Set design didn't seem to help the festive mood of the Oscars

I respect David Rockwell tremendously. His architecture and interior designs have been fresh and inspiration for many years. But he seems to have created a dark chamber of sobriety that didn't really help the festive mood that the Oscars is supposed to evoke. I'm sure it looked beautiful in person as his restaurant spaces always does. But on TV, it looked dim and cold. And it's not really the fault of the Production designer. All sorts of forces must have clashed to create a more somber mood this year, especially the idea that this is a "throw back to the depression era."

Top half of the stage looked like some Fritz Lang vision of a future ballroom, the stage floor inspired by the movie Tron. And did they not have the budget to light everything? Every scene looked dim.

The show seemed to be filled with these well meaning tributes like this but the cold, impersonal stage made it look more like the high court of Romulus making a judgement via holographic projections.

The only non-drowsy moment of the show was A.R. Rahman perfoming songs from Slumdog Millionaire. You could feel the energy of the performers and unlike a lot of the other scenes where people were reminiscing, it felt very much in the moment.

Photos via NYT

Darkrooms by Richard Nicholson

Here are some beautiful shots by photographer Richard Nicholson - some of the remaining professional darkrooms in London. I love the way he exposes the chaotic tapestry of the users' personalities that comes from years (decades?) of use, usually hidden in the dim light of mystery. I can almost smell the chemicals baked into the rooms. via link (thanks Thy!)

We Put Anything On Paper

Design You Trust. World's Most Famous Social Inspiration.: "

via http://designyoutrust.com/

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Advertising Agency: Artplan, Brazil
Creative Director: Roberto Vilhena
Art Directors: Bernardo Romero, Maite Albuquerque
Copywriter: Ricardo Dolla
Illustrator: Otavio Rios
Other additional credits: Marcello Pereira, Aderi, Pepe, Barbie

(Via FFFFOUND! / EVERYONE.)

Rivane Neuenschwander on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Rivane Neuenschwander on Flickr - Photo Sharing!: "

via http://flickr.com/photos/sokref1/433927881/in/photostream/

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(Via FFFFOUND! / EVERYONE.)

Lost In A Sushi Moment

A hypnotic video where all it is a camera simply placed on a conveyer belt at a sushi restaurant. It's an inspiring idea that feels like equal parts art, music video and film title sequence. Click on the top link to play.

Lost In A Sushi Moment: "

[YouTube - Link]

The effect of sending the camera around a Tokyo sushi restaurant via the conveyor, coupled with the music on this video, is quite a beautiful thing.

Dennis Wheatley and Stefan McClean were sitting in a Tokyo sushi bar when they had an idea to make this impromptu film:

'We were sitting in this sushi bar pondering how best to set up a camera to film things all by itself whilst we were in Tokyo.

Take our hands out of the equation… let the camera have its own journey.

What we loved about watching this film back was the space that the

camera was able to enter.. extremely personal and scrutinising but not

too lingering.'

The music is titled 'Lost in a Moment' by Shrift.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Jake.

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(Via Neatorama.)

The "I Can Read Movies" Series by Spacek

I'm charmed by these lovingly crafted paper back jackets by Spacek. Click on the individual jackets for larger images.

The "I Can Read Movies" Series

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(Via spacesick.)

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vivien wayruch + fabian röttger: a nice idea every day.

vivien wayruch + fabian röttger: a nice idea every day.: "

[written by Shape+Color] Oh, A Nice Idea Every Day… you had me at hello. Seriously. I knew I was about to fall in love with German film-makers/photographers/objects of my affection Vivien Wayruch and Fabian Röttger when I read on their site that ‘our work is inspired by pretty much everything, mostly bad tv shows, video games, goulash and ponies.’

C’mon. That’s fucking awesome.

Constantly exploring, the huge variety and amount of work on their site has a kind of infectious, exploratory energy. Their work is fun, experimental, and doesn’t concern itself with much of anything besides the pure delight of trying shit out and seeing what happens. It’s pure and sunny and feels genuinely alive. In one of their photographic series, ‘Flying Things’, various household goods take to the sky. Maybe they were tossed. Maybe they’re levitating. Maybe they’ve just always been up there…

With ‘Magic Hands’, (and, really, who doesn’t want magic hands?) they take the same study of regular objects but this time they create the visual interest through the interplay of the objects with human hands.

I dare you not to enjoy the subtle brilliance of ‘Noodles’:

Their site is definitely worth checking out. On top of way more photographic series, there are also short films, video experiments, and an ongoing personal project, ‘Every Day’, featuring small and lovely photo experiments. Hence… A Nice Idea Every Day. More please.

To close off, two shots from their series ‘Colour Me Summer.’ These just make me happy…

Via Today and Tomorrow

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(Via shape + colour.)

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Mikel Uribetxeberria, photographer

mikel uribetxeberria.: "

[written by Shape+Color] I love it when my expectations (and my notions of what belongs where) are shattered. And when it’s done by a beautifully-honed image, then that’s even more kick ass.  It’s the sort of unassuming subtlety of these shots by Basque photographer Mikel Uribetxeberria that gets me. The locations are sort of banal and sterile, while the animals don’t appear unnerved; they’re almost pensively bored more than anything else. It’s the apparent, unapologetic normalcy of such an incrediblly abnormal situation that makes these shots so interesting.

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(Via shape + colour.)

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