Please note: Our format changed as of 10/18/07 – see the front page and full archives for more recent listings. Thanks.
sleepy city urban photography 6/29/04 Description:
a photography site dedicated to the secrets of the city
Comments:
Dsankt is the photographer, or should I say urban explorer from Australia behind today's pick, who says "you might be surprised how little of your city you have ever appreciated." Tunnels, abandoned buildings, back alleys – "beyond that decaying door frame or small metal portal await adventure and sights few will ever see." Dsankt's a member of the Cave Clan, a group in Melbourne that "started exploring mines, caves and soon included stormwater drains" in 1986 (though I'm not when he joined them or if he's possibly one of its founders). Besides all the underground photos, there's also a section with cityscapes, like this award-winning shot. I like Dsankt's photos too...
990000.com 6/28/04 Description:
photos - log - links
Comments:
When Red redesigned the site last month, he added a log. If you're interested in some excellent photography-related links, do check it out. That's just today's bonus. At the heart of the site's content are three books of photos – the kind of shots that'll make you want to keep moving rev or fwd through the pages Some wonderful portraits in Book II... [overshadowed]
disembodied voices 6/26/04 Description:
a meditation on the nature of public space (Flash)
Comments:
You're on a busy corner in a city. What do you hear? "We now have private conversations in public - and in so doing, these conversations, or at least half of them, become public events, a half-dialogue that no longer knows such a thing as privacy." Cell phones. Seemingly one-sided conversations – "animated monologues." Artist Jody Zellen, whose interest lies in urban enviroments, effectively illustrates the collision of unconnected conversations in public spaces in this project – human soundscapes in an age of technology. Sound art...
photopix 6/24/04 Description:
photo series (Flash)
Comments:
From Hungary, beautiful photos in series like clouds, water, and autumn. Add in some Budapest architectures, castles and a series of cemetery pix. What really grabbed me, though, is an auto-playing series called "One Year" – the same scene, photographed again and again on different days through different seasons – outstanding! As a bonus, check out the lifeform project...
PaintCans & Politics 6/23/04 Description:
on the conflict of art versus state from the streets... (Flash)
Comments:
A new film director here in Detroit, Tony Smith, tracked local graffiti writers for a year, documenting the conflict that exists between the talented street artists and local politicos who feel Detroit is being tarnished by the taggers as it tries to rebuild. It's art and vandalism at the same time and maybe the answer lies in Detroit giving the artists a place to do their thing as other cities have done. Perhaps the art should become an integral part of the city's rebuilding effort. I arrived at that thought from viewing the 3 video clips featured on the site (totaling 13 minutes). Between the demo videos and the gallery, today's pick provides a firsthand look at Detroit's graffiti, its writers, and the surrounding issues. All quite interesting, leaving me hoping the full-length film makes it to the public's eye...
fotoblog.montewski.net 6/20/04 Description:
the photoblog of Maciej Montewski
Comments:
Today's pick sure does come in a nice package – the use of text on images in the interface is very cool. Besides its great looking site design, whatever image is on the main page when you visit is prone to draw you in as well. Just dig the ground and wall in yesterday's photo (as if the kitties won't knock your socks off), or the clarity of this amazing shot – Maciej's fotos are phenomenal...
moments . daily 6/17/04 Description:
a collection of daily photographs by Angela
Comments:
"This looks like a conversation between real artists..." said a visitor about a graffiti shot recently taken by Angela. I appreciated the perspective. "Excellent composition and tone" said someone else about a beautiful landscape pic. Angela lives "in a little house in the woods" in Germany and her photolog archives go back just over a year, though her personal site has been around "just for fun" since 1997. The site's design is visually impressive, but markedly different than most photologs/photoblogs in terms of functionality and direct linkability. Great photos – I found browsing by series most enjoyable...
graffiti archaeology 6/14/04 Description:
study of graffiti-covered walls as they change over time (Flash)
Comments:
The content consists of photos of classic graffiti spots in San Francisco, taken between 1998 and the present by a dozen different photographers. Each spot is represented anywhere from 3 to 12 times by photos taken at various times. Here's the unique twist – the collection is presented as layered timelapse collages tied to timelines, allowing you to "see what [the walls] looked like in the past, and explore how they have changed over the years." Done well! Unique and interesting, on several levels...
digital-sin.net 6/13/04 Description:
un-official website of music band sin, made by fans for fans (Flash)
Comments:
Launched a few months ago, today's pick is the unofficial website for the French band sin. Though the site is made by fans, the band's provided some content, like lyrics, photos, and remixes. Audio and video content is delivered via Flash (nice site design), and some of the remixes are unreleased versions, available only on the site. I hadn't heard of sin before this morning, but thanks to today's pick, I got a chance to listen a bit and learn that one of their LPs is being released in the US next month. Cool...
Fugitive Images 6/12/04 Description:
exposes conversations held on city surfaces that begin to describe the stylistic, social, cultural, and political perspectives of New York's neighborhoods (Flash)
Comments:
We just love street art and today's pick delivers photos of "renegade wheat-paste posters, aerosol stencils, drawings, and murals" from neighborhoods all over NYC. View by artist or use the neat map to navigate by neighborhood. Excellent! [Julia Set]
duudle 6/6/04 Description:
duudles and things
Comments:
There's oodles o' duudles from duudle and the duudlians. You'll need a full 1024x768 window to take it all in (no scrollbars). Saw a few names I recognized among the many duudlers (can I call 'em that?) – this one's fun!...
istoica 6/4/04 Description:
images and film from Isto and Ica
Comments:
Isto and Ica's latest set of photos, taken in New York, appears to be a joint effort and utilizes the free Flash Image Gallery for presenting the images. I may have to give FIG a spin myself – it's pretty cool. There's over 160 shots in the New York series including streetart and signage among other things, so you know I like it. Though several of the site's sections are noted as coming soon, "Images" has individual galleries displaying Isto and Ica's unique photographs and manipulations. Artsy stuff! There's also 3 short Quicktime movies in "Films" – I think "10 minus 3" is cool. Cheers to a this creative duo – IstoIca...
RoboRanch 6/3/04 Description:
better living through the interweb - a living document meant to create a rich personal community as well as explore web design and stardards
Comments:
Today's pick is not only a well-designed blog/journal in my opinion, but it's got personality (more than one of 'em). Stephen just discovered he's not "the pile of testosterone" he thought he was (by one indicator, anyway), though he does run a lot and'll be running in the marathon. Amy can sing, which I know from listening to my 2 most recent downloads, and she takes pretty good pictures too. Dig a little and you might end up learning how to "experiment with your appearance without suffering the social consequences" or enjoying the things of a label whore. All-in-all, a most enjoyable stop on the interweb...
mutafukaz 6/2/04 Description:
illustration and animation (Flash)
Comments:
Flash intros aren't usually worth the bandwidth they consume (in my opinion), but I really liked the one I found here. It's an animation with the flavor of a news documentary – done really well. Today's pick has a slick interface and showcases some cool animation and illustration. Check out the video tape player, comics, and a sketch bible, and even play a little video game while you're there. Cool soundscape and colorful visuals – gotsta Run now... [