Photographer Dmitri Gerasimov Goes After the Edible and Inedible Objects In Life

Photographer Dmitri Gerasimov from Tallinn, Estonia has a unique style to his photography, which to some degree resembles a classic still life painting. His photography offers such granular detail, lots of colors and a strong light, that even the obvious … more

Photographer Dmitri Gerasimov from Tallinn, Estonia has a unique style to his photography, which to some degree resembles a classic still life painting. His photography offers such granular detail, lots of colors and a strong light, that even the obvious subjects (like a tomato) draws the human eye to pay close attention and give the (obvious) subject extra consideration. The results of his photography are shocking, even a little crude on the eye, but his edgy style and his dramatic vision, evoke strong reactions! Dmitri caught our attention with his EDIBLE and INEDIBLE photo projects, which are pictured in the gallery below along with a quick q/a where Dmitri tells us about his appetite for photography and chocolate.

(images 1 – 12 are EDIBLE goods and images 12 – 24 are the INEDIBLE objects)

Why did you do the Edible and Inedible photo project? I was always attracted to series of photos that had a specific common theme. Initially the theme was dead animals and birds. But then I understood that it was not enough for me, and I decided to start taking pictures of subjects that literally fall under my feet. Eventually, when I had, to my surprise, used up many dozens of film rolls or digital images I decided to divide the photos into two groups: edible and inedible.

How did you chose what to photograph? I choose subjects according to colours, shapes and textures. Objects that interest me have a certain audacious character – for example I like to shoot spoiled food. Broken, dirty, damaged or improperly formed things also are great subjects for my photos.

What message do you want people to takeaway from your Inedible and Edible photo project? I have no special message. I just draw attention to the things that cross our eyes on the regular. Daily. They are so common that you don’t even look at them. But I encourage people to see more. To take more notice. Sometimes seemingly familiar objects become unrecognizable. And that’s very important.

What is your go-to late night food snack when up all night working on a creative project? I work on the projects mainly at night, so while I view the footage, I try to eat something light that would not make me sleepy. Usually it gets down to chocolate, apples, corn flakes with milk, etc.

Lastly what type of food best represents your personality? I would say that my personality is just like chocolate with hazelnuts, in my opinion. I am completely in love with chocolate – chocolate has become an integral part of my life. I find it very difficult to imagine a day without eating at least one bar of chocolate.

Check out more photography by Dmitri Gerasimov.
Follow Dmitri’s wide range of work on his Tumblr.

“Really Brothers’” Eco-Friendly Obos: Customizable Cube-Shaped Creatures From Another World

After successfully raising 3x their pledged goal on Kickstarter, “Really Brothers,” Michael Weaker and Omid Sadri, have unleashed their customizable eco-friendly toys, Obos, upon the world. Both eye-catching and affordable, these toys show engineering skill and a design aesthetic with … more

After successfully raising 3x their pledged goal on Kickstarter, “Really Brothers,” Michael Weaker and Omid Sadri, have unleashed their customizable eco-friendly toys, Obos, upon the world. Both eye-catching and affordable, these toys show engineering skill and a design aesthetic with a striking appeal. Michael (right), was nice enough to answer some of our questions about the creative behind the product, their design choices and plans for the future. Check it out!

What inspired the creation of these creatures and planet Obo? We came up with the way the toy works first. Our initial idea was to create a toy that could be sold for five dollars so it would be accessible to everyone. But we also challenged ourselves to make the toy more innovative, less harmful to the environment, higher quality and with more play value than you would expect from a five dollar toy. The idea for Obos came organically from brainstorming around all of those design requirements. We started talking about where the creatures are from and why they are all different, and we came up with the idea of a cube-shaped planet called Planet Obo. Actually, developing the Planet Obo story is one of our favorite ways to procrastinate. (We also like our office game called “balloon darts” – where we pin a balloon to the wall and throw darts at it).

I noticed that your toys have customizability similar to Mr. Potato Head. Are there any other toys, cartoons, etc. that your toys have been influenced by? We thought it would be more fun for the toy to be customizable, so we started by developing a manufacturing process that would allow us to create lots of different characters. Every Obo has eight body parts and you can swap the parts between Obos – so as more Obos come out, there are more opportunities to make custom Obos by swapping parts. Obos are released in series’ of six different characters (one from each side of Planet Obo). Series 1 is available now and we are excited to release Series 2 because we can’t wait to swap parts between series’.

What role do each of you play in the creative process? We are both product designers with past careers in mechanical engineering, so we are always intrigued by how things look and work. As engineers and designers, we are able to consider manufacturing process and environmental impact during the creative process (instead of after). We work together, tossing ideas back and forth to refine and improve them until it feels like they are ready.

With cube shaped creatures and a cube shaped planet, where does the particular affinity for cubes come from? The idea of cube-shaped creatures from a cube-shaped planet was unusual and interesting to us. The Obo toys are not regular cubes. The actually have some interesting origami-type folds on the inside. Those folds and the cube shape are things we came up with to add strength and durability to the Obos. Typically, to make a paper-based material (like the material used to make Obos) into a cube shape, glue is needed – but our way of creating the cube eliminates the glue (better for the environment). Obos are made of thick compressed paper pulp and thanks to a few engineering tricks, Obos are heavier and more durable than many would expect from a paper-based product.

Please tell us why you’ve opted for eco-friendly materials as opposed to plastic. The International Toy Fair happens in New York City every February. We have always had personal interest in toy design so we decided to visit the fair. We went to the fair excited but after walking around (for what felt like miles), we began to feel like there was a lot lacking – and most of the toys were made of plastic. We thought we could do better so we decided to start our own company and become part of the industry. We established our own guiding principles to follow. One of them is that we will always try to reduce the environmental impact of our products during the design process. (Actually, the US EPA published that about 70% of a product’s environmental impacts are determined by decisions made during the design stage.)

Toy-wise, What is overrated culturally right now? What is underrated? We think “tech toys” are overrated. We’re engineers so we are really into technology – but only when technology is used in an elegant way. It seems like there is superfluous technology in many toys today. Some companies are jamming lots of software and electronics into toys to increase play value only a little. Toys are also very tactile objects and many tech toys seem to sacrifice tactile experience in favor of beeps and sensors. We think the most fun (and difficult) challenge is to create something that gives a more unique, fun, and tactile experience with minimal technology.

Now that you’ve had a successful Kickstarter campaign, what’s next? We are busy making Obos available to more people. We are already selling Obos at planetobo.com – and in the coming months they will also be in shops around New York City and Brooklyn. We are currently working on Obos Series 2 which is set to be debut at the 2013 International Toy Fair in New York City in February. To get special news on Obos fans can sign up for the Oboletter at planetobo.com – and for regular Obos updates, Obos are on Facebook at facebook.com/planetobo (but the Obos make most of the Facebook posts).

Learn more about the Obos here.

Completely Unedited, Completely Incredible. Shoot from the Ship is Straight from the Hip.

The ease with which everyone can (and does) take pictures nowadays is great. It’s nice to have people look at the world through an artistic lens, and not only have the means to snap away, but also to share… with everyone… at any time. From Facebook to Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr, slap a filter on it, and hell, everyone’s an artist! (Say it in French- it sounds better.) Take away all that, and that pool of talent is significantly smaller. Leading that pack is Shane Cox and Kristen Karges, a creative duo from Costa Mesa, CA whose Shoot From the Ship Tumblr shares their completely unedited, and completely incredible photos. With no fluff in the way, we caught up with this all original duo and breakdown below on why they are worth paying attention to.

Tell us a bit about you two – how did you two get started in photography? S: I started shooting photos when Kristen got me a bunch of Lomography cameras and film for Christmas 2007. I had been wanting to get into photography for a while so she got me everything I needed to get going.
K: I picked up my first camera in a high school photography class. It was the last year they had a darkroom before the lab was switched to digital. Years later [with Shane's new cameras] we took a day trip to the Salton Sea to try them out. I had a good foundation from my high school class and I tried to share what little I knew about the technical aspects of photography. It’s funny to me now because I always love his photos more than my own and I used to feel like the expert! My trademark look is natural lighting, never flash. And my favorite subjects are usually people but our dog and cat end up in the mix a fair amount.

We discovered you after a conversation on Instagram purism (shot with phone’s camera vs. uploading from other camera) – what side of the line do you fall on? K: I don’t ever upload, we wait a long time to get our photos back. I’d have to post, “Here’s a photo I took on a hike 3 weeks ago!”. At that point who cares? Instagram is very much meant to happen in the moment. I haven’t put much effort into my Instagram and it’s pretty ugly. That’s real Instagram purism! Underexposed, zoomed-in images of your dog. Some of our photography friends have gorgeous Instagrams! I’m envious but it’s too late for me.
S: Honestly I’ve never given it much thought. But I’d be lying if I said I’ve never posted a film photo on Instagram to promote the blog or my site. The idea of Instagram purism seems a little funny though… the whole thing is based around taking a mediocre-looking cell phone photo and adding filters to it to make it look neat. I guess the “#nofilter” people are the true purists!

Why do you choose to keep your photos unedited? How has that helped to define your work? K: I’m really, really bad with computers. And the most exciting part of shooting for me is getting my images back so I need to get it right the first time or risk ruining the whole experience for myself.
S: I think it does help define our work a bit. I always wanted to shoot film because I love the look and the feel of it. I love the grain, and the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of it. I wouldn’t want to do anything to edit those things out, because they’re what drew me to film in the first place. I think you can really edit the life right out of a photo.

Are there particular moments or events you seek out, or do you prefer to let inspiration come to you? S: I think we both definitely prefer to shoot candid moments. Even if I’m shooting a portrait of someone I don’t like to give them very much direction. The best photos I get of people are always when they’re acting naturally and aren’t really paying attention to me.

Where is your favorite place to find inspiration- both online and off?
S: I’m really inspired by nature, so I look for camping/motorcycle riding/outdoorsy photos online a lot. There’s a company called Poler that does different “adventures” all the time and documents them with different photographers. A lot of the time they use film photographers. I’d love to shoot one of their adventures someday. Offline, we both just like to get out and see new places as much as possible. It can be really hard to continue finding inspiration in the place you live and the things you see daily, even if they are beautiful, but it’s always easy for me to finish a few rolls in some awesome place I’ve never been.
K: A friend told us about Kinfolk Magazine
(pick up a copy you can hold) and I am obsessed. We are planning a wedding and everything is so saturated with the same trends. I am looking for inspiration in Kinfolk for our wedding as much as I am for my photography. Nothing makes me want to get out and take photos more than looking at beautiful work and the photographers featured in Kinfolk are so talented.

How have you two evolved as a pair of photographers? How do you two work to continue to grow and complement each other? K: We’ve been doing this together from the beginning and I don’t like shooting without him. Having him with me adds another element that pushes us both to be better. We are drawn to the same shots and so many times we end up with the same subject and just a slightly different perspective. I love that. We have a similar look and I think that’s where the cohesion on our blog comes in. He’s a lot more precise with his framing, which is kind of funny because when we first started shooting together I taught him the rule of thirds, and about leading lines.
S: She did, and every time I look through the viewfinder I still think about when she told me how to frame a photo 5 years ago. We’ve definitely evolved a lot since we started shooting, and I think a lot of the direction we’ve gone in is because of each other. We’re constantly bouncing ideas off of one another and sharing new things we’ve learned.

What is a new trend/technique you find particularly inspiring in your field? K: Minimalism and lots of negative space in an image (have been a growing trend). I love the simplicity of it.

Who are mentors of yours? K: I consider my Gramps, William Creber to be my mentor. He’s a brilliant Art Director and Production Designer, as well as artist and photographer. It’s an experience to listen to him tell a story. He did the original Planet of the Apes, The Towering Inferno, and The Poseidon Adventure to name a few. He created some of the most incredible scenes in movie history on cocktail napkins. And he’s also a lovable smartass and all-around amazing man. I’ve sent him my photography before and he’s hard to impress but his criticism is spot on.
S: Recently I’ve been most inspired by, and learned the most from some new friends we’ve been lucky enough to meet. We’ve met some amazing people because of a common love for film. Do yourself a favor and check out the work of these awesome people:
Jill Thomas
Ben Christensen
Mike Radford

What is an inspiration quote/lyric you’d like to leave off with?
“I want to be part of the resurgence of things that are tangible, beautiful and soulful, rather than just give in to the digital age.” –Jack White

For more on Shane Cox and Kristen Karges, be sure to visit their Tumblr page.

The Immersive Abstract Art Of Nathan Miner

Boston-based painter, Nathan Miner creates huge immersive abstract paintings drawing inspiration from his travels, the cosmos, nature and everything in between. Last year Nathan created “Echoes Embrace“: a seven foot tall, 20 feet long piece comprised of 12 separate panels. … more

Boston-based painter, Nathan Miner creates huge immersive abstract paintings drawing inspiration from his travels, the cosmos, nature and everything in between.

Last year Nathan created “Echoes Embrace“: a seven foot tall, 20 feet long piece comprised of 12 separate panels. Currently, Nathan is working on and raising money on Kickstarter for his most ambitious undertaking to date “Field Reflections“: 2 paintings that “will open themselves to the mental projections of the viewer.”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Nathan on his influences and art and tapped into precisely what it’s like outside of the matrix.

How would you describe yourself as a creator? Painting is my preferred mode of being. I’m obsessed.

Do you have any rituals to your creative/work process? I’m constantly painting in my mind, so it’s mainly just a matter of clearing paths through life to get into the studio. When I do, I lock the door, turn on music or podcasts and get to work. I focus on producing a painting, of course, but that leans heavily on process. Painting for me is extremely time intensive and has its own way of becoming meditative, of fulfilling my spiritual and emotional needs, making my work is the actual ritual.

What inspired the creation of “Field Reflections” and more particularly, the immersive environment it appears to create? My inspiration for “Field Reflections” came in part from the Voyager spacecrafts. Traveling in opposite directions towards the outer edges of the solar system, Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977 and are now approaching interstellar space. They each carry a gold-plated, audio-visual record of the sounds and images of Earth. If one were to find either spacecraft, he or she would have a record of our humanity and of the planet. The spacecraft are among the first human objects to pass through the edge of our solar system and into the heliosheath. This is a messy territory of fragmentation and constant change.

Echoes Embrace, 2011

We’re all Voyagers. We continually reach into the darkness, beyond the edges of our abilities, to gain any kind of understanding; and then we pull back from it with a renewed sense of self. When we break down preconceived ideas, we can have real experiences. Large-scale works of art have a way of engaging the body-mind as opposed to just the mind. They can activate a kind of primal spirit – a more basic self. “Field Reflections” utilizes immersive strategies of scale to confront and disorient the viewer physically. At the same time it’s visually seductive so viewers can stay with it and, through sustained and open-ended viewing, enter into a period of increased focus and heightened visual awareness.

In your Kickstarter video you said that you tend to focus on “the fringes of understanding.” Are there any particular disciplines / mediums that you gravitate towards to explore and expound upon your own understanding? Traveling is an excellent medium, whether in foreign lands or by backpacking into the wilderness, I can’t get enough of it. I read science and science fiction to push my imagination; theoretical astrophysics and cosmology are mind-warpingly bizarre. I’ve studied hieroglyphs and cave paintings to get a glimpse of the world from an ancient perspective, and recently I’ve begun to see a shaman. Beyond all of these however, my 19-month-old son who brings the world into a whole new light every day has profoundly redefined me.

Do you have a particular story you can share where you have “lost and found yourself”? I once went into a desert in India on the back of a camel to camp out under the stars. It was a very cold night on top of the highest dune around. Lying under heavy wool blankets and with my hat pulled down around my ears, for hours I gazed in awe at the universe spread out above me and could perceive the planet’s slow turn. The cosmos was astoundingly beautiful. There was no interference from light pollution, no clouds obstructing my view and, as it happened, no moon that night. The ribbons of the Milky Way intoxicated me, but I was also terrified by its vastness and ached at the thought that I might fall out into to its abyss. With the weight of the blankets pressing my body into the sand, I had a feeling that I wasn’t lying on anything at all, but was instead hanging off the bottom of the planet. I wept with joy at the beauty of life and in recognition of my own mortality. At that moment, the barren desert seemed lush and nurturing compared to the cold dark depths of space. I reached out from under the blankets and dug my hand into the sand. Squeezing it I imagined weighing each grain of sand against a star, and found deep peace and gratitude for the abundance of weight within my reach.

You utilize a variety of mediums to create your pieces. Was there a particular reason or philosophy behind this? My process nurtures the emergent properties inherent in drawn-out repetitive acts. The paintings are built slowly to mimic the natural processes of growth, decay, layering and erosion. They are generated instead of fabricated as I discover them within the creative act. The materials help me to realize this work beyond the limits of my own imagination, transporting me to places I couldn’t otherwise reach.

What / who is on your radar right now that you think our readers should pay attention to? Artists: Melanie Authier, Keltie Ferris, Ricky Allman, Tom McGrath, Sarah Walker and Jim Gaylord. Radio and Podcasts: WZBC.org, WFMU.org, WMBR.org and WNYC’s Radiolab, the Long Now Foundation’s SALT (Seminars About Long-term Thinking).

Field Reflections #1

Support Nathan Miner’s “Field Reflections” through his Kickstarter page and see more of his work on his website.

The Edgy and Confident Balloon Photographer in Brooklyn: What’s Up With Lydia White?

Lydia White is the kind of badass you want to be when you grow up. After a few clicks through her photography portfolio, it’s pretty obvious why. She’s edgy, confident, creative. Truth be told, anyone that can make a shoot … more

Lydia White is the kind of badass you want to be when you grow up. After a few clicks through her photography portfolio, it’s pretty obvious why. She’s edgy, confident, creative. Truth be told, anyone that can make a shoot out of Mylar balloons, over-sized eyes, and striped pantyhose has our vote, but it was her interview that really catapulted us over the edge into full on lady boner land.

In your own words, what type of creator are you? I’m a photographer and multidisciplinary designer currently living in Brooklyn by way of San Francisco. I work primarily as an interactive art director but I’ve been taking pictures for a little over ten years now and I love that there is always something new to discover and new ways to push myself creatively.

Do you have any rituals to your creative process? Procrastination! I’m constantly bouncing around between projects- in one day, I may go from concepting and shooting photos, to building a website, to designing a brand for a client. I really love having a variety of things to work on that feed off each other and keep me sharp. I like to spend a few days thinking in a vague way before I actually start. Brainstorming and executing on something in a short time doesn’t leave room for ideas that emerge in idle moments. When I am ready to focus, I find watching a show in a smaller window or listening to a good podcast helps me crank. It gives my brain something to focus on when it drifts off. Also coffee and seltzer water are essential.

At what time of day do you come up with the best ideas? Right before I go to sleep! I try to write them down but they are often lost. I have amazing dreams and have also experienced sleep paralysis and out of body experiences. I also bought a waterproof notepad for my shower so I can write down any ideas I have then. Showers are great places for aha moments because you are alone, completely free of distractions, sort of spacing out, and feeling good.

How do you keep your work fresh? I am really fascinated by the world and I love learning about odd places, unusual history, interesting people, scientific discoveries. The internet is an endless well of amazing and terrifying things to discover. I also travel quite a lot. I have been to over 25 countries, many of them traveling alone. I’m particularly interested in urban planning, unnatural lighting, and otherworldly landscapes such as salt flats and volcanoes. I’m definitely obsessed with volcanoes.

Where’s your favorite place to find inspiration – both online and off? Tumblr is my go-to everyday source. There are many talented people on there and it’s fun to follow them along on their career and get insights into their process or practice. Atlas Obscura is an awesome travel/oddities resource and I am really looking forward to their redesign. Offline it’s bike rides, museums, cafes, dancing, being in nature. It’s all about a healthy balance between being inspired and informed by other artistic works and being inspired by the world and humans at large.

What is a new trend/technique you’ve been recently inspired by? Since I’ve moved to New York I’ve become interested in working with objects and making images that are more about the composition and colors than anything that makes sense or is functional. I think it is partly informed by my work as a designer and also has to do with the lack of natural scenery here. While I was at the Picture Berlin residency last summer, I had a lot of fun creating sets loosely inspired by alien landscapes I have seen or imagined with collected materials.

Who is a mentor of yours? I was really lucky to have grown up in an artsy town in Northern California. My father is a painter and always encouraged me to be creative and taught me how to use computers and photoshop when I was really young. In high school I had a wonderful mentor, Murray Rockowitz, a fine art photographer whom I assisted for a couple of years. I got the job because I marched up to his studio one day and said I wanted to work for him and that he should hire me. I wish I could be as confident now! I helped him manage his studio, and we also did a lot of shoots together- I treasure the images he took of me at that age. I learned a lot about how to make beautiful darkroom prints, lighting, and the challenge of being an independent photographer. I like to think I also opened him up to the potential of digital and the web. In college and as an adult I haven’t had mentors and I’ve felt the absence.

What is the best advice you have been given that you find yourself constantly remembering? I revisit Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth every few months. I also constantly remind myself that who we are is a product of whom and what we surround ourselves with. It’s important to choose brilliant and positive people to spend your time with because they will challenge you and elevate your life.

What/who is on your radar right now? I just discovered the work of Daniel Kukla and I’m really drawn to his landscapes that deal with concepts of artificiality and scale. I LOVE what Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven aka Synchrodogs are up to. Viviane Sassen from the Netherlands is doing interesting things with color. I also heard Michael Cina speak and he inspired me in the way that he works fluidly between design, branding and fine arts. But most of all my friends are on my radar- I feel pretty blessed to be surrounded by a lot of talented and smart folks.

You once asked this question on your own Twitter, so now we ask you – What genre would your (life) story be?: Definitely some sort of adventure novel. I feel most in my element when I am embarking on something potentially dangerous and stupid.

What’s your favorite word? Flughafen. It means airport in German and it’s one of the only German words I can ever remember. It’s fun to say and I like airports.

What is your spirit animal? Mantis shrimp. Google that shit and be amazed.

Lastly, tell us a story behind your favorite project: I don’t know that I have a favorite. But the most recent project I have been working on is an ongoing collaboration with my friend and neighbor Camilla Bareiss. She’s a painter and our different backgrounds and perspectives play off each other well. I collect a bunch of random things from polish dollar stores or off the street and dump the box in front of her. She helps edit what’s shit and what’s awesome and we brainstorm from there. We recently had a bit too much fun with mylar space blankets, gold spray paint, googly eyes, and our friend Tiffany who was a lovely and gracious model (we fed her lots of champagne). I’m attracted to mylar because of it’s materiality and because it can literally save your life if you are in an emergency situation or lost in the wilderness and need to stay warm.

For more on Lydia White, and to develop your own girl crush on her, visit her website and Tumblr.