Obama Joker

For those of you who’ve seen Batman: The Dark Knight you’ll understand how shocking the Joker was in the film, and he had the ability to cause anarchy and disruption in Gotham City. Played by the late Heath Ledger, Joker has now been associated with Americas President Obama in a new viral poster campaign.

The first sighting of the poster was on an LA highway overpass, but since then it has become an online hit by photographs appearing in news websites, blogs and magazines. The controversial poster of President Obama includes the Jokers key attributes; white face paint, dark eye shadow, smudged lipstick and cuts on his lips. The reworked photograph is accompanied by the word ‘Socialism’ written below Obamas’ face and it’s hard to miss because the lettering is that big!

Nobody has come forward to take credit for this creation and no one has explained the theory behind it leaving individuals to come to their own conclusions. This has led to further interpretations of this image [more scenes from the film compared to Obama etc] being spawned showing this poster has become a successful piece of marketing.

The Joker made a massive impact when Heath Ledger portrayed him in The Dark Knight, and this has been transferred into this image of Obama. I think the significant feature that has made the Obama Joker a sensation is the shock and mystery behind the photograph. Who made it, why did they make it and why the Joker?

The Mona Lisa Coffee Cups

This impressive tribute to The Mona Lisa has been created using 3,604 cups of coffee and 564 pints of milk. The milk was used to produce the different shades of sepia for the coffee by adding a little, or lot of milk. The iconic painting has been brought to life with this strategy, and it seems to have made the project fun and unique so that it appeals to more members of the public.

The completed project has generated a pixel effect that is very intricate and detailed, and furthermore has caught people’s eyes at The Rocks Aroma Festival in Sydney. Not only did each cup have to make a different shade, but had to be filled up to a specific level. Can you believe it only took 3 hours to complete!









*Photograph from www.telegraph.co.uk
*Picture from www.bbc.co.uk/science

Who's Wathcing the Watchmen?

I went to see the highly anticipated movie Watchmen when it came out in March of this year. The film is based on the original graphic novel by Alan Moore, and was directed by Zack Snyder [300]. I was really excited to see this movie because of one; I was impressed by the graphic style of the trailers that were released, and secondly, I enjoyed Alan Moores ‘V for Vendetta’.

With high expectations I was expecting to see a brilliant, intriguing and well put together movie, but instead I got the total opposite. From what I can remember about the film, I just didn’t feel that I got totally engaged with the idea of superheroes being normal part of life, and I just didn’t understand the alternate world. The visuals were excellent but the majority of these can be seen on the trailers, and some of the scenes got a bit too clichéd and overworked for my liking. Another key element to making a great film is the score, which was so inappropriate and I believe just did not fit the style of the film. The Watchmen seemed very ‘bitty’ and it was obvious that scenes were pulled directly from the graphic novel, which may have looked good on paper, but do not flow very well on the big screen. The film is about two and half hours long and honestly, it felt longer!

However I am always willing to experience things again and have borrowed the DVD from a friend, along with the graphic novel. Whilst just browsing through the graphic novel it’s pretty clear what Zack Snyder tried to do with the Watchmen movie, and how close he tried to keep it to the originality of the book. I can see pictures in the book that look the same as what is on screen, so it maybe more of an interesting read. The novel seems much more fascinating and captivating, as if it will pull you into the world of the Watchmen so I am hoping that this will redeem my view of the Watchmen franchise. I will keep you posted!

*Picture from www.themovingpicture.net

Mehndi

I was thinking about the world body painting festival and it kind of reminded me of a Hindu tradition called Mehndi. Mehndi uses henna paste as temporary paint and is applied on various occasions including weddings, Diwali and family get togethers. Henna is a flowering plant that is used for Mehndi as body art, but can also be used as a hair dye. Once applied, the henna stains the skin within a few moments and gradually develops a reddy-brownish colour until it hits its peak, then it begins to fade. One coat lasts about 7-10 days.

I’ve not seen the paint being applied myself but some of the outcomes are very intricate and detailed, and the fact that the paint develops a variety of shades throughout its life means it looks different at different times. This is what I believe separates itself from a tattoo, and the obvious fact that it’s not permanent!

The art of Mehndi has been around for years and I think it takes a lot of creativity to draw these diverse designs, along with talent and years of practice. When I’ve seen Mehndi at weddings and Hindu festivals I’ve never had the chance to look closely at the designs, but when Diwali comes around again [which is soon] I’ll try to watch some being applied and keep track of the colour changes.
*Photograph from www.nishamehndi.co.uk

World Body Painting Festival

The ‘World Body Painting Festival 2009’ ended a couple of weeks ago in Austria. The celebration has been fashioned to promote the art of body painting, support artists all over the world and finally to encourage fair trade between artists and companies. It has been around since October 2001 and involves a show that mixes music, dance, choreography and a circus to parade the body designs. The competition is distinguished by categories; brush-sponge, airbrush, special effects, fluoro effects and face painting then results are giving based on 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners.

The idea is for professional body painters or painters who paint for a hobby to show off their skills and be appreciated for their talents. By looking at pictures of some models online, it’s clear that there’s a multitude of talented artists that take part in the event and have been given a good opportunity to show the public what they are capable of. The style of each model depends on the medium, what you can do with that medium and what sort of effect you desire.

The brilliant feature of the festival is that the association holds an academy to help people develop skills so that they are able to body paint and eventually take part in the festival. The academy includes painting and airbrushing workshops, lectures and demos and special effects therefore individuals can be given the basic skills and then cultivate their own style. It’s difficult to tell you what different designs appear in the festival so it’s worth having a look at the website.
http://www.bodypainting-festival.com/

Rockpool

Today I went to see the ‘Rockpool’ exhibition in Bolton Market Place by the Neoartists, and also find a little more about this group of artists/designers that have come together.

Basically, the Neoartists are a group of about thirty artists which consists of painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers etc who enjoy fine art and design, and want to show the public their work. The members come from a variety of backgrounds; the majority are students from Bolton University and others from industry, schools, or just individuals who are passionate about art. A donated space within Bolton Market Place is used to exhibit and sell their work, along with trying to promote the group and used to spread the word. To find out more check the groups’ website out www.neoartists.co.uk.

The work I saw at the exhibition today was very diverse, yet interesting! Even though there was lots of inspired and exceptional work in the exhibition, there were two particular works that caught my eye, first was the cubist style painting below by Lita Narayan ‘Go For Gold’.

The painting is pretty explosive and combines a range of mixed media on canvas. It seems to have this mirrored effect occurring throughout the image, and comes across as an exciting scumble that is quite geometric. The colour palette choice meant the piece stood out in the exhibition like a sore thumb [which is good thing!] The mixture of gold and red gives me the impression of class and value, making the work more sophisticated and suave. The price tag of ‘Go For Gold’ is £375.

The second composition was created by Janine Williamson entitled ‘Resonance of Memory’ and is a thought provoking piece of work. The ceramic project uses 42 porcelain boxes on a table that each contain either text or image on the front, and an item inside. I think the concept behind the design was that the images and items are there to remind you of a time when you used these items [for example a photo of a bike].

The piece is very interactive, and whilst I was in the studio two children came in and started looking at different boxes. This eventually led to each of them talking about events where they used these items in life and brought back memories from the past. For this reason I thought this work would be ideal for a school environment, and the style of the design allows the porcelain boxes to be altered by giving users the freedom to reveal to different items. However, for a home situation it may not be as practical and will ultimately become boring.

Finding out about the Neoartists was a valuable experience for me, and I give these artists credit for promoting themselves as a team and bringing art and design to the public eye in Bolton. Who knows, if I feel in the near future I have the calibre to produce work like these artists, you may see my work being exhibited in Bolton!

Swine Flu 'Patient Zero' Lives Forever

With the issue of swine flu hitting the headlines everyday, Mexico have chose to make a bold move by erecting a statue from the originator of the epidemic, the one and only little Edgar Hernandez!

Manufactured by Mexican sculptor Bernardo Luis Artasanchez little Edgar measures 4 feet high and weighs in at 70 kg. Apparently created at the petition of the Veracruz [home of Edgar] authorities, the statue represents Mexico defeating the virus and subsequently attracting more tourists.

Hmmm, don’t think I agree with the reasoning behind the statue and whether it will benefit Mexico, but I do understand the victory over the virus theory. Although, I’m pretty certain Edgar Hernandez will not want to be remembered in his home town as swine flu patient zero, let alone by tourists that visit Mexico as well!

The Mexican tourist commerce is suffering since swine flu has emerged, but surely this is not the direction to go to attract tourists again! Maybe focusing on how Mexico has returned to a normal life after the outbreak would be a wiser concept, but encouraging tourists to visit Mexico to see a statue? I’m not convinced.
*Photograph from www.mirror.co.uk