read the full article in The Guardian.
Drainspotting
Remo Camerota is a drainspotter. That is, he photographs Japanese drain covers that have been turned into mini works of art, and his work has been turned into a book. Read more and see some examples on Coolhunting.
Cannes Festival Trailers
If you couldn’t make it to Cannes Film Festival (and who can?) here are all the trailers of the movies you’re missing.
Fonts of Contention
Fast Company has an article of the history of fonts – more interesting than you might think with arguments about nationalism, hatred of Micrsoft, incest, pedophilia and intellectual property theft. They’ve singled out Verdana, Fractur, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Gill Sans and Comic Sans as some of the most controversial (and therefore interesting) fonts. Visit […]
Paco Blancas – A Strange Sort of Art Fan
The Museum of Modern Art, NYC is currently showing Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present, the first large-scale scale American museum retrospective of the artist’s groundbreaking performance work. Internationally recognized as a pioneer and key figure in performance art, Marina Abramović (Yugoslav, b. 1946) uses her own body as subject, object, and medium, exploring the […]
Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera
Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera, at Tate Modern, London, offers a fascinating insight into photographic images made surreptitiously or without the explicit permission of those depicted by bringing together more than 250 works of photography and film by well-known figures including Brassaï, Guy Bourdin, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Nan Goldin, Dorothea Lange, […]
War Horse Gets Spielberg Treatment
War Horse, originally a bestselling novel by Michael Morpurgo, has had a successful theatre run in London’s West End is is about to get the Hollywood treatment as Steven Spielberg has optioned the story and will personally direct the movie version of the story of life in WWI’s trenches as seen through the eyes of […]
Weta Legs
Walking like an Egyptian might have been in vogue last century; today it’s all about walking like a goat… or a dragon… or a satyr. Weta Legs are a kind of hinged stilt that allow humans to walk (dance, and go up and down hills and stairs) like animals, most often used in fantasy movies […]
Urban Africa
London’s Design Museum is currently (until 5th September 2010) a collection of photographs of urban Africa taken by architect David Adjaye. It is part of his project to photograph and document key cities in Africa as part of a on study new patterns of urbanism. This collection of photographs is a personal quest through the […]
