After a very early flight this morning I made it into Tampa, FL this afternoon. Loving the weather, hopefully it’s a little sunnier tomorrow though. I’m in town for the Back in Black 2 T-Shirt Exhibit which is going down this Saturday (May 16th) at Czar’s in Tampa (Ybor City). I’ll be playing a Tycho/ISO50 live set around midnight to cap the event off.
The event will feature special limited edition shirts from several artists including myself. You can check out all the shirts here, they’re only available through the end of the month so get yours while they last. The shirts can be had for $25 online and $20 at the event.
Just a quick heads-up that I’ll be battling it out with Folkert & Atley from But Does It Float today at 12pm PST. I think our styles will make for an interesting match, and looking forward to keeping my undefeated (2-0) Layer Tennis record intact. Don’t miss it!
I saw Maya Lin speak this past Tuesday as part of the City Arts & Lecture series. The event was in part sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences and was a conversation between Maya and the Academy’s Ryan Wyatt, Director of Science Visualization. They walked through many of Maya’s projects, old and new, and discussed her approach to art and science. Much of the work that was shown (some of which is pictured above) I was not familiar with. As I am from Washington DC, I have always been aware of her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I was very much impressed with the way her work has evolved since then. (She was only 20 years old when she designed it.)
Science plays a major role in the work she is doing now. She is very intellectual in her approach and conducts a massive amount of research for each project. For example, her first of two pieces for the Academy of Science, entitled Where the Land Meets the Sea, was based on data from a US Geological Study mapping the topology of the San Francisco Bay. As with her Systematic Landscapes, she takes great care to humanize this data and give it new depth and life. The piece looks like a drawing, floating in space above the terrace, and she describes this melding of art and science as a “way to visualize our world in an effort to more fully understand it.”
Maya has a tremendous passion and curiosity for the world around her. She surrounds herself with mountains of research and works tirelessly to translate cold hard facts into more accessible and relatable pieces of art. Some of this stems from what she calls a “child like curiosity” to just see what it will look like, but there is also a very political aspect to her work. She wants to make people aware of the environment they take for granted, and she said a few times, “If we can’t see it, we pollute it.” Through constant collaboration with scientists, Maya is trying to help us see what we’re missing.
The work pictured above is: Systematic Landscapes (2), Topologies, and Wave Field, all of which can be seen on her website. All are very experiential, something she laments is lost in the stillness of a photograph. Better to visit in person if you can.
I’ll be heading out to New York for the F5 Fest April 16-17th. I’ve known the organizers for a while and worked with them on past in events in Barcelona and New York. They’re a great group and I’d imagine this will be a very inspiring event for everyone. More info can be had at the F5 site, here’s a quick run down of what the event is about:
Two-days of inspiring presentations and discussions that will alter the way you think about work, life and everything in between.
– An international showcase of cutting-edge artwork and design
– A relaxing bar/lounge to recharge your batteries and make new friends
– A reason to visit New York City, one of the great creative centers of the world
– An amazing after-party by Media Temple
There should be a few tickets left, you can purchase them here. See you out there!
Our very own Alex Cornell designed this poster for the live 2 hour solo acoustic set he’ll be playing this Thursday at the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Be there! His set is part of the Nightlife series featuring a lecture by WIRED magazine.
Edit: Unfortunately, it looks like it’s sold out.
Edit #2: Apparently there are tickets to be had at the door. Just make sure to show up a bit early…
As you may already know, this Friday and Sunday Ghostly International will be celebrating their 10 year anniversary and have a select few artists (Tycho among them) playing in San Francisco and Los Angeles live. We’re giving away a set of two tickets for both shows which will include two t-shirts each (see above) for the winners. The first two people to correctly answer this question win:
Which Ghostly International catalog numbers are currently missing between their first release and their latest release? (Note: Catalog numbers are the numbers that are put on each release to show what number release this album is.)
Please email the answer to: jakub [at] iso50 [dot] com (please specify which show you will be going to). The winners must be able to go to the Los Angeles or San Francisco shows, sorry to the friends that just want the shirts, we will run a few more giveaways soon to make up for it.
More info on the shows is here and advanced tickets can be purchased here (SF) and here (LA).
Sol Sender and Scott Thomas, the minds behind the Obama logo, will be in San Francisco in a couple weeks to talk about the process and development of the campaign. (Recall the Obama Logo Design videos that circulated a while back) I love hearing designers talk about their work, and even though I’ve heard just about everything possible regarding this logo, it should be interesting to hear them explain and answer questions about their process, in a live setting. The event is free. Register here.
Designing Obama
February 19th / 6-8:30pm
Morgan Auditorium
491 Post St at Mason
San Francisco, CA
