Common Folk Collective » project

Irina Werning- Back to the Future

thos — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:02:49 +0000

Mechi 1990 & 2010 Buenos Aires

Back to the Future isn’t by any means the first project to have someone recreate a photo of themselves from yesteryear as true to form as possible but Irina Werning’s execution here is brilliant. And somehow the merriment of the process is almost palpable.

There’s a lot that could be said about injecting the present into the past or how the more things change the more they stay the same but I’ll spare you and just let you enjoy the photos as they are and leave you to make up your own deep psycho-babble art philosophy.

Make sure to check out part 1 & part 2! She’s also going to be doing more in Tokyo, Korea, and Taiwan so if you live there and want to participate, hit her up.

Found via MeanRed

The Trading Tortoise

thos — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 19:18:06 +0000

Part of the whole Common Folk Collective theme of things is appreciating art that is functional and finding ways to live life in creative ways, appreciating the difference between simply creating art and being a true artist. I’m really salty I missed The Trading Tortoise traveling art project when it came through Milwaukee.

Basically Souther Salazar and Monica Choy wanted to take a road trip across the states but also wanted to interact with the communities they drove through and give something back as they went along. Being the creatives they are, it was only logical (in their upside down, wacky, creative universe) that their trip turn into a traveling art project/trading post. They built a Trading Tortoise.

…

“At each stop, they recreate their Trading Tortoise installation and invite people to bring a meaningful object, story or creation and exchange it for something else special that Salazar & Choy have found or traded for along the way. They hope to connect people in different places in America in this way, through a network of traded treasures and a mutual love of giving and receiving in a non-monetary exchange.”

This was traded for this for this

Pretty awesome. They get to pawn off an ultimate american road trip as a benevolent social experiment. And if that isn’t already sicky sweet enough, they’ve also been doing stuff along the way such as painting a mural for Children’s Hospital in Boston. Fucking do-gooders. Don’t they know they should just sit at home and bitch about stuff on a blog?!

Definitely check out their website for the project/trip, The Trading Tortoise. They’ve got tons of photos from their journey and fun stuff and even have a place to track all the trades made. Hooray for another ambitious power couple!

Each trade comes with a description/story

New Swampy Print- Owl of Yawn

thos — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:30:13 +0000

For all of those intrigued by the mysterious myth of photographer/artist Swamp Donkey who disappears and reappears via riding freights to every corner of the nation (and Mexico as well), He’s just dropped a brand spanking new print to help rustle up some greenbacks for his next big, secret project. And if you’ve never personally espied a Swampy doodle in some dark corner or train yard then you’re not living right and walking on the fringes. Hit up PaperMonster for the print before they go poof.