Category Archives: Art

What Do All Cities Have In Common

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Does it sometimes seem like every city that you visit is pretty much the same? The run-of-the-mill shops, the stereotypical coffee bars, the standard hipster district, and the ubiquitous food trucks can be found every where you go. Well, London-based architect … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Maps, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Banksy vs France

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

After Banksy’s controversial but surprisingly successful Dismaland installation closed last year, it was announced that the buildings and sets that comprised the attraction would be dismantled and shipped to Calais, France to provide shelter at the refugee camp known as “The Jungle”. The materials have been used … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

I Love A Good Mystery

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

You can follow the brilliant Tom Gauld on his blog.  

Posted in Art, Books, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Between Words

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Chicago-based artist and web developer Nicholas Rougeux’s project “Between the Words” strips all of the letters, numbers and spaces from complete texts of iconic novels leaving just the punctuation. The remaining symbols are arranged in a continuous spiral. You can … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Undiscovered Territory

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

In 2013, we followed artist and filmmaker Doug Aiken’s transcontinental traveling light/art/music show as it made its way from New York City to San Francisco. Aiken’s train-based, 24 day nomadic art show included participation by artists as diverse as Ed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Film, movies, Public Transport, Tech, USA | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

In Flight

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Brooklyn-based artist Juan Fontanive creates extraordinary automated flipbooks, which illuminate the flight of brightly colored birds and butterflies. The steel framed “books” contain gorgeous screen printed images on paper.

Posted in Art, Books, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

Sometimes Paris can seem like one enormous movie set. Apparences is a beautiful, if somewhat surreal, video experiment directed by French duo Clarice et Maxine,who morphed iconic attractions and street scenes into a massive Potemkin Village.

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Film, movies, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Cartographic Illusions

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

“Civilized Landscapes” is an amazing series of paper sculptures by Beijing-based artist/photographer/printmaker Ji Zhou. He recycles old books and maps by hand-sculpting imaginary topographic landscapes.

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Maps | Tagged , | 3 Comments

A veritable travel bucket list

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

London-based, Italian illustrator and graphic designer Daniele Simonelli created the charming poster below of fifteen cities with their iconic landmarks for the travel app Great Little Place. You can see more of his terrific work here and you can check … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Asia, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Egypt and Its Monuments

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

A book buyer just requested some images from this fantastic 1908 edition of Egypt And Its Monuments by Robert Hichens with illustrations by Jules Guérin so I thought I’d share them here as well. Over the years, I’ve bought and … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Art, Books, History, Middle East, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments