Archive for September, 2015
Sep28
YAMAHA’s musical chairs take the stage in October
2015 at 02:43 pm by admin | Comments Off
Known for their work with the vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku, automobile and tech company YAMAHA will once again bring their technical expertise to the field of music this wall with a unique new musical wheelchair! The chair, which is called &Y01 or Andy 01, designed this wheelchair with ease of use in mind, as well as combining it with percussion instruments. The design of the chair was based around the eighth note often seen on traditional music staffs, with the large sail on the back made to emulate the wavy line of the note. The chairs will debut in a concert titled “Slow Movement -The Eternal Symphony-”, which will debut at the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan on October 3rd. With the goal of making music accessible to all people regardless of condition, these unique wheelchairs will hopefully lead to new innovations in combining music into our daily lives in unexpected ways.
Sep28
Alex Chinneck debuts newest architectural sculpture
2015 at 02:32 pm by admin | Comments Off
Alex Chinneck is known around the world for this series of physics-defying sculptures and art installations which have ranged from melting walls, levitating buildings, and upside down cars. Now, Chinneck has debuted the latest in his series of abstract sculptures at the Greenwich Peninsula in London! The new piece, titled “A Bullet from a Shooting Star”, continues the trend of his previous artwork by turning ordinary everyday objects into abstract art sculptures by presenting a completely upside-down full-size electrical pylon. Seeming defying gravity by standing on the tip of the structure, this engineering feat was accomplished by attaching the 15-ton sculpture to a large concrete counterweight, which weighs 120 tons and is buried 82 feet underground. This sculpture marks one of the largest and heaviest pieces Chinneck has ever debuted, and will be marking the landscape for local London residents for some time to come.
Sep24
Artist recreates Van Gogh work through landscaping
2015 at 02:33 pm by admin | Comments Off
As part of the celebration of their 100th anniversary, the Minneapolis Institute of Art has commissioned art into reality by transforming a large plot of land into a living Van Gogh painting! Created by landscape artist Stan Herd, the large-scale replication of Van Gogh’s famous “Olive Trees” painting was created through the use of native Minnesotan plants, and spans an area of over 1.2 acres on the Thomson Reuters campus in Eagen. The work has been in progress since this past spring, when Herd planted the wide variety of seeds needed to recreate Van Gogh’s iconic brushstroke art style, such as grass, oats, and other plants. The landscape art is purposefully located near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where fliers can see the painting in its full glory from an airborne perspective. For the rest of us on the ground, make sure to visit this piece of living art while you can, since the piece will eventually wither and disappear with the passing of autumn. Don’t worry if you miss out; you can also check out the real “Olive Trees” painting and other classic works of art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art!
Stan Herd, Of Us and Art: The 100 Videos Project, Episode 30 from Minneapolis Institute of Art on Vimeo.
Sep24
Animation Show of Shows to hit theaters nationwide
2015 at 10:59 am by admin | Comments Off
“The Animation Show of Shows” has been an annual event in which animators from all over the world participate in a collection of animated shorts, which is them shown at school and studios across the nation. Now, this year’s edition of “The Animation Show of Shows” will make its way onto the silver screen for the very first time by debuting in theaters! This year’s collection marks the 17th version of “The Animation Show of Shows” since the collection’s debut in 1998, and features 11 animated shorts from artists from Ireland, France, Russia, Switzerland, Australia, Iran, and the United States. This annual gathering of international art, curated Acme Filmworks founder Ron Diamond, has been dedicated to spreading the word on unique, small-scale solo animators and teams, and hopes to inspire and enrich both professionals as well as the everyday spectator seeing animated shorts like these for the very first time. “The Animation Show of Shows” begins its big-screen debut on September 24th, airing for a week at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, California. It will then take to the road across October and November, showing off the film in select theaters across the nation. To find out more about future screenings of the Animation Show, as well as previous iterations of this annual collection, check out their official website here!
Sep22
Live art experience at Envision Fall 2015
2015 at 03:01 pm by admin | Comments Off
TOMODACHI is excited to partner with the Envision Fall 2015 fashion show and our friends at Public Functionary and Fulton Beer to help create the event’s VIP experience on Saturday, September 26th at Orchestra Hall. We collaborated on a vibrant backdrop for the VIP room’s photo booth, which is designed completely with Japanese washi brand, mt tape!
More than just a pretty background, the photo booth is a unique live art collaboration. Guests are invited to pose for fashion photographer Alex Butterfield in front the washi installation; Alex then hands images off to award-winning illustrator, Allegra Lockstad, who will further embellish them using a digital Wacom tablet, projected LIVE. The photos will be posted on Facebook after the event — watch for them to be shared by TOMODACHI!
The Envision Fall fashion show is the Twin Cities preeminent fashion showcase, and the longest running fashion event in Minnesota. Held in the stunning venue of Orchestra Hall, Envision features a runway show of looks from both emerging and established local designers and boutiques.
The VIP Room, curated by Public Functionary, and sponsored by Fulton and TOMODACHI, will also feature music from Eric Mayson and special guests as well as a bar, food and a pop-up shop from Hotrocity and a mt tape table hosted by TOMODACHI!
Runway Line Up:
ACG
Caroline Hayden
Jenny Carle
Cliche
Cory Allen
Form Over Function
Joeleen Torvick
Kjurek
Russell Bourrienne
Sarah Furnae
Tessa Louise
Yevette Willaert
Accessories:
Aldo
Goorin Bros.
Larissa Loden
Mona Williams
Rewind
See Eyewear
Stephanie Lake
For more info and to purchase tickets, visit www.envisionmpls.com
Sep22
Mechademia conference returns to MCAD this fall
2015 at 01:34 pm by admin | Comments Off
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design, or MCAD for short, will once again be bringing anime and Asian culture to the Twin Cities with their annual Mechademia conference! Originally titled “School Girls and Mobile Suits”, the Mechademia conference was originally founded in 2001 as a means for discussion of Asian culture and its influence in design, fashion, and art from all over the world. The three-day event has often hosted a number of talks and events hosted by internationally renowned artists in the past, including “Cowboy Bebop” and “Ghost in the Shell” screenwriter Dai Sato and art critic Hiroki Azuma, and will be hosting art and talks this year from manga artist Tomoko Taniguchi, fashion artist Novala Takemoto, videogame designer Brianna Wu, and more!
On top of that, the event hosts a wide variety of workshops and hands-on experiences for visitors of all ages, and even a runway fashion show! The event even publishes an annual “Mechademia” art book, which has received international praise. Special thanks goes out to Samantha Rei Crossland and Frenchy Lunning for helping make this event a reality every year! The Mechademia conference will take place this month from September 25th to the 27th, so make sure to get your tickets and check out this awesome annual experience! Click here to find out more about Mechademia and MCAD!
Sep21
Art exhibit lets visitors control lasers with mind
2015 at 03:27 pm by admin | Comments Off
A new kind of interactive art exhibit has opened up in London which lets visitors become the artists with simply the power of their mind! The new exhibit, titled “On Your Wavelength”, was designed by a team of professionals, including artist Marcus Lyall, composes Rob Thomas, and designer Alex Anpilogov, is a part of the recently opened Merge Festival in Bankside, London, and takes advantage of brain waves to paint out a light and sound performance. This is done by equipping the viewer with an electroencephalogram, or EEG, headset that detects electrical activity in the user’s brain. The headset is able to read mood and intensity of thought in the creation of the piece, displaying wildly different colors, sounds, and brightness with just a thought. With practice, users can decide which colors to display on the screen by putting themselves in the right mindset, creating a truly unique light show for every individual. The exhibit will be open for use until October 18th, making it an exciting attraction for both tourists and locals alike!
Sep21
Fox releases behind-the-scenes look at Peanuts movie
2015 at 10:23 am by admin | Comments Off
The highly anticipated animated film based on Charles Schulz ’s “Peanuts” comic book is closer than ever to hitting the big screen, and 20th Century Fox is building the hype with a new video showing off some behind-the-scenes commentary about the creation of the film! This mini documentary explores the challenges behind bringing Schulz’s art style to life in CG, along with the intricate details and techniques that make the Peanuts characters memorable and iconic to this day. The trailer also shows off some new footage from the film, giving fans a small taste of what’s to come later this fall. The “Peanuts” movie will debut in theaters nationwide on November 6th, so get ready to check out this awesome new film this holiday season!
Sep04
Back-to-School Special: Buy 2 Get 1 Free on mt tape!
2015 at 02:11 pm by admin | Comments Off
Now that summer is winding down and it’s time to head back to school, TOMODACHI is offering a special deal on our colorful selection of designer washi tape! Through the end of September, customers who purchase two rolls of mt tape will get one for free! Stock up on tons of cool colors and patterns to use for creatively decorating dorm rooms, embellishing interiors and making beautiful, eye-catching arts and crafts. This offer is only available while supplies last and will conclude at the end of September, so don’t miss out!
What is mt tape? mt is a brand of washi rice paper masking tape produced by Japanese company Kamoi Kakoshi. This no-damage adhesive is designed to be easily applied, aligned and repositioned, making it a perfect tool for use in crafts, interior decoration, contemporary art installation and design. Available in a huge variety of colors, patterns, styles, and sizes, mt has become a part of daily life for customers and artists across the world, adding a little bit of color everywhere!
Sep03
TOMODACHI x MT Event Recap
2015 at 11:41 am by admin | Comments Off
TOMODACHI’s collaborative art event with Japanese washi brand, mt tape, opened its doors this past Saturday and we couldn’t have been happier with the outcome! We had an amazing turnout at this unique exhibition and family event, with artists giving their all to show the world just what mt tape can do with a little bit of creativity!
TOMODACHI’s gallery debuted some amazing art and design work from 18 featured artists, who each took their own spin on using mt tape as a medium. From framed wall pieces to decorated paper mache animals, large-scale wall installations and even a miniature mt tape city, each artistic interpretation was unexpected, colorful and unique. Emerging and established artists alike took part in the exhibit, including internationally-renowned artist and graphic designer Michael Cina, pop surrealist darling Rudy Fig, whimsical painter Jennifer Davis, installation artist Leekyung Kang and many more.
During the event, Los Angeles-based artist and architect, James Rojas, led a hands-on art activity which taught attendees about urban planning through the construction of an evolving tape-covered mini city. Throughout the day, TOMODACHI gave away complimentary mt tape and dozens of raffle prizes that included collectibles, gift cards and merchandise from our sponsors. DJ SALLY provided the musical soundtrack for the day, playing a fun mix of J-Pop, K-Pop and everything in between.
We would like to thank everyone who made this event possible, including our friends at mt tape, all of our participating artists, sponsors, and most importantly our friends and customers who have supported us from the beginning. The show debut was a huge success, but if you weren’t able to make it to the opening, the work will remain on view through Wednesday, September 30th. Stop by TOMODACHI at the Mall of America to check out this exhibit of awesome mt-based artwork before its gone!
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