Baths: Lovely Bloodflow

Lovely Bloodflow from BATHS on Vimeo.

Shinya Kimura: Zero-Style Bikes

I just posted this over at CRAFT. Witness: the vintage craftsman glory of a man and his machine. Japanese-born custom motorcycle builder, Shinya Kimura, made a name for himself as founder of the shop Zero Engineering, where his streamlined aesthetic turned vintage bikes into a "no frills minimalistic" functional artistry known as Zero-style.

A Zero-style bike is typically based around a rigid gooseneck, a pre-1984 Harley Davidson engine, springer front end, spoked wheels and often includes parts of the bike remaining in bare metal. The inspiration came from wabi sabi (austere refinement) and the beauty of the raw materials and incorporating the essence of wa (harmony) into his designs.

Today, Kimura runs his own workshop, Chabott Engineering, in the California desert town of Azusa. Watch more Kimura videos here, and follow him on his blog.

AT-AT Day Afternoon

AT-AT day afternoon from Patrick Boivin on Vimeo.

Happy start of summer!

Tilles Singer: Skateboardanimation

Skateboardanimation from Tilles Singer on Vimeo.

Lots of awesome videos this month. I am so pleased to share Tilles Singer's papercraft video, Skateboardanimation composed from "a ton of digital photos, a ton of real life magazines, [and] an hour of recording music". The sound is spot-on, and the imagined landscape of books and flora and paper scraps takes on life-size proportions with familiar wonder. [via Becky at Craftzine]

This is Japan!

This is Japan! from Eric Testroete on Vimeo.

You might remember Eric Testroete from his 3D paper geosphere self portrait. Now witness: this glorious video made from photo stills taken during his 3-week trip to Japan in 2008. If you didn't already have a deep desire to travel East, this will make you wish the other side of the globe was a lot closer. [Thanks, David, for the link]

Keegan Meegan Press & Bindery

Keegan Meegan Press & Bindery from :::MAGNETIC ARCHIVES:: on Vimeo.

I have something magical for you today — business cards being printed on a 1920's press. Mesmerizing. It's been a long 2 weeks, full of new information and problem solving. We discovered our beautiful hound mutt, Townes, has epilepsy. Watching him suffer through a series of seizures creates pause on thoughts of motion — fluid vs. spasmodic, rhythmic vs. arrhythmic — and the level of consciousness involved in making deliberate vs. involuntary movements. I won't belabor a juxtaposition, but suffice it to say this stunning (and I use the word to its full effect) video is itself a meditation on harmonious motion. The music [Do Make Say Think] pairs perfectly to the synchronized workings between man and machine. Watching Wenkman's measured hand load paper in time to the press as the counter clicks onward and the gears orbit ... is trancelike.

KeeganMeegan Press & Bindery in Portland, Or. was co-founded by Katy Meegan and Keegan Wenkman in 2007, and is best known for its hand-illustrated letterpress work. They also do design, bookbinding, and silkscreening. Be sure to check out Wenkman's illustrations at One Foot In Front (below).

Maker Faire Bay Area 2010: Ready, Set ...

Every year my life gets colonized for one week in May, during which 80,000 people swarm out to partake in a single event comprised of several thousand happenings. There have been many phrases and comparisons used to describe Maker Faire — "equal parts science and art, with hints of Burning Man" (San Jose Mercury News, 5/30/09), and our own tagline, "The World's Largest DIY Festival" — but somehow none of them quite sum up the whole of the parts. My dad overheard this gem last year: "This taps into something primal — so much more than geek-appeal." It's true. While we may fly our geek flag high, this isn't about one social bracket, it's about catalysts. It's about bringing potentially disparate groups together and seeing what happens in the name of exploration, creative endeavor, science, and pleasure. That's right, pleasure. AKA fun! The joy of learning something new, or sharing what you already know. I could go on and on, but I think it's best if you see it for yourself.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2010 will be happening, as usual, at the San Mateo County Event Center, May 22 and 23rd. There will be 2 other Faires happening this year, one in Detroit on July 31 and August 1, 2010 at the Henry Ford. And World Maker Faire in Queens NY, September 25 and 26, at the New York Hall of Science.

I will be working Maker Check In 24/7, so don't be shy, please stop by and say hi! And feel free to bring with you life-giving fluids (aka beer and coffee).

You can read about a number of our featured Makers on both the blogs, makezine.com and craftzine.com. Here are a few links, compliments of Goli:
Flaming Lotus Girls SOMA
SolarPump Electric Charging Station
Interview with the Raygun Gothic Rocketship crew

All photos by Will Wilson, from the set How Will YOU Make the Future?

Geographer Steals the Stage

Last night I had the substantial pleasure of attending Geographer's CD release party for their new EP, Animal Shapes, out now on iTunes and Tricycle Records. It's not just my involvement in the project that makes me love these guys. They're just really, decidedly, exceptionally good, and I feel very lucky to have been able to work with them and Tricycle. When they first went on, I was standing at the back of the Rickshaw chatting with friends. But as we pushed up toward the front, the full sound of the speakers hit and Mike Deni's voice just takes over.

Geographer may only have 3 members, but their sound is full-blooded, with lots of synth and polyrhythmic layering. In part, this is why I've decided to show a more intimate look at Mike making acoustic music while harmonizing with Kacey Johansing. He's one of the few musicians I've seen recently who understands his voice is an instrument. Though, don't get me wrong, GEO wouldn't be GEO without the swoon-worthy celloliciousness of Nathan Blaz and raging technical mastery of drummer Brian Ostreicher. Seriously, if you haven't already listened, do.

Laurent Milon: Magnetic Rings

Remember those magnetic hair-do games you'd play with as a kid? There was Hair-Do Harriet, and the vaguely menacing Wooly Willy. Well now there's Laurent Milon, French industrial designer extraordinaire. His Magnetic Rings are made using frozen iron powder (cheap) in conjunction with ferromagnetic precious metals, like silver, copper, and nickel. The project was done as part of his diploma, which focused on "creating shapes that would evade the limits of nowadays' industrial process" thanks to the random forms created through (partially) natural means. The video is truly delightful and very helpful in visualizing his methodology. Plus, you get to see an animate clump of iron powder closely resemble a hedgehog devouring glitter. [via DesignBoom]

Now, I'm no science buff, but thinking back to kid stuff I couldn't help but be reminded of those crystal garden growing kits I used to fawn over — the forms are remarkably similar. So I tried to learn a little more online about the similarities between magnetic forms and the way crystals grow. It turns out that crystal architecture plays a deciding role in determining the magnetic properties of molecular materials (more here). Cool! If anyone has any more info or thoughts on this I'd be super stoked to learn more.

Rymdreglage: 8-Bit Trip

Last week blew. Hard. Don't get too excited. The only folks who got off were insurance agents, DMV employees, and possibly some impound yard dudes. Trust me, you don't want to know. I cannot qualify it any more than I can pretend to know exactly what's going on here. Other than the opposite of my week — squeaky, unmolested magic.

Enter, Rymdreglage, comprised of Swedish musicians Tomas and Daniel, and their amazing LEGO stop motion music video for the single, 8-Bit Trip, an homage to classic retro video games. Check out the build here; supposedly it took 1,500 hours. I don't know what these guys do all day, but I absolutely need to be a part of it. [Thanks, David, for cheering my day with this. Geek Dad, Laughing Squid, and all the usual suspects covered this last August, but I couldn't pass it up.]

A Moment To Oneself, à la Clair

Using stop animation, Clair Neal of à la Clare has captured an important category of alone time: Escapism. The music is Le Carnaval des Animaux by Camille Saint-Saëns and captures the mood beautifully.

Reed + Rader

Witness, the fabulous fashionscape photos of New York based Reed + Rader.

Howl's Moving Castle Paper Project

I am a huge Miyazaki fan and recently had the pleasure of stumbling upon Ben Millett's video of building a paper model of Howl's Moving Castle. The video is 5 minutes long and represents 72 hours of labor over the course of 3 weeks — no small feat! Many of the parts actually move as they do in the film; the tongue sticks out, the cannons swivel, the pulley wheels turn. Unfortunately, the template Millett used is no longer available, but apparently Amazon.co.jp sells a Japanese paper template book (DIY translation) if you are interesting in attempting this yourself. See Millett's final set on Flickr. [via PJ Lighthouse]

Mobile Mobile Installation

Granted, I want to see this done with almost any tune other than an xmas jingle, but I concede it's wonderfully executed. This interactive installation by International Lost Servant Boys (LBi), Mobile Mobile, connects upcycled mobile phones via computer to play Carol of the Bells live when you tweet it. How geek-festive. [via Fubiz]

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

In staying with the fantastical and slightly aberrant, I had to repost notice for the 2010 remake of Alice In Wonderland by the ever extraordinary Tim Burton. Ok, yes, it's put out by Disney (again), but there appears no shortage of everything, well, Burton. As Seattle Times writer Moira Macdonald points out, "Tim Burton movies always look like Tim Burton movies, they're always gorgeous in that special, vaguely dangerous Edward-Gorey-in-color-and-on-steroids way".

This is certainly no exception. We are met with familiar co-star favorites Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter, who else?) and Burton's partner, Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen), alongside a surprise Anne Hathaway (the White Queen), and newcomer Mia Wasikowska (Alice). These iconic characters take a twist in a future reality of Wonderland, replete with all the outré psychedelic trappings and trimmings. March 5th, baby. I cannot wait. [View a second trailer here]

The Lesters Store

I am super excited and pleased to announce the first in a series of ephemeral pop-up store openings: come meet The Lesters. "THE LESTERS STORE is a project from friends Alison Kendall and Megan Mansell Williams, based on their scientific expeditions to San Miguel Island in the early 2000s and the stories of the Lester family ... The project embraces design, decor, branding, marketing, and more ... with items we admire that harken back to another time and remind us, if not solely of the Lesters and of San Miguel Island, of Herbie's love for collecting and his love for the landscape around him."

Rugged, vintage, survivalist decor & accessories! Artworks from Alison Kendall, Clare Judith Bowers, and Jessica Martin. Jewelry trunk show by M.E.Moore. Clothing designs from Amber McInnis. Select "rustica" from Ray Degischer, Country Industrial.

December 18-20, 2009, at 110 North Street Street (upstairs), aka "The Loft" in downtown Healdsburg, CA. Showroom open 10am–4pm. Evening film screenings, refreshments & music — 6pm 'til closing. See you there!

Marina and the Diamonds: Mowgli's Road

Here's a little Monday Magic. WARNING: Extreme Girl Crush! Check out Marina, of Marina and the Diamonds. The making of Mowgli is pretty amazing: "Oh, PS- You’re going to have concertina plastic legs attached to your waist, operated by two real-life-human puppeteers at each side of you. Each time you move forward, they will too and then vice versa. So basically, don’t move anything except for your stomach anymore. Cheers, bye." [via What Katie Finds]

The Draplin Project

from Jess Gibson on Vimeo.

Why America is effed, graphically. Compliments of Keith Hammond. joshellington.com/blog

The Body Breaks // Leaf House

Esteban Diåcono for Ólafur Arnalds

Ólafur Arnalds – Ljósið (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes.

Argentinian motion graphics designer Esteban Diåcono has created a truly exceptional animation project for Icelandic neo-classical musician, Ólafur Arnalds. The song, Ljósið, is part of the Found Songs series: 7 songs in 7 days. [via Kitsune Noir]