Retail Therapy

I was grumpy the other day so I bought myself these two tshirts (on sale!) at Blood is the New Black.

A Message from Marilyn

A welcome postcard in a sea of bills and pizza coupons, this made my day.

Global Warming

This lonely snowflake wants to know where all her friends went. Read more here. (Photos by Riitta Ikonen)

Fusion

Stencil work that Atlanta based graffiti artist Snowden completed on a recent trip to Ghana. (Via Juxtapoz). And since these paintings seem to fuse both Eastern and Western influences, I also included the remixed version of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes from Slumdog Millionaire, which I think does the same.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Roberto Bernadi

Hyperrealistic paintings (!!) by Roberto Bernadi.

Street Art

I would probably have a heart attack if one of these trash bag sculptures blew up beside me.

Here's a video: http://www.wimp.com/streetart/

via Smosch

Abandonment Issues

Pictures of an abandoned amusement park in Japan. It just had to be foggy, didn't it?

via Black Eiffel

All we are saying...

Peaceful photographs by Nicholas Haggard.

One Great City!

Thought I would continue my Peg city theme this week...

In this clip, the trailer for Guy Maddin's film My Winnipeg. A film I have yet to see but plan to. My favourite line: "This time I'm leaving for good....again." You should also watch The Saddest Music in the World, if you get the chance.



And in this clip, Winnipeg band The Weakerthans play their classic One Great City. This clip is from a performance in London. I would have posted one of their Winnipeg shows, but unfortunately the sound quality of those videos aren't great. I'll admit it stings a little when a London audience sings out "I hate Winnipeg!". I can't help but think that they don't really get it, but I suppose the theme of the song is really universal, even if we'd like to claim it as our own. Either that or the entire audience is made up of Canadians.



And if you're interested, the weather forecast for Winnipeg this week. It is currently a balmy -24 degrees celcius.

The Atomic City

Interior of a railway station, village of Janov, October 1996

Winnipeg based photographer David McMillan first traveled to Chernobyl in October 1994 in order to document the results of the nuclear power plant disaster that occured eight years earlier. He has since traveled back on numerous occasions to follow up on the developments in the exclusion area, which include the continued proliferation of vegetation and the further deterioration of buildings and human artifacts. Haunting, fascinating, apocalyptic-type stuff. He was also a professor at my University. Represent!

Sinking boat on the Pripyat River, Chornobyl, October 1998

Village church interior, October 1996

The Sarcophagus, October 1994

Dog near unfinished apartments, April 1995

"Hell Wheel", October 1994

All photographs by David McMillan

Shadow Play

Someone mentioned that my gardland chandelier must look lovely lit up at night, and indeed, it does. This is what happens to my walls once it gets dark out.

Karel Funk

Hyperrealist paintings (yes, paintings) by Winnipeg-based artist Karel Funk.

Cruel Summer

In the midst of summer, when I'm lying on the tile in my bathroom because its the coldest surface in the apartment, I hope to remember to look at these photographs by Yiorgos Kordakis. The are sweet, nostalgic, and haunting. And most importantly, they remind me that summer (as with all things that are good) eventually ends, so I should enjoy it while I still can.






photos via Bored and Beautiful

Test One

My first attempt at smocking...more tests to come.

Perfect Symmetry

Continuing the theme of music collaborating with art...

To create the cover and sleeve art for Keane's album, Perfect Symmetry, artist Osang Gwon took approximately 1000-3000 pictures of each band member and used the resulting photographs to collage lifesize versions of them. And according to the art director, the triangle imagery on the front cover was based upon 1920's Bauhaus modernism, which the band was supposedly influenced by while recording in Berlin. Read the whole article and interview with Osang Gwon here, its pretty fascinating.



All images via Creative Review

Sunday Songs

A 7 minute and 40 seconds long video you may want to skip if you dislike artsy-fartsy melodrama or Sienna Miller, but I happen to like the song.

Directed by Tony Kaye, Art Direction by Damien Hirst.



Speaking of Hirst, apparently he recently laid off about 17 people who he employed to produce handpainted pills. He also laid off three employees who made his butterfly paintings. What's interesting to me is not that people lost their jobs during a recession, but that Damien Hirst must be the only artist in the world who could hire, let alone lay off, employees. I guess he'll have to count on the tiny staff he has left to help him make things like £50 million diamond encrusted skulls.

Gone to a better place...

Apparently, teddy bears + death = maximum artistic irony. Its a popular theme. The latest victim appears in Kilimanjaro magazine, via Creative Review.

Corporate Type

Typographic illustrations and designs by Sebastien Lester.

New Light

I finally put up my new garland chandelier from Habitat. Thanks M!!!

Into the fold

Art using only folded paper by Yuko Nishimura .


And these two are off of polyscene's flickr photostream.


Now...how shall I recreate these with fabric..?

Progress

Alexander Wang pre-fall 09. Fewer references to the 80's and/or trailer trash. Dare I say, tres chic!

Two Thousand Nine

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to living the coming year on the edge.

photo via The Year in Pictures