Investigating the ominous robots, hidden inside furry toys.

Matt Kirkland was born & raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He had trouble keeping his room clean, and often built toy cars, kites, drawing implements, or child-sized weapons from things he found in the garbage. He currently designs websites at a small consultancy in San Diego and has a sideline project whereby he chops up kids toys to show their scary insides.

"I've always been curious about stuffed animals that sing, dance, light up, or talk back. There must be a fascinating robot underneath the fur and fluff, right? Surely the robot hiding in the bear's clothing, vestimentis ursum, is impressive. So: armed with my childish curiousity and the spurious excuse of 'product design research,' I set out to discover what, exactly, these creatures are hiding."

For more information go to www.mattkirkland.com

Halftone Def Studios are a studio duo specializing in what they love, design, illustration, and screen printing.

They started printing silkscreen posters in their garage and have since branched out into all types of design areas such as CD art, packaging, logo design, branding, clothing, and skateboards.

If you are intersted in purchasing one of their prints or in having them do some work for you visit www.halftonedefstudios.com or www.gigposters.com

Check here for blueprints to build your own Nintendo Coffee Table.

Intelligent quirky sense of humor with heavy leanings towards horror films and slight references to phrases and words which carries historical weight in his memory...

Horribly printed newspaper advertisement he tears apart, collage with something else and redraws with reckless abandon. Christofer is a self professed "dried out, bespectacled art nerd in a massive drawing, painting and designing ocean of dried out, bespectacled art nerds." He lives in NYC and besides running his design company, Steak Mtn., he also participates in many shows around the world and currently is showing in solo show at Threadless in Chicago. It's easy to see references in his work to the great Raymond Pettibon but also very unique and totally his own. We completely dig it....

Go read it on FECAL FACE

This is an example of a set of wooden knuckles (or wooden knuckle dusters) made out of cherry. They look like the real thing but aren’t. They're available in other wood and can be made to order

This is a piece of art and is not intended for any other purpose.

For more info go to www.etsy.com

A printer’s nightmare - even the cover is expensive to produce… but a fantastic result - I really want a copy! I need a copy!!
Available from Roaring Brook Press, they don't have a web site yet so try Amazon or something.

From movie stars, musicians, and skate-boarders to toys, technology, and history, Giant Robot magazine covers cool aspects of Asian and Asian-American pop culture. Paving the way for less knowledgeable media outlets, Giant Robot put the spotlight on Chow Yun Fat, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li years before they were in mainstream America's vocabulary.

But Giant Robot is much more than idol worship. GR's spirited reviews of canned coffee drinks, instant ramen packs, Japanese candies, Asian frozen desserts, and mar-inated bugs have spawned numerous copycat articles in other publications. GR's historical pieces on the Yellow Power Movement, footbinding, Asian-American gangsters, and other savory topics have been cited by both academics and journalists. Other regular features include travel journals, art and design studies, and sex.

www.giantrobot.com

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day.

The film was shot in high-definition on location in the United States, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium. It is currently screening at film festivals and special events worldwide.

Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, including Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, Lars Müller, and many more.

For more info please go to www.helveticafilm.com

This a nice and simple stencil demo using photoshop, I can't hear the soundtrack so I hope it's not to bad!

Shadow's first full-length work, Endtroducing... was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim.

Endtroducing would make the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001.

The only piece of equipment Shadow used to produce the album is the AKAI MPC60 12bit sampling drum machine.

Now available is a limited edition cover artwork print available on a heavy, coated matte stock approximately 15" x 38"

Go buy online a turntable lab

The next in the Morning After series is the London version and this will be available to buy on Thursday 22nd November at the ‘White Noise’ show at the Black Rat Press Gallery.

Black Rat press on Nick Walker

Nick Walker is one of Britiain’s graffiti pioneers. Working out of Bristol for over twenty years, Nick’s work, like many of his peers, most notably Banksy, has moved away from conventional grafitti to stencil art.
Nick’s work employs a good deal of wry humour, treating iconic figures with a refreshing irreverence. The Mona Lisa in particular comes in for some stick – from being morphed into Marge Simpson to mooning the viewer.
Although the saucy over the shoulder image is starting to be a regular feature of Nick’s work so it might just be that he’s turning into a dirty old man and it’s nothing to do with the art at all. Except of course art’s littered with dirty old men. So let’s go with that and just say that Nick Walker is the Paul Gauguin of street art and leave it at that shall we…

For more information go to http://www.blackratpress.co.uk/

Shepard has joined many of Alain Ket Mariduena’s friends in supporting his on going battle with the NYC courts by presenting an Art Benefit for Alain Ket’s Legal Defense. Art will be auctioned off on July 26th and an event will be held on August 1st in NYC with proceeds going towards the defense fund.

Alain Ket Maridueña is a publisher, writer, Hip Hop historian, activist and graffiti artist from New York City. He was charged in New York City courts (Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan) on counts of felony criminal mischief, possession of graffiti tools, and X., all relating to a search performed on his home in New York City in late 2006.

Alain Maridueña’s arrest had come in the context of a growing anti-graffiti sentiment in city government due to the growing gentrification of New York City and as part of the Mayor Bloomberg’s quality of life push, one started by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Alain’s arrest appears to be politically motivated attack for his involvement with Marc Ecko and Ecko’s successful lawsuits against the city of New York in order to hold a graffiti event and repealing a spray paint sales ban to 18 year olds. Many consider the charges against Alain excessive.

Alain’s court cases are ongoing and his family and friends will be raising funds to pay his legal defense, setting up public events to educate people about the incarceration of artists, and providing financial, logistical, and legal support to Alain throughout his proceedings.

For more information visit www.supportket.org and www.thewallsbelongtous.com

JONATHAN LeVINE GALLERY presents E PLURIBUS VENOM NEW WORKS BY SHEPARD FAIREY A SOLO EXHIBITION

The title E Pluribus Venom which translates Out of many, poison is derived from ‘E Pluribus Unum’ (out of many, one) an early motto adopted by the U.S. Government which appears on U.S. coins and dollar bills. In the opinion of artist Shepard Fairey, many becoming one, or a loss of power and influence of the individual in favour of homogeny is a symptom of a society in decline. ‘E Pluribus Venom’ could be interpreted as saying both that there is poison in the American system and that many individuals are motivated by venom and anger toward this system.

‘E Pluribus Venom’ is comprised of artworks designed to question the symbols and methods of the American machine and American dream and also celebrate those who oppose blind nationalism and war. Some of Fairey’s works use currency motifs or a Norman Rockwell aesthetic to employ the graphic language of the subjects they critique.

Other works use a blend of Art Nouveau, hippie, and revolutionary propaganda styles to celebrate subjects advocating peace. The art addresses monolithic institutional power and authority and the role of counter culture and independent individuals to question the dominant paradigm. Shepard Fairey’s new body of work contains politically-charged paint, screen print, stencil, and collage mixed media pieces which use metaphor, humour, and seductive decorative elements to deliver provocative but beautiful results. These works blur the perceived barriers between propaganda and escapist decoration, political responsibility and humour with the intent of stimulating both viscerally and intellectually.

Dumbo Installation Space Reception presented by JUXTAPOZ and SWINDLE Thursday, June 21st from 7-11pm
Installation Space is on view until July 6th 81 Front Street (at the corner of Washington St) Dumbo (Brooklyn), NY 11201

For more info please visit http://www.jonathanlevinegallery.com/shepardfairey/ or www.obeygiant.com

Say hi to this nocturnal Sydney based street artist. He's got a show coming up at Monster Children that you need to see...

Kill Pixie is a prominent street artist from Sydney. Besides trawling the dark streets at night with a can in his hand, this young chap also also works indoors on these great canvas works as seen below and has shown them throughout galleries in his native Australia. He's also got a show coming up at Monster Children on the 19th of July, and a collaboration show with Edward Woodley on the 21st of September at the Don't Come gallery in Melbourne.

Check out full interview over at fecal face

One of the many great things about having a new born baby boy are the presents...

Check out my mans Baby Air Force 1 Sneakers... Awsome huh?

Thanks Marteous!!?

Art Battles is a live-art competition where artists create work side- by-side in front of a live audience. For six years Art Battles have been a platform for talented artists to showcase their skills in and around NYC in a most unique setting and under tremendous pressure to perform. There's no time to sleep on your ideas, no chance to mull the nuance of each brush stroke. No, with Art Battles, time is as much of the essence as is inspiration and talent.

In May 2007, MTV hosted Art Battles live on the picturesque MTV outdoor deck overlooking Times Square. That evening, 12 artists vied for a chance to have their art displayed in Times Square for public judging.

After almost two hours of paint-induced frenzy, eight finalists were chosen:

Concep, Nick Poe, Leif McIlwaine, Martina Kubinyi, Ben Angotti, Brian Ermanski, Kevin Ragnott and Megan Whitman.

Now, the artwork they created during that Art Battles session has been reproduced onto shades that hang in the MTV TRL studio windows high above Broadway, the most famous street in the world. These artists are veterans of the Art Battles that have been staged all over New York.

The only difference is that this time, the ultimate art jury is you.

Check out the eight finalists and see their work. And be sure to watch the video montage of the May 4 event to see what they did to get into the finals. Art Battles are as much about the finished pieces as they are about the personality and performance of the artist in the moment.

After you've gotten to know the artists and their work, cast a vote for your favorite and tune into TRL on June 11 when the ultimate winner is unveiled LIVE! The winner gets the coveted center shade in our studio windows and bragging rights.

You decide who has the illiest painting skills and whom deserves the title of the 1st MTV Art Battle.

HISTORY:
Created by Sean Bono, Art Battles began in 2001 on a small lot on 45 E. Houston Street in downtown New York City. Since then, there has been tremendous organic growth in the movement with artists battling independently all over the world. It is a means of breaking down the boundaries of elitism and making art more social and tangible to everyone.

At its most basic, Art Battles are a competition in which two or more artists compete against one another in front of a live audience. Painting or drawing on canvas, they strive to create their best piece of artwork in the moment. The artists are limited only by the amount of time each has to complete their painting.

The true essence of Art Battles is the unearthing of the struggle an artist experiences when confronted with an unfamiliar atmosphere and an audience. It is here that the balance of raw talent, creativity and ingenuity can trump an opponent. To the viewer, this is the beauty of watching an Art Battle unfold, often unpredictably.

The connection the viewer feels after being part of the creation process is what compels them to choose their favorite at the end of every competition, with the winners judged as much on the quality of their art piece as they are for their performance in the heat of battle and their personality.

For more information on Art Battles check out www.artbattles.com.

THE FOUNDER
Sean Bono moved to New York City in 2000 from neighboring New Jersey in pursuit of a future in art. He made his first big splash in the NYC art scene at 19 years old, as the creator of Art Battles, a live competitive art show he staged in a junkyard gallery/ performance space in downtown Manhattan. Sean's skills have since become polished, yet still maintains an explosive painting style. At 25 years old Bono is an artist with a very exciting career to come.