Book Landscapes: Canadian interdisciplinary artist Guy Laramee has seemingly done it all, from composing operas to building complex installations. All these works are part of his efforts to understand the way culture changes, evolves, and erodes. Recently he’s moved his focus onto a particularly unusual and stunning series of projects: he transforms books into topographical landscapes. Did we mention these pieces are gorgeous? The landscapes vary, from an icy wasteland carved from within a Brown Bible to a volume with pages licking up into a giant wave. In his artist’s statement, Laramee elaborates: “Mountains of disused knowledge return to what they really are: mountains.” Many of these beautiful pieces are part of a project called Guan Yin, which examines “the mysterious forces thanks to which we can traverse ordeals.” You can see more of Laramee’s work on his website.
Choose Your Own Documentary: A group of UK filmmakers and performers are putting together a multidisciplinary performance piece that follows the format of the popular 1980’s book series Choose Your Own Adventure. While the project is still in development, we’re intrigued by the idea that the audience has a say in shaping the eventual outcome of the performance. According to the project’s description, it’s part stand-up, part documentary, part spoken word. Due to our own predilection towards killing our Choose Your Own Adventure alter egos, we may steer carefully around this one. Choose wisely. A full-length scratch performance of Choose Your Documentary will be taking place at London’s Southbank Theatre on Thursday, July 5.
Art In Film: This delightful website seeks to capture pieces of art that have been shown in films and television. From a Simpsons scene featuring multiple portraits of Marge Simpson (hoarded by her former paramour Artie Ziff) to the famously phallic (and murderous) sculpture wielded by Alex in A Clockwork Orange, the site’s curator Martin Cole has created an exhaustive database that shows how cinematic depictions of art can add (or in some cases, detract) from our experience and memory. (Note: The .org site is fairly image-heavy. For a daily digest, visit the site’s Facebook page.)
Father/Daughter Art: Just in time for Father’s Day, Zouch Magazine has put together two posts displaying the art of a father and the art of his daughter. It is fascinating, tracing the generational distinctiveness and the way the drawings may or may not resemble each other. And it is touching to witness the subtle influences of an artistic life manifest themselves in children years later. Enjoy!