Weekend WTF. Nightmare fuel.

Only two posts in one month is an all time low... in before the end of 2011 with a delightful Weekend WTF. Or: "Meanwhile, in David Lynch's unconscious."

Reached a million!

Huzzah! http://youtu.be/iIq89Fftrd4

Dennis Moore

Monty Python clip of the week is making a guest appearance here again with the classic "Dennis Moore" bit. I love John Cleese's casual naturalistic acting in this.

List of Fictional Diseases

This List of Fictional Diseases on Wikipedia is very interesting and could probably form the basis for some interesting artistic projects.

(Via BoingBoing)

Lichtspiel Mutation 1: Whitechapel

I finally (finally!) got around to uploading the piece I wrote for the Unsound festival in Kraków last year. This version is based on a recording of the rehearsal with the Sinfonietta Cracovia the day before the actual performance, and has been painstakingly edited, processed and tarted up to sound as good as possible, along with the electronic music track which is loosely based on audio from the original film.

Long story short: The work is based on an old "Jack the Ripper" film from 1953, "Man in the Attic". I've used footage and audio from the film and then remixed it into something completely different, and on top of this I've composed a score for 45-piece string orchestra. The resulting work is way more abstract than the actual film it's based on, more suggestive and dreamlike. I've slowed down the footage and utilized extreme contrast and darkness to create something more like a 'shadow play', if you catch my drift.

I'm planning on making more works in the "Lichtspiel Mutations" series, all based on old films in the public domain but hopefully they'll all be very different and for different constellations. My next planned 'mutation' will probably be for solo violin, electronic music and animation. Looking forward to that!

Das Ding

Soon to be released, the prequel of The Thing, the John Carpenter movie from 1982. And the director is a Dutchman! Matthijs van heijningen has made some pretty entertaining commercials and I love his entrepreneurship. He just took off to chase his dream in Hollywood and got the opportunity to make a tribute to his favorite movie. Good luck to you Matthijs!




and some commercials, very filmy:

Alan Moore interviews Brian Eno

This is a radio interview from 2005. I've always enjoyed hearing Alan Moore speaking, and I've always enjoyed hearing Brian Eno speaking. So what could be better than the two of them in conversation? 28 mins. Enjoy!

http://n3ta.com/radio/?p=46

via Coilhouse

atelier olschinsky

See more of these very inspiring images at atelier olschinsky! I particulalrly like the "cities" and "metamorphosen" galleries.

Weekend WTF

Yes.

YES. The eminent chamber quartet The Peärls Before Swïne Experience, who commissioned "Odboy & Erordog episode 2" a couple of years back, has now secured funding to commission episode 3 as well as an introductory prologue to ep. 2 to create a 'triptych' for quartet, film and electronic music that they will bring on the road. Furthermore, it will be promoted by the Swedish Film Institute, so chances are good it'll reach out to a decent audience. Very happy about this; happy about working with them again, and happy to revisit the world of Odboy & Erordog once more!


Celebrate with me by rewatching the first two episodes:

Amer (2010)

This is apparently a 2010 film made in the style of a 1970's 'giallo' film, i.e. Dario Argento, Mario Bava... Love the poster and the trailer seems intriguing enough...

Weekend WTF (and 200th post, hooray!)

Last wednesday's weirdo film was the Japanese 1977 WTF-fest 'Hausu' -- a film unlike anything anyone has ever seen, ever. This scene in particular found its way to my heart. Enjoy! (And here's to the next 200 posts.)

Wesley Allsbrook

Hey Guys,
since I've been working in my studio I don't spend so much time surfing the internet anymore, which has reduced my posting and commenting on our blog... NOT GOOD! I'll be catching up, keep my contribution alive. For now; meet Wesley Allsbrook. Great dynamic work with a lot of energy, lovely looseness and a sweet mix of digital and traditional media. 

Kilian Eng

Just discovered Kilian Eng, a swedish guy (I guess) who just graduated from theUniversity College of Arts in Stockholm (Konstfack).

Very inspiring stuff, check it out: http://dwdesign.tumblr.com/

Weekend WTF: Ninja Terminator

Olivier Schrauwen: The Man Who Grew His Beard

Berlin-based Belgian comic book artist Olivier Schrauwen created one of my favourite recent comic books, the Winsor-McCay-meets-Eraserhead-ish "My Boy", published in 2008. I've been waiting for more than a year to read his latest opus, which up to this date hasn't been available in English.

But now, according to Amazon.de, "The Man Who Grew His Beard" will be available next week in glorious comprehensible English for non-flemish buffoons like myself. So looking forward to this, I can hardly wait!

Harry Smith: Heaven and Earth Magic

The first 9 minutes from Harry Smith's 1962 film "Heaven and Earth Magic". I find this absolutely amazing. Read more about Harry Smith here.

Weekend WTF: プリルラ ステージ3

As one YouTube commenter puts it; once again the Japanese have outjapanesed themselves. I'd like to play this game.

Weekend WTF: Microsoft Songsmith

If THIS was a finely crafted satire of how painfully awkward, oblivious and unhip Microsoft's marketing tends to be, I would've applauded it. Unfortunately, it seems like it's just plain painfully awkward, oblivious and unhip Microsoft marketing.

UPDATE: Here's a wonderful parody of the above.

Sam Bosma

Look at Sam Bosma's work. Awesome! Also don't forget the sketchbook section...

Weekend WTF: Going to the Store

Via Coilhouse.

Jerry Williams: Number One

Ever since I was a kid back in the 1980s, I've seen Swedish rock'n'roller Jerry Williams as something of a pathetic, chubby, middle-aged rocker trying to relive the 1950's in the most embarrasing way. And truthfully, I still feel that way about him to some degree.

But I have to admit that this video and song -- from 1963, way before I was born -- has got to be one of the most wonderful songs and videos ever to come out of Sweden. Both unintentionally silly and unintenionally nightmarish, it has a hypnotic, dream-like David Lynch quality to it that transcends the sum of its parts and becomes something absolutely sublime. I love it.

Upcoming Digital Drawing Tool

This seems really interesting and I think everyone here could find a use for it... The Wacom Inkling will be sold at the end of September for € 169,90. Check out the ad:

Weekend WTF

Happy b-day, Aphex!

Ok, I missed it by one day, but nevertheless: one of my biggest musical and artistic inspirations, electronica artist Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin, turned 40 yesterday. I thank thee for thine legacy, here's to a long and healthy life.

For those unaccustomed to his work, check out this short film directed by Chris Cunningham:

(Monster)Movieposter art of Reynold Brown!

Check out this documentary on Reynold Brown, it is a must see for illustrators and a great film for everyone else interested in monstermovies and monstermovieposters. Awesome!

Tadanori Yokoo

Described by some as the 'Japanese Andy Warhol', Tadanori Yokoo is apparently one of Japan's most successful and internationally recognized graphic designers and artists, but I had unfortunately not heard of him before. Just found an article and some of his images online, and I'm very interested in pursuing more of his work. It seems like he fuses 'traditional' Japanese art and print with Gilliamesque collage and Heinz Edelmann-like illustrations, and I really like the results. Note to self: pursue further.

Weekend WTF

Terry Gilliam's animation craft

This wonderful clip shows a Python-era Terry Gilliam explaining his cut-out animation craft, as used in the Monty Python's Flying Circus series. I've always wondered how he was able to make such fantastically beautiful (lo-fi, but stunningly beautiful) animation with such limited resources, and I was delighted to find this clip, which explains the process in full. The beginning of the clip is a bit tedious but starting at the 4:20 mark we get into the actual hands-on process -- both the simplicity and the tenacity of it. Simply genius.



Via Coilhouse.

Daniel Castan

The use of color and contrast in this somewhat impressionistic manner really impress and interest me. At the moment I'm also very curious how far you can actually push a realistic painting into the abstract spectrum before it just becomes abstract. I think Daniel have found the perfect balance here.

More paintings:

http://www.castan-daniel.odexpo.com/

Weekend WTF: Spookies (1986) trailer

If we can find this movie, it'll definitely be a good contender for a future wednesday horror film evening.

Bas Jan Ader

Bas Jan Ader is the second artist that I present today, that inspired me a lot at a turning point, just in the phase, when I stopped painting and was approaching more conceptual art.
To me it's one of those artists, that seems to express exactly what you're feeling, like meeting something familiar, that was already there, that just had to be uncovered, something that you think you knew already from before.
I realised then, that making art can be also something that needs no skills and that stories can be told in a total different way and still make sense and touch you.

Bas Jan Ader worked mainly with photography and video work. Being a part of the whole conceptual art movement in the late 60ies, early 70ies, his art is dealing with failing and falling.
He was the founder of the "Gravity Art", what's about giving yourself over to Gravity, to let go (of your control) and to find and define this one moment and turn it into eternity. His works have titles like "Fall I", Fall II", "Broken Fall (Organic)", Broken Fall (Geometric).
Born in 1942 in a village in the Netherlands, he moved to USA in the 60ies where he was studying art and starting his carrier. Unfortunately his Oevre is not very big, since he died (or disappeared) already in 1975, during his last project "In search of the miraculous", a try to sail over the Atlantic Ocean in a really tiny boat, to go back to Holland. It was planned to be a Trilogy. The first part showed the preparations for the trip, the last part should be his arrival in Holland. Apparently he died on the trip, even if his body was never found and the circumstances of the trip were quite mysterious. He might have planned his death or his disappaerence, but it's staying unclear. But nevertheless, this work can be seen as a masterpiece in a row of art works dealing with failing and falling and the romantic strive towards the unreachable horizon.

Remedios Varo

Today I want to present two artists, (very different ones) that kind of inspired me in different life phases and funny enough, that I saw much later in Mexico-City at the same day (in two different solo shows).
Here's the First one: Remedios Varo, a (post-) surrealistic painter from Spain, being part of the circle among Max Ernst, and later immigrating to Mexico.
When I first saw her picture "Solar Music" (the first one below), at the age of fourteen or so, I fell instantly in love with it. As far as I remember, I even ripped the side out of the book, that I borrowed from library, just to own the picture, and it made me also want to create things like that.
Well, now after all that time, I still like her stuff, even if I changed a lot and I think now, that her style is a bit too "mannieristisch" (mannered?) and kitschy for my taste. But I like the subtle humor and the hidden stories in her paintings, especially together with the titles ("Vegetarian Vampires" is just such a great idea, or "Exploring the source of the Orinoco"),
and of course she still has a special place in my heart, being one of my earliest inspirations :)

If you want, google for her name, she did a lot stuff.

Great Stephen Fry interview

No matter who you are or what you do, Stephen Fry is very difficult not to like. In this fascinating 30 minute interview he's discussing Star Trek, his Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression), jail, Douglas Adams' "42" question, and much more. Just listening to him speak is a pleasure in and of itself. It's worth it!

Happy b-day, Jenjen!

This one's for you.
¨

“Surrender, or I’ll release the lesbians”

I found this animation and it the original post said it is awesome. I saw it was 17 minutes and was about to let it pass. SEVENTEEN MINUTES! CRAP, AS IF I CAN FOCUS FOR THAT LONG!!!! I've got many more websites to browse on this lazy sunday afternoon, slightly hung over, before I start doing something constructive today. But it really is worth it. You might even want to see it twice, that would be 34 minutes. Crazy.

The External World from David OReilly on Vimeo.

Happy b-day, Grandert!

This one's for you.

Andrew Hem

I love these paintings! Andrew Hem makes such awesome use of the material, great vibrant colors and superb loose style. He comes from a graffity background, but made it to the regular fineart galleries. There is also a lovely sketchbook section on his website and more high resolution close-up snapshots of his paintings on the blog. I'd love to see some originals of those paintings, I'm sure the detail and texture must be stunning.


click to enlarge!

Alan Moore Interview

I just found a one and a half hour interview with Alan Moore from 2007, on resonance.fm. It's a very interesting listen and I think I'll have to listen to it all over again at least once.

During the course of the interview, Moore discusses (of course) his comics, his thoughts about art and magic (and why they're the same thing), and why low-budget B-movies are more imaginative and magical than big-budget blockbusters. And much more. He's a fascinating person indeed.


You can download the interviews in three parts here:
Part one
Part two
Part three

...or listen through Youtube, part one of nine starts here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNLwTwVbkng

Data Is Nature

I don't really know anything about this blog, just discovered it by accident, but it seems interesting enough! I think especially Jenjen might be interested in the aesthetics and concepts? www.dataisnature.com

Weekend WTF: Peter Serafinowicz

WTF?

Westpakete - Heaven And Hell Machine in a box

I finally finished my Art Care Package today: Heaven And Hell Machine in a box :)
For the project "Westpakete" - initiated by friends of mine, the artist group "Microwesten" - 50 artists were asked to create their own version of an Art Care Package"/"Art West Package". This is mine: A (much) smaller version of my recent installation "Heaven And Hell Machine".

Here you can also see a little slight show of all the different packages.

Nice trick or great work?

I came across these cool portraits by Gium Tió Zarraluki and I think they are really cool. They have a lot of expression and a weird feel to them. I only noticed after a while that they are painted on magazinecovers and parts of the faces are leftovers from the underlying phtographs. This partly makes them so weird, but it also makes the works less special I think. On one hand I like the idea of distorting the 'perfect' portraits on glossy magazines, on the other hand by doing it over and over again it might become a trick. I wonder if the works are created from a certain feeling or from the posibilities the original image offers. Probably both. But i'd like to see what happens if those characters would be recomposed, interact together and become more than a funny portrait. Still very inspiring work all together! Here's lots of 'm!

Weekend WTF: Ittma Hohah

Ok, here's a Swedish classic from 1947 (edit: the song is from '47, this film clip is from 1956)... Povel Ramel in yellowface performing his song about Ittma Hohah Om Butn Baba, self-tormentor. I put it under the WTF header especially for those of you who don't speak Swedish, for whom it must be quite the incomprehensible mindfuck... but I couldn't resist providing a (rough, flawed and 'liberty-taking') translation of the lyrics below. Enjoy!

Wherever my skinny body is shipped,
it does not need protection,
I can withstand all of life's pains

Of all the people I know,
nasty neighbours and enemies,
no one can torment me like I can.

For I am Ittma Hohah Om Butn Baba, self-tormentor
and I come all the way from Chitn Potn Bah,
just south of Potn Chitn Buh, in India

It would take several days to list all I can suffer
Every saturday I burn myself at the stake
I eat glass and I love soup made out of nails
In my breakfast sandwich I put arsenic

For I am Ittma Hohah Om Butn Baba, self-tormentor
and I like it better here than in Chitn Potn Bah,
just south of Potn Chitn Buh, in India

I was going to show you two or three of my favourite tricks
but at the moment my cobra, who bites, has a cold
my fire breathing technique is very refined
but at the moment my throat is ruined from hard liquor

So you won't get to see any tricks today, cause I'm not feeling well
But if you doubt me, then you can all go to Chitn Potn Bah,
just south of Potn Chitn Buh, in India

Botlek

Meet illustrator par excellence Daan Botlek. He studied in Rotterdam too, a few years before me, and you'd meet him every now and then at the bars, always with his sketchbook ready, no matter how late or drunk. He never felt comfortable in the 'classic' illustration business, he was more of an autonomous illustrator and over the years he has devellopped a very unique and recognisable style. His drawings look simple, but are extremely complex. The clear lines and subtle use of shading, combined with a great sence of composition reveal a huge knowledge of form and shape. He can be funny in a slapstickish way, but also graphicly intelligent like Escher. Who knows one day he will be the next Escher. Or the first worldfamous Botlek maybe? He has tons of work on his flickr, his website doesn't seem to work right now. Enjoy!






click to enlarge!