ZAPP presents…Famous Trump Quotations!

Nothing else today will be anywhere near as cool as this gift from Billy West, so this is Cool Stuff Friday. :D

MAKE AMERICA BRANNIGAN!

Depicting Hysteria.

NSFW.

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Alexandra Levasseur.

The second annual 4%ers exhibition is at the Athen B. Gallery in Oakland. The group show of female artists explores the origins of hysteria and the artistic expressions that have come to represent it. First conceived in San Francisco at the FFDG gallery, the show has since then changed locations to host a new set of artists with what it calls a “slightly wilder premise,” according to the gallery.

[…]

The gallery explains that the term, “hysteria,” was coined by an ancient Greek physician named Hippocrates, who used the word to explain ailments and afflictions thought exclusive to the female body. Hippocrates believed the uterus was the constitutional source of female woes, “often expressed as a restless, wandering womb, creating disorder within the body and distress in the woman experiencing it,” writes the gallery. Hysteria was understood as a nervous disorder and diagnosed on physical indicators: “gestures, motions, gaits, and non verbal utterances.” Without any legitimate grounds in medicine, the expression and mitigation of its symptoms often came in the form of artistic practices, such as painting. Although the diagnosis is no longer considered valid in formal medicine, the artists in the 4%ers show believe the concept of hysteria has impacted “the way women are supposed to act, look, and express themselves, physically, sexually, and artistically.” Now, they seek to reclaim the word through their own artistic expression.

[Read more…]

Ireland: Yes Equality.

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Joe Caslin tackles Ireland’s steadfast refusal to legalize same sex marriage. Caslin’s art is printed out using biodegradable inks, then papered onto a suitably large surface. You can read about Yes Equality here. Caslin has also done a series, Our Nation’s Sons, dealing with mental health, depression, and suicide in Ireland’s men. Joe Caslin’s website is here, and there’s lot a lot to explore!

Kinetic Insects.

Mechanical Horn Centaur Beetle, 2015. 100 x 100 x 150 cm. Jati Wood, Pine Wood, Electric Dynamo.

Indonesian artist Dedy Shofianto creates unusual kinetic sculptures of insect-like creatures by carving almost every component from wood. Though powered by hidden electronics it’s the exquisitely detailed mandibles, wings, antennae, and gears of these hybrid creatures crafted from locally sourced jati (teak) wood that take center stage. It would seem that a lifetime of wood craftsmanship would have been brought to bear on each piece, all the more impressive considering Shofianto created these pieces when he was only 24 years old while still in school—he graduated from the Art Institute of Indonesia just last year.

The Power of Kumbang Tanduk 120 x 120 x 120 cm Mindi and Acacia Wood 2014.

The Power of Kumbang Tanduk. 120 x 120 x 120 cm. Mindi and Acacia Wood, 2014.

 

Photo © Tirana House.

Photo © Tirana House.

You can see much more of Dedy Shofianto’s work here. Via Colossal Art.

YASH.

“Where trees don’t grow” Wall for Artscape 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“Where trees don’t grow” Wall for Artscape 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

 

From Spring Remake 2016 in Snösätra, Stockholm.

From Spring Remake 2016 in Snösätra, Stockholm.

 

Stockholm 2015.

Stockholm 2015.

 

Wall from “Spring remake 2015” in Rågsved, outside Stockholm, Sweden.

Wall from “Spring remake 2015” in Rågsved, outside Stockholm, Sweden.

Linus Lundin – who works under the pseudonym Yash – has done most of his work in the Swedish capital, where he has lived for the last five years after moving from the small town of Gnesta.

His colourful murals are marked by their emotive faces and depictions of animals interacting with humans. Each one takes around five days to complete – not including the extensive planning and sketching that is required beforehand.

“It’s important to get the expressions right in my paintings,” he explained.

“I get my inspiration from my own feelings and the feelings of those around me. I ponder about and depict security, the search for something, and anxiety quite a lot. I also think a lot about the relationship between humans and animals.”

Incredibly, Lundin has no formal education in art beyond high school level. Instead, he developed his style by putting in hours and hours of hard practice.

“I just went out and painted, but there’s a lot of time and work behind everything,” he noted.

“I’ve painted murals for over ten years now, but they didn’t always look like they do now. Finding my aesthetic has been a long process. I was lucky enough to have a wall in the small town I grew up in where I could develop my work legally.”

Full story here. You can see Yash’s artwork here.

Invictus. (Possibly NSFW.)

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The goal is to fund the publishing of two large-scale, hardcover, coffee table books.  This is my third Kickstarter campaign, and like last year I will produce a book featuring wounded veterans of the Gulf Wars, Invictus and a second book featuring male figure studies using fitness models from around the world, Adonis Blue.
Invictus
Over the past year I have photographed fifteen severely wounded veterans from the Gulf Wars, all of them amputees who lost a limb or multiple limbs from IED attacks while deployed. Of these fifteen veterans, ten served in either the United States Army or Marines.  Five served in either the British Army or The Royal Marines. The format and size of Invictus will be the same as last year’s Always Loyal: hardcover photo book with dust jacket, 96 pages or more and measures 13.5 X 10.4 inches.  Like last year I will include individual bios for each veteran.  All the images are already photographed and only need to be organized and published.  When the book releases, I anticipate a full retail price of $79.

[Read more…]

The Vast Expanse of Ultra-light Mocha.

Started on the light mocha section of the background, and naturally, I don’t have near enough skeins of ultra-light mocha to finish. So, I’ll work on it until I run out, then do something else, I guess, until I can replenish my supply. Just checked, and found one more skein, so that makes 6 and a quarter skeins to burn right through. Current Hours: 948. Skeins used: 135.

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On Tattoos and Trademarks.

Butch Johnson, owner of Champion Tattoo Company, works on a former US Marine at his art studio in Washington, DC, on April 18, 2016. (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski).

Butch Johnson, owner of Champion Tattoo Company, works on a former US Marine at his art studio in Washington, DC, on April 18, 2016. (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski).

More than 20 percent of all Americans have at least one tattoo, and for millennials that number jumps to almost 40 percent. What could be more intimately a part of you than a work of body art permanently inked into your skin? You probably assume that the tattoo on your body belongs to you. But, in actuality, somebody else might own your tattoo. Recent lawsuits and events have shown that tattoo artists and companies can have intellectual property rights in tattoos worn by others, including both copyright and trademark rights.

Tattoo-related lawsuits are not uncommon. Just this year, a group of tattoo artists for several high-profile athletes, including Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, filed a copyright lawsuit against the creators of the popular NBA 2K video game franchise because tattoos they created appear in NBA 2K16. The case is still pending in a New York federal court.

[…]

And the issue isn’t limited to celebrities and athletes. For example, Sam Penix, a coffee shop owner living in New York, was threatened with a trademark infringement lawsuit in 2013 based on the “I [coffee cup] NY” tattoo he has across his fist. Penix’s shop logo featured his tattooed fist grabbing a coffee portafilter between the words “Everyman Espresso.” The New York State Department of Economic Development, which owns the “I ♥ NY” trademark, sent Penix a cease-and-desist letter because it believed the logo infringed its trademark. To avoid being sued, Penix agreed to several terms, including some restrictions on how his fist could (and could not) be photographed.

[…]

Until courts and legislators create innovative legal solutions, both tattoo artists and people with tattoos should consider copyright agreements that specifically outline who owns a resulting tattoo. People with trademark tattoos should be aware that displaying their tattoos visibly in commerce could lead to liability. Otherwise, tattooed skin may end up with several owners with competing interests – and even if you live within that skin, you may not own the art that adorns it.

I’ve been thinking about getting more ink. If I do, it will be the same as my existing ink – my own original art work.

The full article is at Raw Story.

Kumo!

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine.

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine.

Watching Kumo take to the streets is like the live-action version of a CGI flick: A giant alien spider lands in a historic city, its eight legs weaving around buildings as it spews venom into the crowds. Dreamt up by street theater company La Machine, Kumo has since toured Yokohama, Beijing, Reims, and Calais. Earlier this month, it was finally left to roam the French city of Nantes, where La Machine is based, and where the spider was “born” in 2009.

Kumo’s technical data sheet is staggering: At rest, it is 19′ high, but can attain a height of 43′ once it’s up and walking. When it rolls up into a ball for a nap, it measures 20′ in diameter. When it sprawls its legs out, that “legspan” grows to 65′. It can spit out venom (in reality, a fine water mist) and breathe out clouds of fog, all while regarding the crowd suspiciously with its moving eyes. A team of 35 to 40 people worked on its construction for nearly a year—first drafting it, then bringing it to life the 38-ton structure of wood and steel.

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine.

“We wanted to use its eight legs to turn it into a dancer,” says François Delarozière, the founder and artistic director of La Machine. “This is why we made a base on wheels, so it could move quickly and have the ability to communicate, and be expressive, through movement.” During a performance, 16 people are required to activate the hydraulic and mechanical framework that helps Kumo walk through narrow city streets, wriggling around trees and lampposts. Most are seated aboard the giant, controlling the motion of its legs, eyes, head, and abdomen, and setting off the fog and water effects. Down on the ground, a conductor walks alongside Kumo and directs the whole theatrical team.

Original drawings for the giant spider, courtesy of La Machine.

Original drawings for the giant spider, courtesy of La Machine.

The Creators Project has the full story. After its show in Nantes this summer, Kumo is scheduled to take a rest. But next stop: Ottawa in 2017. To learn more about La Machine, click here.

Random Monday

Since I’ve been posting work on the tree quilt, I decided to show a small bit of a different part of the process. When I first started, I was trying to figure out how I wanted to lay the tree out, so I decided to spend a day outside with my camera and sketch book, staring at trees. The pursuit of shape resulted in a great many photos and even more sketches, many of which were incorporated into the tree quilt. Click for full size.

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© C. Ford. All rights reserved.