Mar
09
Bimbo Bakeries: Big Mouth Castaway
Posted in: Uncategorized
Mar
09
Artefact: are technology and magical thinking really incompatible?
Posted in: UncategorizedFinal chapter of my report from the Artefact festival which is closing tonight at STUK in Leuven (this way for the previous posts, ladies and gentlemen —> Dataghost 2. The kabbalistic computational machine and Artefact festival: Magic and politics.)
Suzanne Treister, Cybernetic Séance (MACY CONFERENCES ATTENDEES), 2011
Troika, Squaring the circle, 2013 + Troika, All Colours White, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
This year, the event looked at magic, its meaning, reach and role in contemporary culture and society. The topic was analyzed through various lenses: entertainment, politics, finance, technology, etc.
The relationship between technology and magic is a particularly puzzling and interesting one. You’d think that progress in science and technology would automatically mark the demise of our interest for magical thinking and occult forms of knowledge. Far from it. It seems that humans have an inherent need to leave some space in their world for the unaccountable and the supernatural. That’s why progresses in science and technology have often been accompanied by the arrival or renewal of paranormal phenomena. The advent of photography, for example, saw a rise in the popularity of spiritism and photography was even used as a proof that ghosts and other spiritual entities did indeed exist.
A series of artists in the festival present work that explore these complex connections between magic and technology/science. Some built machines that question our firmest beliefs in technology, other probe alchemy or look to quantum theory to make us query our own understanding of the world. Whether or not you believe in Arthur C. Clarke’s third law (Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic), the Artefact exhibition gives you plenty of opportunity to ponder upon it.
Verena Friedrich, The Long Now, 2015. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Verena Friedrich, The Long Now, 2015. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Verena Friedrich, The Long Now, 2015
In Western European paintings from the 16th and 17th century, soap bubbles were used as a metaphor for the transience of the moment and the fragility of life.
With The Long Now, Verena Friedrich turns the famous vanitas motif into a symbol of the artificial prolongation of life made possible by science and technology. At the core of the installation is a magical machine that defies the laws of physics such as surface tension and gravity and keeps soap bubbles in suspension for as long as possible.
The mechanism slowly creates and releases a perfect, fat bubble into a controlled atmosphere chamber. The bubble is kept floating inside the plexiglass cube for much longer than the laws of nature would normally allow. The bubble will eventually burst and the process will start all over again, demonstrating that technology’s control over ephemeral life is not as infinite as we would like to believe.
BCL, Ghost in the cell, 2016 + Jonathan Allen, Magic Shop, 2002. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Hatsune Miku started her life as a vocaloid, a voice synthesis computer program. The anime character has reached iconic status in both Otaku and mainstream culture. She has been featured in J-pop music videos, games, starred in mangas, an opera, concerts, was invited to the David Letterman show and was materialized as figurine. She is a new kind of semi-living entity that blurs the space between idols made of flesh and idols made of pixels.
In Ghost in the Cell, the virtual superstar Hatsune Miku is given an organic dimension.
The artist collective BCL created a synthetic genome of the character, based on an average Japanese female genome. From this synthetic genome some relevant parts were biologically synthesised and inserted into human induced pluripotent stem cells (also known as iPS cells or iPSCs), which were then differentiated into beating heart cells. These cells stand as a pars pro toto for her heart, her whole physical body.
Tobias Revell, The Finite State Fantasia, 2016 (a newly commissioned work by STUK-KU Leuven coproduction, with the support of STRP). Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Tobias Revell, The Finite State Fantasia, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Tobias Revell, The Finite State Fantasia, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
The Finite State Fantasia visualizes the space mapping behaviour of a smart, but invisible, machine. The machine moves erratically around the exhibition room, using its sensors to measure distance and bumping into obstacles (some of them temporary) to progressively build a model of the space.
Visitors can only apprehend the existence of the machine through the representation of its senses; its flickering infrared trails and ultrasonic locators that are projected on the walls of the space.
It’s a surprisingly moving spectacle. You suddenly come to realize that, just like us, machines depend on a limited set of information to experience the world. However, they often rely on different tools and respond to different stimuli than us in order to perceive their surroundings. As a result, we are left as disoriented as the invisible robot when we try and interpret the lights on the wall in order to guess its location.
“The Finite State Fantasia draws out the dissonance between the ‘magic’ of technology and the technical reality by showing us how the trick is done while simultaneously re-representing the seemingly supernatural machine sensorium.”
Troika, All Colours White, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Troika, All Colours White, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
All Colours White consists of a mechanism which projects red, blue and green light onto a canvas sculpture. The colours slowly bleed into each other, creating a spectrum until their amalgamation results in pure white light.
“All Colours White lays bare the technology and invites the curious viewer to consider the idea that understanding and enchantment can exist in the same universe.”
More works from the exhibition:
Jens Brand, Disappearance of Media, Manifestation of Elephants, 2011. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Jens Brand, Disappearance of Media, Manifestation of Elephants, 2011. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Center for Tactical Magic, Witches Cradles, 2009. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Center for Tactical Magic, Witches Cradles, 2009. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Femke Herregraven, Subsecond Flocks, 2016 + Femke Herregraven, Rogue Waves, 2015. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Femke Herregraven, Subsecond Flocks, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Tim Etchells, Mirror Pieces, 2014. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Tim Etchells, Mirror Pieces, 2014. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Suzanne Treister, HEXEN 2.0, TAROT CARDS, 2009-2011. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Suzanne Treister, HEXEN 2.0, HISTORICAL DIAGRAMS, 2009-2011. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Jonathan Allen, Twenty First Century Silks, 2016. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Marjolijn Dijkman, Cultivating Probability, 2015 + Dijkman, In Our Hands, 2015. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Marjolijn Dijkman, Cultivating Probability, 2015. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Jonathan Allen, Magic Shop, 2002. Installation view at STUK in Leuven for the Artefact festival. Photo © Kristof Vrancken
Artefact : The Act of Magic is at STUK – House for Dance, Image & Sound, in Leuven, Belgium until 9 March 2017. The exhibition was curated by Karen Verschooren from STUK & Ils Huygens from Z33.
Also part of the show: Dataghost 2. The kabbalistic computational machine and Artefact festival: Magic and politics.
Previousy: The Occult, Witchcraft & Magic. An Illustrated History, HEXEN 2.0 and Interview with The Center for Tactical Magic.
More installation views of the exhibition Artefact : The Act of Magic. And yet another quick demo on my flickr album that i am indeed the worst photographer in the world.
Photo on the homepage by Victor S. Brigola: Verena Friedrich, The Long Now.
Mar
09
Russia’s RT Network: Is It More BBC or K.G.B.?
Posted in: UncategorizedAnalysts say the network is spreading disinformation and undermining Western democracies, but its executives say it is just providing an “alternative” view.
Mar
09
What Is RT?
Posted in: UncategorizedOnce offering soft-core paeans to Russian life, the channel evolved into a news operation often accused of slanting, though not faking, reports.
Mar
09
Statue of Girl Confronts Bull, Captivating Manhattanites and Social Media
Posted in: UncategorizedThe 50-inch statue, called “Fearless Girl,” was placed near Wall Street on behalf of an investment firm for International Women’s Day and was a hit as a marketing stunt.
Mar
09
Fox Is Said to Settle With Former Contributor Over Sexual Assault Claims
Posted in: UncategorizedThe company, still dealing with the fallout from the harassment scandal involving Roger Ailes, has reached a settlement for more than $2.5 million with Tamara Holder, who said an executive assaulted her.
Mar
09
Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s Group Is Said to Drop Bid for Time Inc.
Posted in: UncategorizedThe group, which also included Ynon Kreiz, had been among the parties that had expressed interest in buying the publisher of Time, Sports Illustrated and People magazines.
Mar
09
Reductress Takes Its Satirical Voice Beyond the Internet
Posted in: UncategorizedAfter four years online, the women’s humor magazine is hosting a live comedy series, as well as selling merchandise and a mock self-help book.
Mar
09
Facebook Reports BBC to Police Over Investigation Into Child Sex Images
Posted in: UncategorizedThe move by Facebook highlights a growing debate over how and when the social network should moderate the mass of content on its site.
Mar
09
Thursday Morning Stir
Posted in: Uncategorized-Yesterday we learned that John Hancock has ended its relationship with Hill Holliday after over thirty years. Here’s one of the agency’s more well-known ads for the brand (video above).
-Vox takes a look at the Sleeping Giants, the anonymous collective of social media activists who have thus far succeeded in getting over 1,400 companies to pull advertising from nationalist extremist site Breitbart.
-McCann’s Harris Diamond says agencies “don’t need to evolve any differently than they’ve always evolved.”
-The New York Daily News wonders why McCann didn’t choose a statue of a woman for its Wall Street stunt.
-And the makeup of the leadership team at State Street Advisors is pretty much exactly what you would expect.
-Avocados From Mexico reportedly saw the biggest boost from its Super Bowl ad buy.
-A new study by Wesleyan Media Project found that only 25 percent of Hillary Clinton‘s TV ads dealt with policy.
-JWT London launched a provocative outdoor campaign addressing the gender pay gap for International Women’s Day.
Mar
09
Grey San Francisco President Milan Martin Has Left the Agency
Posted in: UncategorizedGrey San Francisco president Milan Martin has stepped down after approximately three and a half years. He announced his departure on LinkedIn earlier this week.
Today an agency spokesperson confirmed that he is no longer with Grey and that his next venture is unknown but declined to elaborate. At least one source claims that Martin expressed a desire to leave the agency world entirely.
Another party tells us that the WPP network is in talks with an executive who will lead its San Francisco and Los Angeles-area operations, which include mobile unit ArcTouch.
Martin joined Grey San Francisco as president back in 2013, following nearly three years as chief strategist, managing director for San Francisco digital agency Anthem Worldwide. Prior to that he spent over two and a half years as president of gyro New York, working with clients including Virgin Atlantic, Hess, Novartis and Tyco. That followed a decade as senior partner, worldwide account director at Ogilvy & Mather.
In his LinkedIn announcement, Martin said, “I couldn’t be more proud to have been a part of this wonderful organization and to have had the opportunity to make an impact on our industry with such an extraordinary group of people in San Francisco and around the world. Thank you to my partners, colleagues and clients for making me better in ways both personal and professional.”
Mar
09
Carmichael Lynch Promotes President Marcus Fischer to CEO
Posted in: UncategorizedMinneapolis IPG shop Carmichael Lynch promoted Marcus Fischer to the role of chief executive officer, making him just the agency’s fourth CEO in its 55-year history.
Former CEO Mike Lescarbeau will stay with Carmichael Lynch in the role of executive chairman.
Fischer joined Carmichael Lynch in August of 2012 and previously served as president and chief strategy officer. Prior to re-joining the agency, he spent over four years as CEO of fellow Minneapolis agency space150, following an earlier five-year stint with Carmichael Lynch as an account planner.
According to a press release, Carmichael Lynch has had four years of consecutive double-digit revenue growth since Fischer re-joined the agency in 2012. Fischer’s promotion follows the agency naming two new managing partners last August, as well as the arrivals of chief strategy officer Lachlan Badenoch in October and three additions to its creative department the following month.
Moving forward, the creative agency will collaborate more directly with its PR sister shop, which rebranded itself from Spong to Carmichael Lynch Relate late last year.
“Marcus has been pivotal in building the momentum and success of Carmichael Lynch in recent years. He has proven his ability to successfully manage the business, while simultaneously inspiring the people around him,” Lescarbeau said in a statement. “In the last few years, Marcus has built a leadership team that is committed to collaboration and interdependence across disciplines to build a unique and unrivaled offering of advertising and PR under one roof, and I’m excited for the future of the agency under his leadership.”
“I’m honored to lead Carmichael Lynch and continue the energy we’ve built over the last few years,” added Fischer. “I am thankful for the team that has made this agency what it is today – a people-centric organization focused on business, culture and great creative work. We’ve made collaboration and integration pivotal to our offering.”
Mar
09
Caroline Pay Joins Grey London as Joint Chief Creative Officer
Posted in: UncategorizedGrey London hired Caroline Pay as joint-chief creative officer, effective next month.
Pay joins Vicki Maguire, who is being promoted to joint-CCO from her previous role as executive creative director, in the role. Both Pay and Maguire will also be members of the agency’s executive management team.
Their appointments follow the resignation of CCO Nils Leonard, along with CEO Lucy Jameson and managing director Natalie Graeme, last June. Leonard subsequently went on to co-found coffee company Halo.
Pay left BBH London, where she served as executive creative director, managing partner last July.
“My next move was all about the team for me – finding the right team with the right ambition. Having known Vicki for over a decade, we’ve always known we would rule one day – it was only a matter of time. What can I say? She’s my hero. Vicki and I share enormous self-belief, monster ambition, potty mouths and the ability to lead generously,” Pay said in a statement.
“We pride ourselves in making our teams and our clients feel anything is possible, and now it really is. This is the best chance in town. Bring it on,” she added.
Pay originally joined BBH London as a managing partner at the beginning of 2014 and received a promotion to deputy executive creative director that November. While with BBH, she worked with brands including BBC, Tesco and Refuge. Prior to joining the agency she spent three and a half years as a creative director with Mother London, working with brands such as Post Office, New Look, GREAT Britain and Boots.
Maguire joined Grey London in 2009 and subsequently received a promotion to deputy executive creative director in 2013 and executive creative director two years later. Her best known work with the agency has been for the British Heart Foundation. Before joining Grey she spent time at agencies including Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam and W+K London, where she first worked with Pay.
“I’m super excited. We met at W+K and have talked about doing something together ever since,” Maguire said in a statement. “Caroline is a rare talent in that she understands how to not just create talked-about work, but she gets how to play brands in culture, as well as recognising how important culture is to an agency. I can’t bloody wait.”
“We love Caroline’s breath-taking ambition – both for the work itself and also for the people she works with. Her ability to walk into any room and galvanize the people in it is palpable,” added Grey London CEO Leo Rayman, who took over in that role following Jameson’s resignation.
“Vicki has been Grey’s backbone, ringleader and conscience over the past eight years, and in promoting her to CCO, we’re recognizing her unswerving support for our people and our culture and her fierce brilliance in developing and nurturing the world-beating ideas we’re known for.”
Mar
09
Anomaly and Converse Take a Deep Dive Into Youth with ‘Forever Chuck’ Finale
Posted in: UncategorizedAnomaly’s launched the “Forever Chuck” campaign for Converse a few weeks ago with a fairly simple premise: why Chuck Taylors are the coolest shoes ever, no contest.
In the first spot, Millie Bobby Brown (aka Eleven of Stranger Things) went through a list of film characters who wore the sneakers and why we care. Chapter two starred a series of musicians and athletes explaining why Chucks are not only the coolest shoes but also the perfect expression of Los Angeles culture in footwear form.
Chapter three launched today, and it’s a bit more ambiguous. The campaign finale, helmed by Karim Huu Do of Caviar Paris, is less about a city or trend than “youth culture” in general—specifically, young creatives born in the mid-90s.
So that was impressionistic, and it reminds us of Johannes Leonardo’s recent work for another shoe brand. Surely you caught Arya Stark, because she’s hard to miss.
The press release calls it “a visual collage of the dreams and desires that drive a diverse cast of creative collaborators,” all of whom happen to love Chucks.
“The Chuck Taylor has been a cultural icon with a rich history and even more incredible future,” said client CMO Julien Cahn’s statement. “Through the debut of our Forever Chuck film, we will have officially introduced our collective of exciting people, who share our brand values and are driving the spirit of youth culture forward.”
Appreciate the “YOUTH, now and forever” theme, though we do feel like old buzzkills for reminding Pool Dude that he’s going to have to work for somebody eventually. It’s hard to get rich otherwise, and even PewDiePie had a Disney contract until he lost it for acting like a kid without a care in the world.
Here are the first two spots in the series for context.
Mar
09
Cozy Mini Hotel Cabins – The In-Tenta 'Drop Box' Portable Hotel Suite is Compact Yet Functional (GALLERY)
Posted in: Uncategorized
(TrendHunter.com) Hotel rooms are no longer chained to being in one location, which the In-Tenta ‘Drop Box’ portable hotel suit identifies with a design that is intended to be placed and replaced as…
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.