dechezette

26 April 10

You Must See William Kentridge at MoMA

“A hypnotic mechanized puppet show with video projects”, was how a co-worker described a piece of the William Kentridge exhibit currently on show at the MoMA. Anyone who knows me knows that this is the kind of sound byte that gets my attention.

I was utterly blown away by the exhibit. It was some of the most moving work I have seen in recent memory. I particularly connected with his video work which combines his expressionist charcoal stop-motion animation with graphical collages reminiscent of the Brothers Quay.

William Kentridge: Five Themes is at MoMA through May 17th. Don’t miss it.

Check out more videos of the “puppet show”. MoMA’s site for the exhibition is pretty cool too.

10 March 10

PixieTea Music Video: Brought to You by The iPhone

This music video from Chinese artist PixieTea was recorded almost entirely on her iPhone 3GS — music and all. I really love the DIY feel of this production right down to the living room setting. And it’s great how the apps and the iPhone are characters in the story. The limitations of the medium add to the charm of the production.

This movement reminds me of the early days of desktop video that sparked venues such as the Low Res Digital Film Festival.

To see a really spectacular music video shot entirely on an iPhone, check out this one from Mario Cavalli.

via Gizmodo

03 January 10

It’s a Browser. You Know, For Kids!

First let me say that these video shorts are flat out beautiful.

That said ... when the average folk don’t even know what a browser is, I’m wondering how these videos are helping. Furthermore they don’t seem to deliver on BBH Lab’s mission of creating “new models around technology, entertainment and brands.” Maybe I’m missing some context.

They sure are purdy though.

07 December 09

XIAO GE ER by Mario Cavalli and Akira Kosemura

This music video created for electronic artist Akira Kosemura was shot entirely on an iPhone 3G without video using the QuadCamera application. The combination of the music and the visuals create a calming, almost hypnotic effect. It’s exciting to see artists leveraging this (relatively) low-tech camera. Kind of reminds me in a way of how videographers were using the Fisher-Price PXL2000 in the 90’s.

24 November 09

I Met the Walrus

Beautiful visualization of an interview with John Lennon informally taken by a 14-year old Beatles fanatic who somehow managed to sneak into Lennon’s hotel room. The illustrations here are reminiscent of Push Pin Studios and Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python work.

It’s impressive to see an old scratchy lo-fi voice interview be brought to life in such a dynamic way. It’s also fun to see Gilliam’s collage style taken to a new place and fused with more contemporary techniques. The group managed to get a serious message across with an almost humorous and whimsical approach.