“Never get a mime talking. He won’t stop.”

Marcel Marceau, mime artist, dies aged 84 – Times Online

The mime artist was born Marcel Mangel on March 22, 1923, in Strasbourg, France. His father, Charles, a butcher who sang baritone, introduced his son to the world of music and theatre at an early age. The boy adored the silent film stars of the era: Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Marx brothers.

When the Germans marched into eastern France, he and his family were given just hours to pack their bags. He fled to southwest France and changed his last name to Marceau to hide his Jewish origins. In 1944, Marceau’s father was sent to Auschwitz, where he died.

There are several articles out today but I like this one. The quote in the title is great. The New York Times article mentions that he had a role in the classic french film “Les Enfants du Paradis” (The Children of Paradise) with another acclaimed mime, Jean-Louis Barrault. It is an excellent film – rent it if you can. He also had a speaking role in Mel Brooks “Silent Movie.”

What amazes me most is the length of his career – over 60 years. The picture above is from 2005!

“I want to be a man who will represent as an active witness my time, and who wants to say, without words, my feelings about the world.”

technorati tags:Marcel-Marceau, mime, obit, life, death

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A whole lot of art in a little tiny space!

At Locker 50B, A Little Gallery Goes a Long Way – washingtonpost.com

Samsel, 24, says she has always “worked small.” She grew up in an artistic home — mom was a graphics designer, dad was a cartographer — and young Samsel liked to draw, crochet and sculpt tiny animals out of clay. When she was a VCU sophomore, a whole semester’s worth of paintings and sculptures fitted into her supply locker. Friends joked that it was like a mini-art gallery, so Samsel decided to convert it into one.

Samsel graduated from VCU in 2004 and handed the gallery off to other students. It fell into disrepair, so last August VCU adopted Locker 50B as an official project of the university’s art department and hired Samsel part time to run the space.

The dozen or so exhibitions a year get their own promotional cards and opening receptions. But forget vegetable crudites and wine: Samsel assigns each show a color and serves only food and drinks that fit the theme. “Palpability’s” reception was purple-themed, so she served grape Kool-Aid, Nerds candy and purple Welch’s Fruit Snacks.

Who ever said bigger is better got it all wrong – sometimes small packs a big punch.

technorati tags:miniature, small, gallery, VCU

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A truly ugly logo that cost $800,000

London 2012 – New brand launches

I don’t think I’m being overly critical just because I’m a graphic designer. It’s just not good. Until I read the Washington Post article on the controversy and it’s description of the logo, I couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be. That’s a tell-tale sign it’s not a good logo. It doesn’t convey it’s message: “the new logo represents “the Olympic spirit and the ability of the Games to inspire people to take part.” Yeah, right.

technorati tags:Olympics, 2012, London, logos, design, sports

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design*sponge

http://designsponge.blogspot.com/

This is one of the best blogs for design. It’s not just about home furnishings but also about high end (and not so high end) art and craft. Even if you are not a design geek, this is a great source for inspiration. It gives me a lift to browse it’s entries and follow the links.

Enjoy!

technorati tags:design, sponge, art, blog, inspiration, creativity

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