A little bitta love

Russian stairwell.. found on fuzzysquid. What a great example of communication! I wish I knew what it said. Perhaps a format idea for furthering my project? hmmm






This was an illustration with an article in the NYTIMES about how to know how jewish you are.. But such a funny illustration. I love it.





Russian design.. So glitzy. I'm really starting to love this over the top, drop shadow, obvious digital collage, rainbow color stuff. I await the day that the west embraces glitzy design such as this again. Its very much an easter card my grandmother would have given me circa 1980. Hallmark loves this stuff. So anti-class.






a little som'in som'in I drew for my WildLife exhibition.

NY Times Slideshow

I have definitely become a news junkie this semester. And, per usual, I'm attracted to pretty pictures, which the NY Times amply provides to add visual insight into their stories. Its awesome, and sort of like the world's blog.
These are some that I have collected..



Before They Vanish:::
The slow death of the coral reefs




A Protector, Enemy and Provider:::







Tuesday: Paris Fashion Week:::
Designer Junya Watanabe's Fall 2008 show. I am completely excited by all the bizarre wearable sculpture that fashion creates. It adds such amazing insight into the designer's personality, and the real narrative they are trying to portray.







Global Seed Vault:::
This is one of the most exciting preventative measures being taken to ensure that these plants will live past our mistakes.
*"already 3/4ths of biodiversity in crops have been lost in the last century"








The Democrats on the Trail:::




Science and Art:::




The PATH Turns 100:::




















A Photographer's Files:::
Featuring Oscar Abolafia's work











Weekend in Melbourne, Australia:::




Unexpected Drives:::





Gustave Courbet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:::

a narraview through

I began this search for Minneapolis, and meaning, and what was really being communicated, and was a little lost as to what direction I would want to take for such an open topic. Minneapolis Design? Native vs Non-native? What did I want to say to Minneapolis? How would I want to say that? What was Minneapolis telling me? These questions were constantly bothering me, and so I began to take pictures of signage and walk around to figure out what exactly makes Minneapolis what it is within the world? This picture here is, for me, the beginning to that answer. There is a brick building, with remnants of the lovely summer vines still clinging, and snow completely covering the ground. Here I was at Humboldt and 25 1/2 street. I have always found this half street to be quite charming, and what a great start to a trip. Something familiar, and odd, in a nice quiet neighborhood with snow defining that this quirky half street is in the Northern tundra region.





This image is of two businesses in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. They are coffee shops with other little stores attached, and the design itself is not particularly remarkable, but having businesses in these Tudor style houses is quite peculiar. This shows a huge part of what makes this city what it is. Neighborhoods that have houses. I have always felt that that is why this city is so great. A great amount of the population live in actual houses, and yet it is still a bustling city. Minneapolis is very relaxed, and has the midwest, or "Minnesota Nice" factor that is undeniably charming.





The Brave New Workshop was an easy choice because of the hand-painted aspect that all of us designers tend to drool over, but also because this establishment offers different classes that promote community evolvement, and learning as an enjoyable activity, which is not usually the attitude in America. This place is communicating with Minneapolis in a positive way. Brave New Workshop is being an active participant, and putting itself right out on Hennepin with this huge sign that screams Americana. Its red and white stripes with a western, slab serif text subconsciously telling us that we are living in the Brave, New World, and that that requires education via workshops to expand what we can do in this "New World." This is another fact that makes Minneapolis special: it has always been a progressive and active city.






This sign, and building, has always thrilled me. Its triangular construction has beautiful, glowing type and stripes wrapping around it. I have always enjoyed this design work, and yet, what this was telling me and Minneapolis? I was still lost and feeling very unhappy with what Minneapolis' design was saying, or not saying.





I decided to try a more historical look into what Minneapolis is, so I went to North Minneapolis where there are a lot of old buildings and signs. This Creamette Company building is easily seen from blocks away. Its like a beacon with its bright, white, condensed type, and as it should be. The Creamette Company began in 1896 in Minneapolis as a grocery store and is now one of the leading pasta companies.





Here we can see that these historical buildings have been renovated and are successfully running business within North Minneapolis. A mix of the old and the new. I like this about Minneapolis, as previously expressed with the houses. Keeping the quaint, small town feel within this metropolis is really a feat that Minneapolis should be very proud of and surely separates it from other metropolitan areas.





So, I was finding the beginnings of the city, but the design wasn't inherently Minneapolis. I also felt confused because what Minneapolis was isn't what it is today. There were no longer flour mills, and many of the buildings in North Minneapolis had been neglected over the years. I didn't want to neglect anything within this project! I want to unite all cultural and ethnic groups into one, progressive group of people, and by focusing on what already was, and is, didn't seem to be the answer.





Instead of researching more about each singular culture, each neighborhood, and how they might be connected, especially though signage, I decided that putting out a message that is open to interpretation would be much more worthwhile. This print that I made a year ago came to mind, and it began to click. This piece was based off of Oblique Strategies. What did I want to say to Minneapolis, and the world for that matter? Well lots of things, but this was definitely one thing that I would like to say. Its universal, its thought provoking, its personal, yet open to many different translations as to its meaning.





Immediate formats such as fortune cookies and horoscopes came to mind, but the messages sent by those were not of a progressive nature. I began to do some research of other designers and artists that have sent messages of a similar goal within a similar context. (Unfortunately I didn't mark down where I found this and the following image.)





Simple sayings, like the oblique strategies, seem to make a lot of sense because they are easily read quickly. And yet, I still want to provoke emotion, action, and introspection. Humanity needs more of this, and along with image searching, I began to collect different quotes and lines of poetry that might make someone consider their position in the global world.





This campaign was created by an MCAD Alumn, Adam Garcia, and it subtly tells each person reading it that 1: its okay to be lonely 2: there is hope 3: This red box will always follow you around and remind you of these things. I like the simplicity of the format and that the source, is anonymous to most readers. By being an anonymous source, in a random space, people can explore the meaning to themselves personally and take it for what they want. You can't make people have an epiphany, but giving them some food for thought is a worthy job.





These pick-up line cards were produced by another MCAD affiliate, Rob Marbury. He created a set of 15 pairs that he would disperse piles of at some very random places. I'd found them by an ATM in Super America, and on a table at art openings. When I first found them, I thought they were silly, which they are, but quite genius. His simple images and quirky lines comment greatly on Western society today. I don't know how much they are accomplishing, but people desperately try to collect these, and accept their message in a positive way.





Semantics and word choices are what I am trying to work with, and carefully. This headline, and actually the title of a book by Kristine Roepstorff, is the type of message I am looking to give to people. Too often do signs and designs ask people to spend their time and search for the information and deeper meaning, but I want something that can be quick, yet lasting. Catches your eye for one second, and as its meaning soaks into your brain, you realize that your surroundings just sent you that message.





This article from Fleur Du Mal magazine is about the work Hej in the Danish language. It has so many meanings, depending on tone, that it easily expresses many emotions and has many different outcomes. Perhaps a good(bad?) American example could be the word "Fuck." By no means do I want to post that word everywhere in Minneapolis, but it is interesting that one simple word can hold so many strong feelings and opposite meanings. I know I want to use this sort of power to let each individual person's perspective on these pieces determine their meaning and importance, taking myself out of the equation.





Although wanting to keep myself relatively neutral, I still want to present issues that I think are important for all to know. This image documents the issue of universal health care, which is a very important topic within the world today. It is issues like this, along with other global issues, that I want to highlight for people. I have become increasingly interested in collecting information from newspapers that I could share with people. I need viable resources for my information, so that what I'm communicating is correct, and pertinent to my audience.





This is one of the sayings I am communicating to Minneapolis. It is simply designed, and expresses my opinion that people should get out, take a break from the computer and daily stresses, and enjoy being alive. But perhaps another could take it as when you leave one phase, you enter another, or when one door closes, another opens. The unknown of how people are to take it is what is thrilling about releasing these statements.





This next saying could also be perceived multiple ways. Where do you draw the line? You're out of control. Or maybe it would remind them of the great Fundamentalist christian campaign of "What Would Jesus Do?"





I have really been enjoying collecting and inventing these little sayings. And I think that they are exciting and pertinent, but when considering how I might be able to help Minneapolis, I had to consider different formats for presenting information. How else could I give people food for thought? And I remembered my handy lunchroom where you can get food and thought. Free thought from the NY Times to be exact. But sadly, there are limited copies available and this stand is pushed into the corner by the trash. I want to improve this communication. So, I have thought of another way to reach people, mind you a smaller group that is MCAD.





And that way would be to find different sayings, and headlines from that day's papers and present them here, in this public space, on a huge poster. People in passing could gain some of the pertinent information from the current world news simply while walking to the bathroom.





Tino Sehgal has been a huge influence within this latest addition to my information dispersing campaign. I work at the Walker Art Center, and have been a part of Tino's piece "This is New." This piece requires me to find a headline, any headline, before I begin to sell admission, and then when people purchase admission from me, I must tell them the headline. Unexplained at first, and then if they ask me what, I repeat the headline, and give them the didactic for the piece. This piece evokes many different responses from people, and it is really interesting to see how people respond. Often different that you expected. By giving people the news in such an unexpected way, it tends to confuse them, but then when they understand what is happening, it can be a very enlightening experience for both the giver and the receiver of the information. Communication is a very complex thing, and information is a universal need and want. I want to communicate to people in ways that may help them, or make them think about something in a way they hadn't before. The fields are definitely ready for harvesting, and the people are hungry.

My Love

Romeo Castellucci is my new favorite artist. His performance "Hey Girl!" is possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
I got to watch it twice this weekend. He is part of the Societas Raffaello Sanzio. His work is so imaginative, and at times quite grotesque. In order to create real beauty, you have to control and understand the grotesque and evil. Human nature is so entwined in these two opposites, that to watch this work is like watching God. There I said it. Romeo Castellucci=God.

I could go into my analysis of the subject matter in this performace, but the connection was quite personal to me, and I don't think that the experience could be explained in words to the level that it needs to be. But, I will direct you to the Walker blog where people have been talking back and forth about the performance.

http://blogs.walkerart.org/performingarts/2008/02/15/laser-brain/

I will simply say it was moving, and I would work for this man at the drop of a hat. I would sell my soul to him just to understand his magic. Oh, and I touched the material that the character 'melts' from... Its like oily silly putty... And the huge heads.. they look like dolls I had when I was a child... airbrushed and tattered.

All so visceral for me. .



























Please Youtube him. Clips from his "Tragedia Endogonidia" gave me nightmares! How great! how long has it been since I've been effected to the extent of it entering my subconscious in such a concrete way.