Salsa - Yaribaa!

A salsa takeover from Spanish Tostito's dips. If only salsa did this in my mouth.



“And Then There Was Salsa” from Frito Lay Dips on Vimeo.

More local art

More of pop up Art studios are around this summer in my neck of the woods so I'm making the most. The latest I went was the launch of the art concept galley, Towner and Hoxton. Set up by artists who share a love for tea and making things, the gallery combines socialising, showcasing and creation of artwork. My kinda place.
I went to the summer bbq and sat alongside the pop up doll, and the bass player as well as taking in these cool pieces of Art:

Loading bay coffee table decorated with postage stamps. By Johnny Hoxton

1940 Pinups by ??

More works by Johnny Hoxton

The Hendrix cassette piece is very similar to the work of American artist I posted here, but I still like them!

BP cares

As BP share prices are going down feeling the full brunt of their catastrophe, it seems appropriate for me to share with you this most amusing public backlash on the scandal. Created by Leroy Stick an identical 'Twitter' site from BP appears to make apologies to the public. The writer's dry wit is hilarious as he appears to make attempts to excuse BP. But he has a serious message behind it. In his words, he set it up "because BP is more concerned about saving face than they are about saving the coast".  He is one of many consumers I'm sure who are starting to really think about the brands they choose and what they stand for. he wants to get his message across to other Americans to really think about the Oil they putit in their cars everyday. He has also linked up with StreetGiant, who sell t-shirts as part of his Foundation he's setting up; a non-profit organization that will focus on funding publicity stunts and projects to direct attention towards corporate irresponsibility.
Follow his amusing twitterings here.

Floppy D'Art

I'm managing to squeeze in a couple of local exhibitions lately, and one I had to share was a showcase of artists including the very talented Nick Gentry.
I'd spotted his work way back and shared a link with some mates and little did I know that I knew him through a friend of a friend! Anyway, as you can see he creates these amazing portraits using old floppy discs - A much better use for something I used to find so irritating only being able to save two word files on. See more of his work here.

Travel and play!

One of the amazing examples of digital advancements that made me sit up at the Scamp conference last week was the presentation by Katie Lindemann about the early development of a data capture game using Oyster cards called Chromaroma. In alpha form, users can join up and play the game which measures & rewards points for travellers who make faster journeys, visit regular stations or work as part of a team. The competitive and fun side of it means it's almost like playing monopoly when you're commuting to work anyway - that's what I like about it; it's so simple. In it's early form, Chromaroma work in partnership with TFL, which actually provides them with useful information which they can then use to improve services (i.e by monitoring congestion areas..) Users information is not shared with any other company, and the designers behind it are adamant it does not become a big brother style operation. Cynics out there will suggest otherwise. (yes some of us did discuss how there's probably an app being developed out there right now for stalkers..creepy) But I thought it was a great example of how all this data capture can be interesting, useful and FUN!



Chromaroma Visualisation from Mudlark on Vimeo.

I also note it is a more sophisticated and up to date version of my Pacman based game 'Con-Man'.

Mindblowing

Another successful industry event! Wow, was I inspired or what? I found as the day got on my mind was racing with ideas and my hand couldn't write fast enough, with all the notes I was taking. (All the more reason for me to get one big huge Wacom tablet methinks, then I can literally use it as a layout pad). The event lasted afternoon to evening with ten top speakers showcasing some of their interesting work to date, including some top secret ideas in progress. Ranging from social media, interaction, brand strategy, online gaming to digital design, my eyes were digitally opened. There's almost too much to mention in one post, so I'll tap into individual projects in future, but to summarise, here's what I learnt:

• If you want to try something new and innovative & you're being constrained by those in fear - do it anyway. You never know what opportunities it'll open up in future, and you'll probably end up impressing those who doubted you in the first place.
  
  
• Information is there to be SHARED with others. Most people have a creative side and will undoubtedly receive your knowledge with open arms, and you'll always get something back in return.
  
  
• Partnerships in agencies are becoming more important. The Agency preaching to the supplier is fast becoming a dying model, as both parties prove to profit from collaborating and meeting clients needs in an ever changing market, with tighter budgets and greater expectations.
  
  
• Data capture via twitter: the possibilities are endless*
  *I have many an example to post here later
  
  
• Data capture doesn't have to be Big Brother - it can actually be very useful & important in changing services and preventing serious accidents.
  
  
• I'm bored with my portfolio. All this new media is so exciting, I'm going to work on my own briefs next week!
  
  
• Familiar objects are now not what they seem: TVs are four dimensional, poster's talk to you, radios are weather vanes, fridges work for Weightwatchers and plants are very demanding!
  
  
• If you have the right creatives on board, you could remotely control your boyfriend
  (thanks to Nicola, Nikki & Jules for some fun brainstorming. Watch this space people..)
  
  
• Clients should always have a crisis plan. There are too many creative, witty, computer geeks out there that are quick on the mark to be anti-brand.

So there we have it. I feel like I've been playing catch-up, and by the time I research all the various sites mentioned yesterday, there will be thousands more great ideas developing, but it has definitely made me less fearful of venturing into the unknown, and very excited to work on new briefs in this way.