Colourbox Postcards: Colour vs. Context

by Lost At E Minor

Colour Vs. Context contains 24 illustrated postcards created with pens, paper, ink, computers and love by freelance illustrator, Joe Rogers, aka Colourbox. It comes in a limited edition run of just 500 books, and each one comes individually hand numbered and stamped with an official Colourbox product stamp.

Available online for £8.

The American Design Club: Hue Are You?

by CH Contributor

by Derrick Ableman

The American Design Club (AmDC) is proud to announce an open call for a second collection of contemporary design based on the theme of color. Whether mean and green or pretty in pink, designers are encouraged to plumb their palettes in an exploration of the essential role that color plays in an object's function and meaning. Everything from furniture and hardware to apparel and objets d'art is fair game, provided you can anchor your entry to the theme.

Applicants need be neither American nor a "designer" to submit, as membership to the AmDC is assumed once your work has been exhibited in a show. While there is no submission fee, accepted entries will be charged an exhibition fee of $30 to cover associated costs with showing work, plus the cost of shipping work to and from the venue. Selected works will be exhibited at The Future Perfect in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Ten Over Six in Los Angeles.

Interested? Then you better hustle — all submissions are to be received no later than midnight on Friday, January 31th. For a full description of submission guidelines click here.

Chris Hornbecker: 1 millimeter a day

by Tim Yu

Photographer Chris Hornbecker challenged himself with an interesting project last year. The idea was to take a brand new photo each day. Beginning at 14mm, Hornbecker zooms the lens by 1 millimeter a day and uses that focal length to shoot and post a photo before going to sleep each night. The photo above was taken at 27mm. The photo below is at 387mm.

An exercise of restricted view, 1 millimeter a day is an experiment in changing perspective and forces the photographer to shoot in settings he might never otherwise. Through this Hornbecker highlights intrigue in the things we pass by everyday by utilizing light and composition. He will continue this every day until reaching the end of the 1mm lens adjustments at 400mm. Currently at 397mm, there are only three more days until the year long project is finished. Have a flip through the archive to catch up.

James Jean: Kindling

by CH Contributor

by Derrick Ableman

If you like chocolate in your peanut butter, horror in your fantasy and pain in your pleasure, then book it down to the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NYC to check out Kindling, a solo exhibition of new works by James Jean.

Best known for his Eisner Award-winning cover work for Vertigo's Fables comic series, LA-based artist James Jean's debut solo fine art exhibition showcases a collection of original large-scale mixed media paintings and drawings on canvas, linen and paper.

Popping like Ralph Steadman impressions of Blake's darkest hour, these elegantly gonzo compositions feature confounding creatures in fantasy dreamscapes that twist traditional symbolism into dynamic narratives of metamorphosis, mortality and sexuality.

Refreshingly devoid of irony, Kindling cleaned my clock and then some, speaking with all the force and immediacy of a cave painting to the combed-over primate within (results may vary).

Astonishing and more than worth what little time we all have, Jean's foray onto the gallery scene is not to be missed.

Kindling
Jonathan Levine Gallery
529 W. 20th St., 9th Floor
New York, NY 10011 map
tel. +1 212 243 3822

Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion

by Tim Yu

Named after the music venue just outside their home city of Baltimore, Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective's ninth album, might be my favorite of theirs thus far. Officially released today, 20 January 2009, over the years the band has meticulously crafted an unmistakable sound which this latest release continues to refine. Where their chants and ambient sounds may have been too avant garde for some ears in the past, Merriweather Post Pavilion builds on the pop-rock edge of their last album, engendering Animal Collective to wider appeal.

Consisting of their trademark dissonant sounds combined with gorgeously droning melodies and classical arrangements, this new full-length seems to play more to the low end of the sound spectrum. These catchy bass lines unrelentingly drive the music forward, conveniently lending itself to the remix phenomenon. We're betting on a ton of remixes to come out in the very near future.

My favorite track during the first few listens has to be "My Girls," which fuses a catchy synth violin triplet, vocal rounds and some heavy bass. Towards the end of the track simple hand claps and euphoric yells bring it all together. Heavily anticipated and already having made the rounds through leaked versions available on the internet, I've already heard it being played at a few bars and it sounds great. For me, it's one of those albums that sounds better played loudly or, as always with the band, on a pair headphones.

Purchase Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion from Domino or Amazon. Download from iTunes.