Still Image from GoldenEye, 1995
Source: Internet Movie Car Database

Searching for photos of your favorite car, need some images of high action chase scenes, or wondering what that car was in the last movie you saw? Check out Internet Movie Car Database, where you can search for around 383,995 different cars by manufacturer, movie, TV show or even cartoon. Real car buffs can participate in helping name unknown cars from various movies by checking out the unidentified section with film stills of mystery cars.

One of the challenges of new media art has been its preservation: works are often dependent upon technology that moves from cutting-edge to obsolete. The Rhizome ArtBase aims to counter the evanescence of this digital underpinning, and since 1999 has preserved over 2,500 art works. As they state, "The mission of the ArtBase is to provide free, open, and permanent access to a living and historic collection of seminal new media art objects."

Explore the variety of projects preserved so far - searching the Timeline is particularly fascinating for "old" new media works.

Still photo of Danny Williams
Film still courtesy of The Andy Warhol Museum. © 2006-8 The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, a museum of Carnegie Institute. All rights reserved.

A Walk into the Sea

Filmmaker Esther Robinson goes on a quest to find out what happened to her uncle, Danny Williams, who disappeared from his family home at 27. When his family began their search, only his car was found parked by some cliffs overlooking the ocean. As Robinson hunts for her uncle, many new things come to light, such as his excellent films and experimentation with lighting at The Velvet Underground concerts. A member of Andy Warhol’s Factory, Danny was involved in numerous artistic endeavors, and interviews with Chuck Wein, Billy Name, Brigid Berlin, and The Velvet Underground’s John Cale relate Danny’s personality and relationship with Andy. Robinson discovers more of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, as well as more about his life, work and personality, but exactly what happened to her uncle remains a mystery.

This video is among the many available to borrow from Imageworks in the Art, Architecture and Engineering Library. Search for videos in Mirlyn or in our video database.

"Unless You Will showcases a vision within photo-based art. The goal is to bring together a collection of notable photographers from around the world—particularly those who add layers of meaning and capture these feelings—and present their work with honesty and not too many frills."

"Canvas features stylish and emotive photography – especially focused on people. Each issue features a certain focus (skin, gender, the future, black and white, music, and so forth) and the showcased photographs then explore that theme."

You can find more downloadable magazines here: 20 Inspirational and Free Downloadable Photography Magazines

via Speckyboy Design Magazine

Furniture by Todd Oldham
© AP Photo / Carlos Osorio
Source: AP Images

Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge introduces her new onine radio program After the Jump, in which she seeks to get at the heart of the design process by talking to the artists themselves. Her first interview took place Monday, with designer Todd Oldham, whose designs have been featured in Target and Felissimo. Todd shares the inspiration for his work, tips on collaboration and building a team, and working for large corporations vs. small companies. He also describes the process of his creations ranging from furniture to graphic design. Todd's friendly personality and creative nature shine through the interview and shed light on his unique creations. You can listen to the interview here at Heritage Radio Network. After the Jump will air every Monday from 12:00 to 12:30 featuring fun interviews on the latest topics in art and design.

You can search the collection on the DIA's own website.
Searching, for example, John Stanley Mix's Indian Telegraph (1860), results in the following:

Rolling your cursor over the image functions as a magnifying glass, giving great detail.

ARTstor also has over 1,500 images from the collection:

Selecting an image yields a separate window containing image with high zoom. Since ARTstor is a subscription database, you will need to log in with your University of Michigan password to download these images and to take advantage of other tools offered.

For futher assistance finding images, contact us at imageworks@umich.edu

City of Venice
© G. W. Willard
Source: AAEL Digital Image Collection

The Venetian Dilemma
Produced and directed by Carole Rifkind, Richard Rifkind

While tourism rapidly increases every year, Venice's population, like the city itself, has been dramatically sinking. Little shops and businesses have been pushed out for shops and bars that cater to tourists, and the residents of Venice worry that the Venice they’ve known is disappearing. Mayor Roberto D’Agostino has great plans for pushing Venice forward with new industry and the proposal of a subway to the mainland. However, native inhabitants of the city worry this will only increase tourism, and argue that more should be done to provide better housing and services for those who already live there. Presenting both sides, the film explores the tension between the conflicting desires for modernity and the preservation of culture in Venice.

This video is among the many available to borrow from Imageworks in the Art, Architecture and Engineering Library. Search for videos in Mirlyn or in our video database.

Developed by Visual Resources Association, the Digital Image Rights Computator (DIRC) program is intended “to assist the user in assessing the intellectual property status of a specific image documenting a work of art, a designed object, or a portion of the built environment”.

DIRC allows user to make informed decisions regarding the intended educational uses of that image.

The interactive program gives a series of questions addressing five variables:

1. The copyright status of the underlying work represented in the image.

2. The copyright status of the photographic reproduction.

3. The specific source from which you have obtained the image under consideration.

4. Any terms of use or contract that may govern the uses of this image.

5. The intended use(s) of this image.

After all questions are answered user presented with a color-coded grid, the answer is highlighted.

via Visual Resources Association

Many factors go into typography and design today that involve more than just font design. One of these factors is called kerning, and this represents the spacing between letters both for design aesthetic and readability. Take the Kerntype challenge to learn just how it’s done and see if you have an eye for it. For more design challenges check out Method of Action where you can learn the latest tips and tools about design for any skill level.

Saint Julien Cathedral, Le Mans, France
© Saskia Ltd. Cultural Documentation
Source: AAEL Digital Image Collection

In 2010, we wrote an entry about the exciting beginnings of the project Mapping Gothic France. Since then the site has been updated to include many more Gothic churches, images, and options for viewing. One of the new features includes the Pasteboard, which allows you to sort the churches as needed for visual analysis and comparisons. You can sort images of various church aspects from frontispieces to parametric sections in any order you need. Be sure to check out the new Simulation model as well, an interactive resource for learning about the structural dynamics of stone arches. Remember, the site is still a work in progress, so keep checking back for future additions and resources.

15 Central Park West, New York
© AP Photo / Richard Drew
Source: AP Images

Robert A.M. Stern: 15 Central Park West and the History of the New York Apartment House

Architect Robert A.M. Stern expresses his lifelong interest in New York City, and takes us on a tour of its unique apartment buildings from the past and present. Contrasting them with traditional Parisian apartments, Stern demonstrates how early 20th century apartments in NY redefined what apartment housing was. In the early 1900’s NY was growing rapidly and row houses were no longer enough. Architects Philip Hubert, and James Pirsson had the idea of building apartments that were essentially part of a large home and community. They provided dining, laundry service, and communal rooms for entertaining. This new approach to apartment styles lead to the popularity of apartment living amongst the wealthiest members of society. Stern examines these elaborate apartment buildings such as the Dakota Apartments, 998 Fifth Ave., and 740 Park Ave and describes how they were influential to his own work, 15 Central Park West. Through this comparison, Stern highlights how he drew from the early 1900’s to create a modern apartment building that retained the spirit of the original grand New York City apartments.

This video is among the many available to borrow from Imageworks in the Art, Architecture and Engineering Library. Search for videos in Mirlyn or in our video database.

Ever wanted to explore the Amazon? Well now you can from the comfort of your own home, with Google maps. In an effort to raise awareness of the precious and endangered ecosystem of the Amazon River and its tropical rainforests, Google launched a campaign to create “street views” of the river and its magnificent jungle surroundings. Check out films for how Google created this innovative project, or just sit back and enjoy the stunning sights along the river.

Symbols are all around us and are an important part of our everyday as they communicate ideas, directions, and information. They create a visual language that can be deciphered worldwide and that grows with the advancement of technology. The Noun Project encourages the sharing and creation of new symbols, as well as providing dialogue in their blog about the process of designing symbols. Check out The Noun Project Blog for more information on the design, the invention of symbols, and their various uses in technology and art.

Alex MacLean, Highway interchange, Detroit, Michigan, 1995
© Alex MacLean / Landslides
Source: AAEL Digital Image Collection

The Sprawling of America

This excellent two-part documentary takes an in depth look at the early beginnings and increasing drawbacks of suburban sprawl in Michigan. The film particularly studies the example of Detroit, covering how the 1940’s housing crisis and racial tension in the city led to the depopulation of Detroit and the expansion of the suburbs. Aggravated by government policies that supported suburbs and the lack of public transportation in Detroit, the suburban way of life has become increasingly unsustainable and detrimental to the city. The growth of suburbs has also affected rural areas and farming in negative ways, rapidly decreasing the availability of land for food production. Yet, all is not lost. While Detroit is not the only city in the U.S. to be suffering from these problems, there are cities that are working to make their city centers vital, living communities and to reduce the suburban sprawl. From the east coast to the west coast new policies are being explored that value sustainable land use and the increasing walkability and livability of a city, and provide valuable ideas for the city of Detroit and other U.S. cities suffering from sprawl.

This video is among the many available to borrow from Imageworks in the Art, Architecture and Engineering Library. Search for videos in Mirlyn or in our video database.

"Dear Photograph,
At the time it was not common for a man to walk behind a pram.
I’m still proud of my father.
Eva Willemier Westra"

"Dear Photograph,
Je t’aime Paris, but I love my mother more. After 15 years she finally brought me along!
Leah Romm"

"Dear Photograph,
I have no idea what sort of Christmas present awaited my brother Casey in that tube. Just like I had no idea that this past week Casey would die in a horrible accident in Kerala, India. I wanted to bring him home one last time to our house in Texas. This is the only way I could…it’s been a tough week.
Joe"

"Dear Photograph,
Early morning walks together and my little boy, those moments will always make up the color in my life, and in my heart.
Ladyjang"

via Dear Photograph