Computerlove™

The Book of Surfing

A-Side Studio have designed The Book of Surfing, a new publication by Michael Fordham on surf culture which was put together for Bantam Press, showcasing classic graphics, films and photography, as well as everything from a meditation on Brian Wilson to an illustrated anatomy of surf wagons and surf T-shirts.

Watch a trailer here.

Pedro Molina - Illustrator

Pedro Molina - Design and Illustration

Source: p3ter

STAPLED & TORN

Stapled and Torn is a poster show featuring some of the most influential poster designers of the Pacific Northwest. Work from 33 RPM, Josh Berger, Casey Burns, Erik Blad, Guy Burwell, Mike King, Art Chantry, Aaron Draplin, Gary Houston, Pete McCracken, Modern Dog, Elizabeth Morrow McKenzie, Jon Wippich, Dan Stiles, Patent Pending, Tyler Stout, Shawn Wolfe, Lee Zeman, Nemo, and more...

Opening on Friday, August 1, 2008 from 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm. The show will run through Monday, September 01, 2008 at Nemo: 1875 SE Belmont Street in Portland, OR.

Let's Talk, Dan Funderburgh

When he's not raising hell on the pitch with the Chinatown Soccer Club or feverishly blogging over at 12oz Prophet, Brooklyn-based artist and designer Dan Funderburgh keeps busy producing beautifully crafted art and design. You may recognize the ornate wallpaper designs he's crafted for Flavorpaper and Ecko Unlimited. Or perhaps you've seen the screenprints he's done for the Truth anti-smoking campaign or Complex magazine. Or who knows, you may have even seen his extraordinary work hanging in a gallery in your neighborhood. Whatever the case, if you haven't spied a glimpse of his work until now, you'll quickly realize you've been missing out. I recently spoke with Mr. Funderburgh, here's how our conversation played out.

What first attracted you to design?

Like a lot of young artists or musicians, my first instinct after recognizing something beautiful was to try and mimic it. At first I copied Lego instructions, more recently, oriental rugs.

In mimicking what you liked at first, what was easy and what was difficult for you?

Drawing complicated and ornate patterns has never been a problem. It's not always fast, but I can submerge myself in a design for days at a time.

Coming up with something different is always a little difficult. The more you look at, the more you realize that art is a minefield of clichés and pretensions.

That’s interesting about clichés and pretension in art, because I often wonder how certain trends originate and become so popular. When you realized this, did it automatically change the way you approached making art?

I think everyone recognizes some degree of cliché and tries to go beyond it. When I was in high school in Kansas, I thought I was edgy because I drew guys with fat laces and spray paint cans, but this turned out to be false. The fact that these visual trends are so popular is proof that not everyone perceives and/or appreciates a genuine New Idea. They are vanishingly scarce, and the more I work, the more I realize their immense value.

The wallpapers you create are very ornate. What influenced you to begin making wallpaper designs?

I began making patterns for textiles when I worked in the apparel industry. In doing research I came across so many inspiring references that would look amazing on paper, but truly terrible on a sweatshirt. I decided I was in the wrong line of work and began trying to focus on getting my patterns on walls.

Has the change from designing apparel to creating wall patterns been good so far?

It's been super! I still like aspects of fashion, but on the whole, think it's better off with out me.

At the Fellow Traveler exhibition, at Riviera Gallery with Justin Fines and Kevin Devine, you gave volume to the patterns you make, creating 3D tools. How did that idea come about?

I came across an amazing tool shed in an abandoned warehouse in the Rockaways. The tools were gone but it had painted silhouettes of all the tool outlines. The shapes of the tools were familiar but vaguely threatening. This idea merged with a some thoughts I've had for a while about the nature of decoration—about how it used to come standard on everything as a measure of that item's worth. Tools that people used on a daily basis; axes, plates, plows, anchors historically were carved and with all kinds of beautiful , intricate designs and I think that speaks about the changing relationship between people and tools.

That’s an incredible discovery—the shed. It sounds like the story for your show was already there, it just needed you to translate it to a gallery?

And that still took some time, but yes. Each implement is embellished with a kind of hybrid Arabian-Moroccan-60's op art-Japanese-Renaissance-Aztec style decorative language. Which is great fun but took me a couple months.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Chinatown Soccer Club—what it is and how you got involved?

The Chinatown Soccer Club is a loosely organized pickup game that has been going down three to five mornings a week on the pitch in Chinatown NYC since about 2001. It is largely made up of creative types—designers, artists, architects, skateboarders, and photographers with a true passion for the sport. After I was introduced to the club by long time member Justin Fines, I was forced to undergo a series of physical challenges while answering rapid-fire soccer and art history trivia. It was harrowing, but I've never looked back.

In June we went to Eurocup 2008 in Vienna to promote the club and a shoe that Adidas made for the club. We assembled a clubhouse with photographs and framed classic CSC jerseys and I made a custom chinatown toile wallpaper for the exhibit space. It was an amazing trip and I thought was received quite well.

Do you have any upcoming projects or exhibitions you're working on?

I have plans to do a couple shows within the next year. One with a slew of less commercial wallpapers, and the other more sculptural. They're still in the incubator at this point, but I figure the more people I mention them to, the more motivated I'll be to follow through.

If you had it all to do over again in life, would you still pursue art?

This seems like a trick question. I've been incredibly lucky, and besides riches, I can think of nothing I've had to sacrifice to do exactly what I like every single day. Given the chance, I would pursue art earlier and more zealously.

Related links: www.danfunderburgh.com www.thoughtninjas.com www.12ozprophet.com/index.php/dan_funderburgh www.chinatownsoccerclub.com

News from Japan

UT GRAND PRIX 2009
UNIQLO’s annual T-shirt design competition since 2004, the 5th “UT Grand Prix” will call for entries from July 15th.
Submission Period: July 15th - September 21st, 2008
MORE INFO

AMUSE ARTJAM 2008
AMUSE ARTJAM, a new art competition by a Japanese agency for all-round entertainment “AMUSE”, will open calling for entries from August 1st.
Submission period: August 1st - 31st, 2008
MORE INFO

12TH JAPAN MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL
CG-ARTS Society with Agency for Cultural Affairs and The National Art Center, Tokyo will start calling for entries for 12th Japan Media Arts Festival.
Submission Period: July 17th - September 26th, 2008
MORE INFO

DOTMOV FESTIVAL 2008
Online magazine SHIFT presents DOTMOV Festival 2008, a digital film festival aiming to discover talented creators and provide them with an opportunity to show their works. Submission Period: September 20th, 2008
MORE INFO

SHIFT 2009 CALENDAR COMPETITION
Shift has been trying to offer artists many platforms to showcase their works online. The Shift calendar competition held from 2003 successively, pushes the boundaries between online and off line using a "calendar" as its medium.
Submission Period: September 10th, 2008
MORE INFO

Karim Rashid

New restaurant in Belgrade, Serbia : Majik Café. Designed by Karim Rashid

The dynamic patterned glass bar changes color and mood throughout the customer’s stay. Digital artwork made of RGB LED panels surround the bar. Check more pictures

R.E.M. Man-Sized Wreath

Man-Sized Wreath is the latest from Crush Toronto and is the follow-up to their Hollow Man video. To find out how Crush hooked-up with Michael Stipe and R.E.M., read the story here. Full credits and the scoop behind the Man-Sized Wreath video are here.

my toner weighs a ton

Gathered no wave and punk flyer miscellania.

Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy

New Video Clip from Midnight Juggernauts by Surface 2 Air

nasa site update | 2008

Argentinan Hernan Lombardo, has some great updates at nasaworks*

Source: nasa

ONcovered

Submit your sleeve designs with ONcovered, the latest project by Productiehuis ON and design agency Ontwerpatelier .

You are invited to create a record cover that is free of restrictions and other people's wishes and needs. After finishing your design, it is up to you who you think should be in the band and what the music should sound like. The style, atmosphere and attitude of the music is dictated by yourself as well. With this concept ONcovered reveals the sound and power of graphic design. It also means a radical new approach in the process of creating new music.

read more on ONcovered

Psyop uses 9,580 paper dolls in Converse music video

To celebrate its 100th anniversary Converse has released a music video for My Drive-Thru featuring Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Santogold, and Julian Casablancas. The video was created by Converse with partners including Anomaly, Cornerstone and the directing and animation talents of Psyop. Converse's press release is posted here, an interview with Psyop directors Marie Hyon & Marco Spier along with a selection of stills is posted here. and full credits are posted here.