Illustrating with Thread and Pins The images within post are from various art installations and projects by Debbie Smyth. View more of the artist’s work at her blog. Notes about Smyth (from bio published at New British Artists): Debbie Smyth graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Contemporary Textiles in 2008. Artwork © Debbie Smyth Link via Designaside The 20 Best Foreign Language Films of the Decade As part of our epic, two week long Decade in Review, master of the Foreign Objects Rob Hunter lays down his picks of the best foreign language films of the decade. I can reel off the best foreign films of the year without pause and feel fairly confident that I haven’t missed anything notable, but best of the decade? Adding to the difficulty is the fact that of the thousands of films released each year in other countries very few of them actually ever reach our shores in any official capacity. Then there’s the issue of release dates… do I use the year the film was first released or the year it finally reached the US? There’s way too much gray area here, so we’re going to simplify things a bit. This is my list of the best foreign language films of the past ten years, and I highlight that ownership because I don’t expect it to look too similar to lists put out by most other critics. 3-Iron(Kim Ki-duk, South Korea 2004) Amelie(Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France 2001) Damn I love this movie.
Short Film of the Day: Porcelain Unicorn Why Watch? Because sentimentality never dies. This short got some attention when it won a contest created by the Phillips Corporation which had a few restraining parameters in place. The films could only have six lines of dialogue, and they had to be: What is that? It’s pretty limiting, but this short is a phenomenal example of where limitations can create something truly inspired. What does it cost? Check out Porcelain Unicorn for yourself: Trust us. Heike Weber Installations Utterly amazing installations by Heike Weber. She draws with permanentmarkers on acrylic floor and walls – surfaces that have reached up to 600 m2. I can’t begin to imagine how time consuming these breathtaking installations must have been. Via TRIANGULATION
Forever's Not So Long 9 Principles of Japanese Art and Culture There are 9 basic principles that underlie Japanese art and culture. They're called aesthetics — concepts that answer the question: what is art? There are 9 Japanese aesthetics. They are the basis for Japanese art, fashion, pop culture, music and movies. 1. Can you imagine if all the characters in movies were perfect? 2. Miyabi is often translated "heartbreaker". 3. Shibui means simple, subtle or unobtrusive. 4. Iki is uniqueness. Iki is the movie character who's a bad-ass with style and grace. 5. Jo-ha-kyu is a tempo that can be translated as — start slowly, accelerate and end suddenly. Modern uses include movies, music and advertising. 6. Yugen states that life is boring when all the facts are known. Where does the smoke come from? 7.Geido (discipline and ethics) Have you ever noticed that Japanese martial arts (and traditional arts) are all about discipline? 8. Ensou is a zen concept. 9. Kawaii is cute.