The skeletons of endangered birds and sea-life pop from flat sheets of paper into beautiful, eerie three-dimensional forms in Japanese designer Takayuki Hori’s series Oritsunagumono (things folded and connected). The pieces were his 1st place winning entry into the 2010 Mitsubishi Chemical Junior Designer Award, in which student designers submit their senior thesis works to be judged by a group of artists, designers, professors and critics. [Read more...]
The ghostly images of Michael Kenna give us a hauntingly beautiful lens with which to view our natural world. Many of his photos are inspired by his travels abroad, with Japan being one of his biggest influences. When Kenna first visited Japan in 1987 for a one-person exhibition, he became completely entranced with the countries stark terrain. Since then, Kenna has traveled throughout the world snapping his striking, minimalist landscapes, which continue to capture the essence and grace of the eerie mountains, oceans and valleys he photographs. [Read more...]
Dekotora: an art born in the land of the rising sun, where cool delivery trucks are customized with wild treatments of chrome, stainless steel, colorful airbrushed murals and hundreds of neon lights to brighten the night. In this new series All The Wrong Places from Vice, Elliott Bambrough explores Dekotora culture around Tokyo and the Japan countryside, visiting the birthplace of the trend which began in low budget mid-70s B movies about truckers going on adventures and “chasing tail.” While truck culture has been waning in Japan, Bambrough gives it a little kick… check out the Dekotora treatment to his Mini at the end of the video. [Read more...]
HR-FM is the name of a very talented Yokohama based artist who creates huge prints of a colorful, patchwork retro-future he calls, paradoxically “the future past.” He says his airplane, robot and speaker filled works are “the fossil which future people may dig,” which seems a perfect description for such a dystopian vision. All of the current works are vector based, created using his Mac and a Wacom tablet and the designs are created using complex lines which are then filled with bold colors. Many must be seen full scale to truly appreciate. To get a larger view, check out hr-fm.com or DeviantArt for a full selection of prints [Read more...]
With the outbreak of the Japan-China War in 1937 and the threat of airstrikes a real likelihood on Japanese soil, these posters from 1938 were created by the government to educate the public about the new Anti-Aircraft Defense Law. According to Pink Tentacle, the law “required citizens to take protective measures against gas attacks and prepare for disinfection, evacuation and relief.” Included in the informative posters, which look a lot like predecessors to airline safety brochures, are instructions for creating your own quick emergency mask, how to evacuate the area and treat patients wounded with mustard gas [Read more...]
Student designer/artist Miharu Mitsunaga has created a series of stunning portraits and photographs by covering her subjects with a multitude of tiny hand-painted dots. Her architecturally based series, titled “Ten-Ten” (dots in Japanese), symbolically illustrates the bond between man, woman, family, friend, adult, child and nationality through covering spaces with mostly red dots in her signature pattern. Her series “Graduation Work,” takes the concept one step further covering subjects with linear white dots across their bodies, effectively creating a union across perceived differences in culture, race, sex and age. Beautiful. [Read more...]
Patrick Gannon pieces his intricately cut paper together like a puzzle, creating beautiful beast filled worlds. The way the curving organic lines form each object give an inviting, earthy, even peaceful feel. Each work is built on a piece of thick wood, some allowing the grain to show through to the finished work. Gannon lives on the beautiful island of Fukuoka, Japan. See more at pgannon.com, follow him on Twitter or like him on Facebook [Read more...]
It’s difficult to describe the wild, manic trip taken in this animation by Qwaqa. With a smattering of pop cultural references and a strong anime vision, the film whisks you through captivating scene after scene, creatively transitioning to the next and keeping you guessing where it’s all headed. Giving the film its musical rhythm is Fat Boy Slim’s now classic, Right Here, Right Now [Read more...]
Whether the world was predicted to be peaceful or full of war, this roundup of illustrations from yesterdays Japan sees people streaking through the future in fantastically styled machines. It makes you wonder how closely the futuristic drawings of today will compare to the world of tomorrow?
View more of these forward thinking illustrations at Dark Roasted Blend [Read more...]
These vintage subway posters from 1970′s and 1980′s Japan playfully use a host of pop culture icons to encourage proper etiquette while boarding and riding the countries many punctual trains. Charlie Chaplin’s fuhrer reminds us not to take up too much space, Superman wishes he hadn’t stepped in your gum and John Wayne lets us know when it’s smoke free time. This collection of posters is originally from the book Manner Poster 100, published in 1983. [Read more...]
