Tag: Literal

  • Literal Streetwear: ‘Pirate Printer’ Lifts Patterns from Urban Objects

    [ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

    street wear clothes

    A Berlin art collective has taken to the streets, inking urban infrastructure and laying down shirts and tote bags to create a line of unique prints … their patterns directly lifted from city streets.

    print process cover

    pirate pressed tshirts

    Raubdruckerin (AKA Pirate Printer) press apparel to painted manhole covers, utility grates, etched signage, vents and other objects that have depth differences (and thus themselves to the relief-printing process, like woodcuts or letterpress).

    painted manhole cover

    pirate clothing urban collection

    painted city grate

    The group rolls out different colors of ink, much as one would with any kind of etched or raised printing process, then lays cloth down and applies pressure. Depending on the size and type of the object in question, the prints are partial or complete pictures of a given urban artifact.

    pirate patterned bag

    manhole cover bag

    bike path sign

    ticket sign

    The crew has traveled to Amsterdam, Lisbon, Paris and other iconic cities to capture some of their least-noticed but still-beautiful urban artifacts, transferring overlooked parts of these places to a new style of streetwear. Naturally, each one is a little different – even when the same street fixture is used, the re-inking process results in variegation from one print to he next (via Colossal).

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  • On Not Off: Giant Light Switch Mural is Brilliantly Literal

    [ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

    mural building side art

    A photo-realistic mural with a nuanced message, this giant work of wall art is impressive in scale and a definite surprise to passers by. Complete with shade and shadow, the huge on-and-off power switch has hidden meaning behind its more obvious shock-and-awe appeal.

    mural on off switch

    Buildings consume as much as half of the power used in many developed countries. Even in winter, many of the world’s biggest skyscrapers are in constant cooling mode to offset the heat of humans and equipment. In short: most structures are in some sense ‘always on’ when it comes to energy use.

    murals escif animated graffiti

    Muralist Escif has a reputation for pointing out political, economic and social problems with his often-animated street art. Still, this piece in particular goes to the heart of an issue we often forget, but one that is right under our noses (or at our fingertips, as it were).

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    [ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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  • Power of Books: 6 Graphic Illustrations of Literal Imaginings

    [ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

    book graphic art project

    Ever get done reading a chapter and feel like the book is more real than the room around you? Now, what if that were literally true of your favorite volume? What might that look like?

    books power of art

    Mladen Penev does photography, retouching, but also takes some liberties that go beyond mere editing, like this series entitled the Power of Books, which gives graphic reality to the imaginations of authors and readers.

    book powers graphic series

    This award-winning Bulgarian artist has graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, working in various internships, putting up exhibitions and participating in publications ever since – would would have guessed his love of books?

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    [ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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  • Touchy Instrument Turns Literal Beets Into Figurative Beats

    [ By Delana in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

    beetbox

    The BeetBox from designer Scott Garner explores user expectations and creates a delightful visual pun. Its wooden enclosure holds six actual beets that, when touched by human hands, create actual beats.

    beetbox musical vegetables

    Garner’s BeetBox consists of a poplar frame housing a few simple electronic components, a half dozen fresh beets, and a capacitive touch sensor. When someone touches one of the beets, a unique sound emanates from the audio amplifier.

    Touching a number of the beets in sequence creates a totally fresh mix. Users are limited only by the number of hands they have available for tapping the vegetables.

    beet box

    The designer’s goal was to create a unique user experience in which the electronics are invisible – both physically and in terms of the interaction being very simple.

    musical vegetables beetbox

    He accomplished this goal quite neatly with the BeetBox, turning beets into beats and allowing even those without any musical experience to create their own totally personal music.

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    [ By Delana in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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