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

One & Other

The public in Trafalgar Square London recently began a new project where each individual can be part of the living statue. Here’s how it works, every hour for 100 days different people will be hoisted up onto a plinth that stands about 6.7 metres high, and each person can do whatever they like in this time.

I’ve not had much time to think about the project but I imagine it’s just for a bit of fun, and is trying to bring people together. The plinth has been housing contemporary art works for the past ten years, and was vacant prior to 1999 so Antony Gormley’s took it upon himself to use this space as a tool. The ‘One and Other’ project began on 6th July and involves 2,400 members of the public being chosen randomly from 18,000 applicants to create this piece of art, if you can call it that!

Members of the public are able to have their ‘15 minutes of fame [x4]’ on this plinth and can show off any talents they have, singing, drawing, acting etc with an audience present.

I think the concept of using people in a public place this way is creative and dramatic, along with giving individuals the opportunity to be creative and make a name for themselves. The audience will not know what to expect from each statue, but gives them the chance to discover the different people living in their community. Sheer entertainment seems like another good reason for starting a project like this, and I think it’s only inevitable that somebody will eventually get on this plinth naked and try to steal the show!

*Photograph taken by Peter Macdiarmid

Sure, For A Price That Won't Make You Sweat.

Sure anti-perspirant deodorant has a new campaign to promote its product to the consumer in the harsh times of the credit crunch. I only noticed the Point of sale during my shift at work [Tesco] and thought I'd show you the concept that Sure have gone with.













The Unilever company Sure may have seen a drop in sales over the past year due to consumers buying cheaper brands, so want to change the customers perception of their well known brand with this campaign.

The strap line used 'Confidence, for a price that won't make you sweat' is interesting because it incorporates this idea of price [along with the image] yet still includes the purpose for using an anti-perspirant.

The RRP of a 150ml Sure aerosol can is £1.73 and together the coins make up this figure [not that we can tell]. The TV ad uses the same concept, created by ad agency Lowe London, and shows the coins falling to make up a deodorant can.

I think the concept is good, and does well to get this idea of price across and still focus on the products core purpose. The campaign is clean and refreshing, which represents their brand and what Sure deodorants are about. However, the campaign seems to be going overlooked, and the public aren't really noticing what Sure are trying to do. I've probably seen the ad on TV a dozen times but didn't take much notice until I did some research into it, and watched it online. The campaign is missing something - the shock factor, and in times when deodorant brands [Lynx etc.] are trying innovative and unique ideas, Sure has stuck to something quite regular and simple which I think may be the wrong way to go.

Blackrod Scarecrow Festival 2009

I know it was a while ago, but on the weekend of the 4th July, I decided to finish work early and visit the annual scarecrow festival in Blackrod which my work mates were talking about.

Others did not think much of the event and didn't seem that interested to be honest but I just thought I'd check it out and see for myself. Obviously the idea was about having fun for the people making the scarecrows, and for the public enjoying the event. It attracted a great deal of visitors and let people show off their skills too!

The scarecrow above, Liam Gallagher, was a major highlight of the event because it looked just like him! I'm not sure what materials were used to create the scarecrow but I loved the attention to detail they had put in, particularly the Stella can by his right foot! It kind of reminded me of the wax models that are in the Blackpool Waxwork Museum so it maybe worth a visit.

Unfortunately I only caught the event nearing the end, and it was beginning to rain so many scarecrows had been taken down. However I did a little research online and saw some other photos that shows how good some of the scarecrows were. The techniques and media used to create the scarecrows were all different, along with the way the creators dressed and styled them. There didn't seem to be two of the same character so it was good to see that people were being creative when thinking of who to base there scarecrow on. Enjoy!

Bolton's Got Talent

Whilst browsing through the Bolton News last week I saw that Bolton University were hosting an art exhibition entitled 'Bolton's Got Talent'. The exhibition was used to display the best A Level and GCSE artwork from local schools including Canon Slade, Bolton School and Smithills etc. I thought visiting the exhibition would be a good opportunity to see the standard of work coming from schools these days, and I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised! The quality of work was amazing, and some of the concepts along with the various mediums used were brilliant. The different ideas and techniques that I saw were good to see in such young people, and I could see that many of them were not constrained to boundaries that more experienced designers are. Not only were the ideas fresh and innocent, but some of the drawing and fine art abilities were top class. Particularly the pastel drawing of the Joker from one of my favourite films Batman: The Dark Knight.














These graphic artist skills show real potential, and it doesn't stop at that. I saw some brilliant scumbles and a textiles project that really caught my eye, where the pupil had created food for a tea party totally out of textile materials. At first glance I thought it was real food but after a closer look I could see how different materials had been used to make food. It was clear how much detail and effort had been put in to make the cakes and chocolates etc. look genuine.

The skills that these young people have show real potential, and hopefully they'll get the grades they deserve. It is good to see that art and design is still booming and that ideas and design work are improving all the time. During my own school time, the standard of work was nowhere near this level so who knows where it will be in 5 years time!