I have been a big fan of Oakland, California-based artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon ever since I ran across some of her San Francisco travel illustrations. Now the self-taught prodigy has a wonderful book coming out on April 1st called Whatever You Are BE a good One (Chronicle Books) , which includes one hundred of Congdon’s hand-lettered inspirational quotes from authors. I’m certainly going to order a copy from my local independent bookstore.
It’s only just 2014 and we’re already seeing “best books of the century” lists coming out. Seems a bit premature to me, but this infographic from USC Rossier School of Education is interesting enough, though flawed. The choices were gleaned from Amazon and goodreads.com, which explains a lot. I was pleased to see Kafka on the Shore, White Teeth and Never Let Me Go on the list, but would have expected more non-North American titles. What do you think?
Secretive British street artist Banksy has revamped his popular “Girl With A Balloon” image to mark tomorrow’s third anniversary of the ongoing conflict in Syria. The new stencil piece comes with the hashtag #WithSyria to promote support for an international campaign to end the bloodshed in Syria. This new image was released on Wednesday and has been projected on landmarks throughout Europe, as well as on the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC, to coincide with public vigils in solidarity with the noncombatant people of Syria.
I never thought that I’d pine for the clickety-clack of my ancient Smith Corona or the satisfying feel of the carriage return, but this wonderful poster from the folks at Pop Chart Lab has me all sentimental. The chart, called “A Visual Compendium of Typewriters”, has sixty beautiful hand-illustrations of classic 19th and 20th century writing machines. You can order your own copy at the website if you’re feeling nostalgic too.
On the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, just outside of the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, hidden at the base of a desert mountain range, sits an odd sight : hundreds of seats for an outdoor movie theater. Award-winning Estonian photographer Kaupo Kikkas recently visited the stark location and brought back these emotive images of a desiccated dream. The abandoned theater was built by a man from France with more money than common sense. The theater seats and a generator were trucked in from Cairo, along with an enormous movie screen.
The scene was set for a grand cinema opening until someone decided to destroy the generator. No films were ever shown and the desert theater is a forlorn relic of hubris.
Melbourne-based Australian artist and designer Sass Cocker is the creative force behind the stationery and design firm Ask Alice. Each year she creates a themed charity calendar, donating 100% of the profits to Melbourne’s Asylum Seekers Resource Center. This time around the Ask Alice “Wish You Were Here 2014 Calendar” includes original art work from a dozen international artists, who each illustrated their favorite city. It’s not too late to get your own copy right here.
A recently discovered treasure trove of 1930s Japanese railway and tourism posters is being auctioned this month through Heritage Auctions Galleries . The gorgeous Art Deco-influenced posters are so rare that even poster museums have few examples from the collection. Bidding will likely be spirited and prices sky high.
The Netherlands’ government-owned Waternet utilities company has recently placed sets of pee-collecting urinals around Amsterdam (but oddly not in Waterlooplein), with the intention of turning it into fertilizer for the city’s urban roof gardens.
The idea derives from the fact that urine contains phosphorous, a key ingredient in for fertilizer that is a non-renewable resource facing depletion, with some environmental experts predicting that the world will run out by the end of the century. Urine also causes problems for companies like Waternet, because the phosphorous crystallizes and clogs up pipes. As a solution to both problems, the company placed public urinals around Amsterdam. Rather than sending the wastewater through sewage pipes like traditional lavatories, the urine is instead collected and sent to a recovery plant, where the phosphorous is filtered and turned into fertilizer. The campaign coincides with new Dutch laws that enable the agriculture industry to use human waste on farms. Waternet’s fertilizer will be used to give back to the city, with urban rooftop farms benefitting. The 400 year-old utility also plans to open a waste treatment plant that will produce 1,000 tons of fertilizer annually by the end of this year.
Earlier this week, 12 Years a Slave was named Best Picture of the Year by the Academy Awards. The film also won the Oscar for the best adapted screenplay. If you were moved by Solomon Northrop’s heartbreaking story, you can download a free audiobook version here. Alternately, you can read the memoir for free online at 12years.org.
Travel Between The Pages 