Yep, talking animals still funny.
Posted on August 27, 2009 - Filed Under culture
In the vein of Simple Ideas That Work, here’s one from the Beeb: Adding funny commentary to nature footage. The result? Gold.
From Missouri With Love
Posted on July 31, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity, culture
Yeah, yeah, I know… A MONTH. It’s been a month since I posted anything here. Pathetic? Indeed. But really, the current obsession with operating 140-characters at a time dictates that everything I come across that’s worth an eyebrow raise get fed into the ever-gaping maw of the Twitter feed (see it? It’s right there. On your right. No, no, your other right.).
Anyway, yesterday over at Creativity, I posted a Q&A with motion graphics wizards MK12. Really nice guys who just happen to do amazing work for brands and feature films. So yeah, check it out… if for no other reason than because they did this:
Creativity: MoMA’s Latest Goes Behind the Art
Posted on June 23, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity
(Originally appeared last month at Creativity)
TAXI’s Paul Lavoie and director Azazel Jacobs’ short film looks to attract new audience to the art museum.
by jeff beer
Living in New York, there are gaggles of cultural must-sees and everyone has their own particular way of prioritizing which ones are worth their time. One person’s Lincoln Center is another’s Yankee Stadium. To that end, MoMA’s most recent project reaches out to those who might not have the museum at the top of their visit lists.
In “I See,” by TAXI, New York, Frank stands looking at Russian artist Vladimir Baranoff-Rossiné’s 1913 sculpture, Symphony Number 1. He’s got that bored look in his eye of someone forced to be there by friends or out-of-town visitors, until the robotic audio tour voice begins to relate the piece of art and the inspiration behind it, to Frank’s own life.
Hello Von
Posted on June 23, 2009 - Filed Under Art, Creativity
This is an older piece I forgot to post here last year… still dig the Von.
(originally appeared in the Nov. 2008 issue of Creativity)
Hello Von
London illustrator brings artful design to the commercial space
From Madonna to Seal, Bono to Liberace, the mono-moniker has always intrigued. For U.K. artist Von, it works too, and, like those more famous characters, the work backs up the bold name. The 28-year-old artist, based in the U.K., is the singular talent behind the recent two-part exhibition “Migration,” a spectacular “moving” piece featuring beautiful, abstracted birds. “The project inherited the migrational nature of its content,” Von says. The exhibit’s first “flock” initially appeared on the Truman Brewery in London in late August and then in September resurfaced in New York, the birds traveling towards the billboards on the side of the Espeis Gallery in Williamsburg.
“Migration,” and Von’s other works demonstrate a striking balance between traditional illustration and cutting edge design, with craftsmanship playing a huge role—one possible reason art lovers and commercial clients alike are drawn to his work.
Remixed Before Your Eyes: Eclectic Method
Posted on June 18, 2009 - Filed Under Uncategorized
(Originally appeared on Creativity-Online.com)
U.K. trio straddles the divide between DJ and film editor
The art of remixing and sampling has been around for decades, and DJs have long been considered rock stars themselves (witness: DJ Hero). But all that has largely been an audio experience. In 2007, technology allowed some enterprising entertainers to manipulate video in the same way DJs ply their trade with audio. Pioneer released its SVM-1000 video mixer which built upon the brand’s already popular DJ tech offerings, fundamentally changing what DJs were able to do with video in a live setting. Enter Eclectic Method.
Comprised of three Brits, Jonny Wilson, Ian Edgar and Geoff Gamlen, who split their time between London, New York and L.A., Eclectic Method is considered one of the best VDJ acts in the world, performing shows in such … er, eclectic locales as Glastonbury, Cannes, Sundance and the Playboy mansion. In addition to the live shows, the group has worked with commercial clients such as Apple, Blackberry, MTV and more. Most recently, they were commissioned by Activision to perform at E3. And their remix of a Stephen Colbert interview with copyright lawyer Lawrence Lessig, prompted The Colbert Report host to air the video and dub them “DJ Jazzy Jerks.”
We spoke to all three members of Eclectic Method about the evolution of VDJing, their creative process and more.
When art and ads collide, Mike Shine
Posted on June 16, 2009 - Filed Under culture
It’s been a while since I’ve jotted anything down here that wasn’t already posted somewhere else, but I guess that’s why this is called a repository… Anyway, a few years ago through my work at Creativity and its obvious involvement in advertising, I became aware of the comforting-yet-creepy art of Mike Shine. Shine’s a principle at agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, whose client list includes LucasArts, MINI and Priceline.
Last year, Shine penned a telling POV column for Creativity in which he talked a bit about the balance between his ad stuff and his fine art. In it he mentions the influence of one of his favorite books, Steppenwolf, about a not-particularly-cheery German man who sees himself as two miserably conflicting identities. While the connotation is obvious, Shine’s art and personality don’t come across as particularly depressing or even that dark — despite all the devils and creepy characters — but rather an earnest look at these types of personal duality dilemmas, as told through what always reminds me of classic skateboard and vintage carnival imagery. Must have something to do with all the driftwood. And beyond all the Faustian, philosophic-psycho-stuff - the shit is just damn cool to look at. And then there’s his Art Shack, which Shine recreated inside SanFran’s Museum of Craft and Folk Art this past spring.
Anyway, perhaps better to just watch the mini-doc by Stacy Peralta than read these rambles. But I will say this, many in the ad world like to fancy themselves artistes, but Shine’s a good example of someone who actually does cross the divide. Deals with the devil, notwithstanding.
(video after the jump.)
Asa Taccone Talks SNL Skit Soundtracks
Posted on May 20, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity
(Originally appeared on Creativity)
On December 16, 2006, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg introduced the world to a whole new kind of gift idea. The SNL Digital Short “Dick in Box” went on to notch somewhere in the neighborhood of 89 billion views online and a legion of amateur imitators. But behind the chinstrap beards, Color Me Badd harmonizing and wardrobe and phallic festivities, was a tune composed by Black Iris‘ Asa Taccone.
The brother of SNL writer and Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone, Asa grew up under the hilarious harassment of Samberg & Co. Last week, Samberg and Timberlake reunited for the almost-as-funny “Mother Lover,” once again composed by Taccone and fellow Black Iris composer Drew Campbell. Taccone also did the music behind “Natalie Raps” and the feature film Hot Rod.
We spoke to Taccone about the composing process for the digital shorts, his upcoming work on the Samberg-hosted MTV Movie Awards and more.
New York Photo Festival 2009 Lands in DUMBO
Posted on May 17, 2009 - Filed Under Art, Creativity, culture
This article appeared at Creativity on May 15.
Brooklyn welcomes the second annual celebration of photography.
The New York Photo Festival hit the DUMBO section of Brooklyn this week, with a wide variety of exhibits and offerings on view through Sunday. This year’s main exhibition curators include New York magazine photography director Jody Quon, Director of the Lausanne, Switzerland’s Musée de l’Elysée William A. Ewing, London-based editor and book publisher Chris Boot and Foto8 founder and director Jon Levy.
Levy’s exhibit, “Home For Good” is a collaborative effort between the curator and his Foto8 team that’s described as a celebration of photography’s ability to communicate, describe, and explain, while also remaining open to interpretation. The show features the work of Lorraine Grupe, Tim Hetherington, Simon Roberts, Chris Killip, Venetia Dearden, Seba Kurtis, Louie Palu, Bruno Stevens, Adam Nadel, and David Gray. We spoke to Levy about the goals behind the exhibit and more.
An Eye For Art: The Ebeling Group and Graffiti Research Lab Take on a Cause
Posted on April 24, 2009 - Filed Under Creativity, culture
(Originally for Creativity-Online.com)
Two shops collaborate to help a veteran graffiti artist with technology and design.
Much new digital technology has been deployed in the service of advertising, but a new project out of The Ebeling Group — home to MK12, Lobo, Nakd, Bearfight and more — has its sights set on a larger goal.
Back in 2007, Mick Ebeling was invited to an art auction and fundraiser in Los Angeles. He didn’t know the artist but came away from the experience with not just a new piece of art, but a newfound respect and appreciation for artist Tony Quan, a veteran L.A. graffiti writer called Tempt One. Quan has been living with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, for the past six years in which time the disease has rendered him a quadriplegic.
Two weeks ago, in collaboration with the Graffiti Research Lab, Ebeling helped Quan write his first piece of graffiti in six years, using ocular-recognition technology and lasers. We spoke to Ebeling, as he took a break from D&AD judging, about how this project began, what his overall goals for it are and more.
Read more
Mullen Brings the Bear to Boston
Posted on April 23, 2009 - Filed Under Uncategorized
(Originally on Creativity-Online.com)
The 2009 NHL playoffs start today and just in time, Boston-based agency Mullen has launched a new campaign for its hometown Bruins. The work, the agency’s first for the team, introduces hockey fans to a different kind of mascot. A giant bear enforcer. But instead of dropping the gloves on the ice, this bear patrols the rink cracking down on a variety of fan faux pas, grabbing the attention of hockey fans and bloggers almost immediately.
We spoke to Mullen creatives Jesse Blatz and Greg Almeida, as well as executive creative director Mark Wenneker about the campaign, bear suit prices and more.
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