Project- an iPad only magazine from Virgin, just launched with several Living Art examples. Although the most prominent is the motion cover and spread featuring Jeff Bridges, many other articles incorporate motion to further enhance the story. To date, we have not seen any iPad magazine that has incorporated motion as seamlessly and effective as Project. This little gem is available for $3 in the iTunes App store. More visual candy below.





Video:

Pic:

The material shown in the photo contains piezoelectric nanowires which, when flexed can produce enough power to drive an LCD.

When we first produced our Living Art magazine for Outside (vid below), we envisioned a future where magazines and other media were published and distributed on recyclable, flexible OLED devices which would cost about the same as a hardcopy magazine today. Imagine something about size of a sheet of paper, and the thickness of a laminated menu, that you can purchase on your way to work and use as long as you like. Nanogenerators like this may be the technology that powers such a device.

Our belief is that once portable media is freed from the constrains of the proprietary device like a smartphone or tablet, the barriers to access this media become low enough to make the medium near ubiquitous. So naturally we are excited to see little advancements like this emerge. If you’re looking forward to someday curling up with a flexible digital magazine that you can afford to loose on the train, this is definitely technology to keep your eye on.

“Now researchers at Georgia Tech have made the first nanowire-based generators that can harvest sufficient mechanical energy to power small devices, including light-emitting diodes and a liquid-crystal display.” [Technology Review]

If you missed Alexx Henry speak in Chicago a few weeks ago on Living Art and the Future of Photography in Motion, don’t fret, because the video is now available.

Photo professionals are already under pressure to offer motion to clients, but in the rush to provide motion, little is discussed about the type of content that will both serve the needs of the clients, and work with the strengths of the photographer.

Alexx discusses a new medium called “Living Art” which draws upon the strengths and disciplines of traditional print while exploring what motion has to offer.

This seminar will give you the tools to understand this new paradigm and how to apply your strengths as a photo professional.

Sponsored By: Workbook and APA

In 2008, Ikea launched a catalogue complete with several living art vignettes that allowed users to interact and change angles seamlessly throughout each piece. Each vignette contains a fast action cut montage of a person’s hectic life outside their home and then transitions into their peaceful bedroom at home, where they are most content. Helmed by one of Ikea’s favorite agencies, Forsman & Bodenfors, this microsite allowed curious consumers to find out more details on achieving their complete bedroom, such as prices, info, and links to purchase on Ikea’s website.

Check it out here.

Also check out the similar Ikea and Forsman & Bodenfor campaign, Dream Kitchens, that uses a Milo motion control rig to get a “freeze-time” effect.

Motion Posters (beware the voices):

Pics:

For the launch of their new iPad app, Esquire has included a “motion cover” for their first issue. The cover involves a shot of Javier Bardem walking up to the camera and saying “Welcome…” and then simply cutting to the cover. With Esquire’s past in editorial innovation, we can’t help but feel a little cheated with their iPad debut.

Last year, Esquire and photographer Greg Williams experimented with Megan Fox and Rachel Weisz motion covers, but their only outlet was the internet. These covers included basic motion but they were still effectively a magazine cover and at the time, were something new and different. It seems that Esquire took the easy way out on their iPad issue, and simply added a video before bringing the cover in. Esquire has always been known for their love of innovation and embracing new technology, so if baby steps are what it takes, we hope Esquire will continue to push the limits of their app and the digital editorial medium.

Pics:

Multimedia artist Marco Brambilla and Kanye West just released this “living” painting in lieu of  a music video on MTV. Inspired by Roman and Renaissance iconography, Marco and Kanye wanted to create what Brambilla called “an elliptical piece of storytelling” that portrays Kanye as an “authority figure in a moment when everything is about to collapse.”

No stranger to abstract video art, Brambilla is known for his numerous video installations including Civilization- an in-elevator  video installation created for New York’s Standard hotel, which takes passengers on an inferno-like journey from heaven to hell… Intense. And a must see.

Kanye originally approached Brambilla stating that he wanted to create something that wasn’t a music video, to which the artist replied “That’s great, because I don’t make music videos.” Power was shot using twenty-two choreographed layers of video in slow motion using the Phantom camera. Below is Marco’s version, Kanye’s Version, and a behind the scenes.

via Cool Hunting and Vulture

Marco’s Director’s Cut:

Kanye’s Cut:

Behind the Scenes:

Time Warner’s CEO Jeff Bewkes hinted that he wants to allow his tree killing print subscribers to automatically have subscriptions to the corresponding better looking tablet versions. These include tablet magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated and Fortune. There is no plan on when this will exactly happen but Bewkes stated that the “key to it all” is to allow all subscribers to get content “over all broadband devices as soon as possible.” If this happens, there will be added incentive for more users to use the tablet version, which in turn, could lead to a larger subscriber base of the digital magazines and lead to more innovation. Although Time Warner has yet to produce an example of Living Art such as a motion cover, they do plan on it, and we haven’t given up on them yet.

via WSJ

Motion Posters: (Click for full size. Sorry iPads, flash required)

Screenshots:

Australian denim collection Denim & Thread is planning to release a motion poster that ties in directly with their print campaign. “The motion poster picks up the story, where the still ends,” a campaign advantage owner Alex Lambousis is very excited about. Although only a few samples and a quick behind the scenes video has been released, it will be very interesting to see how the motion poster develops and enhances their print campaign.

Credits:
Cinematographer: Sidat de Silva
Producer/Photographer: Alex Weltlinger
Production Company: 18 on 9 Media Arts
Client: Denim & Thread

Gear:
Camera (motion): Arriflex D-21
Camera (stills): Hasselblad
Lens: Zeiss Master Prime

Samples:

Screenshots: