Melvin the Magical Mixed Media Machine (Melvin the Machine or simply Melvin for friends) is a Rube Goldberg machine with a twist. Besides doing what Rube Goldbergs do best – performing a simple task as inefficiently as possible, often in the form of a chain reaction – Melvin has an online identity as well, which he uses to connect to and interact with his audience.

Conveniently built in two old suitcases, Melvin the Mini Machine is a Rube Goldberg machine specifically designed to travel the world. Each time Melvin fully completes a run, he ‘signs’ a postcard and sticks a stamp to it – making it ready to be sent.

Learn more at www.melvinthemachine.com

French photographer Brigitte Lacombe left school to be an apprentice at the black and white lab of Elle in Paris. In 1975, at the Cannes Film Festival, while on assignment for French Elle, she met Dustin Hoffman and Donald Sutherland. They each respectively invited her to the film sets of “Fellini’s Casanova,” shot at Cinécitta, and Alan Pakula’s “All the President’s Men,” shot in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. She then worked on Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” shot in Mobile, Alabama.

Brigitte works on the films of Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, Sam Mendes, Michael Haneke, David Mamet, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Jonze, and other directors. Since 2009 Lacombe has been creating I AM FILM, an on going archive of portraits of filmmakers from the world of Arab Cinema for Doha Film Institute and Doha Tribeca Film Festival.

She contributes to The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ, W, WSJ magazine, Nowness, and many other publications. She has been a contributing photographer to Condé Nast’s Traveler magazine, since their first issue in 1987.

In 2010, Brigitte received the “Art Director’s Club” Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award for Photography.

The hotel Au vieux panier asked me to design a room, I first told them that I wasn’t interested doing just decoration in the room but I wanted to create something that will look more like an installation. I thought about it also as a huge canvas where I needed to think about the composition and play with the empty white part of the room to accentuate more the idea of Chaos on the other part. Then I asked my friend Tober who gat a great old school style for tags, Grizz who is also the man behind the camera and Don Cho who is a Hip Hop singer from Marseille but who used to be a tagger from my home town Toulouse. It took one week to do the whole thing cause the idea was to exaggerate what you can usually see in some abandoned places. Too much tags, too much drips, too much sentences, too much throw ups … What I also wanted to show is that people can appreciate any type of graffiti, even the more basic, it’s just a matter of point of view …

www.auvieuxpanier.com

www.graffitilt.com

Try to think to pick the Instagram App icon and make a real camera… This is the main idea at the base of Instagram Socialmatic Project. Since Facebook has bought Instagram for nearly a billion dollars in cash and stock, many users, bloggers, economy experts have thought Instagram could build its first real photo camera.

Socialmatic is the first Instagram photo camera, with a lot of amazing features:

- 16 GB mass storage;
- Wifi and Bluetooth;
- 4:3 touchscreen;
- 2 main lens, first for main capture, second for 3D filters, webcam applications and QR Code capturing;
- Optical zoom;
- Led Flash;
- Internal printer to make your Instagram photos real;
- Paper cartridge with Instagram Paper Sheets;
- Dedicated 4 colors ink tanks;
- InstaOs 1.0, which put together Facebook and Instagram App feature;

Take your shoot with Instagram Socialmatic, make your photo cool as you want and share it directly on Facebook trough the powerful InstaOs.

If you want, you can print it directly on Instagram Paper Sheets, thanks to the internal printer.
Every Instagram printed photo reports on front side your Instagram nickname and a QR code, to be followed by another Instagrammer, simply pointing his/her Socialmatic on your printed QR Code.

This because Instagram Paper Sheets has a retro side with a glue strip, just like a post-it.
You can share in the real world your photo, printing your emotions and sensations.

And if you want, on the bottom of front side of your printed photo, you’ve a dedicated space to write something, just like to comment a photo on Facebook, but in the real world…Do you remember the old Polaroid photos?

Instagram Socialmatic is only a concept… But, maybe, it could became real…

Support this project at indiegogo!

The Method Design team was excited to be awarded the mission of creating the main title and main-on-end sequence for this eagerly anticipated feature. Packed full of comic book hero’s, brought to life in stunning 3D; the blockbuster received much acclaim upon its worldwide release.

The two minute main-on-end title sequence was created entirely in CG and portrays a photo realistic flyby of the super heroes’ weaponry and armor – all in macroscopic detail. The artists set out to create a beautifully detailed sequence which identifies the scars of combat. The aim was to allow the audience to recognize the physical effects of the battles waged by the characters – while the heroes have super-human strength; they are not immune from the impacts of war.

The flowing camera moves seamlessly between each scene and the minute attention to detail, mixed with the macro rendering and stereoscopic compositing, were combined to dramatic effect and utilized the latest technologies to execute.

All of the environments were designed, modeled, textured, and lit alongside custom built foreground elements and a variety of assets provided by Marvel. Assets from the franchise were heavily re-modeled and re-surfaced in order to stand up to the extreme close-ups required. Method Design also created the custom typeface for the main title “The Avengers” as well as 30 credits appearing throughout the sequence.

Check out more of their work at www.methodstudios.com

“I’m very excited to finally announce the launch of ZSO-NYC. This project has been over a year in the making, from initial illustrations, to sampling silks, to the photoshoot, to creating custom packaging and the printed lookbook. The launch of the Tantrum Scarf is what I hope to be the first of many more projects and products. The first edition was created in a very limited run of only 50 and comes with a printed booklet and signed certificate with your edition number. All photography was shot by my dear friend John Christenson, and I served as the reluctant model. This project has been such a wonderful experience. I hope you all enjoy and perhaps even pick up your own scarf.” – Sara Blake

Visit ZSO-NYC.com to order yours today, more photos and upcoming projects!

By providing well crafted material and an aesthetically pleasant in-store experience, Target has demonstrated that caring a little (and working with the right people) goes a long way, making it ‘cooler’ and definitely way more ‘chic’ than competitors like WalMart, Kohl’s, Bealls just to name a few… Whether this new boutique concept will be a success or not is just a matter of time, but I do commend Target for always thinking of the ‘next thing’ and believing in their ideas.

Through this ongoing program, Target will partner directly with the shop owners of specialty stores and boutiques to co-create affordable, limited-edition collections for its guests. The first flight of The Shops at Target, which debuts on May 6 at all Target stores and Target.com, features five exclusive collections across five different product categories.

“The Shops at Target is the next stage in the evolution of our design-partnership strategy,” said Kathee Tesija, executive vice president of merchandising, Target. “The Shops is all about the thrill of discovery and we’re delighted to bring our guests a curated collection of home, beauty, fashion and pet products from these specialty stores right to their own backyards.”

The first flight of The Shops at Target features collections from five different U.S. specialty stores: The Candy Store, Cos Bar, Polka Dog Bakery, Privet House and The Webster.

Visit The Shops at Target site to learn more…

Based on the true story of Shepard Fairey’s first act of street art, OBEY THE GIANT tells the story of a young skate punk challenging a big-city mayor and the powers-that-be at art school. Frustrated by his inability to gain respect within the confines of art school Shepard sets out to gain notoriety and acclaim by targeting the most powerful man in Providence, former Mayor Buddy Cianci. Risking expulsion and jail time Shepard plasters Andre the Giant’s face over the image of Cianci on a campaign billboard. As word of Shepard’s prank gets out, Shepard learns that art is a weapon and attention is both a blessing and a curse.

One morning I was sitting in my bedroom brainstorming story ideas for my RISD thesis film, and staring me in the face was the Andre The Giant poster that Shepard Fairey had given to me when I worked for him three years ago. It was then that creativity struck. I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be wonderful to tell the story of the conception of Shepard’s OBEY GIANT street art campaign from when he attended RISD in the early 90’s?

I put together a pitch and sent it to Amanda Fairey, Shepard’s wife. One week later, I received an email from Amanda saying that Shepard loved the idea for the project and could I come out to LA to speak with him about it. So I went out to LA.

From there, I developed the story with my friend Alex Jablonski and the rest is history.

Learn more about this film and contribute by visiting the film’s KickStarter page.

If you are a Photographer or simply love Photography, you might know Mr. Martin Schoeller or his iconic “Close Up” work, but if that still doesn’t ring a bell, I am sure you have been exposed to his amazing photos whether through magazines, websites or campaigns, so it’s all good. Being that his “Close Up” series tend to define him, I wanted to share his funnier and creative side through stunning Hollywood celebrities portraits and editorials. The personality, intensity, tones and composition of these photos are flawless and reflect his amazing talent. Check them out, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. Happy (long weekend) Friday!

Martin Schoeller, the New York based Photographer best known for his tight portraits or “Close Up” series, remains at the forefront of the photographic community. Working on both commercial and personal projects, Martin continues to produce masterful portraits that have gained recognition for their strong visual impact. A talented Photographer and humble man, Martin’s career has evolved from unassuming beginnings. After high school, a friend urged him to apply for Photography school in Germany. Of 800 applicants, Martin was one of forty students accepted and after graduation, moved to New York City to pursue his Photographic career.

From 1993 to 1996, Martin worked as an assistant to Annie Leibovitz. In 1999, Martin was named one of three contracted Photographers at The New Yorker and, while continuing to shoot for them and other major publications, he has also been pursuing his own photographic interests. Martin remains on contract at The New Yorker more than 10 years later.

Martin’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and W, among others. He has also completed major advertising campaigns ranging from pharmaceuticals, cars and entertainment. Most recent campaigns include: HTC, A&E, Lexus, Mercedes Benz, CNN, and Milk.