Phonovideo: Experimental analog animation

‘Stuck in a Groove’ is an experimental animation by Austrian student Clemens Kogler using a technique he’s dubbed phonovideo. Basically it’s a reinterpretation of phenakistoscope, an animation technique from 1832 that uses spinning discs to bring frames to life. This is his first test with phonovideo, which is meant to be a VJ system that coincides with live music sets in the future. The part that intrigues me is that the recording process is completely analog, no computers or mixing software necessary. This deliberate move away from next level technology seems to be an emerging trend, at least in photography, but it’s still refreshing to see that the past is not dead. It’s also a nice way to differentiate from the mainstream.

New technique aside I would still be posting this video based on the art direction. ‘Stuck in a Groove’ is comprised entirely of remixed album covers with one exception. I love that every animation has that aged feel that you’d expect from vintage vinyl. Where white would have once been a warm khaki takes it’s place, which I suspect is a result of the cardboard he printed on. For his first test he managed to meld art with new technique perfectly. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does in the future and I’d love to see this done live.

If you want more details the whole process is laid out quite nicely over on Motionographer’s site. And if you haven’t seen any of his other work I recommend ‘Herr Bar,’ a music video for Warp Record’s Clark comprised entirely of body parts.

Daily color palette: digitally graphed

My daily color palette is a project/blog by Jacobo Zanella where he observes his clothed appearance for the day and recreates it on a digital grid. The color palettes are made visually without any programming or technical measurements, accounting even for how much skin is visible. It’s an interesting twist on the make new something everyday or photograph yourself everyday concept. Such a simple idea but executed this religiously has created quite a collection of abstract art pieces in the process. They remind me a lot of Maria Zaikina’s landscapes. I like that these when seen in sequence really give you a picture of what he looks like, black hair, white, with a lot of shoes. I can’t help but keep picturing him as an 8-bit character though. Which could be an interesting spin off of this… making an 8-bit version of yourself everyday.