Last year, Parsons Illustration students collaborated with Artfully Unforgotten , a non-profit that stresses  social advocacy through the arts. Parsons illustration students donated their art and raised $5000 for an orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda. This semester, we are collaborating again,  now to  raise funds for women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and generate awareness of the realities and  possibilities in aiding this region and people in crisis. To start our  partnering  a short film, “Voices of Afghanistan“  was presented in Kellen auditorium  (66 5th ave.) today by Heather Metcalfe, founder and Executive Director of Artfully Unforgotten, and Kirsten Larvick the film’s editor and assoc. producer.

(Above) left Heather Metcalfe Founder/Executive Director of Artfully Unforgotten), middle Kirsten Larvick the film’s editor and assoc. producer,  right Assoc. Prof. Nora Krug from the illustration dept.

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The film was followed by a panel discussion on the situation in Afghanistan with Heather, Nora and Adrianne Dicker Kadzinski, an army reserve officer who served in Afghanistan in 2002 and who is now involved in humanitarian  projects  for Afghanistan as a civilian.

(Above) Heather and Adrianne Dicker Kadzinski taking audience questions.

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A number of aspects of the situation in Afghanistan were discussed and highlighted. Adrianne began by explaining the  many forces playing a part in the politics of the country: the Taliban, native tribes , the Afghan government, the U.S., gender politics, corruption, and the drug trade.   Afghan women have taken on the  role of  rebuilders of the the country but many obstacles stand in their way.   Both Heather and Adrianne  remarked  that through this turmoil and war the Afghan people remain hopeful  and proud of their country.  There is  a pitfall in portraying the Afghan women and people as victims which would be a dis-service to them. It is a complicated  and many sided issue as evidenced when Wendy Popp (Soph concepts instructor) asked about the meaning of the burqa to Afghan woman. The answer was not as clear cut as it would appear.

Peter Hamlin, sophomore concepts instructor, illustrator and photo journalist brought along  images shot in Afghanistan  by Associated Press photographers and brought up the issue of a personal opinion  and journalistic neutrality  in art. Nora Krug also spoke about the role of artists and illustrators throughout history  in creating social responsible work ( or at times irresponsible work and propaganda).

The book ” The Photographer ” with  photographs by Didier Lefevre and  illustrations and story by Emmanuel Guibert was brought in for attendees to look through. Didier Lefevre is a French photojournalist who documented a Doctors Without Borders mission to Afghanistan. The book is excellent.

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I would add to the above book Illustrator/graphic novelist Joe Sacco who  has a number of fantastic  artist/journalist books : Palestine, Stories from Bosnia ,  Safe Area: Gorazde, The Fixer. He has traveled to Yugoslavia and the middle east and brought back in graphic novel form the personal stories of these war torn areas.

The four sophomore  classes in the illustration dept. will be creating art pieces based upon their research and the  presentation. The pieces will ultimately be displayed and auctioned off as part of a silent auction with the proceeds being donated to the Business Council for Peace, which works with women business owners in Afghanistan and the Mashale Noor School, located in Mazar-e Sharif.   The benefit and auction will be held on December 4th at the Best Buy Loft in Soho.  The auction is of course open to any artist who wants to donate work.

Wendy had remarked that this is a unique opportunity  to experience a feeling of unity and purpose that extends beyond our private classes and and to see the passion and dedication given to a social cause.  It’s important  to discuss and experience how art can be a powerful catalyst for social change.

It has been mentioned that the work created by Parsons students is their own reaction to the material presented .  A great aspect of this project and art with a social conscience for me in a class room is that it stimulates discussion.  This is a complicated topic with many valid viewpoints. In fact Nora, during the course of the presentation conveyed how difficult it would be try and some up the whole Afghan conflict  within a single piece.   I’ll be posting some work done by students as the project progresses.

-Les

Below are a few links to learn more about Afghanistan and the project:

Visit Artfully Unforgotten for more info on Voices of Afghanistan and other projects.

Here is a new PBS documentary on the current situation in Afghanistan
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/view/

www.pbs.org/itvs/globalvoices/afghanistanunveiled.html
www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/afghanistan/women.html

About Afghanistan/Pakistan.
www.hulu.com/watch/101088/al-qaeda-family

Afghanistan Wikipedia is of course a place to start for basic info with a number of interesting links in the reference section.

From Peter Hamlin:

Opium in Afghanistan: Cultivation, addiction, and eradication
This interactive includes video reporting and infographics showing opium cultivation statistics.
hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/afghanistan_opium/index.html?SITE=AP

Depth of Field:The War in Afghanistan
An AP photographers visual essay of a US military outpost in Afghanistan.
hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/photographers_gallery/depth_afghan_guttenfelder/index.html?SITE=AP

Afghanistan election: Casting votes in a troubled country
Video reporting and infographics about the candidates and the election in Afghanistan.
hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_international/afghanistan_election/index.html?SITE=AP
From Nora, examples for politically motivated illustration:

http://comicsworthreading.com/2006/03/20/persepolis/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1611731
http://www.old-coconino.com/sites_auteurs/simplicissimus/index.html
http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/books/palestine.htm
http://www.moca-la.org/emorydouglas/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_Gen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EbsrJuAoQo
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/exhibitions/children/
http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/OKUCIT.html
http://terezinmusical.com/drawings.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/27/arts/0727-KENNEDY_7.html
http://www.blackshipsandsamurai.com/HiroshimaDrawingsSelects/index.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWweberP.htm
http://daddytypes.com/2007/06/11/heil_struwwelhitler.php
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/ww2/american/amerprop.htm
http://calitreview.com/875
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/2985/anton-kannemeyer-at-jack-s
hainman-gallery-new-york.html
http://williamkentridge.net/

Fabricio Moraes’ wonderful entry to CGSociety: Society of Digital artists Steampunk challenge.

Steamnocchio.  As Moraes  has captioned it “ This is an adaptation of the Pinocchio story.
In this version, Geppetto is a mad and lonely old man. Since he has no friends at all, he decided to make one. With no magic or abracadabra stuff, he makes his creation alive with the power of steam”.

If you go to the cgsociety challenge page you’ll see a great breakdown of the illustration. Fabricio’s initial sketch, the steps in modeling the figures digitally, earlier version of the color and details. I’d highly reccomend it as well as seeing the other great entries on the site.

Stephanie Tartick is studying abroad in Italy this semester.  She sent this update from Florence (home of Pinocchio author Carlo Collodi).

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Hi Les,

I am in Florence, Italy now! Didn’t start classes yet. We have intensive Italian all week and I start classes next week with Painting, Figure Drawing, Quattrocento (14th century), Italian and Black and White Photography. The past three days I have been exploring the city of Florence as much as I can since my apartment is right in the city. On the street I have been taking to school the past three days there is a toy store with a bunch of Pinocchio toys in it. Carlo Collodi was from Florence! I took two pictures of the store front and thought I’d share them with you and the Illustration department.
My school is very small but reminds me of the illustration department. Only 48 students and all majoring in different things, not just fine art. Most of the students are from the United States, in fact 5 of all my roommates are from San Antonio. Hope the semester started off well.
Best,

Stephanie T

Hi Les,

Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity. Just traveling to the Toronto International Airport I saw a Richard Serra sculpture. It reminded me of the amazing world of art and the reason why I chose to leave the country for four months. It’s a pretty big decision and an even bigger change. Any place in the rest of the world will be completely different than the young United States. In Florence there is ancient art in any old street corner. Frescoes are on the ceiling of my apartment building and the outside of the building I see out my window. Famous architecture you read in textbooks is located every two blocks in this city. Three thousand students come to study in Florence every semester and five thousand to Rome. If anyone is looking for a small English speaking school in the heart of the city of Florence, contact me about Santa Reparata International School of Art. www.santareparata.org

Pinocchio

The Illustration Department’s 2009 Summer Reading Project

Each year, a book is selected that all illustration students read over the course of the summer break. When students return in the fall they have a common cultural experience that can be shared and discussed and that assignments are based on in class. This year’s book is Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
Collodi, whose real name was Carlo Lorenzini, was a politically active writer of novels, pieces in political newspapers and satire as well as children’s literature in 19th century Italy. At 23 he founded Il Lampione (The Lamp), a satirical magazine that published for a year before being shut down by the government (it resumed publishing in 1860), From this social and political environment Pinocchio’s adventures (or misadventures) were born in 1881 as weekly installments in Il Giornale per i Bambini (an Italian children’s newspaper).
Collodi didn’t think much of his offspring. Originally he had ended the story with Pinocchio’s lynching. He eventually was  persuaded to write further chapters.
Despite a ambivalent father, Pinocchio went on to great success (unfortunately after Collodi’s death in 1890). Pinocchio’s adventures are; fantastic, absurd, moralistic, entertaining, allegorical, satiric, in short all the things that make up a good story, and inspire great art.
By 1937 Pinocchio’s adventures were being published in 80 different editions including translations into Swahili, Gaelic and Esperanto. Pinocchio was a popular character before the 1940 premiere of Disney’s full length animated feature. Disney’s use of the story coincides with Collodi’s copyright expiring.  As frightening as some of the scenes in the Disney movie can seem, catch Lampwick’s transformation into a donkey, the original story by Collodi is grimmer. Feet are burned off, Pinocchio is hung, chained up, there are funeral processions, huge sharks…a lot to scare a child into good behavior.
Disney’s version of Pinocchio certainly seems to dominate the visual landscape, but not everywhere. Travel to Italy or other continents than America and Pinocchio’s look can be quite unfamiliar…until we see the iconic long nose.
One hundred and twenty six years after his debut Pinocchio is very much a cultural icon.  He is a metaphor for lying and bad behavior in politicians as well as a symbol of a character’s quest for humanity. Frankenstein, Astro Boy, David from Stanley Kuberick/Stephen Spielberg’s A.I., Edward Scissorhands, are all cousins of Pinocchio.

A Pinocchio exhibit is up on the 8th floor to peak your interest in the little wooden icon. Below is a key to what’s in the showcase.

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Key

1. Hanging Pinocchio 1944 –by Italian illustrator Giovanni Manca.
2. Fables, 2002 (comic book) covers by illustrator James Jean. Geppetto and Pinocchio figure prominently in the story line of the characters from well known Fables in exile.
3. Pinocchio shadow puppet
4. Woodpeckers whittle down Pinocchio’s nose, from Italian children’s book illustrator Attilio Cassinelli’s 1981 Pinocchio  book re’entititled “Once I was a piece of wood”.
5. Fold out cover of the August 1972, (No. 29) National Lampoon. Nixon as Pinocchio with Henry Kissinger as Jiminy Cricket. Illustration by Robert Grossman.
6. The Chicago Tribune offered a fold-up version of Illinois state Senator Roland Burris as Pinocchio. Burris was accused of offering a bribe in exchange for Obama’s Senate seat.
7. “Pinocchio is caught by the gendarmes” by Attilio Mussino 1911.
8. Pinocchio by Winshluss 2009
9. Assorted Disney Pinocchio books , a bank . Pinocchio was Disney’s 2nd feature length animated film debuting in 1940.
10. Pop-up Adventures of Pinocchio- J. Pavlin – G. Seda, (Czech, English version 1974)
11. Cover of an Egyptian edition of Pinocchio.
12. Zombie Pinocchio Tattoo (courtesy of BMEzine.com) and Jiminy cricket tattoo by Mark of High Voltage Tattoos.
13. Astro Boy – a Japanese manga character by Osamu Tezuka , centering around a robot boy.
14. By Italian illustrator  and humorist Benito Jacovitti (1977?/ reissue 2001).
15. Pinocchio float for the 1930 Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
16. Pinocchio by Keith Haring
17. A background from Disney’s Pinocchio 1940. Painted by Claude Coats
18. Pinocchio  by Attilio Mussino English 1911 edition.  18a. Character sketches for the 1940 Disney movie
19. Pinocchio red wine  by Dievole.
20. A Polish poster for Disney’s Pinocchio.
21. The Adventures of Pinocchio 1988 by Roberto Innocenti
22. George Bush Coin
23. The Adventures of Pinocchio (Italy) 1935 illustrated by Peiro Bernardini
24. The New Adventures of Pinocchio, Dell Comic book 1963
25. Pinocchio, the Boy, illustrated by Lane Smith 2002
26. Luigi and Maria Augusta Cavalieri 1924.
27. Pinocchio info to come
28. Cut out nose from PinocchioPolititics.com (Behind 28) “Pinocchio is visited by the doctors” by Luigi and Maria Augusta Cavalieri 1924
29. Pinocchio by Gianbattista Galizzi 1957

A sampling of Pinocchio books:

1. Lane Smith (2003) 2. Mauro Evangelista (2006)  3. Gus Grimly(2009)  4. Sara Fanelli (book with slipcase 2003)   5. J.J. Menet (France 1945) 6. Lois Lenski (1940)

7. Tony Sarg (1940)  8. Sergio Rizzato (1963)  9. Jim Dine (2006) 10. Art Seiden (1954)  11. Benito Jacovitti (Italy 2001) 12. Winshluss (2009)

13. Matthias Griebler (German 2007)  14. Lorenzo Mattotti (Italy 1991)  15. TK (Japan 1997)

16., 17. James Jean (2008)

18. J. Pavlin – G. Seda, (Czech, English version 1974)

Pinocchio and politics are not strange bedfellows. Carlo Collodi (the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) was very much a a product of tumultuous political times in 19th century Italy when  he wrote Pinnocchio in  1881. Situations that occur in The Adventures of Pinocchio in many ways reflect Italy’s  social policy towards children at the time  (see Carl Ipsen’s book ” Italy in the Age of Pinocchio: Children and Danger in the Liberal Era“).  Over the years the image of a visibly growing nose to illustrate political lying has become as iconic (and sometimes cliché) as pinoke himself.

(above) Fold out cover of the August 1972, (No. 29) National Lampoon. Nixon as Pinocchio with Henry Kissinger as Jiminy Cricket. Illustration by Robert Grossman

(above) President George Bush as Pinocchio in Germany, Feb.  2004.   (Photo by Ina Fassbender)

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(above) The  Chicago Tribune offered a fold-up version of Illinois state Senator Roland Burris as Pinocchio.

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(above) Protesters wearing (german politican) Roland Koch-pinocchio masks in Frankfurt  January  2008.

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Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives everyone lies at some point or another  (At least so the other side claims). Death isn’t the great equalizer, Pinocchio is.  In some cases all you need is some basic photoshop skills and you too can perform a political rhinoplasty.

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(above) G8 leaders

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(above)  “Bianocchio” or Politichio,   A comment on  Taiwanese politician and former President of the Republic of China, Chen Shui Bian.   by Taiwan’s Phalanx Studio

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“Number 3 Chris Slipknot mask is an official licensed mask from Morbid Industries. … (the) mask is a bondage style Pinocchio latex mask, …  The nose on this slipknot mask is approximately 4.5 inches long“

A Giant (Pinocchio?) skeleton at The Palazzo Reale in Milan by artist Gino De Dominicus  titled  “Calamita Cosmica”

Pinocchio’s death- an installation at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (2008)  by artist Maurizio Cattelan, (titled Daddy Daddy)

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(above) Zombie Pinocchio Tattoo ( courtesy of BMEzine.com)

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(above) Pinocchio’s Revenge , the 1996 horror film.  “…..Evil comes with strings attached”. You can’t beat that as a tagline.

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(above) Pinocchio Vampire Slayer A graphic novel coming September 2009 drawn by Dustin Higgins and written by Van Jensen.  Pinoke uses his nose as a wooden stake  to kill the undead.  If you look closely  at the bottom right hand panel  the vampire is  saying with his dying breath  ” Killed by a nose…how humiliating”.

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(above) Geppetto from the DC/Vertigo comic book Fables. The story as written by Bill Willingham  paints Pinocchio’s father as an deluded, tyrannical  despot.  I’ll save you the details of what has befallen the Blue Fairy at the hands of this monster.

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(above) Pinocchio: The Story of a Boy By Ausonia

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Where do I begin? The maggots on the cover should be a tip off of how dark this version of Pinocchio is.  Here the story of our hero is turned upside down. The world is inhabited by wooden people ,  Gepetto is a butcher who sews together a creature that loosely resembles a bag of meat.

I first saw mention of this book on frankensteinia, a wonderful blog of all things related to Frankenstein. Which does raise an interesting point. In many ways Pinocchio and Frankenstein are cousins. Two beings invested with life, yet not quite whole. They both search for their humanity and as they do so provide a sometimes terrible reflection of what and how  humanity can act towards the different and outsider.  Ausonia tackles these themes with beautifully drawn art, the imagery is shocking and graphic. Ausionia’s site for this particular book of his offers sketches, and finished art with the authors thoughts on pinocchio. The pages can be translated fromm the Italian through your browser. www.ausonia-pinocchio.com/

Another book that explores the connection between Pinoke and Frank (also written up in frankensteinia) is The Cobbler’s Monster by  Jeff Amano (writer), Craig Rousseau (pencils) and Wayne Faucher (Inks).  This book is more of a blending of the two stories.

Possibly it’s the material aspect of Pinocchio that has inspired designers to turn our iconic wooden friend into something utilitarian. His nose seems particularly handy for a number of things.   I suppose form really does follow function.

A Pinocchio tape measure  (Kim and Jason’s Lemonade Stand)

The copy reads:  “Add a colorful touch to your bathroom with Pinocchio Toilet Brush. Any kid young or old would like this naughty brush in their bathroom. Cute and practical, Pinocchio’s nose substitutes the handle, while the brush is Pinocchio’s smiling face and his cap is the brush stand. Poor Pinocchio has to do the toilet cleaning also for all the lies he said.” (Gizmodiva.com)

From Italy a plastic Pinoke funnel (by Alessi)

A set of cards available to teachers to be used as  measuring exercises in elementary school.

A clothes line by industrial designer Francesco Castiglione Morelli (Outlook Design Italia)

A toothpick dipenser created by David Tsai (davidtsai.net)

Concepts class alum, Evan Turk has initied a wonderful project titled :

and has  posted a call for submissions/participants to the project.  A Picture For A Thousand Voices …”is is a project to help create a dialogue about the individual hopes for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equal rights movement through the medium of illustration. ” Artists  (and writers) are asked to submit artwork depicting  their hopes for equal rights for the LGBT community or a relevant story depicting their experiences  and send it to Evan at evan@evanturk.com.   If you’re  a writer looking for an artist  or an artist looking for  a story to illustrate  Evan might be able to  facilitate a collaboration. The project’s address is picturefor1000voices.blogspot.com/ where you can read about the project, see submissions and read the parameters for the project.

Above are two silkscreens by  Evan titled “Holding Hands” that are starting off the project.  Please pass on info about the projectand check out Even’s blog, or better yet submit something.  Also take a look at Evan’s earlier May 6th post on this site about Gay Art.

-Thanks

Like the Terminator he seems to reference, Pinocchio is back, this time channeled through well known French comix artist Winshluss. His retelling of the classic children’s story was awarded the Fauve d’or (best comic book prize/ Gold Fauvre) at the 37th Angoulême International Comics Festival in France this year. Winshluss, is the pen name of Vincent Parannaud who might also be familiar to some as co-director with Marjane Satrapi on her animated film Persepolis.

Winshluss has created a wonderfully dark, comic noir interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s classic children’s story. The artwork is primarily done in pen and ink, and watercolor but switches to paint for larger splash panels. He references a terrific range of illustrative styles and history in the story from late 18th century pen and ink, to early French film pioneer Georges Méliès , through early Disney (don’t ask what indignities Snow White endures within these pages), and underground comix.

Disney’s 1940 animated Pinoccho seems to have become the definitive version here in the U.S., Winshluss work is much closer to Collodi than Disney in spirit. Like Collodi’s originally serialized story of the wooden marionette, Winshluss updated version  was first published as serialized  chapters in Ferraille Illustré, a French comics journal. Winshluss’ graphic novel is an adult noir movie that at times is both comedy and tragedy. The narrative begins with a shooting, and then flashes back to Pinocchio’s creation (he is now a robot like android) and his subsequent adventures. Collodi’s original story, which is also darker (Pinocchio is hung, Jiminy Cricket is killed…) than Disney’s version and was first intended as an adult story. Both versions portray Pinocchio going from one manipulative situation to another. Winshluss has also injected politics into his story which also played a part in Collodi’s original.

The Angoulême site described the book as an “Opera”, which it is in it’s visual lushness and drama. For the most part the book is wordless, with multiple character’s points of view all adding to the sum of Pinocchio’s story. Jiminy Cafard (Cafard translates as cockaroach as well as hypocrite and a feeling of severe depression), Pinochio’s companion provides the most talking in the book which seems appropriate, and provides comic relief.

Most of his appearances are rendered in black and white. As of now Winshluss’ Pinocchio is only available in French (which won’t stop you from enjoying it even if you’re not a French speaker) and through overseas online merchants . Hopefully it will be distributed in the states in the near future.

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All images © Winshluss and or Les Requins Marteaux