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Rob Shaw/Bent Image Lab
Rob Shaw began his stop-motion animation career at Philadelphia's University of the Arts. In 1997, his film "Dirty Summer Fridays," funded by grants from MTV and Eastman Kodak, won the award for Best Senior Thesis Film. Shaw's career has since grown to include work on numerous animated television series, both in the US and abroad, as well as television commercials and music videos. His credits include animating a politically charged parody of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Saturday Night Live as well as being the first animator to translate the iconic character of Tony the Tiger into stop-motion animation. Currently, he is a Director at Bent Image Lab, an internationally recognized film studio based in Portland, Oregon. Rob's current projects include commercials, music videos and his latest short film, "The Lever Puller".
BENT IMAGE LAB is a hybrid animation laboratory and live action production company located in Portland, Oregon. Internationally known as a studio that stretches the boundaries of concept and design, BENT is a collection of award-winning filmmakers, artists, storytellers, animators, and designers working together to create projects for a diverse clientele. It is a laboratory where exploration and play go hand-in-hand. BENT was founded in 2002 by Ray Di Carlo, David Daniels and Chel White.
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.Godzilla, Transformers, and Shaw Brother's Kung Fu.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A. Directors mostly. Guys like Svankmeyer and Terry Gilliam that are fearless in their visual approach.
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A. Martin Scorsese and the Ohio Players.
Q4. If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A."Clinch my fist, step and just slide you, bring your monkey ass down, like fire" from Tuff Crew.
Bitter:Sweet
BITTER:SWEET is made up of Shana Halligan and Kiran Shahani. Their lives seemed to have over-lapped but never crossed until the perfect moment in time. How else can you explain two people who lived one block away from each other, and who recorded just one wall away, who never connected until an anonymous online posting? That is exactly how BITTER:SWEET came to make their debut artist album, "The Mating Game."
When Kiran (producer, composer) and Shana (vocals, melodies, lyrics, co-producer) met they were both "not that into" the L.A. music scene. "There was a time when I had even stopped listening to music." explains Shana. "But sometimes you're just meant to do things in life. "On The Mating Game, echoes of each musician's past is revealed in infectious songs like the exotic opening track, "Don't Forget to Breathe, " which sets the tone for the entire album. "Moving Forward" is one of Kiran's favorites "for its amazing vocal performance," and is a track that Shana has a deep emotional attachment to.
Solid production and a "Vegas cool" is the calling card of "The Mating Game" with its big band sass and zany James Bond feel. Overall, Shana's melodically sweet-and-sexy vocals paired with Kiran's experimental pop beats make for an album that will stand the test of time.
Bitstate
Pete Circuitt is the creative director behind the directing outfit Bitstate. Pete possesses an artistic portfolio that spans film, television, web, live-show installations and videogame content. Currently based in London, Pete moved to England in August 1999 after writing, directing and animating short films in Australia. Pete also had the opportunity to work side by side with prominent Australian artist Daniel Crooks as co-animation director on two Australian contemporary theatre shows, "Panacea" and "Mass.".
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
A. Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A. Marc Craste, Jan Svankmajer, Nick Park, Chuck Close.
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A. Michel Gondry and George Lucas.
Q4. If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A.?? er . . . I guess this would have to be "Eye of the Tiger".
Lily Allen
Born in Hammersmith outside of London, Lily has always been drawn to diverse music. "I listened to punk, ska and reggae when I grew up, courtesy of my parents' record collections," says Lily. "We moved around London...Shepherds Bush, Bloomsbury, Islington...and I absorbed all the music around me." And her influences didn't stop there. "I always read a lot. It was frustrating moving schools so much because I always felt I couldn't articulate my feelings as much as I wanted to. Books and music helped me do that. I became obsessed by quite arcane subjects, like second world war evacuation stories and books about 18th century aristocracy. I started to feel like I could have a voice. But I wanted to write about my own world in an entertaining way. So I did."
Lily's incisive lyrical observations belie her years. "A lot of female artists, and male ones for that matter, re boring singers who don't say anything, certainly not to my generation. With the kind of music I do you have to be direct and quite literal. I don't play an instrument, which really makes me focus on the vocal melody, and the lyrics are incredibly important to me. I don't want to be part of a scene... the whole idea of that makes me feel sick... and most of the music I listen to is by outsider figures, which is where I feel happiest."
Lily signed to Parlophone in December.
"Since then it's gone mad."
Emmett Feldman/Joshua Trees and Yvan Martinez
Designer/Director/Animator – Emmett Feldman
Character Illustration - Joshua Trees/Yvan Martinez – Fake I.D.
Emmett: Emmett is a resident designer/director at San Francisco based Mekanism. Emmett began following the brilliant path of 3d motion design within the safe bounds of the Lego sand box of youth. Since then he has worked with the likes of ATTIK, Method Studios, Lucasfilm and National Geographic. Emmett also performs as an AV/VJ act under the name Suryummy. Under this persona he has toured both Japan and North America along with releasing his own music and visual albums under the lightrhythm visuals label. Above all he loves creating light forms that peak between the thoughts of milky clouds and mechanical forests.
Joshua and Yvan: Sprucing things up by artificial means since 1999, Fake I.D. is Joshua Trees and Yvan Martinez.
Q1.What was your inspiration for this piece?
Emmett:Who wouldn't love taking a chunk out of their thigh, planting it in the ground and seeing a dancing plant grow from it?
Joshua and Yvan:The long lost idea of the underground.
Q2.What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
Emmett:In terms of music I've always liked The Orb. They have the right combination of Monty Python flare and existential melodies. Boards of Canada also send out a proper warm attitude to my head. On the visual front I love the lo-fi sensibilities of LifeLongFriendship Society, the character worlds of Jeff Soto and the cybernetic beauty of c-trl labs to name a few.
Joshua and Yvan:Too $hort, Tujiko Noriko and My Bloody Valentine.
Q3.In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
Emmett:Stanley Kubrick, The Higher Intelligence Agency, and a kitten (small fuzzy preferably black and white)
Joshua and Yvan:Is this a trick question?
Q4.If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
Emmett:Rather then lyrics it would be a sample from the Orb track "The Land of Green Ginger": "The land of green ginger was built by a magician who was very fond of flowers and vegetables. So that when he went traveling he could take the land of green ginger with him like a portable back garden."
Joshua and Yvan:Had to? Josh has "The story I tell is so incomplete" from Too $hort's "The Ghetto" inked below his shoulders and Yvan has "Stop bothering Michael Jackson" from Mu's song of the same name.
MIS
Mexican Institute of Sound (MIS) is a one-man project helmed by Camilo Lara. Lara spends his daytime working in one of those box-set offices within a city of 25 million souls. But when he steps out, he gets involved with the underground musica movement by delivering electronic rhythms with only the help of his computer, his imagination, and his awesome collection of vinyl.
MIS has collaborated on remixes for bands and rriends like Placebo, Gecko Turner, Perez Prado, Mazarin, Quantic Soul Orchestra, Gershon Kingsley, Irving Fields, Babasonicos, and Le Hammond Inferno.
http://www.myspace.com/mexicaninstituteofsound
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. / MIS video
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. / MIS video
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. wallpaper 1
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. wallpaper 2
OgreMagi
The OgreMagi has two cranial structures: HoonLaydesman Kim (horned right head) and LouiseForrthewyn Shieh (hairier left module). Combined, the OgreMagi weighs 290 lbs and has the strength of 7.5 angry wild boars. Its appetite consists mostly of organic sandwiches and mineral water from the Alps. In between terrorizing mankind, the OgreMagi can be found trying to think, leading to the very good question of how they manage to come up with ideas. They may never know.
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
Hoon: I'm not a big fan of moths. Thought I'd overcome that.
Louise: Hoon's fear of moths.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
Hoon: Roland Young, as a living artist and instructor in Pasadena. Musically, I've got the Replacements and Velvet Underground jamming in my car right now.
Louise: Tricia Ting Lee and Hoon Kim.
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
Hoon: I'd love to shoot a short spot with Kitano Takeshi from Japan, if he were down with it.
Louise: Creativity, time, and money.
Q4. If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
Hoon: Donovan's "Universal Soldier". He was right forty years ago, and he still is right.
Louise: I'll go with the entire score of Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro.
Mates of State
Mates of State is the organ and drums, vocal-laden duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. The band essentially began in 1997. After a few months in the Midwest, they high-tailed it out to a new home in San Francisco. California greeted them with sunshine, pop sounds, and a great music community
Their long-standing motto of "Play anywhere, anytime" allowed them to play everywhere from Oakland parties to venues up and down the West Coast. Kori (organ, vox) and Jason (drums, vox) quit their day jobs as a teacher and cancer researcher in 2001, got married, and hit the road bringing their love to the rest of the world. They've toured the US, Europe and Japan and by the looks of it, won't stop any time soon.
Motion Theory
Design/VFX: Motion Theory
Creative Director: Mathew Cullen
Art Director: Mark Kudsi/Guilherme Marcondes
Visual FX Supervisor: Nick Losq
Designers/Animators: Nick Losq, Mark Kulakoff, Miwa Matreyek, Colleen Corcoran,
Tom Bruno, Grace Lee, Helen Choi, Jesse Franklin, Danny Zobrist, Omar Gattica;
Joseph Jones, Ben Grangereau.
Founded in 2000, Los Angeles-based production company Motion Theory brings together directors, designers, and visual effects artists to develop commercials, music videos and other short-form projects. In the past, they've worked with artists such as Beck, R.E.M., David Gray, and Papa Roach.
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.Our driving inspiration was to make something new and surprising, not just in terms of style, but in terms of story and character. Among many other things, a short film by Gobelin Animation caught our attention for the odd mix of reality and flatness in the style, and we loved these images we found of animals made entirely of butterfly wings. Dead Leaves and Ren and Stimpy pointed us in the direction of uncomfortable pauses that lead to shocking twists. All of these efforts were powered by caffeine, which helped us reach the outer reaches of the internet.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A.We like work that pushes new ideas, and shows attention to quality, detail, storytelling, and emotion. For this project, Frezatto, Buchet, and Masume Shiro come to mind for their distinctiveness, but each and every one of us would probably come up with a different set of names. Same goes for musicians: we love it when a musician can remain accessible, yet go way too far – but we disagreements on just who does that, and when. Cut Chemist, Prefuse 73, RJD2, and Deltron leap off the top of our heads in the way they combine traditional roots with electronic sounds, and really push the envelope. Even though none of them did the track for the spot, they among the albums being played in the background. And still are.
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.We're spoiled at Motion Theory – every project is a collaboration of artists, directors, and animators under the same roof. And each type of project calls for a slightly different dream team. But sure, there are a lot of people that we'd love to kidnap for a few weeks and hold in our office. In an animated piece, it would be interesting to brainstorm and work with people whose work we respect, like Studio Gainax, DJ Shadow, and Christopher McCulloch. Seems like we'd all somehow manage to come up with something that no one ever thought before, but people would want to see and hear.
Q4.Probably should have chosen something shorter but we like the purity of Mos Def's lyrics: "This thing called rhyming no different than coal mining, we both on assignment to unearth the diamond." Mostly because we basically spend our days digging for diamonds.
A."I eat with gusto" by Jonathan Richmond.
ASHTAR COMMAND
THE ASHTAR COMMAND is a Brotherhood of Light. It is composed of millions of spaceships and members of various cosmic civilizations. It is here to assist the planet Earth and its humanity in this cycle of realignment. They are universal ambassadors of peace.
It is also a project ten years in the making. What began as a collaboration between Chris Holmes and Brian Liesgang for "The Avengers" soundtrack (featuring Sinead O'Conner and Louise Post, on separate songs) has been reborn. It is now a collective featuring Chris, Brian (ex-Filter), Stephen Fitzpatrick (Veruca Salt), Kelli Scott (ex-Failure), Matt Walker (ex-Filter/Smashing Pumpkins), Ollie Krauss (Sia/Josh Radin), and a myriad of we-can't-tell-you-now-but-huge guest stars. Look for a double record in 2007.
Peace to earth.
http://www.myspace.com/ashtarcommand
- Motion Theory / Ashtar Command video
- Motion Theory / Ashtar Command video
- Motion Theory "birds" wallpaper
Suzanne Deakin/Slinky Pictures
After leaving the Royal College of Art in London, Suzanne worked on a number of varied projects before joining Chris and Maria at Slinky Pictures at its inception in 2000.
Since then Suzanne has directed commercials and campaigns for Learn Direct, The Electoral Commission and the American brand St Joseph, to name but a few. She also directed and designed characters and sketches for the Monkey Dust series on BBC3 and Peoples Britain, directed and written by Chris Shepherd, which won the Best Comedy Series Award at the British Animation Awards in 2001.
In between commercial work, Suzanne has been happily working with other Directors on their own films "...due to the varied and challenging criteria."
She has designed the Slinky Pictures website and, as of late, developed an altogether peculiar habit of drawing her dinners.
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.The man looks like a bloke who sells newspapers at my train stop. He gives out sweets to everyone, even if you don't buy a paper.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A.Andy Warhol's drawings of tramps and old ladies. Everyday people influence me more than anything. I could people watch for hours.
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.A pack of Dogs wearing neck scarves who just want to go to the beach.
Q4. If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A."I eat with gusto" by Jonathan Richmond.
Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor is a 26-year-old singer-pianist. She loves the anarchic possibilities of sound. Her music is full of feints and pauses; when singing, she'll hiccup and stutter just to skew the melody and rhythm.
On her first North American tour in 2003, she opened for The Strokes. Later on, she appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Last Call with Carson Daly.
In 2006, she headlined a tour of the United States and Europe.
She likes to perform on a bright, red Steinway baby grand piano.
ANONYMOUS (welcome to the social)
Some artists prefer to let their work do all the talking, which is cool by us.
Tofer
Tofer is addicted to chocolate. He's addicted to caffeine. He's neurotic. He loves to eat. He can pass for a 21 year-old. His friends are his family. He is from the San Fernando Valley. He received his BFA from Otis College of Art and Design. He is obsessed with eggs. He loves to take photos. He's fascinated with paint. He loves girls. He is the CEO of a sunny Los Angeles lifestyle brand called PlainGravy. He has exhibited his paintings and photographs in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, ustralia, and Barcelona. He's been published in The Los Angeles Times, Flaunt, Nylon, IdN, Vice, Warp, and Oyster. ROJO® published his first book titled FINGER BANG! In February, he had a book signing at the MoCA Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles. He loves to travel. He leaves for Brazil in 3 days. He will have a book signing in Sao Paulo.
Q1.What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.Elementary School: Recess
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A.Guns N' Roses
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.Frank Gehry + Daft Punk
Q4. If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A."Nothing Lasts Forever"
ANONYMOUS (duets are better than solo acts)
Some artists prefer to let their work do all the talking, which is cool by us.
Jeremy Fish
Jeremy Fish is an illustrator/stuff maker from San Francisco. His work is made up of little stories using a library of symbols and characters. You may have seen his work on skateboards, tee shirts, various magazines, video games, beer steins, and gallery walls around the world. In the last year Mr. Fish released his second vinyl toy "The Turtlecamper" with Strangeco toys in San Francisco. His signature shoe with Nike SB "The Fish Classic" comes out in December. hHs second book project, "The Next Best Thing," is a collaboration storybook and 7" record with rapper Aesop Rock. Jeremy is also the godfather of the notorius "Silly Pink Bunnies" gang.
Q1.What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influences on your work?
A.Dr. Seuss, Richard Scary, and Hannah Barbara
Q2. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.Aesop Rock, Jim Henson, Dr. Seuss, and Dave Chappelle
Q3.If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A."None shall pass."
iLovedust
iLovedust is a graphic design studio based in Southsea, just a length of cobbled pavement from the beach. The iLD line-up began as a duo in 2003, and has swelled out a little over time.
We work a lot with the fashion and music industry, and have our fat little fingers in some nice pies with loads of lovely people.
We have also just begun developing iLD tees, yeti toys and a big massive yellow book!
Q1.What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.We wanted to convey the idea of sharing with this piece and that people have many different tastes in music but we all share one thing in common and that is that we love our music.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A.We listen to so much varied music when we work from Beastie Boys to the Beach Boys, Doves to A Flock Of Seagulls so much inspires us its hard to pinpoint any particular thing. I think being 4 people we tend to inspire each other with our different tastes.
Q3.In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.hmmmmmm a dream collaboration would have to be, a Nike advert directed by Michael Mann, staring Jack Nicholson and the Playboy bunnies with music by Beck and design and animations by ilovedust.
Q4.If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A.Coming in a mess going out in style
ANONYMOUS
Some artists prefer to let their work do all the talking, which is cool by us.
ROB ABEYTA
Rob Abeyta, Jr. is fine art painter, designer and art director living in the harbor area of Los Angeles.
Currently, he's working with Nike on a new line of sneakers and apparel set to rollout later this year. In addition, he is a member of SA Studios with Mr. Cartoon and Estevan Oriol
Past works include collaborations with Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry, as well as numerous music packaging designs ranging from the seminal punk band LOS CRUDOS to The Transplants to LA hip-hop legends MACK 10, Cypress Hill and DJ Quick.
Even beyond that, there's been designs for various skateboards and apparel while working as an Art Director for Fourstar Clothing at the Girl Skateboard Companies.
And he's an apprentice tattoo artist for Mr. Cartoon.
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.Hugs!! I was thinking of it in the sense how some people HATE to get a hug, likes it's some evil alien coming to destroy the world; some unseen monster of intimacy, a simple act that can cause anxiety or stop a war.
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A.For this piece, 1950's poster art… Lichtenstein.
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.Gerhard Richter. Gaspar Noe. Jun Takahashi. Chogyam Trungpa
Q4.Probably should have chosen something shorter but we like the purity of Mos Def's lyrics: "This thing called rhyming no different than coal mining, we both on assignment to unearth the diamond." Mostly because we basically spend our days digging for diamonds.
A.Slippin' Into Darkness
Porous Walker
Born Jimmy Di Marcellis on an airplane from New York to Rome in 1974, Porous was raised in St. Louis and left for San Francisco in 1998, where he married a beautiful, accepting woman and began art school. Moved into a small old navy lifeboat in the Sausalito Bay and was visited by the Ghost of Shel Silverstein, who encouraged him to drop out of school, change his name and begin thinking more and then drawing, and then writing these thoughts down. (These thoughts take different forms: illustrations, films, photos, sculpture and street installations.)
More recently, he's been in constant companionship with the spirit of Samuel Longhorn Clemens, who continues to push him into several different directions with art and stuff, all while continuing to work as a tightrope walker for the San Francisco Symphony.
Q1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
A.True Love and Honesty,and what it feels like outside at 3-5AM in Sept. in Northern California
Q2. What musicians and/or artists have had the greatest influence on your work?
A.Carina and Cedella DiMarcellis, Maurizio Cattelan, Edith Abeyta, Michael and Laura Leon, Don Pendleton, Peggy Honeywell,Ray Barbee, Matt Irving, Bob Kronbauer, John Stiratt, Jeff Tweedy, Glenn Kotche, Duke Ellington, Francis and Eleanor Coppola,Jim Houser, Lori Damiano, Jason Polan, Peat Wollaeger,Rob Abeyta, Tony Larson,Andy Jenkins,Andy Mueller, Michael Sieben, Travis Millard, Mel Kadel, Isaac Mckay-Randozzi, Rich Art,Lisa Romero,Tim Piggott,Robin Cameron, Upso, Sfaustina, Jim Henson and so many many more
Q3. In a dream collaboration, who would your partners be?
A.Gerhard Richter. Gaspar Noe. Jun Takahashi. Chogyam Trungpa
Q4.If you had to tattoo song lyrics across your back, which lyrics would you choose?
A.It would probably be eric idles' "Always look on the Bright Side of Life"
- Porous Walker poster: Everyone Benefits From a Mood Change
- Porous Walker wallpaper 1
- Porous Walker wallpaper 2
- Motion Theory / Ashtar Command video (4.78MB MOV)
- Motion Theory / Ashtar Command video (5.10MB WMV)
- OgreMagi / Mates of State video (5.44MB MOV)
- OgreMagi / Mates of State video (1.16MB WMV)
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. / MIS video (10.7MB MOV)
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. / MIS video (19.9MB WMV)
- Bitstate / Lily Allen video (4.97MB MOV)
- Bitstate / Lily Allen video (9.05MB WMV)
- Bent Image Lab / Bitter:Sweet video (6.86MB MOV)
- Bent Image Lab / Bitter:Sweet video (7.58MB WMV)
- Porous Walker poster: Everyone Benefits From a Mood Change (9.0MB PDF)
- iLoveDust poster: Lonely Sucks (1.3MB PDF)
- Rob Abeyta, Jr. poster: Welcome to the Hug (569KB PDF)
- Anonymous poster: Inspire Something in Someone Somewhere (1.20MB PDF)
- Jeremy Fish poster: antiantisocial (1.98MB PDF)
- Anonymous poster: Duets Are Better than Solo Acts (1.91MB PDF)
- Anonymous poster: Welcome to the Social (1.73MB PDF)
- Tofer poster: Beauty and Sharing are Best Friends (20.5MB PDF)
- Suzanne Deakin "bunny" wallpaper (80KB JPG)
- Motion Theory "birds" wallpaper (251KB JPG)
- Porous Walker wallpaper 1 (1.27MB JPG)
- Porous Walker wallpaper 2 (264KB JPG)
- iLoveDust wallpaper 1 (243KB JPG)
- iLoveDust wallpaper 2 (385KB JPG)
- iLoveDust wallpaper 3 (242KB JPG)
- Rob Abeyta, Jr. wallpaper 1 (1.08MB JPG)
- Rob Abeyta, Jr. wallpaper 2 (316KB JPG)
- Anonymous wallpaper 1 (128KB JPG)
- Anonymous wallpaper 2 (98KB JPG)
- Jeremy Fish wallpaper (370KB JPG)
- OgreMagi wallpaper (136KB JPG)
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. wallpaper 1 (210KB JPG)
- Emmet Feldman Fake I.D. wallpaper 2 (171KB JPG)
- Anonymous wallpaper 1 (784KB JPG)
- Anonymous wallpaper 2 (816KB JPG)
- Tofer wallpaper (302KB JPG)
- Bent Image Lab wallpaper (346KB JPG)
