[quote]Remix: To combine or edit existing materials to produce something new.[/quote]
I’m a big believer in Kirby Ferguson’s Everything is a Remix in which we do not live in a creative vacuum – and that we’re unconsciously deriving inspiration from all around us on a daily basis.
And I’m simply inspired whenever I see creative remixes (in this case, it was the remix of functionality) – like Olaf Breuning’s series, the Art Freaks. What makes his collection different is that he used the human body as canvas instead – exhibiting them as life-sized works of art. Now if the paintings were done on normal canvases, my bet is that it wouldn’t have elicited a second look. But put them onto something new and our perceptions shift.
I’m familiar with the works of body painters. With body painting, there is always an element of familiarity, much like adding details like shirts and shorts to produce optical illusions – illusions that are usually grounded in reality or familiar forms (like details on animals, etc). But Olaf’s work takes it up a notch with abstracts and the treatment of body as canvas in its entirety.
Click here to see more of his artwork (some of it is NSFW!)
I love the way that creating art on the human form causes people to study these abstracts in so much more detail.