Fleet FoxesFleet Foxes 2011 Pitchfork Music Fest

http://pitchfork.com/news/43253-pitchfork-music-festival-2011-video-portraits/ –  So i’m a year late, and several dollars short but thought i’d share this for posterity.

The cavalcade of hipster magic that adorns most summer festivals now comes in animated .gif form.  Okay so yeah, this is partly a post about how photographers Sanchez and Kitahara (http://www.higgsandboson.com/) have gone forth and made animated .gifs into something i’d love to hang in a digital poster frame above my bed (tis the future after all).  Plus, if  i’m going to have a seizure i’d rather have it induced by something cool n’pretty.

My kingdom for a press pass and a trusty SLR.

Cut Copy Cut Copy avec Balloons

Twin ShadowTwin Shadow

Geeks of NatureA show by podgypanda

For all of you who couldn’t make it to the opening here is a preview of the Geeks of Nature show by Podgypanda complete with pricing.

For purchase inquires please email: info@thisisnation.com

Digital Prints each ed. of 50 (clockwise)

• Tea Party $60 cdn
• Godzilla Greg $60 cdn
• Whales $60 cdn
• Kristopher Kong $60 cdn
• The Last Sushi $60 cdn
• Boof $60 cdn

Note: All prints are 11.75″ by 16.5″ including a 1″ white matte.

Canvas Prints (clockwise)

• Kristopher Kong $300 cdn
• Whales $300 cdn
• Tea Party $400 cdn SOLD
• Boof $300 cdn
• The Last Sushi $300 cdn
• Godzilla Greg $300 cdn

A3 Original Paintings Framed (clockwise from top left)

• Kristopher Kong $185 cdn
• Nora Narwhal $185 cdn
• Betty Yeti $185 cdn
• Livi Unicorn $185 cdn
• Godzilla Greg $185 cdn
• Bigfoot Bryan $185 cdn
• Walk (A4 size) $250 cdn

Custom Sculptures (clockwise from top left)

• Livi $300 cdn
• Kris $300 cdn
• Snowpal $150 cdn
• Bryan $300 cdn
• Betty $300 cdn
• Greg $300 cdn SOLD

A4 Sketches (clockwise from top left)

• Main Wall
• Drool Puddle $80 cdn
• Dreamin $80 cdn SOLD
• Waterballon to the Face $80 cdn
• Raining Legless Catspuds $80 cdn SOLD
• Vandals $80 cdn SOLD

Our big ol’ side venture Nation Toys has poll positioned it’s way to the forefront with a recent redesign and subsequent launch.  We will now be supplying y’all with the latest in vinyl goodies, apparel and art for your purchasing convenience. Also be sure to notice our “artists” section where we hope to aid in the rock star status of all who have coloured up our walls. Oh it doesn’t end there!… as we’ve added a basic blog to inform our guests on the latest goings-on regarding exhibits and future products, meow.

We wanted to flex some creative muscle on this one so we created some cute n’quirky illustrations with lightly militant undertones, perhaps even some overtones (all in good jest, of course) and away we went!  Currently, we’re working on some character development and back story which will hopefully breath more life into this colourful and slightly odd web endeavor.

If you are in the market for some vinyl goodness, perhaps a gift or feel like supporting some local artists we highly recommend clicking on THIS LINK and taking a look around, and buy all means throw something in the shopping cart.

- Team Nation thanks you!

You know how we’ve all wanted to meet more people in our dream industry? Whether it be potential collaborators to expand our personal networks, or to just talk shop. If you’re into cinema, this event is for you. In support of an ambitious film being shot this summer, we’re promoting a ‘Scorsese’ titled event. Let’s face it, filmmaking is expensive and what better way to fund raise than by hosting a killer night out, plus it’s a good way to kick start to your summer.

DETAILS:

“The Colour of Money” Fundraiser
Friday, May 28th
Schank’s North
Doors at 6:30 PM
Tickets ~ $10

PURCHASE TICKETS @ http://thecolourofmoney.myevent.com/

Entrance to the event allows you to indulge in the appetizer buffet, compete for unique prizes, enter the bar-wide 50/50 draw – and the best part – a photo shoot with you and another person posing as Vince and Eddie from The Color of Money’s iconic shoot.

Get your tickets early as we’re hoping to sell out all one-hundred fifty!

Allo allo! And thank you all for your continued support during those droughts we sometimes experience here at the Carbon/Nation/SplashFantastic HQ!

This was linked off my Twitter account the other day, and in the spirit of superiffic 3D music videos which melt our minds, I decided it was worth posting. Oh, and it’s a beautiful song, too.

Tah-tah for now!

Some of you may know I have a soft spot for music. These days however I’ve been quite nonplussed by the lack of quality in music videos. So when I saw this amalgamation of gorgeous 3D & sound I was quite struck. Struck by awe. Check it out for yourselves, and make sure to sit through at least a minute and a half of it. It gets better and better. Need more? Visit the Myspace(s).

Last year approximately 40,000+ brave souls headed for the black rock desert to participate in the annual cultural spectacle known as Burning Man. Each year a unique theme is chosen to help guide artists, musicians, performers and on-lookers in crafting a week long festival of original experience. Not quite a music festival, not quite an open-air arts event, not quite an alternative living celebration yet somehow this event has organically grown to encompass all of this and more.

For those of who haven’t been or perhaps those who have and want an interesting perspective away from the playa; might we suggest you attend a showing of Dust and Illusions: A History of Burning Man. This documentary by Oliver Bonin offers insight into this annual gathering which often defies definition. This doc is independently produced and with that is seeking support to cover the expense of bringing a film such as this to you the good public. You can show a little love by attending a screening in your area or make a donation online (right side).

Here’s a few Canadian dates for you:

Jan. 28th, 2010 – Calgary, AB
Feb. 3rd, 2010 – Toronto, ON
Feb. 4th, 2010 – Montreal, QU

See you out there!

There is some seriously weird (and wonderful) stuff going on in this one. Pedigree aside, Beck’s output as of late has been astounding. Definitely a top-notch player of this past couple decades.

But I suppose that’s what you do if your entire life is related to music. Ahhh, one can only dream…

WEAR WASH REPEATthe art of KOMBOH

Donning the walls of Nation Toys this November is the works of KOMBOH (aka Michael Mateyko & Hans Thiessen). With a very descriptive theme you can gather that the show will focus on wearable art. There is an assortment of incredible hand screened imaginative and simplistic graphic tees accompanied by some beautifully framed illustrated prints. I have a feeling that both the tees and prints wont be around long and their reasonable price *ahem $30* certainly makes them a great gift idea and hotter than the hottest of hotcakes… I guess if you could wear hotcakes the former would be true.

From my angle the work of KOMBOH epitomizes not only clean contemporary design (with a side of whimsy) but also the diversity to switch from amazing typeset documentation to cute and colourful vector illustration & animations.  I look forward to seeing whats next for this talented duo.  I’ll be sure to post photos of this month’s show.

The opening is tonight: 6pm – 9pm @ Nation Toys & Tees so if you are in Calgary we hope to see you there!

The work of Michael Mateyko & Hans Thiessen.

KOMBOH is comprised of two individuals who realized that working together solved more problems than it produced. Michael Mateyko and Hans Thiessen approach the visual world with the belief that creativity is a process, not a formula. A process that sometimes involves medium-fit, 100% cotton t-shirts.

Go to komboh.com for more form-fitting goodness.

Anyways, you get the gist. There’s a nice line-up of artists, with 2-5 songs per musician so prepare yourself for a night of intimate performance!

ps. The quality is 10x better on the site than on YouTube.

Thanks goes out to honorary Splash Fan inspirer @jopesta for mentioning this one.

Here’s a few clips to bang off this Friday. First up, Moby’s absolute obsession with nerdy drum machines. Can’t help but be a lil’ bit envious of his setup. Next, a lighthearted tune from your favourite Fresh Prince character, and those ultra-pop Swedes. Enjoy!

Ahoy! We have a special treat this month in the Nation space. Mommy Still Likes Me: The art of Pete & Jo features wood. Art on wood, that is! If you’re in the Calgary area this month, make sure to stop by anytime. Even better yet, if you’re in the Calgary area tonight then we’re having a little shin-dig from 6pm to 9pm. Did I mention these are the two responsible for many fantastic projects such as custom artwork for Beatroute, illustration and branding for the Market Collective and album artwork for local band Günther’s Nuclear Stallions … to name a few.

Here’s a drop from the artists:

Peter and Joyelle Komierowski are illustrators living in Calgary, Canada. They are NOT brother and sister as some would believe. They draw things that are funny, weird, cute, scary, but mostly moronic. Their work is wrapped up in nostalgic memories of childhood and it is a sort of grown-up fairy-tale.

Also, make sure to check out more of Pete & Jo’s work on lovefrompeteandjo.com

555 KUBIK | facade projection | from urbanscreen

Just a quick tip for this lovely humpday set upon us. If you live in the Montréal area, and are not already pre-occupied by the Concordia Electro-acoustics festival you should check out Pop Montreal premiere of NOSAJ THING’s visual show (see above video).

Oh, oh yes.

GOTOCHINA is a trip-blog / primer for those interested in visiting Shanghai and Beijing. The background photography used on the site is what caught my eye (call me a sucker for the ocular). A few of the cityscape shots have been well-composed and processed in a manner I find quite spectacular. Also, from a web design perspective this site is using some really neat tricks to have the photos scale to your browser window. Go on, give it a try: visit the site and resize your Firefox/Safari/Chrome/what-have-you window. Lovely, eh?

I seem to be unable to find either contact information or photography credits on the site, so if anybody actually knows how to contact any of the 17 Norwegian students who put this together, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. Thanks!

I was pretty enamoured by the photo work of Chris Hornbeck & CincoDesign after a few whiskey’s on ice last night, and on second inspection I’m just as in love. Through the use of projected white light onto the props and models, they’re able to capture magnificent detail in the reflections. I picked this one up off Photography Served so check that out first, then head over to Hornbecker’s portfolio and CincoDesign’s company site.

Extra! While I was searching for CincoDesign, I found this other Cinco site that’s super swell.

I was recently introduced to this simple but incredibly engaging concept by a friend studying visual / cultural anthropology. Though not particularly new I still felt it worth sharing for those like myself that haven’t seen it yet. The premise as stated by the website is this:

Go to a place. Ask fifty people the same question. Film their responses.

Now take this concept, work some skillful editing and set to beautiful music. Voila! A very human piece of film. The questions and the locations yield responses which are wise, witty, silly, sad and everything in between. I suggest you checkout the locations currently featured on their website: London – UK,  Brooklyn – NY, New York – NY, New Orleans – LA. If you can believe it I’ve actually been sort of saving them up for when I need a little reconnection with the world at large.

I don’t have much time but it is imperative that in what little there is, I share with you ToyCamera AnalogColor. This fun little app takes your boring old contemporary photos and turns them into exciting snapshots from yester-year. I decided to download the demo and play around with some shots of the Splash Fantastic team (above). Well I did miss one person. I’m sorry Chuck, I’ll do you next… again the time issue. Okay so ya, there’s lots of presets and settings that allow you to tweak to your retro hearts content. If you want to remove the watermarks of the demo, you can buy a full license for only $9.99USD. Not a bad price for something oh so fun.

Through a chance link I landed on Aaron McConomy’s Behance profile today, and was drawn in by the detailed illustration set to subtle colour schemes. Turns out, Aaron is an Alberta born chap, which I’d say fits in with our ‘theme’ perfectly.

“CEO’s are such weird looking men.”

We’ve had a few conversations around here about the big business paradigm today, and how ridiculous it seems from the outside in. What better way to celebrate the ridiculousness than with some CEO visuals:

Aaron’s part of an art group founded in Montréal (another fit) dubbed The YPF. Here’s a warning, this could lead you on one of those Internet trails that never end. Good luck and have fun.

For more or to see the corporate works, check out Aaron’s Behance. Or, for the group see THE YPF WILL EAT YOUR FACE.

Inauguration Day 1961
“The president’s father beamed with pride and the King of Pop listened intently that cold, windy day when JFK suggested they ask not what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country.”

“Art too bad to be ignored”.

I can’t get over this concept. It’s entirely genius in itself, but oh how I wish it existed in Montréal instead of Massachusetts (mainly because it would be the ultimate First Date location). The Museum of Bad Art rivals other more “well-known” museums, with a concept that’s perfectly unique in it’s own way…

Eileen’s Uncle Phil by Anonymous
16″ x 20″
Oil on Canvas
Purchased by Mike Frank 5/19/07

He Was a Friend of Mine By Jack Owen
18″ x 24″
Watercolor
“Who else thinks it’s a good idea to eat from my bowl?”

Ronan the Pug by Erin Rothgeb
18″ x 24″
Acrylic on Canvas Board
“Ronan the Pug could hardly see straight after lapping up all the spilled egg-nog at the holiday party, but brought tears to everyone’s eyes with his clear tenor rendition of Danny Boy.”

Check out more examples on museumofbadart.org or buy something from their online shop