Word of the Day: Autochthonous

autochthonous \aw-TOK-thuh-nuhs\ adjective

1. Aboriginal; indigenous; native.
2. Formed or originating in the place where found.

Origin:
Autochthounous derives from Greek autochthon "of or from the earth or land itself".  From auto "self" + chthon "earth".

Word of the Day: Aura

Aura \AWR-uh\ noun

1. A distinctive air or quality considered to be characteristic of a person or thing.

2. An invisible breath, emanation that surround people, animals, and things.

Origin:
From Greek aura "breath, breeze"

Listen Up: Mumford & Sons 'The Cave'

I was introduced to Mumford & Sons literally an hour ago.  So I'm not an expert, but what I did find out about them is that they're from West London and they make really great music.  I just found their video 'The Cave'.  And even though it seems like a very simple video, it's really beautiful to watch and listen too.  See (or rather hear) for yourself here:




To find out more about Mumford & Sons click here!

~Jess

Vintage Movable Review: Koehler cards

Here is a set of mechanical trade cards that use a single pivot to create some rather stylized “Before & After” views of Victorian era characters. First off we see a bride transform into a widow, followed by a Civil War solider ravaged by battle and cap it off with a quick passage of time from sweet sixteen to sixty with the turn of a hat. The cards are all chromolithographs on a gold background with no printing on the reverse. A small note mentions that a patent was applied for and registered by Jos. Koehler, NY in 1882. I could not locate the specific patent on-line but found many others and came across this information from the Chicago Postcard Museum and the Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City.

“Joseph Koehler, New York, NY; Founded as a printing firm 1892-1911, they later began publishing view-cards in both continuous tone and halftone lithography as well as real photo cards. They have been well known for their early hold to light postcards, mechanicals, and exposition cards, since publishing an unofficial postcard set of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. While most companies stopped using the expensive chromolithographic printing method in favor of the cheaper halftone printing process, Koehler (a pioneer in halftone technology) had returned to producing chromolithographs. Koehler postcards have a very distinct style to them and is the reason why Koehler postcards are so sought after by serious collectors. All of their postcards were printed in Berlin Germany.”

~Kyle

Artist Watch: Art + Architecture 2011

Art + Architecture 2011, a diverse and multidisciplinary exhibition of emerging artists, is comprised of works that examine, question, or outright challenge everyday interpersonal and contextual relationships.

Through the integration of a variety of media including painting, sculpture, video, performance and works on paper, the installation weaves a wide ranging fabric of form and style, which envelops the immense Gowanus Ballroom and transforms the space into a thoroughly interactive experience. This affords both artist and audience a chance to dismantle and construct anew one’s perceived environment. By alternately reinforcing and undermining the suppositions defining social and physical arrangements, the exhibition implores participants to reexamine the boundaries delineating self.

You can see the show this Friday evening, April 15th.

55 9th street #61, Brooklyn, NY 11215

 

~Gio

 

(My own submission!)

Word of the Day: Roseate

Roseate \ROH-zee-it; -ayt\ adjective

1. Overly optimistic; bright or cheerful.
2. Resembling a rose especially in color.

Origin: Roseate comes from Latin roseus, "rosy," from rosa, "rose".

History Lesson: First Man in Space

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being to travel into space.  Aboard spacecraft Vostok 1, Gagarin orbited the Earth at a maximum altitude of 187 miles.  His space flight lasted roughly under 2 hours.  Back on Earth, he became an instant hero and celebrity.  Gagarin traveled the world to spread the word of Russia's successful space trip.  Gagarin died on March 27th, 1968 in a routine training flight that ended in a fatal crash.  There are many speculations and conspiracy theories about the reason why his aircraft failed.

Word of the Day: Desideratum

Desideratum \dih-sid-uh-REY-tuhm\ noun

1.  Something considered necessary or desirable.

Etymology:
For Latin desideratum 'something desired' from desiderare 'to desire'

Children's Choice Book Awards

This year Matthew and Robert's book, 'Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes' has been nominated for a Children's Choice Book award in the 3rd-4th grade category.  15,000 children and teens helped pick and evaluate all the books that made it to the finalist round.

The voting is open until April 29th, 2011.  You click the link here or below to cast your own vote:

Weekly Beast: Psychedelica

A funky, psychedelic fish that bounces on the ocean floor like a rubber ball has been classified as a new species, a scientific journal reported.  The fish — which the University of Washington professor has named "psychedelica" — is a member of the antennariid genus, Histiophryne, and like other frogfish, has fins on both sides of its body that have evolved to be leg-like.

But it has several behavioral traits not previously known to the others.  Each time the fish strike the seabed, for instance, they push off with their fins and expel water from tiny gill openings to jet themselves forward. That, and an off-centered tail, causes them to bounce around in a bizarre, chaotic manner.

 ~Gio

Word of the Day: Charivari

Charivari \shiv-uh-REE, shuh-riv-uh-REE\ noun

1. A noisy, mock serenade to a newly married couple, involving the banging of kettles, pots, and pans.
2. A confused, noisy spectacle.

Etymology:
From French charivari 'hullabaloo', perhaps from Latin caribaria 'headache', from Greek karebaria which stems from kare/kara (head) + barys (heavy).

Artist Watch: Julene Harrison

I have found another fantastic artist that works in paper, British designer Julene Harrison.  I am really in awe of the fact that her pieces are cut out by hand.  So much detail (and time!) goes into her pieces.  Personally I really love the pieces where she incorporates words and phrases into the designs.

Check out her work here:
http://madebyjulene.com

 ~Jess

Whats Popped Up: Trio of talks at the Smithsonian

I just returned from a weekend in our nation’s capital where I caught the tail end of the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Washington monument. Just down the Mall is the National American History Museum where I was able to finally view the Smithsonian pop-up exhibit, Paper Engineering: Fold, Pop, Pull and Turn. We learned about it on the blog here.

The show is a wonderful exploration of different pop-up techniques with fine examples of movable books that dated back hundreds of years. There are also two short videos on a loop that provide some excellent background about making pop-ups. Over a dozen cases are well laid out and very approachable to the many visitors that streamed in while I was there. The addition of two button activated page turners made the movable books come to life and show some of the excellent movement that can be achieved through paper engineering.

It was recently announced that there will be three upcoming lectures at the museum from some of the best pop-up artists in the world. On Saturday, April 16^th at noon, David A. Carter will talk about his pop-up artistry. Then on Monday, April 18^th, Andrew Baron will discuss his latest project creating a pop-up annual report. Finally, on Tuesday, May 10^th, Bruce Foster pulls back the curtain on his latest Harry Potter book. Be sure to check the PDF flyer for popupbookseries for more details on this exciting lecture series.

Now I have to figure out a way to get back to Washington, D.C. this weekend.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Calligraphy

Calligraphy \kuh-LIG-ruh-fee\ noun

1. The art of writing beautifully.

Origin: The word calligraphy literally means beautiful writing, it is derived from the Greek word kalla meaning "beautiful" and graphia "writing.".  Before the invention of the printing press some 500 years ago, it was the way books were made.

Word of the Day: Gearhead

Gearhead noun

1. A technology enthusiast, a person with a deep interest in the inner working of computers, automobiles, etc.

Etymology: From Middle English gere ‘equipment’ + Middle English head or Old English heafod.

~Gio

Vintage Movable Review: Toyota Ad

Here is the last of my recent batch of pop-up promotional pieces. I’d like to think that I saved the best for last, but I’ll let you be the judge. I offer you an Australian safety campaign for the Toyota Camry from 1993. Like the Mercedes advertisement from last week, this is another rubber band-activated mechanism with no provenance, so I will let this movable mailer speaks for itself.

(Imagined pitch meeting at the Toyota Motor Corporation, Australia, 1993)

Ad man: “Right-o, We need to liven up this dry information about the safety features of the new Toyota Camry. Any ideas, mates?

Copywriter: “How ‘bout we slap a chicken on top. Chickens make everything better.”

Ad man: “Fair dinkum, Fred Nerk, Let’s do it!”

~Kyle

Whats Popped Up: Will Varner

This weekend one of our intern extraordinaires, Will Varner, will be at The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Arts (MoCCA ) annual festival sharing some brand new books, silk screen prints , and a sneak peek at his upcoming projects. Will's work puts a weird fantasy twist on pop culture and the search for identity. You can see his latest illustrations at willvarner.com This is his second year showing at MOCCA. He says, "MoCCA is one of the most unique comic conventions running because it features the work of many independent, self-publishing creators like myself while attracting many more established artists too. The great thing is that everybody shares a love for making comics." If you go, stop by booth C-19 and say hello. He’ll be there both Saturday and Sunday and would love to share his work with you!

Word of the Day: Passe-Partout

Passe-Partout \pass-pahr-TOO\ noun

1. Something, for example a master key, that enables unrestricted access.

Etymology: From French, literally, passes everywhere, from passer (to pass) + partout (everywhere), from par (though) + tout (all).

~Gio

History Lesson: Olympic Games

On April 6, 1896, the Olympic Games were reinstated in Athens 1,500 years after being banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I as part of his efforts to suppress paganism in the Roman Empire. At the opening of the 1896 Athens Games, King Georgios I of Greece and a crowd of 60,000 spectators welcomed athletes from 13 nations to the international competition.

The first recorded Olympic Games were held at Olympia in the Greek city-state of Elis in 776 B.C., but it is generally accepted that the Olympics were at least 500 years old at that time. The ancient Olympics, held every four years, occurred during a religious festival honoring the Greek god Zeus.

The 1896 Olympics featured the first marathon competition, which followed the 25-mile route run by a Greek soldier who brought news of a victory over the Persians from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. Appropriately, a Greek, Spyridon Louis, won the first marathon at the 1896 Athens Games.

Weekly Beast: Swima bombiviridis

Swima is a genus of polychaete worm that lives in the deep ocean. These discarded gills somewhat resemble green "bombs" that remain illuminated for several seconds after they have been discarded. It is thought that this is a defensive mechanism rather than reproductive, as it is seen in both mature and juvenile individuals.

~Gio

Word of the Day: Hubbub

Hubbub \huhb-uhb\ noun

1. Excited fuss or tumult from a crowd.

Etymology: It is probably related to ub ub ubub, a Scots Gaelic interjection expressing contempt, or to abu, an ancient Irish war cry. In any case, hubbub was first recorded (1555) in the phrase Irish hubbub and meant "the confused shouting of a crowd."

~Gio

Artist Watch: Yu Jordy Fu

Yu Jordy Fu has been exhibiting her artwork since the age of six. This London based artist has a background in Spatial Design and Architecture but it’s her 2008 series of ‘Cloud Lamps’ that caught my eye. Exhibiting great patience, she creates these intricate paper-cut landscapes inspired by her architectural design projects. The lamp shades are made from treated recycled paper and is “a simple and sustainable way to add intimacy and magic to domestic environments.” The shades series has since expanded to chandeliers, installations and other custom commissions and you can learn more about Yu Jordy Fu by checking out her blog.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Smalto

Smalto \zmahl-taw\ noun
1. colored glass or similar vitreous material used in mosaic.

Etymology: From Italian smalto 'enamel, glaze’, related to smelt (to melt).

~Gio

Whats Popped Up: Bowdoin Exhibit

Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine has put together a nice exhibit of pop-ups that will be on view in the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library until June 4, 2011. The curators selected more than 150 movable items from the 1,800 titles donated to the college by alumni Harold M. Goralnick for the show, “Pop-ups! They are not JUST for kids”.

Pop-ups! They're Not JUST for Kids from Bowdoin College on Vimeo.

Here’s what the folks at Bowdoin had to say about the show:

“Although we usually think of children’s books when we see “pop-ups,” these are definitely not all just for children—erotica, architecture, and political commentary join such predictable themes as fairy tales, rhymes and verse, the alphabet and counting, and animals, to name a few. Displayed works range from the late nineteenth century to the present and also include artists’ books that employ pop-up features in their design.”
Click here to view the press release for the exhibit.

~Kyle

Listen Up: Colleen

Colleen is a French electronic and ambient music composer.  Check out this video that uses the beginning of her song 'Summer Water'

http://vimeo.com/156783


You can find out more about Colleen here:
http://www.colleenplays.org/

Word of the Day: Corniche

Corniche \KAWR-nish\ noun

1.  A coastal road, especially one cut into the side of a cliff.

Etymology: From French route en corniche, from Italian cornice 'frame, ledge', perhaps from Latin cornix 'crow' from its resemblance to the beak of a crow.

Vintage Movable Review: Mercedes-Benz Ad

Today’s selection is another mysterious pop-up advertisement. Back in the 1990’s Mercedes-Benz wanted to hand you “your passport to 21^st century motoring”. Sadly, the faux passport that accompanied this pop-up mailer has gone missing, which would have shed some light on this campaign. Luckily, we can still enjoy the pop-up as is. This type of promotion would have been handed to potential clients or sent through the mail. Once taken out of the large envelope, the rubber band springs open a colorful car showroom, where a creepy looking magician/entertainer (who is a dead ringer for a chubby Dr. Doom) is unveiling the new Mercedes-Benz car model. If this is my passport to the future then it appears that I have nothing to declare.

~Kyle

Word of Day: Cloud-cuckoo-land

Cloud-cuckoo-land  \KLOUD-koo-koo-land\ noun

1. An idealized, unrealistic state; a place out of touch with reality; an imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.

Origin: From Greek Nephelokokkugia-  nepele 'cloud' + kokkux 'cuckoo'.  The word was coined in 'The Birds', a comedy by Athenian playwright Aristophanes.  Nephelokokkugia was the name of a city in the sky, built by the birds in collaboration with some Athenians.

 

Artist Watch: Blu

Blu is an Italian street artist, he started painting on Bologna's walls around 1999 but since then he has spread his work everywhere around the world.

His murals are always related and strongly linked with the place where he paints them, his works always try to engage the people in a quiet yet powerful way.

His art has contributed to a radical and silent change in contemporary art business by trying to make it free or much more available.

I had the chance to meet him when I was 16 and I still remember how he surprised me.

He was much shorter than I though (his walls are huge, I expected him to be very tall) and he didn't say much but I won't ever forget his gentle attitude, much more eloquent then any word.

Find out more about Blu here:

http://www.blublu.org/ 

 

http://vimeo.com/993998

~Gio

Word of Day: Oblivescence

Oblivescence /ob-luh-ves-uhns/ noun

1. The process of forgetting

Origin:  Oblivescence comes from Latin obliv 'to forget'

History Lesson: April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day is a tradition that dates back as far as 1582.  Historians speculate that April Fool's Day may have come from when France switched to the Gregorian calendar from the Julian calendar.  People had not realized that the new year began on January 1 and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1.  These people soon became the butt of many jokes and hoaxes; these included paper fish placed on their backs and were then called 'poisson d'avril' (April Fish) which is to symbolize young, easily caught fish and also a gullible person.

April Fool's Day came and spread through Britain and Scotland in the 18th century.  This became a two day event where people were sent on phone errands, and the second day called 'Tailie Day' involved pranks played on people's backside with pinned on tails and 'kick' me signs!

Even modern times people have carried out elaborate April Fool's Day hoaxes.  Radio, TV stations, Web sites, and newspapers have all had their fair share of hoaxes.

Word of the Day: Stanch

Stanch \STONCH; STANCH\ transitive verb

1. To stop the flowing of; to check in its course; also, to stop the flowing of blood from; as, "to stanch a wound."

Origin: Stanch is from Old French estancher, "to stop a liquid from flowing".

Weekly Beast: Aye-aye

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth and a special thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its narrow middle finger to pull the grubs out.

 ~Gio

Whats Popped Up: A bunch of Bologna

One of the biggest events in the children’s book industry starts today. The Bologna Children’s Book Fair has just begun and lasts for the next four days. In it’s 48^th edition, this fair brings together authors, illustrators, publishers, literary agents, packagers, printers, booksellers, librarians, and many more to learn about the latest trends and developments in children’s books. Pop-up packagers and paper engineers make their way to Italy to complete a marathon of meetings with publishers and manufacturers as they present the prototypes of new titles and ideas. With roughly 1300 exhibitors from 67 countries, the massive convention space is host to thousands of industry professionals (so no kiddies, here). Every year there is an honorary country promoted at the fair and this year’s guest will be Lithuania.

I have heard many great stories of past fairs in Bologna from pop-up artists like David Carter, Ron van der Meer, Robert Sabuda and Sam Ita, and hope that one day I will get a chance to wander the massive exhibition halls and get lost in a world of wonder and possibility. But I better plan ahead because even though it’s the first day of the Fair, hotels are already booking up for next year!

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Nemesis

Nemesis \nem-UH-sis\ noun

1. A source of harm or ruin.

2. Retributive justice in its execution or outcome.

3. An opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome.

Origin: In Greek némesis literally 'a dealing out' verbid of némein 'to dispense (justice)'.  Also in Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of retributive justice or vengeance.

Artist Watch: Kyle Bean

Kyle Bean is a Brighton based young designer. With his "hand crafted mind" he creates projects that make me smile.  A chicken made out of eggs, a computer cut out from a book, a bunch of band instruments covered with musical scores. From looking at his art, I feel I understand everything about it and I don't even ask myself whether the music or the instruments came first, I just enjoy both for being real.  You can find more about Kyle Bean and his work here.

 

 

 

~Gio