tantramar

Cutting Out The Fat

When designing something, it's easy to over complicate things, I do it all the time. What's the simplest element to your idea? Focus on that. Do you need a projector cradle or simply a flat surface?

Spaghetti Bolognese Pizza

Every time I go to Germany I eat things I could never have imagined.
This is Spaghetti Bolognese pizza!

Street Art, Location Aware?

Street art really interests me but very seldom delivers. My lack of enthusiasm for most work lies in the fact that I feel most artists seem to be missing the most interesting thing about street art; it's in the street.

Artists that show in gallery spaces are often restricted by the size of the gallery space or gallery environment. The only thing that ties the work together is the artist and their vision. With street art the potential is huge.
Be it referencing the area where you have created the work or what lives opposite or adjacent to the work. Or it could be local social comment, local political comment, geographically relevant comments, it’s all for grabs and yet so few grab at it. Big Brother posters by Fairey don’t count for much here folks. There’s loads to play with in relation to CCTV and simply referencing 1984 is a bit limp.

Artists commissioned to create work in an outdoor environment for public consumption spend a considerable amount of time examining and contemplating the environment in which their piece will be situated. Why do (most) street artists not consider this seemingly key factor?

Street artists think about where they create art, obviously, but this is frequently from a law (CCTV perspective). Banksy has painted deliberately near police stations to make a point as in case below by Shoreditch police station.

But there are so many other elements to consider. Why are there not more artists that simply create work facing north, or work that appears differently in sunlight to shadow. The outdoor environment is very rich and every street has slightly different clientèle. Why is this never considered?

Street art was born out of Graffiti. In NYC this was (and is) territorial, most street art doesn't even seem to factor in this seemingly crucial basic factor.

With the meteoric rise of stars like Fairey and Banksy I wonder how many up and coming street (style) artists are simply gunning for their first gallery show and produce very little work on the streets at all. New galleries are popping up in London every ten minutes and hosting shows containing the 'new street art' talent, after all there's money on them there bricks.

Street Art, Location Aware? (part two) coming in a couple of days

Good Perspective

When designing something, think about your audience carefully. Different people have different requirements. This alley in Berlin is used by cars and pedestrians.

A True Fashion Victim

Kids aren't the true fashion victims, it's little guys like this. He had no say over what colour co-ordination he was given. His owner liked pink and black check so he was then forced to wear it. I think he might have preferred paisley. Spare a thought today for the true victims of fashion.

Just A Little Kitty

Ok, so I'm a bit soppy and it is kinda cheesy but damn I loved this story.

Another Interview

It's taken a while but I have another interview up on the site. This time it's with We Made This founder; Alistair Hall. Alistair founded the popular London design studio four years ago and I  thought I would ask him a few questions about his design process and stuff like that. The interview is here.

Killer Guide Dude

I love the intricacies of niche cultures such as cycle couriers, rockabillies, hobos and surfers. Surfers obviously the most main stream of that bunch but surf culture is still very rich and has obviously enriched the cultural world we inhabit. Despite this, very few books seem to have been able to cover the bases from films, talent, art, fashion and lifestyle the way that The Book Of Surfing, A Killer Guide does.

I was sent this book by one of the editors to look over I suspect because I have reviewed books on the work of Leroy Grannis and Ron Stoner. So they assumed I was a fan, they assumed right.

This book is almost like a surf culture bible, incorporating not only great shots from the aforementioned snappers but also great infographics on understanding the differences between waves and how to approach them.

You can also learn how to do the hula dance for ocean or love or find out why Gerry Lopez (below) is so important to the sport.

If you're into it for the history you can see how the board has changed over the years, or even the fin.

There are sections on famous surf films such as Big Wednesday and Morning Of The Earth as well as all important articles on the likes of John Severson, the early surf film pioneer. It's a great book, instructional, well designed and unlike most surf books it has great 1980s style illustrations on how to do the moves. I've missed those, the illustrations that is, I never really had the moves.

My favourite quote in the book is from Buzzy Trent "Truly big waves aren't measured in increments of feet, they are measured in incriments of fear". Being the big wave star of the late fifties, he should know really.

Feeling Swell

Summize labs is the kind of thing that you can play with, not really agree with or understand but still enjoy, so that's pretty good, if entirely useless. It can be amusing too. Basically this particular tool analyses what people are saying (on Twitter) around certain subjects and categorises the 'general feeling'. Finding holes in this concept is like finding holes in the London water system; pretty easy.
Anyway it still provided me with some entertainment.

I'm feeling swell...

The place where I work is great...

But then it seems Twitter folk think genocide is 'swell'

Hmmm. Back to the labs boys. I couldn't find anything really bad and I tried the most heinous things I could think of.

Loosly Leafing

Several blogs I read, have been writing about books and as I'm terrified on missing out on current blogging trends I thought I would have a mini show and tell. It should perhaps also be pointed out that I've gone a bit book nuts in the last few weeks.

1) Joe Mora exhibition retrospective from the Monterey museum of modern art. I love Jo  Mora. Most people will know his work from The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo album cover.

2) Amazing new book on surf culture. More coming very soon on that one.

3) Kenneth Allsop - Hard Traveling. I love hobo culture. I also love Kenneth Allsop who wrote a great book on prohibition I read a few years back. This should be good.

4) Barry McGee - Things Are Getting Better - basically a big picture book of his work. Pretty good if you like him...

5) Best American Comics 2007. This was was edited by Chris Ware, who has to be one of the best Americans alive today.  I meant to buy it last year but didn't and found it cheap on eBay, hurrah.

6) The latest edition of McSweeney. What can you say about McSweeneys that I didn't say here. It's always amazing. This issue looks particularly stunning with three mini books that come out of a die cut sleeve. All for £15!

7) Trail Dust and Saddle Leather by Jo Mora (again). I had been after this for some time. 1st editions go for a bomb but I managed to find a slightly chewed ex library copy. Best title of a book ever? It's all about Mora's documentation of the old American west which he was obsessed with. I'm pretty partial to it too.

8 Os Gemeos - a great book. They are twin street artists from Brazil. Os Gemeos actually means the twins in Portuguese. They starting painting in 1987 and Barry McGee happened upon them in 1993 while on an art fellowship in Brazil. They shared techniques and knowledge. They're pretty damn good.

Anyway, so that's what I have to look forward to, once I finish Musicophilia, which I'm currently consuming.

NFC on TFL = too many TLAs

Transport For London have been trialling these NFC (near field communication) boards on the tube.

I don't go on the tube much and I go through Blackfriers (where they are being tested) about once a year so I hadn't seen one until recently.

I was simply curious if anyone has used them? Any good?

They are meant to relay information about your local area (tube stop) onto your phone and give recommendations

As location aware mobile services are falling off the back of lorries right now isn't this all a bit two years ago?