How CMOs can adopt the mindset of a futurist
A 16th-Century Pop-Up Book of Astrological Ideas Tried to Predict the Future
All images via The Library of Congress
More than 2,000 years ago in Hellenistic Greece, the astrolabe was invented as a kind of analog calculator to decode a range of astronomical observations, survey an area, or reckon latitude and time. Often made from metal, the tool was modified and further developed in the Islamic world, then later in Western Europe, throughout the next several centuries. By the medieval period, it had been adopted by astrologers and some physicians—the latter for whom religious belief and medicine were closely intertwined—to determine the course of the planets and their influences. And in the 16th century, the device found its way to scholar Leonhard Thurneisser (a.k.a. Thurneysser, circa 1530-96).
Thurneisser was fascinated by the workings of the universe, and his wide-ranging knowledge landed him a position as an intellectual and miracle doctor at a noble court in Brandenburg, Germany. Denounced as a serious scientist by some of his peers due to his interest in alchemy and astrology, he nevertheless published his findings in a phenomenal tome known as the Archidoxa in 1569, containing a collection of astrological predictions and ideas. Six years later, he released an addition to the volume called the Astrolabium, which used volvelles, or wheel charts, to provide individual horoscopes.
Richly illustrated with hand-colored plates engraved by an artist named Peter Hille, each page contains a different constellation and Des Menschen Cirkel und Lauff, or “man’s circle of life.” The volvelles, which could be layered on top of each page and spun in relation to one another, include the locations of fixed stars and Baum des Lebens, or “tree of life.” Bound in ornate leather, the book would have functioned as a kind of medieval Ouija board, in theory enabling the user to foresee their fate or predict natural disasters.
You can explore dozens more pages on The Library of Congress’s website, and you might also enjoy another 16th-century gem that can be read six different ways.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article A 16th-Century Pop-Up Book of Astrological Ideas Tried to Predict the Future appeared first on Colossal.
0/1 PHONE Folds Into a Minimalist Expression of Quiet Tech
With the arrival of the Apple Vision Pro augmented/virtual reality device just on the horizon, technologists are already prognosticating a post-smartphone society, one where we’ll abandon reaching into our pockets for a phone and instead don enhanced spectacles projecting all varieties of interfaces and notifications. We’d maintain the near-term demise of the phone is greatly exaggerated for a variety of reasons. Designer Andrea Mangone’s novel proposal envisioning a quieter and less intrusive relationship with our smartphones points toward an alternative where we fold into a state of focus.
Mangone’s 0/1 Phone concept shares the folding form factor of the already available Samsung Galaxy ZFlip4. But 0/1 Phone’s clamshell design is expressed with more of a squared-off and significant aluminum body than the Galaxy device. Covered in a pebbled vegan leather cover and adorned with an orange nylon weaved tag (the SIM card tray pull), the design communicates a tactile fashionability tempering its technology into the background.
The foldable form factor offers two distinct usage modes: smartphone when open, minimal phone when closed. In opened Smartphone Mode the 0/1 Phone operates just like any other phone today, with a 1080 x 2640 pixels color screen allowing for viewing in either portrait or landscape orientation (with a third perpendicular viewing mode).
When closed, 0/1 Phone switches its display over to a front-facing, square e-ink display dedicated to only the most necessary of information. The designer takes a minimalist typographic approach to notifications with the e-ink display dedicated to widgets such as an analog or digital clock, calendar, checklist, music player, timer, quote of the day, and incoming calls. (the phone appears only a few shades distant from complementing Polestar’s typographic and color interior treatments).
Where the 0/1 Phone distinguishes itself is when folded up and set vertically onto a surface in a notification-silenced mode. The extra bit of thickness transforms the device into a small and stable desktop digital clock with the additional benefits of delivering a filtered stream of notifications in a more hushed fashion.
Andrea Mangone also designed a matching wireless charger for the 0/1 Phone sharing the same material and design language.
The 0/1 Phone isn’t alone in its attempt to bring digital minimalism into our everyday lives. Devices like Wisephone simply curated WiseOS and Nothing Phone (1)’s Glyph interface, the Leica Monochrom, and the lasting popularity of analog music formats are all indicative of a growing desire for the radical notion that we remain more connected to the world the less we feel the compulsion to perpetually connect.
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Youth photographers capture the vibrancy and everyday hustle of 3 street vendors
At De Los, we’re making it a mission to highlight the voices, stories and experiences of our community. So we asked young L.A. photographers to capture their communities through their lenses.
Through a collaboration with Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit that uses photography to mentor teenage girls and gender-expansive youth from communities of color, student photographers featured three street vendors in Los Angeles.
The students wanted to share not only the street vendors’ struggles but also their humanity, vibrancy and joy.
“Growing up in L.A., you see street vendors everyday hustling. Day or night, hot or cold, they are always out there making it happen, despite how many tickets they get or how many bad days they have,” student Meyuh Gonzalez said. “My grandma who’s a street vendor herself always told me she’d rather be out there making her own money than to be sitting at home which is something I’ve always respected.”
Get Involved
Eva Orozco
“Es bonito (vender) por que no dependes de nadie,” says Eva Orozco, a street vendor who began her vending journey about 25 years ago.
She describes the times where she would walk down the callejones in downtown L.A. and see vendors who sold a variety of foods: esquite, fruta, aguas frescas and hot dogs. One day, Orozco noticed a churro vendor, which was an unusual sight at the time. Intrigued, she asked where they were sourcing them, but none of the vendors were open to share. Orozco had no idea how to begin selling churros, but she was determined to learn. When her son connected her with one of his friends’ parents, she was finally able to source high-quality churros for everyone to enjoy. At first she vended at those same callejones but has since found a place among the stars on Hollywood Boulevard, where she’s sold churros for six years. The latest struggles, she says, are the rising prices and the competition. “Vendes poco y todo está muy caro.”
Photos by Aranza Trujillo, 18, Uzuri Ray, 15, and Ketzally Alcala, 17
Caption by Ketzally Alcala, 17
Clara Estrada Vasquez
Clara Estrada Vasquez has been a street vendor in the U.S. for about 18 years. Before coming to Los Angeles, she vended in Guatemala. Her sisters were the first of her family to migrate to the U.S. so when she joined them in Southern California, they helped her start out in different areas like the L.A. fashion district. The start of her career wasn’t easy. The police fined and arrested her, even though she felt she was just trying to support her family. She struggled to find other lines of work because she couldn’t speak English. While recent legislative changes have offered greater protections from police harassment, she looks to a future in which she’s free of ticket debt and granted official permission to vend in certain locations.
Photos by Sawyer Sariñana, 16
Caption by Meyuh Gonzalez, 18
Merlin Alvarado Reyes
For the past 16 years, Merlin Alvarado Reyes has been a street vendor in Los Angeles, selling fruit, hot dogs, tacos de canasta, churros and more. Growing up in Honduras, she worked with her mother, who was also a vendor, and was constantly surrounded by other vendors. For her, street vending is like riding a bike; once you learn, it’s something you don’t forget. Her experience came in handy when she decided to continue her work in the United States. Being a street vendor on Hollywood Boulevard lets her share a bit of herself and what she sells with tourists from all over the world. She especially likes being her own boss and setting her own work schedule. She never grew up with the perception that many in Los Angeles have — that street vendors and their stands are a problem. Here, her job is difficult, demanding, and can even be dangerous. She’s thankful for the changes in laws that have made street vending legal and have assuaged the fear of police.
Photos by Meadows Stevens, 17, and Lauren Cho, 17,
Caption by Celeste Umana, 18
Additional contributions from Ashley Romero Gomez, 16, and Adria Marin, 18.
Artist Hilda Palafox Coaxes Emotional Depth from Bodily Contortions and Skewed Sizes
“Camino de vuelta” (2022), oil on linen, 47 6/25 × 35 43/100 × 49 inches framed. All images courtesy of Proyectos Monclova, © Hila Palafox, shared with permission
“A woman’s braid, for me, has a very powerful meaning,” says Hilda Palafox. “It symbolizes the fact of connecting, building, recognizing, changing, and strengthening. And I consider the act of braiding as something very intimate, very personal, and universal at the same time.”
Women convening, considering the size and shape of their forms, or engaging in solitary pursuits are common in Palafox’s works: one figure climbs a ladder sprouting new plant life, others precariously balance bowls on their limbs, and another bends over toward her toes, a table bound to her back with bright red rope.
Primarily working in oil paint on large-scale canvases, the Mexico City-based artist imagines a matriarchal world in which women are free to explore the inner reaches of their psyches and stronger together. Their long, substantial limbs, large hands, and supple curves are repositories for Palafox’s interests. “I have always thought of the body as a vessel through which we experience the world and emotions and through which we express ourselves and manifest life,” she shares. “I seek to convey certain concerns that travel from a very personal place to a point of universal connection.”
Influenced by her background in graphic design, Palafox’s textured paintings are intuitive and created stroke by stroke, echoing the act of braiding hair strand by strand. “That is very important to me, and that is also why I like simple, clean compositions with some hints of symbolism, where the body language of these beings are the main character and where a door can also be opened for the viewer to finish building the narrative,” she says.
Palafox is represented by Proyectos Monclova, and you can find more of her works on both canvas and walls on Instagram.
“Aquí y ahora” (2022), oil on linen, 65.43 x 49.72 x 1.57 inches framed
“¿A dónde llegará?” (2022), oil on linen, 49.72 x 37.87 x 1.57 inches framed
Left: “Cuestión de tiempo II,” oil on linen, 47.24 x 39.37 inches. Right: “Cuestión de tiempo III,” oil on linen, 47.36 x 39.37 x .98 inches
“Portal II” (2022), oil on linen, 47 1/4 × 35 3/8 inches. Image courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary
“Quizas, un día” (2022), oil on linen, 65.55 x 49.8 x 1.77 inches framed
“Un deseo más al fuego” (2022), oil on linen, 65.55 x 49.8 x 1.77 inches framed
“En aquel breve momento” (2022), oil on linen, 64.96 x 49.21 x 1.61 inches framed
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Artist Hilda Palafox Coaxes Emotional Depth from Bodily Contortions and Skewed Sizes appeared first on Colossal.
This Photographer Offers A Glimpse Into His Creative Process And Here Are His 43 Backstage Photos
Today, we are excited to share some incredible images by Canadian photographer Benjamin Von Wong. Through his work, Ben focuses on highlighting environmental issues that affect the world. He can be considered a photographer-activist as his pieces, apart from being art pieces and requiring extensive planning, also carry important messages for everyone. Von Wong initially focused his photography work on capturing complex and extreme shots, such as those taken on building walls or in breathtaking underwater settings. However, the artist expressed his desire to create an impact and hopes that his audience not only finds his images shocking but also finds the underlying messages they convey.
In addition to sharing the final photographs on social media, Benjamin offers his fans a glimpse into his creative process by revealing some of the behind-the-scenes shots that showcase the backstage of his photoshoots. If you’re interested in seeing more of this artist’s unique work, previously featured on Bored Panda, you can click here, here, or here.
More info: Instagram | Facebook | 500px.com | blog.vonwong.com
‘Do You Put Motor Oil on Pancakes?’: Food Photographer Debunks Myths
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A commercial photographer has taken to YouTube to debunk some of the myths that exist around high-end food and drink photography — perpetuated by a TikTok account.
Scott Choucino from Tin House Studio based in the U.K. hit back at a viral video from 5-Minute Crafts and reveals what actually happens on the set of a food commercial.
Milk
In the video from 5-Minute Crafts, they advise would-be food photographers to use PVA glue instead of milk — Choucino says this is nonsense.
He explains that when shooting for a milk brand, he will use the exact brand of milk — stressing that he is legally required to do so.
However, if he is shooting for a cereal brand then the photographer will often mix cream and milk together so that it pours slower enabling him to capture the splash.
“Also, milk has a distinct yellow tint to it and this [with the cream] makes it look very white,” he says.
“But we certainly aren’t pouring PVA glue onto cereal; because it looks like PVA glue on cereal.”
Cheese Pull
A video put out by 5-Minute Crafts shows a pizza being drilled onto a board and then glue painted onto the pie to get a shot of a slice being lifted up with the “cheese” dangling below. Choucino says this is a “half truth.”
“We’ll often slice the pizza raw, do a lattice of cheese over the slices cook it and then pull it out,” he says.
“We’re trying to show the stringy cheese, how beautiful it is and to do that we often cut it, lattice the cheese, and then pull it out.”
He says when shooting pizza, he will only use as much cheese as the pizza comes with because “we have to.”
“If it says these pizzas come with 2.6 ounces of cheese (75 grams) we have to distribute 2.6 ounces of cheese,” he says.
“We might just distribute it in a slightly tactical way to make sure the cheeseboard looks appealing.”
Fake Ice
Choucino says that for years photographers used “very expensive” fake ice and it is still used sometimes.
“If you need a drink to be on set for a very long period of time you will use fake ice because it stops the condensation happening,” he says.
“On film sets where they’re doing multiple takes, they’ll probably be using fake ice.”
However, Choucino insists that real ice looks better and the condensation from real ice also looks better.
“There’s a real shift in the industry where we’re bringing real ice into glasses and shooting it that way.”
Ice Cream
One of the accusations leveled at ice cream adverts is that it’s just mashed potato. However, Choucino insists that when he is shooting for an ice cream brand — he uses that exact brand of ice cream.
But under the hot studio lights, the ice cream has to be “double frozen.” Meaning the ice cream is taken from a freezer, scooped, and then put into a deep freezer.
However, Choucino says that sometimes ice lollies are “fabricated” and fake ice cream will be used when shooting for a cone brand or a sauce brand.
Motor Oil and Pancakes
Choucino says he was “triggered” by 5-Minute Craft’s claim that motor oil is poured onto pancakes.
“Motor oil does not look as syrupy as syrup does. And, motor oil doesn’t pour as syrupy as syrup does,” he says.
“There is no reason why you would want to put motor oil on pancakes when you could just pour syrup. It makes no sense.”
The photographer also warns having a highly flammable substance on set with high-power flashes going is not a smart move.
“One, it’s incredibly dangerous, both to the set and the shot and also to peoples’ lives,” he adds. “But also, it’s completely pointless.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
100 years of genre-defining Japanese photography magazines
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A Giant Lady Liberty Statue Will Be Chilling in Arlington
The Museum of Contemporary Art will display the reclining, Buddha-inspired sculpture starting in August.
A guide to finding your photography style: Part four
While photography can be a powerful medium for creative expression, true inspiration knows no boundaries. As photographers, we can enrich our artistic vision by exploring other art forms and drawing inspiration from other sources. By venturing beyond the realm of photography, we open ourselves up to new ideas, perspectives, lighting and techniques that can greatly influence our work. Let’s take a little look and explore the benefits of finding inspiration beyond photography with some practical tips for embracing other art forms to enhance our creative journey.
Painting
Painting has a long and rich history, offering a wealth of inspiration for photographers. Study the works of renowned painters, both classical and contemporary, and analyze their use of color, composition, lighting and visual storytelling. Pay attention to their brushstrokes, color palettes and techniques for creating depth and texture. You can then use these painting techniques in your photography and add a painterly quality to your images and bring a new level of expression to your work.
Cinema
Cinema is an art form that combines visual storytelling, sound, and motion. By studying films and cinematography, photographers can learn valuable lessons in composition, lighting, framing, and narrative structure. Pay attention to how filmmakers use camera angles, movement, and editing techniques to evoke emotions and create compelling visual narratives. Incorporating cinematic elements into your photography can transform your images into dynamic and cinematic visual stories. Using LUTs and Color Grading to add additional elements to your images.
Literature
Literature holds a treasure trove of storytelling techniques, symbolism, and thematic exploration. Explore different genres and literary works to discover how authors craft narratives, develop characters, and evoke emotions through words. Consider incorporating elements of storytelling, symbolism, or themes from literature into your photography. This can add depth and layers of meaning to your images, inviting viewers to engage with your work on a deeper level.
I personally love to delve into fairy tales and other fantasy elements to inspire some of my more creative photoshoots. Alice in Wonderland, in particular, is a big favorite of mine.
Music
Music has the power to evoke emotions, set moods, and create a sense of rhythm. By listening to various genres and paying attention to the emotions they stir within you, you can harness the power of music to inspire your photographic choices. Experiment with capturing the essence of a song through visual storytelling, exploring how melodies, lyrics, or the overall atmosphere of a piece can be translated into compelling imagery. Let music guide your compositions, choice of subjects, or even your editing process.
I find that listening to different styles of music while editing. Scientific research has shown that different types of music can improve focus, reduce stress and alter moods. So it might be worth taking another look at what you are listening to.
Sculpture and architecture
Sculpture and architecture can offer unique insights into form, structure, and the interplay between light and space. Study the works of sculptors and architects to understand how they manipulate form and space to create visually captivating structures. Observe the interplay between light and shadow and how it shapes the overall aesthetics. By incorporating elements of sculpture or architecture into your photography, you can develop a heightened sense of form, geometry and spatial awareness in your compositions.
Dance and performance art
These two dynamic art forms excel in capturing movement, emotion, and human expression. Observe the fluidity, grace, and energy of dancers or performance artists and learn how to capture these qualities in your photographs. Experiment with techniques like panning, long exposures or freezing motion to convey the sense of movement and evoke a feeling of liveliness and energy. Indeed capturing this grace and movement can be quite enlightening in itself.
Final thoughts
Exploring other art forms can ignite fresh perspectives, expand our creative horizons and add depth to our photography. By immersing ourselves in painting, cinema, literature, music, sculpture, architecture, dance, and performance art, we gain valuable insights into color, composition, storytelling, symbolism, form, and expression. The fusion of these artistic influences with photography opens up new possibilities for creative expression and helps us develop a unique visual language.
Remember, finding inspiration beyond photography is not about replicating other art forms but rather about discovering new ways to infuse their essence into your work. So, immerse yourself in different art forms, embrace experimentation, and let the influences from these diverse sources guide your creative journey.
Happy exploring and creating!
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