eyeone | seeking heaven

Para más información: sfpopfest.moonfruit.com

The Stoked Session 2010 website is live. I'll be posting more details closer to the opening of this rad event, but for now, you can cruise over there for more info.

Check it: stoked.org/stokedsessions2010

"Whoa!" was all I could say when I walked intoThe Fantastical Worlds of Ray Harryhausen exhibit at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. One of my earliest recollections of his work is watching a Jason and the Argonauts and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad double feature with my Dad at the pre-revival Vista Theatre. I have been fascinated with his work ever since.

Harryhausen's incredible stop-motion animation and special effects set the bar so high, I don't think his work has been bested. Sure, we now have massive computer rendering farms and texture mapping so detailed you can see pores on blue skin. However, there is something special about watching real objects in motion that pixels on a screen have yet to capture.

From the exhibition website: "Harryhausen classics take viewers to magical worlds of fantasy and adventure, with dynamic action sequences (which he executed largely by himself) populated by pre-historic beasts, aliens, giant sea creatures and mythological monsters.

With unprecedented cooperation from, and access to, the Ray Harryhausen collection, an incredible array of original models, drawings, storyboards and behind-the-scenes photographs are on view in the Academy’s Fourth Floor Gallery, demonstrating the ingenious filmmaking process of Harryhausen."

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
Fourth Floor Gallery
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, California 90211

Open to the public
Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m.
Through August 22, 2010

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Gathered these images on a few random bike rides around town...

I can't believe it has been 30 years since Pac-Man began chomping. ¡Sapo verde!

Above: Pac-Man skull by Le Gentil Garçon.

Idle Idol: The Japanese Mascot
By Edward & John Harrison
idleidol.net | markbattypublisher.com

I've literally been running to my P.O. Box, day in and day out, waiting with mad anxiety for this book to arrive. I gotta say, it was well worth the wait! Mark Batty Publisher has done it again. In Idle Idol, authors Edward and John Harrison take on the almost impossible task of documenting the myriad of 3-dimensional characters that populate the visual landscape in Japan.

International favorites like Anpanman, Doraemon, Astro Boy, Kamen Rider, and Hello Kitty get equal play along others less known outside of Japan such as Kyuta, Pipo-Kun, Sato-Chan, and Satoko-Chan. Thanks to this book, I now know some of the stories behind many of the characters I've been gawking at (and documenting) since I was a wee lad.

From the book's introduction: "In Japan, characters adorn everything from the sides of trucks to packaging; they appear in posters, signs and are used by police, pharmacies, restaurants and many more businesses and institutions. It's no wonder these mascots are used in the real world to lure customers into shops, promote products and provide a friendly face when communicating to the public."

Crafted by my Mom!

Graffhead has some nice flicks from the opening of Contemporary Corruption Revisited. Check 'em here.

Kofie in action for the Contemporary Corruption Revisited show at Mid-City Arts.

Contemporary Corruption Revisited
Curated by Mear One

Opening: Saturday May 15, 2010
7- 10 p.m. | All ages

Mid-City Arts
5113 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
midcity-arts.com

Featuring work by Asylm, Atlas, Cache, Eyeone, Kofie, Mear, Siner, + Vyal.

I'm in this show with a group of awesome artists and comrades. Info below:

Contemporary Corruption Revisited
Curated by Mear One

Opening: Saturday May 15, 2010
7- 10 p.m. | All ages

Mid-City Arts
5113 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
midcity-arts.com

Featuring work by Asylm, Atlas, Cache, Eyeone, Kofie, Mear, Siner, + Vyal.

One of Asylm's pieces for the Contemporary Corruption Revisited show at Mid-City Arts.

Contemporary Corruption Revisited
Curated by Mear One

Opening: Saturday May 15, 2010
7- 10 p.m. | All ages

Mid-City Arts
5113 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
midcity-arts.com

Featuring work by Asylm, Atlas, Cache, Eyeone, Kofie, Mear, Siner, + Vyal.

Hand in the sky? Get the scoop on the APOD site here.

More on Frank Frazetta here.

My nephew helped me out on this one...

Action painting, photo courtesy of EricBMW.

A bunch of the homies are participating in this fundraiser for the Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (or rather, partial fundraiser -flyer says "portion of proceeds"- whatever that means...) Info below:

LA Art In Numbers | One Night Only!
Saturday May 8, 2010 | 7-11 PM

Featuring work by Ashira Siegel, DethKills, Kofie, SharkToof, Two Rabbits, + more!

High Profile Productions
5896 Smiley Drive
Culver City, CA 90232

laartinnumbers.com | thevisioncenteratchla.org

Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070 is straight up evil. This new wall by Cache, Kofie, and Eyeone addresses this issue...

Peep the entire wall here.
Analysis of the bill on Alternet here.

Some shots from Kopye's Siempre Fuerte exhibit... He rocked it! You can see more flicks over on Amayzun's Flickr stream.

2010: Beyond the International Year of Astronomy posters by Simon C. Page. More of his awesome graphic design work here.

Simon C. Page blog is here.

Burning the midnight oil working on this tribute to the homies from On The Run.

Spotted this Olds today... I wonder if it comes in the Murakami colorway?

The homie Kopye is also having a show today. Info below:

Siempre Fuerte
New works by Kopye

Opening:
Saturday, May 1, 2010
7-10 PM

DBRLA
1358 S. Flower St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
dbrla.com