humor

Posts tagged
with humor

Art Design

Bizarre D.I.Y. Balloon-Destroying Devices by Jan Hakon Erichsen

Don’t invite Jan Hakon Erichsen to your next birthday party. The Norwegian artist is on a mission to destroy every balloon he encounters with an endless array of awkward Rube Goldberg-esque setups. Erichsen documents his inventions in “Destruction Diary” videos, which he posts daily on Instagram, and aggregates into compilations on YouTube. Erichsen’s usual balloon-popping tool of choice is a steak knife, but he has also employed bananas, cacti, and saws to do the deed. The artist explains in a statement that he “works within a variety of media focusing on topics like fear, anger and frustration”. In addition to his balloon-centric video work, Erichson explores other found materials in his structural D.I.Y. projects, which you can see on his website. If you enjoy Erichsen’s creations, also check out Simone Giertz’s robots.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jan Hakon Erichsen (@janerichsen) on Jul 18, 2019 at 2:56am PDT

Design

Put Words into Action with ‘Gerry’, a New Font Created From the Silhouettes of Gerrymandered Electoral Districts

Apologies to anyone who shares the name, but two designers in Chicago are taking on electoral gerrymandering in a new font called Gerry. The font, created by Ben Doessel and James Lee, is composed of 26 districts whose absurd boundaries resemble alphabet letters much more than they resemble logical, cohesive population groupings. Alabama’s pronged 1st District bears a striking resemblance to the letter K, while New York’s 8th District looks like an M with its tall legs connected by a curved middle.

“Gerry” is available for download on a dedicated website, UglyGerry.com, which also includes a Twitter integration allowing visitors to thank their Representatives for their contributions to the font. If you’re interested in learning more about Gerrymandering, we recommend this John Oliver segment. (via Hyperallergic)

Animation Art

An Amusement Park-Themed Animated Short by Fernando Livschitz Goes Off the Rails

The fate of riders on roller coasters and ferris wheels takes an unexpected turn in “Beautiful Chaos”, a new short from Fernando Livschitz of Black Sheep Films (previously). We won’t give too much away, but the minute-long animation uses digital editing to make amusement park rides perform stomach-churning tricks. Let’s just say… don’t try this at home.  Watch more of Livschitz’s animations on Vimeo and Instagram.

Design

Three Cats in Japan Have a Closet Full of Custom-Made Hats Felted From Their Shedded Fur

Japanese couple Ryo and Hiromo Yamazaki combine their affinity for fashion design, felines, and photography by building hats for their three cats out of the animals’ own shedded fur. The Yamazakis have created a wide range of designs that have become increasingly intricate over the years. Simple acorn-like shapes have evolved to elaborate samurai helmets, sailor caps, and duck likenesses, and the different shades of the cats’ orange, tabby, and white fur allow for nuance within each hat.

For readers concerned about the alarmed looks on Nya, Maru, and Mugi’s faces, the cats are all Scottish Folds, a specific cat type that has been bred for unique features including rounded faces and wide eyes, and they appear just as nonplussed when relaxing sans-hats. It’s worth noting that some veterinary professionals in the U.K. and governments in Australia have warned against or effectively banned the breed due to its adverse health effects on the cats.

You can follow along with the human and feline Yamazaki family on Instagram. (via designboom)

Illustration

Surprised Dandelions and Frustrated Erasers Come to Life in Delightful Illustrations by Sean Charmatz

Sean Charmatz anthropomorphizes everyday objects with universal emotions of surprise, frustration, and togetherness. By adding simple black lines to fruits, plants, and office supplies, Charmatz turns these otherwise unremarkable items into relatable characters. Though the California-based artist has gained quite a following for his one-off cartoonish “explorations”, he also has a long resume in Hollywood. Charmatz has worked on several Disney and Dreamworks films in addition to his previous roles as a storyboard artist and director for six years on SpongeBob SquarePants. You can follow along with his visual musings on Instagram, and watch his animated “Secret World of Stuff” compilations on YouTube.

Art

Urban Weed Awards Crown Unwanted Plants with Superlatives

Michael Pederson (previously) takes note of small, peculiar moments with his outdoor interventions. Frequently using subtly humorous signage, the artist, who goes by ‘Miguel Marquez Outside’, draws the attention of passersby to places where perception of seemingly banal scenarios are reimagined in surprising ways. His most recent project was the Urban Weed Awards, for which Pederson created official-looking plaques to denote superlatives for plants that most people might consider a nuisance. He designated three weeds as winners for “unique site”, “best in show”, and “most delicate”. Follow along with Pederson’s work on Instagram and Tumblr. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

Design Illustration

Woodblock-Printed Matchboxes Light up with Canine Personalities

As a follow-up to last year’s wildly successful woodblock-printed matchboxes featuring the questionable decisions of tipsy cats, Ravi Zupa has just released a set of canine designs. Comprised of ten designs, the set includes a Boston Terrier with a high opinion of himself, a loyal hound, and an endearingly self-deprecating pug.

“These are the people in our lives with complicated dispositions and attitudes who never fail to bring
us joy, even when they’re jerks,” Zupa explained in an artist statement. “This new set of matchboxes is an effort to give the overly expressive, stubborn, supportive, unpredictable, confused and self important beings in our lives the recognition they deserve.”

Zupa used oil-based intaglio ink to create the three-color prints, and each one includes a pint-sized certificate of authenticity. The matchboxes can be ordered in the artist’s online shop, along with pre-orders for larger prints of the same designs. You can see more of Zupa’s vintage-inspired and humorous works, ranging from prints to paintings and sculptures, on Instagram.