Author Archives: Linnea

COMVIDEO at apexart

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“Commercials are one of the most interesting love children of capitalism and ego, trying to seduce the viewer with a trite marketing equation, formulated to have money ejaculate from your less than aroused pocket.”

Last night I went to the opening of COMVIDEO at apexart, and took a stance in front on one of the small fuzzy TVs to see what inventive interactions people could come up with when challenged to interact with a commercial. It was a lot of fun, and the results were as varied as you might expect–all challenging, provocative, and sometimes pretty damn funny.

Costume Party’s Over, ID #80

However, it was entirely unnecessary. All 124 60-second video manipulations of broadcast commercials are also available online, and open to a popular vote through January 15. The top video gets $2,000, and the top five videos will be shown on a public screen in Manhattan.

Some of my favorites:

  • ID# 47
    mcfat 
  • ID# 98
    Kitty Litter Revolution 
  • ID# 101
    What Should Tiger Do?  
  • ID# 109
    The Starburst Shuffle

But here is my plan for world domination: what if we could hack the TV networks and play these commericals instead of the real ones? And while we are at put the staff of The Onion in charge of news broadcasting for a day? Now that’s an intervention that would kep me glued to the screen. 

Edward Horsford’s Popped Balloons

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These photographs capture the second after a balloon bursts. The water is still seemingly held in the hands; the kind of thing that happens to fast to ever really be seen There’s so much energy in these simple, but hard to capture shots. I just wish my science classes had used images like this to discuss matter and energy.

Edward Horsford is a British designer and photographer. More image on Flickr and there’s a great interview with the photographer here, in which he explains a little bit about how he gets these shots.
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NY Art Book Fair

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This weekend was the 5th annual NY Art Book Fair over at MoMA’s PS1. I duly wrapped myself up and walked over the Pulaski bridge to check it out–only to find that the walk was the easy part. Making my way through crowded hallways and rooms was the less easy part.

Over 200 booths were set up with everything from books on artists to artist’s books to T-shirt to buttons. There was so many clever, funny and well-made things there that I got overwhelmed. I left without even a button.

Cinders Gallery’s booth

I think I should just accept the fact the art fairs, or any attempt to stuff a lot of things into one show, does not work well with me. I felt a bit like I was at a really cool mall, got pretty hot, and left without feeling like I was able to appreciate one nifty, neat, or beautiful thing. On top of that, my boyfriend lost the llama hat with ear flaps that I bought in Peru. So its fair to say this awesomely successful fair was, for me, a bust. Props to everyone else involved though.

Tauba Auerbach paper sculpture

Let me know if you’ve seen my llama hat.

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