My friend Jen recently convinced me to join Twitter and introduced me to the hot topic of the curator’s code. I am returning to blogging after being remiss for months with a tour de force of curation, replete with absolute full disclosure of all sources. I’ll even use the new unicode symbols, though whether I am being ironic in their use or not is up to the reader.
Act 1: Alberto Seveso
I find these ink and water pieces astonishing because they read like ropy solids that dissolve into smoke without ever being liquid. They are beautiful, if a bit frightening in their squid/dementor-like sense of agency.
Seveso’s work reminds me of this Japanese artist, whose inks aren’t blooming in water but bursting and suspended in air. The moments he is able to capture of suspended inks, waters and paints are sublime. While I’d seen his sumi ink pieces before tonight was the first time I’d seen this lush, mysterious “Gardens” series. Its vignetted, moody lighting and levitating-fluids casting shadows give them all the tension of a David Lynch still.
Suspend ferrous particles in water or oil and introduce magnets and you have something magical if somewhat disturbing.
↬My old friend Shani on her incredibly well-curated Typologica. A whole lot more can be found ᔥ the charmingly titled fuckyeahfluiddynamics tumblr.
Chapter 4: R.I.P Moebius
I can’t help but think I’ve been in a water-art kick recently because I keep going back and looking over galleries of work by Moebius, who died last week. Jean Giraud was a one-of-a-kind talent (and a major visual inspiration for Star Wars, Dune, Tron, and Alien, great article ↬coudal ᔥcasualoptimist). His sense of fluidity and float were uncanny.
Plenty more Moebius all over the web especially these days but as usual I like the curation ↬butdoesitfloat
Since tomorrow is the first official day of Summer and the weather is remarkably beautiful today, I thought New Zealand based photographer Andrew Smith’s (AKA CubaGallery) work would be perfect. He has a great sense of color and composition and these images make me want to run around outside. Cuba Gallery also has a blog where he talks about his post-production techniques using Adobe Lightroom and shows some pretty impressive before-and-after images for his photographs.
e posted about Jessica Hische’s Daily Drop Cap way back in September 2009 when it first began. Today marks what was supposed to be the final day of this project as she completes the 12th alphabet.
But, as an added treat, there will be an additional 13th alphabet appearing starting tomorrow. The 13th alphabet will be designed by guest designers like Marian Bantjes, Louise Fili, Friends of Type, and The Heads of State! I’m really looking forward to seeing what the guest designers come up with.
Have you been following the To Resolve Project over at Motherland? I think it is a pretty genius idea. Here is a little bit about the project from Chris:
TO RESOLVE PROJECT is something that came about when I started talking new years resolutions with my girlfriend. You create a list, stuff it away in a drawer and it never sees the light of day till the year has passed. I decide to ask as many talented designers I know (or don’t know) to create a resolution for the new year as an iPhone wallpaper. It’s the one thing I do look at every day. This way you not only get a daily reminder, but you get a very stylish daily reminder at that. From now up until the new year I will be posting them as they come in, so check back often. Can’t find one to fit your needs, then just download the template HERE and add to the project. No restrictions, so lets have some fun with it.
I’m not sure if he is still accepting submissions, but even if you just made one for yourself, it could be pretty great. Here’s a small sampling of some of my favorites. Check them all out on Motherland.
Jesse Ragan, Type Designer and friend of the Experts (Samantha and I went to RISD with him), is here to change all that. He’s reviving some of Ruzicka’s type studies (with the blessing of his estate) that have never been made into type at all: not metal, photoset or digital. While I was not familar with Ruzicka in the same way I am with Zapf, Gill, Berthold or dozens of other letterer/typographers, his letters are pretty stunning; I am excited at Jesse’s undertaking.
Even if you’re not a fan of the calligraphically-derived serif as we are, you should check this out: he’s keeping a blog about his process, which is thoughtful and gets delightfully deep into the work. The most recent post for instance, which he wrote for a column for Grafik magazine, is a longish piece largely about reconciling a single character, an elegant double-storey lowercase “g.” It’s a great mix of openness about the challenges of the process and meditatively ressurecting and conversing with the absent Ruzicka through the close interpretation of his letters.
For those of us who think ilt‘s pedagogical essays are too few and far between, who miss not just typographi.ca but linesandsplines, or who have ever looked for Spiekermann’s other book, there’s something new for your rss feed.
The temptation to clothe the twenty-six leaden soldiers in new array is irresistible. This is the only apology offered for suggesting still further additions to the seemingly infinite variety of existent typefaces.
