‘The intertwining of science, art and technology: An animated and interactive installation based on the poster of the same title by Fritz Kahn from 1927.’

Animation by Henning M. Lederer, sound design by David Indge.

More info here. Original poster below.

Der Mensch als Industriepalast, Fritz Kahn, 1927

Found via Gábor Kóthay

The work of Mark Weaver.

I really enjoyed his redesign of the incredible Paste magazine (sadly, now an online-only venture) – and do check out his Make Something Cool Every Day project.

‘The third issue of Avant-Garde, May 1968, ran an attention-grabbing feature entitled ‘Revaluation of the Dollar: 19 Artists Design a New One-Dollar Bill.”

I have this issue of Avant Garde. Managed to acquire a stack of them at a rummage sale. Just thumbing thru, it’s great to see the original stuff that inspired so much 1970s revivalism this past decade.

A look at the money article here.

Found via the Eye magazine blog

Another Metropolis remix (above).

The complete, newly restored Metropolis (1927) will be showing locally at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, September 11 and 12, 2010.

Found via Alex R. Trujillo

‘The film’s title is an allusion to Tatlin’s Tower. This animated short by Theodore Ushev is like a whirlwind tour of Russian constructivist art and is filled with visual references to artists of the era, including Vertov, Stenberg, Rodchenko, Lissitsky and Popova.’

Brilliantly done! From 2006.

‘Tatlin’s Tower or The Monument to the Third International is a grand monumental building envisioned by the Russian artist and architect Vladimir Tatlin, but never built.’

Article here.

A trailer (above) for a performance you’ll never see – because it’s already passed.

Some info here. And the trailer was released four months after the event.

So.

Just enjoy.

Queen’s Radio Gaga. From 1984.

The video features public domain footage from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927).

Metropolis’ New Tower of Babel; click for larger version/jump

Also in 1984, producer Giorgio Moroder updated Metropolis with a rock score – controversial for some purists. Queen’s Freddy Mercury contributed Love Kills to the soundtrack (video below); though unrelated to the Gaga single.

So far, Moroder’s new wave-esque version (due to music licensing) hasn’t been officially released on DVD. But in comparison to the original (which got a complete restoration just this year), Moroder’s music, color tints and enhanced sound fx result in a totally different, very 1980s film experience.

‘Constructivism was an artistic and architectural movement that originated in Russia from 1919 onward which rejected the idea of ‘art for art’s’ sake in favour of art as a practice directed towards social purposes  . . .  this video is part of the ‘Palette’ project and pays homage to Constructivism.’

Bill Hooper’s Never Odd or Even, video by Mark Garvey.

Student-made trailer for a mock exhibition at the MoMA. Featuring Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew.

‘an excerpt from the poem Ursonate (Sonata in primitive sounds) by Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948)’

Created by Ed Ackerman and Colin Morton, 1986.

Found via Typophile

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the PROUNS-inspired dingbats that will be part of my upcoming Jeanne Texte font package.

The basic letterforms are now in technical review at Psy/Ops and I hope to have the new fonts completed and available by end of year. Crossing fingers.

Jeanne Texte is my sequel to Jeanne Moderno, which is available thru Psy/Ops, MyFonts and Ascender. Webfonts via Typekit.

Short animated film produced in 2004 by Paris8 University masters student Stéphane Evezard. Based on Bowie’s Pablo Picasso; from the album Reality.

Visit Stéphane’s site here.

Found via Jeanne Mehallo

‘The ‘twittering’ in the title doubtless refers to the birds, while the ‘machine’ is suggested by the hand crank’

Paul Klee’s Twittering Machine (Die Zwitscher-Maschine). Oil transfer drawing on paper with watercolor and ink on board with gouache and ink borders. 1922.

No symbol polarizes more.

The swastika – originally an icon for well-being – was perverted into something profane by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

Controversial artist Raša Todosijević took the form and turned it on its ear – with different interpretations, it creates other contexts. Raša was born in Serbia in 1945, after World War II. More of his work is posted here.

Found via Marko Davidovic

Some of the ampersand options available in my Jeanne Moderno fonts.

‘Baby, you’re my Univers. Meeting you was no Akzidenz. I can see that we‘ve got a great Futura. We were Meta be together.’

Handmade by Machine’s Just My Type greeting cards. Details here. Unfortunately, only UK-shipping is available for now.

Found via cebe design

Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931). Magazine publisher. Artist. Designer. Propagandist. Troublemaker. Dutch. The guy behind de Stijl.

A van Doesburg show just opened yesterday (my birthday, how bout that?) at the Tate Modern. Review here. Another review here.

Runs thru May 16, 2010.

Stained glass composition by van Doesburg

Plus,
Here’s a link to my own low cost, van Doesburg-influenced font, 2491.

One can’t see the message in the poster unless one’s hands are dirty. See how it works here.

gurus plant ideas
Steve Masseroni is an incredible artist I knew in high school. He was dabbling with working for Marvel Comics at the time, but set out in his own direction. In a afternoon critique in 1985, he gave me his favorite brush and a few tips on being an illustrator.

This was before I realized I was going to be a graphic designer. I was still concentrating on inking techniques and developing my illustration vocabulary.

Which after many years of trial and error, today I use Sumi brushes, a few different glass pens and a broad edged pen (typography influence, of course) or just work directly from pencils (the small Spalding pencil helps with playful, quick swooshes). But those are just tools. Like the buttons on a Macintosh.

Tang, by mehallo, 2003

the thinking
One thing that stuck with me was the importance of working when you’re in the right mindset. We talked about that a lot. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels. Or producing  . . .  without your heart behind it.

Paula Scher talks about all this in this TED video. She defines it as ’solemn’ vs. ’serious’ – serious play being where the true creativity occurs:

getting there
How does one get to serious play? Is it even possible once we’re adults? Personally, I trick myself into getting there – to get as close as possible. I liken it to being a method actor. I’m a method designer. I need to get to the right place. A visit to the right bookstore, nightclub, a drive thru the delta, a trip to LIMN – all work to get me in The Zone.

My work space is set up with music, movies, TiVo and books at my fingertips; ffffound! and other resources. Getting in The Zone isn’t hard, but multitasking once there – designing for a financial company while doing a tee for a band – not the easiest thing to accomplish.

(Personally, I’m into ‘mono-tasking.’ Here’s a dang good blurg on why it’s gooder.)

But environment is very, very important. So trial and error ‘play’ can take place – some of it becomes solemn, with serious dancing around – sometimes at the forefront, sometimes not; keeping in mind true creativity doesn’t always lead to good communication. That’s the kicker.

creativity is, by nature, weird
I was called ‘weird’ by someone just last week. And my reaction was, yeah? If you only knew  . . .

For more on work habits of creatives, Johno at I Love Typography retweeted this article on writing a few days back. It’s what got me thinking about this.

Creativity works in strange ways and tis best if the general public doesn’t find out too much about it.

‘To retain respect for sausages and graphic design, one must not watch them in the making.’ -Otto von Bismarck

It really is something like that.

Watch this beautiful title sequence for Francis Ford Coppola’s TETRO. Designed by SFAUSTINA. Both avant garde and not at the same time.

And  . . .  I’ve always wondered why so many motion picture title sequences end with a shot of a bus.

Found via Twitter.com/Typegirl

The photographic work of Abelardo Morell.

F.T. Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto as film, by D. Christie
‘An animated/live action interpretation of F.T. Marinetti’s 1909 Futurist Manifesto. Inspired by the artwork and design of Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy.’

Marcel Duchamp’s Anemic Cinema (1926)
(turn off the sound if you’re a purist)

Walther Ruttmann’s Opus I (1921)

Hans Richter’s Rhythmus 23 (1923)
Info: weirdwildrealm.com/f-hans-richter.html

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s Light Space Modulator (experimental short film, 1930)
Info: cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/enthusiast/acquisitions/2000-2001/moholy_text_e.jsp

Moholy Nagy film preview: Lichtspiel Schwarz Weiss Grau (1930)
Titles feature types by Paul Renner (Futura Black) and Herbert Bayer (Universal)

Moholy-Nagy’s Light Space Modulator, recreation
‘a short documentation from the replica of moholy nagy’s light space modulator in Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven, Holland’

Viking Eggeling’s Symphonie Diagonale (1921-24)
Info: myspace.com/vikingeggeling

Man Ray: Le Retour a la Raison (1923)

Fernand Leger and Man Ray’s Ballet Mécanique (1924)
Info: antheil.org

Hans Richter: Inflation (1928)

Fluxus: Fluxfilm 8 (1966)
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluxus

Tony Conrad: Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain (1972)
‘Performance of Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain by Tony Conrad, assisted by Mick “Mike” Flower (of Vibracathedral Orchestra), Angharad Davies and Ryoko Kuwajima – at Leeds City Art Gallery, UK on Monday 3rd April 2006. Extract recorded live to camera, though the other 88 minutes were pretty similar to this.’

Harry Everett Smith: Early Abstractions (1946-57)
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Everett_Smith

Brian Eno and Harold Budd: The Plateaux of First Light
‘Music by Brian Eno H.Budd Album:The Plateaux of Mirror. First Light. This video takes the point of view of a fly flying in cigarette smoke.’

Benny Hill: Avant Garde Cinema

Picked up this book while in El Lay.

More images from the book can be seen at the Victonary site.