The Saul Bass Google Doodle Tribute And All The Actual Title Sequences.

I have long been a fan of late graphic designer Saul Bass and was thrilled to see today's Google Doodle tribute to him on what would be his 93rd birthday. Google took many of his most famous opening title sequences and closing credits for movies directed by Alfred Hitcock, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder and Stanley Kubrick amongst others and created their own versions of them.


above: Saul Bass on titles

I wanted to share the Goggle Doodle with you (for those who have yet to see it) and then follow it up with videos of all the actual title sequences so you can see the inspiration. Enjoy.

The Google Doodle Celebrating Saul Bass' 93rd Birthday:


Google a la Psycho:


Saul Bass title sequence - Psycho (1960)


Google a la Man With the Golden Arm:


Saul Bass title sequence - The Man With The Golden Arm (1955)


Google a la Spartacus:


Saul Bass title sequence - Spartacus (1960)


Google a la West Side Story:


Saul Bass title sequence - West Side Story (1961)


Google a la Vertigo:


Saul Bass title sequence Vertigo - (1958)


Google a la North by Northwest:


Saul Bass title sequence - North by Northwest (1959)


Google a la Anatomy Of A Murder:


Saul Bass title sequence - Anatomy Of A Murder (1959)


Google a la Oceans Eleven:


Saul Bass title sequence - Ocean's Eleven (1960)


Google a la Around the World in Eighty Days:


Saul Bass closing credits - Around The World in 80 Days (1956)
(The closing credits Saul Bass created for Around the world in eighty days were the longest and most expensive credits ever made, at the time. They cost $65,000.)
This video is not available on You Tube, but can be seen in its entirety here.

Art of the Title has a wonderful collection of many of his title sequences and closing credits.

And be sure to see my previous post on how Saul Bass inspires others here.

Leather Animals In A Paper Jungle For Hermès Window Installation.

For its 13th Carte Blanche, the Hermès store at Hong Kong International Airport is exhibiting a piece by the French artists Zim&Zou, 'The Eternal Jungle', which is an invitation into the wild. (Some of you may recall that I previously posted about the paper crafts of Zim&Zou.)



The window installation creates an intriguing contrast between the jungle, a world that is dominated by wild animals, and one of great refinement, the world of Hermès.




The window is influenced by the abundance of vegetation in Hong Kong and showcases Hermès accessories (such as scarves, jewelry, bets and ties) and a Monkey, a Toucan and a Chameleon crafted of leather off-cuts from the workshops of Hermès.

If this sounds a little familiar, it is much like the lovingly crafted animals made with Louis Vuitton leather goods for their window displays by Billie Achilleous.

Monkey and Hermès tie:

Chameleon and Hermès bracelet:

Toucan and Hermès necklace:


The installation displays the finest skills in paper-cut art and leatherwork. Remaining faithful to its original purity, the artists create intricate objects with the paper, a material both beautiful and versatile.



A look at the impressively crafted animals.

The Monkey:


The Monkey in the display:


The Toucan:


The Toucan in the display:


The Chameleon:


The Chameleon in the display:

The window as it appears in the Hong Kong International Airport:


Zim and Zou

Don't miss this post about another artist who has crafted small animals of leather for Louis Vuitton Window displays:

Geek Branding. Spock vs. Spock in New Two Minute Ad For The Audi S7.

The new Audi S7 looks as aerodynamic and almost as futuristic as the latest USS Enterprise, with an interior dash that rivals the NCC-1701's main bridge. Therefore, casting Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto in a face-off for command of the coolest vehicle was a fun move by Audi and a nice tie in to the upcoming May 16th release of J.J. Abrams' movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness.





So, what happens when old school goes head to head with new school in a battle of speed and wits? Leonard Nimoy and his Mercedes take on newbie Zachary Quinto and his all-new Audi S7 in this two minute film promoting the new Audi. Engage....




Although newbie Spock schools the original legend in the spot (shown above), Nimoy gets the last laugh with the good ol' Vulcan Nerve Pinch.

Starring: Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto
Written & Directed by: Paulilu (Paul W Downs & Lucia Aniello)
Executive Producer: Joseph Assad, PMK·BNC

Follow Audi on twitter @Audi
Get more information on the S7 at http://audi.us/18SEJtQ.

Flesh Love. 80 Vacuum-Sealed Couples Photographed by Haruhiko Kawaguchi.

Haruhiko Kawaguchi, who goes by the name Photographer Hal, is a Tokyo photographer and artist whose project FLESH LOVE literally vacuum packs couples of all types in 100x150x74 cm plastic bags. The idea is to keep love fresh forever. Once the air is sucked out of the bag by a vacuum cleaner, Kawaguchi only has about 10-20 seconds to take his pictures. Any longer and he would risk causing harm to his subjects.



Thus far 80 couples, many of whom Kawaguchi met at nightclubs in Tokyo, have participated in the project.

"When you embrace your lover, sometimes you wish to melt right into them.
To realize this wish, I've been photographing couples in small, or even cramped spaces like motels and bathtubs.
As my work has become more and more intense, I've noticed that communication is indispensable.
This time, I reached the point of photographing couples in vacuum-sealed packs, on a set that I've constructed in my own kitchen. The lights are in the ceiling, so I just flip one switch and have everything ready.
I have a few different colored paper backgrounds, which I can leave rolled up in the corner until there's none left. This gives me 10 seconds to take the shot.
In this extremely limited time I can't release the shutter more than twice." -- (Excerpts from the author's postscript)

Kawaguchi says that his female subjects have reacted much better to the bizarre vacuum-packing process than his male subjects. Women have remained calm while the men have been prone to struggle for air and feel claustrophobic. In one case, a male even wet himself. The women's most common concern is they they look good. Vanity and incontinence aside, here's a look at 42 of the photos from FLESH LOVE:























"FLESH LOVE" is one of the most unique photograph projects in the world and received the 1st place award in The Art of Photography Show 2011 held in San Diego, USA. France's Photo and art magazine "AZART" featured it inside and on the cover of their March 2011 issue.

FLESH LOVE PRINTS :
You can purchase individual prints from this series here

FLRSH LOVE GALLERY BOOK:
Or a softcover photobook of the show with 72 images here

FLESH LOVE ITUNES APP
An application for iPad of "FLESH LOVE" is available on itunes as well.

Haruhiko Kawaguchi aka Photographer Hal

A special thanks to Jaci Lerner for bringing this to my attention!