Mer-chan: technocuddly, cute, arty, geeky stuff from Asia and beyond

Gaming gone art!

merchan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:56:40 +0000

James Barnett’s Fauxvism series repaints the beautiful vistas of Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto, Half Life and Team Fortress in the lines and colors of fauvism. He wanders the “the idyllic countryside” until he finds a scene that appeals to him. Barnett then takes a seat and paints what his digital eye can see. A must see for the Matisse in all of us.

Be sure to scroll through the comments section of his coverage on Destructoid and Offworld Gallery. A debate is raging on how the monetary value of art: is a the purchase price of a game-inspired painting more valuable than a fancy TV and high-end video game?

Barnett’s Fort2 was inspired by the game Team Fortress

Technoboho

merchan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:27:52 +0000

Part of being John Malkovich is being Technobohemian, his new fashion line. It’s techno in its use of cutting edge techniques like french seams and bohemian in its line of summery, casual flair. It sounds less fussy than sci-fi couture and maybe more in line with open source embroidery. Several blogs noted that Technobohemian isn’t his first his fashion foray and mention Uncle Kimono but not Mrs. Mudd. We think a Technobohemian must be the rebellious love child of Uncle Kimono and Mrs. Mudd.

A Turnkey for Steamy Windows

merchan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:19:37 +0000

Way back in 2007, we mentioned Datamancer for Steampunk in Beantown. They are one of those nifty crafty companies at the forefront of advanced steampunk technology. The Datamancer laptop is especially worth its own mention. It starts with the physical turning of a key, its speakers are violin-style F-holes, and it catches Wifi through a feather quill antenna (that doubles as a trackpad stylus!).

Steampunk flies on a Wifi and a feather

Ghana and Dubai Eye

merchan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:12:08 +0000

We’re off to get yellow fever shots to go to The Revisiting Modernization Conference at the University of Ghana — Legone. The topic of course is Building Cultural Capital:Contemporary African Art in Dubai and the Global Art Circuit. And we’re going to be on Dubai Eye at noon for Siobhan Live and talk about our documentary Cultural Capital , tips for not getting lost in Dubai (it involves cross mapping, diagrams and drawing the skyline) and how to balance in a tuc-tuc.

This tuc-tuc might have yellow fever.

Cultural Capital Trailer

merchan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:09:26 +0000

To find out more about our documentary, Cultural Capital: Finding Art in Dubai, read this or watch the trailer:

[See post to watch Flash video]

This is a work in progress and is without sound mixing, soundtrack, and the animated overlays that will combine with the live action in the final film, but it should give you a sense of the issues and the feel of the film.

Kittys grow up so fast these days

merchan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:40:51 +0000

First, there were legal Hello Kitty weddings. Then, Sanrio released a hip mens fashion line for kitty swingers. So it should come of no surprise that the kittys of the world are now having babies. And what better place to have them than the Hello Kitty maternity ward?

Little babys …. or little kittens?

A Deer and a Buck-y

merchan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:38:01 +0000

The mounted deer magnet is a perfect addition to every home. But a deer can get lonely on an open fridge without any woods. Luckily, Bucky Ball magnets can build the woods and the trees and the fence for the dear to jump over and the stream running under the fence and just about anything else you can imagine. Watch a video of the small but powerful rare-earth magnets here.

The Sexy Library

merchan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:41:39 +0000

Libraries can be beautiful buildings… perhaps even sexy. Hot Library Smut celebrates the library in all its exposed glory: from rich leather bindings to sensuous reading rooms to dusty stacks and red plastic slipcovers. For anyone looking for a good read….

The St. Gallen library exposed!

Disunited Artistic Emirates?

merchan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:59:04 +0000

Art Basel 40 wrapped up with over 61,000 visitors. And there is no looking back. The official website has already been updated to Art | 41 | Basel for 2010.

So where does the art world go next? La Biennale di Venezia! Our good friends at Carbon 12 directed us to a nice essay on U.A.E. participation. Sultan Sooud ?Al Qassemi comments that “UAE’s Oneness” comes under question when the country has two competing pavilions, both of which highlight the same artists. Contemporary art is on the rise in the U.A.E., but the number of purchased pavilions is one place that more does not necessarily mean better.

Could you be Brite?

merchan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:48:59 +0000

LiveScience has an article asking “Could you be Batman?” It draws from a book by Dr. E. Paul Zehr, a professor of neuroscience and kinesiology at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and breaks down the full range of mental and physical traits necessary to match Bruce Wayne’s abilities. Of course, the being a millionaire part helps as well.

But Mer-chan wants to know the answer to an even more pressing issue: What does it take to match Rainbow Brite?

What is the feasibility of Rainbow in reality?