Art -- Engadget Mobile

David Hockney paints with his iPhone, results not typical

by Laura June posted Oct 11th 2009 @ 9:36AM

Artist David Hockney isn't afraid of picking up new media -- over the years, he's used Polaroids, photocollages, and even fax machines to create his art -- in addition to regular, old-fashioned painting. Now, he's taken to using his iPhone to create new works of art. The resultant "paintings" have been exhibited at the Tate Gallery and Royal Academy in London, as well as galleries in Los Angeles and Germany. Like artist Jorge Colombo (whose iPhone fingerpainting was featured on the cover of The New Yorker), Hockney uses the iPhone app Brushes to create his works. In an interview with the New York Review of Books, Hockney notes that he prefers and still uses the original version of the app, not the more recent updates. Hmm... maybe the reason our own Brushes paintings stink is because we're using the update!

[Via All Things D]

Video: Nokia N900 used to control British art installation

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 4th 2009 @ 6:58PM

The new Nokia N900 is only a week old, but it's already being put to some interesting uses -- like this nifty little video wall commissioned by Nokia at the onedotzero adventures in motion festival in London. A custom Maemo 5 app sends messages to the display, and then the phone's accelerometer can be used to control the animation. Sure, it's not the most super-original phone+art installation we've ever seen, but it's certainly quite pretty -- check the video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Nokia N900 used to control British art installation

iPhone-generated artwork featured on cover of The New Yorker

by Joseph L. Flatley posted May 25th 2009 @ 10:16AM

Well, what do you know? It looks like our favorite fingerpainter is really making a name for himself with his handset artwork. Like his other New York City-scapes, Jorge Colombo's cover for the June 1, 2009 issue of The New Yorker was composed entirely in the Brushes iPhone app. And it looks like the artist's switch to a digital format is no gimmick -- he tells The New York Times that the device allows him to work "without having to carry all my pens and brushes and notepads with me." And he can work in anonymity -- to complete the cover he spent about an hour on 42nd Street, with no interruptions (try doing that with a canvas, an easel, and a full compliment of art supplies). Mr. Colombo, if you're out there: we'd like to add you to our Mafia Wars family. Drop us an email.

Artist "fingerpaints" art on his iPhone

by Laura June posted Mar 13th 2009 @ 10:41AM

Portuguese artist Jorge Colombo's been working on a series of "finger-paintings" of cityscapes done entirely on his iPhone. Using only his finger and an application called "Brushes," he's done some fairly impressive scenes of New York City. Hit the read link for a full set of iSketches this fanboy's whipped up.

[Via Make]

Conduit mobile phone concept is about 40 years early

by Darren Murph posted Feb 22nd 2009 @ 1:25AM

As much as we adore this concept, we're not even remotely hopeful something like this will become a reality within the next score or so. That said, we'd love to be proven wrong, as the Conduit is quite possibly the most fantastic phone design to ever be conceived. With a hint of steampunk, a dash of Star Trek and a splash of ergonomic appreciation, this here mobile can be collapsed into a pocket-friendly form or expanded into a bona fide video phone. Hit up the read link for a few more looks, and feel free to give these designers a chunk of capital to make our dreams come true.

[Via kanYeWestBlog]

Worn out pants collection to show mobile progression

by Darren Murph posted Aug 18th 2008 @ 8:17PM

Just as wallets leave impressions in rear pockets, cellphones can do the same for pockets in the front. One Aram Bartholl has decided to start a collection of battle-tested jeans that "show traces of mobile tech development in society." We've no idea if he's planning to tackle the whole thing on his own, but we'd suggest buying up old pants from around the globe in order to amass a sizable collection ~~before death~~ sooner. The image you see above shows what happens if you walk around for three solid years pocketing an original Nokia 6600. Anyone got any impressions (SFW, please) they'd like to share in comments below?

[Via textually]

Folding Plica concept phone makes our eyes widen

by Darren Murph posted Aug 3rd 2008 @ 8:39AM

Mmm, touchscreens. Expansive, gorgeous touchscreens. That pretty much sums up our initial impressions after taking one hard look at James Piatt's Plica concept. As you can tell, this foldable cellie opens up to reveal a pair of touchscreens just begging to be used for web browsing, texting and photo viewing. There's also a mini-USB port and a headphone jack, though we'd certainly be interested to see how he plans on slipping a battery in there that lasts more than a hour or two. Can we get a major handset manufacturer to look in this direction -- pretty please?

[Via gadgetell]

Conceptual baton phone does the twist

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2008 @ 8:36AM

The tried-and-true Hamburger phone is still our fav (what, there a problem with that?), but Marc Schömann's baton-styled concept phone is very worthy of a look. Laden with LEDs and ready to be turned, users can dial up friends and family in painstakingly long procedures that involve all sorts of inefficient rotating maneuvers. Still, we can't help but adore the hat tip to yesteryear's rotary phones, though we have no doubts that this will never, ever see a retail shelf. Please, someone, prove us wrong.

[Via PhoneMag]

Scottish researchers reveal cameraphone-enabled 'invisible art'

by Darren Murph posted Aug 14th 2007 @ 3:38PM

Granted, we've already seen what wild colors can hide behind a shutter, but now a team of Scottish researchers are hoping to "bridge the virtual and real worlds" by applying invisible artwork to buildings around Edinburgh. Put simply, users who snap pictures of landmarks and MMS them back to the database can receive "an image with extras added to it." Dubbed Spellbinder, the invisible graffiti project uses image-matching algorithms to analyze the image and send back tagged snapshots of the location a user just photographed. Additionally, location projects and "virtual games" are also being looked into, which should thoroughly please both the social networking fanboys and hide-and-seek lovers alike.

[Via mocoNews]

Oceanside California hopes to dress up cell tower

by Sean Cooper posted Jul 18th 2007 @ 11:45AM

As far as love hate relationships go, cell towers rank way up there. Everybody wants better mobile coverage without having to see an ugly tower peeking above the trees in their neighborhood. The Arts Commission from Oceanside, California, has set its sights on beautifying one particular tower that gets peeped by a few hundred thousand people a day from a nearby freeway. The plan would have the thing bedecked with netting and sea birds in an attempt to blend in with the pleasant coastal theme. We find that by simply staring at our feet and wearing ball caps all while chatting on our cells usually helps us ignore them. Good luck Oceanside.

[Via textually.org]

Students design socially-activated phones

by Darren Murph posted May 15th 2007 @ 6:25PM

While the Smellophone will certainly get you one step closer to joining the social via your mobile, students at the University of Dundee are taking social activation to new heights with its lineup of prototype phones. Similar to sensor-laden gear that sends out a variety of feedbacks when a specified event occurs nearby, the six phones that were created by second year students from the College of Art, Science and Engineering's product design course actually supported "intimacy and sensuality" along with collaborative music making. Two particularly moving devices were the Aware (pictured), which reportedly "sends a tingle down your back if a friend is nearby," and the Boom Tube, which "allows people to make music together." Who knew customized ringtones would lead us to this?

Hulger's confessional booth lets sinners vent on luxury handsets

by Darren Murph posted Apr 14th 2007 @ 7:49AM

Hey, we know that purchasing one of Hulger's avant-garde handsets could very well leave you feeling guilty considering the lofty pricetag, but the company is looking to give you sinners a way out with its communication-enabled confessional booth. The bizarre setup will be erected at Designersblock Milan 2007, and is being constructed in partnership with "communications specialist Associate" to offer visitors the chance to "play the priest or the penitent." Of course, we've no interest in interviewing with a unordained minister, but so long as the unit features Hulger's latest ASTOR & SOPHIA limited edition handsets (pictured), we'd most definitely stop in for a courtesy chat.

[Via Textually]

Chicago Sinfonietta arranges concerto for ringtones

by Darren Murph posted Oct 10th 2006 @ 3:28PM

It seems that ringtones of every frequency have skyrocketed up the list of popular pet peeves (at least in boardrooms and lecture halls), but the Chicago Sinfonietta went against the grain by kicking off its 20th anniversary season with a piece that would drive interviewers, ministers, professors, and less-than-understanding managers insane. David Baker, a music professor at Indiana University, crafted the "participatory Concertino for Cell Phones and Orchestra" after symphony director Paul Freeman conjured the idea of having attendees blast those monophonic jams on cue in order to create an abstract form of musical art. Utilizing colored signals resembling a stoplight, guests were armed and ready to emit whatever ringtone they pleased, and the cacophonic barrage of high-pitched beeps reportedly formed a euphonic medley that only an artist could appreciate. While we aren't sure if this newfangled form of music will ever hit the iTunes Music Store, catching it on Verizon's V CAST service might not be too far fetched.