Seeing the Sphere

Stennis Space Center in Mississippi

Researching Science on a Sphere (a company that produces these projected-upon-globes for museums) I came across this image. A metaphor for the times, earth appears protected and out of reach, behind bars.

I particularly like how the Science Museum of Minnesota has chosen to deal with the boundary of our SOS. Similar to this photo from the Smithsonian, you'll notice http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2896818750/ the surrounding is intentionally intimate. Children sit close, a room is designated as a theatre to hold the sphere. Our new SOS space is gradually coming together to include a cabinet-of-curiosities. We're proud to be making this experience accessible for all, in bold and brand new ways.

Beautiful 'Stuff'

I am now clanking around with rusty stuff, drinking beer.
—Judy Pfaff





To motivate my freelance work today, I have been watching and listening to Art: 21 tv on Hulu. Full episodes of Play and Romance have influenced my labor in creating playful logos for a thoughtful nonprofit and peaceful Minnesota resort. I've found today that my process demands making with my hands to ignite the best workings. Judy Pfaff offers the insight that she perhaps received too much romance, love, emotion and affection throughout her life and has shifted to now create almost macabre installations that destruct a notion of what is decorative. As I have transitioned into working in a studio based in my childhood bedroom, I too reflect on my sometimes saccahrine upbringing. In escape, I take joy in building with paper, slicing cardboard, rolling on the adhesive wax and combining crude brush strokes to command that a chaos of disparate items do become whole afterall.

Xpression

Find more videos like this on Shred or Die

There is such charm in this safety video for skateboard riders, who refer to skateboarding as a sport and an expression. I'm also really keen on their hand crafted pads!

BOOK HANDS

Art of McSweenys by Chronicle Books

Don't you wish there were a video like this for every book design you enjoyed? I'm always fascinated by the stories and hands involved in art, design, film, politics, marketing, crafting, sailing, yoga, farming, etc. Looking out for video tutorials of all!

SK8 NOTE

This book cover/notebook is incredibly inventive! Would be my perfect companion!
It reminds me of these skateboard deck earnings made in Portland by Lindsay Jo. She started her project as she saw a need to recycle her and her boyfriend's old decks. They are both rippers. As a guest there, with some friends as they were both coaching at Woodward skatecamp for the summer, I noticed their home filled with skateboard lore including a collection of Buzzy's rutted-out trucks. Ahhh Portland pool coping. Slash!
Buzzy

URBAN OUTCRITTERS

Very impressed with Space 15 Twenty, as I happened upon it's Where the Wild Things are pop-up store in the Urban Outfitters foyer yesterday. More evidence can be seen here. My favorite part was the integration of raw wood material and crusty old afghans in the form of shanty structures. Inside the quinzee-like dome were mountain models—also made of raw sticks—painted with snowy white tops. Miniature monsters lurked throughout the display of high-fashion replicas of characters from the storybook. Shamefully, I have never been in tune with this children's book nor the storyline, but I could not be more excited for the film to blow the minds and hearts of an eclectic generation y!



All this exposure to the production design of cinema, advertising, retail and human beauty (vanity?) is really exciting for me while staying in Los Angeles this month. I'm going to continue my research and will keep trying to get a hand in it all!

DAMN.

Scotty Wittlake, by Jake Stangel 2009

A photographer based in Portland recently did a project about the snowboarders of the Legendary Mt. Baker (Washington) Banked Slalom, which was held a few months ago in its 24th year. Please visit his project page to get a sense of how a few professional snowboarders in action complete the landscapes to his beautiful photography, as well as hear how escapist the banked slalom has become for its competitors in an otherwise media-saturated world.

Unfortunately, not included in the project are some of the underdog competitors, including my friend Danielle Davis, a Mt. Baker local, who won the amateur women's division!!

SAUERKRAUT DELIGHT

Serving up grandma's recipe of sauerkraut and kielbasa hotdish!!

OUT

Hey, this is my rejected entry for the 

Ride Snowboard Design Contest.

ARTICHOKE HEARTS

This color seems to be following me around...after seeking help, it has been named. Say hello to Artichoke Heart,

LOVE DRUGS

Ok, I love paper-cut design. Paper cutting is my drug. Also tea is my drug, and scorpions are my biggest fear probably.

Thank you to the great Aaron Draplin for posting this on his truly great blog.

MODES OF MULTIPLICATION

KIOSK BOOK EXHIBIT
last year at the Midway Arts Gallery

JUST A FEW TREATS

Hail to Obama's face with over 1,000 cupcakes!
Process documentation at Zillycakes.com.

My favorite campaign sign, by Amalia Nicholson.

TASTY TREATS

This is a cake!/?

This is a cakewreck?

They are both beautiful in their own right.
I am now fascinated by decorated cakes. For a while I decorated Cold Stone Creamery cakes with obscene amounts of BetterCreme and chocolate ganache. I would love to become a pro at that again. It may take some trial and error, and lots of sugar, but this new collections book I'm making should turn out some pretty delicious typography...

I received this book this week (the green one) as a self-birthday-present. Thank you, Miranda July for never letting me put it down.

Reading this makes me feel at odds about having so much energy to listen, rather than tell. Yesterday, It wasn't working out for me very well...

Mike Perry week at MCAD, here.

ITS A VISUAL SOUND

Glass Candy at Nemo Design from Austin Will on Vimeo.

Again, I am going to work here someday. My dream of dreams.

TO BE A FARMER

To be a farmer is really much like this? Futurefarmers addressed an existing problem in a community space, had a solution which was also equipped with a label (this one here) that addressed the consciousness of anyone who may interfere. Intuition, optimism, pro-activity and communication. With a sense of wit. 

Practical makes perfect.

POETICS OF PEACE

A new publication I am collaborating on for class, will focus on the personal voices of protesters during the events surrounding the RNC. We will allow their stories to harmonize within the pages of a visual essay, narrating their peaceful acts. Visual poetry like Martin Venezky's is a huge inspiration for me, always!



more images of his work found here