Cool Art Exhibitions: One Hundred Dollars

I discovered the One Hundred Dollars art exhibition on one of my favourite doodling websites ever and thought it was pretty schweet because it reminded me of this awesome local art exhibition in South Africa (which I will certainly blog about soon). The concept is simple but it's the artists that were chosen who used a huge variety of styles and mediums that made it so interesting.

The art exhibition was held 14th July - 9th August 2012 in Brooklyn, New York. The exhibition's  blog says this about the exhibition:

 "All the artwork for this show utilizes the U.S. One Dollar Bill as a canvas. There will be one hundred artists in the show. All the artwork is available for one hundred dollars each." 

Let me repeat that....one hundred dollars each.

Yeah, no, look like it'll be one of those "can I help?", "oh no thanks, just looking :)" scenes then.

However, we can oogle at the doodles... So here is a collection of some of the works that were for sale:

Julie Elizabeth Brady - One Hundred Dollars

Benjamin Martins - One Hundred Dollars

Jennifer Grimyser - One Hundred Dollars

Casey Farnum - One Hundred Dollars

And just a quote (some true artsy bollocks here) by the Huffington Post just for good measure:

"The exhibition explores how two concepts, art and money, can be both so intimately intertwined and so diametrically opposed. While many artists choose to live outside mainstream corporate society, art is inevitably wound up with money. Both are bound up with value, with symbols and with power. Both are simple objects which garner great importance."

Jeff Faerber - One Hundred Dollars

That's all folks! Maybe next year!

Postcards from South Africa

Everyone digs receiving some snail-mail or a beautiful postcard in the 'ol postbox. It rebels against the monotony of the white business bill-containing envelopes and feels less clinical than a typed e-mail. 

An African girl washes clothes in the doorway of her shack (informal settlement) in Cape Town, South Africa.
So beautifully colourful.

Since discovering these amazing postcards at Buccaneer Backpacker's giftshop (made by quivertreeimages), I've started up a little collection to send to friends and family. These are the ones that remain and are ready for stamping and sending :)

African 'tata' (old man) and 'makoti' (young, married woman) in rondavels (huts), Eastern Cape, South Africa

Living in the Eastern Cape, immersed in a community of rondavels and the amaXhosa, my faith has been restored in knowing the beauty of rural Africa still exists. These postcards capture the traditional culture of Africans; with the mud-plastered walls and dung-covered floors, as well as the emerging Afro-pop style of bright coloured clothing and recycled bold logo prints used as wallpaper for shack decor.

Interior of a shack decorated with bright pink Husky dog food tin labels in Cape Town, South Africa
and a 'gogo' (grandmother) poses inside her rondavel (hut), Eastern Cape, South Africa

If you want to check out a few more beautiful images of African landscapes, homesteads and our people, go here.

A sangoma (traditional healer), Eastern Cape, South Africa

Grammar Tuesday #5

1. Okay -> Ok -> K (I worry where we're headed)
2. This is an ellipsis... This is an awkward silence...........................
3. IN (nice breath in, slowly out, now press the space bar) FACT
4. Don't give smiley faces noses :o) People are afraid of clowns you know

Spell check. Just saying.

The Funniest Web Comics: Part 1

It's a rather dangerous act, disovering a new web comic. Once you find a goodie, you scour  archives for hours on end. It's some sort of shot to relieve the bout of FOMO you felt coming on, or an attempt to label yourself as their "biggest fan". Now these aren't online graphic novels or some true only-this-corner-of-the-internet-knows-about-it comics. They're short, sweet, funny, and most are so mainstream it'll make you want to gag.

Warning: Your internet cap about to cringe, so I'll put these in several posts. Suggest more in the comments.

1. The Doghouse Diaries

The Doghouse Diaries

The Doghouse Diaries

2. Brainless Tales

Brainless Tales

Brainless Tales

3. Buttersafe

Buttersafe

Buttersafe

4. The Oatmeal

The Oatmeal

5. Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey 

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey 

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

South African Crafts: The Wallet

You will need:
1 x empty carton (1L)
1 x roll of insulation tape
Stapler
Scissors
1 x set of metal buttons (available at craft/sewing shops)

Step 1: Find a carton with an awesome, bold, colourful design. Consume. Clean. Dry. 

Step 2: Carefully take apart at the seams. Cut off bottom and top tabs.

The awesome African brand designs are awesome

Step 3: Cut away 9 cm (narrow cartons)/ 7cm (normal/squarish cartons) off the top of the three panels. The last panel will become the overlap to form the clutch/lid for the wallet.

Step 4: The 1st and 3rd panel will become the sides of the wallet (looks like an accordion). This is perfect because it's usually those panels that have the ugly nutritional info table and stuff. If your carton is narrow, make 3 folds (see image) in each panel, so that you can open the wallet wide and have more space. If it's more of a normal/squarish carton (think long-life milk size), then only make one fold (inward) in those two panels.

The template for the South African wallet

Step 5: Round the edges of the tab that will become the wallet lid flap.

Step 6: Line all the edges with insulation tape and fold over. Please pick a colour that compliments the design.

Insulation tape for the edges of the wallet

Step 7: Fold the panels to make the wallet. Join the edges of the 1st and 4th panels by adding an extra strip of insulation tape to the inside and outside of that edge.

Step 8: Fold wallet in half. Staple the two compartments together with two staples in the centre.

Easy peasy japaneasy

Step 9: Fold over top flap and hold closed. Use a pin to push through the centre of the top flap where you want the metal button to go. Make sure it penetrates the top flap and the first compartment (giving enough leeway so that the wallet will be able to close even if it's full of coins) so to serve as a guide of where to place the studs. If the flap isn't long enough to fold over the front a decent amount, cut away a bit more at the top (step 3) and re-insulate. Remove pin.

Step 10: Place the tiny bits of the metal button on the first compartment. Lightly bash them together against a hard surface so that they are fastened. Do the same for the flap.

Done! Well done!

The South African wallet. Bananas not included.

Grammar Tuesday #4

1. Snuck. Not a word. I know right :O
2. Interpretate - I cannot take anything you say after this seriously.
3. Can I axe you a question? I don't know, can you?
4. It seems people have finally found a use for semicolons ;)

Signed, the little voice inside your head reading this to you :)