KKK

Currently bogged down by the ridiculous amount of uni work I have at the minute, I have been looking into the shock tactics that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) enforce to gain media attention. Generally impressed by their passionate approaches, I was more than shocked when I read about the organisation dressing up as the KKK outside the Westmister Dog Show. PETA dressed in white sheet-like clothing to evoke the presence of the KKK, the protesters claimed that the American Kennel Club wee attempting to build a master race of pure-breed dogs and by doing so is unhealthy to all dogs. The controversial stunt gained tons of publicity which was exactly PETA’s aim, but I can’t say I agree with the comparison and I actually find the organisation quite inconsiderate comparing the two. Until the Westminster Dog show starts to lynch and burn dogs at the stake, Ill choose not to support such a ridiculous campaign.

Indifferenti

When it comes to branding we are all aware of the multinational companies in the industry but what would happen if you were to combine the unexpected? A project brought to you by Tommaso Guerra,‘Indifferenti’ merges six company logos, arch enemies of their business and demonstrates the way in which they would sit together. When you look at each one you cant help but think how well it works. If it is this easy to adapt, you have to ask the question of what a logo really means.

You think differently, just like Tommaso Guerra intended.

'Change the Tune'

 Michael Robbinson at London creative shop Agency Republic has designed one of the coolest posters I have ever seen. The poster is built up with knock sensors, wires, a plug socket and Audrino Nano and through some form of crazy technology if you throw something at the poster it changes song. Since the agency plays music via Spotify over the sound system the ‘Change the Tune’ poster has access to millions of songs for free. Very cool stuff. 

double exposure

Currently a massive fan of Oliver Morris’s double exposure photographs. A combination of stunning imagery mixed with intelligent compositions.



Hipster Branding

Graphic designer David Spengelar presents to us a blog that shows how one talented hipster can convert any brands identity to look cool. Through the use of font, icons and nostalgic symbols he brings large corperations back to life. How he makes Fedex and Gillete look cool is beyond me, inspirational stuff - definitely one to make note of.

http://hipsterbranding.tumblr.com/

Edgar Mueller

  

When I first saw the work of Edward Muellar, I couldn’t believe that he actually paints such incredible 3D street art. He uses his knowledge and technique to create amazing optical illusions, from pouring waterfalls to melting ice caps; his imagination is unreal. The German born artist has been described as "one of the world's top 3-D illusionist street painters” and has broken several world records.

"I'm not a record hunter, but because I want to change public areas into a different look, to look different from daily life I have to go huge. If I want to change a street, then I have to cover the whole street, so that's the reason my paintings are so big."

Cecilia Paredes

 

As random as this post may be, I couldn’t help but be wow’d by Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes and the way in which she camouflages into wallpaper. She experiments with her own body by painting floral wallpaper designs on herself and blending with the background. Her latest series called ‘Landscapes’ has proven to be so popular that her website crashed because of the volume of people wanting to get a closer look at the images. Often the only thing visible is her hair, absoulutly incredible work inspired by Chinese artist Liu Bolin.

BLU

 

After being so excited about viewing the street art in Berlin, I was really disappointed when we spent the whole day in Kruetzberg searching street artist Blu’s work and found nothing. It turned out we just made a few wrong turnings and completely missed some of the most impressive street art I’ve seen. The scale and individuality of his work was incredible, he is well known for his big influence on the street art society.

Whist in a seminar yesterday I was reminded of his work and the stop motion videos he creates. I then spent all afternoon watching his videos and they are so addictive. Really amazing use of sound to mirror his films, with simple but captivating ideas that hook your attention. Worth looking into his work if you’re a fan of street art and animation.

Mentalgassi

Researching for my trip to Berlin, I came across Mentalgassi, a group of street artists who have designed this amusing campaign. Focussing on transforming urban objects around the city using prints and wheatpaste, the group create this fun and refreshing revamp for the city. Really simple idea that could be translated through to other cities around the world. Could be an interesting idea to work on.

For more stuff on Berlin check out my new blog - http://thinkberlin.tumblr.com/

Miniature Worlds

About a month ago I saw a book that consisted of work by Christopher Boffoli and his 'Disparity' collection. Photographer, filmmaker and artist, his work has appeared in newspapers, magazines and online publications around the world. I remember seeing his work and being instantly amused by the simplicity of his ideas. The Seattle based designer creates miniature representations of everyday scenes using tiny figures and humorous captions. Really clever idea that has been displayed in various galleries across the US.

Heatherwick Studio

With visual merchandising becoming more ellaborate by the minute its no wonder artists, architects

and designers are commissioned to design the next big thing. Harrods, Anthropologie and Shabby Chic are just a few that continue to wow me with their attention to detail. Although one brand that has been successfully creating windows to admire for years has been Harvey Nichols. Here I found this display, Autumn Intrusion designed by Heatherwick Studio in 1997. The installation was a single 200m long, veneered wooden element, woven through the façade and rising up the building, engaging with both the architecture and the street. Taking the team 6 months to construct, they later won the D&AD Gold Award selected from a field of 14,000 entries. It's interesting to see that such an impressive display was designed 15 years ago, sometimes the best are the old ones.

If your interested in installations and architecture check out Heatherwick Studio online,

they have some really inspirational stuff - http://www.heatherwick.com/

Is this happiness?

Currently writing an essay on the way in which artists have criticized consumerism over the years, using Banksy as part of my case study, this is one of his images that I am analysing. This has to be one of my favourite pieces of art by Banksy, it highlights issue of pop culture icons and ideas which have been imposed upon society, and uses the analogy of the Vietnam War to make his point. It outlines so many things that are wrong in the capitalist society we live in and questions whether the american dream that is forced upon us really does make you happy.

LDN: Street Art

The first of many posts about my week spent in London is on Street Art. This seems to be my new fascination, without even looking for it, I was surounded by various types of wall art from the cookie monster to amazing portraits. These photos were taken in and around Shoreditch, and each one stood out to me, more so than the vintage sale signs on brick lane. I cannot wait to go to Berlin in January and continue to find these amazing pieces of art, I have also seen a couple of books I would like to invest in starting with Art in the Streets. I think this will be a new hobby for me so keep looking for more street art photos.

We Make Carpets

A friend recently sent me a link to this amazing website called We Make Carpets.

Designed by Marcia Nolte, Stijn van der Vleuten and Bob Waardenburg, a selection of carpets

 have been created using everyday objects. The concept of the idea itself isnt hard but because the artists design such intricate carpets with such random objects its makes the whole idea so much more impressive. I would love to be able to create such amazing art, looking at work like this is so inspiring.