Sherry

Sometimes the most interesting design can be found on the most mundane things – remember blank music tapes? Ever ponder how brilliant the design on the inlay cards was? No, neither did I, until I found Polar Alert’s Top 100 blank audio cassette “j-card” designs.

The designs are clearly trapped in time, harking back to the peak of their use in the 1980′s, but all the better for it don’t you think? Sometimes we try and design so it doesn’t date, but isn’t it great to be taken straight back to a period in time for exactly that reason? Anyway, look for yourself here.

It’s quite hard to remember the last truly creative music video. Many moons ago when MTV actually played music they where common place; ‘Windowlicker‘ or ‘Come to Daddy‘ by ‘Aphex Twin’, ‘Star Guitar‘ By ‘Chemical Brothers’, ‘Da Funk‘ by ‘Daft Punk’ to name but a few.

However there is hope and it comes in the shape of Google Chrome and HTML5. Recently there has been a trend in interactive music video’s that pull in all kinds of data to create a unique personal experience.

First on the scene was ‘Arcade Fire’ with ‘The Wilderness Downtown‘ and now I’ve just stumbled upon Japanese band ‘Sour‘ which pulls in data from your Facebook or Twitter account. A great experience. Long may this trend continue!

Click image to launch site.

Unfortunately if this is the first you’ve heard of this beautifully friendly little festival then I’m afraid you’ve missed out! The bargain of the festival season came and went in a blur of luscious green, a shimmer of sunrays and only a hint of the wet stuff last weekend. With some blinding performances, a lovely crowd, and with Sherry members in attendance, this was surely the best FarmFestival yet. Held on an organic farm in Somerset this gathering does more than just provide sumptuous music for your ears and glorious surroundings in which to enjoy it, it’s all for a good cause. All profit made goes to charity with Practical Action being the main beneficiary; a charity that provides renewable, locally sourced sustainable energy in an attempt to lift people out of poverty around the world. With donations also being made to Somerset Air Ambulance and other local good causes, we can’t think of a better way to do your bit.

http://farmfestival.co.uk/ http://practicalaction.org

Continuing the theme of spinning wheels, check out this excellent video by Clemens Kogler. Produced using two turntables, a bit of cardboard and some rather adept handiwork, the visual performance has been created entirely sans computer. It is a stunning example of what can be achieved with simple animation techniques and a bit of nouse. Can I get a rewiiiiiind!

As part of the Barbican Centre’s bite10 festival I went to see a fantastic performance of Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. As a bit of an Edgar Allan Poe enthusiast I was really excited to see what this musical fable would have in store for us, especially given the rich canvas Poe created within his work. Poe, who was known as the master of the macabre, lived a life of infinite challenges all of which were beautifully dramatised for this production.

‘All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream’ seemed to be a key notion translated not only into the narrative, but into every facet of the experience the audience were witness to. The costumes were incredible, and when combined with the lighting and set design it made for an unmissable visual feast. Well worth checking out if you can.