post script visions

Today I went to a job fair. It was awful. Very crowded. Very desperate. Very poor jobs. And very real.

There was a man who was following me a lil bit to each of the tables. He had worked in a very high position at Merrill Lynch for the last 23 years. He was laid off and now he is going to job fairs where Home Depot is looking for people to move lumber around in their warehouses and FedEx package handlers.

This is an eye opener. I’m glad I went even if it was pretty pointless for me. There were not jobs that pertained to anything I was the least bit interested in or could even consider as any sort of additional income or temp job. A lady asked me if I wanted to work as a security guard. That’s pretty humorous. I’m totally not qualified to be a security guard. Another guy wanted me and Steve to start selling candles in our spare time. He told us to have candle parties where our friends and family could but $70 candle holders. Right…

Desperate times. I’m not there personally, but I feel for those who are.

I found this image on dropular. It is very fitting right now.
This is work form the artist Jota Castro.

Tristan Eaton is very quickly becoming one of my favorites out of the art and design world.

I know that everyone and their mother is still talking about Shepard Fairey. But whatever! There are more street artists out there. This is not a repsonse to Fairey’s work. Tristan aton and Shepard Fairey were both working to help promote Obama’s champaign at the same time.

Check out this interview he had with Knight Pulse. He comments on all the buzz surrounding Fairey and his work. He brought up points and information that I didn’t know yet. Like the fact that the piece was given to the Obama campaign. Fairey made no money off of this piece. It’s a bit silly to sue him then.

NPR’s Fresh Air asked Shepard Fairey, Mannie Garcia, and a law professor about the the Garcia photo, the lawsuit, and fair use.

Notable parts of the transcript…

How did Shepard Fairey pick out the image for the Obama piece?

FAIREY: Well, I looked through a lot of photographs, but I had an initial concept that I’d like to divide Obama’s face in highlighting shadow between tones of blue and red. So, it was really the direction of the gaze which I felt looked presidential, looked like Obama had some vision and some leadership, and that combined with the way that the light was falling.

…why did he decide to sue the AP?

FAIREY: Well, the AP was threatening to sue me, and they first contacted me and said, you know, let’s figure out how to work this out amicably, which I was vey open to and said, you know, I’m glad to pay the original license fee for the image. For all the reasons I’ve already given you, I didn’t think that I needed to, but I’m glad to do it because, you know, I’d rather just make this easy for everyone.

And then they said no, we want damages. And then they ran a piece in the National Press basically saying I stole the photo, which as an artist that works from references frequently, you know, I feel that they’re calling into question the validity of my method of working as well as the hundredsif not thousands of other artists that made grassroots images for Obama working in a similar way, or people that made things, you know, against the Bush agenda that had a likeness of him. These are all things that were created by people who probably don’t have the resources to license an image.

And the meaning of their art pieces is completely different than the original intention of the source image and adds a new layer, a new value. It’s transformative, and I think it should be fair use. And I felt that I needed to fight the AP not for myself only, but for a whole group of artists that would be self-censored, probably, because they can’t afford the photos and they don’t want to be in a legal entanglement over using those types of images to communicate a message.

What was Mannie’s reaction when he found out the reference image was his?

GARCIA: Initially when I found out, I was disappointed in the fact that, you know, someone had – was able to go onto the Internet and take something that doesn’t belong to them and then use it. I think that that part of this whole story is crucial for people to understand that simply because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s free for the taking, and just because you can take it, doesn’t mean it belongs to you.

**Currently AP over who owns the copyright.

And finally…

Professor GREG LASTOWKA (Rutgers School of Law-Camden; Visiting Professor, Columbia University): One thing that’s really important about fair use, they need to understand, is the Supreme Court has said that each fair use case needs to be decided individually, and there are no bright-line rules. And that’s one of the things that’s most frustrating about fair use because if you look at these four factors for fair use, none of them are strictly controlling, and you can find a case that has, you know, one of these factors going one way or the other and a finding of fair use or no fair use.

About the recent Facebook uproar…

Prof. LASTOWKA: I see it as very relevant because I think the reaction of the public to something like, you know, Facebook’s changing the terms of service, the fear that someone else is going to be able to monetized the creative work that you’re uploading to Facebook shows that we all feel like we are authors and proprietors of the content that we create. So, yeah, I think it’s very relevant because it shows the public’s reaction when their own authorial interests are at stake.

—Very interesting. I thought about this on the train home tonight…

In this blog, I am trying to share and showcase some of the most interesting and beautiful content and creations that other people have created that I have found on the internet. I always try to link back and give credit or at least link back to where I originally found it (or I probably won’t post it).

I now wonder if Shepard Fairey had originally given credit to Mannie Garcia during the Obama campaign, would there still be an issue?

In these hard economic times the issue is very much monetary but it’s not to say that credit is worth less (or worthless?). If Mr. Garcia had received credit and had his name brought up in a more positive manner rather than in the middle of a legal scandal with a very high profile person in the art and design world, would he have gotten more work as a result? Or any money? For an important political campaign that was considered to be a non-profit situation, would money have been an issue if all parties had received recognition?

It is always important to be recognized. I think that the public in general “thought” (knew/understood) that the Shepard Fairey image was based off of a reference, but neglected to acknowledge that fact because of how Fairey treated the work. It is not a photograph that has been altered. It is a drawing/design that was based off of the image, which should fall under fair use. Whether or not it was legally under fair use, it is still, I feel, the “right” thing to do to acknowledge others works.

Does common courtesy and honesty still exist?

Mr. Theodor Seuss Geisel would have been 105 years old today.
Google celebrated his birthday today. Great logo.

Did you know that Dr. Seuss not only drew his amazing characters, but he actually created them? In the 1930’s he began a strange method of taxidermy. His father worked for the Forrest Park Zoo in New York.  Dr. Seuss took horns or other pieces of the deceased animals and incorporated them into his sculptures of characters. Strange, but fascinating and beautiful results.

Check out the collection of works here at drseussart.com.

The store is actually called The Emporio Store and it is located in New Delhi, India. Entirely made from scissors is store is the creation of Rajesh Pratap Singh. Everything is made form scissors. EVERYTHING. The walls, doors, windows, hangers and SCULPTURES are made from scissors. There are several scissor art sculptures currently living in this store that will soon be for sale in L.A. Dangerous but beautiful art pieces.

This store is not just a store but a work of art and design.

Originally found on NYLON.

On Saturday night I went to the Digital Rituals show at JUNGLE in Bushwick, Brooklyn with Karol and Marissa. Very cool space. Pretty cool exhibits. Lots of video installations. It was nice to see people from Pratt again.

My favorite was the Baby Clone Arcade game.
For 2 bucks, I got myself a rubber baby clone that came with it’s own unique birth certificate. The babies were an artist edition of 1000. Each baby is supposed to be a clone of a celebrity. I got one of David Beckham. Marissa got one of Steve Jobs.

The only issue I had with the show was the lack of titles or descriptions for each piece. It left a lot of people, myself included, with some probably unnecessary questions.

Digital Rituals was produced by Republic Brooklyn.

I got this little guy last week from Kid Robot. Jon Burgerman is the man behind this little dude. Very very cool. I love his little umbrella.

I bought a glass display case over the summer, which I still need to find a place for it and then fill it up with my toy collections.

Was Shepard Fairey Arrested To Embarrass The Mayor Of Boston?
Read the first hand account on the Wooster Collective.

Spreading the word about the second annual Diwang Pinay artists showcase!

DIWANG PINAY: Light of the Nation, Ilaw Ng Bayan
Celebrating 25 Years of Filipino Women’s Resistance
A Call for Donations for Silent Auction

In a commemoration of Filipino women’s struggle, hardships and triumphs, Diwang Pinay’s theme is “Light of the Nation, “Ilaw Ng Bayan”: Celebrating 25 Years of Filipino Women’s Resistance.” On Saturday, April 25, 2009, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), a volunteer-run, mass-based women’s organization serving the New York City area, will celebrate the history and resistance of Filipino women in an all Filipina and Filipina-American artists’ showcase. We are currently accepting donations or art work created by and books authored by Filipina and Filipina-American artists.

Diwang Pinay (”Spirit of the Filipina”) is an annual performance and silent auction in New York City showcasing Filipina/ Filipina-American performers, writers, and visual artists. This year’s theme, “Ilaw ng Bayan, Light of the Nation,” plays with the idea found in the traditional Filipino family where the father is considered the “Haligi ng Tahanan,” or the pillar of the home, and the mother is regarded as the “Ilaw ng Tahanan,” or the light of the home. The dominion of the woman in Filipino culture is over taking care of the children, keeping a home and being responsible for the radiance of the household. Diwang Pinay hopes to promote the work of Pinay artists everywhere and following the legacies of Gabriela Silang, Lorena Barros and Bullet X Marasigan, this event intends to redefine the “ilaw,” the light and radiance representing Filipino women for decades. read more »

Have my heart?
Have my whole rib cage!

Beautiful design!

I love this card.
I love Valentine’s day.
Consider this a hint!

Found on Etsy.