I was quite taken tonight by the cover of Criterion's re-issue of Paul Schrader's Mishima. Interestingly, from what I've found online, not everyone approves, my favourite pan being "this thing reminds me of the make-up gun that Homer invented in that Simpsons episode."
The design is by Tadanori Yokoo, a Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker and painter who was not just a contemporary of Mishima's but also a friend and collaborator (he actually makes a brief appearance in the movie). All of which makes his contribution of the DVD art appropriate not to mention that his design and art are fantastic. A decent survey of his work can be found with a Flickr search.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Tokyo Graffiti Scene
For some time now, I have been on the lookout for examples of Japanese street art. The uncanny means by which Japan adapts Western culture, reprocesses it and then spins it out as something altogether hyperreal, combined with the ever-prevalent superflat movement suggested that there must exist something extraordinary in the darker corners of the Tokyo streets.
So it was great to read PingMag's recent piece on The Ghetto, a former love hotel in Shin-Okubo that has been converted into a skater shop/graffiti space. The article also provided links to flickr groups on Tokyo Street Art and throughout Japan. But I found what I was truly looking for in the calligraphy of designer/artist USUGROW which is an incredible hybrid of not just Western and Japanese scripts but also Arabic influences. Kakkoii desu yo!
For some time now, I have been on the lookout for examples of Japanese street art. The uncanny means by which Japan adapts Western culture, reprocesses it and then spins it out as something altogether hyperreal, combined with the ever-prevalent superflat movement suggested that there must exist something extraordinary in the darker corners of the Tokyo streets.
So it was great to read PingMag's recent piece on The Ghetto, a former love hotel in Shin-Okubo that has been converted into a skater shop/graffiti space. The article also provided links to flickr groups on Tokyo Street Art and throughout Japan. But I found what I was truly looking for in the calligraphy of designer/artist USUGROW which is an incredible hybrid of not just Western and Japanese scripts but also Arabic influences. Kakkoii desu yo!
Labels: Art, Design, illustration, Japan, Street Level, Superflat, Typography
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
The World is Superflat
Playing online companion to the retrospective exhibition on Takashi Murakami that is currently showing at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, an eight part exhibit tour with the artist himself + bonus videos including the making of the Oval Buddha.
Playing online companion to the retrospective exhibition on Takashi Murakami that is currently showing at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, an eight part exhibit tour with the artist himself + bonus videos including the making of the Oval Buddha.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
City Glow, Mountain Whisper
Riding the London Tube can be a cold & claustrophobic experience. Down in the underground the rat race stops for no one; so it is best to keep your head down, find your place in the flow, and shuffle on.
In this mindset, imagine the ethereal, childlike effect that happens upon the commuter who stumbles out of the train and discovers the mural installation, City Glow, Mountain Whisper" by Superflat artist Chiho Aoshima at the Gloucester Road station. Part of the Platform for Art initiative, and her first solo project in the UK, Aoshima states that her work "feels like strands of my thoughts that have flown around the universe before coming back to materialise". Ethereal indeed.
A further glimpse into Aoshima's world can be found here.
Riding the London Tube can be a cold & claustrophobic experience. Down in the underground the rat race stops for no one; so it is best to keep your head down, find your place in the flow, and shuffle on.
In this mindset, imagine the ethereal, childlike effect that happens upon the commuter who stumbles out of the train and discovers the mural installation, City Glow, Mountain Whisper" by Superflat artist Chiho Aoshima at the Gloucester Road station. Part of the Platform for Art initiative, and her first solo project in the UK, Aoshima states that her work "feels like strands of my thoughts that have flown around the universe before coming back to materialise". Ethereal indeed.
A further glimpse into Aoshima's world can be found here.
Labels: Japan, London, Superflat
Monday, August 28, 2006
Tokyo Hectic
This video, found over on William Gibson's blog this morning made me immediately nostalgic for my old Tokyo 'hood.
This video, found over on William Gibson's blog this morning made me immediately nostalgic for my old Tokyo 'hood.
Labels: Asia, Japan, Tuned to a Dead Channel, World at Large, YouTube
Friday, August 11, 2006
The Whimsical Work of Marian Bantjes
I always tend to venture beyond the local borders when it comes to searching for inspiration, looking to what is big in Japan, or germinating in the New York streets or rising out of Europe. So it was a pleasant surprise to find myself spending a good chunk of my afternoon pouring over the work of local designer Marian Bantjes.
With a whimsical and organic style that suggests that she spends more time with a pen and paper than in front of a computer screen, Marian has been described by Stefan Sagmeister as "one of the most innovative typographers working today" and the legendary typographer Doyald Young told me that he has "only the greatest admiration for her work".
You can read more about Marian Bantjes on Design Boom and be sure to check out her work on the cover and an 8 page spread of the July/August edition of Print Magazine.
I always tend to venture beyond the local borders when it comes to searching for inspiration, looking to what is big in Japan, or germinating in the New York streets or rising out of Europe. So it was a pleasant surprise to find myself spending a good chunk of my afternoon pouring over the work of local designer Marian Bantjes.
With a whimsical and organic style that suggests that she spends more time with a pen and paper than in front of a computer screen, Marian has been described by Stefan Sagmeister as "one of the most innovative typographers working today" and the legendary typographer Doyald Young told me that he has "only the greatest admiration for her work".
You can read more about Marian Bantjes on Design Boom and be sure to check out her work on the cover and an 8 page spread of the July/August edition of Print Magazine.
Labels: Design, Japan, Typography
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The Return of Fotologue.jp
Just over a year ago I posted an entry about my experience acquiring a fotologue.jp account for Industrial Brand Creative. As I reported, at that time there was no English whatsoever on the site and one required an invitation in order to join. Almost immediately after our success with acquiring an account, I began receiving emails from people from all over the world asking me how I had done it and could I help them in securing one of their own. Unfortunately, I could not offer them an easy answer.
Recently however, fotologue has launched a new site that is open to the public and has been translated (with typical Japanese accuracy) into English. There are still a few bugs but it also has a number of new features that should make it even more user friendly. At the very least, it offers an aesthetically pleasing alternative to flickr.com of which I have never really been a fan.
And so to commemorate my own new fotologue account, I have posted a few photos from my recent trip to Los Angeles. Enjoy.
Just over a year ago I posted an entry about my experience acquiring a fotologue.jp account for Industrial Brand Creative. As I reported, at that time there was no English whatsoever on the site and one required an invitation in order to join. Almost immediately after our success with acquiring an account, I began receiving emails from people from all over the world asking me how I had done it and could I help them in securing one of their own. Unfortunately, I could not offer them an easy answer.
Recently however, fotologue has launched a new site that is open to the public and has been translated (with typical Japanese accuracy) into English. There are still a few bugs but it also has a number of new features that should make it even more user friendly. At the very least, it offers an aesthetically pleasing alternative to flickr.com of which I have never really been a fan.
And so to commemorate my own new fotologue account, I have posted a few photos from my recent trip to Los Angeles. Enjoy.
Labels: Asia, Collaborators, Industrial Brand Creative, Japan, LA, Photography, Shameless Self Promotion
Monday, April 03, 2006
Eriko Horiki - Washi as Architecture
Washi is a traditional paper made in Japan using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry but can also be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. It is everywhere in Japan. But the structures that Eriko Horiki creates with this paper are anything but common or traditional.
From giant glowing installations to smaller organic lamps to the stage art for cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Eriko and her team are reinventing this 1000-year-old craft, by developing advanced production methods that cope with today's architectural and lifestyle demands. The results are magical, inspiring and, it goes without saying, illuminating.
If you are in the Vancouver area, you can find Eriko's work at Kozai Designs at 1515 West 6th Ave.
Washi is a traditional paper made in Japan using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry but can also be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. It is everywhere in Japan. But the structures that Eriko Horiki creates with this paper are anything but common or traditional.
From giant glowing installations to smaller organic lamps to the stage art for cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Eriko and her team are reinventing this 1000-year-old craft, by developing advanced production methods that cope with today's architectural and lifestyle demands. The results are magical, inspiring and, it goes without saying, illuminating.
If you are in the Vancouver area, you can find Eriko's work at Kozai Designs at 1515 West 6th Ave.
Labels: Asia, Design, Japan, Vancouver Galleries
Monday, January 23, 2006
Touch the Sound
In "Touch the Sound" we are challenged to reconsider the way our senses interact with the external world. This relationship is a fundamental component of existence to be sure, and one that few of us take the time to understand. In fact, it is only when one of our senses is lost or damaged that the impact is truly felt.
Evelyn Glennie has mastered the art of listening and also creating sounds. She is a world class percussionist, composer, musician and teacher. She is also almost completely deaf. When people ask her how it is that she can hear she explains to them, with a wisdom that has been gained through years of practice and application, that sound vibrations enter not just the ear but the entire body and she is able to read and decipher them in this way. Ironically, when she then asks the same question back to the person, the answer is little more than "Well, with my ears, of course!". It is apparent immediately in this film that Glennie hears more than most.
The film is centred around an improvised recording session by Glennie and composer/musician Fred Frith in a massive derilect industrial building in Germany. The rest of the segments follow her from New York to Scotland to Japan, meeting and performing with percussionists at each stop.
Visually the filmmakers approach the subject matter brilliantly using patterns and movement as metaphors for the world of vibration that Glennie inhabits. Cars crossing a bridge, pigeons alighting from the rafters, a flag waving in the breeze, stilettos on a marble floor, ice cracking on a pond, these are the rhythms that surround us.
And for Glennie, no object is above or below harnassing for its percussive potential. In one scene in a nightclub in Japan, Glennie shocks her Conservatory-trained accompianists by playing the opening number using chopsticks, an ashtray, wine bottle, dirty plates and a Kirin beer can as her instrument. The resulting performance is magical.
This is an inspiring and lifting movie. I recommend it highly. It is playing at the Vancouver International Film Centre until January 26th. You can view the trailer here.
In "Touch the Sound" we are challenged to reconsider the way our senses interact with the external world. This relationship is a fundamental component of existence to be sure, and one that few of us take the time to understand. In fact, it is only when one of our senses is lost or damaged that the impact is truly felt.
Evelyn Glennie has mastered the art of listening and also creating sounds. She is a world class percussionist, composer, musician and teacher. She is also almost completely deaf. When people ask her how it is that she can hear she explains to them, with a wisdom that has been gained through years of practice and application, that sound vibrations enter not just the ear but the entire body and she is able to read and decipher them in this way. Ironically, when she then asks the same question back to the person, the answer is little more than "Well, with my ears, of course!". It is apparent immediately in this film that Glennie hears more than most.
The film is centred around an improvised recording session by Glennie and composer/musician Fred Frith in a massive derilect industrial building in Germany. The rest of the segments follow her from New York to Scotland to Japan, meeting and performing with percussionists at each stop.
Visually the filmmakers approach the subject matter brilliantly using patterns and movement as metaphors for the world of vibration that Glennie inhabits. Cars crossing a bridge, pigeons alighting from the rafters, a flag waving in the breeze, stilettos on a marble floor, ice cracking on a pond, these are the rhythms that surround us.
And for Glennie, no object is above or below harnassing for its percussive potential. In one scene in a nightclub in Japan, Glennie shocks her Conservatory-trained accompianists by playing the opening number using chopsticks, an ashtray, wine bottle, dirty plates and a Kirin beer can as her instrument. The resulting performance is magical.
This is an inspiring and lifting movie. I recommend it highly. It is playing at the Vancouver International Film Centre until January 26th. You can view the trailer here.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Left Behind
There is something eerily resounding in the utter silence of abandoned buildings. No longer with purpose, emptied of their human charge, they stand as physical prophecies to the conquest of time and the inevitable reinstatement of nature.
Check out these spectacular images of Abandoned Japan (via the Skinny). And if you are left wanting more there is a very comprehensive listing of similar urban skeletons at Ruins and Urban Exploration.
There is something eerily resounding in the utter silence of abandoned buildings. No longer with purpose, emptied of their human charge, they stand as physical prophecies to the conquest of time and the inevitable reinstatement of nature.
Check out these spectacular images of Abandoned Japan (via the Skinny). And if you are left wanting more there is a very comprehensive listing of similar urban skeletons at Ruins and Urban Exploration.
Labels: Art, Disasters, Japan, Photography, World at Large
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Gochiso-sama
Friday, September 30, 2005
Sun, Soil and Sincerity
"We like to think of ourselves as winegrowers, not winemakers. We offer the support that is needed for the grapes to develop naturally. We do the same for our students"
COCO Farm and Winery is situated in Ahikaga, about an hour by train outside of Tokyo. Built upon the above philosophy, it provides lodging, care and employment for over 100 adults with mental disabilities ranging from autism to down syndrome. In the process, they produce some highly complex and very tasty wines that are unique to Japan. The winery:s vintner, Bruce Gutlove, originally came to the vineyard 15 years ago with the intention of staying just six months as a consultant and has been there ever since.
Much credit must be given to Gutlove for his experimentation and unorthodox methods seeing as the conditions for wine making in Japan could never be considered ideal. But as one sits back and sips a Kusho grape varietal and takes in the positive energy that emanates from every corner of the vineyard, one cannot help but consider that the quality of the end product is a result of the integrity and compassion that goes into making each bottle.
COCO Farm and Winery is situated in Ahikaga, about an hour by train outside of Tokyo. Built upon the above philosophy, it provides lodging, care and employment for over 100 adults with mental disabilities ranging from autism to down syndrome. In the process, they produce some highly complex and very tasty wines that are unique to Japan. The winery:s vintner, Bruce Gutlove, originally came to the vineyard 15 years ago with the intention of staying just six months as a consultant and has been there ever since.
Much credit must be given to Gutlove for his experimentation and unorthodox methods seeing as the conditions for wine making in Japan could never be considered ideal. But as one sits back and sips a Kusho grape varietal and takes in the positive energy that emanates from every corner of the vineyard, one cannot help but consider that the quality of the end product is a result of the integrity and compassion that goes into making each bottle.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Big in Japan
A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a photoblog website out of Japan called fotologue.jp. Its clean and dynamic interface far surpassed anything that we had seen in the North American market. It seemed like an excellent B-side for the Industrial Brand Creative website at the very least; a third cornerstone (along with the blog) for our online community at best. So after a number of false starts and emails lost in translation, we were finally invited to register for our own page.
The idea was to create a dynamic online billboard - posting a new photo everyday - that reinforces the IBC brand by using the images that we have made an integral part of the new IBC look but presenting them in a purely aesthetic form. It is soft marketing to be sure, but it introduces us to a new market while at the same time providing an outlet for the artistic side of the company that so often gets lost amidst the case studies and mission statements.
Much thanks to Reiko Nakatsukasa as well as Jennifer Bukloh and Kinya Horikoshi at Photonica and everyone at Amana for getting this launched. Domo arigatou gozaimashita!
A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a photoblog website out of Japan called fotologue.jp. Its clean and dynamic interface far surpassed anything that we had seen in the North American market. It seemed like an excellent B-side for the Industrial Brand Creative website at the very least; a third cornerstone (along with the blog) for our online community at best. So after a number of false starts and emails lost in translation, we were finally invited to register for our own page. The idea was to create a dynamic online billboard - posting a new photo everyday - that reinforces the IBC brand by using the images that we have made an integral part of the new IBC look but presenting them in a purely aesthetic form. It is soft marketing to be sure, but it introduces us to a new market while at the same time providing an outlet for the artistic side of the company that so often gets lost amidst the case studies and mission statements.
Much thanks to Reiko Nakatsukasa as well as Jennifer Bukloh and Kinya Horikoshi at Photonica and everyone at Amana for getting this launched. Domo arigatou gozaimashita!
Labels: Asia, Collaborators, Industrial Brand Creative, Japan, Photography, Shameless Self Promotion
