To counter the dehumanizing isolation of incarceration, artist Jesse Krimes (b, 1982) works collaboratively with incarcerated individuals to create artworks from old clothing and textiles that evoke memories of home. Krimes developed his own practice while serving a six-year sentence. In Blackwater(2021), Krimes regards the tentacled animal as “a panoptic state of surveillance” and alludes to the eugenic and white supremacist ideas in America zoology. The title, Blackwater, refers to a prison in Florida.
Tucked just inside the ever-changing outdoor gallery of Freeman Alley, I couldn’t miss this delightfully odd and wonderfully Pink Octopus by street artist IMKMAN00 — and it immediately earned a spot as this week’s Pink Thing of the Day.
Painted in bubblegum pink with playful polka dots, the wide-eyed octopus stretches its tentacles across a glowing gradient of neon green and electric blue. A few tentacles curl upward while others sprawl dramatically across the path, making the mural feel like it’s escaping the wall and creeping into the real world. The slightly surprised expression adds personality. Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Octopus Mural in Freeman Alley→
Are you perhaps on the hunt for a fun and functional water bottle for your child? If so, check out this eye-catching new water bottle designed just for kids! The Bestie Bottle by Asobu is an adorable stainless steel kids’ water bottle featuring a decorative wrap on the bottle and an animal-shaped soft head on the lid! Oh, the cuteness. Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Pink Octopus Bestie Bottle→
These incredible Illuminated Pink Octopi — which appear to be folded paper in the style of Japanese origami, but which are more likely fabricated from hard plastic — are part of a kinetic light display adjacent to one of the Jellyfish tanks at the Vancouver Aquarium. The colored lighting rotates continuously through all the colors of the spectrum, accompanied by lulling ambient music that recalls Brian Eno’s Music for Airports if he had composed a similar piece for public Aquariums. Needles to say, but you can see I am about to, it is quite mesmerizing.
With its eight limbs, the octopus was an ingenious choice for a Chatelaine; a belt hook that carried small household items from its chains. Surviving records suggest that Gorham Manufacturing Company made two Octopus Chatelaines (this one is circa 1887). Continue reading Eye On Design: Octopus Chatelaine→
