BOOK TRAILERS

"A new niche has now joined the ranks of the many already filled by short film: the so-called book trailer. Book trailers are used to market books online. The idea is to convey an impression of the book’s content and overall mood, a kind of visual blurb and book cover in one. The best of them also happen to be good short films."

(Source: http://www.shortfilm.de/en/short-film-magazine/topic.html) 

Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Maus, creator of Wacky Packs and the Garbage Pail Kids, and father of the modern graphic novel (though hes still demanding a blood test), presents this warts-and-all reproduction of his private sketchbooks — and the results are as candid, sharp, and funny as the relentlessly innovative man behind them. BE A NOSE! is a rare glimpse into the secret scribblings of an American original.

Enjoy!

VINTAGE TV COMMERCIALS FROM NORWAY

In Norway they have a movie site called Filmarkivet.no which is a VOD service. But unlike most other VOD services Filmarkivet.no is partly held by the Norwegian Film Institute. This means that some of the content can be streamed for free just like NFB.ca (the website with the free Canadian films..posted some days ago). 

Check out Norwegian vintage tv commercials here (GRATIS means free)

Enjoy! 

FREE CANADIAN FILMS

"NFB.ca is the National Film Board of Canada’s online Screening Room. We have nearly 1500 films, clips and trailers online, free for personal use and on a subscription basis for schools and institutions.


Our collection includes documentaries, animations, experimental films and fiction. We showcase films that take a stand on issues of global importance that matter to Canadians – stories about the environment, human rights, international conflict, the arts and more."

(Source: http://www.nfb.ca/about/)

Enjoy!

 

THE ALPHABET

'The Alphabet' from n9ve on Vimeo.


" An animated short by Alessandro Novelli features morphing letters of the alphabet—each letter in the sequence represents the first letter of a type of font."


(Source: blogcatalog.com/blog/visual-culture)


Enjoy!

VINTAGE PR FILM FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY

As a devastated Japan continues to struggle with the damage to its nuclear facilities, several other nations have begun reconsidering their nuclear policies. Germany, for example, has temporarily closed down seven aging nuclear reactors, and other countries (including Russia, China, and the US) have announced checks of their own safety standards.
Cynics might suggest that these announcements are calculated less to make substantive changes than to calm a frightened public, and attempts to manage perceptions of the atom’s volatile powers are nothing new. They began immediately after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The video above, produced by General Electric in 1952, was one of many Atomic Energy “PR films” designed to sway public opinion in favor of this profitable and powerful new energy resource. (Coincidentally, GE built the Fukushima reactor that’s now in deep trouble.)


A is for Atom was a huge hit — it won several honors, including a special prize at the Venice Film Festival and a Merit Award from Scholastic Teacher. In some ways those honors were deserved. The movie is a sprightly cartoon with cheerful narration and explanations of some difficult physics, even as it avoids any engagement with the dark sides of nuclear energy. In fact, the whole message boils down to a reassurance that the atom’s massive potential is all “within man’s command.”


(Source: www.openculture.com)




Enjoy!

The future is here...according to the founders of Qwiki

Try the information experience here


Enjoy!

Ways of Advertising

A lot of people spend a lot of time trying to come up with ideas that will make you buy all kind of products and services. Some of these ideas are actually pretty good and thereby avoids being just another billboard og tv commercial. Luckily the www has a great collection (thanks to amateur photographs world wide) which makes it pretty easy to find some good examples of  creative advertising. Here is a couple of sites to start with:

dzinepress.com

webstandard.kulando.de

Enjoy!

Journey to the Center of a Triangle

'Journey to the Center of a Triangle' (1976) 8m, dir. Bruce & Katharine Cornwell. Another fabulous film by the Cornwells, created on the Tektronics 4051 Graphics Terminal. Presents a series of animated constructions that determine the center of a variety of triangles, including such centers as circumcenter, incenter, centroid and orthocenter.

I have some trouble fitting the video into the blog space but I've decided to post it anyway since it's so great..I think I'm in love with geometrics now..


Please double click on the video to get it in full screen.


Enjoy!

Manga news....!

"No, not news about manga - this website, likely the first of its kind, gives the news in manga!


Whether its a news conference or a Japanese baseball game, everything at Newsmanga.com is illustrated with the dramatic flair one expects from the manga style. Of course, its all in Japanese, but its worth checking out for its novelty if for nothing else. At any rate, its an interesting experiment." (japangeeks.wordpress.com)


Enjoy!


Get the manga news here

W.J.T. Mithcell Interview

Visual Culture International

Modern life - still lived on screen...

A networking site for students, faculty, artists, performers, writers and others interested in visual culture events, publications, positions and in keeping in touch with each other. It is also the network for members of the International Visual Culture Association in the run-up to the 2012 conference in New York.

This is actually the same visual culture community I posted information about  some time ago (look for Arnold!) but as it happens on the www robots likes to mess with your websites which is the reason for this new hide out...

So...If you're NOT a vicious robot, a trojan horse or any other kind of www made creature PLEASE visit (and join!) Visual Culture International - Modern Life Still Lived on Screen here

Enjoy!

 

Manga

Since my last post was about anime I figured that it would be wrong of me not to post a manga counter part.
Therefore check out OneManga.com. This site has an overwhelming amount of online manga which means that you'll have to do a bit of research on the web to find out what kind of manga you could find interesting.
Most of the manga series are never ending stories, but don't let that scare you just start from the beginning and leave the series if/when you think it's getting to crazy...

Visit OneManga.com here   

Enjoy!

Anime

If you're into Anime I'll strongly recommend you to visit animesquish.org which allows you to watch Anime for the rest of your life. Browse the web for recommendations or start out with the ones with the best ratings because this site is HUGE...!!

If you're not satisfied by the selection at animesquish.org I recommend you to take a look at animetoplist.org.

Enjoy!

Smart Art History Website

Now here is a great website if you want to know more about art. The website is called Smarthistory.org and is a multimedia site with videos designed to make art history accessible and easy to learn. The site is edited by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker.

Visit Smarthistory.org here

Enjoy!

Nicholas Mirzoeff, Torture and Truth: Images of War

What we see

Stanford philosophy professor Fred Dretske discusses our perception of objects. How many objects do we see in brief but attentive observation? The answer tells us something important about the nature of conscious perceptual experience.



Enjoy!

David Lynch & Laura Dern Video Podcast

"For abstract visionary David Lynch, the world is your own reality. Keying on his latest feature 'Inland Empire', we bring you a mind expanding discussion about TM, movies, and the metaphysical connection of art." (www.culturecatch.com)

Watch David Lynch's video podcast here


When speaking of David Lynch it is hard not to think of the actress behind the characters Sandy Williams, Lula Fortune and Nikki Grace/Susan Blu, Laura Dern.


"For Hollywood actress Laura Dern nothing is typical; not her choices in movies nor her approach to her roles. None was more challenging than David Lynch's movie 'Inland Empire'."  (www.culturecatch.com)

Watch Laura Dern's video podcast here

Enjoy!

JERM IX

As you (hopefully) know the COP15  meeting is being held here in Copenhagen these days which is why this post will be a little (street art) reminder that we all need to take a stand not only on whether or not we should reduce CO2 but in general. How do we want this world to look in 50 years? What about the war in Afghanistan and Iraq? And so on..

Visit JERM IX here 

Enjoy!

Virtual Shoe Museum

Next time you go out to buy yourself a new pair of shoes I can strongly recommend you to look for inspiration at the Virtual Shoe Museum. If you want to be in tune with the zeitgeisst and show off some individuality by wearing something completely unique this is the place to go...

Visit Virtual Shoe Museum here

Enjoy! 

D*Face

Visit D*Face here and the D*Face Fans Forum here and get updated news about exhibitions, prints, billboards, stickers etc.

Enjoy!

Spawn - The Animated Series

I know this probably will be a tough one to convience you to watch because you've either watched or talked to someone who've watched the feature film Spawn so you'll probably know that this is one of the worst movies ever made. And I agree. BUT you simply have to give the animated series a chance because it's freaking great! Also the show was nominated for and won an Emmy in 1999 for Outstanding Animation. I've read the first 54 issues of the comic (until it got too confusing because of spin-off storys and characters) and I think the animated series really capture the essential part of the story.

Watch all 3 seasons (18 episodes) here 

Enjoy!

Akira - The Movie

Akira (1988) is a black and white serial manga or graphic novel by Katsuhiro Otomo. I spent a couple of weeks this summer reading this 2182-page manga epic and was really amazed by the story-line on the one hand and graphic elements on the other. Akira was one of the first manga comics to be translated (and tranformed) in English (and into the western way of reading from left to right). The film adaption is also worth watching eventhough its focus is mainly on the second half of the plot.

Watch it with english subs or english dub here

Enjoy!

Blu and David Ellis

If you've ever been to the big bad city of Berlin you've without a doubt seen at least one or two of Blu's paintings. Perhaps you're not aware of it but I'm pretty sure you'll regonize his work after watching this fantastic video.

The other artist, David Ellis, is not a guy I know so much about but judging by his website (here) I can say that I'm sorry for not knowing more about him because this guy is also fantastic! 

There you have; two fantastic artists, a lot of painting and a video cam = great succes!  


Enjoy!

Reza Dolatabadi's animation short 'Khoda'

"What if you watch a film and whenever you pause it, you face a painting? This idea inspired Reza Dolatabadi to make Khoda. Over 6000 paintings were painstakingly produced during two years to create a five minutes film that would meet high personal standards. Khoda is a psychological thriller; a student project which was seen as a ‘mission impossible’ by many people but eventually proved possible!"

This is pure magic! I keep turning back to this animated short over and over again. If you haven't seen this you simply have to spent the next 5 min watching it!

Enjoy!

Dezeen Design Magazine

"Our mission is simple: to bring you the best architecture, design and interiors projects from around the world before anyone else." (Dezeen.com)

Dezeen has a lot to offer with categories from architecture, design, furniture and graphics to media and transport. They've even got their own jobsection!
  
 Visit Dezeen here

Enjoy!

Architecture Documentaries

The Swedish magazine Arkitektur's blog has posted a bunch of full-length architecture documentaries by directors Richard Copan and Stan Neumann.

The site is in Swedish but the movies are in English so it shouldn't be a problem. Subjects include Jean Prouvé, the Bauhaus, Peter Zumthor and Corbusier’s La Tourette convent.

Watch the documentaries here

Enjoy!

Awkward Family Photos

I once took an academic course in photography and learned a lot about how photographic pictures makes meaning and all the things a single photo can tell us. Perhaps that's why I have my doubts regarding the way people choose to portrait themselves in different situations, because if one picture really says more than a thousand words then perhaps people should be a more careful when they send out holiday cards and make their family albums. On the other hand one could argue that this naive approach is what makes family photo so damn charming; Because it's not a commercial in a lifestyle magazine, it's simply a photo of a situation we wish to remember. Still, one might think twice before posting pictures (especially) on the www after visiting Awkward Family Photos.

Visit Awkward Family Photos here

Enjoy!

   

Classic Cartoons Online

"Love cartoons? Watch free cartoons online on ToonJet! Dedicated to bringing you all of your favorite vintage cartoon classics" (Toonjet)

I don't know if ToonJet's got all my favorite vintage cartoon classics but they've got a lot of them!

Watch them all here

Enjoy!

Lars von Trier interview

"Lars von Trier, the enfant terrible of world cinema, is always looking for the next thing to surprise or wrongfoot audiences. He made only three features in the first decade of his career, and though The Element of Crime (1984), Epidemic (1987), and Zentropa (1991) were all critical successes that ably demonstrated von Trier's cinematic gifts, it is since then that he has truly excelled. In this period, not only has he founded the revolutionary Dogme 95 movement, but completed the Gold Hearted trilogy – made up of Breaking the Waves (1996), The Idiots (1998) and Dancer in the Dancer (2000) – and made the first two parts of his American trilogy, Dogville (2003) and Manderlay (2005). All of these have been provocative, emotionally intense and technically innovative movies, cinema which has challenged the norm and polarized opinion. Though hailed as one of the saviors of modern cinema, von Trier often seems more comfortable in his self-assigned role as villain, and reports of brutal, bullying treatment of his leading ladies (Björk and Nicole Kidman, in particular) have only compounded this image." (filmmakermagazine.com)

Watch the interview with Lars von Trier here

UPDATE 25.11.09: Interview (mp3) with Lars von Trier about 'Anti-Christ' - GO!


Enjoy!

Fishing with John

So it's saturday, you've had a tough week and now you just want to kick back and relax. If you you want my advise you should go fishing, or rather you should press the link button below and watch John Lurie and his friends while they're fishing. Now that's relaxing!
 
"Noted jazz musician and occasional actor John Lurie (Down by Law) is our guide to this romp through the world’s marine stomping grounds. Along for the various rides are Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe and Dennis Hopper, while documentary specialist Robb Webb provides the wonderful narration. The premise of the program is simple: get to the fishing hole (whether by car, plane, horse, canoe, foot or tugboat), toss your lines in the water, and record everything, in the hope that you might catch some interesting conversation."

Watch all the episodes here

Enjoy!

Owl Tattoos

"Owl Tattoos - Tattoos of owls, that is..Not tattoos on owls. That would be weird." (Owl Tattoos)

The title says it all. This blog is about owl tattoos - a lot of them, that is..!

Visit Owl Tattoos here

Enjoy!

David LaChapelle

"David LaChapelle is a photographer and director who has worked in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography. He is famous for his surreal and often humorous style."

Visit David LaChapelle's website here

Watch David LaChapelle's documentary 'Rize' here 

Enjoy!

Making “The Shining”

"This documentary is followed around Jack Nicholson as he prepared for the ‘Here’s Johnny!’ scene and interviewed the actors about there relationship with Stanley Kubrick, the scripts and scene. The Shining is a 1980 horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Diane Johnson. The film stars Jack Nicholson as tormented writer Jack Torrance, Shelley Duvall as his wife, Wendy, and Danny Lloyd as their son, Danny. The film tells the story of a writer, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who accepts the job of the winter caretaker at a hotel which always gets snowed in during the winter."

Watch the documentary here

Enjoy!

Baadasssss Cinema - Blaxploitation

"With archive film clips and interviews, this brief look at a frequently overlooked historical period of filmmaking acts as an introduction rather than a complete record. Features interviews with some of the genre’s biggest stars, like Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, and Richard Roundtree."

Watch the documentary here

Enjoy!

All you can read ! !

In my search for new things to post I found allyoucanread.com. Here you can find online newspapers, magazines etc. from all around the world.


Here is fx a list of german magazines on art, music and culture.

Enjoy!

David Shrigley

 I like this guy - very naive...

Visit his website here

Enjoy!

Ron English' Popaganda

The other day I watched Morgan Spurlock's documentary 'Super Size Me' which most of you probably know. Fascinating movie. Didn't learn much from it though. BUT what I did learn was the name Ron English whose paintings are used in the movie.

"He is the father of Agit-Pop, a hybrid of Pop Art that is fueled by a more personal, hands-on socially responsible attitude. His work is loaded with the iconography of his generation, exploring the range and power of a deeply American symbology using pop imagery as a metaphor." (Graffiti.org)

Visit his website here

Enjoy!

Boing Boing's Get Illuminated

I know this title sounds a little stupid but the guys at Boing Boing have none the less made some interesting podcasts that will no doubt illuminate you (!!!); interview with Douglas Rushkoff, mathematics, cartoonists, publishers etc.

Listen to all their podcasts here

Enjoy!

The Merchants of Cool

"They are the merchants of cool: creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers the hottest consumer demographic in America. But are they simply reflecting teen desires or have they begun to manufacture those desires in a bid to secure this lucrative market? And have they gone too far in their attempts to reach the hearts--and wallets--of America's youth? FRONTLINE correspondent Douglas Rushkoff examines the tactics, techniques, and cultural ramifications of these marketing moguls in 'The Merchants of Cool'."

Watch the documentary here

Enjoy!

Alfred Hitchcock Documentary

"In this documentary Paul Merton looks at the early life and work of Alfred Hitchcock. It concentrates mainly on his London made movies so the Hollywood movies are only briefly mentioned towards the end" (OtakuTeri, youtube)


Watch the documentary here

Enjoy!

Thirty Conversation on Design

"We’ve collected the thoughts of 30 of the world’s most inspired creative professionals. Architects, designers, authors and leaders of iconic brands.

We asked them two questions: “What single example of design inspires you most?” and “What problem should design solve next?” Their answers might surprise you. But hopefully, they’ll all inspire you. Discover what they have to say. Then share your thoughts. After all, this is a conversation. We’d love for you to join." (Thirty Conversations on Design)

Watch all the conversations here

Enjoy!

David Lynch Documentary

"Extremely rare documentary originally presented by Jonathan Ross for the the BBC gives an in-depth and fascinating look at David Lynch the creator, filmmaker, storyteller, cartoonist, coffee drinker, smoker, and visionary. Includes rare behind-the-scenes study at the making of Lynch's art (including a look at the creation of Lynch's cartoon strip "The Angriest Dog In The World") and features fascinating interviews with Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Catherine "The Log Lady" Koulson, Jack Nance, Laura Dern, Jennifer Lynch, and Lynch, of course! Discussions of his films including the colossal failure "Dune", "The Elephant Man" and the award-winning "Wild At Heart". This is a unique glimpse of one of the true visionaries of our time."

Watch it here

Enjoy!

Chris Cunningham wants your soul!

Go Mr. Cunningham! Classics!

Enjoy!

Graphotism - Creative Ressource Centre

My first encounter with Graphotism was when I some years ago received one of their magazines from one of my friends. This is a great magazine; nice layout, great interviews, printed on high quality paper and of course a lot of pictures of grafitti. It reminds you more of a book than of a magazine which from my experience is not what you can expect when buying graffiti related magazines.

The website reflects the magazine in content with a lot of interviews and pictures (unfortunately the standard is not as high as in the magazine due to the possibility of submitting ones own pictures) . A great website though if you're fascinated by graffiti culture. 

Visit Graphotism here

Enjoy!

The Cool Hunter

"The Cool Hunter celebrates creativity in all of its modern manifestations. We are global in outlook, culturally discerning and a trusted hub for what's cool, thoughtful, innovative and original. We value global relevance, not trends, channelling our discoveries to our worldwide audience of 850,000 readers per month." (The Cool Hunter)

I don't know, at first I found this site a bit to arty for me but I must admit that I now find it to be a great ressource for all kinds of thoughts on contemporary design and architecture.

Please visit The Cool Hunter website here

Enjoy!

The 50 Greatest Arts Videos on YouTube

"YouTube is best known for its offbeat videos that become viral sensations. But among its millions of clips is a treasure trove of rare and fascinating arts footage" (Ajesh Patalay, The Observer)

Ajesh Patalay selects 50 of the best YouTube art videos - Marlon Brando screen tests for Rebel Without a Cause, interviews with various filmmakers and artists, Joy Division's TV debut, readings by Jack Kerouac, a Marlene Dietrich screen test, Madonna's first performance... and much more

Watch all the videos here

Enjoy!

The Auteurs

 
"The Auteurs is your online cinema, anytime, anywhere. Watch, discover and discuss independent, foreign and classic films." (The Auteurs)

If you know you'll be disappointed when you go to your local movie dealer to rent a movie because the selection almost only includes blockbusters (which is the case here in Denmark) then check out The Auteurs. Here you can find a lot of great movies from all over the world. Unfortunately the selection of movies seems to vary depending on which country you are located in. But check it out and see if you can find something you like.

Go to The Auteurs here        

Enjoy!

The Internet Archive - Universal access to human knowledge....!

 
"The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format. (...) Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in our collections.."  (The Internet Archive)

This website is f#&cking great (if you like old stuff...)!  And their slogan "Universal access to human knowledge" makes it hard not to find it just a little interesting...

Visit the The Internet Archive here 

Enjoy!

Fuck You Very Much - Fuck you is the new thank you...

When speaking of visual culture and visual identities it can sometimes be hard to narrow down what this implies but I think this visual diary explains it in a simple way.

Fuck You Very Much's own discription of the diary is:

"A girl and a boy from Copenhagen living apart in New York and London. This is their candid, visual diary."

Visit Fuck You Very Much here

Enjoy!

Requiem For A Dream - more than just a movie..

This is one crazy website....make sure to have the sound turned on....

http://requiemforadream.com/

Enjoy!

Wooster Collective - celebration of streetart and freedom

"The Wooster Collective was founded in 2001. This site is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world." (Wooster Collective)

At woostercollective.com you'll find everything from live action streetart to lectures on graffiti and almost everything in between.

Interviews, videos, pictures, art, activism, a great link section and an archive from the last 6 years on the web...it's jungle and you will get lost BUT it doesn't matter because you'll have a great time...!

Enjoy!

Achewood -Online Comic Strip

Eventhough Achewood is an old online comic strip I still think it deserves to be mentioned here. 

You can find all the Achewood comic strips here

There is not so much to say other than it's a comic, it's online, it's free, it's funny and there's a lot of it!


Enjoy!

Stanley Kubrick Documentary

In the beginnig of this tribute to Stanley Kubrick Jack Nicholson states "Everyone pretty much acknowledges that he's the man, and I still feel that underrates him."

Enough said...

Watch it here

Enjoy!

Posters, prints, illustrations, toys etc.

Omgposters.com is a blog where you can find a big variation of posters, prints, illustrations, toys, cover art, videos etc.

Take a look around, I'm pretty sure everybody should be able to find something of interest. Everything is for sale and the prices range from about 20$ and up. Like this blog they link to the artists own websites, blogs, stores etc. If you're not up for buying anything I can assure you that it's still worth visiting.

Omgposters.com

Enjoy!

3D animation graduation short - Work in progress!!

Here is a nice project definitely worth following.

It's a 3D animation graduation short made at The National Film School of Denmark. This is a work in progress which makes it really interesting to follow. From the website below you are able to follow several members from the production on their blogs and see how they work.

Grisevagt.dk

Enjoy!

What's this Blog about?!

This Blog is basically about everything which concerns our visual culture one way or the other. This could be: cinema, photography, art, architecture, design, graffiti, fashion, commercials, tattooing, cars, your best friends' VoKuHiLa (German: short at front, long at back; hairstyle) etc.

If you have something you think should be posted here please give me a heads up.