Lost AT E Minor

Film / Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis

January 31, 2008 | Film | by Orvar - Mum |

I went to see Persepolis with my mum. We don’t often get to see good films in theaters in Iceland, but once in a while film festivals take place here, and this time it was the annual French film festival. Read more

Products / Cesar Lopez’s Escopetarra

January 31, 2008 | Products | by Francis Andrews |

Colombian peace activist, Cesar Lopez, may well be the trophy-holder when it comes to ‘making good of a bad situation’. For the past several years, he has been working with a collective of artists and musicians in Colombia called the Battalion of Immediate Artistic Reaction. One of their projects, spearheaded by Lopez, is the transformation of decommissioned guns from the Colombian war — including AK47’s — into guitars, called escopetarras (a combination of escopeta and guitarra, Spanish for rifle and guitar). Read more

Music / Chairs In the Arno

January 31, 2008 | Music | by Zolton |

There’s a lighthearted playfulness about the Chairs in the Arno album, File Folder. Their synthpop sound is not weighed down by all the angst of the times, which is refreshing. We asked Jeff Excell from the group what they do to switch off from the world around them: ‘The four of us were all living in the same house and working at the same coffee shop in St. Helena at the time. We would come home from work and have super competitive badminton tournaments in the backyard and just do simple fun stuff like, play with the cat and have barbeques on our porch. So I think part of it was that being light hearted about music is better than the alternative’. Read more

Events / Design a logo competition

January 31, 2008 | Events | by Casper Johansson |

Designers, agencies, studios and students from all over the world are invited to enter the Wolda worldwide logo design annual comeptition: ‘Winners are selected by an international three-tier jury consisting of Designer, Client and Public Judges. All the winning logos will be showcased online and published in a printed annual on SAPPI acclaimed papers by Fontegrafica’. Entries close May 20th.

Photography / dR’s Real American Suburb

January 31, 2008 | Photography | by Jenn Porreca |

I first came across the mesmerizing imagery of the photographer dR in 2005. One part rural, one part urban, all parts a son-of-a-preacher man, with a strong seasoning of a good old American vibe, dR effortlessly takes pictures of innocence, destruction, and hope all at the same time. Read more

Art / Jen Stark’s paper trail

January 31, 2008 | Art | by John Malloy |

Finally someone has found a use for those stacks of colored paper that sit in every office and never see the light of day. I could stare at Jen Stark’s mindblowing paper sculptures for hours and still never be totally sure where she started. Jen is also a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, where I’m currently teaching. [see more of Jen Stark’s work]

Illustration / Jordi Labanda

January 30, 2008 | Illustration | by Kate Barnett |

Jordi Labanda is the fashion illustrator that launched a thousand knock offs. I’m sure you’ve seen this style of illustration on notebooks, pencil cases, handbags and hundreds of other products. The Uruguay-born artist’s original works are all hand painted. He’s been featured in publications such as Wallpaper and Vogue and scored clients like Pepsi and American Express. [see also the illustrations of James Blagden]

Events / Marshall Arisman’s Personal Vision

January 30, 2008 | Events | by Yuko Shimizu |

Marshall Arisman, the legendary illustrator and chair of MFA Illustration Department at School of Visual Arts [illustration above], is moderating a panel discussion about illustrators and our personal vision at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City on February 7th. The panel includes Sam Weber, Nathan Fox, Eddie Guy, and myself and this talk has been organized by the Society of Publication Designers. Tickets are still available.

Art / Melissa Kojima

January 30, 2008 | Art | by Kate Barnett |

Melissa Kojima makes great use of dramatic lighting. Have a look at the sketches on her website as evidence of an old school style. She’s an illustrator and visual storyteller living in Los Angeles, California, and her art is a mixture of fantastical creatures and everyday urban landscapes. Read more

Eco / Maverick Eco M2-House

January 30, 2008 | Eco | by Snell |

Maverick artist come architect, Michael Jantzen, has created this fantastic experiment as a design study for a modular prefabricated eco-friendly house. Read more

Music / LAEM playlist

January 30, 2008 | Music | by Zolton |

We’ve just added the ear-crunching, guitar thumping Sons and Daughters track, Gilt Complex, to our Imeem playlist, so strap on some headphones and check it out.

Photography / Jill Greenberg

January 30, 2008 | Photography | by Julia Hennock |

Jill Greenberg’s ‘End Times’ is a series of photographs of children crying. Rendered to perfection, the dewy-skinned, bare-chested, desperate-eyed vulnerability of her subjects is aimed at our hearts. The message, however, is aimed at our minds: ‘It’s as if they (the Christian right as a political force) believe the apocalyptic End Time is near, therefore protecting the earth and the future of our children is futile. As a parent I have to reckon with the knowledge that our children will suffer for the mistakes our government is making. Their pain is a precursor of what is to come’. Read more

Websites / The Eight Principles of Fun

January 30, 2008 | Websites | by John Malloy |

When I first heard about The Eight Principles of Fun, I thought it sounded frighteningly close to being a self-help service ad. Read more

Art / Lily Gottlieb-McHale

January 30, 2008 | Art | by Gerry Mak |

Lily Gottlieb-McHale makes some pretty ingenious kinetic sculptures that incorporate the DIY ingenuity of Rube Goldberg contraptions with intricate and sophisticated sound experimentation. Read more

Music / Mars Volta — The Bedlam in Goliath

January 30, 2008 | Music | by Kate Suters |

As the world’s New Year resolutions slide on down the proverbial gurgler, so does my simple yearning to start a rock band and change the world. After listening to the epic, intergalatic rock ‘n’ roll ramblings on The Mars Volta’s newbie, The Bedlam in Goliath, I reckon it’s best to leave that stuff to the experts. A torrent of guitars, dense vocals, and clipped beats, this is a stunning album, complete with mind-blowing artwork. [see also The Killers]

Listen to the Mars Volta track, Askepios.