Crafts & Commercialism with Marni

My clients really range. Some have massive budgets with serious production, ad-buying and PR capabilities, while others are start-ups. In the new business environment, every dollar counts, while we find a platform and craft a message to share with the world. You’re probably wondering, well, what does that have to do with the Marni pictures above? Are they one of Shayna’s clients? I wish they were…

I’m sharing these layouts, as they prove a point about creativity. You can hire models and do over (or under) stylized photoshoots, sure, but you really don’t have to…if you have a creative team willing to take risks.

By no means is Marni a budget brand (hello!), but they know that their customer is artistic and wealthy, if not a little out there. They have foresight that they’ll appreciate a quirky campaign showcasing the thought behind the product. So, with paper, scissors and ribbons, one of the cheapest newsletter campaigns that ever existed made it’s way into my inbox…and I loved it.

What do you think?

April 17, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Music & Sculpture at MIT's Media Lab

You know when you’re flipping through a newspaper or a magazine and an image is so arresting it stops you in your tracks? So goes the story with Katherine Taylor‘s pictorial spread in this Saturday’s NY Times. The article, Duet for Composition and Software is fascinating. It’s a deep dive into M.I.T.’s famed Media Lab, articulating the audio and visual work of composer and inventor, Tod Machover. Focusing on the future of Opera, his team’s been working to improve sound, through sculpture, movement and visual sensors.

If they ever wanted to cross pollinate, they could commercialize at Owen’s West Village shop, as the paper-covered walls probably offer similar acoustic wonderment.

August 19, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Pointillist Burn Outs

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In January, I visited the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires and discovered Oscar Munoz. Revealing the act of Pirography on paper- a rather impressive feat- he smoked and drew- with a cigarette in hand, creating a series of self portraits.

Using positive and negative light to tell pointillist stories, Katrine Hildebrandt-Hussey, a Boston-based artist, shares a similar (but smudgier) aesthetic. Using india ink, cut paper and watercolor, she expresses line through dot movement.

April 10, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Seasonal Snowflake Display

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In anticipation of the blustery snow I’ll be shoveling on my visit to Rhode Island this weekend, I have snowflakes on the mind. This origami display shines sharp in it’s perfect precision. Paper always has the ability to convey multiple moods when well lit and properly prepared. The Miwa Alex Salon of New York hit it on the nail, wouldn’t you say?

March 6, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

London: Economy of Attention

German artist Mike Meiré‘s latest exhibition, Economy of Attention, presents a series of large-scale works on paper alongside ceramic sculptures that embrace the medium of newsprint and highlight its structural beauty.

His latest body of work follows a series of singular paintings on newsprint, which examines existing grids in newspaper layout and reflects on the prioritization of information through graphic design.

Meiré’s background as an art director along with his intrinsic understanding of this medium allows him to strip the compositions to a bare minimum.

Central to all of Meiré’s work is a delicate interplay between the highly refined and mundane everyday materials. The juxtaposition of organic and often sexually explicit or gender-orientated ceramic objects alongside anodyne geometric elements play an increasingly important role in Meiré’s work.

As one line of work continues to inform the other, Meiré’s paintings and ceramic sculptures reveal a profound understanding of popular culture. It is this knowledge, which allows the artist to explore the deep-rooted neurotics that inhibit today’s societies and in turn challenges these through his work. Click here for more info.

Bartha Contemporary Ltd.: 25 Margaret Street, London W1W 8RX

August 7, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Making Music Videos with Lesley Morphy

In this cultural movement we call DIY, we’re constantly tasking ourselves to do more with less. The race to showcase wit, creativity and innovation through basic, everyday materials is evident throughout the web. Today we continue with Lesley’s adventures in set design. As you’ll see, she’s mastered various backdrops using materials anyone can pick up at the local market or hardware store. The magic is in the details, the lighting and the application.

From Lesley: I’ve Art Directed multiple videos for Clifton Bell (The Ghettonerd Company) and most times I need to be innovative. One department will get the majority of the funds and it usually fluctuates from one video to the next.

Even if your budget isn’t huge, if you’ve got an amazing director, crew and talent, it’s often worth taking the project, as it can be very rewarding, and you’re forced to get creative.

Usually the challenges are pretty big, as you have a single day to set up and shoot multiple sets. You have to work in overdrive and it’s usually a 16-18 hour day.

I’ve been lucky to work on major events, but with the music videos, you literally have to create art while the camera and lighting crew is trailing behind you. I’ve resorted to borrowing hair dryers from the stylist to dry the wet paint on the ground before the artist steps foot on set.

Coverage by Lesley Morphy

June 15, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik