BLAHBLAHBLAH: April 2009

PIPE DREAMS

Not Kelly Slater's book, but instead a fantastic animated piece from the Animusic DVD.

The same child inside of me that wants to go watch Where the Wild things are, also wishes this was real. Thanks to Jared for passing this along.

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NEVER GROW OLD

Here's the trailer for Spike Jonze's new film, based on the classic book by Maurice Sendak.

I wish I was 7 years old again.

Maybe I am.

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NOW, HERE'S SOMETHING FRESH.

Thanks W+K for showing us the way back to good advertising.

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A REAL REVOLUTIONARY ARTIST

A couple of years back, as a big fan of revolutionary art (with a political purpose), I visited the Los Angeles Museum Of Contemporary Art for a show of the graphic art made by Emory Douglas while he worked as the Minister of Culture of the Black Panther Party from 1967 until the early 1980's.

Emory is considered the most prolific and persistent graphic agitator in the American Black Power movements. His graphic art was featured in most issues of the newspaper The Black Panther and has become an iconic representation of the struggles of the people and the Party during the 1960s and 70s.

As mentioned by Emory himself, his unique graphic style is a result of necessity, creative ingenuity and some time working in a prison’s printing shop (during his incarceration years). It has been borrowed by other revolutionary movements (the OSPAAAL cuban posters ran a couple of his art pieces) and cheapened by advertising campaigns worldwide.

Anyway, there's a great book on him (result of the MOCA show) out there and a bunch of originals of the Black Panther Party newspaper over eBay for sale. If you like graphic art and have some dough on you, I definitely recommend going after them. Its the kind of art you never get tired of looking at.

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OH MAN

Electric stimulus to face. By the japanese artist Daito Manaibe.

Thanks to Enno Jacobsen for passing it along.

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CLASSIC

Peter Bjorn and John music video "Nothing To Worry About". Directed by Andreas Nilssons.

Thanks to Sean Vij for showing me this.

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POCORN MEETS DESIGN

Here are two cool documentaries about design. Both from the same director, Gary Hustwit.

Helvetica is his first film. It covers typography, graphic design and global visual culture. As the name of the film says, the 50-year old typeface Helvetica is the star of a larger conversation about how type affects our lives.

Here's a link to the trailer and the website.

Objectified, his second film, is about industrial design and the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It is hitting selected theaters as I write this.

Here's a link to the trailer and the website.

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CHANEL MOBILE ART

Saw this on the page of the brazilian advertising club and I wish they had a show here in Los Angeles. The art seems really interesting and the way it is presented, stunning. Worth checking it out if you didn't already: Chanel Mobile Art.

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FOR A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

A couple of brazilian ads from twenty years ago, when cigarettes contained vitamins A and D, plus folic acid and some other healthy ingredients that would never cause cancer or screw your lungs. That's why ads like this were possible, and associating sports with the act of smoking was a natural thing to do.

This very educational message, filled with subliminal visual messages and paid by the British American Tobacco company, ends with the following tagline:

"Hollywood Cigarettes. The success."

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ANDY GILMORE

Andy Gilmore is a graphic designer/illustrator out of Rochester (NY) who have become one of my favorite artists out there. If you like Erik Nitsche, I'm sure you'll love the work of Andy. Check it out...

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SAUDADE

From when surfing was just... surfing.

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TRAPPED INSIDE HIS MIND

A year ago, I remember reading the incredible story of Nicholas White in the New Yorker.

It goes something like this: sometime in 1999, this poor guy was working late on a Friday night in New York City’s McGraw-Hill building, and decided to go out for a smoke. On his way back, the elevator stopped and he got trapped in there for the next 41 hours.

Yes, forty-one hours.

Out of this incredibly frustrating situation came two things: a lawsuit and an amazing video that the building’s security cameras managed to record. When you watch it - sped up and played against a perfect track - you can almost see inside his mind.

I find it disturbingly beautiful.

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POSTERS FROM THE LAND OF CIGARS

With the recent Obama administration decisions gearing towards an end to the Cuban embargo (finally!), things will definitely change for the better in the caribbean island. It was about time.

But I'll miss one thing: their unique posters. From the OSPAAAL to the ICAIC, Cuban posters, just like their Polish cousins, will be forever remembered for their amazing design and ingenuous creativity.

Created under Castro's administration and being a direct fruit of the revolution, they vary from political (most of them) to sports, and have brought to the spotlight artists like Faustino Perez and Alfredo Rostgaard.

Its fair to say that the Cuban Posters best years are behind us now, but the work is still fresh. If you enjoy some real creative talent (try having Fidel approving your ads) and have some time to spare, you should definitely check it out.

Cuban Poster Art

Art Of Cuba

Cuban Posters Book

OSPAAAL

NO YOU CAN'T

You have Shepard Fairey.
And the you have these guys.

ENJOY YOUR STAY

One of these days, as I was doing some research for a project I'm working on, I stumbled upon this two amazing hotels: one in Denmark, and the other in Singapore. They both have unique rooms based on distinct themes, all designed by well-known artists and designers.

In this age of brand experiences and customization, what a fantastic concept and place to spend a couple of days.

New Majestic Hotel

Hotel Fox

WOODSHED FILMS

They say explaining surfing to someone who doesn't surf is the same as explaining the color orange: you can try your best, but with all the nuances and variations, you just can't fully express it.

Well, here's the work of Woodshed Films (formerly the Moonshine Conspiracy). They seem to have not only delivered the color orange, but the whole spectrum.