We Made a Blog

Pop-up video just got a whole lot more pleasant.

“White Box”
Director: Makoto Yabuki
Camera: Masashi Sasaki
Music: Takaya Murakami

Once, just once. That’s all I ask. I just want to use this once. Please.

Artist: Jessica Hische

Bunny bin Laden is one wascally wabbit.

Locale: W 26th St., Chelsea

Photo: Denise Weiner

This is Gary. Its the second sketch I ever made on Odosketch, a site I can’t believe I just found out about. It records your entire sketch for you.

You create an account to save them and you can view the other, way more talented, sketchers on the site. The video playback does bring the artist out in the most amateur sketcher. Seeing all your hard work condensed and reduced into an animation drives you to keep adding more to the drawing in an effort to lengthen the video. The more you put in, the longer the video, and the more you put in the better the image generally gets. Secret educational experiment? Or stoned-doodle pardise? You decide.

Hipster locavorism goes one step further – to hipster no-carnivorism – at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s ThanksLiving event. Animal rights supporters, vegetarians, vegans and those who love them have been coming together under one literal and metaphorical tent on a farm on the outskirts of Woodstock, NY, for the past four years.

Last Sunday the event was hosted by Dan Piraro – sanctuary board member, “Bizarro” cartoonist, stand-up comedian and retro-sartorial wonder. Veganism was done as a soft sell but given that Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s founders, husband and wife Doug Abel and Jenny Brown, are film and television veterans and vegans, the warm and fuzzy short films about their rescued farm animals hit hard. Especially when set to the low, mournful tunes of Brooklyn-originated, now Catskills-dwelling indie rock band Ida, who played live.

As an alterna-Thanksgiving, it wouldn’t be complete without a feast. Guests mingled and enjoyed hors d’oeurves from NYC restaurants (and Moby-spotting locations) Blossom and Candle Cafe and some local spots. The Dr. Cow tree nut cheese on a crostini with tapenade mimicked top-notch goat cheese, from the pleasantly sour bite to the creamy texture. A sea of vegan appetizers is a rare thing and they were accordingly devoured before everyone settled in for a dinner that included a Tuscan farro salad speckled with greens and butternut squash and blue corn-crusted seitan with chimichurri sauce. Vegan Treats delivered on its name with peanut butter mousse bomb cake, death by chocolate cake and pumpkin cheesecake.

ThanksLiving is the prime fundraiser for the sanctuary, which rescues abused and neglected farm animals. Throughout the event, guests browsed raffle and silent auction items that ranged from high-end vegan shoes from Olsen Haus to a signed copy of My Morning Jacket singer and vegetarian Jim James’ first solo effort, which benefits the sanctuary and is a tribute to vegetarian George Harrison. Meanwhile, the crowd heard from Mercy for Animals’ executive director Nathan Runkle and John Phillips, co-founder and executive director of the New York League of Humane Voters, who spoke with the earnestness, humor and manner of Michael Cera about holding politicians accountable for their stands on factory farming and other issues.

With its message of peace and love toward animals and a gentle nudge toward taking action, ThanksLiving shows that change can still grow out of a muddy field outside of Woodstock.

We’ve seen it before. The skateboarding video that tries to be art also. Leaving you with underwhelming skating and overly blurred video. This is different.

The skateboarding is top-notch and super creative. The heaps of wood, trees, lighting and cinematography has this video teetering on the edge of art. Good job DVS.

Peep the making of DVS Wood

Artist info:
Director-Colin Kennedy
Director of Photography-Marc Ritzema
Art Director-Matthew Deak
Editor-Colin Kennedy
Visual Effects-Ryan Marcus

Music-
Air Castles
“Broken Watches”
Night And Day EP
Winter Hymns Records