Tag Archives: art

New Project. Get Involved. Comments

I have more ideas than I have time to develop them. I think that’s a good thing—it’s easier to find time than ideas, right?

Bottom line is, this project is very important to me, and I could use a hand from anyone with passion and a firm grasp of the English language.

Please contact me if you’re interested in the following:

  • New media and experimental storytelling
  • Remixed and creatively derivative art
  • Helping artists and authors find an audience
  • Lessening the enormous power of corporate and commercial interests over what gets published in the US

I’ll respond with the details. I am hesitant to use the word “zine,” but… this might be zine-esque.

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Published:
February 26, 2010 – 11:05 pm
Author:
By J. Mattocks

Perseus Internship – Act I Comments

I started my internship with The Perseus Books Group last Wednesday, the 13th. Right now I’m working with Google Adwords. I didn’t have much practical experience with Adwords prior, so I’ve been learning a lot as I go.

The most exciting project we’re working to promote right now is the Cathy’s Book application for iPod Touch and iPhone. I’m intensely interested in developing storytelling technology, so I flipped my shit when I found out I would be helping to promote something this cutting edge. For those of you not immersed in the world of alternate reality gaming, the Cathy franchise comes from the brains of Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman of I Love Bees fame. In short, these men are Olympic deities of the alternate reality gaming world. Fans of Bungie’s Halo series, take note.

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Published:
January 17, 2010 – 5:00 pm
Author:
By J. Mattocks

I Am Not a Novelist Comments

Thanks to my existentialist leanings, I tend to define myself by what I do. Figuring out who I will be in this world means figuring out the actions I wish to take. So who do I choose to be?

It struck me today that I am not interested in being a traditional novelist. I feel like I’ve been struggling with this for years, trying to be something I don’t want to be just because I decided somewhere along the way that novel writing is a more legitimate profession than writing alternative forms of fiction.

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Published:
May 3, 2009 – 5:52 pm
Author:
By J. Mattocks

Illustrations: Boris Artzybasheff’s Diablerie Comments

AnimationArchive.org has a must-see entry on Boris Artzybasheff’s art book As I See, specifically the chapter called “Diablerie.” When you visit the page, be sure to read his highly poetic introduction to the chapter.

Artzybasheff was a brilliant Ukranian-born commercial artist who experimented with anthropomorphism and surreal design. “Diablerie” is filled with surreal, often grotesque WWII-inspired political cartoons.
For more information, here’s a biography on Artzybasheff, and here’s smattering of his work.

Since I’m always up for learning a new word (and sharing it), Dictionary.com defines “diablerie” as:

  1. Sorcery; black magic; witchcraft.
  2. Representation of devils or demons in words or pictures.
  3. Mischievous conduct; deviltry.

Apt.

My favorite pieces on the page are The Headless Horseman, Radio Propaganda, and The Triumph of Wit.

Found via BoingBoing.

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Published:
June 12, 2008 – 12:36 pm
Author:
By J. Mattocks

Lego Recreations of Historical Photos Comments

Photographer Balakov, in his own words, “[takes] quite a lot of Lego pictures.” Perhaps you saw his work, Raising the flag on Iwo Jima and Monk on Fire, on Smashing a few days ago. If you check out his flickr photostream, you’ll find a lot more Lego recreations of historical photographs (and a bunch of Lego Star Wars stuff). Photographs I especially recommend that weren’t in the Smashing article are Moon Landing, Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, Bigfoot, and my personal favorite, Tiananmen Square.

The Brick Testament is also a fantastic use of Legos, especially for nerds with some basic knowledge of the Bible. The Brick Testament has memorable takes on some classic Bible stories, but my favorite section is The Law. Leviticus has never been more exciting. Which, admittedly, isn’t difficult. Nevertheless, Legos are an awesome way to translate the timeless values of the Bible to the church of today. Or something. Maybe we can all gather to read the Brick Testament in this Lego church.

It brings a big smile to my face to see childhood (i.e. Legos) invading adulthood (i.e. historical photography, religion) like this. I grew up with Legos, so my reaction has a lot of nostalgia mixed in with the appreciation. I also have a huge tub of Legos in my closet, which I still bust out every once in a while. But let’s just keep that between the two of us, dear reader.

This does bring to mind the imminent potential for online Lego-action historical reenactment role-playing—a notion which is at once startling and intriguing.

Update: I just discovered that OpenCulture, one of my favorite blogs, wrote an entry on June 10th about Balakov’s Lego recreations as well. Balakov is surely enjoying his internet fame—and rightly so!

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Published:
June 12, 2008 – 11:27 am
Author:
By J. Mattocks

Sources of Inspiration Comments

Inspiration comes from everything. Here are a few things that have inspired me recently.

Images

FFFFound.com is a wonderful image bookmarking site. There’s always some crazy-cool stuff on display there. Among my favorite finds on FFFOUND! are these retro-future pieces.

Another favorite source of inspiration is surreal paintings. When viewing a surreal piece, one’s brain is forced to perform the creative act of making sense of the image. ZuzaFun.com has some surreal works of Jacek Yerka online that perfectly demonstrate what I’m talking about. View them, and pay attention to how you respond to what you’re viewing.

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Published:
May 6, 2008 – 6:00 pm
Author:
By J. Mattocks

Visual Identity Comments

I’ve been thinking about identity and the aesthetics of attire recently. I know people who put more time and effort into their wardrobe etc. (e.g. body piercings, hairstyles) than I do. This isn’t hard to do; I don’t put a lot of time and effort into my appearance beyond keeping myself clean and tidy. But I don’t consider many of these people vain. I think their motivations have a lot more to do with self-expression than narcissism. Many of my friends have a much stronger sense of visual aesthetic than I do, so it makes sense that they would use their body as a canvas for the creative act of selecting and wearing clothes, piercing things, and coloring/styling hair. I don’t. But I posit my lack of effort is also an expression of myself.

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Published:
February 27, 2008 – 12:30 pm
Author:
By J. Mattocks

Casablanca Comments

After seeing the title pop up in every “best movies” list I’ve come across, I finally decided to watch Casablanca.

Holy crap, that was a good movie. I mean, wow. That was the most well written movie I’ve seen in a long time–possibly ever. I mean, the characters! It had real characters, with depth, motivation, and personalities! The lines were so unbelievably smart, and the plot was engaging and complex, cinematic and utterly human, theatrical while remaining completely believable and understandable. There were times during the film when I would actually say to myself aloud, “damn this is a good movie!”

Now that I’ve finally seen the movie, I’m thoroughly disgusted and repulsed by the thought that my father, of all people, thought “they” should make a sequel. While we’re at it, let’s add to the Sistine Chapel. You know, a painted floor might be a good idea. Since it was such a hit, let’s make it entirely out of brown patina!

Dad, come on. No way.

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Published:
January 4, 2007 – 3:40 am
Author:
By J. Mattocks