The folks at Dots have launched their first live action commercial - Escape the Chaos. It's a simple undertaking that posits that playing Dots helps you escape the cacophony of the world. I'm just happy to see how much it features the sound and music of the game! I'm very proud of my pals for making a distinctive, memorable and enjoyable thing.
I consider myself a passive fan of Simply Sylvio, the gorilla outfitted Vine creator that pumps out a steady stream of clever, hyper reality, animations and ridiculous scenes. I don't seek it out but I always enjoy it when it comes across my radar. That being said, when I read that there was a project for Sylvio - The Movie I rolled my eyes a bit. Maybe it's my innate pessimism or maybe it was the inability to forecast how these little clips could possibly be stretched into anything resembling a feature.
Then I read this NoFilmSchool interview with the directors, Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley, and my mind changed completely. The piece is filled with insightful bits about the disposable nature of, and the unstoppable flow of, the Internet. This really got me:
I really like the idea that the movie being the last Vine - it's an attempt to break free from the desperation loop that we're in and make a larger comment about how dangerous these disposable forms of media are becoming. So much of this disposable entertainment doesn't get deep at all, it's just these superficial bytes of nothingness. It's very important for our sanity to make this movie and break out of the cycle.
It seems like the movie is somewhat of a statement against the things that they've had to embrace in order for Sylvio to succeed.
Long story short, these seem like far more interesting and compelling creators than you might believe from first glance. Definitely recommend backing their project or, at the very least, enjoying some Sylvio.
Faig Ahmed is a Azerbaijani artist that makes glitched out rugs. That is not a phrase I thought I would ever utter but there it is! This gallery of his works is fascinating as the majority of the pieces look like very traditional, very intricate, creations that seem to melt away or distort in place, in a way that you would not think fabric would even be capable of.
I've loved every piece that Every Frame a Painting has released and this latest on Buster Keaton - The Art of the Gag is no exception. Tony Zhou walks through what makes Keaton such a comedic genius and his absolute dedication to the joke - loss and life and limb be damned. One of the most engaging portions of the piece is seeing how directly influential Keaton's work has been on the likes of Wes Anderson (very), Jackie Chan and Bill Murray. Watch it at your absolute earliest convenience.
Today marks the five year anniversary of the release And The Relatives album Green Machinery. The vinyl edition is sold out and the band has since broken up but the album stands up. Actually, their whole catalog stands up. I'm clearly biased on Green Machinery since yk records released it but if you haven't heard their non-yk EP Animals, do so now.
I realize I just posted about another artists album anniversary but I think many of the albums that I've released haven't been fully appreciated by as many folks as should appreciate them. Clearly I just want you to have great music in your life and this is how I'm gently reminding you to revisit.
I stumbled into the work of Rem Koolhaas this weekend. A Dutch architect and urbanist, he also has a large repository of fine art illustrations that depict cities and structures from on high, often in strange isometric* configurations. Tihs Coney Island Dreamland depiction is fascinating - as it's an overhead view of the beach playground but, to me, also appears to be depicting an underground liar. What I'm saying is, his work is grounded in architectural depictions but there's plenty of room for interpretation and further enjoyment. Dive in.
some are Axonometric, Dimetric of Trimetric but you get what I'm saying.
If you have the opportunity, hit up the ICY Signs / Brooklyn Museum exhibit, Coney Island Is Still Dreamland (To a Seagull). It's a huge installation of handpainted signs from Stephen Powers and crew showcasing a bunch of their amazing typography, illustration and clever quips. The adjoining Coney Island exhibit is also great but the crown jewel is most certainly the three stories of work filling the main hall.
