Rob Walker's Blog, page 35
February 20, 2010
826 National's Significant haul: $2,244.11!
The Mystery Object (since revealed, of course) in its new home.
With the close of the last auction of Significant Objects v2 on Friday, we can now report that this cycle of 50 object/story auctions ended in $74.61 worth of flotsam selling for an impressive $2,244.11! We'll crunch the numbers later, but that represents higher per-item prices than v1, which is pretty exciting.
As you know, v2 raised money for 826 National, the nonprofit that tutors young people in creative and expository...
February 19, 2010
The end of SO v2 — and here comes v3!
25 of the 50 newly significant objects we'll auction off for a good cause
The final auction from Significant Objects volume 2 ends today, and when it's all over we'll have raised over $2,200 for 826 National. How? As always, by pairing great creative writing with otherwise near-worthless thingamajigs.
We'll recap the v2 final numbers soon, but for now we just want to say THANK YOU to Chris Adrian, Kathryn Davis, Neil LaBute, Wayne Koestenbaum, Deb Olin Unferth, and our 45 other contributors...
Significant Ads: The Sanka Ashtray
I meant for this to be the final post in my series on Significant Advertising (that is, ads for Significant Objects created by students Art Novak's advertising class at the Savannah College of Art & Design). But it may not be: There are at least three student creations that for various reasons I can't get in front of you today. Two happen to involve one of our very first Significant Objects — Sanka Ashtray + Story By Luc Sante. Diana Hernandez made a very cool print ad that struck me as...
February 18, 2010
Hot vs. Cool
In Marshall McLuhan's pioneering 1964 study, Understanding Media, the Canadian philosopher, literary critic, and communication theorist argued that "hot" media don't require much work on our part when it comes to determining meaning; "cool" media, however, require us to participate more consciously in that effort. "Hot" media are more sequential, linear, and logical than "cool" media, which require us to be a little/lot more creative when it comes to "connecting the dots," i.e., into...
Significant Ads: Yo yo más
As I mentioned the other day in my initial post about students in Art Novak's class at the Savannah College of Art and Design creating Significant Advertising, a surprising number chose the Amoco Yo Yo + Mark Sarvas Story as their subject. I asked why, but I knew the answer: "C'mon, dude … it's a yo yo!"
Sometimes I overthink things. Anyway, today I present a menagerie of Significant Advertising that leaps off from that story and object. Above is a print ad made by Deaa Bataineh, suitable...
February 17, 2010
Significant Ads: The Halston Mug
So far in discussing the creations of Art Novak's advertising students at the Savannah College of Art Design, who devised Significant Ads for select Significant Objects as a scholarly exercise, I've highlighted online Flash-based inventions. But many of the students presented ideas for print ads. Above, for instance, Alan Bayoneto's very striking and fun mag ad inspired by the Halston Mug + Mimi Lipson Story.
I wish I'd taken real notes during my classroom visit, when each student presented...
Only two SO v2 objects left!
Check it out. This Friday the 19th, we'll officially wrap up the second volume of Significant Objects. This is your LAST CHANCE to bid on an object from SO v2, proceeds from which will be donated to 826 National. SPECIAL INCENTIVE: After the jump, a risqué, never-published photo of the Mermaid Figurine.
Toy Airplane — with story by Robert Lopez — currently only $11.50!
Mermaid Figurine — with story by Tom McCarthy — now selling for $68!
As promised…
February 16, 2010
Significant Ads: Cracker Barrel Ornament
I mentioned earlier that students in Art Novak's advertising class at the Savannah College of Art Design, carrying out an assignment to create ads for Significant Objects, were given four to choose from. Among the choices was the . Only one student opted for this, but Kathryn Clendinin's creation, designed as a pair of online Flash-driven ads, was a favorite.
Picking up on the story's invented-historical tone, she extended it with a "breaking...
Ads for Significant Objects
Many observers have drawn comparisons between this project and the commercial persuasion business — after all, aren't ad pros hired precisely to invent significance for stuff, just as our contributors do? (For some examples, see this comment on BoingBoing (and this reply to it), this Chicago Tribune article, this assessment by Grant McCrackin', this essay by Robin Sloan (who later wrote a story for us) this writeup on Jawbone.TV, and this post on How To Break Anything, among others; my two...
February 15, 2010
Presidents
The only really Presidential S.O. we've sold. Click here to read the story, by Annie Nocenti, from v1: http://significantobjects.com/2009/07...
We're off duty today, thinking about our favorite presidents of all time, and watching the action in our shop.
Speaking of which, the first auction in our collaboration with Underwater New York, Kangamouse + Chris Adrian Story, finished up at a whopping $162.50, which pushed us past $2,000 on the money raised for 826 National by Significant...
