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IRVING PENN 1917~2009

An ode to a great photographer who passed away this Thursday. During my foundation studies in art school, I was greatly influenced and inspired by 3 photographers, whose work instantly captivated and inspired me. Horst, for his exquisite use of light and shadow; Man Ray for his most original style and composition and Irving Penn, who was able to masterfully capture his subjects candidly, perhaps even drawing you into their world, their story.

Thank you Irving Penn , for the inspiration.



Background:

Born in New Jersey in 1917, Irving Penn studied design at the Philadelphia Museum School, where he became a student of Alexey Brodovitch. In 1937, the year before he graduated, several of his drawings were published by Harper’s Bazaar. From 1940 to 1941, he worked for the art and advertising director of Saks Fifth Avenue, and the following year he spent in Mexico painting, a medium he subsequently abandoned. Returning to New York, Penn was hired by Vogue magazine, first to create ideas for cover illustrations, then to photograph covers as well as editorial illustrations for the interior of the magazine. Working closely with Alexander Liberman, Penn developed a highly stylized, graphically compelling form of fashion photography which did much to define post-war notions of feminine chic and glamour. In his fashion and portrait photography, Penn favored the use of a neutral backdrop of gray or white seamless paper, or alternatively, the use of constructed architectural sets which created striking effects with oblique, diving diagonals and upward tipped perspectives. Penn also created numerous still life compositions for the magazine: carefully orchestrated assemblages of food or objects characterized by a play of three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms. In 1953 Penn opened his own commercial studio and almost immediately became one of the most influential and successful advertising photographers in the world.

+  another living legend, Nick Knight. 
(These photographs were borrowed from various sites and will not be used for commercial purposes.)

PH •

BACON WRAPPED DATES

I first tried these nuggets of sin at AOC on Beverly Blvd, here in Los Angeles. Pescatarians, vegetarians and whatever-rians, you might not be able to resist these temptations from hell, and pop one while no one is looking. Salty, nutty and melt-in-your-mouth sweetness ooze and meld into an unbelievable taste that will probably entice you to reach for another before that plate gets passed on. Okay I love it that much! (Let's go get some Diana!)

The worst part is, the recipe is easy peezy:

GET
1 package (8 oz) bacon

1 pound dates (organic might taste better)

MAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the bacon slices in half.
3. Pit dates.
4. Wrap each date with a half a slice of bacon. Use toothpicks, they help.
5. Set on a baking dish, ideally one with high sides, so the bacon grease doesn’t spill all over your oven when it melts.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon gets crispy (ah the aroma)
7. Remove from oven and DIG IN

*BURP* (I hope you like the gallery)
+  get more Bacon for your buck HERE 

PH •

MORGAN vs. MOHEGAN

Actually the post should read "VISA vs. MOHEGAN SUN", but I prefer the alliteration with "MORGAN". Anyway, blog 'pr*tty sh*tty' posted this comparison of 2 commercials featuring individuals shamelessly expressing superfreaking! Which one's more effective? You decide. Enjoy.

VISA 



MOHEGAN SUN


+  more dueling HERE 

PH •

JAGUAR vs. CHRYSLER

I just couldn't resist. Some hi-end, classy style that is just bordering overkill in imagery and EFX for this über-trendy commercial. I do however feel that the :90 vers. feels more complete. Never been a real fan of the previous campaigns but whoever they hired this time around, has done a dazzling job.



Here's a close second (copycat?). Chrysler targets the same market with a new campaign for the 300C. The dub-by Dean Martin track helps. I still prefer the styling of the 300C although the XFR up close is pretty sexy.



+  still need more inspiration? How about another comparison? 

PH • 

PAPA'S CAR PT.1

4 kids in the backseat, with an age difference of 10 years between the oldest, my sister Patricia and me, the youngest, shoving, squirming, disagreeing while Mom and Dad, tried to navigate and discipline us at the same time. Maybe the reason why my Dad bought a new car so often was because we were getting bigger and louder. I can't remember when was that last time my whole family, all 6 of us were in Dad's car, or what year, make or model that vehicle was but here are the ones I remembered:



'67 or '69 Volvo (Red)
This is my first memory of riding in a car. As a kid, I thought it was the biggest I'd ever seen. I loved riding in it especially on road trips to Malaysia we would take every year during the school holidays. Being a Volvo of course, it would breakdown  consistently, oft times interrupting our windy journey through open, winding roads and rubber plantations as we headed north for resort towns like Port Dickson and Melaka, and even all the way to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur (a 6 hour drive back in the 70's).

Of course, I was always front and center in the backseat, squeezed in between my parents, lapping up every new turn around a street corner, getting yelled at by my Dad to 'Sit back!' Little did I know the Volvo would be a sought after classic today. Definitely in the Top 3 of my Dad's cars.

BTW I really don't recall what the exact year/model it was but the pictures of the Volvos I found online were close.

(to be continued)

PH •

MILKY WAY RISING

Here's a cool time lapse of the Milky Way rising in the night sky, submitted by Michael Castleman on Vimeo. You can even see the galactic bulge. Wow!



ALSO: The Discovery of a new ring around Saturn. Read about it HERE .

+  how about some Jedi training?

PH •

VISUALIZATION

Here are 2 interesting animations, visualizing data about people and their flying habits! Fly the crowded skies.

JUST LANDED - 61 HOURS

This animation plots a map, using Tweets that contain the phrases 'just landed in...' or 'just arrived in...'. Locations from these tweets are located using MetaCarta's Location Finder API. The home location for the traveling users are scraped from their Twitter pages. The system then plots these voyages over time. Created by Jer Thorp for blprnt.

24 HOUR GLOBAL AIR TRAFFIC

Straightforward GPS location of each passenger plane in the air over a 24 hour period. Notice how there are 3 centers or hubs of activity, which increase in density as the sun rises in their respective regions - US (East Coast), Europe and Asia (North East). ATC's dream or nightmare?



+  what do Luggage Monkeys  have to say?

PH •

COTTON MONSTER

Jennifer Strunge was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where she still resides, creating these soft-sculptural Cotton Monsters from found blankets and bedding. She also works for the Black Cherry Puppet Theater, bringing art and puppetry to schools throughout the city.
(adapted from her bio)

Her collection, categorized into groups with names like Bottom Feeders, Watchful Eyes and Pentapods, can be viewed on her site here  (nice stop motion too). Or if you'd like to make a purchase, you can try her Etsy store.  Watchful Eye starts at $25 USD; Little Monsters at $58 USD.

We like Jennifer's Cotton Monsters because they're handmade from recycled clothing and linen, making them unique and one of a kind!

+  anyone hungry for Felt Food 

PH •

ARCHITECTURE TOP 10

Earlier this year, Fast Company listed the 10 most innovative Architectural firms. Here's the list and their current or completed projects:

No.1 : SKIDMORE, OWNINGS & MERRILL

The world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai and dozens of other superlatives make SOM a massive - and dynamically creative - commercial force.


+  SOM website 
+  Slideshow of the construction of world's tallest building  - almost completed!

No.2 : HERZOG & De MEURON

The Swiss team of Jacque Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, won accolades for the Beijing Olympic Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest.

No.3 : ZAHA HADID

The awe-inspiring work of visionary Zaha Hadid is legendary. Some current projects include the Guggenheim Hermitage  in Vilnius, Lithuania.


+  discover SOHO III 
+  I want to be an Architect like Zaha Hadid (links to her site)

No.4 : REM KOOLHAAS' OMA

Headquarters building for China’s CCTV, Prada store and the refurbishment of the LACMA.


+  see LACMA (from some guy's vid, ignore the commentary)
+  read about the CCTV building

No.5 : STEVEN HOLL

His Linked Hybrid complex in Beijing, which opened last fall, shows genius and technological virtuosity.


+  learn more about the Linked Hybrid here 
+  website link 

No.6 : FOSTER + PARTNERS

A double-decker bus for London, an ethereal bridge in France , and the world’s most advanced airport terminal in Beijing show the range and global fluency of this British stalwart.

No.7 : RENZO PIANO

The firm’s plan for the California Academy of Sciences, with its undulating roof, is a triumph of green design. Another contribution: The New York Times’ new headquarters , which the paper is hoping to mortgage for a $400 million spring debt payment.

No.8 : CHRISTIAN de PORTZAMPARC

Little known in the U.S. outside architecture devotees, de Portzamparc is notable for the LVMH Tower  in New York and the breathtaking concert hall for the Luxembourg Philharmonic.

No.9 : KIERAN TIMBERLAKE

The firm’s Cellophane House  was the hit of MoMA’s prefab home show last summer. (Definitely one of my faves!)

No.10 : OLSEN SUNDBERG KUNDIG ALLEN

This Seattle firm boasts a dossier of important public buildings, but what we love most: a skillful hand with -residences framing sub-lime natural vistas.

TED McGRATH

Original and inspiring. The work of Ted McGrath, an artist based in Brooklyn NY. Accolades include Print Magazine's "20 Under 30 New Visual Artists 2008 " plus a client list that includes MTV Networks and the New York Times. (We like)
Ted's site HERE  for everything you need to know plus he's featured HERE too.


+  explore more 'originality' with Christian
+  see Alyssa Monks  too

PH •

AMEX vs. VISA

As discovered on blog, pr*tty Sh*tty, here are 2 commercials from rivals Amex and Visa trying their hardest to get you to spend beyond your means, and feel oh-so-good a.k.a. deep, warm feeling, doing it. Like I've always said - when you got the moolah you can do/sell almost anything.


+  here's a print campaign from one of the above mentioned - VISA GO 

PH •

SEPT BEST OF

Goodbye 09/09. Hello October.


Here's a look back at the most popular posts this past month of September, on the Dirtyblog. Thanks for all your support and your contributions/comments. It means a lot to me. Enjoy!

1 :  READ ON

You loved the book reviews by Frances Schifrin. More on the way! (Yay caca)

2 :  GOOGLE MASHUPS
Witness the brilliance of Web 2.0 as we find new ways to utilize Google API's to market and promote.

3 : WOLF LOVES PORK
Viral experiment in stop-motion with a funny tale to tell.

4 : 5 FLY SMART's
Learn new ways to fly cheap and smart.

5 : CHARLEY HARPER
Admire the work of a one great illustrator.

6 : MONSTER FACE
DIsney influenced artist creates a whimsical typeface to teach his son the alphabet.

7 : UNIQLO CALENDAR
Yet another unique creation from the house of Uniqlo - a desktop calendar with time lapse macro view of human activity.

8 : LEGO HOUSE UPDATE
Read about the house that James built and its demise. Sad.

9 : FELT FOOD
Etsy seller creates delicious food samples.

10 : DYNA MOE
Feature on the artist who created the characters for Mad Men season 3 promotions.

And then some. Just bubbling under the top 10 is...

11 : BEIJING HEARTS IKEA
Read about how Ikea is more than a furniture store in Beijing China.

PH •

MINI AQUA

Add GIF animations of Cardinal Tetras swimming in a loop, to your blog. The site is in Japanese. Unless you can read the language, scroll down for the HTML script. Just copy, paste and enjoy!

LINK HERE

+  for more mindless downloads, check out the Uniqlo Calendar.

PH •

ULTRAMAN STREET ART

Transformer boxes are painted with silhouettes of Ultraman monsters, on the streets of Sukagawa (Fukushima prefecture) in Japan, the hometown of sci-fi special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya (who was the FX director for the Godzilla movies).

(as seen on PinkTentacle)
+  more 'intensity' with Tadanori Yokoo 

PH •

UPGRADE + MOBILIZE

From the amazing Culver City based team of Capacity (who recently completed the very 'cable' network package for NBC), here's a look at their anime adventure. Enjoy.



MOVIE as seen on Boards
Capacity - Upgrade Mobilize

+  we also liked Kosai Sekine 

PH •

LEGO HOUSE UPDATE

Last month, we featured a Lego House  being built in the UK. Sadly, the wonderful project has come to a crashing end. UK television personality James May who steered the project, saw to its completion but was unable to find a buyer. The main goal was to transfer the entire building to a legal site since there was no permission to build on the current site, in the first place. It seems Legoland showed some interest but the high cost of transportation diminished their interest in the project. The 3.3 million bricks will however, be donated to charity. Here is a gallery of the final product and its demolition.


+  read more about the house HERE

PH •

8-BIT TRIP

Created by Rymdreglage - Daniel Larsson and Tomas Redigh.
+  more lego adventures HERE

PH •