A Book Is Born

I’ve always loved printing and binding. Long before I loved technology I loved printing postcards, season brochures for arts organizations, program books for performing arts events. There is something about the feel of paper, the smell of ink and the subtle imperfections that indicate a printed piece was assembled by hand. 

Let us end the week with a beautiful video by Glen Milner for The Daily Telegraph, shot at Smith-Settle Printers, Leeds, England.

A short vignette of a book being created using traditional printing methods. For the Daily Telegraph. Shot at Smith-Settle Printers, Leeds, England. The book being printed is Suzanne St Albans’ 'Mango and Mimosa' published as part of the Slightly Foxed series. Shot, Directed & Edited by Glen Milner

(via The New Yorker)

Art In The Era Of The Internet: The Impact of Kickstarter, Creative Commons & Creators Project

The internet has intensified connections between people across the planet. In this episode we take a look at the impact of this new interconnectivity on the art world. Traditional funding models are dissolving, new forms of expressing ownership have arisen to accomodate for remix culture, and artists are finding ways to connect physical art experiences and traditions to the internet.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am loving what PBS is doing with their online series. And here is episode two of the second season of Off Book. 

The internet has intensified connections between people across the planet. In this episode they take a look at the impact of this new interconnectivity on the art world. Traditional funding models are dissolving, new forms of expressing ownership have arisen to accomodate for remix culture, and artists are finding ways to connect physical art experiences and traditions to the internet. In the digital era, the experience of art from the perspective of the artist and the art audience is shifting rapidly, and bringing more people into the creative process. 

Featuring:

Yancey Strickler, Co-Founder of Kickstarter
Lawrence Lessig, Co-Founder of Creative Commons
Ciel Hunter, Creative Director of Creators Project
Julia Kaganskiy, Editor of Creators Project

Previously:

Animated GIFs: The Birth of a Medium
Off Book Series One: The Complete Series

The PBS Renaissance, Mario Bros. and Surrealist Art

It would be easy to think that when I say PBS is having a renaissance that I mean the recent success of tv shows like Downton Abbey and Sherlock. Yes, Downton Abbey had better ratings than many cable darlings, including Mad Men and the truly clever modernization of Sherlock Holmes has led to CBS launching their own version of the Holmes stories, with Lucy Lui cast in the role of Watson for a twist. 

But the renaissance I am talking about is how PBS has embraced the internet. For more than a year PBS.org has been the home to some fantastically produced online-only programming that enhances the vision and mission of the tv channel exploring relevant cultural and technological themes and ideas in ways that would not necessarily make sense on the tv channel. 

Until the end of the month they are hosting the PBS Online Film Festival. They have already produced a season of Off Book, an original series that expands on the definition of art, and have released the first episode of the second season. Recently they launched the Idea Channel, a new show that examines the connections between pop culture, technology and art. Watch the premiere episode below: 

We all know who the Mario Brothers are but have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? Like you've never seen or heard of them before? They're bananas! There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses!

We all know who the Mario Brothers are but have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? Like you’ve never seen or heard of them before? Pause for a second and don’t think about the gameplay you remember fondly. Think about it. There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses. There are bullets with faces. Mario Bros is not just a game or nostalgic memories of playing with friends, Mario Bros is surreal art at its best. Surreal art you can play. 

Hosted by Mike Rugnetta
Made by Kornhaber Brown 

(Thank you Lisa Romagnoli for the introduction to the series.)

Your Brain On Fiction

Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life.

Researchers have long known that the “classical” language regions, like Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, are involved in how the brain interprets written words. What scientists have come to realize in the last few years is that narratives activate many other parts of our brains as well, suggesting why the experience of reading can feel so alive. Words like “lavender,” “cinnamon” and “soap,” for example, elicit a response not only from the language-processing areas of our brains, but also those devoted to dealing with smells.

The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction by Annie Murphy Paul, NYTimes.com

The more we study the brain the more we realize that it does not make distinctions between reading and watching, between thinking an experience and having it in real life. The same parts of the brain are stimulated. The same has been discovered about empathy, when we see others in pain, the areas of the brain that would be active if we were suffering from the pain become active as well.

The more we study the brain the more obvious it becomes that the role of art, written or otherwise, is to educate us on how to handle experiences that we would not normally encounter. To educate us by allowing us to see the world from someone else’s point of view. 

Ballet In Advertising

Uploaded by stussyzzang on 2011-10-15.

The Korea National Ballet advertising the newly available in Korea Levi’s Stretch Jean. (via designtaxi.com)

Two brands using ballet in their advertising to demonstrate product benefits. And while the spots are beautiful they come infused with a touch of irony, given how difficult it is actually to market ballet as an art form to the masses. 

The Levi’s ad reminds me of the the must-see documentary Pina a tribute to choreographer Pina Bausch directed by Wim Wenders.

AUSTRALIAN RELEASE DATE: 18 August 2011 OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.hopscotchfilms.com.au/films/coming-soon/pina-movie/ PINA is a feature-length dance film in 3D with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer Pina Bausch, who died in the summer of 2009.

“Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost.” Pina Bausch