A whole new way to “visualize” Type

Im sure we’ve all had to do our fair share of work with typography. In the few design courses i’ve taken since being enrolled here at ut each has made me construct a type face of some sort. For example in Sean Thompsons Art Directors Seminar class we got to create an entire alphabet using random objects of our choosing. Putting the assignment off until the last minute as per usual I found myself in a bit of a pickle. I wanted to make something interesting of course but I didn’t necessarily have the time to pour as much work into it as I would have liked. I ended up choosing to work with 12 gauge shotgun shells which turned out to be a very good choice. Fortunately for me the shells lined up perfectly when stacked in nine’s. This enabled me to quickly but tastefully make a slab serif font. Then the other day while strolling about on the internet I came across this:

http://www.juxtapoz.com/current/shadows-typography-and-installation-by-fred-eerdekens

Neat right? This guy Fred Eerdekens created typography using shadows. Whats most interesting about this is how he went about it. Anyone can conceptualize making a shadow font by cutting the letter shapes out of a piece of paper, however this would be far to simple for Fred here. In my favorit example, which is depicted at the top of this article, Fred used fluffy clouds of cotton to create his type. He actually suspends them individually from the ceiling while precisely placing them in front of his light source in such a manner that when they over lap the formulated the edges needed to create letter shapes. Way cooler that 12 Gauge shotgun shell type wouldn’t you say?

Super Cool Photorealism in 3D Paintings

So, this

is pretty cool. In the past, three-dimensional art was called sculpture, but this is changing. Riusuke Fukahori paints in layers of resin to create amazing three-dimensional paintings of fish. The ones in the bowls are my favorites; I imagine one being placed on the table at a sushi restaurant.

 

So freaking cool

Since viewing this article a few days ago, I’ve been trying to think of other interesting ways Fukahori or other artists could execute this style. While, this is very closely related to his current style, if he were to create the resin layers from a horizontal perspective, he could make an entire fish tank viewable from a single side. Much more humane than keeping exotic fish.

this too

This is by far one of the coolest things I’ve seen in quite some time. I’m excited to see where else he and other artists take this style in the future. Can’t wait.

Is it right to draw their fur?

Last weekend I found myself playing “Would you rather” with some friends and to my delight one of the questions was: “would you rather be able to speak any language in the world or talk to animals”. Although it would be pretty awesome to travel anywhere in the world and be able to communicate with absolutely everyone… wouldn’t it be awesome if you could have a conversation with animals?! This train of thought brought me back to a set of posters that I had bought at the beginning of last semester.

Artist Dave Eggers (not to be confused with Dave Eggers, best-selling author and founder/editor of McSweeney’s) released a portfolio of posters composed of animal renderings by the title of Is it Right to Draw Their Fur. The portfolio contains 24 posters with drawings such as these:

Eggers typically finds an old photograph of an animal and uses a China marker to freehand a version of the animal onto paper. He then proceeds to think of what the animal might be thinking and surrounds the drawing with such quote. During an interview, Eggers described the thinking process as “if that animal had an antagonistic relationship with humans and was vying with those humans for the favor of a Catholic God”. Each animal’s quote shows that animal’s personality, which seems to be a bit sad, standoffish, and pretty introverted.

Sometimes they portray an animal’s personality quite well…

The drawings are simple yet very beautiful, which is why I decided to cover my apartment’s bedroom walls with these posters from the portfolio. My friends think the animal drawings are lovely as well and they don’t seem to mind the philosophical meanderings of some animals such as the anteater that asks “Lord must I love they who took my teeth?” and the squirrel that says “the wind knows nothing, don’t flatter her with questions”.

So last Friday night when I was asked if I would rather be able to talk to animals or speak every language in the world, I thought about how cool it would be to engage in a conversation about existence with a Standard Poodle.

The Alternative Limb Project

I really wasn’t expecting to find an “alternative limb” store website, but I guess that in this internet age, anything is possible nowadays. I was looking through some blogs and kept clicking on links until I saw a picture of a woman in a tutu with something interesting on her leg; it was covered in porcelain painted with flowers. I thought this had to be some photoshopped image until I scrolled to the very bottom and read a caption that said Alternative Limb Project.

What I first came across

I googled the term and sure enough, I was welcomed into a site offering unique prosthetics that are custom made to blend with my body or stand out as a unique piece of art. The website mentions that the director of the project, Sophie de Oliveira Barata, works as a specialist consultant that can work with your prosthetist and create an alternative-style limb that can help break down social barriers. Sophie will involve the wearer in all the stages of the process from conception of ideas to the finished work. Her goal is to help the wearer have a prosthetic that reflects their imagination, personality, and interests.

 

Sophie offers three different options for her consulting services that include Real, Surreal, and Unreal options. The picture gallery shows some of her past work, all of which look incredible. The website mentions that Sophie also collaborates with other artists and experiments with different materials. It is so interesting to see the medical field and the arts combine into this beautiful project. It’s great to see that there are options for prosthetic wearers and although this is clearly not a choice for everyone, I would love to see this project develop further.

Here are some more prosthetics that Sophie has worked on in the past:

Removable Muscle

Henna Tattoo Arm

Stereo Leg

Baristart

Meet Mike Breach, a barista artist. Lately, probably due to instagram, I’ve noticed a trend in more and more intricate latte art. It used to be a simple heart could put a smile on a latte-drinker’s face, but now, baristas like Mike use much more detailed illustrations.

In the video above, Mike Breach talks about how the art doesn’t last more than a few minutes- something I think is really cool. Latte Art is so interesting because it proves you really can use anything as a canvas. Seriously, why stop at paper when you can illustrate on coffee, skin, clothing, food, etc. I think it’s pretty inspiring to know that art can be made from almost anything.

If you want to see more of Mike Breach’s latte art, you can check out his tumblr, cleverly titled “Baristart”. Here are a few of my favorites:

Hendrix

E.T.

 

On Being “Meaningful”

Books. Articles. Paintings. Sculptures. Movies.

We’ve all studied, discussed or pondered these at some point. Be it for a class, on a guided tour or simply on your own, you’ve had some sort of session during which you examine a piece of art and then proceed to dissect it, piece by piece, exposing its creator’s true intent. And, certainly, there are cases for which this is useful; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, for instance, is really about math.

I have to wonder, though, how many artists truly set out with the intention of weaving all these subtexts into their work. Perhaps J.D. Salinger just wanted to write a story about a weird kid. Maybe Leonardo Da Vinci simply painted the woman sitting in front of him as she looked. Possibly War of the Worlds was intended to be about aliens invading Earth, period.

And yet we insist on digging. Everything, now, is attributed a secondary meaning. The college I attended as an undergrad offered a literature class on Harry Potter. Finding Nemo continues to get more attention than half the serious films that have come out in the past decade. Modern portraits consisting of a square with a dot in the middle draw critics in for hours. But is there really something to expose here?

Perhaps the real revelation is that there may be, in fact, nothing. I’m no grand master, but the vast majority of the times I set out to make something I don’t go “I’m going to make it seem like I’m doing this, but really it’s about [insert deep, meaningful concept here]”. I have to wonder, then, for how many great authors, sculptors, producers etc. that is also the case – and how hard these people would laugh at how we struggle to unearth something that is not even there, and at the things we inadvertently invent, the words we put in their mouths, to justify the search whose futility we refuse to see.

I believe that this ties back to advertising in a big way. Sure, you have your ads like Apple’s 1984 commercial, and those are awesome. But sometimes, when you’re supposed to make an ad for paperclips, you’re just supposed to make an ad about paperclips. It can still be smart, funny, catchy, whatever you want – but not everything needs to be a commentary on workers’ rights or a Freudian insight. Don’t worry, if you don’t give it some sort of hidden significance, others will find one for you anyway.