In a pinch, we bet you could use pretty much anything to make a musical instrument. You’re at your desk and you have a pen and a book — voila, percussion section. But make a synthesizer from some paper clips and an old keyboard and you’ve really got our attention. Making musical instruments can be an art form itself, as the entries below prove. From carrot fifes to a jellyfish theremin to home-made amplifiers, check out our list of amazing DIY instruments after the jump.
Our friends over at Refinery29 tipped us off to iArtist London, a “company” that believes that “art should be for everyone,” and as a result, provides (relatively) easy-to-use looking kits for creating your own versions of famous works by contemporary British artists like Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin, Rachel Whiteread, Marc Quinn, and Banksy. (Update: It’s actually the final degree project of Naroa Lizar Redrado, a recent graduate of the University for the Creative Arts in Kent.) Click through to view the goods.
Billed as “the world’s greatest DIY comic website,” Howtoons combines the talents of a comic-book artist, inventor, and toy designer to present eye-popping instructions for turning everyday objects into cool contraptions.
Science guru Saul Griffith (along with partners Joost Bonsen and Nick and Ingrid Dragotta) makes narrative-driven comic strips that fuse the freewheeling adventure of Inspector Gadget with the nuts-and-bolts fundamentals of Mr. Wizard, teaching kids of all ages how to create homemade devices including speed demons, spring-loaded chopsticks, and robofingers.
Today at Flavorpill, we jumped for joy at the news of a David Bowie tribute album featuring a cover by MGMT. Could there by a better combo than the Brooklyn duo and Ziggy himself? We think not. But enthusiasm wasn’t as black and white when we heard of the upcoming thriller with Jude Law. As sickening as the film seems, we’re hopeful that co-stars Liev and Forest will make it worthwhile. We’re eager for the first episode of 30 Rock in the new decade, which is scheduled to feature not only James Franco, but a puffy anime version of Jenna Maroney, as well. With our hands itching for more than just the knitting needles (our seasonal hobby), we prepared to get a little DIY with these chandeliers. Bets are being placed as to who is going to play Curly, now that Sean Penn is in the clear for Larry, and Benicio is set for Moe. Gerard Butler looks more 300 pounds than 300 (an exaggeration, but come on, it’s funny). And we couldn’t help but squirm in our seats a bit with the suggestion of the Internet running out of space. Come on, Google, we’re counting on ya!
Forget hipster idealists, vegans, and off-the-grid hippies: Dolly Freed has another way. Freed — a pseudonym — wrote Possum Living, a manifesto for living cheaply (and, she claims, lazily) in the late 1970s, when she was a feisty 18 year-old. Now reissued by Tin House Books, the volume is a relevant and sassy manual for a non-consumer lifestyle. Dolly’s practical lessons are presented with an irresistible wiseass grin: “We usually leave on the head, tail and fins for the simple reason that the fish looks nicer that way; and it means less work,” she writes. “Also, many fish have considerable amounts of meat in their heads — just like some people.”
[Editor's note: We're reposting this feature from last year due to popular demand and the fact that we're wondering if most of you got to see it the first time around. Enjoy!]
On a recent holiday shopping trip uptown, in order to escape the hordes cascading down 5th Avenue, I ducked into one of New York’s contemporary art museums. While sauntering through the maze of galleries I came upon a certain photograph that gave me pause. I studied the slap-dash camera angle and the basic lighting, and thought to myself: “Really? This is what it takes? I can do that!”
And then it hit me like a bolt of lightning: Not only can I do that, I will do that, and then I will pawn off the results on all of my unsuspecting relatives. Why give a Richard Avedon poster, when I can make an original Adda Birnir knock-off? Thus I enlisted the help of my trusty co-conspirator Tom Starkweather and together we picked five masters of photography (Cindy Sherman, Steve McCurry, Philip Lorca Dicorcia, Richard Avedon, and Ryan McGinley) whose work we felt was just begging to be re-created.
Detailed instructions and the results, after the jump.
A font of retro-inspiration, Grain Edit is dedicated to mid-century graphic design and its contemporary disciples.
With an aesthetic shaped by design heroes such as Milton Glaser, Charley Harper, and Paul Rand, the Oakland-based site hand-picks vintage brochures, illustrations, stamps, children’s books, posters, and even home plans for its ongoing visual throwback. Visitors can also read in-depth interviews with today’s leading designers, download one-of-a-kind desktop wallpapers, and vie for coveted giveaways.
We’re still reeling over the revelation that Donald Rumsfeld included bible-quoting, crusade-style briefings during the invasion of Iraq. While the idea of fighting fundamentalism by calling for holy war is pretty unsettling, our real story here is our military’s stunning lack of familiarity with Photoshop (seriously, could these cut and pastes be any uglier?). The good news: You don’t need any skill at all to alter the alterations. After the jump, a few of our attempts at fill-in-the-blank bible briefings, and the templates so you can make your own.
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