URBANMAMMAL >> BLOG http://blog.urbanmammal.com Most recent posts at URBANMAMMAL >> BLOG posterous.com Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:39:00 -0700 Intermezzo on the Steam Press : The Music of Diego Stocco http://blog.urbanmammal.com/intermezzo-on-the-steam-press-the-music-of-di http://blog.urbanmammal.com/intermezzo-on-the-steam-press-the-music-of-di

Most likely, Diego Stocco will either inspire you or make you feel like a totally boring and uncreative slug. As a composer/musician, his instruments of choice have included a tree, sand, a piano on fire and the contents of his local drycleaners, as captured in this video, further proving his point that "you can really make music with everything."

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72204/Photo_240.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1m6FdyPp6HD Cassandra K. Kaldor Cassandra Cassandra K. Kaldor Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:06:00 -0700 Stop-Motion Magic http://blog.urbanmammal.com/stop-motion-magic http://blog.urbanmammal.com/stop-motion-magic

I can't get enough of stop-motion animation. For me, it taps into that same feeling of creative transformation that comes from art like that by Tara Donovan: the magical payoff of tedious, minute and disciplined repetition. To this end, here's a project helmed by Wieden + Kennedy London called "Gulp" which garnered the record for "World's largest stop-motion animation set" from the Guinness Book. Filmed on location at a beach in Wales and captured with a Nokia camera on a cherry picker, it's a pretty cool feat. 

Sometimes the "Behind the Scenes" are more impressive than the final result:
W+K also won a record for "Smallest stop-motion animated character" with this cute short called Dot.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72204/Photo_240.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1m6FdyPp6HD Cassandra K. Kaldor Cassandra Cassandra K. Kaldor Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:13:05 -0800 Pink Ponies: A Case Study http://blog.urbanmammal.com/pink-ponies-a-case-study http://blog.urbanmammal.com/pink-ponies-a-case-study For all the parenting designers out there.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72204/Photo_240.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1m6FdyPp6HD Cassandra K. Kaldor Cassandra Cassandra K. Kaldor Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:05:02 -0800 Flashback Book : DDB Paris for Bouygues Télécom http://blog.urbanmammal.com/flashback-book-ddb-paris-for-bouygues-telecom http://blog.urbanmammal.com/flashback-book-ddb-paris-for-bouygues-telecom

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]]> Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:35:00 -0800 Oil & Water http://blog.urbanmammal.com/oil-water http://blog.urbanmammal.com/oil-water
Screen printers out there will appreciate Anthony Burill's poster "Oil and Water Do Not Mix," which is printed from oil gathered from a beach in Louisiana after the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Prints are for sale and proceeds support the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. 

(photos courtesy of Oil & Water Do Not Mix)

 

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]]> Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:23:00 -0700 Markets of Britain by Lee Titt http://blog.urbanmammal.com/markets-of-britain-by-lee-titt http://blog.urbanmammal.com/markets-of-britain-by-lee-titt

So this video isn't design related, but I think everyone can benefit from a few minutes of well-executed deadpan. 


via Amy Sedaris's list of top five viral videos for New York Magazine

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]]> Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:38:00 -0700 Barcelona's La Mercé Festival: Opening Night Projection http://blog.urbanmammal.com/barcelonas-la-merce-festival-opening-night-pr http://blog.urbanmammal.com/barcelonas-la-merce-festival-opening-night-pr

During a recent visit to Barcelona I stumbled upon an experience I had admired from afar on my blog almost a year ago: 3D building projections. The evening before the start of the city's annual Mercé Festival we passed through the Placa de Sant Jaume just as technical adjustments were being made to a projection on the facade of the City Council building that anchors the south side of the square. We came back the following night and watched the show in all its glory, which was as entertaining and technically impressive as I had hoped. I haven't been able to confirm that it was the work of the Dutch company NuFormer Digital Media, but it seems highly likely.

Video 1: Sped-up footage of some of the set-up process which consisted of many minute alignment adjustments.
Video 2: What I consider to be the greatest hits of the show.
Video 3 & 4: An almost complete record of the entire show in two parts, which clock in at about 11 minutes, and is recommended for readers with a lot of time on their hands.

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]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:28:00 -0700 Test Driving the Net-a-Porter App for iPad http://blog.urbanmammal.com/test-driving-the-net-a-porter-app-for-ipad http://blog.urbanmammal.com/test-driving-the-net-a-porter-app-for-ipad
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Since the iPad appeared in the spring, I've been looking forward to seeing how print media adapts to the digital opportunities presented by the device. There are a bunch of magazines that have made the transition including Sports Illustrated, Wired, National Geographic, People, GQ, Vanity Fair and Time. If you tend to purchase magazines off the newsstand and own an iPad, the digital version will probably be both cheaper and more handy, but for magazine subscribers the deal tends to work the other way. (Wired—one of the first magazines with an iPad app—offers individual digital issues for $3.99 while a full years subscription to the print edition only costs $12.)

Seemingly few fashion magazines have stuck a toe in the iPad app world, which is odd to me considering both the marketing potential and the way this particular medium would flatter the high gloss, photo-heavy genre. I did however discover an app developed not by an established publisher, but by the insanely profitable e-commerce site Net-a-Porter.com. The app is adapted from the online Net-a-Porter magazine—which, considering the purpose of the site, could more aptly be called a catalog—and it takes advantage of the capabilities of the iPad in some interesting ways. 

To that end, I created this app test-drive for your viewing enjoyment. (Please note, this is my first foray into video commentary and though I am married to a film editor, his skills have yet to rub off on me.)

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]]> Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:34:02 -0700 Time Flies While Watching "The Secret Powers of Time" http://blog.urbanmammal.com/time-flies-while-watching-the-secret-powers-o http://blog.urbanmammal.com/time-flies-while-watching-the-secret-powers-o
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]]> Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:20:35 -0700 Australia's Hungry Beast on Arial http://blog.urbanmammal.com/australias-hungry-beast-on-arial http://blog.urbanmammal.com/australias-hungry-beast-on-arial </object>

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]]> Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:41:47 -0800 OK GOldberg http://blog.urbanmammal.com/ok-goldberg http://blog.urbanmammal.com/ok-goldberg It's hard to be bored by videos of Rube Goldberg machines, especially when they're set to music, as is the case in OK Go's latest video for the song "This Too Shall Pass." This particular machine was assembled here in LA in an abandoned building with the help of a team the band found on a "nerd board" according to the equally interesting and funny behind-the-scenes clips.

Making of #1

Making of #2

Making of #3

Making of #4

Final Product!

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]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:04:00 -0800 "Hit 'Em Up Style," Carolina Chocolate Drops Style http://blog.urbanmammal.com/hit-em-up-style-carolina-chocolate-drops-styl http://blog.urbanmammal.com/hit-em-up-style-carolina-chocolate-drops-styl

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I keep up with music via NPR, but it's hard to beat the free weekly album previews, or this folkish, fiddle-heavy cover of "Hit 'Em Up Style" by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who were interviewed by Terry Gross today on Fresh Air.

And let me not forget the All Songs Considered archive of live shows, which is also available as a Podcast.

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]]> Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:57:00 -0800 MacBook Pro Video Card Fail http://blog.urbanmammal.com/macbook-pro-video-card-fail http://blog.urbanmammal.com/macbook-pro-video-card-fail

MBP - Computer.m4v Watch on Posterous

A bit of primary evidence filmed while my laptop was in mid-crash. It's hooked up to the external monitor and I found out later the fact that they are both flickering and flashing indicates a busted video card. (If only one of them had been acting up, it probably would have been a monitor or screen issue.) Once I force-quit, my laptop went straight into a perpetual kernel panic and I didn't see the home screen again.

Apple is aware that this particular generation of MBP's has faulty video cards, and therefore the replacement service is on the house, although it's a week-long job. So if you experience something similar, take it in right away, regardless of whether you have AppleCare. This is my second "Our Bad!" MBP experience (see post on battery bulge) and yet I keep going back, and probably always will...

 

UPDATE: My MBP is back and working fine (knock wood). Apple replaced the entire logic board, since the video card is soldered to it. I also found this helpful article which provides a good summary of the situation: http://theappleblog.com/2009/06/01/apple-extends-macbook-pro-nvidia-geforce-s...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72204/Photo_240.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1m6FdyPp6HD Cassandra K. Kaldor Cassandra Cassandra K. Kaldor Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:10:53 -0800 N-n-n-Neutra Face http://blog.urbanmammal.com/n-n-n-neutra-face http://blog.urbanmammal.com/n-n-n-neutra-face This spoof of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (made for and by typographic nerds) has been making the rounds. And yes, the creators did admit in the YouTube description of their video that "'NEUTRA' is actually pronounced 'NOY-trah', but that escaped our knowledge in the fits of fun we were having doing this project. Word." 

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]]> Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:06:00 -0800 Pomplamoose http://blog.urbanmammal.com/pomplamoose-14 http://blog.urbanmammal.com/pomplamoose-14

Here's a novel idea for a music video: Show musicians actually playing, sans gimmickry or cut-aways to the band caught in some sort of brooding narrative.

Musicians Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte of the band Pomplamoose have revived the WYSIWYG form with Conte's refreshing "videosongs" which, by Conte's own rules, must include footage of everything you hear. The popularity of their videosong covers including "Beat It" (see below) has led to enough sales of their original album to make a recording contract or physical CDs moot. Fledging musicians, take note. 


See more on the Pomplamoose YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic

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]]> Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:42:00 -0800 The Matrix : Lego Style http://blog.urbanmammal.com/the-matrix-lego-style-0 http://blog.urbanmammal.com/the-matrix-lego-style-0

There have been some incredible Lego creations out there, including the thorough (and no-longer-with-us) Lego House, music videos, and monuments galore, but I think this Matrix recreation is especially well done. There's just something about seeing Neo dodge spring loaded bullets that really cracks me up.

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]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:53:14 -0800 Adland by James P. Othmer http://blog.urbanmammal.com/adland-by-james-p-othmer-0 http://blog.urbanmammal.com/adland-by-james-p-othmer-0 Video trailer/promo for James Othmer's book Adland (Doubleday), which debuted in September, and is part bio, part analysis of the industry.

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]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:10:00 -0800 3D Projections - Coming Soon to a Building Near You http://blog.urbanmammal.com/3d-projections-coming-soon-to-a-building-near http://blog.urbanmammal.com/3d-projections-coming-soon-to-a-building-near
As if digital billboards weren't distracting enough, brace yourself for 3D projection. Initially executed as conceptional pieces (see Urbanscreen video below) 3D projection has been billed by the Dutch company NuFormer Digital Media as the hottest new marketing tool:

"Impressive and stylish projections on buildings, a spectacular new way of communicating! For those who want to carry out a message in a striking and visually attractive way with guaranteed exposure: 3D Projection on buildings is the communication tool of 2009, and what an impact!"

Check out NuFormer's reel in which a classical facade transforms into an awesome, explosive disco ball, amongst other things.  

"How it would be, if a house was dreaming" by Urbanscreen

<p>555 KUBIK | facade projection | from urbanscreen on Vimeo.</p>

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]]> Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:03:28 -0700 Nick Thume's Backflip Shoe http://blog.urbanmammal.com/nick-thumes-backflip-shoe http://blog.urbanmammal.com/nick-thumes-backflip-shoe

I was a little skeptical about this guy at first because he seemed just a little too cool, but turns out comedian Nick Thune is kind of hilarious. In this on-going video series from Good, he breaks down his ultimate invention: The Backflip Shoe.

 

 

More of the Inventions series here: http://www.good.is/shows/inventions

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/72204/Photo_240.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1m6FdyPp6HD Cassandra K. Kaldor Cassandra Cassandra K. Kaldor Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:39:00 -0700 Lace in Translation http://blog.urbanmammal.com/lace-in-translation http://blog.urbanmammal.com/lace-in-translation

The Design Center at Philadelphia University recently opened the exhibition "Lace in Translation" featuring the work of three artists inspired by the University's Quaker Lace Company archive. Many of the pieces capture the delicacy of lace by way of an industrial medium, which is especially fitting since Quaker Lace was one of the largest producers of machine-manufactured lace in the 20th century. The show runs through April 3, 2010 and also includes some amazing work by Tord Boontje.

Looking forward to seeing this in person over Thanksgiving. For now, two of my favorites:

Meddemakersvan_lace_fence2

Denmark design studio Demakersvan member Joep Verhoeven's "lace" link fence. (image by Kerry Polite)

Pastedgraphic

A detail of one of artist/sculptor Cal Lane's pieces, a 2,000-gallon oil tank cut into lace patterns. (image by Kerry Polite)


A short documentary about the show:

<p>Lace In Translation from Canary Promotion + Design on Vimeo.</p>

Learn more here: http://www.laceintranslation.com

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