Beautiful mix of animation by Kangmin Kim. While animation is usually a time-consuming craft, some people push it further than others. The mixed-media project (stop motion, cut out and paint on glass) was made in the CalArts experimental animation program, and while the storytelling leaves something to be desired, the careful attention to visual detail is entrancing.
More on the homepage over here. Interview at Hyphen Magazine.

VISIT

Senior project. A stop motion animation combined with cut out and paint on glass. Watch the making of the set

38-39˚c

38-39˚c gives us the blueprint of a relationship between a father and son inside the dream the protagonist experiences while under the spell of the elevated temperatures of a bathhouse. Thick sheets of paper in exquisite arrangement represent the two men who are linked by their identical birthmarks, yet cannot seem to look at each other. —- Maureen Selwood

Click here to view the making of.

The Trace of Emotion

Director: Kangmin Kim
Music: Minkyu Kim
Year: 2008
clay animation

More on Vimeo.

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What makes a great story? For legendary filmmaker Ken Burns, the answer is both complicated and personal. In this short documentary about the craft of storytelling, he explains his lifelong mission to wake the dead. Recently featured on The Atlantic.

Directed by Tom Mason and Sarah Klein. Music by Ryan Sayward Whittier. Animation by Elliot Cowan

From Open Culture: “If you’ve never watched a documentary by Ken Burns, maybe you just haven’t had the time. Ten hours for The Civil War, eighteen and a half for Baseball, nearly nineteen for Jazz; such blocks can be difficult to carve out, even when you’re carving them out for the master audiovisual storyteller of American history. Burns takes on such iconic subjects, and in so doing attracts so much acclaim — including the inimitable form of recognition that is a spoof on The Simpsons — that he seems like someone whose work you should know well, even if you’ve only glimpsed it or heard it referenced. Luckily, filmmakers Tom Mason and Sarah Klein have put together a documentary of their own, one on Ken Burns, that you can watch no matter how packed your schedule. In a mere five minutes, Ken Burns: On Story conveys just enough of importance about Burns’ personality, working principles, and worldview that it may leave you feeling like you have no choice but to dive into his filmography immediately.

Of course, this all depends on how you feel about storytelling. In explaining his own view on filmmaking, Burns rolls out that old quote from Jean Luc-Godard, “Cinema is truth at twenty-four frames a second.” But he has his own response to the famous proclamation: “Maybe. It’s lying twenty-four times a second, too. All the time. All story is manipulation.” With as much vehemence as Godard has aired his grievances about how the forces of story, plot, and narrative hopelessly and perversely distort artistic truth, Burns declares his acceptance and even admiration of that element of storytelling. To him, crafting a proper story requires manipulation, but he doesn’t consider all manipulative techniques equal. “Is there acceptable manipulation? You bet,” he declares. “People say, ‘Oh boy, I was so moved to tears by your film.’ That’s a good thing? I manipulated that!” And even if you feel you have no stake in matters of story, truth, and manipulation, keep watching; Mason and Klein eventually get Burns talking about something that would fascinate anyone: his desire to “wake the dead.””

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The epic life of a world-class artist, jammed into six minutes and narrated by Tom Waits. And a film starring Jason Schwartzman!!!

“John Baldessari is literally a living legend. Not only has he exhibited internationally more than most living artists but he has blazed the trail for millions of young artists who consider him a mentor, colleague, peer, and friend. (…) Commissioned by the Los Angeles County Museum Of Art and narrated by Tom Waits this six minute documentary is a playful tribute to the man the call The Godfather Of Conceptual Art. ” (Beautiful Decay)

A Brief History of John Baldessari

Commissioned by LACMA for their first annual “Art + Film Gala” honoring John Baldessari and Clint Eastwood.

directed by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman (http://gosupermarche.com/ like us at http://www.facebook.com/henryandrel )
edited by Max Joseph (http://www.maxjoseph.com/)
written by Gabriel Nussbaum (http://www.bankstreetfilms.com)
cinematography by Magdalena Gorka (http://magdalenagorka.com/)
& Henry Joost. produced by Mandy Yaeger & Erin Wright

Jason Schwartzman Celebrates John Baldessari

Helmed by director Jesse Dylan (Kicking & Screaming, American Wedding), the almost-five-minute PSA, starring actor Jason Schwartzman, shot at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, promotes the sprawling new arts initiative Pacific Standard Time. (…)In the spot, titled Pacific Standard Time: Jason Schwartzman Celebrates John Baldessari, the Bored to Death star is followed by a huge image of white-bearded conceptual artist John Baldessari, who talks to him from walls. The artist appears after Schwartzman is heard saying to a friend: “Wanna go check out the museum? Are you kidding me? Have a good night. I don’t like art?” Get the full story at: pursuitist.com.

READ/WRITE/ THINK/DREAM; An Installation by John Baldessari

Acclaimed artist John Baldessari discusses his commissioned piece, part of the Stuart Collection to create a site-specific artwork at UCSD’s Geisel Library. Series: “Stuart Collection” [9/2001]

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Xiaonan Sun is a self-taught artist who specializes in charcoal and pencil portraits. He’s so good that he can draw two people at the same time, one with each hand. You can also order your own portrait with a special time-lapse video of Xiaonan Sun drawing your portrait.

Check out the Artist’s Website and his YouTube Channel for more.

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“The German manager of an art-freight company is being detained in a Chinese jail for allegedly falsifying values of imported artworks to help buyers avoid 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) in import duties and value added taxes”, Bloomberg reports.

“Customs officials raided the Beijing office of Integrated Fine Arts Solutions Ltd., which specializes in contemporary art, on March 30, seizing records and arresting Nils Jennrich, 32, and his Chinese colleague, according to Torsten Hendricks, IFAS’s Hong Kong-based Asia director. They’ve been held ever since. Hendricks denies the allegations against his employees.

Sotheby’s and Christie’s International, the world’s two biggest art-auction companies, said they have been contacted about the case and are cooperating with authorities. It may be part of a wider probe into tariff-dodging in the art world that has been dubbed Tax-Inspection Gate by the Chinese media. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a faxed statement that Jennrich was being held on smuggling allegations.

Mainland China’s import duty and value added tax on fine art total about 23 percent, compared to no levies in Hong Kong. The investigation may damp demand among Chinese art buyers, who last year surpassed Americans to become the world’s largest art and antiques buyers, according to data from the Helvoirt, Netherlands-based European Fine Art Foundation.

Chinese collectors routinely underreport the value of their purchases and may buy less if they can’t bring the works home, said Nancy M. Murphy, a Beijing-based partner at Jincheng Tongda & Neal with a specialty in art law.

‘Big Impact’

“This will have a big impact on Chinese who are buying expensive art abroad,” Murphy said. “They’ll be inclined to hold it overseas for longer because they don’t want to pay their taxes and because it’s become dangerous.”

The Hong Kong International Art Fair opens today and features 266 galleries from 39 countries including works by Zeng Fanzhi, the late American artist Cy Twombly and Paris-based Anselm Kiefer. Organizers expect 50,000 people to attend.

Integrated Fine Arts Solutions’ Beijing lawyer, Xiao Yongcheng, confirmed the charge against Jennrich. It carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, according to Chinese law.

No information is available on Lydia Chu, 29, a Chinese national working at the firm who was also detained. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a faxed statement they arranged a visit for German Embassy officials after Jennrich was held. It said China is handling the case according to the law. ”

Read on at Bloomberg.

Image above: Visitors look at Chinese celadon ceramics and rare stone sculptures at the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ exhibition in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2011. Photo by AFP/Getty Images

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Watch the Contemporary Art specialists of Sotheby’s discuss Pop Art highlights, including iconic works commissioned by Gunter Sachs of both himself and Brigitte Bardot by Andy Warhol.

Join Cheyenne Westphal, Oliver Barker and James Sevier as they introduce the life and art collection of the legendary Gunter Sachs.

The Gunter Sachs Collection – Introduction

Gunter Sachs: 20th Century Design – Auction Highlights

An introduction to Gunter Sachs St Moritz apartment and key pieces from some of his other residences including a Majorelle desk, a Ruhlmann sofa and a bust of Brigitte Bardot.

More at Sotheby’s: The Gunter Sachs Collection Evening Auction – London | May 22, 2012

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“A new series from the Association of Art Historians: The purpose of this new online interview project is to promote the rich diversity of art historical practice today, as well as building greater awareness of the careers and prospects in art history in general. AAH members were invited to participate in an informal, e-interview. Each interviewee was asked to respond to 10 questions. Here are their responses.

Maria Athanasekou, part-time art history teacher, Athens, Greece

"…although the job situation for us is difficult, I would still do the same art history studies even if I ended up doing something completely different for a living because, cliche as it may sound, art has filled my life with joy and insights that i would not have found if I were to have studied something else…" read full interview

Jonathan Casely, Head of History of Art, Sherborne Girls School, Dorset, UK

"…[art history] can be a really good way of showing children the importance of history in their own lives and times. It is instructive to study Guernica and then watch pictures from Syria on the news. The treatment of civilians by armed powers in both cases shows that history can repeat itself…" read full interview

Leah R. Clark, Henry G. Fairbanks Visiting Humanities Scholar-in-Residence, Saint Michael’s College, Vermont, USA

"…while I believe art history is a specific discipline and should remain so, i think the most productive art historical work is that which moves beyond the history of styles or artists and engages with other disciplines, and incorporates theoretical, anthropological and or course, historical concerns, that go beyond the discipline…" read full interview

Frances Follin, Production Director of Cassone: The International Online Magazine of Art and Art Books, UK

"…Deciding to take the BA was the best decision I ever made as regards education. I was thinking at the time that I might do an MBA but I am very glad I went for the BA and PhD instead. It really changed my life – I got my book published, met lots of great people – and of course the chance to launch Cassone and potentially bring art history to very large numbers of people…" read full interview

Sharon Hecker, Academic Dean and Adjunct Professor, IES Abroad Milano/Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano, Italy

"…my job is to convince people that in our virtual age of sensory overload and instant gratification, it is still worthwhile to spend more than one minute in front of a work of art…I give people a sense of a work’s history and context from which it emerged, transporting them back to the time in which it was made, while relating how art from another period can still be relevant today…" read full interview

Rod MacIlvaine, Fellow, Veritas Center for Faith, Freedom and Justice, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, USA

"…in some ways, I believe we live in the golden age of art appreciation and study. Through the internet, students of art can become familiar with a breadth of paintings in the great museums of the world. Previously this kind of study would have required expensive books or trips to the library…" read full interview

Randall Rhodes, Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Professor, Department of Visual Arts Frostburg State University Frostburg, Maryland, USA

"…Art history is dedicated to the aesthetic and historical/psychological/sociological critique of objects. However, such a study also provides the tools and contexts to articulate a keen awareness of how objects function within our own environment, satisfying our materialist as well as political and emotional needs. The disciplinary paradigm can be applied to contemporary fields of design not only from within the traditional fine art media, but also the realm of consumer-driven products for domestic consumption…" read full interview

Tracey Warr, Senior Lecturer, Art Theory, Fine Art Programme, School of Arts, Oxford Brookes University, UK

"…In the past I think there was a divide between historical art history and contemporary art practice and writing, but I see that changing. AAH for instance has done a lot recently to include contemporary art historians and to bring art historians like myself who are working from an arts practice focus, into dialogue with art historians working with earlier periods of art history…" read full interview

This is an ongoing project, so if you would like to be involved please get in touch and I’ll forward you the interview questions, claire @ aah.org.uk.

“

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As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, he explores how context has pushed musical innovation.

David Byrne (born May 14, 1952) is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, and non-fiction. He has received Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe awards and been inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If you’re a fan you might also want to read David Byrne’s Journal on that Internet.

At Wired: David Byrne’s Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars.

Bonus: Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense – The Complete Film

“Stop Making Sense (1984) is a concert movie featuring Talking Heads live on stage. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983, as the group was touring to promote their new album Speaking in Tongues. The movie is notable for being the first made entirely using digital audio techniques. The band raised the budget of $1.2 million themselves. The title comes from the lyrics of the song “Girlfriend is Better”: “As we get older and stop making sense…”. The film has been hailed by Leonard Maltin as “one of the greatest rock movies ever made.” More at Wikipedia.

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Chip Kidd doesn’t judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book — and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In one of the funniest talks from TED2012, he shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs.

(From The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rockwell.)

Chip Kidd is a graphic designer and writer in New York City. His book jacket designs for Alfred A. Knopf, where he has worked since 1986, have helped spawn a revolution in the art of American book packaging. He is also an editor of books of comics for Pantheon, a subsidiary of Knopf. Kidd received the International Center of Photography’s award for “Use of Photography in Graphic Design” in 1997, and in 1998 he was made a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale. In the fall of 2003, Newsweek included him in its first issue devoted to design. Kidd was awarded the 2007 National Design Award for communications design, and in the fall that year, his work was included in the Cooper-Hewitt’s third National Design Triennial.

A comprehensive monograph of Kidd’s work, Chip Kidd: Book One, was published in 2005, with an introduction by John Updike. The Cheese Monkeys, Kidd’s first novel, was published by Scribner in 2001 and was a national bestseller, as well as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. His second novel, The Learners, was published in February 2008.

Chipp Kidd about how to design an original Batman Graphic Novel

After 25 years working nonstop as a graphic designer and writer, it happens: Chip Kidd gets the commission of a lifetime. That should be a good thing, shouldn’t it? Well, shouldn’t it?!

Dwell Design Leaders: Chip Kidd

The sly, striking book jackets designed by Chip Kidd have altered the face of publishing and helped us to view books as art objects, as well as literature.

Chip Kidd in his own words

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artnet, the leading art portal, announces the launch of artnet Indices, the world’s first comprehensive set of art indices. This new product brings much needed transparency and valuation capabilities to the art market. It is now possible to measure price performance and other important market metrics for individual artists and artworks with the same rigorous standards used in financial indices.

“Historically, the art market has been opaque,” comments Thomas Galbraith, director of artnet Analytics. “We are bringing light to this market by placing indexing tools in the hands of financial professionals who need to accurately benchmark the performance of art investments. The artnet Indices provide quantitative market reports on the performance of artists like Andy Warhol or Damien Hirst, just as you might track a Fortune 500 company.”

After categorizing hundreds of thousands of artists and artworks sold at auction since 1983, artnet is launching artnet Indices as the essential component of the new artnet Analytics Reports. Unlike other currently available indices that only monitor collecting categories, artnet Indices provide index returns for individual artists. These indices are powered by a sophisticated index methodology that is both sympathetic to unique art and statistically robust. Most importantly, it provides the ability to measure artists’ performance against other asset classes and benchmark against indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100, Dow Jones, DAX, as well as other alternative assets such as gold.

artnet Indices investigate individual artworks with similar core characteristics and group them according to their specific criteria, in accordance with USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) guidelines, such as genre, date range, content, materials, size and visual similarity. Leveraging its unique database of over five million illustrated auction results collated over 20 years, artnet has been able to generate hundreds of thousands of ever increasing datasets, providing the statistical foundation required to derive accurate indices, while remaining true to the unique nature of art.

artnet Indices are truly a financial innovation for the art market. Never before have financial professionals been able to track returns for individual artists. With art becoming an increasingly prevalent asset class, advisors need to be able to accurately value and monitor the performance of art investments-artnet Indices allow them to do so in a reliable way. According to the Deloitte Art and Finance Report 2011, 83% of private banks felt that there was a strong argument for including art and collectibles in traditional wealth management.

The following customizable artnet Analytics Reports are now available to you to gauge the artists’ performances against other asset classes:

Single Artist Reports, which provide data related to an artist’s market performance.
Selected Sets Reports, which track the performance of a specific series from an artist’s career. The sets of artworks can be combined into one index, or compared against one another.
Multiple Artists Reports, which provide the option of either comparing artists’ indices against one another, or combining them into one single index.
Analytics Prepared Reports, which provide custom reports on recent topics, trends and market segments – prepared for you by artnet analysts.

Read more about artnet Analytics and create your own Analytics Report at www.artnet.com/analytics/reports/.

Artnet also has a Youtube Channel with a video blog now.

Artnet TV, Daily Netcast #5

Apr. 2, 2012

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