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Tilja and I caught this animated series on SVT this morning – both of us stopped playing and were mesmerized by the music, figures, and that crazy movement of Pulpo (the red figure).
Nice stuff! Looks like Finland meets Barcelona=)
Stor Fisk made them, Veronica Lassenius drew the pictures.
When Tilja was born, we received a gift of a painting of the Northern Lights by my Grandmother, Phoebe-Anne Magee*, from my Aunt Margot and Uncle Lee. Compact in size, and simple, yet colourful in subject – we fell for it straight away, and felt we should get it properly framed at some time. Actually, I thought I would make a frame myself.
During our trip to Canada this summer, my Grandmaman, Marie Séguin, gave us a gift of a painting by my Grandad, Harvey Séguin**. This was also compact in size, and simple yet colourful in subject. It was also of the Northern Lights.
Turns out they are exactly the same size.
So, now, as we had the trio of paintings in the bedroom framed, we had these two grandparent paintings framed as well – and hung them together above TIlja’s bed. It’s a good place for them. You see them as you enter the apartment, and it’s one of the last things we see before we all sleep.
*Granny still produces a steady flow of paintings from her little studio set up in her house in St.Andrew’s, New Brunswick
**Grandad died a few years ago, but had enthusiatically picked up a brush during retirement, and produced quite the body of work in his own home studio in Hudson Heights, Québec.
three oldies finally get professional help – being framed at a local framemaker’s.
This first one has a brown tint to the black frame, with an accent of red on the very edge. It brings out the browns and pinks quite well.
This has a white/blue grey sort of feel – bringing out the cold blue in the picture.
The last one has a darker frame – near black, also with a red edge, to bring ot the black and pinks.
The funny thing is we went in there thinking we’d get all threee framed exactly the same – in simple profiled oak. As we talked with the framester, we came to realise we could just as well do each painting justice and frame them individually, and have them still belong to the same “family”.
It was unexpected, and exciting feeling this world open up to us. Suddenly I felt a little grown-up, that maybe we had graduated from the IKEA frame section, to the world of custom framing. Suddenly I understood why folks who actually collect art have different frames for each piece. It wasn’t because the frames just came with the paintings when they were purchased – they belonged with them.
Interesting.
Now I don’t cringe seeing the unframed paintings on the wall. The look finished. I can keep my hands off them, and stop thinking what I could have done differently. Now – it’s too late.
Nice.
I ran across this stylish (and old) animated video on treehugger this morning – a cheeky Lloyd Alter post, “Secret Video of Government Highway Spending Plans Hacked and Exposed”
Not only is the film very good looking, the ideas in it are just as exciting as the pictures. Some are way out there, some downright ridiculous, and others strangely optimistic about using new technologies (the gas-turbine car, the speedier jet propulsed vehicle, the inexhaustable atom, and the sun-powered electro suspension car(!)), fantastical modern architecture, and conveniences such as video conferencing in a auto-piloted mobility pod, or highly specialized pleasure vehicles (furnished with lounge and fireplace, and which can also travel on water as a hydrofoil) directed by punch cards to a holiday destinations, moving sidewalks, door to door assisted parking… it goes on and on… “heated highways”- that’s a good one.
It looks as if it was made in the 50’s- maybe 60’s? Full of optimism and confidence in our ability to carve out a brave new world for ourselves, it nonetheless leaves a bitter taste in my mouth – we didn’t do anything this film says we would. A lot of that is good. Who needs heated highways?
Well… we did get the moving sidewalk. But the rest?
We still do the same crap we did at the time the film was made. Only – we do it poorly. Cars are starting to become “intelligent”, helping you park, talk on a phone, not fall asleep at the wheel, all while cradling you in a livingroom environment filled with music, tv, video games and food. No room for luggage though, because you aren’t travelling anywhere, merely driving around. Alternative energies are coming to the table again (after 50 years?)
- but instead of being met with wide eyed optimism, they are met with snail paced skepticism? What is wrong with us?
The filmmakers obviously assumed the modern person would stay in good shape eventhough they wouldn’t have to stand on two feet, walk or move themselves anymore.
But – it looks so good. So sleek and clean and streamlined. Just hearing the soundtrack reminds me of good times. Carefree. Nice. Like being a kid again.
What’s not to like?
Oiy… so much to gripe about the subject of these sequences, but it’s late, and I’m going to just appreciate the work. Nice.
H2oil animated sequences from Dale Hayward on Vimeo.
It’s nearing the end of my workload, and as I anticipate it, and our family trek to Canada, I am enjoying the Monocle Summer Series.
Just in time for the weekend, and filled with sunshine and laughter – these podcasts get me in the mood, and help turn the dial in my brain from “grey winter – wet spring” to “sun-splashed sweaty summer”. It’s hard to do it on your own when you are stuck inside.
Fittingly, the Monocle site has pages filled with illustrations by Satoshi Hashimoto to accent that summery feeling. Lovely, as usual.
Edition 1 featured Swedish Quiet Nights Orchestra. It’s a perfect start.
Sweet titles by HunterGatherer.
In 2007, Swerve Festival launched as an annual event dedicated to celebrating West Coast creative culture and its community inspired by art, film, music and action sports. It was a collaboration put together by Jonathan & Meg Wells (Flux, Res Festival), Aaron Rose, and Fuel TV.
The Open and all accompanying design and animations were made out of hand-painted, hand-cut wood forms. All animations were stop-motion pieces created in-camera.
I ran across Cookie a while back, and was immediately impressed with his humour, texture and sense of adventure – both in his work and play. He’s done some impressive hikes; such as the Continental Divide and now he’s onto the Swiss Alps. Check out the maps he makes!
Wow.
Cookie (Made-In-England-By-Gentlemen)
Cookie’s Swiss Alps Adventure
JC, from Poolga, asked if I would like to participate and send in some designs for their fantastic iPhone + iPod Touch wallpaper site – and I agreed super quick. It took me a while to actually get around to making them, and send them in – but now they’re up (and downloadable)!
