Serendipity Book

Portraits created from bar codes

Scott Blake makes portraits from bar codes. By hand.

The role of boredom in creativity and innovation

This is a great post from Regine at We Make Money Not Art which documents and explores the idea of 'Strategic Boredom'.

Following from Kierkegaard, Molly Wright Steenson sees boredom as an inspirational and provocative state of mind that demands a response and spurs creativity. In her talk she reports on the historic role of boredom in bringing about innovative thinking.

Interactive Architecture - some experiential inspiration

Stuck for experiential brand activation ideas? You could do worse than browse Interactive Architecture for stimulation.

This fantastic site is run by Ruairi Glynn of UCL's Bartlett School of Architecture and Central Saint Martins and it does a great job of bridging the specialisms of digital media, architecture, textile design and industrial design.

The Funky Forest installation pictured above makes for a nice starting point. But be careful you could lose a whole day to this site.

A tribute to Paul Rand

A 4 minute short film celebrating the work of the graphic designer Paul Rand (most famous for the IBM, abc and Enron logos). The film was created for his posthumous induction to the One Club Hall of Fame last year.

An innocent gesture

A wonderfully innocent gesture from the book 'My Hands' dated 1962 by Aliki from this collection of old children's books.

Frank Gehry: "Healthy Insecurity"

Frank Gehry describes the healthy insecurity he still feels when he embarks on new projects:

"For me every day is a new thing. I approach every project with a new insecurity almost like the first project I ever did. I get the sweats. I start working. I don't know where I'm going. If I knew where I was going I wouldn't do it. When I can predict or plan it I don't do it - I discard it. So I approach it with trepidation. Obviously over time I have a lot more confidence that it's going to be OK. I approach project work with what I think is a healthy insecurity."

From a conversation with Richard Saul Wurman at TED 2002

Image: my photo of the entrance to the building Gehry designed for Chiat/Day in LA taken in 2005

David Byrne: "Analysis is like a lobotomy"

Jon Howard recently posted a fantastic quote by David Byrne of Talking Heads:

"Analysis is like a lobotomy. Who wants to have all their edges shaved off? I’m afraid that everything will get homogenised and be the same. I’m afraid that reason will triumph and the world will become a place where anyone who doesn’t fit will become unnecessary."

Image: my photobooth shot of Barbapapa (not David Byrne)

Grayson Perry's Map of an Englishman

I'm a sucker for unusual visual representations and Grayson Perry's 'Map of an Englishman' (below) is certainly unusual. Grayson, of course, is the eccentric Turner Prize winning artist from Essex who is perhaps more famous for his transvestite alter-ego 'Claire' than he is for his celebrated ceramics.

His etching 'Map of an Englishman' (2004) pictures the human psyche as an island. Areas of the island represent personality traits, emotions and character flaws. Offshore, rough-looking seas are named after psychological disorders like agoraphobia and schizophrenia.

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that this is Grayson's auto-phrenology.

This is Number 241 in the splendid Strange Maps series. Go here to zoom in and browse.

Update: take a look at this rather similar map of humanity that has been doing the rounds lately.

The World of the Decotora

Check out Masara Tatsuki's photographs of the almost 10 years he spent amongst the Decotora, Japanese truckers who elaborately ornament their trucks with lights.

In the accompanying interview Tatsuki says "People are surprised that I spent ten years on this project, but it simply takes time to really understand something. And I wanted to really understand the things I wanted to express. That is why it took so long."  How wonderfully indulgent. Makes you wonder what project you would be willing to invest 10 years in doesn't it?

Via Jalopnik

Ballpoint cutlery

Ever needed a knife or spoon on the move? What you need is pen-top cutlery

"Turn your favourite office tool from your desk in a common cutlery...this is din-ink. A set of pen caps, including a fork-cap, a knife-cap and a spoon-cap, that replaces the normal pen cap during lunch time! All caps are made by annually renewable resources, like natural starch and fibres, to be 100% biodegradable and atoxic, warranting the best alimentary use. Dispensing each set in a compostable packaging the whole set is designed to respect the environment. Now give your office ballpoint pen a good excuse to be gnawed by your teeth: use them for din-ink."