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Archive for April, 2012

via flavorwire
Israeli artist Shay Aaron, whose work we first spotted over at booooooom, creates impossibly tiny, handmade clay sculptures of delicious looking treats, most of them on a 1:12 scale. In addition to being mouthwateringly realistic, his tiny food is pretty gorgeous — if Aaron has a dollhouse, those dolls are eating in some serious style. If you’re feeling especially covetous, Aaron also makes tiny wearable food art, which you can buy over at his Etsy shop (a chicken soup ring!) but we love these little sculptures best. Click through to see some of the most delectable tiny treats you’ve ever seen, and then be sure to head over to Aaron’s Flickr to see even more of his work.

via flavorwire
Chances are you’ve seen at least one image from award-winning illustrator Stanley Chow before. The English-born artist started his career in fashion illustration and as a storyboard pro. Since then, his work has appeared in numerous advertisements, animations, and other design-savvy publications. We ran into his creations on Geek-Art and had to share his pop culture portraits. They have an interesting and elegant Art Deco twist, while still being contemporary. The works are refreshingly uncomplicated, but Chow manages to capture each character and star’s iconic expression or look in a unique way. We’ve shared a gallery of his work past the break. After you browse, be sure to head to the artist’s print shop to check out the rest of his delightful illustrations. You can see Chow’s work in person at an upcoming retrospective show in Manchester.

 

Frontiers | The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

 

From the Neural Research Dept:

Aesthetic responses to visual art comprise multiple types of experiences, from sensation and perception to emotion and self-reflection. Moreover, aesthetic experience is highly individual, with observers varying significantly in their responses to the same artwork. Combining fMRI and behavioral analysis of individual differences in aesthetic response, we identify two distinct patterns of neural activity exhibited by different sub-networks. Activity increased linearly with observers’ ratings (4-level scale) in sensory (occipito-temporal) regions. Activity in the striatum (STR) also varied linearly with ratings, with below-baseline activations for low-rated artworks. In contrast, a network of frontal regions showed a step-like increase only for the most moving artworks (“4” ratings) and non-differential activity for all others. This included several regions belonging to the “default mode network” (DMN) previously associated with self-referential mentation. Our results suggest that aesthetic experience involves the integration of sensory and emotional reactions in a manner linked with their personal relevance….

 

via Frontiers | The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

via my modernmet
Anyone who’s been to Asia and they’ll tell you that the food is vastly different than that of the West. Take for instance Anja Hitzenberger. During a two month residency in the fall of 2011, Anja documented a temporary food court set up inside Beijing’s Olympic Park. The photos culminated into a solo exhibition titled: Take Out: Chinese Fast Food Photographs by Anja Hitzenberger, which is currently showing at New York’s UNDERLINE Gallery through May 13.

Anja was interested in food and consumption for some time, and was particularly inspired by the work of authors Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food), who write about eating habits and the way society deals with food. In this series, she “reveals a visually and viscerally overloaded fast-food culture that may make some mouths water and other bellies ache.”

We recently got in contact with Anja and she was kind enough to answer some of our questions. You can read that interview, below.

In your own words, how would you describe some of the differences between fast food in the East vs. West?

Most fast food around the world is now the same, since McDonald’s is basically everywhere, so is Pizza Hut and many other food chains. But one reason why I called this series “Chinese Fast Food” is because the food in this tent was supposed to represent Chinese specialties from different regions in China — which some of it was — but in reality most of it was simply bad food: mass produced ingredients, deep fried food and “Italian” spaghetti with tomato sauce and “Twist Potato” simply aren’t traditional Chinese dishes.

What was your favorite aspect about shooting this series?

The way the saturated visual displays of the food stalls contrasted with the boredom of the workers inspired me very much. My work is about people and the relationship of the body to architecture and space. I spent two months in the fall working on photography projects in Beijing, and when I discovered these food stalls in the Olympic Park there, I was really intrigued by these small, totally artificial confined spaces.

Did you try any of the food? Did you have any favorites?

I ate some of the food every time I was in the tent, because it all smelled so good and made me really hungry. But while the food everywhere in Beijing was absolutely delicious — I love food and so I ate constantly while I was in Beijing — the food in this tent was not good at all. That’s one reason why I decided to call the series “Chinese Fast Food”.

How do you hope this series will impact people’s view on food?

Fast food is spreading around the world very quickly, which is really sad. I would love for people to rethink what they eat and maybe these very colorful, artificial images will be a bit off-putting for some people. But I do think that people in Asia react to these images differently than people in the West.

What’s next for you?

I’m not completely sure yet, because this series is still quite fresh — I only shot it in September/October, and my exhibition is still on here in New York. But I’m pretty sure I would like to work more with the subject of food and what people put into their bodies.

anja Hitzenberger

via swiss-miss
Paula Antonelli answers the question: What makes good design?

Antonelli: You know what makes good design is one of the biggest questions and one of the hardest questions to answer. Sometimes people ask us, “How do you decide to put an object in the collection of MOMA?” because you know it’s a small collection. It’s not huge. It’s about 4,000 objects. You can talk about anything you want – form, function, all of these different equations that have been usually . . . you know that have been given the world as possible definitions. But the truth is this. It’s a very complex recipe. The world has become more complex, and you can’t anymore have an equation with just two variables. There’s like, you know, it’s a differential equation with many variables. What I can tell you as one of the litmus tests is think if this object were not on earth. Would it be a pity? Would you miss it? I tell you that’s really interesting because it really helps. Sometimes objects are not immediately functional. They’re not to be sat upon, or to be used to eat, or to be used to turn on the volume. Sometimes objects just deliver emotions or are just part of your life. That’s also enough. You know the moment an object seems necessary, then you can move on to judge if it’s beautiful, if it works well, if it wastes energy. Those are all considerations. But the idea of necessity or good addition to the world really usually works.

 

 

via social commerce today

Nielsen’s latest Global Trust in Advertising report repeats findings from previous years – people don’t trust advertising, at least not as much as they trust recommendations from friends and consumer opinions expressed online.

According to the report, which surveyed more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries, 92 percent of consumers say they trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising – an increase of 18 percent since 2007. Online consumer reviews rank as the second most trusted source, with 70 percent of global consumers surveyed online indicating they trust messages on this platform, an increase of 15 percent in four years.

Ranking third, fourth and fifth are editorial content (58%), branded websites (58%), and opt-in emails (50%) respectively. Traditional forms of advertising using media such as television, print and radio rank lower, and have seen a significant drop – as much as 24% – since 2009.

With its emphasis on friend-to-friend sharing, this bodes well for social commerce. For example, when we are uncertain about what to buy, it’s common for us to depend on the influence of friends. Therefore, integrating elements such as rating and recommendation systems, social sharing buttons and shop together tools is a smart thing to do.

Nielsen finding’s indicate that editorial content such as that found in newspapers is trusted, as well. Normally, we associate such content with those we would consider to be experts in their fields. So a reliance on expert voices – authority figures, celebrities, etc – is a wise move. Think Kim Kardashian at Shoedazzle, or Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth at Beachmint as examples.

Tactics aside, what is of greatest importance is that your social media engagement be marked by authenticity and transparency. People want to be told the truth. They want their interactions with you to be validated by a genuine personal response. And they want the acknowledgement that what they have to say matters.

And another thing – success in social commerce is not simply a matter of utilizing certain channels, or even maintaining a high level of engagement, but of providing a product or service that’s worth talking about. If you do, people will. And, if the Nielsen report has value, the earned media you accrue as a result will work in your favor.

http://bit.ly/dXQ6C9

*By Risotto Negro
I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City. I decided to photograph myself in 2002. I started with self portraits during my last semester in undergrad at Columbia College (ed. note: BFA Photography). I felt like it was time to turn the camera on myself. Prior to this I was making portraits of one person over a long period of time.

This project is about my place in society and the judgment I felt from men and women and how I felt that I did not fit into this mold of beauty. It was time to articulate my insecurities through photographs, and from the moment I started, I have not stopped.

I was born in Akron, Ohio in 1978. Two years later me and my family moved. We landed then in Illinois. A lot of moving in my life. From Illinois to New York, then back to Illinois till ‘93. At that point my family moved to Arizona. When I was done with high school, I packed my belongings and headed to Chicago. I stayed there the longest, 9 years, then New Haven for graduate school and now in NYC.

I still remember this box of family photographs. I would spend hours editing the images, cataloging them by day, night and event, label the backs with the information that I knew. I still remember the ivory color of the box and the way it smelled. The box is long gone now. My mom has now put the photographs in a different box; the house where I would construct my edits is also gone. This took place in the house in Illinois. The room that I would sit in was my dad’s office, by the window. I also remember the way the curtains smell.

I went back to the house in 2002, knocked on the door hoping that the family that lived there currently would let me in. They did, and armed with camera photographed the house, and the things that remained that I had memories of. Most were gone at this point, however the curtains were still up.

The message that I wanted to send when I began the project was to look at myself, subjectively. The camera does not lie, however one can when looking in the mirror. I saw the camera as this machine that could transcribe my thoughts and opinions on society without prejudice. I wanted to be looked at and desired by the opposite sex and realized that this was missing in my life. Leading me to question ones beauty and if beauty could be seen within someone of a larger size. I felt that society judged me based on my size, and I wanted to challenge this in the work.

I love living in New York, and have no immediate plans for relocating. I might eventually, but am very happy now. My favorite place in New York is Boat Bar. Favorite Galleries, too many. I love MoMa. I use the Mamiya RZ 67 film camera. No digital yet! Photographers I like: Bellocq, Diane Arbus and Brassai.

jen davis

Natasha Wescoat is a licensed artist and social media creative atNatashasArtCandy.com utilizing the web to promote her art and connect with her audience. You can follow her on Twitter.

As an artist or creative business, one of your main goals is to connect with your audience and collectors. Social media allows us to connect and collaborate on a level we otherwise would’ve never known outside of the web. It allows collectors and fans to connect more intimately with the artist and allows for a stronger relationship with the art itself.

As an artist, I’ve found that Twitter is an excellent place for self promotion and connecting with my audience. The trick is knowing how to use it. As simple as it seems, there are things you should and should not do. To summarize, being relevant, open, sharing, and giving are the best policies for Twitter. Here are 10 ways artists can better connect with their followers on Twitter.
1. Share your work in progress

Be creative and open. People love to hear about how you create your work. If you videoblog, post a link. Describe what you are creating and what you are using. People want to hear what you are doing, what it looks like, and what you are thinking.

 

smallandround
 
 

Jeremiah Ketner (@smallandround) of SmallandRound.com, a gallery artist, tweets the progress of his work in text and photos, incorporating pictures from Twitpic and Flickr.

2. Share announcements

Do you run auctions online or own a shop on etsy? Do you have an upcoming show, interview, or art exhibit coming up? Announce appearances, shows, and new available art.

 

annesart
 
 

 

Anne Leuck Feldhaus (@annesart), an urban pop artist tweets announcements of upcoming art shows and exhibits weeks or months ahead. You will also find Anne live tweeting from the events she shows in.

3. Find and connect

Using Twitter for networking is the best part. Find people through the Twitter search function who would be of value to a business relationship or people who are interested in art. Build relationships through conversation about anything. Not just about art. Twitter allows for deeper, more meaningful business partnerships and relationships with your audience if you can converse with people on their level.

After connecting with their team on Twitter, I formed a business partnership with Black Card Circle and their foundation. As a result of that relationship I am showing my art in exclusive BCC events and donating my work to charities through their company.

4. Share Yourself

Share informative links to your blog, your stories, interviews, or other art news. Amie Gillingham (@gillie), an artist and co-founder of EBSQ, an online artist community and portfolio site, always offers links to helpful info for artists and collectors. In addition to her own content, she always shares and promotes other people’s links.

5. Research your followers

 

twitter-search-image
 
 

Use Search.twitter.com to survey what people are thinking about art, or what you do. Answer questions or tweets. Share. I’ve used search to find people who are interested in fine art and pop art. Simply search by keyword for a topic you like or would want to discuss and you will find other people to follow and connect with. Use keywords to find out who their favorite artists are, their favorite colors, or what their lifestyles are like. This gives you an opportunity to analyze the possible audience you can have or do have on Twitter.

6. Offer a collector club

If you use a private Twitter account, you can offer follower exclusives like promotional discounts, exclusive art prints, or sales info. This would work great for a collectors base on Twitter. I have yet to find artists who are utilizing this form of Twitter, but I’m certain that the idea is going to spread fast. The concept of immediate info and response to collectors would make the concept of a private Twitter club account very appealing to your group.

7. Announce site/shop issues

Announce when or why sites are down, or other problems. Having immediate information on why your followers can’t seem to buy that print or go to that blog builds trust. Elizabeth Stewart (@ecstewart) a licensed calligraphic designer uses Twitter to update on website maintenance, when new shop options are available or if the site goes down. It keeps customers from worrying or wondering when something is getting done. They can simply watch her tweets for instant updates.

8. Hold Twitter contests

Do Twitter contests and giveaways. Offering a fine art print each week or month to friends who RT (retweet) gives you traffic and new buzz. If they don’t win, they may buy something. Include a link to your portfolio or online shop to build immediate traffic and gain buzz.

 

artbychrysti-twitter-image
 
 

 

I held a “Twitter Treats” Trivia contest where I broadcasted myself asking trivia questions via Ustream.tv and had my followers answer them on Twitter. Chrysti (@ArtByChrysti), a collage artist, uses Twitter to share her giveaways.

9. Collaborate with other artists or businesses

Connect and collaborate with other artists and businesses on Twitter. Share the wealth with your followers. You can gain a good reputation amongst your following and open up future business opportunities with the people you promote and share.

Artists like Maura McGovern (@mmcgovern and myself) are collaborating on a poster design with other artists for the Social Media For Social Change event this April. Without Twitter, this would have been pretty unlikely.

10. Offer instant commissions and orders

You can use Twitter to take commissions, custom request, or orders via tweets or direct messages. I’ve used DMs to send and receive messages from customers who wanted to purchase things directly through me. Twitter also allows me to live tweet followers as I’m shipping their order and give them details on when and how it will be shipped to them.

via mashable