latest thought towards the thesis-gauntlet…

Who is my user?

OK, so I got it.  My User, is an active participant with the power to recreate space. User 1. Master Control Program 0.

Here is the exploration of the Gotham typeface…very clean, and as the foundry describes it, very “practical”, with an engineer, draftsman-like bent.  Found an interesting article in the NYTimes about the use of Gotham for the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower, and that despite Gotham’s intent to be neutral and just “Gotham,” its choice for this purpose at least, is anything but.

Did a quick search of my fonts, and lo and behold…I don’t have it.  Next question, how do I get it? Do I pay the $299 that the foundry HF+J charges for one computer?  Last I checked, I was on a grad-student/thrift-store budget.  Now what?

I might not completely outline my strategy from here on out but here at least are some fun typography sources:

• www.dafont.com
• www.typeneu.com
• http://www.neo2.es/blog/category/typography/

Next on the agenda is venerable Matthew Carter, a type designer who founded several type foundries and responsible for many of the font faces found on the web: verdana, tahoma, georgia, etc.  First reaction being, ugh, I hate Verdana and Tahoma, not realizing of course that I’m using verdana on my own blog.  I switched it to Helvetica to see the difference and it just screamed Helvetica to me in a way that was distracting.

the original

with helvetica

arial anyone?

http://www.will-harris.com/verdana-georgia.htm

hard to believe that i grew up with these kids, and now they are amazing individuals in their own right. i had a great time running around town with them this summer, and of course in return, i enlisted them to model some new jewelry pieces for me.  it’s what you get for being gorgeous boys n’ girls! you will be USED.  this artist-formerly-known-as-Daria is headed back to the city of black but the city of angels will mean more to me than higher hemlines and guerrilla parking.  let’s do it again soon.

xoxo, ang

WHAT ABOUT SURREALISM?
TOO DOGMATIC,
TOO ELITIST,
AND TOO INTELLECTUAL.

THE DISLOCATION OF ALL THE SENSES?
THIS, FROM A TIMID, DREAMY, PRETTY GIRL.
THAT’S ROMANTIC CLAPTRAP,
HE SAYS WITH SCORN.
THAT’S LA BOHÈME STIRRED INTO ABSINTHE WITH A DIRTY PINKY.
-YOUNG HAE-CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, BEYOND TRUTH AND REASON

a singing-angela-jarvis-cocker-27th-birthday on the 27th!

merry christmas everyone!

still somewhat recovering from the ITP winter show. the repercussions of which are still being felt, both good and bad. lets see…

sick. check.
wallet and coat stolen at afterparty. check.
blogged about in make magazine. double check.
deemed origami master? oh yea baby, despite what this may mean for my digital life.

if you never made it to the show. u can check out some links to various press about the show here.
it was a great, inspiring process. but i sure am glad that i have another semester between me and the next one.

in the aftermath, friends and family have been asking me what i will be doing with the knowledge that i have learned at school and whether or not i will continue to make jewelry.  my answer is folks, i have no idea.  i do know at the very least, that everyday i will wake up, and i will choose to think and create things that will be inspiring, perhaps beautiful, perhaps impractical, but always with heart.  and my gratitude goes out to all those in my life who give me the freedom to make that choice easy.

these are demanding times.  these are inspirational times.

someone recently handed me a card at a party.  but rather than the usual jargon, it simply read this:  a study conducted in 100 countries found that regardless of race, age, gender, or status, people who set definable, measurable goals with a timeline, and a deadline are 10 times more likely to achieve them.

and so i draw upon my friend’s talents and generosity to get me through.

thank you neda, foster, nahana, laura and heidi.  femme fatale five. and to charley. a true professional.

and i thought i had some issues with paranoia.  self control’s freak olivier otten’s pieces are hilarious.  just use your cursor to play.

fall always tends to bring out the insane in me.  it makes me want to drink 5 cups of winter-spiced/spiked coffee, listen to music with harpsichords and glockenspiels, and buy a puppy and dress it in tartan so i can walk it down 5th avenue.  luckily for you and me, i forewent the puppy idea and stuck to drinking 5 cups of espresso a day, probably accounting for the fact that i couldn’t sleep last night.  at the very least, it got me up and at ‘em at the break of dawn, taking a stroll down to the brooklyn museum on a lovely fall morning to see the gilbert and george exhibit.

talk about a british invasion.

gilbert and george met at central st. martins over 40 years ago and have been together ever since making extraordinary things.  most of their art deals with scenes/images/issues that are not more than a few mile-radius from their home in east london.

when they first started out, they were using traditional photography media but from early on, used the grid-format as the structural framework.  they often use themselves as subjects, calling themselves “living sculptures” and are usually seen in their suits-and-ties, or work outfits as they call them.

they now have progressed to digital media, and actually have one of the most powerful graphic work stations in the UK in order to process their huge works of art. whoo! technology…

and this video by danish artist jesper just.