New Work: Gifts! and Capstan Shafts

Digitally colored collage of old engravings for: parents, in-laws and grand parents.


Stencil of Frita Kahlo on watercolor paper for my wife.


Capstans Shafts poster for Gallery5


All work is by Bizhan Khodabandeh

Papier Mâchete opens in January

Poster design front and back by Bizhan Khodabandeh

The back side of the poster has instructions on how to fold it into an origami Mâchete.

Papier-Mâchete: A national competition for artists creating work using paper.

Presented By
XACTO
Plaza Artist Materials
Gallery5

For thousands of years, paper as been one of the most common surfaces for making art. Paper is a universal language in art that has spanned almost all periods and movements in art. Not only has paper been used as a surface for making art, it is also used as a medium in itself. Papier-Mâchete will explore the limitless range found in these ubiquitous materials. Artists from across the nation will submit their works to compete for cash prizes. 2D and 3D artwork will be accepted and will display innovative and inventive uses of paper and associated fibers.

Artwork has been submitted from artists nationally and selected by our jurors Richard Waller, Aaron McIntosh and Amie Oliver.

Opening Reception
First Friday January 7th at 7PM - 10:30PM

Selected works on display from January 7th - February 18th 2011


Featuring work by
Sher Christopher
Jessica Heikes
Marc Leone
Ginger Metzger
Alysson Ross
Sara Schneckloth
Matthew Shlian
This Is It Collective
Carey Voss

For more info visit Gallery5's website.

New Work: Listening Room and Lemuria

Poster by Bizhan Khodabandeh for the Listening Room




Illustration by Bizhan Khodabandeh for the listening room. Ran out of time for this one, but I thought I would post the finished version anyways.


Lemuria poster by Bizhan Khodabandeh

Hello Walls

Need a last minute gift for the holidays? Come to Hello Walls.

December 18th
7-10PM

101 Addison
101 S. Addison
Richmond, VA

Hello walls is group show of smaller, damn affordable works.

Artists:
Patrick Caddenhead
Mattie Hinkley
Jon Hirsch
Geoff Cook
Bizhan Khodabandeh
Alan Smith
Andrew Fiorillo
Aaron M. Johnson
and more tbd..

OPEN NITE

Poster design by: jbm

A great opportunity for the public to see what happens behind VCU's famous design program.

Somewhere between an opening, house party and being a fly in a designer's studio; VCU design departments are opening up the studio doors to the public and the Richmond design community. BFA and MFA studio process and projects from the Departments of Interior Design and Graphic Design can be seen December 17 from 5:30 to 8 pm in the Pollak Building, 325 North Harrison Street. Open Nite hopes to bridge the gap between professional and educational activities with the aim of making design a thoughtful presence, important attribute, necessity and force in RVA. This event is free and open to all.

New Assigment: Typographic Comics

I assigned a new project to my Graphic Design I students at Appomattox Regional Governor's School. They were asked to make a typographic comic, using a chapter from Alan Lightman's book Einstein's Dreams. Students were encouraged to play with time perception, using innovative panel arrangements - thus reflecting the content of Lightman's book. So many of the solutions were very impressive. Below are three of them.


by Claire Sullivan



By Cristina Peters


By Sidney Tilghman

Death Is Not Justice!

The above poster was inlcuded in the top 100 of the "Death Is Not Justice" poster campaign about abolishing the death penalty worldwide. The campaign was initiated by Poster For Tomorrow.

You can order a catalogue of the top 100 here.

Original Creative Brief:

We want universal abolition of the death penalty in 2010. It’s simple. The death penalty is a violation of human rights. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

How does that fit with beheading, stoning, hanging, lethally injecting or shooting someone?

The problem is that there’s no going back on a death sentence. And in a world where every judicial system makes mistakes, it’s inevitable that innocent people will be executed. Which is simply not acceptable. More than two thirds of countries in the world agree, and have banned executions.

Sadly, shamefully, 58 still persist in killing people in the name of “justice.”
In 2009, countries with the highest number of executions were Iran (with at least 388 executions), Iraq (at least 120), Saudi Arabia (at least 69), and the United States (52).

In China information regarding the death penalty remains a secret, but estimates show that China executes more people than the rest of the world combined.

But there is hope - the number of people being executed around the world appears to be declining. And in December the United Nations will vote on a universal moratorium on the death penalty. It’s a vital step towards abolishing the death penalty once and for all.

No matter whether you live in a country that practices capital punishment or not, we have to raise awareness across the whole world that the death penalty is a violation of human rights that has no place in modern society.

Daughter As Warrior Princess.

Spent some time on and off working on this illustration of my daughter in traditional Iranian female warrior garb. All of the references were photos of her. The faces of the two secondary figures were obviously changed. Not sure if it is done yet. Perhaps the image is very close to completion.

Enjoy.

New Work: All super quick flyers.

A few posters with short deadlines for three events. Two were designed in less than 30 min. One was designed over the course of an afternoon.

Inspiration, Cool Stuff, Etc #35

Conflict Kitchen - take out from only countries the US has conflict with. (I was sent this by numerous people awhile ago. I am not sure why I haven't posted it sooner.)

What Social Entrepreneurship Can Teach Social Design


Ralph Caplan pod cast - dialogue about design that is functional versus just looking good, the civil rights movement, branding, fashion, obsolescence and designer responsibility.

Maira Kalman on the Colbert Report

Billionaires Favorite Politicians Infographic

iPhone Ap to help people conserve oil - the application is the tope view of a glass full of water. You are encouraged to set in on the dashboard of your car. The more water you spill from driving erratically the more oil you have wasted..

Modeling for Another Limited Rebellion

I modeled for ALR Design's collaboration with Dupont Circle Communications on the Red Flag Campaign . The campaign is focused on bringing awareness of the several ways that domestic violence manifests itself. The posters are intended to be posted at various Virginia college campuses and have been made available for campuses nationwide.

More info can be found on Another Limited Rebellion's blog.

Project M Comes to VCU

A friend of mine, Marc Obrien, will be discussing his work with Project M at VCU 5PM November 3rd at 1509 Main Street Richmond, VA.

Added info taken from the Project M promo materials

What is Project M?
Founded by graphic designer, John Bielenberg, Project M is an intensive two
week long program designed to inspire young graphic designers, writers,
photographers, and other creative people that their work can have a positive
and significant impact on the world.

Thinking Wrong
The human brain tends to think along pre-determined linear thought pathways.
Such linear thinking can inhibit true innovation and creative exploration.
Project M encourages and provides techniques for “thinking wrong” to
generate new ideas and design directions to challenge the status-quo.

What is a 48 Hour Blitz?
A Blitz is an intensive two day workshop that consists of design thinking, rapid
prototyping, immersive research, designing, exploring, anything & everything
based on an undefined project that participants discover in the process.
Twelve spots are available. Open to juniors and seniors. First-come, first-served.
M'ers will be excused from their GDES classes during the Blitz. Interested?
Contact Marc O'Brien at info@projectmlab.com

Schedule:
11/3: Project M presentation, 5pm, 1509 Main St. Open to all students.
If spots are still open, you can sign up after the presentation. Meet & Greet
dinner with Project M/GDES participants after.

11/4: 48 Hour Blitz begins at 9am at 1509 Main St.

11/5: Project will be presented at 1509 Gallery's First Friday opening.
A detailed email will be sent to Project M/GDES participants.

Project M Linkage:
projectmlab.com
pielab.org
welcomehomempls.com
100hammers.com
nadabike.com
blanklab.org
plot63.org
tropical-l.com
getrichslow.org

Inspiration, Art, Cool Stuff, Etc #34

Sorry I haven't been posting this stuff lately. I have been extremely busy.

Oil Does Not Mix With Water Posters printed with oil from the gulf spill.

Changing Education Infographic

NY Times infographic on the recent Wikileaks info

Tracking Fireflys with time lapse photography.

Interesting approach to a slow down and watch for children PSA

Appomattox Regional Governor's School on First Friday

This coming First Friday (Nov 5th), three of my students will have work up at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc. (101 W Broad Street Richmond, VA 23220).

The festivities will include sketch improv, dance improv, a string quartet as well as 2D & 3D art. The students represent Appomattox Regional Governor's School talents from various departments.

Below is my student's work: Three versions of a poster for an up and coming musical at the school, "The Drowsy Chaperone." Jacob Alder's poster was officially chosen to promote the event.

By Megan Kitchen


By Jacob Alder


By Rachel Meyer

Dia de los Muertos system

This poster was designed for 18"X25" poster, 11"X17" flyers, 4"X6" post cards, and 4"x6" private invitations.


Based on the above poster a poster specific to the Pre-Halloween Party was developed for 11"X17," but as these things sometimes go it was printed scale to fit on a 8.5"X11."


This months "Gallery5 After 5" lecture was also design using this system at 8.5" by 14."

Info about the month long celebration below.

Gallery5 Presents
Dia de los Muertos
Saturday, October 30th - Saturday, November 13th

Gallery5's observance of Dia de Los Muertos will be a multicultural experience, integrating traditional practices with events relevant to the immediate community. The holiday exists today as a fusion of Aztec rites from the Pre-Hispanic era, Roman Catholic beliefs, and modern secular interpretations that vary from city to city across Latin America, parts of the U.S., Canada, and Europe. These festivities celebrate death as a continuation of life and provide a time to reflect on our own lives and the lives of those no longer with us.

By observing such rich and vibrant traditions, Gallery5 hopes to encourage participation by a wider range of demographics, and to challenge common paradigms associated with death. Dia de los Murtos at Gallery5 will include several days of festivities, workshops and live performances. The celebration will begin on Saturday, October 30th and culminate in a Dia de los Muertos festival on November 13th.

All to be held at Gallery5
200 W Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23222

Festival Sponsored by
RVANews
WRIR 97.3
One South Realty Group
Octoprint
Magic Hat Brewing Co.

With special contributions from
The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Latin Ballet of Virginia
National Hispanic Cultural Center
Skull-a-Day
The University of Richmond
Virginia Commonwealth University
Justin Laughter
World of Mirth
Premiere Costumes
Main Art Supply
Nationwide
Moe’s Southwest Grill (10839 W. Broad, Mechanicsville)

Saturday, October 30th
Pre-Halloween Dinner Party
7PM / $10 per person ($8 for members)
An early evening of great local performers and food to kick off your Halloween night!

Featuring Performances by
Tequila Mockingbird
Silent Music Revival
Lobo Marino
Voix de Ville Follies
Gull
Richmond Comedy Coalition
and more!


Friday, November 5th
Public Opening Reception
7PM – 11PM / FREE
This night will celebrate the opening of Memento Mori, an exhibition of contemporary art exploring death and the ephemeral in our main gallery upstairs. (On display until December 17th)

In our GallowLily’s craft gallery, we are excited to present La Danse Macabre, a solo exhibition of internationally recognized Papel Picado artist Catalina Delgado Trunk.

This night will also be an opportunity for audience members to add on to our Community Altar that will be constructed in our Lucent Phoenix space. Guests are encouraged to bring their own ofrendas (or offerings) in the form of small ephemera, flowers, unlit or electronic candles, clothing or non-perishable food. All food and clothing brought to Gallery5 will be donated to a charitable organization after the celebration. To encourage hands-on audience participation and give everyone an opportunity to take home part of the festivities, we will provide Traditional Craft Demonstrations. Learn how to make colorful tissue paper marigolds or mold and decorate you own sugar skull!

This evening will feature traditional and contemporary performances inspired by Dia de los Muertos. Seasonal brews available!

Featuring Performances by
Frankzig
Members of the University of Richmond Theater Department
Daniel Jose' Custo'dio
Flamenco Del Sur (Clarke Hedgepath on guitar, Derrick Englert on bass and Andy Brockmann on percussion)

D.J.’s provided by
WRIR 97.3

Also presenting
Ofrenda to the Disremembered: A multimedia installation by Salvador Barajas, Danah Bella, Liz Canfield, and John Priestly.

"Ofrenda to the Disremembered" is a trans-temporal re-examination of the Mexican tale of la Llorona, whose unthinkable act of desperate infanticide in the face of colonialist oppression made her, variously in different versions, a monster, a cautionary tale anti-heroine, and the protector of border transgressors. This multimedia performance considers la Llorona in a borderland defined by NAFTA, anchor babies, and nannygates in the border fence.

Colectivo caliban is a sound and movement performance ensemble comprising a creative intersection between modern dance troupe d a n a h b e l l a DanceWorks and three multimedia artists who met through the Media Art & Text interdisciplinary doctoral program at VCU. Their work investigates deterritorialization, crossing borders between bodily self and society, subject and object, noise and music.

Wednesday, November 10th
Gallery5 After 5: A Happy Hour Lecture Series
5PM - 9PM / FREE

Andrew Chesnut of VCU's School of World Studies, presents a lecture, Viva La Muerte: The Cult of Saint Death and the Days of the Dead in Mexico”

Also Screening: Death: A film by Matt Lively and Alex Germanotta (30 mins)
Matt Lively and Alex Germanotta both graduated from VCU and teamed up to make films. Alex is the Emmy-winning film wizard and Matt is the tireless internationally exhibited art-maker. The 30-minute documentary "Death" is the first collaboration between them. Lively and Germanotta are currently working on an animated short called "The Wind Chill Factory."

Saturday, November 13th

Dia de los Muertos Food & Craft Festival
11AM - 7PM/ FREE

This will be the culmination of Gallery5’s observance of Dia de los Muertos.
It will be a FREE all-day festival of live music, performance, and workshops.
A full schedule of workshops, performances and vendors will be available soon!

Green Patriot Poster book is finished.

Bizhan Khodabandeh's paster, "To Arms To Arms," is in the The Green Patriot Poster project's compilation of posters, "Green Patriot Posters: Images for a new activism." The posters originate from an online inspirational campaign to be more conscious about what we do to our environment, The Green Patriot Poster Project. The book is available here. Or you can pre-order the book through Amazon.com

Art Book's Description

Edited by Edward Morris, Dmitri Siegel. Text by Michael Bierut, Thomas L. Friedman, Steven Heller, Edward Morris, Dmitri Siegel.
Published by Metropolis Books

This book brings together the strongest contemporary graphic design currently promoting sustainability and the fight against climate change. Collectively, essays by Michael Bierut, Steven Heller, Edward Morris and Dmitri Siegel look back in time to posters and ideas that set the stage for the current movement (World War Two posters, images of international cooperation, posters from the environmental movement in the 1960s and 1970s) and address the state of the poster: what is the efficacy and mode of distribution for purposeful, message-oriented graphic images today? Thomas L. Friedman advocates for "a redefined, broader and more muscular green ideology that can be the basis of a new unifying political movement for the twenty-first century." The bulk of the book is given over to a compilation of the best posters on the theme of sustainability by a variety of contemporary artists (both emerging and established), among them Shepard Fairey, Michael Bierut, DJ Spooky, James Victore and Geoff McFetridge. These posters, which have a strong graphic presence and which never rest on the tired slogans of the past ("Save the Earth," etc.), show that graphic design does not passively respond to the zeitgeist--it helps shape it. The book, which is sustainably printed in the U.S., reproduces 50 of these posters as tear-outs. Also included is a section on action, with documentation of designs at work in the world: on buses, billboards, protesters' placards, graffiti, t-shirts and so on. This movement is about a new form of patriotism, one that exhibits pride of place, but not fear of others.

New Graphic Design Awards

The above poster will be published in Print Magazine's Regional Annual.


The above poster will be published in Creativity International's 40th Print and Packaging Competition by Harper Collins.

Work: The 2010 Harnett Biennial

Bizhan Khodabandeh has a screen-printed piece in "The 2010 Harnett Biennial of American Prints"

This is the University of Richmond's ninth national celebratory exhibition of contemporary print making. The exhibition juror, Laura Kruger is the Curator of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Museum in New York. Forty six artists from twenty states were selected.

The exhibition opens Oct 21st and is up till Dec 5th. in the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art.

Harnett Museum hours:
Tuesday - Sunday between 1 and 5pm
Admission is FREE

Also opening during this time is "Eye of the Collector: Works on paper from the Sigmund R. Balka collection." This is a selection of works from the Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion Museum in New York and is also curated by Laura Kruger.

Arachnids, Muay Thai and the Three Little Pigs

The work below is work for a sculpture course taught by Corin Hewitt. My project was about turning arachnophobia into a system of measurements. There is a good chance that all of these illustrations will be used for other purposes. Below are 3 of eight arachnid illustrations.

Above: Illustration by Bizhan Khodabandeh of a Running Crab Spider.


Brown Recluse by Bizhan Khodabandeh


Tarantula by Bizhan Khodabandeh

I also compared the spiders to the "Science of Eight Limbs" or Muay Thai. Below is an individual illustration. I produced 4: elbow, knee, punch, kick. These images were then combined in a arachnid like shape. I will eventually create additional elements to transition the image into a large poster.






Above is a poster design for Gallery5. The prompt was S##TY Halloween.

Where is the new work?

I have been doing a lot of work with Helium Studios. Chris Hull creates a positive work environment and I have been fortunate enough to be with some great co-workers.

Anyways, most of the work I have been doing ends up changing - since I am only part-time - or is a mock up that clients may or may not want the public to see. As a result, I don't have much to show from this job. However, I have been fortunate enough to participate in some interesting projects as well as learn a lot about developing better user interfaces. My education has encouraged me to hold off on my website redesign and invest some extra time fine tuning it.

I have some more illustration intensive stuff to post shortly. Some of which can be seen in my blog about the sculpture class I am taking for my teaching certification.

POWER TO THE POSTER: THE EXHIBITION

Poster Design by Nicholas Burroughs

If you happen to be in Omaha, I have work in this exhibition.

The New BLK Gallery + Power to the Poster + Nicholas Burroughs proudly present…

POWER TO THE POSTER: THE EXHIBITION
34 POSTERS PROMOTING DISSENT, HOPE & IDEAS


"An exhibition of posters selected from PowerToThePoster.org. The site exists to bring people together around a ready supply of well-designed, wild postings that comment on the issues of our time. The 11×17 posters in PDF format are for anyone, anywhere to download, print and post. The exhibition will showcase some of most compelling posters from 25 designers in 11 states and 8 countries."

Opens Thursday, September 9
6-9 PM
New BLK Gallery
1213 Jones St.
Omaha, NE
As part of Omaha Creative Week
After party at Havana Garage
1008 Howard St.

The large format 24×38 inch posters, generously printed by Photographics Imaging, will be available for purchase through September 24. Proceeds will go to Design Alliance OMAha, a group working to bring leading-edge design ideas that are shaping our world to the community.

Good 50X70 posters out now!

Now that the word is out, I can post my entry. It didn't make it in this year and I am disappointed, but would still like all of you to check out amazing work by artists from 81 countries. 2357 poster were submitted and I believe that 30 posters are chosen for each category. You can view them all in their gallery here.

New Work: Gallery5's 5 After 5 Posters

Here is some new work of mine for Gallery5's 5 after 5 series. I am not sure I will keep with this system for the rest of the events, but it has been well received thus far. A monthly event of lectures on various topics with live music and drink specials. More info can be found on the Facebook page. You might have missed the first lecture - which was absolutely amazing and informative -, but you can still catch the rest. All of the events are free and begin at 5pm every second Wednesday of the month.


Gallery5 After 5 Season Schedule:
Sept 08 - Tracy Wilson - Independent Label Collective

Oct 13 - Paul DiPasquale – Arthur Ashe Statue artist

Nov 10 – Andrew Chesnut – VCU Department of World Studies

Dec 08 – Wade Harrell – President of The American Tarantula Society

Feb 09 – Patrick Godfrey – Velocity Comics

Mar 09 – Tom Silvestri – Richmond Times Dispatch Publisher

Apr 13 – David Olli – Science Museum of Virginia

May 11 – Mark Wood – VCU Department of World Studies

Monster Draw Rally Results

Perhaps this is long overdue... above is my personal work from 1708 Gallery's Monster Draw Rally. Of course, I am not completely happy with the final piece, but I still enjoy the drawing and the process to create it. In case you do not know what the project was, there some info one of my previous posts. Basically a bunch of artists came together in support of 1708 Gallery and drew in hour long increments. All of the work went 100% to 1708.

Gallery5 and Rorschach Records present: Self-Titled

Poster design by: Bizhan Khodabandeh

Gallery5 and Rorschach Records present: Self-Titled

Gallery5 and Rorschach Records Presents the Public Opening Reception of:

SELF TITLED
Exhibition on display from September 3 - October 15th
7PM FREE

“SELF TITLED” includes original artwork that has been featured on the covers of independently produced LP, CD, and 7” albums. The exhibition assembles a progressive group of artists, many of which are musicians in the bands represented. At first glance, this work may serve only as an informal greeting, or a mere introduction to unindulged content. However, these covers also reflect a powerful social narrative in which recorded sound and visual component become mutual surrogates, transcending advertisement and promotional obligation. As MP3 platforms become ever more prominent, this work reinforces the importance of physical ownership, embodying the autonomous mission of small labels and independent musicians. Whether you are browsing Raymond Pettibond’s work for SST, or looking over the more contemporary visuals of John Baizley (Baroness, Torche), these images elevate our understanding of music and determine how we visualize the masterworks of each generation.

Featuring original cover art from:
Homemade Knives
Floor
Kylesa
Brainworms
City of Caterpillar
Stop It
The Catalyst
Twelve Hour Turn
Ghastly City Sleep
Screaming Females
Pink Razors

Featuring Art by:
Sean Mahan
Laura Pleasants
Ryan McLennan
Brandon Evans
Erin Tobey
Jim Callahan
Elizabeth Childress
Marissa Paternoster
Adam Juresko

New Work: Elementary School DJ Night and Self-Defense Academy Flyers

Illustration and design are all by Bizhan Khodabandeh


Flyer and detail for Richmond BJJ Self-Defense Academy.


Front and back of hand bill design for Richmond BJJ Self-Defense Academy.


Flyer for Richmond BJJ Self-Defense Academy.


Poster designed for a children's music event at Gallery5. No, that is not Comic Sans. It is a typeface based on the handwriting of Jim Davis, creator of Garfield.