sábado, 18 de setembro de 2004

Wang Du's Mixed Media. David Pescovitz: Last night, we visited the Palais de Tokyo to see the work of Wang Du, a Chinese artist living in Paris. Du creates massive sculptures and installations that manipulate and deconstruct mass media and pop culture imagery. In "Oarribeancom," surreal graphics from a Japanese erotic Web site are recreated in a collection of much larger-than-life resin models like the one pictured here. (Click on the photo for a larger version.) Link [Boing Boing] 11:14:20 PM    comment []

AdBusters sues for right to air anti-ads. Cory Doctorow: AdBusters is suing Canadian broadcasters for refusing to air their anti-ad ads. Activists concerned with almost every social issue -- from the environment, worker rights, electoral politics . . . you name it have had their messages rejected by media corporations. If you walked into your local television station today and tried to buy 30-seconds of airtime, you would likely get the same response we continually get. Boiled down, the refrain goes something like this: We will not accept your money. We will not accept your messages. We're in the business to sell ads, not spread your ideas. Link (via Waxy) [Boing Boing] 11:12:35 PM    comment []

Deaf children in Nicaragua create new language. Xeni Jardin: BoingBoing reader Prodigal Tom says, "This is a fascinating article about deaf and totally neglected children in Nicaragua inventing their own sign language. I was also psyched because I learned there is an actual job called a psycholinguist! There's also a great point about how the language has evolved, so the younger members have a slightly different version than the originators." Link to Reuters synopsis, and Link to Science Magazine article, which appears to be available only to paid subscribers. (Thanks also to Mike Oliveri and others who pointed us to this item) [Boing Boing] 11:09:52 PM    comment []

Dream Machine. David Pescovitz: Scientists may have identified a region of the brain instrumental in the creation of dreams. Neurologists at the University Hospital of Zurich studied a 73-year-old woman who suffered a stroke in her occipital lobe, known to be the brain's vision processing center. The patient predictably lost her sight for a few days, but she also lost the ability to dream. Link [Boing Boing] 11:07:56 PM    comment []

Excellent article about Fantagraphics. Mark Frauenfelder: Comic book and book publisher Fantagraphics is an international treasure. I love their books and comics, and I love their production values. On those days that I feel that life is not worth living, I remember that Fantagraphics exists and I cheer up tremendously. ...Fantagraphics is more like Sub Pop—a well-known, highly regarded, but still relatively small publisher, most of whose best sellers wouldn't sell enough to stay on a major label for more than an album or two. For Fantagraphics, being put in charge of The Complete Peanuts is akin to Sub Pop being handed the Beatles' master tapes for reissue. And Fantagraphics has done the strip right, with gorgeous design (the art director is Palookaville artist Seth, aka Gregory Gallant, whose style was deeply influenced by Schulz) and ambitious outlay (Fantagraphics is planning two a year for the next 12 and a half years, 25 volumes covering 50 years of weekly strips, including Sundays). Link (Thanks, Kirsten!) [Boing Boing] 11:05:50 PM    comment []

Robo-roach. David Pescovitz: How do animals walk without falling over? A multi-university research effort led by UC Berkeley will try to answer that question by studying a small robot that imitates cockroach locomotion. Berkeley biologist Robert Full's insights into animal movement have informed the design of other robots as well, including the wall-climbing Mecho-Gecko. By simultaneously studying the cockroach-bot and various insects, the researchers hope to identify the muscular and neural networks that result in the whole-body motion of a wide range of animals, including humans. "The robot has to operate in the real world, like the animal does, so we can use it for testing hypotheses," Full said. "We know, for example, that the body's center of mass bounces along like a pogo stick, which is embodied in the robot, but we don't know how its parts - its legs, feet, actuators or muscles - sum up to give that remarkably general pattern of movement. Now we can ask questions like, 'What if you had a more compliant leg? What if you had two joints in that leg, what does that give you versus one joint?'" Link [Boing Boing] 11:02:47 PM    comment []

Flower power turns up the volume. A Japanese company has come up with a way of turning flowers into loudspeakers. [BBC News | Technology | UK Edition] Link 10:44:21 PM    comment []

H2O at Luxe Gallery A Quake warrior since the late 90's Miguel Soares is one of the leading artists in the Portuguese techno art scene. Like in most Portuguese art there's a poetic aura around his digital compositions and conceptual projects. Press release: “Under his alter ego "Migso", Soares composes electronic music which he integrates in his 3D animations and releases as audio CD's. Many of his videos are made for -and in collaboration with- music groups like Negativland (2003), Sack & Blumm (2000) and Roberto Musci and Giovanni Venosta (2001). With the San Francisco Bay Area group, "Negativland," known for its struggle against restrictive copyright laws in the 90's, Soares created "Time Zones" - where he investigates the use of media as a vehicle for psychological warfare, and of computers to control the "imperfections" of mankind.” LUXE Gallery 24 W. 57th Street # 503 New York, NY 10019 September 20th - October 30th Opening reception: Monday, September 20th, 6- 8. Contact: Stefan Stoyanov T: 212 404 7455 F: 212 582 2366 9:41:24 AM  Google It!  comment []

It's an ArtBots Invasion in Harlem! A new ArtBots is on the way. Curated by Douglas Repetto (CMC), Mark Tribe (DMC), and Mary Flanagan (Hunter College), this is one of the main meeting points for art and robots technology. I wish I could be there! “It's an ArtBots invasion in Harlem! The Third Annual ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show will take place on September 17, 18, & 19 from noon to 6:00pm at The Mink Building on 126th Street & Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem. Featuring the work of 20 artists and groups from seven countries, the show celebrates the strange and wonderful collision of shifty artists, disgraced engineers, high/low/no tech hackers, rogue scientists, beauty school dropouts, backyard pyros, and industrial espionage that has come to define the emerging field of robotic art. Participants include robots that sketch, carve, float, wiggle, hum, ring, grow, wander, and sing, as well a number of works the form and function of which are not yet well understood. ” FACTS AT A GLANCE: Event: ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show Cost: This is a FREE event Time: Noon to 6:00 p.m. Date: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 17, 18, & 19, 2004 Location: The Mink Building Corner of 126th Street and Amsterdam Avenue Harlem, New York City Subway: 1/9 or A/C/B/D to 125th St. Link 9:08:21 AM  Google It!  comment []

© Creative Commons 2004 Antonio C-Pinto. Last update: 26.09.04; 18:56:25.