farm city!
TRAFFIC ISLAND
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The city is a nice place you always think about escaping…
By klisterpete and akay.
High in a rocky tree-covered area between two busy highways, a minature Swedish summer cottage painted traditional red with white trim suddenly appeared. Of course, it didn’t actually appear, klisterpete and akay carried it up there. They built the red picket fence to surround the tiny grassy area. They hung the clothes line across the yard. They brought the promise of the swedish countryside everyone wants to escape to, right into the middle of the city. They took an unused, unappreciated space and made it a charming and peaceful place of wonder despite the traffic below, the train passing on its tracks behind, buildings stretching out farther behind those…
What if more people made the places they ARE the places they WANT TO BE? It’s not so hard.
-kidpe
>>>I found out about AKAY from V.
Tags: AKAY, architecture, craftsmanship, graffiti, street-art, urban life, wood
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Paul Gustave Doré. Artist. Engraver. Printmaker. Illustrator. French. 1832-1883.
I found out about Doré at a recent trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario. There, currently, an exhibit featuring a lot of work by David Blackwood – one of my favourite Canadian artists/printmakers is on display. Blackwood lists Doré as one of his influences. It’s easy to see why – the maritime motifs, dark, haunted matter, insane details.
Back in the day when most published novels were complete with beautiful woodcut engravings or finely detailed illustrations, Doré was a famous name. He illustrated scores of novels in the mid-1800s for Lord Byron, Cervantes, Poe & Milton. The top three images shown are from Coleridge’s The Rime of The Ancient Mariner, one each from The Divine Comedy and Little Red Riding Hood. His portrait appears last – ain’t he handsome?
Tags: craftsmanship, graphic design, Gustave Doré, printed matter, sailors, wood, woodcut
long art.
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Aaron De La Cruz. Street Art / Graffiti / Murals.
Art. On Walls. And On Bikes. Rad.
More here.
transit city!
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Transit City: Streetcar Graffiti Art Show. Toronto. Proper Reserve (498 Queen St. W).
About 40 Toronto graffiti writers and street artists were given a paper TTC streetcar to use as a canvas – kind of an exercise in meta-graf.
The streetcar is one of my favourite things about Toronto; the aesthetics and the principles.
That said, I often find myself wishing for the days of the old city: when NewYorkCity Transit Authority vehicles actually served as a canvas for an emerging movement of spraycan art.
I don’t think the TTC had the same sort of thing going on, even in the ’70s & 80s, but I’d like to see more of this city painted, stickered, stenciled.
*** If you’d like more info on the real Transit City (and how to save it!) – Toronto’s own comprehensive transit strategy for the twenty-first century – click here and here. Or write your Councillor.***
Tags: graffiti, graphic design, paper, paper models, street-art, transit city, TTC, urban life
arkitektur.
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Todd Saunders. Architect. Newfoundland / Norway.
I saw Todd speak last night at the University of Toronto’s Architecture School. I have recently been thinking a lot about geography, identity and culture, so this was right up my alley. Saunders uses traditional materials (mostly wood) to build inventive, modernist structures that interact with the location. His ideas stem from a respect for the natural form – the cliff overlooking a fjord in Norway, the violent shoreline of Newfoundland’s North Atlantic – and attempt to build something that is able to highlight the beauty of these spots.
He’s building a lot. The project shown above was his first. It wasn’t even commissioned; after graduating, a buddy and him bought the land and self-financed the build. His portfolio is growing and includes a utopian project in Newfoundland’s Fogo Island. I’ll post more about that some other time.
bookart.
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Isaac Salazar. Paper Art. New Mexico.
Check his flickr for more cuts, folds, bookarts.
Tags: book arts, craftsmanship, graphic design, isaac salazar, literature
Jump For My Love.
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Tags: empty pools, graffiti, graphic design, photography, summer season, swimming
eat-easy.
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Last night, my friend Michelle and I hosted our first supper club. It happened on Noble Street, in Parkdale, Toronto, Canada. It went real well – good food, good people, flowing booze.
I hope it happens again…
alphabet city.
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Lehel Kovacs. Illustrator. Budapest, Hungary.
My friend Alice showed me this, I had to share it: Kovacs has illustrated an ABC guide to the world’s cities using Google street view to view and sketch them. It’s real neat. I like both inventive alphabet books and city-scapes. I think you’ll like them all.
Tags: ABC, alphabet, city, graphic design, illustration, Lehel Kovacs, urban life
street-style.
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Manhole Covers. City of Milan. Italy.
After a week in NewYorkCity, I’m back + inspired by the art in the street.
Here, the Don Gallery and the City of Milan team up with five street artists to design a series of manhole covers. The five artists are Shepard Fairey, Invader, The London Police, Flying Fortress and Rendo.
Neat right?
Tags: architecture, craftsmanship, graffiti, graphic design, street-art, urban life
farm city! 