Munich-based David Hofman’s popular Box Doodle website features illustrated artwork that incorporates cardboard boxes. Planet Ark would be impressed, as writer Nat Liechti found out. Can you explain the concept behind the Box Doodle Project? ‘It just popped into my mind one day. I received a package and unpacked it, and a nice shape of a box smiled up at me. I couldn’t resist the smile, so I grabbed some markers and started to doodle. This was at the end of 2003. From that point on, when I found some free time and a nice shaped box, I doodled. But what to do with all the artworks? I decided to put it online, as an archive for me. And then it just started to grow. I didn’t even need to promote it’. If someone gets similarly inspired, can they get involved? ‘Of course. The rules are quite simple. Rearrange a box to make any kind of figure or object. And make the most of the least. My basic idea was a tangram puzzle — seeing objects from a new angle. Mostly I receive a doodled box with a nice artwork. But there are a few outstanding-shaped boxes without artwork. I’m still amazed how some shapes evolve into something like a face — even without a design. I get box doodles from around the planet. I keep every box doodle I get, and the best ones are displayed on the website. Creativity is global!’ What boxes tend to work best for an artist’s illustrations? ‘The box you use is definitely important. You have to find the right one. But the most important thing is what you discover. So every box works’. [photos from Pictoplasma 2006]
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.
YOU'RE SAYING (3)
Urban Retro Lifestyle - Art, Vinyl Toys, Video Games, Cartoons and Comics » David Hofman’s Box Doodle Project said | 24 November, 2006
[...] Yes that is the only 1 rule and that is what gives this project such a large scope. With a huge amount of artists taking part creating art pieces which are all truly unique, this is one of the best art projects I have seen in a while. It is great to see alternative mediums being used to create art especially when they are materials which would usually be thrown out in to the rubbish bin. Head over to the Box Doodle project website to see more box art. [link via lostateminor] Posted by Tahir on November 23rd, 2006 Categories: Urban Art | Trackback Permanlink [...]
d.edlen said | 11 April, 2008
Guys do you really think that people would write such things about their personal life? Don’t lie to yourself!
HAVE YOUR SAY
Seems like you can’t throw a rock in Brooklyn these days without hitting an awesome illustrator. Thomas Herpich’s work is intricate and really drawerly (you know, like the drawing equivalent of painterly), but also draws heavily from comic books. His style is expressive and moody without being gimmicky — the idea he is trying to convey takes precedent over any kind of visual one-liners. Read more
Having grown up in a small desert town, I find myself suffocated by the strange hazy blanket that descends upon London at night in place of the stars. It makes me cranky. If plants are solar powered then perhaps some people are star powered? Read more
Produced by our talented friends over at Miami-based studio, Common Machine, this is the first installment of a new bi-monthly series of exclusive Lost At E Minor videos that they will be putting together for us. This one is on marionette maker, Pablo Cano, who uses ‘mundane objects to create magic on a string’. And he does. We hope you enjoy!
Formed in New York and now based in Rotterdam and Berlin, SMAQ is a collaborative studio for architecture and urbanism by architects Sabine Müller and Andreas Quednau. Here they have created an interesting installation called Bad (bath) in the Solitude Palace Gardens in Stuttgart with the premise of creating a usable sculpture which entwines a 1000 metre long garden hose throughout a timber structure. Read more
Bringing statistics to life is not particularly easy, but this website does so with a creative brilliance. Using interactive animation and videos, you can look at a wide ranging set of sustainable global development data as the numbers change across space and and time. It promotes a statistically-founded world view, and somehow makes that fun.
I’m kinda obsessed with this track by Kansas City hipsters, Republic Tigers. Maybe it’s the Phil Spector-ish wall of sound harmonies or perhaps it’s the thumping bass riff, which drives the ear worm melody. Whatever. In these times of throwaway pop, it’s the well crafted and subtely produced songs that are truly memorable, and these guys have it in spades, as reflected right across their brilliant debut album, Keep Color.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Made from 100 percent organic cotton and eco-friendly, this super soft tee celebrates a sinister world of kaleidoscopic colours and ripples of psychedelia, of serenading Queens, of dancing flamingos, of unimaginable euphoria. It’s all the work of Sydney label, Das Monk and it’s available through the Lost At E Minor online store for just US$40. Now, there’s one hell of a Christmas present, even if we do say so ourselves!
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST

The return of the Brionvega rr226
Italian brand Brionvega has resurrected the classy Radiofonografio piece first created in 1965. The updated version is just like the original turntable/radio unit, but also has a CD/DVD player.

Never ever, ever, ever, ever park here
Some friendly advice for the neighbours, who simply don’t get it, or street art? You decide which one it is.

How ’bout this Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi guy, huh? Quite the illustrator, yessiree Bob. From Spain, too. Spain is great! Read more

Benjamin Edminston’s psychedelic heads seem to have some fearful wisdom behind their blissed-out eyes. Read more

Matthew Dear’s Black City album totem
Our friends at Ghostly International are releasing Matthew Dear’s Black City album as a limited edition ‘totem’. A what? A totem – a limited edition metal bar used to access a private music chamber. Cool! 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
If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it's not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.







Andy said | 22 November, 2006
Very nice… creativity, design and re-use… 3 of my favourite themes. Love it.