cloud man

I've recently posted a wonderful video for Fleet Foxes' "Mykonos" and have now come across another stop-motion paper art MV for Grieves & Budo's "Cloud Man". As opposed to the first one, the latter does not have a narrative but is, nevertheless, technically and visually enchanting:

Grieves & Budo "Cloud Man" Music Video from Jesse Brown on Vimeo.

via Oh, Hello There

yan ming's photography

This post was originally posted on NeochaEDGE, a bilingual blog that I contribute to and that showcases emerging artists and creative content from China.

Yan Ming is a talented photographer based in Guangzhou. He took up photography in 2002 when he became interested in digital cameras but is currently using a Rolleiflex 2.8f.

He is a true master of the square format – if you take a look at his portfolio, you will discover a series of wonderfully framed black and white photographs with a great use of balance and beautiful repetition of forms.

In addition, Yan Ming manages to avoid the clichés of documentary photography as he does not merely rely on overly-sentimental and easily interpretable visual cues. He’s adept at capturing brilliant poses, which enable his work to tell incredibly nuanced stories fused with a great sense of humor.

To see more of his beautiful square format b&w photography link here.

I love this photograph of a bare-footed smoking man in the rain:

kmr.img

Some wonderful work by Japanese artist Jun Kumaori aka kmr.img:

josefin the writer

Scotland-based Hanaé Seida created this wonderful animated video for the song "Josefin the writer" by UK/US duo Olney Clark.

via theKITE

rin toshite sigure

Here is "Jpop Xfile" by Japanese band Rin Toshite Shigure (aka Ling Tosite Sigure / 凛として時雨 ). The vocals (both male and female) are often high-pitched loud screams. And I mean that as in irritating. However, I like to see the vocals not as a downside, but rather as giving their sound a certain rawness. Plus, the instrumentals have a lot "The Fall of Troy" in'em. Love it!

noper

Noper is a Romanian illustrator, comic artist and animator. He currently lives in Bucharest and works as an art director with an advertising agency. In his early career he often found himself juggling with various illustration styles, but his more mature work clearly underlines his passion to create surreal characters and worlds. His work was selected for "Lürzer's Archive: 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide 09-10".

aleksandra rdest

This is the kind of artwork I could stare at for hours. Canadian artist Aleksandra Rdest's paintings are inspired by

“sound waves, clouds, particles and cells on a microscopic level. The point of departure for these works is growth and decay; cellular division and multiplication, weather patterns biological colonization. My love affair with colour gives rise to these paintings which are created by richly layering veils of paint to form a deep surface.”

dorian denes

See below for some of Dorian Denes' "Linear Interpretations". His drawings are highly recommendable, as well.

via Pentru Ochi

bye bye kayo

I've recently found out that Polysics' Kayo is graduationg from the band after 12 years of being part of it. Polysics are a Japanese new wave band known for their high energy music, entertaining videos and...orange overalls & straight-bar sunglasses.

"I spent most of my twenties on POLYSICS. I'd like to spend my thirties and onwards going back to becoming a regular girl doing regular things."

Let's hope we'll get to experience some of those "regular things" she wants to try her hand at :)

Here's a video for their song "Young Oh!Oh!". I find it suitable as it seems to include a story on the four of them "growing up" together.

Here's a special version of another video I've posted on them before.

locks on a bridge

Today, as I was crossing the Rhine over the narrow walkway at the side of one the bridges I was surprised by an unusual sight: small padlocks of varying designs and shapes were attached to the fence that separates the walkway from the railway tracks. They had names, years and sometimes pictures of couples written or engraved on them. Apparently, this ritual was inspired by a best-selling novel of Federico Moccia, Ho voglia di te, where young couples wrote their names on a padlock, chained their locks around lampposts on Ponte Milvio in Rome and finally tossed the key in the river as a symbol of everlasting love.

Unfortunatelly, I saw some locks where the names of the lovers had been scratched out...I guess it was not so everlasting after all.

umbrella

It's Saturday morning, it's cartoon morning!

"Umbrella" is a short film created by Philip Vose for his character animation class at Cal Arts which is about a girl who takes a big risk for a chance at a better life. via Kitsune Noir

Umbrella from philip vose on Vimeo.

the magic shoe polish kit

Coilhouse introduced me to an interesting video featuring a young man...polishing shoes. The video gives another perspective on a seemingly unspectacular activity. Such a complex process executed with great skill, dedication and elegance got me spellbound within the first few seconds.

"precise movements set to a soundtrack of clinking, tapping, rattling and scratching. It's almost disturbingly riveting."

And if you find ironing just as fascinating as I do, I am certain you will appreciate it done in a similar style by another Japanese gentleman.

After all there is nothing more relaxing then watching Japanese men meticulously and efficiently engaging in mundane activities and listening to the sounds they produce as they immerse you in the universe of their craft.

twinkle twinkle

See below for a wonderful video for Vital's "Airport", directed by TAKOM (Takafumi Tsuchiya) - use headphones and play loud for full audio-visual experience:

VITAL "Airport" from VITAL on Vimeo.

download it for free here.

via Das Kraftfuttermischwerk

pixels

"Pixels" is a short by Patrick Jean that illustrates how New York is attacked by 8-bit creatures and how evetually the entire world becomes pixellated.

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Hochgeladen von onemoreprod. - Unabhängige Web Videos.

via KoiKoiKoi

if i want to whistle, i whistle - preview