iPhone batch for you!

Alright well I’ve got a little batch for you, rather than doing a desktop wallpaper this time I’ve done some just for iPhone.

I hope those without iPhone’s don’t feel left out, the desktop wallpapers I have in production right now are pretty high maintenance and I don’t know when I’ll be able to finish them up. Don’t feel left out, get a smart phone!

Also, before I get into it, I have an official unofficial note.

Note

When this blog was started 1 year ago we were posting sometimes twice a day (some days more). I remember feeling like readers would get upset if there weren’t a constant stream of things to look at, updated daily. Now, after looking at my own internet habits I find myself not visiting the places that are updated at a feverish pace. Partially because updating feverishly limits actual content, and so, all this to say I’ve slowed down. Now, in the past month or so I’ve slowed to a point that is even a little slow for my own taste. Moving and things have gotten totally in the way. Also not having internet at home yet.

HOWEVER, I understand a modem with my name on it is somewhere in the postal system, and soon I shall be able to create work from home. FORTPORT won’t likely go back to posting twice a day, but we will be generating quality content in 2011. Not quite as slow as Gram & Grain, and certainly not as fast as BOOOOOOOM.

Thanks for reading this year, it was a nice compliment to see that readership has not been affected by my recent tardiness, I wonder if that’s all from my mother checking in on me. If it is, awesome, but if it isn’t, you guys are just great. Thank you, and we are very excited to be able to offer you something that is enriching, wonderful, and nice. We’re starting tomorrow morning actually! A full video crew out on the streets documenting some awesome shiz. Hopefully after seeing it you will go forth and create something too. Let’s sharpen eachother.

xx,

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Now, on to some wallpapers for your mobile devices!

So this will be in two batches, the first 3 from something you should go see IMMEDIATELY!

Up now at Powells Books is a retrospective of every Portland Mercury cover ever produced in its 10 year history. Go stand in awe. Go marvel. Go look back in time over your life in Portland and remember the headlines that were a part of your life. And when you are done you can take these wallpapers with you as a piece of history. Check out the heaven that awaits you:

The images link to the size you need:

OK on to batch 2 – a little more personalized. I’ve been listening to alot of folk music for a season, particularly nautical-themed folk from the Canadian fishing traditions, the Rogers brothers, etc. I’ve included some of their work in previous posts, perhaps a playlist or two. In that vein, I’ve been really feeling the need to gravitate towards the maritime tradition. Is it a clothing trend? Is it tied to the tireless, landless work of a sea faring man? Is it tied to my regional heritage? Probably pieces of all, but shut up Aaron and just show the damn 2nd batch.

These would be the international maritime flags for FORTPORT – the meaning behind each letter though would spell something quite different. For example the “O” is generally used for man overboard. It’s hard to see here, but if you click for the proper size, the type says “FORTPORT Naval Academy” – which, I mean, would be wonderful, right? This, coupled with the next one fit nicely together as a lock screen + home screen combo:

That particular Flying Pigeon

Sometimes you get an object in your life that is just so on-brand that every time you interact with it, it feels like the first time. Perhaps that’s the way 1/2 billion Chinese citizens feel when they hop on their Flying Pigeons every day?

This bike is 61 years old this July 5. If an alien came to Earth and made a single request for “bike,” this would be the specimen given, based on number produced, and number in use today. Many of these bikes are handed down from one generation to the next because they have the odd habit of lasting over 30 years.

Commissioned by Chairman Mao Tse Tung in 1950, the Flying Pigeon was seen to be China’s route to prosperity. Indeed it was mentioned that a prosperous China would have one in every home, along with a sewing machine and a wrist watch. The elements of a revolutionized, productive workforce. I’m 1 for 3!

The bike has changed little since it’s first inception, with its chain fully encased in thin metal and saddle leather seat. The wheels are quite far apart making for a long, elegant gesture. While riding ones posture remains erect so there is the illusion that you are walking beside your bike, rather than riding it.

The brakes are rudimentary technology at best, raw cut metal strung directly to pads on the wheels, adding a bit of humor to the experience of riding. Mostly because they don’t work very well, and need occasional tightening. In this case, however, it is more of a recurring excuse to care for your beloved Pigeon.

This is a bike to dress for. I’m not exactly sure how many people in Portland have one, but in the 3 days I’ve been riding mine it’s gotten quite a bit of attention. His name is “The Chairman,” appropriately. I need to go find a fetching framed image of Mao to hang over his home in my apartment. Yes, you left a global superpower under Communist rule, but you also commissioned a classic piece of equipment, one of the most efficient means of transportation humans have ever devised. And we thank you for it.

Inspiring Northern architecture

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is an imposing figure in his field. His creations become famous before he even draws plans for them. We’ve got a few of his pieces on this continent, morphing geometric creatures done largely in white, and Canada is home to his newest work. Buried in ice and snow this time of year, Calgary’s residents are probably not doing much biking or pedestrian-ing, but in 2011 they will have a new way to cross the Bow River into downtown. This $22 million, 20 foot wide straight-as-an-arrow span, called the Peace Bridge, is a spiral helix, which is completely self-supporting. Unlike other bridges there will be no need for supports within its 413 foot span, leaving the Bow River ecosystem intact while 5,000 pedestrians and bikers commute above it per day.

Oral histories of North South Portland

There are three very talented designers sitting with their hands in their laps among piles of cookies and hot tea poured in real mugs in North South Portland for the next few weeks. North South Portland isn’t meant to confuse you, Field Work sits on the Northern border of South Portland, and you should go visit.

Justin Flood, Sarah Baugh, and Nicole Lavelle are crafting a visual representation of a region no one really knows about. They have handled the oral histories of a corner of downtown with such loving affection that their exposition smacks of an interpretive linguistics museum. Highly visible from the Streetcar on SW Jefferson street, a marquee best viewed at night showcases rotating curated stories from residents of this pocket of city. The past lives of these heavily travelled streets are dug up, and delicately tabled for you to dabble. Upon arrival an interpretive glass explanation preps you for your visit:

You are standing at the north edge of South Portland. This neighborhood was once home to a thriving Jewish and Italian immigrant community. In the 1950’s, South Portland was drastically transformed by the construction of the highway and designation as one of Portland’s first urban renewal districts.

NORTH SOUTH PORTLAND is an exploration of place. Through a series of installations and events for the public, we are building a response to our location. We are investigating the past, listening to the present, and sharing what we learn.

The selection of works centered around urban planning, the concepts behind space and people, as well as extremely localized publications relating to space in Portland is surprisingly comforting. That so many publications have been produced about our fair city, not to mention pockets of the city, make it feel much larger than it actually is.

The most excellent thing about this project is that it is done with such consideration. Justin, Sarah, and Nicole care deeply about the content, how it is viewed, received, and spread. The result is the feeling that you have walked into someone’s personal museum, and that at any time you might say something that will be integrated by the designers. Don’t be fooled by the size of this exposition, though petit, it is a mountain of work and research.

Check out what other events & expositions are happening at Field Work in 2011, or just roll on in at SW 11th & Jefferson in downtown. If you time it right you’ll be warmed up by good company and the urge to run home and try to create work this awesome. Nice work, you three.

Pictographs by Eggertsson

Well travelled, heavily awarded, born in 1984, and the pride of Iceland, Siggi Eggertsson has more g’s in his name than anyone you will ever know. Siggie says that work has always been his hobby. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say it quite like that before. Usually around these parts we get the line “do what you love/love what you do” – but thinking of work as your hobby makes complete sense. I think I prefer that line. OK back to Siggi – his style as an illustrator is unmistakeable once you get acquainted with his visual language. Master of the pictogram, Siggi’s curves and bends in what he renders completely transforms the subject in a way that is distinct, mesmerizing, and clearly in high demand.

After studying graphic design in Reykjavik at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, Siggi moved to New York, Berlin, London, back to Iceland, and finally back to Berlin, where he currently works on his hobby. Most people don’t win awards for their hobbies, or make a living from them, so it pains me to call it his hobby. It feels trivial. What I see on his website is not trivial at all, it’s inspired. A complete set of work that is not only contemporary but has the potential to push the field of illustration & custom typographic design in a certain direction.

After seeing some of his client work and personal projects the urge to jump into illustrator and start making pictograms is hard to fight. But clearly Siggi isn’t clicking around with the pen tool here. He’s executing projects with precision and the skill of a trained eye and years of fine tuning. His renderings of the cities he’s lived in are so iconic and wonderful that it’s hard to imagine a place where they wouldn’t look incredible. Editorial, framed, or other. Incredible work from this young man.