Category archives: Art for Progress
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7 years ago
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Street artists are becoming more and more popular each year as graffiti is one of the most accessible forms of visual art for the masses. This genre of art has even become so popular that many superstar street artists work can now be found in some of the finest galleries across the globe! Graffiti involves a great level of skill and creativity and many also like to convey different social and political messages through their work. Below are some of the most influential street artists of our time and where you can view their work.
Banksy
Banksy is arguably the most influential street artists on our list and there are few people who have not heard of him. What makes Banksy so intriguing is that no one actually knows his identity! Much if his artwork features social and political undertones to it and people love the dark sense of humour which he injects into his work. His most notable work can be found in London and other areas of the UK, but you can also find his work in many different parts of the world including America and Israel. He does sometimes auction off his work but you’ll pay a pretty penny for it!
David Choe
While Banksy chooses to operate in secret, David Choe chooses to do the complete opposite! This graffiti artist, graphic designer and muralist is a flamboyant Los Angeles resident. He is famous for his wide range of work which varies from working on film sets to album covers. What’s more, he even painted a portrait of Barack Obama while he was r[...]
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7 years ago
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"A professional studio starts at around $50,000 and up" according to Rick Camp, who has produced the music of Dr. Dre, Beyonce and the likes. However, he also asserts that "a home studio, or a project studio, can cost anywhere from $300-400 dollars." With such a wide range of music production equipment out there, creating your own home studio has never been easier, cheaper and more accessible. Expensive equipment isn't always necessary to produce top quality work, as many low to mid range products on the market are actually competing with some of the top brands. Here are the top 3 tips on how to start producing your music without spending too much or sacrificing the quality of your sound.
Research the best equipment in your price range
When you begin any new practice, research is always key. And with an art form as technical as music production, it's almost essential to look into what audio interfaces you need and how to use them. If you go in blind, then you risk overspending on unnecessary, fancy equipment. In order to feel at ease with what you're doing, don't let yourself feel out of your depths:
Break down what you need: the interface, a mic/instruments and sound outputs
Research what both the amateurs and pros use
Compare the equipment based on quality and price
Take advantage of free recording software
Whilst 'freemium' software may not always have the advanced functions that paid software does, it's still useful when you're starti[...]
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7 years ago
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Pedro, welcome to AFP, we are pleased to have you here. Please tell us when you started playing and producing electronic music? Tell us about your first project.
I started experimenting with audio edition software when I was 16. At first, my intention was only pure distraction and fun. Before, I used to listen to lot of music, not only electronic music but also good rare versions of everything that you can imagine. I have a brother who is a music lover. I was also an amateur guitar player in a band.
It's my understanding that you've produced music under different artistic names and musical projects in the past? This was before your personal projects, correct?
When I was 22, I started to mix music using the name Pettre and was using it for many years. I published a track on Hivern Discs with John Talabot and Pional. Afterwards, with my project duo called Aster, I have worked for years at Hivern Discs and also at the famous label Mathematic Recordings, based in Chicago. With my recent project Pedro Vian and also with the Aster duo, I've had a presence in important festivals such as Sonar and Primavera Sound.
How do you define your style?
It is impossible to me to categorize it in a single style, because it is a mixture of many. Basically, I don't know how to define it. The experimentation is predominant; many times I feel myself with a foot on the dance floor while the other foot is in the spiritual and ambient side.
https://soundcloud.com/pedro-vian
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7 years ago
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Like a good short story, a well crafted short film can really pack a punch. Unlike features, which often have the luxury of a couple of hours to set the scene, establish a tone, animate characters and tell a story, a short film must get the job done in (generally) less than 40 minutes. With his trio of debut shorts, British journalist-turned-director Neville Pierce skillfully manages to do it all in under 11 minutes each.
In Bricks, the scene is the basement of posh rich-boy William (Blake Ritson), who gets a bricklaying lesson from the earthy Clive (Jason Flemyng), hired to renovate the wine cellar. Clive is clearly dismissive of his effete employer, who doesn’t know one type of trowel from another. “You people and your money,” he sneers at one point. They seem to bond over a nice glass of Rioja, but things soon turn horrific. Great acting (especially from Ritson, creepy as hell); understated, unsettling music and quiet direction make for a chilling update of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Ghosted, a charming, offbeat, black-and-white film, has quite a different vibe, though it too has a slightly surreal quality. Widowed artist Rebecca (Alice Lowe) suffers through a series of lackluster first dates, as the charismatic ghost of her late husband Nigel (Christian Anholt) looks on, wisecracking and generally getting in the way. Though he seems to be trying to help, we learn that he was far from an ideal mate, and in fact expired while cheating on his[...]
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7 years ago
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It's funny when you mention bands from the past (around for over 15 years) to people, and how they typically react. You'll hear things like, are they still around. I haven't heard that name in 20 years. And then when you tell them that you're actually going to see the band, they give you a weird look like, why would you do that.
So, let me explain quite simply. Just like in any profession, with experience comes expertise and the mastering of ones craft. G Love & Special Sauce have been playing together for nearly 25 years and their experience shines through in their live performances.
With their own style of funky, blues hip hop, the band always delivers a good time, and on this night it was no different. The trio delivered a non stop soundtrack of hits that kept bodies moving throughout the night- I-76, Milk and Cereal, Baby's Got Sauce, Blues Music and Who's Got the Weed.
Let's be clear, G Love's no slouch on guitar, Jimi Jazz tears up the string bass and houseman always delivers the goods. The band is tight, tight, tight.
For the $30 ticket price, you really can't ask for more.
Here's some upcoming dates:
February 2nd - House of Blues, Boston
February 3rd - The Fillmore, Philadelphia
February 8th - Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale
More dates...
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7 years ago
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The Modern Age Of Music Promotion
Music streaming was once seen as the enemy in the music business. When streaming music first became popular, the music industry saw profits sliced in half, going from $14.6 billion to $7 million between 1999 and 2013. However, musicians are getting savvier about the power of the internet, and have started working with the online movement rather than against it. Here are three ways you can step into the modern age of music promotion.
1. Create A Buzz
Lisa Occhinom ,the Managing Editor for Sonicbids, says that modern musicians need to be proactive about online marketing. Her advice is that you should “work to develop your fan base and buzz.” How does one go about creating a buzz? One way is to share what makes you different. Your unique qualities will make you stand out from the crowd.
2. Make Music Accessible On Multiple Streaming Platforms
While music streaming initially took away from music sales, musicians can now sell music through streaming platforms. When Apple iTunes came onto the scene in 2004, streaming became a legal way to generate income. When you sell your music through iTunes or another streaming platform, you can reach new fans who are actively searching for music to buy.
In this way, you can grow your fan base in addition to earning income. Make sure that you include a description of your music, as well as keywords so that interested fans can find you. Share links to your songs through social media.
Her[...]
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7 years ago
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Savina Tarsitano is a visual artist born in Calabria, Italy. She enjoys traveling around the world, but her main interest is experiencing new cultures and countries while sharing her ideas and art across the world. Thanks to her artistic research, she obtained several fellowships and artist residencies. Her work has been selected for the Biennal of Venice, and exhibited in many countries. Savina's work has also been published in several books and catalogues. She is a member of the European Cultural Parliament and Ambassador for the Rebirth project of Michelangelo Pistoletto and Cittadellarte.
Savina, nice to meet you and welcome to Art for Progress. Please, tell us about your art.
My art is focused on the idea of the landing, after different sojourns in theme- places like islands, abbeys, castles, military fortresses and so on. My works are made with different languages that represent embodied visions from the relationship with space, which in my representation is not only a real, but also an imaginary territory. During the period I, I developed three main projects: The Icons of the Chaos, Emotional Architecture and Creativity in Motion for Social Integration through Art and The Island You Want. Through The Island You Want, I was investigating the character and the specific difference of island spaces and landscapes through which I developed an artistic theme. This hermetic operation touches upon both nature, history and culture.
My stays on the island of [...]
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7 years ago
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Maysaloun Hamoud’s debut feature In Between is not only entertaining and engrossing, but a cinematic rarity. The film is partially set in Tel Aviv’s Palestinian underground club scene, a hip mini-society that isn’t generally represented on film (or anywhere). Hamoud’s three main characters are young Arab-Israeli women, seemingly very different from one another on the surface, but each facing major challenges in a rigidly patriarchal society and, to a lesser degree—at least in this movie—as an unwelcome minority. The multi-layered narrative is buoyed by the charismatic performances of its stars: Mouna Hawa as droll lawyer/party girl Leila, Sana Jammelieh as soulful DJ Salma, and Shaden Kanboura as strictly observant Muslim college student Nour. Though Hamoud’s direction has a casual, verité-like vibe, the unfolding plights of each woman, especially Nour, add growing tension to the film. There are also flashes of levity in the drily humorous dialogue, especially on the part of the free-wheeling Leila.
Leila and Salma, roommates in the bustling Yemenite Quarter of the city, are denizens of a hard-partying club scene featuring pounding Palestinian hip hop and a variety of drugs. A successful lawyer by day, Leila lets loose at night with a cadre of male friends, while aspiring DJ Salma humors her strict Christian parents by attending arranged dinners they’ve planned in hopes of marrying her off. A lesbian, she clearly has no intention of acquiescing to their wishes. One[...]
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7 years ago
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Art for Progress wants to say goodbye to 2017 with the best electronic music albums of the year.
Below you find our year-end top ten AFP picks that we have selected especially for you. The list includes a video and the label info where the records have been published.
2017! It was a great year for music in the world with many awesome, high quality albums created by the most talented artists from across the world.
Enjoy the new year and may your 2018 be full of good music!
Happy 2018!
1. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream. DFA and Columbia Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKeJFxwuBBE
2. Björk - Utopia. One Little Indian Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqbv7cCM5AI
3. Laurel Halo - Dust. Hyperdub.
4. Four Tet - New energy. Text Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWInZ4N6C2g&t=2357s
5. Bonobo - Migration. Ninja Tune.
6. James Holden - The animal spirits. Border Community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj35YNtP3IE
7. Powerdance - The Lost Art of getting Down. Powerdance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHrBXKtc0Sc
8. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest. Because Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRwgL_PrQYQ
9. Errorsmith - Superlative Fatigue. Pan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fsCgZh6E8k
10. Arca - Arca. XL Recordings.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqsyBiYZFQ3bQ6wAHoeYkkt[...]
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7 years ago
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Paradise is an interactive version of The Garden of Earthly Delights which was created in 2016 for the 500-year anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch’s death.
This artwork consists of a curious animated short film that recreates similar characters and the landscape of the original, but represents the excesses and desires of modern society- such as sex, power, consumerism, corruption, entertainment, religion and food.
The original Bosch’s triptych includes God presenting Eve to Adam, animals and nude people. Studio Smack's version shows funny details with spaceships, Hello Kitty, Coke, headless fried chicken and fantastic characters. What the animation and Bosch’s triptych have in common is that you’ll hardly be able to take it all in. You can watch it for hours.
The characters are 3D modeled, geometrically incorrect and represented in a bi dimensional picture of historical context. They were rendered in Cinema 4D and later composited in After Effects. Each of them has their own animation loop.
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7 years ago
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Around a decade ago, Jonathan Olshefski began taking photographs of a basement music studio in North Philadelphia, a hangout for local hip hop artists. The planned photo essay would reflect working life vs. creative life, specifically that of music promoter/producer Christopher “Quest" Rainey, owner of the studio. But Olshefski got so caught up in Rainey’s life and that of his family, that he wound up switching to film and shooting for almost a decade.
The result is Quest, an intimate documentary about a working-class African-American family struggling — and ultimately coping — with crime, poverty and illness. For those who aren’t familiar with rough neighborhoods like North Philly, the film also offers a glimpse into an impoverished but tight-knit community that is both frustrated and hopeful about its prospects. Neither glibly upbeat nor utterly despairing, the film achieves a believable balance that seems to reflect the current situation of so many Americans.
Quest, which opens with the 2008 presidential election as backdrop and closes with Trump soundbites from the 2016 debates, includes various events as time markers, including Obama's second win in 2012. Though Quest, who exhorts his community to vote, is clearly thrilled with those victories and is suspicious of Trump’s promises to African-Americans, it becomes pretty obvious that the national political scene doesn’t really have much of an effect on the day-to-day realities of his neighborhood.
At the [...]
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7 years ago
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On Wednesday 17th November, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Salvator Mundi, became the most expensive artwork ever sold, after being purchased for £450M during an historic event celebrated at Christie’s auction in New York.
The two hour auction took place at Christie’s with a total of sold artwork in the amount of $692 million ($785.9 million with fees), on 58 lots. The sale unexpectedly turned into a historic show.
Since the auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen announced lot nine: Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi (circa 1500), it took 19 minutes to sell the artwork for $400 million ($450 million with fees). People clapped and laughed during the unbelievable show. The sale of Davinci’s painting resulted in the most expensive piece ever purchased at an auction and broke all the previous records in the history of art, including the $179.4 million for a Pablo Picasso painting at Les Femmes d'Alger in 2015.
The crowd came to Christie’s expecting a show, and in the end they finally got history.
Salvator Mundi represents a secular image of a a serene-looking Christ dressed in blue and holding an orb. It also shows an ambiguous gender aspect about his appearance that makes it very mysterious and special.
The picture is one of fewer than 20 works by Leonardo still in existence. It's hilarious that the painting was sold by London's Sotheby's auction house in 1958 for less than 50£ when experts refused to believe Da Vinci painted it. For many years it was considered as t[...]
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