Art

If you’ve never experienced the espionage juggernaut Metal Gear Solid, the above clip may not make much sense. What started off as a Rambo rip-off for the NES in the 1980’s has become a full fledged franchise for Sony’s Playstation system. You are Solid Snake, a reluctant semi-retired spy for the military who happens to be a bad-ass at dispatching, mostly Russian, enemies. The game is about stealth and avoiding detection from bad guys, but what makes the game so enjoyable is the level of accuracy created by the game’s designers. Weaponry and level settings are constructed with such detail, you can often find yourself just wandering about pushing and opening things to discover easter eggs left scattered throughout the game. One fan with a Rube Goldbergian spirit has taken things a step further, using Snake’s digital camera he has orchestrated a very elaborate set of in-game photographs. Watch the full clip as this virtual photographer choreographs some out-there moments.

This video tells me a few things, mainly as proof that resourceful minds can create anywhere but it also raises the question of what tools will future artists be using to create? It’s hard enough being a photographer in the real world. Via Kotaku

Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1970 Mexican cult western, El Topo, was finally released on DVD in May, after being pulled from circulation and withheld from screenings by its producer (and influential 1960’s rock manager) Allen Klein for over 30 years. John Lennon said it was his favorite movie, and other fans include Marilyn Manson and David Lynch. Gunfights, dwarfs, and disfigured characters mixed heavily with eastern philosophy and Christian symbolism… film doesn’t get much more arty.

The ‘callabo is part of get things done in todays culture, but this has to be one of the strangest pairings I’ve ever seen. Photographer/Illustrator Maya Hayuk teamed with Sony to fancy up a Vaio laptop. Custom case, wallpapers and a pre-installed documentary about how this insanity was created. Where’s the hairy naked couple? Via Akihabara News

Graffiti exists as an aggressive extension of the art community, part political expression (defacing public property) part personal expression (your stupid tag). But who cares? In a city of thousands of wannabe Banksy and Futuras’, we walk the streets as if cruising the romantic comedy aisle at Blockbuster, looking for that one original piece. Well, look no more. The talented chaps at Graffiti Archaeology have monitored the streets of San Francisco, collecting photography of well used walls across town. The website documents the inevitable layers of famous graffiti spots through a slightly clunky but effective flash interface. (Not for the lightweight browsers). Hopefully Google will pick up on this.

Japanese commercial artist Ryohei Yanagihara’s (b. 1931) illustrations are symbolic of a graphic style that has sadly disappeared from today’s digitally driven aesthetics. Somewhere between Mary Blair, Alain Gee and Ed Emberley, Ryo’s drawings are simple, light hearted, yet surprisingly complex. His fascination with drawing passenger ships, like the one above, are documented and wonderfully organized on his website. Via Drawn