SpineTV has assembled a series devoted to what may be the world’s most quirky metropolis, Tokyo. I have never been but this series has me itching to travel there as soon as humanly possible. It must truly be an amazing place. In order to view the entire series you can dig into Spine’s Vimeo account here.
Here is the description of episode 6 of the series that you can watch above:
“In episode 6 of our Tokyo City Series we visit Kokoro HQ, part of the Sanrio Group responsible for one of the most famous Japanese exports, Hello Kitty. Since their inception on 1984 Kokoro have created various ‘ofrobots’ including people friendly vending machines, massive animatronic dinosaurs and life-like ‘humanoid’ robots, developed in ‘continous observation of humans’. We meet Takeshi Mita who shows us the female actroids (actor/android) they are currently developing and tells us of his hopes for an actroid and human integrated future.”
Japanese artist Yasuhiro Sakurai creates some divine wooden sculptures that must require some amazing talent to carve. The personality of the sitter remains intact with a haunting impact. It’s all in the eyes.
I wish I could tell you more about Sosososo, but all I can really say is that I think they are Japanese and I really like some of their rather crisp minimal work.
Tokyo’s Takcom (Takafumi Tsuchiya) created the latest video for the experimental jazz quintet SJQ. The relationship between the imagery and the music is pretty spot on.
I didn’t realize the power that 42 seconds could wield over my deep desire to travel to Tokyo. Awesome little video. Please someone send me over there. I will generate all manner of design/art/illustration if you just put me in a hotel for a week and let me go crazy in that city.
We Love Magazine is a magazine library exhibit going on in Japan that allows visitors to peruse magazines dating all the way back to the 1920s. It looks like it could be something really cool to check out if you are in or around Tokyo.
Visit the website for more information about access.
Kimiko Yoshida is a Japanese born Photographer who currently resides in Europe. She has some really unique and fascinating imagery in her portfolio focused primarily on portraiture. In particular, she has a series of self portraits that have been widely exhibited and account singularly as a remarkable body of work.
Wow, there are some really amazing photographs depicting just how densely packed the city of Tokyo really is in the portfolio of talented photographer, Shintaro Sato.
Unusual, interesting and original illustrations by Natsko Seki. Seki is apparently a big fan of antique and vintage culture giving her work a nostalgic contemporary feel. She derives a lot of her inspiration from London where she currently lives. She has also enjoyed success in Japan where she recently exhibited at the Rocket Gallery in Tokyo.
I have written of her work before but after looking through it again today, I think it deserves a second look.
There is some really captivating imagery in the folio of Tokyo-based artist and illustrator Ryohei Hase. It’s the kind of work only a very uniquely talented artist could pull off. Some of the images are really stunning.
12/16 HITCHENS DIES Outspoken author and pundit Christopher Hitchens passed away yesterday at the age of 62 after succombing to a long battle with cancer. His honest and bravado opinion that rarely favored one side versus the other but was instead often a cry for ‘reason’ will be missed.
11/23 BURZYNKSI CLINIC Is there an alternative, non-toxic treatment for cancer? Dr. Stanislaw R. Burzynski seems to think so and has been experiencing higher rate of success than the current accepted practice of treating cancer.
11/23 TALKING TO MACHINES “What can machines tell us about being human? This hour of Radiolab, Jad and Robert meet humans and robots who are trying to connect, and blur the line.” Listen, read and learn here.
07/26 LUCIAN FREUD DEAD Artist Lucian Freud, known for his thick application of paints in painstakingly created, highly stylized portraits, has died at the age of 88, his publicist said Thursday. He died Wednesday night of an unspecified illness at his home in London.
