Thandie Newton as Sarah Palin

We all knew that Ricky Gervais was funny. But Thandie Newton? Have just recently seen W. by Oliver Stone, one of my favorite characters from the film was Ms. Newton's portrayal of Condoleezza Rice. Her mannerisms and speech were dead-on. I still get chills up my spine thinking about that role, watching her move around the room like a possessed Praying Mantis.

The above clip is from The Graham Norton Show on the BBC. Ms. Newton and Mr. Gervais have a good laugh reading a script from an "already" made adult film (aka as a porno) called Naylin Paylin. I couldn't make this stuff up.

Enjoy. I can't wait for Ms. Newton's impersonation of Cindy McCain.

The actual script reading doesn't start til the 1:45 mark, but the opening bit is Ricky Gervais at his best.

via OnlyMagazine

From 2D to 3D

I stumbled across an article about this artist in some super fancy, expensive, foreign design magazine on the weekend. I'm kicking myself for not picking a copy up (or, at least, for not scribbling down the name of the mag). But I was wise enough to spend company time today, researching the guy online... And here's what I turned up...

Gwon Osang (b.1974 in Seoul) is a famous Korean contemporary artist. He is well known for groundbreaking works as a sculptor & gained widespread fame with his photo-sculptures. Gwon Osang takes photos of his subject in sections -- as a panoramic view of his subject -- and then models the photos in to a 3D representation of his subject. In the beginning, his sculptures were 'light' and were not molded to a solid construction, which made the sculptures very fragile. He changed up his process in favour of a more sturdy frame or structure -- which at the same time allowed Gwon more creativity with his reconstruction.

Apparently, Gwon constructs these models by memory & without his subject there to model from. Pretty freakin' amazing if you ask me!

Go to the Gwon Osang gallery for these photosculptures (series is called Deodorant Type)

Click on main photo in this post to link to interview & essay on Gwon's work.

Gwon Osang participated in an exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery this summer (ended Sept 21st -- sorry UK gang!), where he was artist in residence.

Photography is not dead

Having a "I love my computer moment".

Who doesn't remember the Polaroid?. Seems only like yesterday (actually Feb. of this year), that Polaroid stopped production. Now it can be found only in select stores.

Don't fear because Poladroid is here.

Poladroid creates Polaroid-style images from your photos.

Here's what you do:
1. Download the free POLADROID application and launch it (MAC only, sorry PC)
2. Drag & Drop your photos
3. Wait... wait.... wait or like the real thing shake the picture (this brought a smile to my face).

Then look at, download or print your "Polaroid" picture.

Too easy, too fun.

Via surfstation

Celebrating 100 years of the roundel

The roundel first appeared on Underground station platforms in 1908. The bar and circle, as it became known, comprised a solid red enamel disc and horizontal blue bar. These early roundels, framed with timber mouldings, were introduced as station nameboards. The new device gave prominence to the name of the station, and helped passengers distinguish it from surrounding commercial advertising.

If you find yourself in London this week, head over to A Foundation Gallery Rochelle School, where Art on the Underground have commissioned 100 artists to make brand new works of art that are inspired by the Roundel as a contemporary symbol for a world class transport system. Better make it fast because the exhibition closes this Thursday.

Visit the London Transport Museum for more information.

Via guardian.co.uk

Canzine 2008 & Panic Attacks: A Dreadful Combination

I've returned, bleary-eyed and spent, from an afternoon of zine/small press/DIY overload. Today was a day I look forward to each year with mounting anticipation. A countdown of days as the weeks draw closer. 10 more sleeps... 7 more sleeps... 3 more sleeps... 'til that eventful morning I wake up bright and giddy as a kid on Christmas morn' -- CANZINE DAY!!! YessSSSS!!! -- as I jump around and scissor kick and arm pump in my pyjamas, eyes wide with glee.

I am a veteran attendee of Canzine. A die hard. I know what to expect. Load up on brunch or a snack beforehand. Wear a light jacket or layers of clothes that can be stripped down and easily tucked away in to backpacks, bags or under armpits -- out of the way. Never assume that the couple bucks you took out at the ATM will carry you through. Make smaller change. Don't make eye contact with the vendors unless you want them to grip on to your gaze and break you with their humble artist wizardry -- their awkwardly lovable mannerisms and witty banter... You will break a hundred hearts while you are there if you do engage. You'll only end up buying some weirdo surrealist computer art or hand printed day-of-the-week toilet paper or militant vegan anarchist patch or other randomness not quite ever within your usual character.

And then there is The Heaving Masses... The elbows and arms and bums and knees brushing past you on all sides. At some point or another, you will grope or be groped, though not necessarily intentional. You'll get swished along in the tide, and you'll have to come back round again to get to where you wanted to go.

This year... This year... This year -- I had a lovely panic attack -- in the midst of it all. Not even 5 feet in the door. Funny thing is, I don't even think it was the crowd that triggered it. It just happened -- just minutes before -- on the way to the Gladstone. But there, just barely in the door of the buzzing Gladstone 1st floor, I felt the anxiety swell. The sounds around me fuzzed out & echoed -- like when you're at an indoor public pool & you can hear the voices and laughter and splashing of the swimmers blending in soundscape -- bouncing off the walls & the surface of the pool. You can't make sense of any of it. It's just noise... My hands were shaking like crazy. Hot & red.

What the hell?.. What the hell?.. Okay... breathing... breathing... Fuck.

Eventually (and only after one Bloody Caesar was consumed STAT), I cooled back to my normal self & was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon -- shuffling past table after table of print-y goodness. And, occasionally, stopping for a yap about a particular artist's work. But there is one artist who I am always on the lookout for at these kind of events... and today, I swallowed my shy geek pride to say hullo to him whilst I bought up almost one of everything he had on the table... Aaron Costain (see picture above). Really, do, check out his stuff. Something in his illustration style always catches my eye -- from miles away. Which is quite the feat, since many of his comics are on the mini size and, well... small.

I only managed to squeak out a couple of comments & questions while I stood there, watching him sign the fistful of comics I'd purchased. I blushed a little as I heard the typical "I'm a huge fan" line bounce off my lips... Oh, gawd. I'm a dork... But I did ask him about one particular book I was buying: Calamity Coach ("A Non-Narrative Pictorial Sequence of Imaginary Events Designed to Discourage Even the Bravest of Souls from Vehicular Travel") . A series of illustrations of motor coaches in some serious accident situations. There are little two-lined rhymes underneath each one. Morbid as it was, it made me giggle, and I had to know why he decided to produce such an odd little thing.

There is a story, but I'm going to be a jackass and not post it here. Find out for yourself! What I will disclose is that the book was inspired by overwhelming dread & anxiety & cancelled vacation plans.

Anxiety? You don't say...

As an overall critique of the event, I would have to say that I think Canzine has outgrown the artsy expanse of the creaky Gladstone Hotel. No matter how many nooks & crannies or floors or rooms the thing occupies each year, it's a tight fit. And I think this is starting to work against the annual do. It's just too packed. There isn't enough time or space to lag back or dawdle through the line. No time to stop and finger through pages and portfolios, without causing serious traffic jams. And there were a lot of poor sods that got their tables stuck in the worst spots -- intersections and hidden corners. This one dude was almost half on half off a set of stairs. It was madness.

And can this not be a TWO day event?! A weekend thing? Pay your admission and be allowed to come back on any one of the days, at leisure? That might thin out the crowd a little. Free up some space & time to absorb and think. Rotate the tables a bit. Spread out the readings & workshops.

But I still love you, Canzine... Only how many more sleeps?..

it's the economy, stupid!

What most of the doom-and-gloom reports on our economy don’t provide is perspective—a historical survey of an economy that’s been through more than a few ups and downs in its day. Here’s a farsighted view of how our temperamental economic machine works, and a close-up of how it stands today. View

via Good is

here, there and everywhere

After long deliberation we have finally launched our blog. Stay tuned for the goods on graphic novels, music, books, magazines, world issues that concern us and much more.