“Computational Photography” - Experiments in Media Design
January 11th, 2010
As a company that has produced various new media technologies including our Aap!Motion lenticular panel technology, and various commercial tunnel advertising systems we’re always interested in what other inventors, companies, artists etc are producing. Many of these new technologies end up being commercialized in exciting ways.
One new resource we’ve been keeping our eyes on is FuturePicture, an online resource dedicated to experiments in the area of “computational photography” by two researchers Daniel Reetz and Matti Karilouma who aim to take their new technologies “out of the lab and into practical use.”
Reetz and Karilouma have built a series of low cost Light Field Camera arrays that in contrast to traditional single-lens cameras allow users to create images that can be computationally refocused via computation post date. Perspectives and points of interest can be re-shifted after the photograph has been taken for interesting results and uses.
Highly recommended. More @ http://www.futurepicture.org/
Where Advertising, Art & Activism Meet
November 16th, 2009
Advertising is on every surface and around every corner, along with urban art and activism. Now four artists are joining forces in Queens to give talks on each one’s respective mediums and the areas in which each overlap. Find out more about the evening of Art, Advertising, Activism & Alchemy.
What’s in the Public Eye & Empty?
November 12th, 2009
This billboard, and apparently Paris Hilton. Media5 takes a jab at heiress to sell OOH advertising space in New Zealand. Read more on how the company is used the pop culture icon, and her reaction at AdFreak.
Flashy Ad in Slovenia
October 5th, 2009
Smells like a Back-to-School PSA
September 9th, 2009
Thankfully, this Milwaukee bus shelter ad isn’t really scratch-and-sniff — but it does draw you in to read their “messy” message on teen pregnancy. Read more about the ad on AdFreak.
Robbing Billboards?
December 1st, 2008
With the rising price of copper, a worsening general economy, thieves are turning to unusual places for profit. A thief in New Zealand has taken 15 specialty transformers (valued each at over $5000) from billboards owned by OTW. The transformers contain roughly $150 worth of scrap copper.
Infuritated by the theft, the billboard company has responded by placing a security photo of the suspected thief on its own billboards and offering a $500 reward.
The firm has recieved dozens of calls over the billboard, and are getting closer to identifying the man. The billboards will stay up until the police make an arrest.
There’s a news video report here.
[Via Boing Boing ]
Move Over QR Codes - Here comes NFCs
December 1st, 2008
Softbank Mobile, NTT Data and Hitachi and Dutch smart chip maker Gemalto are testing a new technology that aims to replace printed QR Codes and provide participats digital information by simply swiping their compatible cellphone or laptop near posters or other advertisements.
The first “field test” for the NFC or Near Field Communication, a short range, high frequency wireless communication medium is being conducted in Chiba, Tokyo in WALL-E and Tinker Bell movie posters embedded with the new technology tags.
Test participants will be able to receive and view digital content such as movie stills and trailers simply by holding their NFC-compatible phones (containing NFC-USIM cards) next to the smart posters. Along with the digital content, users also receive an access code that, when transferred to a compatible Hitachi HDTV at home, allows them to view a WALL-E trailer in high definition (via Hitachi??s content distribution service).
The tests, which are designed to help the companies evaluate the effectiveness and potential of NFC smart posters as a promotional medium, could be a sign of things to come in the field of poster advertising. Should NFC smart posters become cheap and easy to produce, they have the potential to replace the ubiquitous QR (2D) code that commonly appears in Japanese advertising posters. NFC is seen as more convenient than QR code because the user does not have to scan a code and visit a separate website to view the data. Instead, digital content can be accessed directly with a simple swipe of the phone.
NFC aims to provide improved accessibility when compared with traditional QR code because the user does not have to scan a code and visit a separate website to view the data. Instead, digital content can be accessed directly with a simple swipe of the phone.
The technology sounds great, but the added cost of additional tags installation, a non universal platform, and additional required content may limit the potential of this technology.
[Source: Nikkei Net, NTT Data]
More on NFCs
General information on Near Field Communication - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NFC - Industry Forum @ http://www.nfc-forum.org/home
Industry Coverage @ http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/
Interview with Visual Artist Marnix de Nijs
November 30th, 2008
What qualities do you value in your work, what do you strive to create?
As a contemporary artist I reflect on the world around me. A good work of art is for me a work that represents aspects of this world in critical manner and is successful when there’s a harmony, an agreement, a balance, between the way you present it and what you’re trying to say. The thing the work of art is trying to accomplish has to correspond with what it’s communicating. Because the world we live in gets more and more defined by technology it’s for me a logical step to use these technologies to tell something about this world, hence the technical character of my work.
How do the multi-faceted aspects of your work come together - do the mediums feel separate or do they all remain fluid and connected?
Do you have any set goals for this work or are you just interested in the creative process? What has been the result?
Do you see your projects as art or manufactured products?
The motives for making my works are very much alike as the motives from any artist. The functionality of the works however demands for production processes that come pretty close to the production techniques of manufactured products. Some works also do have the potential to be translated into commercial products but creating something new is always more challenging for me then exploiting old idea’s.
How collaborative are your projects? Do you work with other artists, crafts people and in what ways?
I’m a very individual person and develop my ideas mostly on my own. I would however never be able to realize these idea’s without the help of the dynamic pool of crafts people, artists and technicians around me. I’m always very happy to be able to co-operate with people that think with me, understand the concept, come with ideas to improve the results.
What do you think of advertising and commercial driven “art”?
I would propose to keep it simple, advertising and commercial driven art is not “art” because the intentions with which the works are made are different. Specially when talking about the field I know best, new media or video and animation, you can however question in which field the biggest artistic and creative steps are made these days.
How do you commercialize your work?
Do you ever feel that technology limits what you’re trying to do?
Has technology ever failed you in trying to construct a piece and message?
It does happen but at the same time a setup quite often reveals unexpected qualities with which I can tell the message.
What would the work be without limits?
I honestly wouldn’t know, the idea of having unlimited possibilities already blocks my imagination.
What is a typical work day/week like for you?
What has influenced your practice and how do you see yourselves inspiring others?
What new pieces are you working on?
I hope to finish my research project Exercise in Immersion by the end of September, at the same time I looking for new partners to create new levels for my installation Exploded views.
Do you collect anything?
No. It’s probably funny to read from somebody making such big hardware but I don’t like to have stuff around me.
Thanks Marnix!
Read more on Marnix De Nijs @
Sex and the City!
June 3rd, 2008
Sex and the City - Integrated Alternative Advertising from aapglobal on Vimeo.
Warning - Shameless Plug:
Integrating different mediums is an effective way to build and drive a successful client campaign. This is exactly what New Line Cinema has done by integrating alternative advertising mediums Aap!Rails, escalator handrail graphics and Aap!Motion lenticular billboards with traditional flyer and poster work in Norway via Aap!Global distributor MediaLoop. We’re excited by the implementation and will be sharing some more pictures, videos and more shortly. In the meantime check out Sex and City the Movie at your local cinema or learn more about alternative advertising.
More on
Aap!Motion - Lenticular Billboards
Aap!Rails - Escalator Advertising
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OldSchool Graffiti + Advertising Mashups
May 29th, 2008
In building on our our thesis that Advertising and Graffiti continue to interplay on each other… the above video from back in the day documents the extremely creative and prolific transitional period of subverting bus stop and phone booth ads by KAWS. This work garnered a tremendous amount of press and speculation and resulted in the internationally lauded post-graffiti art star we know today.
See what KAWS has to say his Honeyee Blog in daily adventures in art, subversion and more…
