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Obvious Plant

Posted in advertising, humor, satire, signs with tags advertising, humor, obvious plant, satire, signs on September 9, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

Jeff Wysaski has been leaving hilarious signs and products in public places in a project known as Obvious Plant.

At first, he was worried that people would notice what he was doing, but quickly discovered that most witnesses were far too wrapped up in their own worlds to notice (even store employees didn’t notice blatant faux product placement!).

We can get so used to the mundanity of existence that most of us would fail to distinguish the plants from the overwhelming amount of visual stimuli we encounter each day. One benefit of being housebound with chronic illness for years is that even the quickest trip to a drug store seems miraculous…like I’m seeing everything for the first time! I find myself drinking in all sorts of glossed-over details of simple products on the shelves, marveling. But I bet I could miss the plants too.

I think my whole wekk would be made if I ever saw one of these. I think he should have local volunteers placing them everywhere around the country. Please start a movement, Jeff!

Obvious Plant

4 Comments »

Chompoo Baritone: The Truth Behind Instagram

Posted in photography, satire, soapbox with tags photography, satire, soapbox on June 13, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

I remember applauding teenage social media supermodel Essena O’neill for coming out about the staged (and often miserable) truth behind her “candid” shots. In a gesture few 19 years olds in our likes-obsessed society could muster, she quit social media so as not to define her worth by superficial standards.

Chompoo Baritone’s photo series about the truth behind Instagram is decidedly less poignant and depressing than the heavier themes evoked by O’Neill’s re-editing her own captions to reflect the truth of spray tans, boosted bosoms, stomach suck-ins and hours of strategic posing.

These photos are rather humorous to look at because they show how much better even the most mundane crap can appear on social media.

This is a great example of why we can never compare our lives to others…but we can certainly enjoy the beauty of the mundane in these tiny snapshots.

Chompoo Baritone

2 Comments »

Vote Giant Meteor 2016!

Posted in humor, politics, satire with tags humor, politics, satire on June 6, 2016 by shewalkssoftly

I rarely make political statements on this blog, but seeing the news nowadays is enough to make some of us wish for this option.

Giant Meteor 2016

Mark Bryan

Posted in absurd, art, satire, surreal with tags absurd, art, satire, surreal on September 8, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

Mark Bryan describes painting as a process rather like dreaming while awake: a direct link to the subconscious.

Some stirring, tumultuous, apocalyptic images certainly arise…

He very rarely plans his paintings out beforehand (except for the political work) and prefers to see where each one takes him as it goes.

His portfolio also contains numerous war related images. He states:

Although turning inward is my first instinct and love, I can’t always stay inside my head and ignore what’s going on in the world. When the circus turns especially ugly or when a good idea appears, I feel the need and responsibility to make some kind of comment. Humor and satire have been my way to confront serious topics which are often too grim to portray directly.

There is always some satisfaction for me in pointing out the absurdities of human behavior and making fun of the villains of the day. I don’t know if this kind of work has any effect on the situation, but at least it has a therapeutic value for me and others of like mind.

Mark Bryan

2 Comments »

James Flaxman

Posted in art, macabre, satire with tags art, macabre, satire on September 5, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

If you happen to be looking for someone to artistically desecrate the beloved pop culture icons of your childhood, James Flaxman can deliver!

His portfolio is rife with pale, sickly, decayed, obese, oozing characters.

…And, of course, cultural commentary/satire.

He has a great gift for creating truly grotesque, unsettling creatures.

James Flaxman

2 Comments »

Ennuigi

Posted in geek, satire, video games with tags geek, satire, video games on August 14, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

I never got into video game consoles, but I loved Mario Bros. on the original Nintendo as a kid.

Now, Josh Millard has developed a sequel of sorts: Ennuigi, in which we are invited to “spend some time with a depressed, laconic Luigi as he chain smokes and wanders through a crumbling Mushroom Kingdom, ruminating on ontology, ethics, family, identity, and the mistakes he and his brother have made.”

This is a shot at a collection of ideas I had a few years ago, about looking critically at the universe of Super Mario Bros. in light of the total lack of explicit narrative in the original game in particular. Who are these strange men? What motivates them? By what right do they wreak the havoc they do on this strange place? What do they feel about where they are and what they’re doing?

And so, this is one lens through which to look at all that, with Luigi, the second brother, the also-ran, as a complicit onlooker, wandering now through some fractured, rotting liminal place in this strange world, reflecting on it all in scattered fragments.

What do you think, Nintendo fans?

Ennuigi

4 Comments »

Desktop Goodies 7/10

Posted in absurd, advertising, art, Books, cats, horror, humor, japan, kitsch, monsters, oddities, photography, satire, undead, vintage with tags absurd, advertising, art, Books, cats, horror, humor, japan, kitsch, monsters, oddities, photography, satire, undead, vintage on July 10, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

Apologies for skipping a couple days this week, but between huge health setbacks and mold remediation in the SWS house, things are a bit hectic.

What happened on this beach to necessitate a sign like this (well, I guess that’s self-explanatory).

What question did someone ask him to warrant this answer? Ideas?

I’m assuming this is a gag product (the source where I found it said it’s unironic, which was perhaps more entertaining than the ad itself).

Facing the shadow…

I had to look up where this fellow came from. Now I must see Ultraman Tarou. Has anyone seen it?

Well, that’s supportive.

Careful, parents, it could happen to you.

Answer: don’t.

Now THIS cat is a work of art.

“Hey, you’ll never believe where I’m calling from.”

1 Comment »

Desktop Goodies 1/22

Posted in absurd, advertising, antiques, art, comics, creatures, photography, satire, sci-fi, skulls and skeletons, vintage, you can't handle the cute with tags absurd, advertising, antiques, art, comics, creatures, humor, music, nature, photography, satire, sci-fi, skulls and skeletons, vintage, vintage print, you can't handle the cute on January 22, 2015 by shewalkssoftly

Yep, these are real birds…

…not Tribbles with eyes.

I wanted so much to believe this is an actual album, but sadly I don’t see it on Amazon or YouTube.

Now THIS is music! I can almost hear their sweet, fruity harmonizing.

1926 skull clock created by the German Oswald clockmaking workshop. They eyes rotate to tell the time.

For maximum safety, place your child in a crib that appears to be a cross between a glass coffin and what magicians use to saw people in half.

A unique abduction? Eye don’t know.

MONSTER SOUP OF THE THAMES!

Never neglect your bowels.

I wish this were part of a large “Things to Do With a Giant Head” photo collection. There are two fine suggestions here:

The Shadow is a force, indeed.

The challenges we rarely think of…

6 Comments »

The 2014 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog

Posted in christmas, humor, products, satire with tags christmas, humor, products, satire on December 16, 2014 by shewalkssoftly

My friend Liz shared an amazing shred of satire with me the other day; an article that highlights (with excellent commentary) some of the more useless and/or ludicrous items in the Williams Sonoma catalog this holiday season.

Head over to The 2014 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog and take a look!

3 Comments »

Stephen Gibb

Posted in anthropomorphic, art, satire, surreal with tags anthropomorphic, art, satire, surrealism on September 22, 2014 by shewalkssoftly

Stephen Gibb paints comically unsettling bits of surreal scenery, teeming with anthropomorphic foods, inanimate objects and animals.

One of my favorite things about art in this vein is that it seems to gently hint at some rather serious themes…while never taking itself too seriously.

I encourage you to read the titles of each piece, if you explore his online galleries.

From the artist bio:
The gory details…..
Stephen was dropped on his head as a baby while his mother was visiting the Museum of Modern Art. Ever since, he has been drawing, painting and scratching in a non-stop orgy of creation. His paintings are psychological offerings, rich in irony and distortions, bristling with sublime, psychotropic colours. Human forms struggle in an existential blending of mind and machine yet up through the conflict a subtle black humour percolates. Always wear your helmet.