Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Stanley Kubrick’s NYC, psychic t-shirts, photon photos and more in our look at the web this week
1. Photon Photos
Researches at MIT’s Media Lab recently broke out a specialized camera that shoots 1 trillion frames per second. This isn’t your standard slow motion machine, and it doesn’t produce standard results. The camera is capable of snapping pictures of photons moving through a specialized system, letting you physically see the light as it moves.
2. Filip Dujardin
Blurring the line between art and architecture, Belgian photographer Filip Dujardin consistently amazes design lovers with his remarkable fictitious structures. The upcoming solo show in Ghent promises to be a fascinating glimpse into his imaginary world.
3. Louis C.K. Experiment
Louis C.K. recently filmed a comedy special at NYC’s Beacon Theater, and in a bold move decided to take on the endeavor entirely independently. Shying away from traditional forms of promotion and distribution, C.K. sold the special solely from his personal website for $5 a pop, showing how media can be distributed and profited from in the age of copyright warfare and free information. Check out his site to read C.K.’s statement about the success of his comedy experiment.
4. Wrapped Interiors
Evoking the haunting mystery of an abandoned old mansion without the dust, Penique Productions’ series of Wrapped Interiors drapes spaces in nothing more than monochromatic drop cloths. The dramatic effect embodies the impact of simplicity.
5. Psychic Tees
In an effort to raise money for the charity organization Age UK, Mother London tapped LA’s favorite psychic Lucinda Clare, who predicted the future of 100 black T-shirts. Customers who purchased one of the randomly assigned Psychic Tees will receive their fate printed on it.
6. Stanley Kubrick’s Photos of 1940s NYC
Legendary filmmaker Stanely Kubrick kicked off his career as a photojournalist for Look magazine, documenting life in NYC with his distinct stylistic eye. The Inspiration Grid highlights a few stunners from the over 300 Kubrick shot during his four-year-long stint at Look.
7. Shipley & Halmos + Chocolate Editions
Raold Dahl fans take note, a collaboration between fashion house Shipley & Halmos and Chocolate Editions has produced 25 unique chocolate bars with individually designed wrappers. One lucky buyer will unwrap a golden ticket, redeemable for an item of your choice in the S&H store.
8. Learning from fMRI
Researchers announced this week that they found a way to use a functional MRI (fMRI) machine to project information into a person’s mind. The machines, normally used for monitoring brain function, were found to be able to reverse the flow of information and embed new skills into the patient. Get ready to learn how to break down while you lounge on your La-Z-Boy.
9. Prisoners of Conscience
Armenian artist Karen Sargsyan channels his political sentiments into impressive paper sculptures that are as curiously layered as their underlying meaning. A solo exhibition of new works, “Prisoners of Conscience” is on view at Ambach & Rice through 28 December 2011.
10. Vgo Medical Robot
Children’s Hospital Boston has begun to send personal robots home with patients who can’t come in for regular checkups. The remote robot gives doctors the ability to communicate with the patient and perform video inspections via Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
11. Gum, dropped
A Cooper Union alum, Miami-based artist Nicolas Lobo returns to NYC with his first solo exhibition at Marlborough Chelsea. Titled “Gum, dropped,” the show features an array of works that reflect his interest in the darker side of pop culture.
12. Bucketry
Ceramicist Matthias Merkel Hess shows his utilitarian colors in “Bucketry,” a new show at the Acme Gallery in LA. The collection takes inspiration from 19th century stoneware, adding a contemporary twist with brute trash cans, milk crates, laundry hampers and gas cans on display.
13. Lunchboxes of Japan
Taking the art of food presentation to adorable new heights, a new mommy trend has cropped up in Japan. Lucky kids are dining on elaborate bento meals fashioned after Hello Kitty, Playstation remotes and even Michael Jackson. Actual classes are being held to teach mothers how to make their lunchtime masterpieces, some of which can take several hours to make.
14. Textilidermy
U.K. artist and fabric junkie Abigail Brown repurposes her scraps by making charming little birds in painstaking, handmade detail. Each of the little creatures accurately mimics its real-life counterpart, so expect a spot-on, one-of-a-kind rendition of such species as the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Ponsenby Owl, Puffin and others in her shop.
15. Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Silo
Monied house hunters with a strong disaster mentality rejoice: Sotheby’s has listed a $750,000 Atlas-F magazine in the Adirondacks decommissioned in 1965. The massive, seven-storey subterranean silo measures 52 feet in diameter and sits 176-feet deep, accessed only by a 40-foot tunnel and two 90-ton overhead doors to move right in.
16. Analog Siri
Some intrepid trouble makers took a leap to make Apple’s Siri application accesible to the most technophobic generations. With a little creative hacking, they were able to incorporate the high-tech personal assistant into a Bluetooth-enabled rotary phone. Happy Holidays, Grandpa!
