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one small seed#30: A Face to Face Interview with Paolo Nutini

giu — Fri, 15 May 2015 11:47:08 +0000

Paolo Nutini has millions of views on YouTube and has played with the Rolling Stones, but doesn’t even know the password to his Twitter account. ‘It’s all about the music, man,’ he tells us. Get to know him better in our face-to-face interview:

‘Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone’

one small seed — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:33:06 +0000

Eduardo Salles’ quirky and colourful illustrations do more than provide a good laugh. The Mexican illustrator and designer’s series entitled ‘Cinismo Ilustrado’ (‘Cynicism Illustrated’) uses satire to confront ideas of religion, politics, the environment, and popular trends in the 21st century.

One poster depicts what looks like a homeless man begging for facebook ‘likes’, another with the words: ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone’.

Salles aptly sums it all up with the poster ‘Icons that f**k up your day’: most of us know what it feels like to have one bar of wifi signal, or to wait for that double tick on whatsapp.

Another poster entitled ‘Run Pistorius Run’, depicts a blindfolded person carrying a sword and the scales of justice, running after a man with prosthetic blades for his legs. Enough said…

Here is what some imgur.com users had to say about Salles’ illustrations…

oh my what a wonderfully refreshing dose of true reality. dmj12

I don’t see a lot of cynicism in here….Social commentary is more accurate. Maybe social commentary by a cynic. Nolieolieolieoooo

sad how true most of these are… mrGrumps

What do you think? Comment in the box below…

Taylor Swift is “obsessed” with Nashville musicians’ mash-up!

one small seed — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 13:49:11 +0000

All it takes is a little Taylor Swift magic to make a music video go viral! Nashville-based musicians Louisa Wendorff and Devin Dawson’s music video has so far received 8,874,221 views on Youtube with Taylor’s help by tweeting her 50 million followers.

The tweet, saying that she is “obsessed”, was in response to the Nashville duo’s acoustic mash-up of ‘Blank Space’ and ‘Style’ from Taylor’s 1989 album.

Taylor’s influence didn’t stop there. After spending hours stalking her fans on social media she hand-picked her most loyal fans and personally wrapped ‘Swiftmas’ presents which were delivered to their doorsteps!

Enjoyed this mash-up? Check out Avi Kaplan’s cover of ‘All About that Bass’ by Meghan Trainor here.

Homophobia, sexism, greed & #instant oral: the dark truth about modern society.

one small seed — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 06:51:21 +0000

Make sure you do a double–take when you look at the illustrations by Spanish artist Luis Quiles (aka Gunsmithcat). There is a dark and shocking truth hidden behind the cartoonlike, and brightly coloured illustrations.

The messages are unapologetic and unsettling, putting modern society in the limelight for all to see! The animated characters depict scenarios that we see and feel in everyday life, including issues like homophobia, sexism, censorship, corporate greed and even child abuse.

What are your thoughts? Shocking, or just pretty pictures? Comment below…

Naked Woman Caresses iconic Nelson Mandela Statue

one small seed — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:15:42 +0000

After doing a little stroll around the popular Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg, a woman then decided to pull a Full Monty, going all close-up and personal while she caressed the statue of South Africa’s former president.

Considering the passing of Madiba and South Africa celebrating its 20 years as a democracy, it is almost unbelievable to read statements by TimeLive saying that ‘many called her actions distasteful and commented on whether her body was good enough to be shown in public.’

Sounds like a opinion of Page 3 hopefuls.

Khotso Tladi, a chef at Baglios, quotes:

She didn’t have a nice body, everything was saggy and she had hair. Afroman was better.

With Nelson Mandela Day being only two weeks ago on the 18th of July, this really is a time to reflect and remember all that he stood for and the positive changes he made. Here’s a little thought of our own.

South Africa in 2014 is a year that will be remembered for decades to come. A year of celebration, of loss, and of positive change. A year the Mother City – and the first city in Africa – took the title of World Design Capital 2014, while the entire country celebrates 20 years in a democracy. While the entire world – in solitude and in global gatherings of thousands – mourned over the passing Madiba. But ultimately we celebrate his legacy by keeping his message and his character alive in all we do. A message about freedom, of acceptance, of having the tenacity to express with conviction… This woman shows all of that, why she did it? Well, we’re busy finding out. Stay posted.

Give us your own opinion on this ‘performance’ in the comment box below.

While were on the topic of nakedness, check out our pretty prevealing post Vagina Activism: Shameless Provocation or Conceptual Art!

#FYI: Tweet-powered cars and other cool shit…

one small seed — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:48:41 +0000

At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week. Stay tuned for weekly material…

MindDrive Social Car

Image: lostateminor.com

Fueled by tweets and likes, MindDrive is the world’s first social media powered electric car. The vehicle was created by a group of fifteen Kansas students who converted the vintage 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia into an electric car that is jolted into life with every tweet, like and social media share. MindDrive is a non-profit organisation that aims to encourage experimental learning through recruiting students to take on innovative projects. We’re still a little fuzzy about exactly how social media activities are transformed into watts to drive the car, but the vehicle seems to be working. Nevertheless if you ever find yourself behind the wheel of a MindDrive, it might be helpful to have some electrical tools on hand in case the car comes to a halt.

Audiowood Barky Turntable

Image: audiowood.com

Turntables are often black and boxy, lending them an air of design predictability. Audiowood has challenged this notion with the Barky turntable. The music device is made from glass and a solid ash wooden platform with brass fitted to the spiked feet at the bottom of the machine. With a rustic feel, the vinyl player can easily be adapted to any home. The elegant contraption also features a high-quality Rega parts kit and comes in 115V or 230V versions. Audiowood creates 10 to 15 of these pieces every year, making Barky an exclusive purchase.

Projecto: Projector for Instagram Photos

Image: mocoloco.com

Instagram has cultivated an era of ‘selfies’ and the return of vintage, retro inspired photography. While users can tap into Instagram’s filters to edit their images into aged photographs, many people view their creations through the modern technology of cellphones, Facebook, Twitter, tablet devices, and so on. Projecto brings the retro feel to life. The nifty device is a matchbox-sized projector that projects your Instagram images. Connect your Instagram account to the Projecto website, and the Projecto whizzes will develop your photographs onto a 35mm film. The film will then be passed through a wheel that fits into the tiny projector. Both the projector and the film will be mailed to you, so you an share your images in a retro environment.

MINI Bathroom Airbags

autoguide.com

MINI Mexico has targeted women drivers in an ad campaign that warns the fairer sex of the dangers of applying makeup while driving. The automotive company began their awareness project by placing large airbags inside female restrooms in Mexico. Soap dispensers were rigged to carry the airbags, and when women stood next to them, the dispensers would burst open into an airbag, alarming the women. The airbags were printed with the MINI logo and a caption that read: ‘There’s a place for everything. Makeup or drive’. According to the company’s statistics, over 1 200 women are killed each year as a result of the way in which they multitask driving and beautifying. While the initiative draws attention to an undermined source of road accidents, many women have voiced concern over MINI’s gender-based approach in the making of the ad.

BOXED furniture

Boxed from Tyrone Stoddart on Vimeo.

Image: designtaxi.com

People live their lives on the move, and there is nothing more handy than being able to whip out a work station when the need arises. BOXED is a concept developed by Tyler Stoddard. The designer created a briefcase that can be transformed into multifunctional furniture. From one little box case, four different types of furniture can be created. The wooden briefcase can easily form a desk, a coffee table, two stools, and a lamp, providing the perfect workspace utilities. Each piece can then be disassembled and fit back neatly into the briefcase. BOXED also comes with a small pouch of ash tree seeds so that its new owner can replant and replenish the materials used to make the furniture. The project is designed to provide functional furniture and to educate people about the ash dieback — a disease that has been killing ash trees.

Caramalised Sugar Solarium Greenhouse

William Lamson – Solarium from Storm King Art Center on Vimeo.

Image: thisiscolossal.com

Solarium is a fully operational greenhouse featuring 162 windows made from caramalised sugar. Designer Wiliam Lamson built the colourful construction at the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York. The space functions as both an experimental greenhouse and a meditative environment. Lamson spent weeks formulating a method to construct the windows, finally ensuring that each of the 162 sugar panels are cooked to different temperatures and then sealed between two panes of window glass. Durng the hot summer months one of the panels opens, allowing vistors to enter and exit from various points.

W/Me Wellness Tracker

Image: kickstarter.com

Mood rings were one of the rages of the 90s, entrancing wearers to believe that colour-changing rings could reflect their mood. While the rings had little scientific value or accuracy, Phyode has created a wristband that reads the mood of its owner. The W/Me bracelet is embedded with medical-grade sensors that work together with smartphones to keep people aware of their mental and physical states. Wearable gadgets are becoming increasingly popular as fashion becomes more tech-savvy and tech becomes more fashionable. Phyode aim to create wearable devices that can provide a better quality of life. W/Me is a wellness tracker that can monitor your body’s autonomic nervous system, which acts as a subconscious control system for your body. The device then uses this physical data to categorise your mood as either passive, excitable, pessimistic or anxious.

Images: lostateminor.com, audiowood.com,designtaxi.com, autoguide.com, mocoloco.com, thisiscolossal.com, kickstarter.com

WE LOVE SEXY: THROUGH YOUR LENS

one small seed — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:14:53 +0000

This is a call-out for all photographers and anyone who loves aesthetically pleasing images! We Love Sexy is a social activation through the power of photography that draws on photographs to capture the raw essence of what it means to be sexy.

We Love Sexy will explore the portraits, the movements and the moments of a diverse, inspiring group of individuals. From the professional to the amateur photographer, from the model to the make-up artist, and from the people we call friends and brothers… everyone is a part of We Love Sexy, whether it be directly or indirectly. We Love Sexy showcases ‘sexy’ photography in all its forms: from the curve of a calf to an honest smile, from the glamour of haute couture to infectious free-spirited fun, and from the urban underground to the latest runway show.

image: Daniel Van Flymen

image: Lindie Jacobs

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

There are three ways to share your own interpretation of ‘sexy':

1) Become a member (if you aren’t already!) on onesmallseed.net and upload your image making sure you use the hash tag #welovesexy in the ‘Tags’ box (see image below). If you have a full shoot you would like to submit, simply create an Album called We Love Sexy. (use the hash tag for all the photos in the album too!)

2) Like the We Love Sexy Facebook page and tag the page in any album/image you upload to Facebook that is content-relevant.

3) Email your submission/s to welovesexymag[at]gmail[dot]com

4) You can also upload images on Twitter (tag @WeLoveSexyMag) and via Instagram! Just make sure you always use the hashtag #welovesexy

image: Sivan Miller

image: ‘Day 22′ by Lindie Jacobs

THE COMPETITION & DIGITAL MAGAZINE

There are three one small seed magazine packages (Issue 02 – Issue 25) up for grabs, and since we are focussing on the digital realm it means that these magazines are now collectables! To enter, you simply need to submit your best images via any of the methods mentioned above. The three most Liked images on the We Love Sexy Facebook page will get awarded the awesome package… that’s nearly 10 kg’s of amazing content and design that you can keep forever!

Not only do you stand the chance of winning a one small seed box set (and other prizes TBA), but every month there will be a digital magazine showcasing up to 100 of the best submissions! So, what are you waiting for?

IMPORTANT LINKS

Keep posted with news by following We Love Sexy on:

onesmallseed.net
Facebook
Twitter
PInterest

image: Jono Nienaber

all images taken from onesmallseed.net

Interview | Justin Bolognino: The ‘Synchronicity Architect’

one small seed — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:04:35 +0000

Justin Bolognino is a jack-of-all-trades. The visionary entrepreneur has led marketing campaigns, produced documentary films, designed an environment for creative artists, and crafted inventive art pieces from some of the most unlikely, unreal materials. He does it all through the evolutionary gizmos of social media. The ‘Synchronicity Architect’ sketches his blueprint around making the hidden connections of the digital world a true manifestation in the physical world. Bolognino is the founder of Learned Evolution – an establishment that powers design, events, and social media marketing to clients who want tech-savvy experiences – and The Meta Agency – a home for imaginative designers and artists. Through these ventures he has made Brooklyn Bowl a Google keyword and redefined the SXSW experience through #FEED powered by Twitter. Bolognino’s enterprises and ventures have been sponsored by an array of big name supremacies – Twitter, Samsung, Vimeo, Android, and Ralph Lauren to name a few – but he maintains small business is key to keeping up with the evolving digital landscape. In the interview below, he chats to one small seed about interactive social media art, finding the right language and tinkering with online instruments to create real world experiences.

Image: readmyego.com

From Learned Evolution to The Meta Agency and #FEED, your work is strongly tied to social media and the physical space. Lots of people assume different identities online. How do you facilitate interconnectivity in the physical world from online interactions when people behave differently in the two dimensions?

I tend to look at things in terms of evolutionary metaphysics:

we all have varying degrees of self that manifest in different vehicles at different times within different environments

So first, it’s best to understand the possibilities and limitations of each and design within those parameters. It starts with intention of the ‘feeling’ – the emotional resonance is the core mission – and builds from there. Waving your hands and making things move is cool for a few seconds, but without the feeling it won’t leave a lasting impression be it physical or online. But over all else it has to be FUN!

Image: ©Jenny Sathngam, facebook.com

Social media works through Internet access. Less than half of South African households have Internet access. How do you respond to the challenge of building communities and experiences in the physical word using online media when so many people have limited online access?

Wow, that is quite a question that I’m afraid has to start at the political level and how they define basic needs.

Can Internet be considered as fundamental as food, clothing, shelter, electricity?

This leaves more responsibility in the hands of those that do have access to fight that much harder and find creative ways to get access to those who don’t. Information is power… a dangerous fundamental need from a political power standpoint.

Technology is constantly changing, but Twitter and Facebook have been hegemonic of social media trends and behaviors for a while now. What do you think will be the next evolution or wave of social media?

Every evolving system will eventually face this challenge, and eventually the large hegemony will bifurcate into smaller more niche entities. The next evolution will find more action based tools that drive people offline into definitive action, then back to online to share their results so we can them optimise that data. We call this the ‘self perpetuating feedback loop’. The more we can create a ‘positive hall of mirrors’ the deeper the impact will be.

Soon we will look at social media channels as a vast toolbox for action: be it social, cultural, personal, political, entertainment, etc.

#FEED powered by Twitter: Day 1 – “Generating Synchronicity” from #FEED powered by Twitter on Vimeo.

Image: ©Jenny Sathngam, facebook.com

#FEED was an experiment in ‘generating synchronicity’. In this context what’s the difference between synchronicity and interactivity or interconnectivty?

Synchronicity is the subjective/internal ‘meaning’ based side of interconnectivity, while external/objective side of the same coin is interconnectivity. Blurring this line of duality is at the heart of everything we do.

Between the subjective and objective is where the meaningful, resonant magic is made

The majority of South Africans access online content through cellphones. Do you think mobile phones can have the same level of community-based connectivity as computers?

Even more connectivity… they are better for action based platforms that drive the self perpetuating feedback loops. They are more active tools, rather than passive resources.

Image: ©Jenny Sathngam, facebook.com

Social media interactivity seems to be primarily geared to younger audiences and users. Are you interested in using social media in relation to older generations?

Absolutely! I think it is more about stage of conscious evolution than age. I know some pretty interconnected older folks who are incredibly self aware. Thus, the focus needs to be how to raise awareness levels. Doing so will by default get more people into interconnected social media platforms. This is focusing on creating tools that advance internal, subjective mechanisms. Focusing on the causal influences rather than on the bandaid solutions that perpetuate the problems.

You say interactive social media art at #FEED was about capturing social media and putting it into the physical form of art before it became lost. Do you think there other ways to use the user generated content of social media before it floats away in a cloud?

Of course there are. The field of predictive data analytics is incredibly fascinating, if a bit Big Brother.

Using social media to predict and foster positive change is going to become more and more prevalent for applications in medical/healthcare, cultural and social action, politics, entertainment, etc

We like to say we’re ‘making Big Data FUN’. But of course there are infinite ways to use Big Data.

A lot of the #FEED installations were based on visual integrations. Online media in general is focused on images over the texts. Do you think people are too lazy to read or are images just that much more exciting?

Visual images are the carrot, but at the other end of the stick the content still has to be meaningful in order for quality change to occur

The visual content is a Trojan horse, but you have to get past the wall before the warriors can jump out and make change.

Laziness is likely a factor, but I think it has more to do with how our brain processes patterns of information more than any other factor.

#FEED was incredibly successful at SXSW. Do you hope to evolve it beyond festivals and maybe move it beyond American borders?

YES! Now that we’ve done two years of successful events, it’s time to scale the model to other events around the world. #FEED can’t exist in a vaccuum; it has to ‘feed’ off other enviroments to work. We’re planning on Art Basel, Fashion Week(s), Cannes, and similar events. Ultimately, we can be doing #FEED somewhere on Earth all year round.

It’s a meta-linear platform that can exist as a permanent installation (think: #FEEDnyc – a museum that just feeds manifests social happening around NYC) or in conjunction with another event. It can be a single installation, or a three-floor megaplex. It’s designed to scale and modulate as needed.

You say that simplicity and consistency are crucial in using and building a brand via social media successfully. You need to ‘carry the same voice across all media but understand the different nuances of each’. How do you make this voice appeal to a variety of different people with different interests?

One of my favorite quotes of all time is Heidegger’s ‘Language is the house of Being’. So it all comes down to creating systems of language that are designed for simultaneity, rather than myopic targeting.

Again we find the Trojan horse scenario.

Certain words have loaded meanings for certain stages of consciousness, and if you choose these loaded words you’ll in effect scare off a certain market

Sometimes that is a good thing, but most if not all of our projects, from Brooklyn Bowl to #FEED, are grounded upon inclusivity and integration, so creating language systems that reflect simultaneity and inclusiveness at their core is the first step to success. Or, so I ‘say’.

Images: facebook.com, Jenny Sathngam, readmyego.com

Questions and introduction: Ra’eesa Pather

#FEED: Exploring the Physical World Through Online Instruments

one small seed — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:48:10 +0000

Curated by Justin Bolognino and his dynamic online endeavours Learned Evolution and The Meta Agency, #FEED is a concept powered by Twitter that uses the digital environment to celebrate the physical world. It worked as both an event and a tool that narrated the 5-day story of the SXSW 2013 festival. As an event, #FEED organized a variety of interactive experiences to capture the spirit of SXSW: from music to social media art to wellness and night-life adventures, the innovative platform successfully used the online world to create a new view of the physical world.

The videos document #FEED’s creative approach to ‘generating synchronicity’ and ‘facilitate hidden connections’. Social media art may seem like a foreign notion that inspires skepticism, but #FEED has made social media art a community experience through physical installations that use online features. One piece saw #FEED use the SXSW Twitter hashtag to pick Instagram photos from the Twitter stream and create an inventive Instagram wall featuring hundreds of SXSW revelers and artists. Other media art allowed people to move photos with their bodies, and tweet into installations to change their narrative. Musically #FEED used apps like ‘Pulse’ – which senses people’s emotions through their pulse rate and chooses tunes to match these emotions – to show people how digital designs can affect their physical experiences. Wellness saw #FEED helping people to care for their bodies through rooftop yoga sessions, cycling and bootcamp in an effort to emphasise fun, healthy and social living.

In each of these experiences #FEED used social media to help people collaborate and build communities in the physical world. #FEED was a feature that brought SXSW to life, and if the concept successfully becomes global, it will help bridge the gap between online and physical dimensions to form new relationships and encounters.

#FEED powered by Twitter: Day 1 – “Generating Synchronicity” from #FEED powered by Twitter on Vimeo.

#FEED powered by Twitter: Day 2 – “Social Media Art” from #FEED powered by Twitter on Vimeo.

#FEED powered by Twitter: Day 3 – “Music” from #FEED powered by Twitter on Vimeo.

#FEED powered by Twitter: Day 4 – “Wellness” from #FEED powered by Twitter on Vimeo.

#FEED powered by Twitter: Day 5 – “Conclusion” from #FEED powered by Twitter on Vimeo.

Words: Ra’eesa Pather

FYI: A plant that tweets and other cool shit

one small seed — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:34:39 +0000

At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, photography, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds from the last few weeks… Stay tuned for weekly material!

FACE THE MUSIC

Japanese artist and programmer Daito Manabe has created a way in which facial reactions can control sound. This concept could revolutionize how we interact with music. No longer limited by just hands, a DJ can manipulate and create music with a smile or blink.

LESS IS MORE… CuBox: THE LITTLE COMPUTER THAT CAN

gearburn.com

This little CuBox has all the functions of a computer but is incredibly small and efficient. Everything you need is neatly compact in this 91 gram device: media centre, thin client, XBMC console and a network-attached storage device — girls, tiny handbags are no longer an excuse!

WIND-DRIVEN LIFE SAVER: THE MINE KAFON

Mine Kafon | Callum Cooper from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

How do you avoid conflict? Blow it up of course. Afghanistan born Massoud Hassani designed the Mine Kafon in order to detonate landmines safely and at low cost to users. Bamboo and biodegradable plastics make for a large part of the materials used and the device is light enough to be transported solely by wind which results in the detonating of landmines. Growing up in Afghanistan, Massoud was acutely aware of the unnecessary injuries and fatalities that occur because of landmine accidents and used his background as inspiration for his design work. Currently Hassani is in the process of mass producing the Mine Kafon in hopes that one day this big wind driven ball might just change the world.

3D RECORD PRINTING

instructables.com

The future is here with a gift from the past. By utilizing 3D print technology, a record with decent sound quality can be produced by utilizing a UV-cured resin printer Object Connex500. It bridges the generation gap between new and old ways of listening to music through creating an object by depositing material layer by layer until the form of the record is achieved.

HI, I’M A PLANT THAT TWEETS

botanicalls.com

Along with your favourite tweets from @justinbieber, your plant has the opportunity to update you when its needs are neglected. Using the gadget Botanicalls, your plant’s moisture levels are monitored and reported on when too low. No more withered leaves… just lots of tweets for the forgetful.

NO MORE FRIDGES

savefoodfromthefridge.com

Jihyun Ryou wants to revolutionize the way we interact with our food. Minimizing energy needs, and maximizing knowledge concerning food growth and preservation, these boxes make for an improved planet and an enlightened foodie.

Do you have any interesting novel ideas to share? Never underestimate the power of thinking outside the box. Comment below if you have something you want to share.

Images via Instructables.com,Botanicalls.com,savefoodfromthefridge.com,theverge.com solidsmack.com, banner image: us.tunigo.com