Handmade With Love
Last year, Jessica Silversaga composed a dreamy 80-page book of photographs taken between 2008 and 2010, dubbed Where No Endings End. As the first book in a series, it catalogs imaginative and sometimes sinister depictions of nature, girls and boys with gauzy black-and-white and pastel-hued imagery painting its matte pages. The book looks amazing and we can’t wait to see what else the Stockholm-based photographer has in store. But, in the meantime, peek through a few pages and check out a short clip of the book below, then head on over to Ms. Silversaga’s shop to purchase one of the last copies.
Textile artist Cat Rabbit and animator Isobel Knowles had a vision to create a whimsical factory where felt owls were made. The pair joined forces and got to work on Owl Know How — a brand for which they’ve not only created one of the sweetest animated shorts we’ve ever seen, but a children’s book and an adorable shop to boot. Baby owl plushes feature the Melbourne-dwelling artist’s beautiful handiwork — with scalloped felt detailing and kaleidoscopic colors filling the shop — while the stop-motion video truly combines both Knowles’ and Rabbit’s craft. Spy some bits and pieces from the duo’s latest endeavor and watch how a baby owl is made in their petite factory after the jump.
Imagine walking down the street and seeing vibrant colors fill the not-so-pretty sidewalk cracks that, if you believe the old adage, would break your mother’s back. Transforming the streets of Paris into a makeshift canvas, artist Juliana Santacruz Herrera filled those cracks and potholes with kaleidoscopic pieces of fabric. As a sort of yarn bombing — but without the yarn — Herrera dyed and braided the fabric, which was then coiled into crevices for the beautiful project. Brighten your day with some of her gorgeous street art and check out a stop-motion video Ms. Herrera coupled with the photos, after the jump.
Nearly two years ago, Russian artist Eibatova Karina created a video entitled Flower Anthem, featuring a young woman as she retrieves flowers from inside herself and applies them — a visual representation of inner and natural beauty — to her face and neck. Karina made the video as “an attempt to return [to] a state where woman’s nature is pure, absolutely gorgeous, natural and it blooms by itself, without any violence from external factors.” Since its inception, the video’s message has lived on, being exhibited twice and, as of this year, it boasts a soundtrack especially made by Washed Out. Spy some stills from Karina’s Flower Anthem, and watch the nearly 10-minute long clip backed by dreamy tunes, after the jump.
What happens when a four-piece troupe from France creates dreamy music and has a member well-versed in the realm of animation? You get Ödland, a quirky collective who recently released a gorgeous clip for their song, “Østersøen.” Under the moniker Le Petit Écho Malade, Ödland piano-player and visual mastermind Lorenzo Papace, along with his partner Vincent Pianina, created the whimsical video. The duo hand-built a ship, train, roller coaster, sea, solar system and abstract geometric shapes out of a myriad of materials (paper, fabric, wire, wood, paint). The concept for the imaginative animated short is unveiled in the lyrics, which strings listeners along through the night and into the singer’s dream on the Baltic Sea. Dig into the mesmerizing — not to mention masterfully made/animated — music video, and peruse through some behind-the-scenes photos after the jump.
The late Maurice Sendak is one of those illustrators whose work is so powerful and full of imagination and originality that it is universally adored. His uniqueness and need to constantly evolve led to a legendary career doing what he loved: creating picture books. Sendak’s refusal to repeat ideas for the sake of profit — “People say, ‘Why don’t you do Wild Things II? Wild Things I was such a success!’ Go to hell! Go to hell. I’m not a whore. I don’t do those things.” — his fearless approach, risk-taking and unyielding opinions, although they sometimes landed him in hot water, are incredibly inspirational and valuable for artists of all sorts.
Members of London’s Tate Art Gallery traveled to Sendak’s upstate New York home back in November 2011 to interview the beloved author and illustrator. What resulted is one of the most inspiring shorts we’ve feasted our eyes on. Surrounded by the woods, Sendak and his German Shepherd illuminate the screen with hysterical anecdotes of landing in the world of children’s literature, his love and confusion of poet William Blake, Herman Melville’s advice for artists, and the enchanting power of childhood. Peek inside the Where The Wild Things mastermind’s workspace — oddly full of Mickey Mouse figurines, poetry books, and large wooden desks — along with a few photos and noteworthy quotes after the jump.
Here’s a Monday pick-me-up: a super sweet animated short that explores people’s first crushes by Julia Pott. The English artist is no stranger to creating heart-melting clips, remember her Valentine’s Day video for MTV Liquid? The nearly 4-minute long short was directed and created by Pott in 2007, and features people in animal-form divulging what they did to get the object of their affection’s attention. Remember your first crush and swoon over the wonderful clip below.
So, here’s something that we just adore: Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate’s animated shorts and book, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. We’re big fans of Bored To Death guest star and former SNL cast member Jenny Slate — have you seen her Coco interview? — who is the voice and mastermind behind Marcel’s adorable jokes. If you’re wondering why Marcel is, well, a shell, Slate revealed that she, along with director Dean Fleischer-Camp, chose that because they’re the “jewels of the sea.” How cute is that? The animated vids are short and sweet, transporting viewers into the everyday goings-on of a shell — cars are bugs, skis are toenails, dogs are lint — which you can watch below.
