blank canvas

Anarchy in the UK

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:40:00 +0000

comic by Dagsson

How Do You Feel (About Art)?

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:23:00 +0000

A micro-documentary asking New Yorkers for a three word answer for a (seemingly) simple question ...
only to reveal the rich complexity of art's impact on the human psyche.

How Do You Feel (About Art)? from svanes on Vimeo.
Check out filmmakers Christian and Ewan for more cool creative-ness

Wishery

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:54:00 +0000

Here’s the latest video remix from Australia-based audio-visual mash-up artist Pogo entitled Wishery. Here he takes Disney’s 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and splices it into a rich tapestry of sonic and visual symbiosis.
His inaugural Disney remix Alice, created from Alice in Wonderland, is probably his most popular sample that has only been recently re-released back on the web after being removed for copyright issues with The Mouse himself!

THIS IS SO AWESOME.

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Massive Attack's "United Snakes" music video, made by United Visual Artists

Star Wars in 2D

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:12:00 +0000

Forget Star Wars 3D, paper animations are a labor of love. Eric Power, creator of the above video, loves to animate video games, but he may have out-nerded himself with a paper animation condensing the Star Wars trilogy into a 2:40 video. It’s actually a music video for Jeremy Messersmith, but the animation could easily stand alone.

So, for all of you OT (that’s original trilogy) fans out there, here's a lo-fi song played to a very 2D music video.

pool party?

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:01:00 +0000

There was another heat wave this past weekend in London. Guess it's Summertime!

Which naturally brings to mind pool parties. Although, they were hard to find.

Only this year, if you do find a pool party...firstly, let me know, and secondly, you need to take your pool-party atmosphere up a notch...the iPod sitting 75 feet from the water isn't cutting it.

You need The Wireless Waterproof MP3 Speaker, a sound system that doesn't mind getting a little wet.

Basically, this is the boom box that Aquaman would bring to any pool-related function thrown by the Super Friends. It's wireless, it runs on batteries, and it packs a 12-watt subwoofer and 3-watt tweeter range (that's Circuit City talk for "It sounds great").

So picture it: a backyard pool party festooned with attractive people in very little clothes, inflatable lounge chairs and some miscellaneous pairs of water wings. You show up with this audio game changer, connect an MP3 player to its transmitter and set the main unit a couple of feet from the pool ladder. Suddenly your Party Jamz compilation is turning that pedestrian game of water volleyball into a rousing match of chicken. Or at least Marco Polo.

And in the course of entertaining the undressed masses, should a particularly full cup of beer be dropped on top of it, it will keep playing songs, since it's waterproof.

Hello Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Typography geek Greg Solenström recently paired black and white photos of Brooklyn with Akzidenz Grotesk font and Jay-Z and Lil Wayne’s “Hello Brooklyn 2.0″ for a fan made tribute that I think could work as an official video...Check it ouuuuuut!

Jay Z - "Hello Brooklyn" from Gregory Solenström on Vimeo.

5 things YOU can do to make a difference in the gulf oil spill

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:07:00 +0000

Join more than 10,000 others and make your voice heard.  Tell President Obama and Congress to restore the full moratorium on new offshore drilling in federal waters.
http://www.surfrider.org/nodrilling
Join thousands across America on June 26th as we come together to take a stand.  On June 26 we are coordinating a nationwide event to oppose new offshore drilling. It’s called Hand Across the Sand. It will take place in all coastal states in the United States.
http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/
Stay up to speed on spill details on the Surfrider blog: http://www.nottheanswer.org  Stay tuned on the latest news, ways to participate in our Not The Answer campaign, and join the conversation about the disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.nottheanswer.org
Tweet! Related, a few relevant Twitter feeds to add to your mix are: @surfrider @envirosurf @bpglobalpr @skytruth @jimmoriarty   @chadenelsen Tweet about oil spill using #oilspill
Volunteer in Florida and Gulf. If you live in the Gulf or Florida regions you can document what you see and find with our Spill Tracker here:
http://oilspill.skytruth.org
If you’re in this area and have never connected with a local chapter, now is a great time to do it. Find the local dozen chapters in the Gulf and in Florida:http://www.surfrider.org/chapters.asp   
Support alternatives. Engage.   The United States has 3% of the world’s oil and uses 20% of the world’s oil. We cannot drill our way to national security. We need to find alternatives. 70% of oil is used for transportation. For one thing, we need use less fuel. If you drive a vehicle getting low MPG, think about that choice and what it means. If you can use make a phone call, Skype or video conferencing instead of flying, understand these choices save massive amounts of fuel. If you hear about local, state and national governments looking to invest in alternative energy solutions… pay attention.
http:///www.oceanamps.org

Volcanoes Can be Arty Too

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:44:00 +0000

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Eyjafjallajökull's ash started flying all over the place again recently, but has settled down. Meanwhile, while everyone attempted to scramble away from Iceland, Sean Stiegemeier flew over to be right where the action was. After 8 days of flight/weather drama, he was able to capture this stunning footage of the volcanic hellion and its smoke-stack spews. A Sigur Rós’s Jónsi track accompanies the time lapse, but here’s a Mastodon song you can play along instead.

Blasting Tunes like it's 1904

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:11:00 +0000

Fridays are about doing crazy things and looking really ridiculous and recovering in time for brunch on Saturday. And Saturdays tend to be about the same thing, but recovering for brunch on Sunday.

So it's appropriate that today, after what I hope was a fabulous weekend for you all, I introduce to you the iVictrola, a new handmade iPod dock that combines a vintage Magnavox phonograph horn and your love for retro electronics, now available.

First of all, I will make it clear: it's not electric. At all. There's no outlet, no plug, no fuss.

Just like the phonographs of old, the iVictrola uses a giant metal horn to capture the music coming from your iPod and crank it out with a touch of historical flair (I'm guessing the RCA dog would be just as mesmerized by this).

All you have to do is drop your iPod or iPhone into the open slot on the hand-constructed walnut base, make sure your volume is up, and the dock does the rest. Ta-da! Sound is caught by the bottom of the horn and reverberates up the cone via the natural conductivity of metal—and the resulting quality will be eerily similar to the kind flappers and hip-cats danced to back in the Roaring '20s.

This may be the best way to finally introduce your grandmother to Jay-Z.

Gelato, Sorbet, and Fro-Yo on a Stick!

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:23:00 +0000

If you're in New York, there might be an excess of licking in the West Village this summer.

The culprit: a new form of popsicle-ized gelato/sorbet/frozen yogurt called the PopBar, sold at a new shop dedicated to popsicles (5 Carmine Street, at Sixth Ave). Eat them plain or dipped in nuts, biscotti, brownies or chocolate.

All of this will be familiar to anyone who’s been to Italy’s various Stick House locations, but owners Reuben BenJehuda (an Italian who has worked in fashion for the past decade or so) and Daniel Yaghoubi (a German record producer) are making it a point to use hormone-free milk, real fruit (lemon, blood orange, mango, berries, peach, etc.), and no additives. And one last thing may help them stick it to the competition: Their coffee is Stumptown.

Even if you don't eat them at all, be prepared to buy them for friends in sundresses.

Tweet Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:45:00 +0000

Celebrity tweets, illustrated...I'm enjoying these immensely.

Crayola Evolution

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:41:00 +0000

The evolution from 1903 to 2010, colorfully mapped out (visual metaphor for life, whaaaaat). When I was growing up, I remember the 64-box set was like the Bentley of crayons - now apparently there are 150 colors in all?!

Vhere's Valdo?

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:30:00 +0000

This is a brilliant and hilarious "Werner Herzog Reads Where's Waldo" clip ... too good not to share on le blog.

There's more where that came from: Werner Herzog Reads Curious George, and Werner Herzog Reads Madeline

Brandy Smuggler Walking Cane Flask

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Sun, 09 May 2010 19:33:00 +0000

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

You miss your plane, you commandeer a chopper. Your cocktail is offensively subpar, you hop behind the bar.

And now, if the stadium only stocks cheap overpriced beer, you fake a limp and hobble with purpose. Bear with me...

Introducing the Brandy Smuggler Walking Cane Flask, available to meet your smuggling needs.

Consider it the best reason to fake a limp since you played the role of Keyser Söze in a Tony-winning adaptation of The Usual Suspects. In short, it's exactly what it sounds like: an aluminum, gold-handled cane that's been hollowed out to fit not one, but five two-ounce flasks, which you can then fill with the beverage of your choosing. (Just hope no one asks why your cane is making a swishing sound.)

It's not hard to see how this would come in handy. You can use the flasks to mix and match—two bourbons, two scotches and, why not, one champagne. Oh, better yet - half with champagne, half with OJ and start making mimosas!! And it's all housed inside an innocent-looking cane made by Harvy, the same brand that probably made your grandparents' walking sticks.

Respect your elders.

party playlist revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Fri, 07 May 2010 08:51:00 +0000

Ah, the party mix—execute it well, and you're a hero. Execute it poorly, and your friends will never let you near a stereo again.

A solution: this site, which lets you and your friends create a collaborative playlist, even as the party is in motion. Not that anyone should thwart your wall-to-wall Bee Gees rock block.

Start collaborating here.

Det Snurrar I Min Skalle

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Sun, 02 May 2010 00:52:00 +0000

I found this via my friend, Zeeg. It's pretty sweet. Familjen a.k.a. Johan T Karlsson, a Swedish techno/electropop artist, has blown my mind with the video for the song ‘Det Snurrar I Min Skalle’. That is Swedish for ‘It’s Spinning Inside My Head’. Directed by Johan SÃ¶derberg, the video is a mash-up remix of footage from a tent revival. I am hesitant to even use the term mash-up because this is so far beyond what your typical media mash-up has become. Open your eyes and ears and enjoy!

**Where do you start to look for archived footage like this? There are probably so many gems out there waiting to be reborn into modern magic!

a little graffiti stop motion...

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Broken Fingaz -Graffiti Stop Motion from Broken Fingaz on Vimeo.

Environmental Graffiti

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:35:00 +0000

Environmental Graffiti is the online website that is based in the UK and provides a range that is nothing short of stupendous, with posts on everything from bamboo architecture and the most psychedelic river on Earth (located in Colombia’s Sierra de la Macarena) to the long history of gunpowder weaponry and how the CIA caused mass insanity in a French town by spiking bread with LSD. Eye-catching photo galleries and videos supplement fascinating lists, such as the 35 greatest works of reverse graffiti (amazing!) and the world’s most terrifying spiral staircases.

You can apply for an account to write stories, but anyone can read them! So, browse the site and follow Environmental Graffiti on Twitter. Woo!

eardrum pick-me-up.

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:06:00 +0000

Sometimes it’s two o’clock in the morning, like it is right now in London, and your eardrums need a pick-me-up.

...Or a sucker punch. Check out PowerSolo, a Danish rockabilly punk duo that sounds kind of like Green Day might if they didn’t get old and start writing Broadway musicals. Also, like all good punk rockers, the boys aren’t afraid to get naked for the sake of an album cover.

...Or have a listen to Nigerian-born, Germany-based rising soul star Nneka who crosses continents musically as easily as she does physically. Mixing the emotional transparency of Lauryn Hill with her African influences, Nneka makes music that presents her as both a fresh voice and a positive political force. Catch a show...she'll be in London tomorrow - April 28 - at Scala.

Goodnight.

Shazam for Art

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:07:00 +0000

You already know Shazam—you hold up your phone to "hear" a song, and the phone tells you what song it is. This does that, but for art—take a picture of a painting, sculpture or carefully constructed doodle with your phone, and it shows you the details behind it.

Now you'll finally know the Old Master behind Dogs Playing Poker.

Start snapping HERE

Earth from Above

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:27:00 +0000

Launching soon in Bryant Park is a month-long exhibition called Earth From Above by French environmentalist and photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, that coincides with the global Earth Day celebration. 120 large-scale aerial photos will be displayed vertically along the park’s walkways in not-so-subtle reference to The Gates, the public art installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude that hit Manhattan in 2005. Arthus-Bertrand, a UN Environmental Program Goodwill Ambassador, aims to “illuminate” Earth’s beauty while inspiring audiences to care for the planet’s natural resources. Also, his colorful, abstract prints are really, really pretty.

Though the Bryant Park exhibition has been postponed from its original April 2 start date, the exhibition is intended for wide view, and Arthus-Bertrand envisions his images traveling throughout other US cities in 2010 to launch the first US Tour of Earth From Above. Since its Paris premiere in 2000, Earth From Above has been seen on every populated continent by more than 130 million visitors in over 120 cities including London, Tokyo, Berlin, Seoul, Beirut, Moscow, Sydney, Mexico City, Montreal, Stockholm, and Reykjavik. Each photo is accompanied by captions that link the image to the environmental and social issues at stake, “inviting the onlooker to consider sustainable development as the solution to the challenges brought into focus.” On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, this April 22, Arthus-Bertrand’s imagery presents a compelling argument for sustaining the planet as we know it. If you're in New York, check it out...it's free, day and night, rain or shine!

Earth From Above is coming to New York City from Picture Earth on Vimeo.

The Quotable Douchebag

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:03:00 +0000

We've all said things we regret.

Not you, of course. Every word from your mouth is like a pearl of wisdom inside a shell of... even more wisdom.

The same cannot be said for Gene Simmons.

Which takes me to The Quotable Douchebag, a fine collection of bons mots from some of the world's douchiest people, online now.

Let me be clear: this is a ramshackle collection of the most haughty, self-important quotes of all time. (Why yes, John Mayer is quoted at length.)

Suffice it to say, these are quotes from some of the brightest minds of our time. To wit: "Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through." (R. Kelly, of course.) "I know who I am. No one else knows who I am. If I was a giraffe and somebody said I was a snake, I'd think, 'No, actually I'm a giraffe.'" (Richard Gere.) And, perhaps, the best (by which I mean worst): "There are many dying children out there whose last wish is to meet me."

Stay classy, Hasselhoff.

100 sqft.

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:01:00 +0000

I am participating in an exhibition in May of 100 artists called "100sqft". The concept is 100 pieces of art each of them being one foot square to be exhibited in a 10x10 grid at a gallery in North London. The Exhibition will be Early May with a Launch Party on May 16 @ the Chomley Boys Club, 68 Boleyn Road, London N16 8JG and will run for 1 week, giving a chance for the participating artsists and those interested in meeting them to get together at one of Dalstons undiscovered gems. We are inviting everyone to join us for the launch evening to meet up for a drink and enjoy the entertainment laid on by resident DJ's 'Our Friends Eclectic' !

The exhibition catalog is now available to view online and purchase. I'm on page 1, take a look! :)

100Sqft - Exhibition of 100 Artworks by Square [ ] | BOOK INFO

Timber Timbre

noreply@blogger.com (Sydney Townsend) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:24:00 +0000

Canada has done it again. Please welcome Timber Timbre to the world of music.

This Canadian folkie sounds like a Southern Gothic Randy Newman...I know, it's an strange mix, but when you see Taylor Kirk leading his bare-bones group and realize, "Man, Randy Newman totally should've done some swampy bluesy stuff," you will understand Timber Timbre. And you will love it.

Note: they are playing in London May 17!