Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Robots, monsters, and a reality sandwich

Here are a couple of brand-new websites that Brainiac readers will doubtlessly appreciate.

Robots and Monsters: Described by its founder, the talented cartoonist Joe Alterio, as "a charitable effort that is one part fundraiser, one part lowbrow art gallery, and one part collective art experiment." In an effort to raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Alterio has offered to draw you a robot or a monster, as defined by three words or phrases you provide. He explains:

You get the original piece of art, 6" x 6", signed, of a robot or monster or both (your choice), as defined by three words you provide.... An image of one robot or monster is 25 bucks, a picture of 2 things, either robot or monster, is 40.

Other artists may join in the fun -- if so, Alterio says he will eventually publish a book of all the robots and monsters they create.

Reality Sandwich: A web magazine divided into sections with titles like PSYCHE, ECO, LIFE, TECH, and COMMONS. It has been described by one of its editors like so:

It brings together Burning Man, the radical edge of the environmental movement, the techno-utopians, the new commons movement, and the avant pop arts... in a single, colorful, unpredictable, and of course political package.

If the website sounds to you like the kind of New-New Age enterprise that Daniel Pinchbeck (described by James Parker as "a thirtysomething former journalist who has transformed himself -- with the help of mind-ripping pharmaceuticals and organic hallucinogens like iboga and ayahuasca -- into a multi-disciplinary critic of the "design problems" in Western civilization) might be into, pat yourself on the back! Pinchbeck is the editorial director of Reality Sandwich.

Posted by Joshua Glenn at 02:11 PM

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