Wish stars
So the days march ever onwards. It’s hard to believe that it’s August already and there’s not a sign yet of tinsel. The department stores must be a little slow off the mark this year. Not that I buy into the whole Christmas thing. It’s just mass consumerism in kitsch wrapping. But enough of that. I’ve been thinking about the power of lateral thinking; of the sideways shift that a great idea can provoke. Edward De Bono, of course, is its most recognisable proponent and what an immense contribution he’s made to creative endeavour. I particularly like the solution he offered to the owners of an Indian supermarket who were having problems with customers using the car spaces in their parking lot for longer than they should. De Bono pondered the dilemma, then put forward a simple suggestion: if the customers wanted to use the carpark, they had to leave their headlights on. And so they did. It’s amazing what the fear of a flat battery can do to the speed with which one shops. We can only wonder what this genius of constructive thinking would make of David Brent’s classic theory on getting the best out of his workers: ‘They’re malleable, and you know that’s what I like really. I don’t like people who come here: ‘Ooh, we did it this way, we did it that way’. I just wanna go do it this way. Team playing. I call it team individuality, it’s a new … it’s like a management style. Again guilty. Unorthodox. Sue me’. Hmmm. Perhaps I will.
Also by ZOLTON
Maths explains the origin of superhero characters
I love the colours and simple reasoning in this clever series by Scottish illustrator Matt Cowen, which uses basic maths equations to explain how certain pop culture icons came to be. Read more
Star Wars Uncut: a fully crowdsourced version of Episode IV
The project of creative technologist, Casey Pugh, this full length version of the George Lucas masterpiece was created from multiple 15 second segments recreated from the original movie and submitted by thousands of Star Wars fans, which were then spliced together by editor Aaron Valdez to form the final product. Genius, as both a commentary on contemporary pop culture trends (there are references to LEGO, stop motion, memes and the like) and on the power of tapping your audience for quality material.
Filmmaker creates LEGO stop motion to propose to girlfriend
Now, this is one for the ages: back in 2010, Atlanta film-maker Walter Thompson created a jaw-dropping LEGO stop motion to propose to Nealey Dozier, his girlfriend of four years. The video took 22 hours of shooting and some 2,600 pictures to splice together, a small sacrifice to pay for years of happiness together. Right? Right! Oh, and she said yes. Bonus.
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If you’re not already, you should be following UK illustrator, animator, and Masters student, Robin Boyden. He may be early in his career, but he has already produced an impressive portfolio of award-winning illustrations. With his constant delivery of fresh and vibrant characters, he is quickly rising to the top. Read more
Charmaine Olivia’s paintings speak to us in a voice that is tinged with the rhythms of an Oedipus Complex. The voice often comes from a young female subject whose intent is uncertain in nature, creating a desire in the viewer which follows us long after we’ve left earshot of the subject’s enticing voice and undeniable gaze. Read more
Improv Everywhere strikes again with a spontaneous musical in a Los Angeles mall. Wireless microphones hooked up to the mall’s PA system ensured the feeding masses didn’t slip into Cinnabon-induced comas until after the show was over. Note especially the angry dude in sunglasses at about 2:51 — apparently he thinks nothing can ever top Rent.
For a lark, I spent last night cruising Worth Street in West Palm Springs, Florida, the longest, cleanest, most deserted street I’ve ever seen, which is jammed with a string of high-class stores, flogging everything from travel jewellery (for the terrified billionaire), to sweaters and blazers in every colour imaginable. That’s right, who said The Rich had poor taste?
I have always been enamored with Tokyo street fashion, so this website is one of my favorite recent discoveries. New photos are updated every day, so it’s always fresh and exciting. Read more
Three piece, cLOUDDEAD, who formed in Cincinnati at the tail-end of the last millenium, fuse traditional hip hop beats with indie, electronica and psy-rock overtones. Doesone and Why?’s layered, poetic vocals cover the personal, political and social elements of their lives; and, above all, their flatout rejection of traditional musical boundaries makes them a quirky and unique act.
The Virtual Shoe Museum was initiated by Liza Snook in 2004. Once the idea was born, a long search began for designers, photographers and publishers connected to shoes. New friendships developed and their mailbox filled with loads of material on fantastic shoes, art and design on shoes. The Shoe featured above is the Electric Light Shoe by Strawberry Frog.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Pitched as ‘Ulterior Motives in Contemporary Art’, Disorder Disorder is running until November 14 at Penrith Regional Gallery. It’ll be well worth the trip out west of Sydney: the Australian, Japanese, American and European cast reads like a warriors of street art roundup and includes Mike Giant, Ed Templeton, Anthony Lister [artwork above], Ozzie Wright, and Jonathan Zawada. Read more
Communication prosthesis by Sascha Nordmeyer
This ‘communication prosthesis’ by designer Sascha Nordmeyer is hilarious and awesome. I want to wear one to a job interview.
Cookie Boy’s creative cookie designs
I don’t eat cookies, so good thing Cookie Boy’s cookies are little pieces of art too pretty and cute to eat. Read more
Here are a couple awesome pieces by Matt Leines that were recently on display in the Doubting Thomases exhibit at Nudashank gallery in Baltimore. Gives me ideas for Halloween. Read more
It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more
This Powder Necklace features a pearlized Turbo Cinereus shell with tiny holes drilled into the bottom, filled with a sparkling silver-colored powder that when gently tapped, sprinkles a light dusting on the wearer’s chest. Designed by Stephanie Simek. Read more
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