AlphaDesigner Blogue

Iorek Byrnison (the Golden Compas), originally uploaded by - AeroMartin -.

His work is a strange mix between classic Disney and tribal utopia. Martin Dasnoy aka AeroMartin is one of the many talented illustrators that I have been able to meet in Flickr. Yes, the photo sharing site.

This is a variation of a design I made for the Christmas campaign of one of my clients. It’s about selling software and computers with a twist of anti-piracy evangelism. I had to do some illustrations and I thought about how would my computer look like, if I was able to design it myself. The result is a tribute to the Crysler building, one of my favourite buildings ever and the Art Deco age as a whole. It also draws inspiration from the look of the Zune player as a homage to my client, who is – let’s say – closely associated with it.

The original design is a bit different and in colour but I tried to maintain the clean look as much as I could and as much as my client’s brand allowed me to do it. I think it’s a hell of a good PC to have. And to hold. Now who wants to make me a box like this?

I didn’t expect to like this movie. And I knew nothing about the Beowulf epic before I watched it. But strangely, my ignorance paid off. I am too spoiled, just like everybody else these days – before I go to the cinema I usually devour enormous amounts of information about directors, actors, techniques, not to mention the trailers and various spoilers that reveal half of the mystery for every single piece of work. And I like it that way – it has its advantages because there’s nothing more frustrating than realizing in the middle of the screening that you gave your time and money for bullshit. Like King Kong, for instance. I still regret seeing it just as I regret my first unrequited love. But anyway, here’s the trailer:

So Beowulf was that film I wanted to see because I had nothing else better to do. And it began in a rather mediocre way – pagan music, some people having what should be considered as a thrilling Nordic party, drinking wine. Oh, and an almost semi-nude Anthony Hopkins… that was a slight turn off. Then, a problem appeared and people started searching for a solution until a beautiful blond hero came to offer his services. Not for money he said but for the sake of fame.

Well, the beautiful blond hero was actually pretty convincing in all his armour and his audiovisual CV presentation. He had some pretty spectacular monsters in his portfolio as well and for the first time I thought oh, this could be truly great. What followed was even beyond my expectations.

Of course, speaking of heroes, no matter in Hollywood movies or in Scandinavian fairy tales, one could expect some subtle male sexiness, a naked shoulder or two, a beautiful, innocent, yet shaggadelic princess, and – last but not least – a dragon. That’s the core of the equation here as well but there are plenty of variables, too. The dragon is strangely waterproof, mobile as a first class NATO helicopter with some strange anatomical features. The princess is actually a queen (already!) but she’s dubiously ambivalent as if she’s secretly possessed by a shy introvert demon which is busy contemplating whether or not it should reveal its true nature to the world. The hero… well he’s doing the most impressive striptease I have ever seen in an epic movie. I’ve seen Gladiator, thankyouverymuch.

Philosophically, this is a picturesque, shameless celebration of the animalistic nature of mankind. There’s a quote that describes it perfectly when the already aged hero vents his frustration about the passing of the good ol’ times:

The time of heroes is dead, Wiglaf. The Christ talkers killed them leaving humankind with nothing but weeping martyrs, fear and shame.

Martyr, fear, and shame. As opposed to hero, bravery and lust. Or everything that can make you fight an ugly slimy beast with your bare hands, completely naked, ecstatically crying “I am ripper, slasher…” And all this would be pretty one-sided if later the ripper wouldn’t have to face the mother of the beast, which – as every mother in the animal world – is willing to forgive only if the male gives her back what he had already taken from her. Here’s your prey, she says, you can take his head only if you make me another one. So she raises her hands caressing his sword and the steel melts from the heat of her palms, dripping on the floor… literary. No, it’s not porn. It’s the most beautiful interpretation of the male/female clash I have seen for years.