Planningtorock

Very much the performance artist, Planningtorock is often seen with futuristic headgear and recently she has taken to body modification and prosthetics. The music itself is very experimental but with all instruments played by her, or so I've heard, you can't deny the talent! Here are two new releases from the album 'W'.

Paper Work

This topic seemed quite appropriate considering my current paper butterfly project, that and I've stumbled across more paper animals than usual in the last week or so! The first work is by Jason LaFerrera and depicts various species constructed using scans of antique maps, so as not to destroy the originals. The maps featured are often the habitats of the animal they are transformed into, for example the Virginia Northern Cardinal posted below was created thanks to a map of Virginia. The Red Crowned Crane was made using maps of Japan with profits going to the Red Cross for Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Fund. You can find more of his work here.

This next image was found on Pinterest but originally on 'FFFFOUND!' and all I can gather is that it's by Leslie David! Anyway, I like it. 

Now for the origami! The first artist named Quentin Trollip has a large collection of finely made origami creations that are all of his own design and formed from a single uncut square of paper. 

The batch origami of Sipho Mabona is something really quite beautiful I think, especially with the rainbows of colour used and the Koi themselves have an elegance to them. Maybe my paper butterflies could involve in some way, perhaps become more intricate or colourful.. not for this project though as I think the sheer number of them is impressive enough for now.

Finally, Takayuki Hori has given origami a unique twist which I find one of the most intriguing. There is certainly a morbid feel to it, as with any skeletal imagery, but what makes it particularly intriguing is the morality behind the work. Each of the designs are intended to accurately resemble a certain species from Japan's waterways that is under threat from pollution. To me it's very effective, I find the final image particularly haunting! The process is as follows:

each translucent sheet is first printed with either the images of fragments of an animal's skeleton, or,
on some pages, human-made discarded objects that are often ingested by the animals in the wild.
using the ancient tradition of folded paper, hori assembles the pages into a three-dimensional model.
once the paper is folded, the printed components are united as a whole, telling the visual story
of the animal's plight to survive in an increasingly polluted and hazardous ecosystem.

Buzzards, BBQ & Butterflies

Around this time last week I was back on the Isle of Wight celebrating my nan and uncle's birthdays, one on saturday and the other sunday. I really enjoy family time like that, especially with BBQ food and alcohol supplied, and so did everyonelse and in particular my nan who discovered Cactus Jack cherry shots at 80 years old! The following day we went for a meal for my uncle's birthday and then a walk around the pier whilst the kids/teens played on the machines. Also whilst on the island I saw my dad and sister and went buzzard watching on Brading downs which was great. There were around 6 flying above us at one point and they really are beautiful birds, the zoom on my camera was certainly put to the test though as they didn't like coming that close!

Of course with the EjectorSeat Arts Festival coming up fast, I've increased by paper butterfly output! On wednesday I visited my friend Somali who had her Fabricland coworkers round to cook a meal and cut out bunting, also for the festival, so I enjoyed some lovely curry and watched Labyrinth whilst cutting. I didn't go without help though and it was a really nice evening! The following day I enlisted Nikki to help and again with film accompaniment, Willow and Corpse Bride, another large batch were created. The total is somewhere around 560/70, I did know the exact number but have since forgotten! Earlier today I tested out different tape with the butterflies on the tree in my garden and am still awaiting results, though I will be doing a slight test run on my chosen tree next week. 

I don't want my tan to fade..

Russia, Japan and Egypt: Now in Colour!

This is in some part a reblog of Brain Pickings that was brought to my attention by friend and fellow blogger Hannah, though I found the Russian photographs some time before. These moments and cultures of the 1900s have been captured and colourised, a reminder of some of the world's most intriguing civilisations in my opinion! Click on the country name for a link to more photos.

Russia

Japan

 Egypt

Taxidermy 'Designed by Idiots'

For someone who is used to the occasionally controversial subject of taxidermy in art, I was still a little shocked by some of the work by Afke Golsteijn and Floris Bakker, better known as The Idiots. They build on the taxidermy forms with such materials as beads, embroidery, glass and metal often as symbolism for a deeper meaning. For example in Ophelia, the lioness and the gold could indeed be a signifier of the human desire to transform the beauty of nature into profit but generally speaking they use the adornment of various species is an effort to conjure up a new kind of beauty that almost glamorises death, balancing between beauty and brutality without completely committing to either. Overall these surreal pieces evoke many conflicting emotions with a demonstration of the power of nature and mortality which in my opinion makes the work incredibly powerful.

On the Idiots website there is this description: A contemporary touch is given to the classical memento mori concept, questioning the world’s current trend in over glorification through marketing. In a constantly twisting play between fantasy and reality, Idiots tell us about important themes such as life, death, beauty and restriction.