Random Culture

Timberland & User Generated Content

Timberland has launched a website in support of their "Art in the Boroughs" project, at 10061.com. Five artists have created limited edition boots that will eventually be sold. You can watch videos for each of these artists, discovering more about them and their designs. In addition, there's a gallery of user submitted photos (pictured above), and a link to the "design your own boot" section on Timberland.com.

While there's nothing very unique about the idea, the site is well designed and well built.

Link via Adverblog.

M&M'S + Hieronymus Bosch

Mars has created an advergame to promote dark chocolate M&M'S. Keeping in line with the "dark" theme, the Dark M&M'S Movie Challenge puts users on a mission to guess the titles of "dark movies" as illustrated in a Hieronymus Bosch-like "dark" painting.

Link via Three Minds @ Organic.

Volkswagen UK: Beetle Art

Volkswagen has launched nice website for a special edition Beetle in the UK. On the website, VW has commissioned several artists to create custom decals for the cars, and visitors to the site can explore how those decals might appear on the car. They're also given the chance to win a customized Beetle.

I think this could have been a much better site if they offered far more decal choices. And what about consumer generated content? Why not allow visitors to upload their own artwork?

Link via Adverblog.

Heineken Greenspace

Heineken has launched the website for Heineken Greenspace, a series of events featuring art, music, film and more in temporary spaces. The first event will be in Valencia, held in warehouses that will host a week of activities.

Red Bull Ascension

I posted before about Red Bull's efforts to align itself with high culture. I just caught wind of Red Bull Ascension, an event that happened in May of this year, and that has happened for the last two years. According to the website, Red Bull Ascension is a  "celebration of dance and art culture."

You can visit the 2005 Red Bull Ascension website for more information on what happened, including  photos, music and much more. Previous websites are also available to view for the event in 2004 and 2003.

Hasbro High Art

Hasbro has launched The Pony Project, an exhibition of My Little Pony dolls customized by artists and designers. You can get a sneak peak at the website, and the exhibition opens October 21 at the Milk Gallery. Link via Dopefiend.

Gay Batman vs. DC Comics

DC Comics apparently thinks it can threaten a Chelsea art dealer for displaying Mark Chamberlain's "gay batman" watercolors. This is yet another case of over the top trademark enforcement. According to the art dealer, "D.C. Comics wants me to hand over all unsold work and invoices for the sold work!" You can see the gay batman watercolors at ArtNet. Actually, ArtNet has been given a cease and desist from DC Comics for hosting the images.

What a load of crap. Trademarked images have worked themselves into our culture, and artists routinely make work that functions as commentary on that culture. And artistic expression is a protected right.

Link via BoingBoing.

Printf() and DAT Politics

Printf() is, according to the site:

"a recently formed organization whose goal is to bring electronic musicians and new media artists to perform, exhibit, and lecture in Dallas, Texas."

The first performance is happening this Thursday, and will feature "French Laptop Trio" DAT Politics, and Tree Wave, a similar local music project. This looks to be a pretty interesting event.

In addition, on the Printf() site, they link to a video for DAT Politics that is a must see... Really catchy music, absurd visuals... what more could you ask for? Watch the DAT Politics video here.

Link via Dave.

Processing Beta

Processing, the Java-based program for sketching little bits of art and motion, went into beta a week or two ago.  Processing is a project led by MIT Media Lab's Ben Fry and Casey Reas.

The last release was an alpha, version 68.  This beta is version 85, so about 20 internal releases have happened since the last.  Those guys have made a lot of great changes in the last few months.  If you've got a code thumb and some extra time on your hands, go download a copy and play around with it.

New Deitch Projects Site

If you're not familiar with Deitch Projects in New York, you should be. Jeffrey Deitch, the founder, has quite the reputation... They've launched a new site that lives up to it.

Brands and Art... Again

The list just keeps growing. I've posted about this again and again, and it just keeps happening. It seems to make sense for some brands more than others... and I'm not sure about this one.

Tiger Beer (large Asia-Pacific beer brand) is trying to position itself as "in" with the Art scene in Australia... They've launched a site dedicated to the effort... At the very least, they've got the demographic right, and are targeting graffiti artists instead of the museum crowd.

Nokia "Connect to Art"

Nokia is trying their hand at association with fine art and artists. In November 2004, Nokia launched a new project called "Connect to Art" that allows users to send "works of art" to their mobile phones... They seem to all be videos and included in the current "exhibition" are such well known artists as William Wegman and Nam June Paik.

Seems like we're making more posts about this kind of thing lately, like Sharp and Red Bull. Although Nokia's done a much better job of getting influential artists on board.

Link via Smart Mobs.

Red Bull "Art"

Red Bull is trying its hand at product placement in fine art. It's not anything entirely new, as we've seen this type of thing recently from the Sharp Aquos, although I'd hesitate to call many of these Red Bull entries "fine art."