Arts

I'm a big Hayao Miyazaki fan, so this Lego version of Howl's Moving Castle made me very happy. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it! [via BoingBoing]

Artist Maurizio Anzeri creates these wild portraits with found photos and thread. [via Teagan Tall]

San Francisco's Intersection for the Arts is hosting a thought-provoking group exhibit that opens this upcoming Wednesday, November the 4th. From the site:

Featuring the work of eight artists living in Tehran, Iran — Nima Alizadeh, Saba Alizadeh, Mohammad Ghazali, Ghazaleh Hedayat, Abbas Kowsari, Mehran Mohajer, Neda Razavipour, and Homayoun Sirizi — alongside new work by San Francisco- based artist Taraneh Hemami, this exhibition compiles a collective narrative of everyday Tehran, the largest city in the Middle East and the 16th most populated city in the world with close to 8 million residents. Representing the current unpredictability of each day in Tehran and also the hope that comes from imagining a better future, the artists chronicle narratives of place and time, demystifying life in a country that has been misunderstood and maligned for decades.

One of the best ways to get a window into a culture is through its art. Here's to the power of art and craft to unite.

Scott Campbell made this skull art by laser engraving into dollar bills. [via who killed bambi?]

As part of the summer-long Fame Festival in Italy that culminated in a final show last month, artists Blu and David Ellis spent a long week collaborating to create this amazing animation clip, made by filming morphing hand-painted murals. The video loops twice, in case you are beyond astounded the first time around.

CRAFT's graphic designer Katie Wilson wrote about Brian Jungen's show, Strange Comfort, at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. (through August 8, 2010):

Native American artist Brian Jungen (Dunne-za) creates perceived icons of Indian culture from commonplace utilitarian objects -- an igloo from trash cans, a whale skeleton from plastic chairs, an animal mobile from suitcases. Frequently, his materials are selected for their power to comment: "Much of Jungen's work is created out of sports paraphernalia -- a suit of armor made of catcher mitts, a skull crafted from baseball skins, blankets woven from jerseys, and totem poles of stacked golf bags. It's a deliberate choice, Jungen says, to make art from materials belonging to an industry that has claimed names such as The Chiefs, Indians, Redskins and Braves."

• Jurassic-looking works made from plastic chairs
• Nike shoes as art

CRAFT's graphic designer Katie Wilson wrote about Brian Jungen's show, Strange Comfort, at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. (through August 8, 2010):

Native American artist Brian Jungen (Dunne-za) creates perceived icons of Indian culture from commonplace utilitarian objects -- an igloo from trash cans, a whale skeleton from plastic chairs, an animal mobile from suitcases. Frequently, his materials are selected for their power to comment: "Much of Jungen's work is created out of sports paraphernalia -- a suit of armor made of catcher mitts, a skull crafted from baseball skins, blankets woven from jerseys, and totem poles of stacked golf bags. It's a deliberate choice, Jungen says, to make art from materials belonging to an industry that has claimed names such as The Chiefs, Indians, Redskins and Braves."

• Jurassic-looking works made from plastic chairs
• Nike shoes as art

Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vinylville definitely has the most clever handmade Mac-specific stickers out there. I just got my Snow's Revenge (pictured above and also available in white) in the mail, and I love it. You can actually apply these to any glossy surface, so I'm inclined to smack it onto my Subaru and put an Apple logo sticker in her hand, just so I can see Snow White actually in the snow. They have a number of awesome design offerings (see four other variations below), and you can also check out more of Vinylville's artwork on their Flickr page.

My neighbor Teresa Cuseo is an amazing artist and crafter -- every time I talk to her or go over for a visit she's doing something creative, from terrific mosaics to yummy baked goods to cool jewelry and clever shrines.

She recently bought a Day of the Dead crafting book and has plans to make some Day of the Dead altars, but the shrines and altars she's created thus far pay homage to the various incarnations of the Virgin Mary, bicycling, her loved ones, other religious figures, and roses. I like each and every one of them, and think they offer a lot of inspiration for our Day of the Dead shrines, too. Check them out after the jump and see what you think!