Thursday, December 20, 2012

Living Sheep Art

Impressive


Friday, December 14, 2012

The Knife announces new album


The Knife has announced their new album "Shaking The Habitual" which will be released in April of 2013.
They will be playing some live shows in Europe in 2013. As for the fans... we will be anxiously awaiting their arrival in the states.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Christopher David White's Ceramics, Not Wood


This sculpture by Christopher David White may look like wood but its actually ceramic. The piece, Cyles of Decay, was made to resemble old wood.

"Often, the process of change occurs at an almost unnoticeable rate. For this reason, we become attached to the world around us, and we expect that things will remain the same. So we take for granted what we experience each day of our lives. But, permanence is the multimate illusion." -Christopher David White (via Sweet Station)


Jon Paul Kaiser Talks with Sofa King


Jon Paul Kaiser is one of the most influential toy designers out there. Over the years he has solidified himself in the art of the toy designing world with his signature Black & White custom style. He caught the attention of many established toy producers such as Toy2R and Kid Robot who requested that he design their platform toys for them. Along with the vinyl toy scene, JPK has extensive experience working on licensed clothing as well as designing for licenses as diverse as Star Wars (Lucasfilm), The Simpsons (20th Century Fox), Kelloggs, Transformers, Lego & Looney Tunes (Warner Bros.), Ghostbusters (Sony Pictures), and Britvic.

SofaKing: Who would you say inspires you?

JPK: Toy and art-wise, I'm inspired by Huck Gee, Yoskay Yamamoto, Luke Chueh, A Little Stranger, Sam Flores, Brian Flynn, Ferg..... too many to mention! I was always into art history and get quite a lot of inspiration still from Francis Bacon, Picasso, Goya and the Chapman brothers -- particularly their darker, more provocative works.

SK: Do you have any series or specific piece that is your favorite?

JPK: I've several favorites of my own, that sounds really immodest... Production-wise. I'm really proud of all of my releases, particularly Captain Sturnbrau, my FatCaps, and each of my Dunnys. With my customs, it often takes a while after finishing them for me to appreciate them. I'm really proud of my Coarse customs, and my Mecha Bears. Though, perhaps my favorite is the Yakuza Squadt I completed recently.

Yakuza Squadt

Captain Sturnbrau

SK: Can you give us any details on your upcoming pieces?

JPK: Upcoming production pieces... I'm not allowed to talk about. But I have some great releases this year and a few ambitions fulfilled too!

SK: Any upcoming Shows?

JPK: I'm working on some customs for ToyCon UK next April where I'm sharing a booth with Rich Page from UmeToys. He's a good friend and a great laugh!

SK: How about your favorite movies?

JPK: I have a few favorite movies, they're hard to rank I guess... The Royal Tenenbaums, The Star Wars trilogy, Predator, and The Prestige.

SK: Music?

JPK: At work I listen to Spotify during the day, usually on random play. Though at the moment, Public Service Broadcasting and Godspeed You! Black Emperor are getting a lot of attention from me!







Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Sofaking Chats with Frank Kozik


I had the pleasure of talking with famed artist Frank Kozik. It was short... but good enough for me!

SofaKing: So, what are some of the new things you are working on?

Frank Kozik: Toys, resin pieces, paintings, shoes, prints


SK: Do you have any shows coming up soon?

FK: I have a show coming up in 2013 at Rotofugi in Chicago.

There you have it! My short conversation with the great Frank Kozik.



Die Antwoord "Fatty Boom Boom" Music Video

Awesome!


The Knife Posts New Album Trailer



Swedish electronic duo The Knife has released what looks to me like a teaser video for their upcoming album... or at least we really hope it is. The band has been making music since 1999. If you don't know who they are, you should take some time to familiarize yourself with the band here.  This would be the first album from the band since 2010's Tomorrow in a Year. The band was commissioned by Danish performance group Hotel pro Forma to write the music for their Opera based on Charles Darwin and his book 'On the Origin of the Species'

Watch the short video below








Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Nintendo Power prints its Final Issue



After 24 amazing years of servicing gamers, the final issue of Nintendo Power is available now for purchase.One of the magazine's founders, Howard Philips, said Nintendo Power's popularity was mainly due to the maps and gameplay tips provided. To commemorate this occasion, the founders take a look back on the magazine's history.

It's been a great 24 years. You will be missed, Nintendo Power. Purchase the final issue here



Oscars Best song Longlist


The longlist for the Best Original Song Academy Award has been revealed. Fiona Apple, Arcade Fire, the Black Keys Karen O, adele are among the 75 potential nominees.
The Songs Worthy for the coveted gold statue are: Arcade Fire's Hunger Games track "Abraham's Daughter", Fiona Apple's "Dull Tool" from This Is 40, the Black Keys' "The Baddest Man Alive" from The Man With the Iron Fists, Karen O's Frankenweenie track "Strange Love", and Adele's epic Skyfall theme
The nominees will be announced on January 10th, and the Oscars will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane on February 24th.





Extended Trailer for Disney's The Lone Ranger

Check out the new longer trailer for the upcomming film "The Lone Ranger". The new trailer is a minuet longer than the previous one released in October. There's more backstory and more interaction between the characters, the film is slated to hit theaters in July of 2013. Directed by Gore Verbinski starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Armie Hammer


Sunday, December 9, 2012

MoMA Acquires 14 Video Games... More to Come

When you think of classic games like Pac-Man or my personal favorite Tetris, do you think of them being on display in an art gallery? That's exactly what's happening at MoMA's Architecture and Design. Personally, I applaud this movement. As a gamer and an avid art lover, I have always wondered why something like this hadn't happened sooner. The first batch consists of 14 video game titles with more to come. The first collection will be on display at the Museum's Philip Johnson Galleries in March 2013. The first 14 games are

  • Pac-Man (1980)
  • Tetris (1984)
  • Another World (1991)
  • Myst (1993)
  • SimCity 2000 (1994)
  • vib-ribbon (1999)
  • The Sims (2000)
  • Katamari Damacy (2004)
  • EVE Online (2003)
  • Dwarf Fortress (2006)
  • Portal (2007)
  • flOw (2006)
  • Passage (2008)
  • Canabalt (2009)

For more information on MoMA click here

Tom Cruise in Oblivion




Heres Universal's trailer for the Joseph Kosinski’s-directed Oblivion. In the film, Tom Cruise plays a drone repairman stationed on a Earth in the far future which has since transformed into a desolate planet. When a pod carrying a mysterious woman crash lands near one of his work sites, the encounter causes Cruise’s character to question everything he knows about the world around him. Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko and Melissa Leo Costar. Its set to open April 19th.



Saturday, December 8, 2012

Eau de Pizza Hut


Who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked pizza? .... But do you want to wear it? That's exactly what Pizza Hut had in mind. What started out as a joke on the company's Facebook page has now become a limited edition Eau de Pizza Hut perfume. Developed by Pizza Hut in Canada after receiving almost 300 comments and nearly 200 likes, the ad team seized the opportunity and made the real deal. What we are left with is a scent of freshly baked pizza dough and herbs. The first 110 people who messaged directly requesting a bottle back in September will receive it in just in time for the holidays. Not one of the 110 people? No worries! I'm sure you can buy it for an outrageous price on e-bay. Personally, the smell of cheese and pimples doesn't attract me but hey, what do I know? 

Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth to be adapted into a stage musical.


The 2006 movie tells the story of a girl who enters a fantasy world of magical creatures to escape the horrors of real life.

The Mexican filmmaker has spent four years developing the show, which will feature a score by Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla and lyricist Paul Williams.
Santaolalla tells Deadline.com, "I'm so excited about translating Guillermo's magical vision into music and songs. I'm such a longtime fan of both Guillermo and Paul that to work on this with them is truly a dream come true."

No date has been set when we can see this on the stage.

Street Fighter X Mega Man a FREE PC 8-bit crossover, available Dec. 17




In celebration of 25 years of Street Fighter and Mega Man, Capcom will release an all-new crossover 8-bit Mega Man game on the PC December 17, Street Fighter X Mega ManStreet Fighter X Mega Man was announced today and puts the blue bomber up against eight popular Street Fighter characters like Blanka, Ryu, Chun Li, Rose, Dhalsim and Rolento.

Mega Man will have access to eight new weapons in this exciting new adventure, a few of which you can see in the trailer below –This looks to be a great fun game for all you 8 bit freaks out there I for one can't wait! Street Fighter X Mega Man will be a free download on the PC when it launches on December 17; you'll be able to download it through Capcom-Unity.

Check out the game's Trailer below.