Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on August 23, 2010 1 comment
REACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH THE PLEASURES OF A HAND-SHARPENED PENCIL.
In New York’s Hudson River Valley, craftsman David Rees still practices the age-old art of manual pencil sharpening. His artisanal service is perfect for artists, writers, and standardized test takers. Shipped with their shavings and a “certificate of sharpening,” these extra-sharp pencils make wonderful gifts.
Traditionally people mail in their pencils to be sharpened; however David now offers a new service: He will provide the pencil.
IS THIS A JOKE?
If you start a pencil-sharpening business, you can expect to hear this question a lot. The short answer? No, this is not a joke. You pay David Rees money and he sharpens your pencils. It actually happens.
If you think it’s a joke, why don’t you poke yourself with your newly sharpened pencil? Or better yet, don’t — because it’ll really hurt. In fact, every pencil David Rees sharpens is shipped with a signed and dated certificate authenticating that it is now a dangerous object.
$60 gets you a sharp pencil and the poster you see here. Only want your pencil sharpened? That’s just $15.
Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on July 31, 2010 0 comments
This is the INTIMIDATOR Puzzle Sculpture from GarE Maxton.
The INTIMIDATOR breaks down into over 125 separate pieces. In addition to standard notched pieces, the puzzle includes cap screws, springs, threaded parts, cylinders, hex bits and numerous circular borings to obtain the locking fit for two different assembly procedures.
There are some special parts within the puzzle sculpture that create an altogether different assembly…..
The INTIMIDATOR PUZZLE PISTOL is is a single shot 45 caliber muzzle loading pistol; a unique offering for personal self defense.
The sculpture includes everything required for assembly of the puzzle pistol. Integrated into the sculpture are a customized set of tools, all necessary hardware, 45 caliber bullets, a standard sight, a laser sight, a cannister containing black powder pellets, a secure storage area for 209 shotgun primers, a spent primer removal tool and a ramrod for loading the bullets.
Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on May 2, 2010 0 comments
There are two parts to Martin Skelly’s Playlist Player: the player, and the record box containing five different colored covers. Once the playlists are chosen and synced to the player with a memory stick, the user customizes the outside of the sleeve with artwork of their choice. It could be photos of a memorable night or person or typed and hand drawn tracklists. Once the record is placed on the player, the music begins and the outer ring of lights illuminates. As the playlists plays rings of light visible through the translucent record move towards the centre of the disc, like a needle tracking on a record. These lights represent time and not the number of tracks, meaning your music must be enjoyed from start to finish with no distractions like the temptation to skip tracks, fast forward or rewind.
The design comments on digital music and the instant and all-too-often unfulfilling ways that we interact with it. “It’s easy to add lots of music onto iTunes, but hard to navigate it effectively and set aside the time to respect and love your music,” Skelly says. “Digital music can be rushed and tracks skipped far too easily.”
Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on April 10, 2010 0 comments
Alexa Meade thinks completely backwards. Most artists use acrylic paints to create portraits of people on canvas. But not Meade – she applies acrylic paints on her subjects and makes them appear to be a part of the painting!
Meade is an installation artist based in the Washington, DC area. Her innovative use of paint on the three dimensional surfaces of found objects, live models, and architectural spaces has been incorporated into a series of installations that create a perceptual shift in how we experience and interpret spatial relationships.
. . . . .
“I paint representational portraits directly on top of the people I am representing. The models are transformed into embodiments of the artist’s interpretation of their essence. When captured on film, the living, breathing people underneath the paint disappear, overshadowed by the masks of themselves.”
REACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH THE PLEASURES OF A HAND-SHARPENED PENCIL.
Thanks to Geekologie for pointing out that when South America is superimposed over Africa, it forms a Tyrannosaurus Rex head.
Q) Is it waterproof?
Simon Schubert makes some awesome pictures just by folding paper. Pretty cool. Check it out, there’s some other good art on the site.