the fox is black (and utterly lovely)

Janna Morton

Paul Windel and Ann Shen

Harriet Seed

Above are different (free) desktop backgrounds that you can download off this wonderful website called 'The Fox is Black'. There are so many beautiful backgrounds to chose from and this aspect of the website is just one of the projects they are running. SRSLY all the projects are fantastic, from mixtapes to Space Suits of the Week... *too much project-goodness for one post*

xx
Lou

the dot is (almost) here

Zane and I finally finished drafting a proposal for our website idea called The Dot. The Dot is a place for emerging artists to create online portfolios of their work so everyone can keep up-to-date with what they are doing and follow their progress. The website's ultimate aim is to connect the dots for emerging artists in New Zealand.

While the website is getting made - enjoy these little adverts I made from old magazines!

xx
Lou

P.S.
If you are interested in the idea in any way and would like extra details, email me at eloise@thedot.co.nz

clay

Yesterday I missioned it across town to my friend's house in Seatoun and we made some geometric necklaces from this DIY tutorial on Dismount Creative, and since we are both in love with those bracelets Bedrock Bones makes, we attempted some of our own. The purple bracelet in the second photo is original one that I bought, and the orange and red are ones my friend made for me (turns out shaping bones from clay is a skill I lack).

Clay is so much fun!



aps xx

market day

 

 

In the few days of semester break Lou and I were both in Dunedin, we took a few days to explore the little city, gather materials, and release some pent up creative output. Last year we had Vespa, and I did painting everyday at school, but at uni it's been a little different in terms of finding ways to be creative while not procrastinating from studying, if that makes sense. Anyway, Lou's been not only writing things a lot, but also drawing things a lot, so we decided to collaborate again and made some fun  watercolour illustrations. By the end of the day my room was a huge mess, but we had a finished group of eclectic people dressed up in colourful and quirky outfits.
Our project was to make a little stall of the framed watercolours and my vinyl clocks (the ones I have sometimes in my Felt.co.nz shop) at the monthly market here, and even if we didn't sell things we could say we had fun trying. It was windy and freeeeezing but there was music, cool clothes, and we did sell quite a few of our drawings. We also talked to some people who were pretty positive about our stuff. Even through our frozen toes/fingers/face, I felt a little bit of that warm-fuzziness you get from selling your own creations.


 

 

 

aps xx

Loulou and Nina's Assignments

Last night I went the first (of hopefully many) writers' meetings at Blue Oyster Gallery. The focus for the group is writing about art and it's kind of like a workshop/social/networking environment. In the next meeting we have to bring a piece about an exhibition that we've been to recently and the two more mature members will break it apart as this is the only way we can develop. I want to become a fantastic writer and if I can't, then I will focus on other things. Hehe. A good friend of Mum's (and my friend also) Gabrielle Mckone emailed me saying I MUST look at Nina Katchadourian's 'Seat Assignment' at Dunedin Public Art Gallery. I loved it and alas it also became the exhibition for which I wrote my first art-writing piece! I'll post it on here but don't worry, this blog is not going to become Lou's 'developing as a writer place'...well...only occasionally it will be that. Hehe!

Nina Katchadourian's Seat Assignment (now at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery)

I imagine Nina Katchadourian sitting buckled up to an airplane seat. She pulls from the pouch attached to the seat in front, a magazine. Flicks through, rolls her eyes at the idyllic advertisements, then places it back. She gazes at the blue sky and the clouds below. Slowly she studies the silence of the exterior high atmosphere world, then the thick plastic window, then her seat buckle, in-flight magazine and the overweight business man overflowing in the seat next to her. Through her itching for innovation Katchadourian formulates an idea for a project. The passengers around her don’t physically witness her change from plane catcher to artist but internally colour pours through her mind as she visualizes a map for her artistic challenge.

Over many flights a collection of historical art genres: still life, portrait and landscape are subverted to be incorporated in an airplane environment. Peanuts, black fluff, sun glare, tic tacs, all become part of pre-taken images and thus reconstruct them with a flavor of irony and playfulness which takes away the permanency of the initial ‘finished product’s’ meaning. In Katchadourian’s eyes an image in a magazine is a potential world to which she can build on, subvert, destroy and enjoy. Those very faraway photos of beaches and native forests become new, fresh as we are placed as the flight goer enjoying the discovery of an originally deemed ‘solid’ piece that is now fluid for manipulation and addition or subtraction.

If we walk down the corridor of framed photos we’ll find a more contemporary media being used by Katchadourian to once again elaborate on the mundanity of airplane items to rediscover them and take away our thoughts on the anxiety of flying. Katchadourian films herself in an airplane cubicle wearing different napkins to create Flemish characters whose eyes stare and blink, stare and blink - holding their identity in silence. The absurdity is blended into Katchadourian’s acted seriousness to create several brilliant moments. Do we laugh or will her perpetual gaze forbid it? She may be wearing napkins but suddenly these napkins are symbolic of another culture. Katchadourian teases us once again with her manipulation of the everyday objects that exist on a vehicle 3000 ft above the ground.

In another piece which is around the corner from these filmed projects are photos which show reflections in belt buckles of unsuspecting and often overweight passengers. Katchardourian’s world leaks into reality by incorporating the ‘others’ into it. They do not realise it, but their image is reflected off many different surfaces so while the simultaneously exist in a reality they also exist as an image through which Katchadourian can tease, re-capture, interpret. She is reflecting the image of the society of plane-goers in their purist and most unsuspecting form.

The flying environment is one of claustrophobia, anxiety and boredom, yet Katchadourian challenges this world almost like an explorer with only a few pieces of vital equipment. The permanently mundane becomes a playful studio that embraces the innovation of the artist.

xx
Lou

Mail

Thank you to everyone who voted for our video we made for the fly buys competition a while back (esp. Tom for your technology and danishes), because today Aps got a package in the mail and a nifty looking pocket video camera. We don't know what it is exactly yet but it will be our 'company camera.'

(We don't have a company. It's just going to be a blog camera. But company camera sounds better riiiight.)

aps and lou xx

Festivities

We are hosting the family Christmas party this year. Ugh. But a 'pro' is that I can make decorations yay. Tissue paper pompoms.
They're so much fun! A whole packet of tissue paper went into making this one in my time lapse below. (yes I made another time lapse). Here's what they look like:

I made about 10 last night, all in different sizes and I'm going to hang them up with invisible thread over the dining room table. EEeeeeeee. I'll post a picture when they are all set up and stuufff.

aps xx

Much love monday

 

Making things! In the afternoon I went over to my friend's house who lives just up the road, and baked gingey men. Well I didn't really bake them...but I made little labels on Indesign and printed them on brown paper envelopes for the cookies using Aimee's HUGE fancy computer and printer.

The development of technology is crazy and scares me sometimes but times like these where it makes awesome things for me I will write Much Love Monday posts about it.

He haw. And this is what I did when our internet went down:

What do you love today?

xx aps


Day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality. 
Haa I always used to consider myself a Taurus because when I was littler this boy I liked was Taurus and my real sign wasn't compatible with his etc etc so I told everyone I was Taurus. Which obviously is stupid because they could just look up my real birthday for themselves. 


 Day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.  When I used to rollerblade down the hill really skillfully without crashing into cars because I was a wild child.

Will you be my fly-by?

Here is most of Sunday in pictures. It doesn't include the ninja games or the strange run-in we had with all of Lou's juggling neighbours who asked to join our roof party when we got locked out. Which it turned out in the end that we weren't really locked out. Yes.

We spent a few fustrating hours on an Adobe Premiere program trying to make our photos into a stop motion...but failed. Luckily we have a super smart computer savvy friend who can sleep-code programs, (when his hands are taped to his laptop...worrying? Slightly). Hurrah to strawberries, iMovie and Final Cut Pro!

Vote for our video!

aps and lou xx

PS. If you're interested... our little clip was made from about 800 photos. Pheww.

New Caledonia in pieces

A couple of years ago I was in New Caledonia. I became a local well pas du tout but here is the first collage of the N.C. I experienced:

xx

Lou

From August

I did actually finish this dress I blogged about ages ago but forgot to blog about me finally finishing it. Which I did a while ago... I didn't just finish it... Because that means it would've taken 3 months... Anyway here's what it looked like in the end.

aps