Terry Gilliam Animation 10:55

 

 

Terry Gilliam is perhaps widely known as a film maker but shall also be remembered as the guy who did those strange and crude but devilishly funny cut-out animations for the Monty Python shows.

When I was a kid and I saw Monty Python on TV, I hated it! I thought it was ugly and the colors were off and I didn’t understand any of the jokes. Seeing the animations now, I’m amazed how well they actually work. As you will see in the video’s, they were done with the simplest of means and oh, yes, the jokes are crude and childish, but the timing is so spot on and the animation, however simple, really works wonderfully for this kind of humor.

 

 

Two videos: the first gives you a short introduction on Terry Gilliam and Monty Python. But the second is the real treat: young Gilliam actually shows us how he did the animations and gives countless little tips and tricks on how you could do it yourself. More importantly, he also talks about how the limitations of the technique actually defined the outcome and how all he was doing was try to find ways in which to make animation as fast and simple and with the least amount of work as possible.

Enjoy…

 

 

 

(Found via Drawn!)

Brian Dettmer 12:20

 

 

OK, I’m sorry. I know you probably have seen this before. It has been all around the internet, I know, I know… But I only saw it yesterday, and I’m still wowing, so I simply couldn’t resist posting this. So there you go.

He has been called “the book surgeon” and “the book slicer”, but his name is Brian Dettmer. You could say he’s a sculptor, making three dimensional objects, but at the same time he’s making images and making texts appear, so perhaps he is also a painter or a poet. Or a dada-remix-archeologist.

This is what he has to say about his working method:

 

 

In this work I begin with an existing book and seal its edges, creating an enclosed vessel full of unearthed potential. I cut into the surface of the book and dissect through it from the front.

I work with knives, tweezers and surgical tools to carve one page at a time, exposing each layer while cutting around ideas and images of interest. Nothing inside the books is relocated or implanted, only removed. Images and ideas are revealed to expose alternate histories and memories.

My work is a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal elements exactly where they have been since their original conception.

 

 

 

Two videos: an interview and a presentation of work with comments by the artist himself.

 

 

 

One more video, worth checking out, which I couldn’t embed (for some reason?): Find it here.

 

 

What did I say? Amazing work, isn’t it?

For more information find an interview with Brian Dettmer on www.mymodernmet.com or visit his own site at briandettmer.com

To me, graphic design is… 12:12

 

 

This short documentary - actually more of a series of short interviews with different design clients of the Vostok Studio (who made the film) - manages to get on my nerves pretty quickly…

Oh, perhaps I just have to admit there is a bit of a contrarian in me. But when I have to listen for the umptiest time to the mantra that good design is simple and clear and rational and purposeful, I just get the heebie jeebies!

In the interviews someone states: “Everything in a design has to be there for a reason! When you ask why something is there, “because it looks good” is not a valid answer”. (Another one I’ve been hearing countless times since my unsuccessful passing through art school.)

“Because it looks good” is the number one reason I’ll put something in a design! If it doesn’t look good, out it bloody well goes!

“Because it tastes good” is the number one reason to put something in a dish. “Because it feels good” is the number one reason to caress your loved one.

Can’t we just have a little fun, please?

 

 

Still want to see the video? Of course you do! At least Buckminster Fuller seems to be on my side…

 

 

(Found via Cosas Visuales)

Helen Dennis 14:43

 

 

The work of Helen Dennis seems to balance between street art, photography and drawing. She is originally from the UK but now resides in The United States, in Brooklyn.

 

 

The two short videos below are quite similar to one another. In both, the artist talks about her work and we get to see how she does what she’s doing. I decided to post them both because I think they complement each other nicely and together give a good impression of Helen Dennis her work.

 

 

 

Check out some more of her drawings below. If you want more info, go to the Helen Dennis blog or the Helen Dennis website.

 

Camerabag.tv 12:26

 

 

The posts on photography are few and far between on Monsieur Bandit. It is such a broad field of interest, there is so much going on there, and quite frankly, I just don’t know enough about it to pretend to be of any value as a tour guide in that world.

Once in a while something does catch my eye or peeks my interest and I can’t resist wanting to tell you about it… 

Camerabag.tv is a site which collects interviews with photographers. They get to talk about how they got started and their approach to photography and they get to show off their work and their studio and their equipment. You know how I like studio visits, so it’ll be no surprise how much I enjoy this stuff…

I’ve got one example of an interview right here, featuring Frank Ockenfels. For the others, check out Camerabag.tv

 

Anthony Lister 11:54

 

 

Anthony Lister is an artist from Australia, who lives in New York. His work is low brow, his imagery comes from popular culture: comics, television cartoons, street art and youth culture. Lister works in several media: paintings, printmaking, sculpture, installations, performances and graffiti. 

Check out the video below, showing him at work on the streets of Berlin, to get acquainted. Then take a look at the gallery, which shows several of the diverse media he works in. At the end of this post, you’ll find two more videos with interviews.

 

 

(The video was made by Rogier Postma, the same guy responsible for the Japanese Tattoo video earlier. Find more of his work on rodgezooi.com.)

 

 

The first interview below is somewhat older (2007), but shows Lister talking about his work… The second is slightly more recent (2009) and has a time laps thingy where he paints a female superhero on the wall.

 

 

More stuff on Anthony Lister's site

Find some more interviews on SeptagonStudio and FecalFace