OJASVI MOHANTY

Form follows Fun

2012-01-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

Art + Cricket is a self-initiated project using cricket stumps and enamel paint. I still can't believe it hadn't dawned upon me earlier that stumps are in fact larger than life pencils and pencils, miniature stumps.

Model & muse: Gulo

The Boss & The Rabbi

2012-01-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

The ethos of rock has always been a certain level of authenticity and a vibrant form of expression. Expression, protest, rant that is written about or known of often finds larger audiences and acceptability through music. When Rabbi Shergill sung Bilqis I was reminded of Springsteen's 41 Shots inspired by the police shooting of Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old Guinean immigrant in New York City who was shot dead by four New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers. The four officers fired a total of 41 shots because they thought Diallo matched the description of a serial rapist.

Rabbi's song touches upon the negligence in Indian governance to take a stand on issues concerning basic human rights, corruption and failing to protect its own citizens who stand up for it. It's a song written in honour of these martyrs who stood up for their beliefs and must be remembered –

Bilqis Yakub Rasool survived the Gujarat riots 2002 in which her entire family was massacred and she was gang raped. She continues to pursue justice for herself and her family.

Satyendra Kumar Dubey was a project director at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He was murdered in Gaya, Bihar after fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.

Shanmugam Manjunath was a marketing manager for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) who was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in UP.

Navleen Kumar, who worked for the land rights of tribals in Nallasopara, outskirts of Mumbai was stabbed to death on the terrace of her flat for fighting against builders and land mafia who had been usurping tribal land by terror, force and fraud over the last 20-25 years. On the 19th of June 2002, she was stabbed 19 times.

Pietas

2012-01-02T00:54:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of Pietas, but the one by Michelangelo at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City; the only work he ever signed or rather engraved on has always been my favourite, comparable in beauty only to the Shelley Monument at Oxford by Edward Onslow Ford.

Pietas, in essence are wont to convey a sense of desolate grief; what they also bring with them is the craftsmanship of the artist. The two elements together draw the viewer into a void to share the pain of the subject, mournful yet at a consoling peace like an unknown weeping maiden on a river bed. The sorrow of the maiden touches you as much as the serenity of the rives soothes you. Compared here the Pieta at Vatican and the monument to Mary and Percy Shelley* by Henry Weekes, Mary Shelley and Virgin Mary bemoan the dead inciting their pain whereas the bodies rest in absolute calm, almost a beautiful silence held together, trapped by the whiteness of the marble. Would one enjoy these works of art more if one was solely an observer, detached to the subject – weren't religious or did not love poetry?

(* The Weekes' statue is depicted here by an engraving by Goerge Stodart)
Image: Shelley monument courtesy Virtual Archive

The Best Resolution Ever

2011-12-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year when people make resolutions that they never adhere to. Daniel Eatock offers one which all of us better follow.

MASS Produced

2011-10-10T01:20:00.000-07:00

Of lethargy

& mass

Of loss

& voice

Of throngs

& woes

Of duplicity

& decadence

Standardised,

Systemised

No spill

Neither a splatter

Slick redundancy

in bulk;

There won't be a frame

there will never be a pedestal

There won't ever be any cracks

there will never be dust

It will always be new

As good as new or better

KakaRoach: An Ode

2011-10-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

A self-initiated poster done with Gulo originally for the college canteen at MSU. Not that there were a lot of roaches around, but we did see some lurking around suspiciously. Kaka is a widely used form of address in Gujarat for uncle / elderly male stranger.

+ Click on image to enlarge.

The Legend of Pacmoon

2011-10-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

When the night is dark
and the stars shine bright
Somewhere in the cloudless southern sky
emerges the ravenous Lunatic

Unguarded he went
without Inkey, Pinky, Blinky or Clyde
The poor stars thought he was on their side
but alas

He gobbles up all the lights
that are within its sight
The bloody scourge ends at about noon
thus was born the legend of Pacmoon

Finally, finally . . .

2011-08-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

tsk design has a website. And a logo.

15 years of work. 1 year of relentless documentation, programming, stinkers and heated exchanges over meetings and we're finally there. Still some glitches to be fixed and projects to be added but yes it is done!

www.tsk-design.com

The FORCE is Strong with this One

2011-07-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . .
I hugely admire Vader as a villain, but just couldn't resist doing this :) May the force be with him.

The RockRider

2011-06-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

My latest acquisition, the BTwin RockRider 5.0. Loaded with accessories, the best of it being the Speedometer which I'm exploiting to the hilt.

Day 1: 17.6 km in 50 min (Top Speed: 37 kmph / Average Speed: 20 kmph)

Death by Technology

2011-06-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Indie he hum

2011-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Line is borrowed, illustration is not. It's indie, very indie...

Yes They Can!

2011-04-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Given my obsession with pigs, seen here is naturally my favourite adynaton; rendered in fabric paint on canvas shoes. After much experience in visualising pigs in 3 dimension I finally got down to good old paint. A much delayed gift (shoe size 4;)

Spring

2011-03-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

My entry for Font Aid 5 : Made for Japan
Organised by S{O}TA The Society of Typographic Aficionados, this is a project uniting the typographic and design communities with a goal of raising funds to expedite relief efforts after the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

My entry titled 'Hope' illustrates a sunrise over the iconic Mt. Fuji, depicting a new day, a new beginning for Japan; the sun being a connotation of the Japanese flag.
.

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
~ P.B. Shelley (Ode to the West Wind)

The Warrior

2011-02-16T02:55:00.000-08:00

An inconvenient pencil stand that holds only one pencil, emphasizing the latent power of the most basic of tools in a designer / artist's armoury.

Reinterpreting from the adage - "The pen is mightier than the sword", in this case the pen is the sword.Above My sketch for The Warrior
Wire frame + M-Seal / 2011

Also

2011-01-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

Also / 'Bhi'

The word 'Bhi' which literally means Also, is rendered here in Oriya script (pronounced and written as 'Be' in Oriya) aims to visually translate the word in 3 dimension. There is no specific point for viewing this work. The hanging cubes/pixels form the same word which can be viewed correctly from directly below and 2 other directions, hence reiterating the meaning of the word Also.
My work at the Aksharaya - Typography Camp 2010, Alibaug, Bombay.

Aksharaya TYPE Camp, 2010

2011-01-27T01:08:00.001-08:00

This log of photos and memories are from the Aksharaya - Type Camp, 2010 held in Alibaug, Bombay which was basically a gathering of like-minded typography enthusiast from all over India. Type nerds, if you will; only none felt like one anymore only because each one was a bigger nerd than the other. Our brief was to produce Indian vernacular type-forms in 3 dimension using only paper (paper, bacause our sponsor was err... well, a paper manufacturer).

The weather wasn't too harsh, a bit too humid a jump from Bangalore (that's where the AC and the beer came in) and the food absolutely delectable. We took a ferry from the Gateway of India to Alibaug, a small island which wasn't exactly remote but it did give us our own space to think and execute our ideas. This was a place where for 3 days we ate, slept and spoke only about type, literally.

HUSH

2010-12-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

HUSH, a b&w graphic short story is the debut release from Manta Ray Comics, a new independent publisher of comics & graphic novels based in Bangalore. Hush has been created by two NIDians Pratheek Thomas & Rajiv Eipe. Starkly illustrated and unencumbered by words, Hush aspires to be a step forward for graphic story telling in India.

Pratheek Thomas aka PGT is a trained product designer who has traded his T-Splines for a pen, so to speak and thinks/says he prefers comics to girls or so he thinks/says. Read more on his blog http://harebrainedescapade.tumblr.com/

And, did I say I love the MANTA RAY Logo http://www.mantaraycomics.com/

A few teaser trailers: The Prelude Trailer 02 Trailer 03
Trailers can be found at www.facebook.com/mantaraycomics

Priced at Rs. 195, Hush is a limited edition print, currently available for Pre-orders through Dial-a-Book (09650-457-457) and also onFlipkart.com. In stores by December 22, 2010.

KaviKala

2010-11-25T01:01:00.000-08:00

A promo poster I made for the launch of the collaborative book ~ KaviKala by Madness Mandali.

Madness Mandali (in their own words) is what happens when amateur and professional poets, painters, designers, photographers, musicians and theatre troupes put their heads together. I'm a part of KaviKala, their first project which is a collaboration between 33 poets & artists to produce an illustrated book of poems.

To know more about them visit:
www.mandali.in

KACHINDO

2010-11-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Satyam Patel has a BLOG!
http://kachindo.blogspot.com/

Pardon

2010-10-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

Poster against Death Penalty.

Inspired by the classic game of Hangman, this poster depicts a man in the gallows who can be let off by just filling in the remaining blanks to form a word.

The word here is 'Pardon', intentionally used to invoke conventional courtroom parlance. And the missing letters 'DO' form a 'call for action'.

SUPER, Super

2010-09-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

THE REAL STUFF
A SUPER, Super poster series by Somesh Kumar, editor of the 4th volume of Comix India, welcoming entries. The theme for this issue is nonfiction. Please check the site for further details : http://www.comixindia.com/

Deadline 31st October 2010.

6th December, 2009

2010-09-21T03:45:00.000-07:00

Remembering Bhupen Burman Sir, although he never taught us, except for small one off interactions in the first year. A wonderful human being.

This is a marble piece by him, still at the Faculty which we had used for a poster for the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts exhibited at the ICOGRADA India, Design Local meet, 2008.

The Gangproof

2010-08-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Production, one of the prime occupational hazards that any designer faces in his workaday life – translating an idea into tangible form. This poster pays homage, to the proofing process which reduces the margin of error; and to Prachi, the production queen.

Fare ye well, Prachi!

ENGLISHES

2010-07-17T03:34:00.000-07:00

ENGLISHES is a project by dear friend, mentor and former colleague Geetika Alok, exploring the apparent hegemony of English as a language in South Asia / India and the dichotomy it presents vis-a-vis the different vernacular languages.

In her words :
"English is the universal language of our world, but it is not the same everywhere. English is interwoven into the vernacular languages of ‘others’ who speak it but make it different. South Asia presents a unique case of language contact, convergence and assimilation: the voices of ordinary people in India betray a tension between the indigenous language of identity and authoritative English, the language of the economy.

The project involved interviews of people residing in India – unemployed, journalists, teachers, customer service executives, students and so on. While my series of typographic works attempts to amplify the voice, it draws inspiration from the Indian decorative arts exploring the love/hate relationship with English."

WELCOME
Location : Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Banaswadi, Bangalore

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK; that fateful Sunday we all set out to this temple post having purified ourselves with yummy dosas, equipped with our paraphernalia. The collaboration with these sweet ladies was a blessing whom Geetika had already befriended on her recce the previous day. We did have a few trials when they went free-hand and we executed the nitpicking grid which probably took more time than all the letters drawn put together. By the afternoon, myself and Geetika had to drudge bare feet as both our footwear were stolen. Alas, we deserved what we got by ignoring the old Indian temple canon - always, always and always carry a small bag to stuff your footwear or leave it in the car, hell just stuff it into your pockets if you can. Thankfully Priyanka and Prachi came to our rescue. With the four of us now, we felt stronger, faster and hungrier. More pure food from Mary's household and soonafter the ladies got into action and we into what we do best - nitpicking and shutterbugging.

For other typographic renditions of this project, check out :
http://www.geetikaalok.com/index.php?/project/englishes/

S&G

2010-05-31T03:18:00.000-07:00

A symbolic representation of the poets of the past Paul & Art. Of-course a lot of people wrote their own songs, composed the music and performed but none as chastely as Simon & Garfunkel.

An icon for the iconic.
+ CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The Friendly Neighbourhood Whore

2010-05-21T01:26:00.000-07:00

My version of a Helvetica poster, inspired and using text by Somesh. Feel free to use the text to create your own version and do it mail to me so that it can be showcased here.

Night Rider

2010-05-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

Sheepstop!

Connecting India

2010-05-11T23:56:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More re-branding

Logo Re-design: Indian Railways

The individual graphic element is borrowed from a part of the wheel of a railway carriage, or a wheel at large. The 4 graphic elements are used in conjunction to form the Map of India, which also denotes railway tracks and connectivity between the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western parts of India.

Rendered in 4 different colours these elements intertwine the cultural differences of a country as diverse as ours form one single entity which is the shape of India.

Saffron & Green which are borrowed from the National flag colours are offset by two other characteristic Indian colours namely Indigo and Vermilion.Indigo which also represents the colour of the Ashoka Chakra in the Indian National Flag and Vermilion is the earthy red representing the ethos of rural India.

Billion Hearts Beating

2010-05-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dear friend Gulo endorses Apollo Hospitals nationwide campaign against the increasing rate of heart related diseases in India.

Evolution of the Bicycle

2010-04-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

A take on the classic evolution chart depicting evolution of the bicycle from the Stone Age to the Penny Farthing to Adventure biking.

This tee is on for sale at Sheepstop.
(Winner at the Cycle On Contest)

Branded!

2010-04-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

Brand, the very word has a tawdry air to it, originating from the inhuman practice of branding livestock to identify or distinguish them or as a tangible claim of ownership. [ as a Verb, Brand means - to Mark (an animal, formerly a criminal or slave) with a branding iron ]

I safely assume and begin with the premise that neither me nor you would like to be owned by anyone, in the context I find it quite preposterous to sport any apparel that screams brands. I have serious prejudice against people who do so. And it's not the quiet, blending ones that sneakily make their way into the design, that count. What the hell, sometimes they even compliment the design and may distinguish the product too. I'm not advocating custom-creation but it's the ginormous logos that irk me. I wouldn't half mind wearing one if their monogram was as beautiful as this. But sadly most multinational apparel brands use this as their free ad space, to propagate and popularise themselves. Brands will have such t-shirts/pull-overs/sweat-shirts in every imaginable colour and what's worse is most of them will give you flowery discounts on these agents of propaganda. These guys will proudly sponsor our favourite sports and sport teams and literally buy our sporting legends/icons to get their message across. Damned be such sporting legends.

Conventionally it is a single colour piece of cloth with the gloating gaudy bastard, shining and smiling at everyone bang in the centre. I like single colour garments sometimes where the more considerable brands camouflage their identity and limit them to the right hand top or even better at the bottom perhaps unassumingly horizontal. But in other cases, where you pick out an apparel smitten by the design on the front (Hi i am a cool-looking grungy retro graphic...) and as soon as you turn it over to see if the design continues - there it is unabashedly grinning as if it were a corporate goodbye (...and don't forget to remember me, ever).

Logically they should be paying you to wear these and not the other way round. Atleast, that very original and needy guy who had come up with the human adspace concept is getting paid to put things on his forehead and elsewhere. And most stores / exclusive showrooms will parade their paid staff resplendent in the largest and most vulgar piece they've ever produced. But I fail to understand why would any normal person would pay to wear these. Let alone wear it, they flaunt it as if it were a scar from the world wars or a prison tattoo from the deadliest ghetto is erstwhile Russia or a means of getting socially accepted and lauded. Little kids may be excused as they don't know any better or it's their parents who force the seeds of this awful capitalist propaganda down their innocent gullets. These little dudes are in the making of potential spokespersons for egotist brands. We must collectively resolve not to further their cause and do our bit to put an end to their devious plan of world subjugation. We shall spread the word and make sporting brands uncool. We shall live and work as free beings.

TO DO Here's what you do if there are a few skeletons in the cupboard (gifts / hugely discounted stuff), or if you find one around or snatch one from someone :

1. Donate & Earn goodwill There's absolutely no dearth of places you could donate to - NGO's, orphanages, blind schools, flood/earthquake relief etc and may be you shall redeem yourself. Donate only after extracting a promise that they'd wear it inside out.

2. Soak the garment in red Chicken Korma gravy for about 24 hrs and then brandish it in front of huge, leashed, killer-looking sniffer dogs like a matador. Carefully pack in front of the leashed beasts and address it to the company headqurters, labelled in humongous font size, in the probability that the dogs are literate. Courier the package and after having placed yourself in a secure spot cut the fuckin leash off.

3. Carefully cut out the ugly part/s to expose more skin to attract members of the opposite sex.

4. Wear as night clothes (only after turning off the lights)

5. Wear on Holi. (Applicable in India) Yeah!

6. Dye !

Poster4Tomorrow Exhibition

2010-04-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

The Pencil is mightier / Freedom of Expression showed all the 100 chosen posters as part of a world-wide exhibition at Ecuador, Poland, Buenos Aires, Stockholm, Ireland, Korea, Montreal, Turkey and Los Angeles.

My poster.

WESTERN Spaghetti

2010-03-30T06:15:00.001-07:00

To all things wild & west - to all the cliches, all the sheriffs, all the cowboys and guns and hats and lassos and cacti and to the man riding into the bloody sunset!

This design on a tee is up for grabs at SheepStop.

Work Speaks for itself!

2010-03-02T02:27:00.000-08:00

Satyam Patel might not have been blessed with the gift of the gab but he more than makes up for it with the pencil. A dear friend and one of the most prolific illustrators I know of.

Seen here are some of his stories whiplashed on the terrace wall of his rented apartment in Delhi, and guess what ~ his landlord loves him!
.
Walls are there to be pulled down.
If they can't be pulled down, then they ought to be painted upon. ~ Banksy

Brand New

2010-02-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

Why is'nt anyone talking about this re-branding? I guess, it wasn't launched as vociferously as say a Docomo or Videocon for that matter and it's not in the FMCG/retail market area to need substantial brand recognition but a name like Crompton & Greaves that has been subliminally part of the Indian brand-psyche for years quietly gets a make-over and what a make-over!

I'm not a newspaper regular and I didn't have a clue until I saw one of their magazine adverts. Here it is, in all it's basic, solid simplicity. Pure business. Although, the site can't hold the candle.

Liberated:

2010-02-10T02:43:00.000-08:00

The famous French import ultimately bails, albeit unfortunately with some baggage. + CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Batman & Robin

2010-02-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

This is my version, go create your own with the Batman & Robin Comic Generator: http://www.batmancomic.info/

An Eulogy

2010-02-03T04:07:00.000-08:00

To all the phonies in the world!
Mixed Media / 27 January 2010

H for Hope, H for Haiti

2010-02-02T04:22:00.000-08:00

Font Aid IV:
Coming Together, a Collaborative Typeface
The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) announced the launch of Font Aid IV, a project uniting the typographic and design communities in raising funds to expedite relief efforts in Haiti. Designers from around the world were invited to contribute artwork for a typeface to raise relief funds for Haiti.

My ampersand was based on the form of the letter 'H' which stood for Hope & Haiti.

Maps of Futility

2010-02-02T03:57:00.000-08:00

Inconsequential daily route map, often drawn by people whose house is literally a stone's throw from their work place.

WORMicelli

2010-01-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

Just having some pun!

4 hours!

2010-01-25T04:39:00.000-08:00

My mouse pointer tracking after 4 hours at work, mostly working on illustrator, some photoshop and browsing. The black dots stand for the time the mouse stood still, the larger the dots the longer the mouse was at rest. My largest dot stands for lunch time and some other relatively larger ones for coffee breaks/phone calls!

Download the Java applet from:
Anatoly Zenkov / http://www.flickr.com/photos/anatoliy_zenkov/4271592658/
Different versions for mac and pc; run and leave it in the background to record your mouse pointer tracking. "R" to reset/restart and "S" to save the file.

11Jan '10

2010-01-11T00:43:00.000-08:00

Custom created gifts for Miss Kapoor on her birthday, 2010.
the ambi.dextrous (mouse-pad) &
Mirror, Mirrors on the wall... (wall piece)

Technology is not the Answer!

2010-01-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Based on a derivative of a famous agit-prop slogan of yesteryears, this urges us to go the good old way and create with our hands rather than rely on technology. Technology is an aid and we should not depend on it completely, it's not the answer to everything.

This tee was declared a winner at the SheepStop casino and is now up for grabs here.

You can RUN but you can't HIDE!

2010-01-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

+ Click to ENLARGE / Credits unavailable.

WILSON PERIERA

2010-01-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

Wilson Periera, an animation film made by friend and erstwhile batch-mate Dhaneesh, is a search for higher truth. This is what he has to say about his film:

We humans are born with lot of mysteries. Knowingly or unknowingly our life is driven by the attempt to unfold these mysteries to ourselves, which goes on till we die. These mysteries are, after all, the key to the treasure of truth which gives us happiness. It varies from person to person and depends on how (s)he tries to unfold them. At some point of time everyone will have a specific viewpoint about these mysterious elements of life and some will try to express these findings through different mediums. (s)he may be called a philosopher, an artist, a poet, a writer, a scientist or even a communist or a terrorist.

http://wilsonperiera.blogspot.com/

2009+1

2009-12-21T02:36:00.000-08:00

Re-use your old calendar :
I realise this idea might have been done to death, nevertheless enjoyed a little bit of the old cutting & pasting.

Have a great year ahead!

Agony & Ecstasy

2009-12-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

The usually sangfroid Gulo allows us a generous peek into his life by displaying a variety of emotions on the very day of his birth, 26 years later.

KFC Poster by Anushree Kapoor.

Playing for Change

2009-11-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

" The act of playing music with people
of different cultures, religions, economics and politics is a powerful statement. It shows that we can find ways of working together and sharing our experiences with one another in a positive way. Music has the power to break down the walls between cultures, to raise the level of human understanding."

~ Mark Johnson, founder, Playing for Change

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.

{ text from the website }

An initiative for Peace through music, Playing for Change forms an enigmatic collage of local / street musicians or artistes around the world.

Previews on YouTube:

For more info visit: http://www.playingforchange.com/

Freedom of Expression

2009-11-16T02:03:00.000-08:00

My entry for Poster4Tomorrow, is against the repression of free speech in Iran. The poster uses the country's flag colours and is based on the atrocities people were subjected to for exercising their freedom of speech during the government elections.
..
10DecUpdate

Noose is chosen as one of 100 best posters to be exhibited worldwide.
To see other posters visit the gallery :
http://www.poster4tomorrow.org/gallery/
..
4JanUpdate

Chosen as one the 10 best posters and included in the Lahti poster museum permanent collection and the Les Arts Deco museum permanent collection.
http://www.poster4tomorrow.org/selected/

The Shepherd's Last Jig

2009-10-29T03:34:00.000-07:00

David Robert Shepherd turns 111, the whole fraternity stands up on one leg to salute this astute and one of the fairest umpires this game has seen. A true gentleman and lover of the sport, known for his on-field antics, his authority on the game can not be denied. It was always a pleasure watching him combined with a sub-conscious assurance that nothing will go wrong, in the good old days before the gadgetry trickled in. He must've given a few doubtful leg-befores but can your hawk-eye impersonate that jig!

And as long-time colleague Dickie Bird puts it "He was a good bloke, he'll be sadly missed."

To Frutiger

2009-10-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

This is tee was designed for buddy & fellow typophile, Rocky and is dedicated to Adrian Frutiger, and the Univers and to the Future.

The BOSS

2009-09-30T01:43:00.000-07:00

Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge 1974

Although popular with the college crowd in the Northeast, he was not a star yet. That night, he and the E Street Band opened for Bonnie Raitt. The influential music critic Jon Landau was in the audience.

Overwhelmed by what he heard, Landau wrote,
" I saw my rock and roll past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw rock and roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen."

Whither have thy come my Friend?

2009-09-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

VITAL STATS

Height : 1 feet 5 inches

Weight : 45 kg

Life Expectancy : 300 earth years

Place of Birth : Myatronix [ a land far-far-away ]

Culinary preferences : Jelly type green color material, available only on Myatronix

NO.

Contrary to insipid Human perceptions he's not Mini-Me; nor is he in puberty with extreme hormonal imbalance and a obsession for glam rock, neither has he had a wardrobe malfunction – Lo and Behold! – Alpha 10 from the first Ollywood sci-fi film. Tired of churning out soap-style family dramas, the nascent Oriya film industry bets for laurels with 'Keun DuniaRu Asila Bandhu', which literally translates to 'Whither have thy come my Friend?'. The protagonist of this saga is the very mortal Alpha 10, made of solid gold (i wish), a qualified Jedi sword-fighter equally adept at the art of Disco, who has made this ten thousand billion light years journey from homeland Myatronix just to make friends with the unassuming Oriya folk.

[ Read on to know more about Alpha 10 ]

My Name is Alpha 10.

I am from the planet named Myatronix which is many light years away from your planet Earth. In our planet we are born by the method of cloning. Our height is 1 feet 5 inches and weight is 45 KG. Our planet is much advanced as far as science and technology is concerned. We have many kinds of special, super natural powers and we can do any impossible task possible. But we are not God, Because God never dies but we die like humans. Our life cycle is 300 years. We also need food to survive. Our food is a jelly type green color material which is available in our planet only. We take food once in 3 to 4 days.

Now let me tell you about my power source. I have a machine in my left hand which is the main power and energy source of mine. This machine helps us to send and receive signals and to use our super natural powers.

You will be surprised to know that we used to come regularly to earth before 3000 years and we had a very good friendship with creatures of earth at that time. But afterwards your planet became polluted and populated. Creatures of Earth Specially Human became very selfish and harmful. From that day we stopped coming to your planet.

But This time I am coming….. TO BECOME YOUR FRIEND….

[ Text & all Images from the website ]

Connected :

2009-09-24T06:37:00.000-07:00

Tree developed from a USB port icon, which is a satire on our dependency on technology.

This tee was declared a winner at the SheepStop casino and is now up for grabs here.

Bombay / Chapter 2

2009-09-24T03:35:00.000-07:00

Fresh from college, my first job is what took me to Bombay in 2007, as part of the immensely talented and relentless young team at Grandmother India.

I'd been to the city previously on countless occasions, relatives, workshops et al; but to fend for oneself in a bumbling, gargantuan mass of land hung-over colonially and bonded culturally is another thing altogether. It was 2007 and Raj and his proteges hadn't yet embarked on their communal assault.

The Taj was still intact and one could grab a quick bite at Leopold sans the haunting memories. It was on one of those days that my uncle came visiting on a short official trip. He was provided with a somewhat plush accommodation in Colaba with a care-taker instructed never to leave his side, as this was his first time in Bombay. We spoke about his trip when he called on me later as promised. In answer to my question, as to what he saw in Bombay and what he liked; he responded quickly citing Nariman point / Marine drive as being one of the most drab places he was taken to by his guide. " Thronged with people, simply staring at the dirty sea " was exactly how he described it. It wasn't easy explaining him why me or other people living in Bombay did that - thronging to Nariman point and staring at the dirty sea.

For a city now called Mumbai.

Poster4Tomorrow

2009-09-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." { V, in V for Vendetta }

Photo captions / Above Safdar Hashmi
Below The Faculty of Fine Arts protests - Baroda, May, 2007

Poster4Tomorrow is an open competition inviting the global creative community to create posters to draw attention to, and take action against, the repression of freedom of expression.

The organisers of Poster4Tomorrow hope to spark a movement that will inspire people worldwide to stand together against injustice and intolerance. One poster is a start. Hundreds, thousands will become a global movement for a better tomorrow.

Poster4Tomorrow is online and open for entries from September 3 until November 15, 2009.

http://www.poster4tomorrow.org/

The Legend of BULLET BABA

2009-09-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

If you ever happen to be on the national highway from Pali en route to Jodhpur chances are that your vehicle won’t reach Jodhpur without paying obeisance to the Baba.

20 km from Pali, as you come to a halt amidst a horde of other vehicles, you are bound to wake up, if you were snoozing at all. In that sweltering heat it’s hard to miss the din of pilgrims and the orgy of colours that one sees in the vicinity, so typical of a Rajasthan social landscape.

If you happen to get down just out of curiosity, you might observe your driver buying a few incense sticks or a bottle of hooch and prostrate full length on the dusty ground in reverence. And after the initial shock at witnessing the unlikely idol, a full bodied, roaring 350 cc Royal Enfield, you may nosy out the stories that surround the legend.

But chances are that you haven’t or never will, so here’s the dope.

One fateful summer night in 1991, Om Bana - as he was known then - sped down punch-drunk that very road towards Chotila, the village of his birth and residence, but he ran straight into a tree that till date stands guard to the battered vehicle.

A gorge about 20 feet deep held his body till it was retrieved, dead but rendered immortal by the village folk who swore they could hear (and still can) the Royal Enfield rev up at night. It is said that Om’s family members who had claimed the bike after the post-mortem returned it back to its original crash site after experiencing the late night revs, replete with a framed and garlanded photograph.

The shrine was subsequently deified by the locals who had heard the defunct Royal Enfield - or Bullet as it is commonly known as - rev up, and by passersby who observing the apotheosis of Om Bana carried the tale far and wide.

Thus, they say was born the Legend of ‘Bullet Baba’.

Although this unlikely shrine does not boast of any old bewildering architecture, like most conventional temples it has a priest, blessed with the gift of the gab, who also manages the nitty-gritty of the upkeep of the shrine.

So if you ever happen to land up here, he’ll be the one enlightening you on the birth of this legend and many such tales which are better listened to than read. Also making up for the lack of grandeur is the prasad or offering which is the humble home brewed liquor in all its earnestness, especially embodied to represent Baba’s tastes.

Do not be surprised at innocent pilgrims emptying out bottles of hooch in honour of Baba after their wishes have been fulfilled, nor at the couple of booze shops nearby that aid the forgetful pilgrim or the extempore one nor at the melee offering exclusive Baba merchandise which includes audio/video CDs and colourful posters.

After reading all this claptrap, or maybe even after paying Baba a visit, chances are that you might not believe in the legend. Nevertheless, the legend of Bullet Baba lives on.

on IndiaTube
Image Courtesy : Rocky

Swine Flu

2009-09-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Awareness campaign for the Concerned Communicator Award, 2009.

Blind School Sign

2009-08-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

Brilliant, brilliant sign for the Rakum School for the Blind, Bangalore.
I'm not aware of the creator so please do share credits if you happen to know.

8th June

2009-08-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

For my brother Miku on his birthday, seen here with his flightless feathered friends.

6 Sigmawala

2009-08-14T02:58:00.000-07:00

The quintessential mumbai dabbawalla – heroic, punctual, immaculate, illiterate management guru.

+ CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Caution! Wet Paint (2009)

2009-08-10T04:30:00.000-07:00

Title of my work exhibited at the SAA Galleries, JNU as part of the exhibition – Someone draws a flower on a wall beside a bed.

I wanted to explore the kind of denial of access very similar to under-construction sites in cities. That denial which seems to work so much more surreptitiously in different public places too, regarding what class of people ought to enter which (so called 'public') place. Moreover, it was interesting to get the audience's reaction to the pieces under different circumstances. ( text : Sabih Ahmed )

Putting up an individual piece of chair in the gallery would label it as art and therefore change the viewers approach to it, so we decided to spray-paint only a few chairs and mixed them up with the other chairs in the gallery. Some were placed at the gallery and some downstairs where people gathered for a smoke or a chat.

Special thanks :
Alana, Sabih, Rocky and Satyam for helping me out with the process and logistics.

As you please (2009)

2009-08-10T02:35:00.000-07:00

Title of my work exhibited at the SAA Galleries, JNU as part of the exhibition – Someone draws a flower on a wall beside a bed.

Work Statement :
During my student days in Baroda, I was fascinated by the cheap egg joints that thronged the streets. Eating at one of these places one can’t help but notice the colourful trays in which they store the eggs safely. And as the cook starts preparing his dishes, the eggs start diminishing one by one, and not necessarily in a linear fashion. My work owes its origin to one of these trays and the playful composition vis-à-vis the negative and positive spaces on the tray, much like how a dot-matrix printer works. Here the trays here become my ever-expanding grid in space and the probabilities of composition innumerable.

Based on my observations at the numerous egg larries, I've tried to re-create the graphics that owe its birth to the extempore compositions on an egg tray. The title tries to convey the fact that since the trays become a grid and the eggs pixels, I could almost do anything I wanted. I did make an entire set of alphabets, but somehow the idea of a graphic/icon meant more than a few intelligent words. So I settled for a empty speech bubble, which stands for the myriad possibilities.

Special thanks :
Alana, Rocky and Satyam for helping me out with the process and logistics.

Someone draws a flower on a wall beside a bed

2009-07-23T05:45:00.001-07:00

5 ~ 20th of August, 2009
School of Art & Aesthetics Galleries, JNU, Delhi

Curated by: Alana Hunt

+CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Bizzaro Comic

2009-07-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

It's time for the baton of visual sociology, which has long been rusting (since 1995 to be exact), to be passed on, and to a worthy, well-deserving successor ~ Dan Piraro. " Please enjoy responsibly " the proof of his genius on his daily blog Bizzaro Comic, where he presents his burlesque views with oodles of references that speak of an unparalleled eye for capturing the nuances of human life in the 21st century.

Most Bizarro cartoons include an eyeball (the Eyeball of Observation), a piece of pie (the Pie of Opportunity), a rabbit (the Bunny of Exuberance), an alien in a spaceship (the Flying Saucer of Possibility), the abbreviation "K2" (referring to his children Kermit and Krapuzar), a crown (the Crown of Power), a stick of dynamite (the Dynamite of Unintended Consequences), a shoe (the Lost Loafer), an arrow (The Arrow of Vulnerability), a fish tail (The Fish of Humility) and/or an upside down bird (the Inverted Bird) hidden somewhere in the cartoon.

POP Ctrl

2009-07-20T04:03:00.000-07:00

" If there is electricity, people will watch TV late into the night and fall asleep. They won't get a chance to produce children "
~ Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health Minister.

The innovative idea is seen here as visually presented by the
Times of India, 18th July '09. +CLICK TO ENLARGE

Revolution : Anti Magazine

2009-07-17T03:56:00.000-07:00

Work featured in Anti Magazine Issue 9 : Revolution
Download pdf here : http://www.revolverlover.net/anti.asp

ROCK vs. PAPER

2009-07-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find logic in the 3 probable duels of the classic ROCK / PAPER / SCISSOR game. Pretty convinced by ROCK's win over Scissors and SCISSORS win over Paper, I conjured some sense into the third duel.
+ CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

You are Beautiful!

2009-07-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Internet made me smile : A Compendium
Sublime piece of work, which in my opinion rightly belongs to the 'why didn't I think of this' category. Nothing virtual has ever touched me as much as this, sadly I don't know whom to credit this for.

If 'You are Beautiful' elicits a smile, this one ensures a guffaw. A flash of cheeky humour which aims at answering the naivest of all 21st century FAQs ~ How the little arrow moves on the screen of your computer when you move the mouse?

Admiration . Respect . Love

2009-06-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

George Orwell's classics 1984 & Animal Farm, rendered in the inimitable style of Shepard Fairey. Though, I've read both I couldn't resist buying them for the sake of owning a Fairey print. I have been following his work since 'Andre the Giant has a posse' days and the resurrection of phenomenology with 'Obey the Giant' trademark that saw his ouvre turn into something more than just visual rhetoric. More widely admired in public circles after his cult 'Obama - Be the change' poster for which the president thanked him with a personal letter.

As for me, I'm proud to own a Shepard Fairey print.

PiNG PONG

2009-06-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

Cute trophy I was awarded as the runner up last year, at the sort of an annual designers table tennis tournament organised by Trapeze design at their lovely office space.

Fare ye Well

2009-06-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

Mihika's farewell party invite.
After 3 long years at Tsk, we bid her goodbye and wish her all the best!

Lucida CONSOLE

2009-05-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

From the mighty pen of Akash Hans a.k.a Gulo .

the PIG Box

2009-05-25T22:02:00.001-07:00

25 Dec 2008 / 5 Years of Piggery
Personal gift for Miss Kapoor { the pig } using an air-tight plastic container + nut & bolts, filled with goodies/candies before the hand over, of-course.

PIG OUT!

SHOOT

2009-05-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

A gouache by Anushree Kapoor . 3 x 3.5 '

RK Joshi ~ A Tribute

2009-05-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Pieces by Noopur Datye, erstwhile colleague and friend who participated in an exhibition of Calligraphy to honour legendary Indian Calligrapher/Typographer Late Professor R. K. Joshi.

&

2009-05-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Rocky & Hanif (+ generous unknown helper) get their hands dirty on a friendly neighbourhood wall with an ampersand. The ampersand a clear inspiration from Herb Lubalin is a character from the classic typeface Pistilli Roman, which they believe will urge people to look at obscure walls in a new light & wonder & then ponder.

They plan to immortalize the entire alphabet thus; may the type & graffiti gods give them the time and courage to do so. Amen!

Symbol for the Rupee

2009-05-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

Etymology
The origin of the word "rupee" is found in the Sanskrit word rup or rupyah, which means "wrought silver," originally "something provided with an image, a coin," from rupah "shape, likeness, image."

Approach
In a country as diverse as mine, which is a confluence of myriad cultures and languages, the need to have an icon or a symbol is imperative. Although this country is divided by language barriers we find Hindi (Devanagari script) which is the national language and English (Latin script), are the most widely used languages for communication in all media. The origin of my idea is the verbal aspect of the word rather than the visual. They way it is commonly referred to as or spoken. I base my approach on the etymology of the word Rupee and tracing it down to its Sanskrit roots we find that it comes from the word rupyakam. It is interesting to note that both Rupee and Rupayakam or Rupyah for that matter start with the syllable Ru. My design is a marriage between the two, i.e. it's representation in Devanagari which also happens to be its widely accepted and followed abbreviation; and the abbreviated form in the Latin script which is Rs..
.
My design is shortlisted.
SHORTLISTED ENTRIES HERE.

the Good Old Days

2009-05-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

Let us go back to the good old day
where each one had their own way

of fairy tales and magic
where terror was not so tragic

when people thought the earth was flat
and they used a pigeon to send a chat

we dropped by at each other's houses
instead of petty little public forward smses

with malls galore and the drooping yardstick
our depravity resembles the cheapest flick

i know atm's are cooler
but remember the smell of that paper
true, e-books are for the sucker

we all miss that ray of light and pouring rain
today it gets stuck somewhere before it can reach my window pane

if history truly repeats itself
and the vicious circle be believed
i only ask for a good old day to be re-lived

^
ojasvi
2009

It's Wet

2009-04-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

Stop leaning against the wall.
I wish!

KeeDA & Rock o9

2009-04-23T23:18:00.001-07:00

Fiend . Philanderer . Guile

2009-04-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

Gulo in a fit of serious indolence with his brand new crew cut, phone & red bean bag.
Mixed media / 2009

Baroda / Monsoon / 2005

2009-04-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

One of the teaser posters for the Fresher's party - 2005, which transformed into something more at the end of a downpour.

On a different note, can't help but reminisce about Ledger's inimitable Joker.

FREEdge*

2009-03-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you Sourabh Thakur for the FREEdge which I'm sure is not pink. The fine print reads - *not sure which one of us is who, but you may bet this refrigerator that the one who reaches for the red-bull shall unabashedly be deemed gulo.

Who framed ROGERABBIT?

2009-03-06T03:34:00.000-08:00

Rabbits have always intrigued me, be it on the moon or Donnie Darko or in Alice in Wonderland. There's much more here than meets the eye.

A tribute poster for the 80's classic animation + live action flick adapted from the book by Gary Wolf. I love the film noir elements used in the movie hence have tried to highlight the same. Fans, excuse my ineptitude in accomodating the voluptuous Jessica.

a breath of fresh air

2009-01-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

In the times of sad logos and ostentatious re-branding, when all hope's lost and people are screaming for change, I was struck by this ethereal whiff. It was good to see some decent work around hence I wrote to these guys with much applause; keen to know who the designer was, but to no avail. The shy craftsmen never replied back, modesty or acute internet phobia, I shall never know the reason for their refrain.

{ My regards to Trapeze Design, Bangalore for that lovely logo. I very recently discovered. }

Other silver linings include a Madras-based fashion brand logo - Canary Blue and Blaft, an independent publishing house also from Madras. Madras is getting hotter, guess it always was, you'd know if you ever saw Sharad Haksar's photographs.

Nostalgic 'Sampatti'

2009-01-19T02:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday + Sunday + Republic Day - trip down memory lane. AtulRahulOjasviAbhijit

Reasons for the kodai mood board to be so packed :
1. photographs worth more than 3 gb
2. Couldn't choose

+ Click to enlarge

India Post / Re-branding Unwanted

2009-01-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

Re-branding, boon or bane. Yet another debacle that pollutes my immediate social landscape. India Post's classic red on white grid-based logo that I've admired ever since I knew what it meant, sadly has had to go. As is common knowledge in India pigeons (carrier birds) were specially trained to carry paper scroll messages and deliver with an unerring accuracy or so we've heard. The India Post paid tribute to this ancient method of communication by depicting these birds. Although the re-branding effort (the photograph) also symbolizes the birds but the yellow swishes drawn in a hurry fleetingly aim to capture the magic that it was.

findinGULO / an exercise in phenomenalism

2008-12-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

Inspired from actual 'Lost' posters in the city of Baroda, in terms of design & content; these posters were an exercise in the creation of hype. In fact, headlines and the format is a direct shameless copy from one of the illustrious examples that adorned the bus stop walls. The bylines and sub-heading are of-course customized.

The concerned, our dear mate did not actually go missing but was off on a sabbatical when this poster campaign was put into action. The posters were strategically placed over the Faculty and University premises and a horde of other areas that the concerned would most likely frequent ( including the Ladies Hostel ). As a result, there was just one slight reprimand and a barrage of questions by kith kin and mostly by the vendors catering to our nightly haunts. Our little tryst with activism did not end that badly after all, our reward came in the form of questions that poured upon the concerned on his return; apart from seniors and juniors alike, the list includes a senior faculty member, canteen proprietor and others.

Partners in crime / activists : Hitesh aka Rocky + Saalim aka Keeda + yours truly
The text is translated for the convenience of unilingual readers / unfamiliar with the Gujarati script.
Pardon the rough translation = half the charm of the vernacular language is lost as such.

The description of the concerned which is a constant on all the posters is as follows :
NAME : Gulo Guillinder
Height : 5.11”
Age : 28 years
Colur of Hair : black, brown, auburn and red
Appearance : Rotund
Last seen : Faculty of Fine Arts
Informant shall be duly rewarded.
Contact number : 9879123560

Can’t be found
We request you to come back at the earliest.
What ever food you ask for shall be provided.
.

Skedaddled
Where ever you may be please come back, no one will ever bother you again.
.

Lost
Your dad will get you an high-speed internet and Worldspace connection. You won’t even need to go to I Tech any more. So if possible come back.
.

Lost
We request you to come back at the earliest. What ever food you ask for shall be provided.
.

Can’t be found
If you want to come tomorrow, make it today.
If you want to come today, make it now.

GALLERIAbsurd :

2008-12-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

All shot in the month of November, these are the accumulated produce of trips to the Bannerghata National Park + Mahabalipuram + scoutings in Bangalore. Couldn't have been possible without some observation + a little luck and Gulo and Rocky.

Icon for ILLEGAL ACTIVTIES*
Waiting for approval from the concerned authorities before it is granted universal iconic status.
Bannerghata National Park / Nov 08
.

As you sow so shall you RIP / R.I.P
An afterthought : while the elephant tries an age old oral retributory technique on the offender, the mickey mouse in the garb of a bear is actually contemplating pervasive action
Bannerghata National Park / Nov 08
.

Unidentified Veg Species
Purportedly claims descendancy from the mighty T-Rex. Available at the tuesday haat, in close proximity to the Bannerghata National Park.
.

Unbeknownst to competitors and customers alike, Puma secretly encourages local sports in developing countries.
Mahabalipuram / Nov 08
.

Gender tender !
Mahabalipuram / Nov 08
.

Nightmare on the National Highway
Last seen on the outskirts of Bangalore veering towards . . .
.

Form follows function follows fun.
.

“ Holi kab he, kab he holi . . . ” ~ Gabbar Singh
Colourful produce on display at the tuesday haat, Bannerghata.
.

The Earl of SandWitch
Changing etymologies in a changing world. I guess things like this have become pretty passe in the Indian context but interestingly the word was spelt accurately on every other communication material of theirs.
A later addition, spotted by Gulo on Brigade Road.

the bro trip :

2008-11-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

me, rock & a lot of zoo + some snakes + beach

mahabalipuram
08

yeh jagah badi BEkal he :

2008-11-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

Unceremoniously delayed, this post photo-documents our trip to BEkal, Kerala. Albeit shadowed by the monsoon this records a few OR ATLEAST one remarkable event.

Save H2o

2008-11-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

Bengaluru ROCKS!

2008-11-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome poster for dear friend and erstwhile roomie - Rocky.
Copy credits - Akash Hans

THE INCREDIBLE BULK :

2008-10-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post and I'm back with a BULK. This portrays dear friend Gulo and his shenanigans, term coined by bro Kartikeya all the way from Chennai. Post 2nd October, I hope it does not offend you to see dear Bulk portrayed in such light - hence a CSR version is also made available for our mild-mannered friends / viewers.

Noah's Park :

2008-09-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

No garden of delights / no hieronymous bosch / no satire on the food chain / no comment on issues of sustainability. if you do find a hidden meaning or reference good for you - this is a mere celebration of form and colour. enjoy uninhibited!

mr.tambourine man : a tribute

2008-09-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

water colour / 2008

Book Cover :

2008-08-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

My entry for the Penguin Book Cover contest :
The Island at the End of the World, is an post-apocalyptic tale concerning a family that seeks refuge on an island; possibly the only place left after the water rose. There's a lot more to the plot but thats the highlight.

My take is very situational here; to use an observation, as is often seen during a flood when the water rises all the insects and smaller creatures clamber on to higher places for safety. And the eerie vignette reminds me of an apocalypse, much like a harbinger of doom where things are in disorder and as quiet as white-noise.