Archive for the ‘Things That Might Be Art’ CategoryThis video from UK-based Open University uses clever animation to describe six of the most famous thought experiments: Zeno’s Achilles & The Tortoise, Barjavel’s Grandfather Paradox, Searle’s Chinese Room, Hilbert’s Grand Hotel, Einstein’s Twin Paradox, and Schrödinger’s Cat. My personal favorites have always been the Chinese Room and the Grandfather Paradox, but I can’t help but think that Schrodinger’s Cat reminds me of the Bonsai Kitten we posted about last week. Multiple states of being. [via Laughing Squid] These bicycle wheel animations are better than spoke cards and beads combined. Katy Beveridge fashioned these cutouts as an experiment in proto animation in contemporary design and to film the animations in real time. Check out the video to see how well it turned out. As proof to what a great idea this was, people have already made comments, asking whether she’s planning on producing them with durable materials to sell them online. Would you want these? I would. These could do for riding bikes around the city what Sprewells (a.k.a “Spreewheels”) did for cars, only a lot more unique and interesting. [via BuzzFeed]
“Address Is Approximate” is a short stop-motion animation film by UK production company The Theory about a toy’s adventure on the open road as facilitated through Google Street View.  At the same time sad and joyfully free, it’s beautifully shot and edited.  In watching it, it’s hard to avoid the same yearning for the wind in one’s hair. [via Laughing Squid]
Thanks to Laughing Squid for pointing out these pillow fight weapons by Bryan Ku.  Great for sleepovers (especially after watching Big Trouble in Little China) or for solving more jovial domestic disputes, I imagine these are just generally fun to arm yourself with.  I would suggest that the grenade > shuriken and might be more usable if it instantly inflated after you pull a pin and count to 10.  For my preference though, I choose the “double sided viking axe.” If you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up of humor and/or an inspiring story,  A Beautiful Revolution is a good blog for that. You never know how you’ll find your dreams or always what those dreams might look like when you find them.
These incredible aerial photographs of tulips in the Netherlands were taken by Julian Faulhaber for an article in the New York Times Magazine. Don’t they look like paintings? Interestingly, 3 billion tulip bulbs are produced annually in the Netherlands, which equates to around $300 million in sales. They are the third most popular flower in the world, trailing only roses and chrysanthemums. Check out the full gallery after the jump. [via The Fox is Black]
I’m growing increasingly fascinated with the concept of the mashup. In fact, I think it may just be emerging as the dominant art paradigm of our time but I’ll save that spiel for another day. The abbreviated version is that in every medium, from music, to illustration, to film, the trend on the cutting edge is to combine things in an unexpected way to produce something novel. But here’s my question of the moment; Can you make “art” by mashing up a google map? Case in point: this map that mashes up data about gang territories in San Francisco’s Mission District with data about bakeries located in those same areas. If you’re curious about the origins project you can read about it in greater detail at The Atlantic, though personally I think the curious juxtapostion speaks for itself and really doesn’t bear further explanation. If you’re in that camp, here’s a larger version of the map. Would it be too punny to say that it provides food for thought?
If you’re a Yank, like us, then you’re looking at Europe as you already know it, up above, and you ought to find everything more or less where you’d expect it to be. But, contrary to popular opinion, the US does not enjoy a global monopoly on myopia and designer Yanko Tsvetkov shows great equanimity in producing his stereotype maps from various misguided vantage points including, German, British, gay, Italian, and, of course, French. There are five more flavors after the jump. Vitaminwater Canada’s Pop Art Chandelier
Posted:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
in Branding, DIY, inventions, pop culture, Things That Might Be Art
As the decorative centerpiece of its “Backyard” lounge, where it held events during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Vitaminwater Canada built this pop art chandelier from illuminated VW bottles. The chandelier was such a hit that in its yearly “Best and Worst of TIFF” roundup, Canada’s National Post honored it as the “best light fixture,” an award it certainly deserved but mustn’t have had much competition for. Thanks to our buddy Mike @EvilPRGuy Dolan — Vitaminwater Canada’s “Community Manager” — for sending along these photos, two more of which can be seen after the jump.
Artist Kiel Johnson builds highly detailed replica cameras out of nothing but cardboard, some glue, and vintage shoulder straps. After the jump check out his entire collection, as well as an inspiring time-lapse video of Johnson creating a massive Twin Lens Reflex Camera.
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