Month: March 2009

Book cover

From my graphic design class at Parsons. The assignment was to create a book cover for an “American Anthology of Poetry” using some kind of natural element. I immediately thought of an oak tree, but I didn’t really know what layout or design I would use. When I looked up books of American poetry, many of them brought in a red, white and blue color palatte, so I decided to go with that, too. I didn’t want to try to trace the outline of a real oak tree, so I made one out of overlapping circles and an adjusted rectangle. The other students seemed to like it. (Yes, references to my hair were made.)

BookCover – pdf

Book cover

ARCH DL V hosted by LVHRD

Last month I attended ARCH DL V, hosted by LVHRD, in Brooklyn. The event pitted two architecture teams against each other to create a moon-based, landing site/jail at Coney Island, using only the materials available in 5 boxes of Monopoly games.

I left before the end because it was a Tuesday and it was in Brooklyn (where I don’t live).

Then, right after that I came across this mixtape on FlavorPill on the 10 Best Architecture songs.

This weekend I will be attending another LVHRD event, WRK/PLY. Check it out and get your ticket. http://www.lvhrd.org/

Little Red Riding Hood, with design twist

I’ve been posting this on all my accounts today. As was said on Flowing Data, this video is totally worth 3 minutes of your life. What a fun take on a classic fairytale. Apparently, it was based on this Röyksopp video, which you can catch on YouTube.

I really like the way all of the parts of the story are presented so matter-of-factly, especially Grandma’s calorie count of 10,000 kcal. Actually, after watching this video I was reminded of one key fact/mishap of the story. Even after Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood are saved, Grandma’s still sick. What about that part of the story? I’m sure it doesn’t end well. Well, at least I found the next song I’m gonna get on iTunes.

Motion Theory, “Student-Athletes Go Pro”

Motion Theory’s ads show effectively communicate the fact that student NCAA athletes are still students and will pursue non-athletic professions after graduation.

http://motiontheory.wiredrive.com//l/p/?presentation=61861706af2f177c5022714f1887f148 – via Doug Fox’s twitter feed. (Plug!) http://twitter.com/dougfox (Sorry there was no cute embed option, but I could figure that out later.)

I’m really impressed by the computer graphics, and the skinning of the students as they step in and out of bounds in the second video, and in the first, I’m impressed by the way the students bodies were isolated into still and active parts.

Be A Kid Again

I’m in charge of implementing a WordPress blog as a CMS at work, so I’ve been looking into various WordPress themes and site designs. Today, I came across DesignDisease.com. Not only do they have great themes, I also find their example of “An ordered list” wonderful, and I’m glad that I do in fact own (and wear) red gym shoes.

Be A Kid Again
http://designdisease.com/preview/dilectio

    Do a cartwheel. (I have been known to do this randomly in ballet class.)
    Sing into your hairbrush.
    Walk barefoot in wet grass.
    Play a song you like really loud, over and over.
    Dot all your “i”’s with smiley faces.
    Read the funnies. Throw the rest of the paper away.
    Dunk your cookies. (Still do this with my Maria cookies.)
    Play a game where you make up the rules as you go along.
    Step carefully over sidewalk cracks.
    Change into some play clothes.
    Try to get someone to trade you a better sandwich.
    Eat ice cream for breakfast.
    Kiss a frog, just in case.
    Blow the wrapper off a straw.
    Have someone read you a story.
    Find some pretty stones and save them.
    Wear your favorite shirt with your favorite pants even if they don’t match.
    Take a running jump over a big puddle. (Yeah, I sometimes do this, too, but it’s usually over snow.)
    Get someone to buy you something you really don’t need.
    Hide your vegetables under your napkin.
    Stay up past your bedtime. (I do this about every night!)
    Eat dessert first.
    Fuss a little, then take a nap.
    Wear red gym shoes. (I’ve got red Pumas!)
    Put way too much sugar on your cereal.
    Make cool screeching noises every time you turn a corner.
    Giggle a lot for no reason.
    Give yourself a gold star for everything you do today.

What makes a (dance) community?

Now that I’ve moved to New York City, I find myself again dipping my toes into dance classes and yoga. No ballet just yet, but I’m already on a dance email list for my samba class. I’ve also attended a dance-animation program in Brooklyn, and am simply keeping up to date on dance-related activities. (One cannot have too much dance, right?)

At one time, I had no trouble at all saying that I was an active member of the dance community. Now, I’m not so sure. I wonder what makes one part of a community? Is it becoming a core producer, such as a dance artist, or is it simply one who affects the community in some way? I think the internet has helped more people become involved in the dance community who would not otherwise have been members, but I wonder if there are still degrees of community membership. Since I find myself thinking about the growing use of the internet within the context of dance, I’m thinking that this will be a vein of inquiry for me in the near future. (At least I hope so.)

Perhaps I should start by interviewing “well known” dance bloggers about their adoption of the internet publishing?