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Permalink to When Complaining Becomes Art

When Complaining Becomes Art

by Evan Leek|on June 27, 2011 |in arts, coding, video |tagged , , , , , |Leave a comment

I am a huge supporter of the creation of new digital forms of artistic expression that have traditional Art (with a captial “A”) roots.
[See Authored Spaces: Old North Church]

My friend and colleague Russell Goldenberg, an accomplished interactive designer and digital artist in his own right, has been melding social media and communal interactions with captivating visualizations for years.

Twitter is the ideal vessel for hot-off-the-press complaints. Stuck in traffic? Blast it out to your friends. Hate the last 10 years of MTV programming? Let the rafters ring with your disdain. Goldenberg’s Twitterfuck 2010, is a distilled snapshot of online disappointment, humor and hatred in a sequence of 140 character tirades.

Twitterfuck from russell goldenberg on Vimeo.

Today I came across the work of Ivan Sharko, more specifically The Boring Gallery, a interactive installation and online gallery.

According to FastCoDesign: “Sharko developed an app that let folks “paint” portraits of the ennui of the Twitterati. Over the course of four days in May, the app scanned Twitter for stuff people were bitching about and connected these subjects to photos on Flickr, by using the same tag and geo location. Then, the public used a touch screen table, rigged with a drawing engine, to give bored tweets abstract, visual form. As Sharko writes in an email:

The artwork became a collaboration between the real users who physically interacted with the application and Twitter & Flickr participants. Physical interactions defined the composition of the artwork and some aspects of its look, while Twitter & Flickr users directly affected the rules that guided the engine’s colors, shapes, sizes and behaviors.”

The Boring Gallery from ivanS on Vimeo.

I appreciate how both Goldenberg and Sharko attempt to make meaning and blaze paths through the vast expanse of information produced by Twitter daily. The real art is in the connections the user makes with the content provided to them by the artist.

Please feel free to check out more from Sharko’s Boring Gallery and the work of Russell Goldenberg.

Some information provided by FastCoDesign

Permalink to Blu animations come to DVD

Blu animations come to DVD

by Evan Leek|on June 16, 2011 |in arts |tagged , , , |Leave a comment

I am a huge fan of Blu, the Italian graffiti artist who is as elusive as he is pioneering the world of public art.

According to his Wikipedia entry: “Blu’s fame began in 1999, thanks to a series of illicit graffiti painted in the historical center and suburbs of Bologna, the capital of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. In the early years of his career his technique was limited to the use of spray paint, the typical medium of graffiti culture. His characteristic style appeared in 2001, however, when Blu started painting with house paint, using rollers mounted on top of telescopic sticks. This new solution allowed him to increase the painted surface area and convey a stronger intensity to his visual vocabulary. Huge human figures, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes dramatic, who looked as if they were borrowed from comics or arcade game world, began appearing along the streets of Bologna around this time. Another aspect that influenced his early career was the practice of a shared artistic action.”

Below is one of my favorite works by Blu; MUTO, an ambiguous stop-motion animation created in Buenos Aires.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Until now I was reserved to watching his work online but thankfully three of his best works are now available on DVD.

According to Arrested Motion “Fans of Blu’s fantastic graff-animations – Muto, Combo (collaboration with David Ellis), and Big Bag Big Boom – now have a way to own some of the footage. The prolific street artist has released his first ever DVD, signed and numbered with an edition of 100, covering videos he has made during the last 10 years. The price is €30.00 and it is available here.”

Blu Muto on DVD

Permalink to Thai sculptor makes giant Transformers from scrap metal

Thai sculptor makes giant Transformers from scrap metal

by Evan Leek|on June 15, 2011 |in arts |tagged , , , |Leave a comment

Giant Transformers sculptures made from recycled automobile and truck parts will be rolled out at Ripley’s Believe It or Not locations around the world this summer.

The Autobot art pieces, which come in 19-foot-tall and 8-foot tall versions, are being created by Thailand-based artist Anchalee Saengtai for England’s famous freak show.

“These car-part Transformers are the most amazing thing we’ve ever found,” Ripley Entertainment exec Edward Meyer said in a statement. “Anchalee and her team can build them to specification from recycled junk cars using only the simplest of tools.”

Ripley’s has already unveiled a Bumblebee statue at Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio, Texas, while Saengtai’s Optimus Prime holds court at Ripley’s Odditorium in San Francisco. Throughout the summer, her Transformer sculptures will be added to Ripley’s Odditoriums in New York City, London, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Jeju Island, South Korea, with two jumbo Autobots slated to arrive at the Hollywood Odditorium later this year.

Thai Sculptor creates giant Transformer

Anchalee Saengtai poses with one of her massive Transformers sculptures made from spare automobile and truck parts.

Information courtesy of WIRED

Permalink to Intel uses Lego as input device at CES 2011

Intel uses Lego as input device at CES 2011

by Evan Leek|on June 14, 2011 |in arts, augmented reality, video |tagged , , , , , |Leave a comment

In a follow up to my post yesterday on a Lego molding machine made of Lego, and a post I did over a year ago on using the human body as an input device, I bring you one of Intel‘s latest innovations from CES 2011 exploring alternative input devices. In the case of this video, they are using Lego creations and projected imagery to set the stage.

While the interaction appears elementary, the computing power behind this set up is pretty amazing. The setup requires 3D object recognition, gesture recognition and graphical interfaces running in real-time. This is huge step for more sophisticated augmented reality experiences.

Video courtesy of Mashable’s YouTube Channel

Permalink to A Lego molding machine made out of Legos

A Lego molding machine made out of Legos

by Evan Leek|on June 13, 2011 |in arts |tagged , , |Leave a comment
Lego Men Lego moulding machine

It was impossible to grow up in the 80′s and not play with Legos. I spent countless hours building whatever my imagination would let me. Unfortunately Legos do not appear as ubiquitous in a child’s life as they once were. I was surprised to see this clever and delightfully meta machine allowing the owner to create their own Legos. The kicker is that the machine is in itself, made from Legos.

Joseph of Replicator says, “This is an exclusive Lego set that you can purchase on the factory tour in Denmark. It has semi-functional injection molding mechanics. Really a neat toy.”

“The set consists of two moulding machines, the first was a replica of the original hand operating injector back from 1949. The second, Larger one is copy of the current Moulder that LEGO uses today that … well made the bricks that made this model.

Each model has working features – the little one can ‘press’ the mould together. Where as the large one has a little slot to put in 1×1 round plates in (or raw abs) , followed by a separate mechanism to ‘press’ the mould together. the little 1×1 round then drops down an incline and into the yellow basket below – where it waits to be whisked off by machines to storage.”

Lego-making machine

A Lego-making machine made out of Legos.

Moulding Machine – Exclusive – Built

[Review] Moulding Machine #4000001 (Lego Insider Tour Exclusive) 4000001 Moulding Machine Review

Information provided by BoingBoing

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