Visualizing the Great Spill

This whole oil "spill" thing has made me stop and think about just how much stuff we "spill" onto the earth in general. There's a lot more being dumped into the oceans than just oil, unfortunately.

While the news has been pretty grim this year, ignorance won't help anyone. But sometimes it's pretty damn impossible to comprehend the magnitude of all that's going on. Thankfully we have artists like Chris Jordan who has taken the numbers and made art out of them, producing functional, educational and stimulating pieces that help bring it all to scale. His Running the Numbers exhibit showcases that while a photo is worth 1,000 words, it can also capture 106,000 aluminum cans.

Beware, Jordan might have you rethinking your own contribution to the Great Spill.

Sun Breaks

Last week got me down on humanity a bit. Adults lobbing racial and sexual slurs at each other over health care, priests abusing power and children, Palin telling her fans to go "reload." Sometimes when humans let me down, I search for beauty, light and art to remind me of how much greatness there is in the world. Just like a sun break on a rainy day, the right use of light and color can change your whole perspective. Here's to the sun breaks amidst the storm.

Multimedia artist Daniele Buetti manipulates photos, using wisely placed perforations on aluminum light boxes to take his art to a level of illuminated brilliance.




This video, done by a fan of Kanye's, is for of my favorite songs by Mr. West. It's a great thinking song. I appreciate this video for the symmetry between the music and visuals, allowing you to completely connect with the vibe of the song.

While I don't love this new song by Kelis, I will say that this video is a stunning blend of videography, color and movement. 

More New Erykah Off New Amerykah

Erykah produced by Madlib? Yes, please.




Cover art by Emek. Click here to see more of Emek's brilliance.

God and the Glock

Bay Area artist Al Farrow has an affinity for creating replications of various religious gathering spaces. This, of course, is not revolutionary. What is unconventional, however, is the medium he uses: gun parts. From the scope to the trigger, the handle to the bullets, the pins to the chamber, all pieces of the gun are utilized. Farrow doesn't offer much explanation as to the message behind his medium, but if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a synagogue, mosque or cathedral made from glock parts has to be worth at least that many.

Check out all his reliquaries here.

Study for Mosque Reliquary

Synagogue (II)

Trigger Finger of Santo Guerro VI

**Props to DShell for pointing me towards this amazing work. Go see his work in person at the deYoung in SF.

Playing With Perspective

Nothing catches your eye like a headless statue. Especially when it's intentionally headless. Yinka Shonibare MBE, a Nigerian British artist, uses headless figures to juxtapose the notion of traditional and multicultural, all while teaching us an interesting history lesson. Did you know that "traditional African fabric" was initially referred to as "Dutch wax cotton" because it was originally made in Holland? When the British couldn't find a market for the fabric in Europe, they took the fabric to Africa and sold it to Africans. There's actually nothing African about the fabric except that Africans have adopted it and re-appropriated it to the point it's become a symbol of African-ness. Shonibare's work is a fascinating representation of how identity is contingent upon the materials at hand, and that culture—even when claiming "tradition"—is always subject to evolution. Especially when colonialism is involved.

How To Blow Two Heads Up At Once

Scrambling for Africa

Impossibly Possible

Remember back in the day when your science teacher told you that humans only use 10% of our brains? Well, that's being debated now, but when I see something like this I can't help but think there's some truth to it. No matter what you believe, I think we can all agree that not many brains can do what Stephen Wiltshire's can. Stephen's mind works like a camera, allowing him to fly over a major city and take a "mental snap shot" that he then uses to recreate entire skylines by memory. So far he's recreated Tokyo, New York, Jerusalem, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong and Rome. Next time someone tells you something's impossible, direct them to Stephen Wiltshire's website, have them watch one of his videos and watch their jaw drop. He even gets the number of windows right in all the buildings. Yeah, I know. Some things you just have to see to believe.

Spirit enlarged

Sometimes we can all use a little perspective. French photographer JR brings his subjects to life by mounting them in unlikely places. Check out his site for full array of perspective and watch his video to see the motive behind the medium.

TRAILER " WOMEN ARE HEROES"
Uploaded by JR. - Arts and animation videos.