blog GAMIL: an insider look at design » pop culture

John Waters: always affecting the appetite

beth — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:42:32 +0000

“Dirty Dishes” (or “The Girls” as they are titled) Tina, Kim and Kathy – and John Waters of course. I’m not sure I would ever want to eat with these iconic characters, but it could be fun smearing food all over their faces. Get ‘em from Adora Porcelain and various contemporary culture museums.

via Cool Hunting

Died Young Stayed Pretty

beth — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:10:21 +0000

Ron Liberti's interpretation of a film poster for DYSP

Died Young Stayed Pretty, directed by Eileen Yaghoobian, is a documentary about rock posters and their designers, some of whom are Raleigh natives, artists featured in a Designbox Rock Poster Show 5 years ago called StuckUp (Casey Burns, Ron Liberti and Dale Flattum), and one is even a Designbox alum (Dale Flattum). WOOHOO! We’re famous!

“This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. They pick through the dregs of America’s schizophrenic culture and piece them back together. What you end up with is a caricature of the black and bloated heart that pulses greed through the US economy. The artists push further into the pulp to grab the attention of passersby, plastering art that’s both vulgar and intensely visceral onto the gnarled surfaces of the urban landscape.” (from the film synopsis)

The film will have it’s world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 29.

See the film site for a full description, stills and video trailer as well as more artist posters.

Pinball Artwork: Capturing Pop Culture

beth — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:14:32 +0000

You can study history and cultural anthropology in any number of different ways. One incredible area of historical documentation: pinball machines! From movies and tv shows to music to popular games of each era like bingo, pinoccle or space invaders, pinball themes capture it all.

We ran into this little artistic gem over the weekend and had to have it. It will be displayed prominently in a large kitchen window!

If you want a little slice of history in the form of some pretty extreme artwork (and usually not too expensive), check out some pinball machine back glass of the era. You can find a lot of options at any given time on eBay. And here’s a coupla other sites to peruse:
The Pinball Gallery
Internet Pinball Database

Captain Fantastic – look at those shoes! Apparently, the first run of this artwork had a few of the big-breasted women in the crowd actually unclad. Bally didn’t recognize that until some machines were already in use, and had to go back to the smirking artist for a correction.

The Game Show, Bally

Baywatch, Sega

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Gottlieb