Lulus.com Fashion Blog » Robots

Photoshop Touches Up on Some (Alternate) History

Annie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0000

There are some things that the U.S. government doesn’t want us to know about, but Pittsburgh-based, NYU film grad Matthew Buchholz is finally clueing everybody in. Well, that’s actually not true, but Buchholz does dream up some pretty convincing re-imaginings of history, with a fantastically off-beat and brilliant sci-fi vision.

Map of Washington, DC

The Defeat of General Frankenstein at Bunker Hill

Homestead Robot

Photoshop is his medium of choice, with a healthy backdrop of witty, deadpan captions detailing the sci-fi’d, pseudo-historical events depicted in the images. The descriptions alone pack as much punch as the clever pictures; check out his hilarious explanation of the Floating Saucer Crafts and the Chicago Fire, below:

“The Great Fire at Chicago, Oct 8th, 1871. The Great Fire commenced on Sunday evening, Oct 8th and continued until Tuesday, Oct 10th, consuming the Business portion of the City, Public Buildings, Hotels, Interstellar trading depots, Newspaper Offices, Rail-Road depots, and extending over an area of Five Square Miles. The fire began when Immigrant Aliens, feeling cheated in a business transaction, took to the skies in their Floating Saucer Crafts and employed their Destructo-Ray. Interstellar Trading was suspended in Chicago soon after the fire.”

The Burrowing Beast in Hollywood

Prints of his work can be purchased via his Etsy site, as well as cleverly campy greeting cards to brighten up those special days.

An Unidentified Floating Craft Above Fifth Avenue

Inauguration of Vilnar the Destroyer

The Signing of the Declaration of Independence

Pittsburgh Zombie Outbreaks: A Map

Zombies in Schenley Park

This is just a taste of Buchholz’s willdy entertaining collection, so check out his website to witness beer-guzzling sea-nuisances, monstrous, banana-loving ape-creatures, a giant Andrew Carnegie wreaking havoc on his beloved Pittsburgh, and good old-fashioned zombies galore.

Now I just need someone I know to get pregnant so I can send her this awesome card.

(images courtesy of renegadehandmade and alternatehistories)

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Facebookers Beware the Robobuddies!

Annie — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:00:00 +0000

You know those little welcome screens that pop up with flashy news stories and celebrity gossip when you sign in to check your email? Well, this morning I was sucked into one headline in particular, and I’m glad I was. So I clicked on “You’ve Got: Hidden Dangers on Facebook,” and it all became clear. Thanks AOL.

I don’t know if the rest of you had this all figured out, but I have been pretty darn confused by the random friend requests on Facebook from what I’ve been calling “fake people.” And I don’t mean phony human beings; we’re talking about people who I’ve never met, heard of, seen, or known, a friend of a friend’s cousin who knows a guy who went to school with this person. Seriously.

Enter Alison Haislip. You may recognize her from G4 or her gig on the brand new TV show “The Voice.” In the video below, she explains that these “people” (who may have used stolen picures of real people and claim to have gone to your high school and live down your street; they don’t!) are really robots created by hackers, who access your personal information, then sell it to the highest bidder. Scary!

The moral of the story here is: if you’re pretty sure that you don’t know a person who’s sent you a friend request, you probably don’t! You’re better off denying it and risking the hurt feelings. I’m pretty sure most robots can’t process emotions anyways…

Have you ever been robobuddied?

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Santigold + Animatronic Love = I’m A Lady

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Ok, so finally here is an animatronic LOVE song that I’m in LOVE with: “I’m A Lady” by Santigold. Check out this video, where Santi White who makes up the Santigold voice, sings her heart out.

Here, a lone man makes his perfect robotic lady on a rooftop in NYC. This video is much more low key than either the Lady Gaga one or the Black Eyed Peas one. However, I truly enjoy listening to this song over and over.

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Animatronic love + Black Eyed Peas = ???

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:30:00 +0000

Lady Gaga nailed the robotic look in her Bad Romance video, with the help of Alexander McQueen of course, but now lets take a look at what the Black Eyed Peas attempted with the same style.

In their Imma Be Rockin That Body music video Fergie sports super futuristic cyber costumes that don’t quite cut it in my book. I personally think they look a little too contrived. However, I do kind of like the way the video is a made like a feature film, and I particularly enjoy the gigantic robots landing outside in the L.A. desert and attacking them.

My sister, who considers herself an expert at all things Gaga and robotic, said this about the video above:

“I’ve noticed a few things:

ONE: Lady Gaga’s animatronic style is more than infectious.

TWO: I can’t stand the way the Black Eyed Peas have turned the Gaga/McQueen influenced outfits into cheaper versions. I’ll take Lady Gaga any day over their new video Imma Be Rockin That Body.”

What do you think?

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Antimatronic LOVE Week!

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Animatronic love stories have taken over the music scene. The recent music videos, inspired by the tale of robotic love in the 1927 film, Metropolis, have invaded the fashion scene as well as the musical one. This week we’ll see how some good and some bad (very bad) music and fashion have come from this inhuman trend!

I’m going to start this week of robotic fashion and music with the “Bad Romance” video by Lady Gaga. Fashion and science fiction have been married into a robotic fashion statement created by the ultimate king of fantasy, the late Alexander McQueen. I have to admit I actually enjoy this video, as well as McQueen’s haute couture shoes and costumes!

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METROPOLIS: Janelle Monáe

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

“There can be no understanding between the hands and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator. ” Metropolis by Franz Lang

A few weeks ago I did a blog featuring our L.A. lady Kristin Knauff’s boyfriend Jiro Schneider. The blog was about his awesome photography, including his cover shoot for Paper Magazine with Janelle Monáe.

Soooooo, last night I found a backstage video (don’t know how I didn’t see it the last time) from the Jiro Schneider shoot with Paper Magazine. Then using my amazing detective skills I finally looked into this curious Janelle Monáe and found quite a lot of interesting material …

What I found out is that … let’s just say … hmmm … Janelle Monáe … is not exactly from this world but is more … well … outttta this world … Metropolis style.

If you have ever seen Franz Lang’s Metropolis you will understand, or at least, be equally confused as to what reality or surreality we are talking about. Now … “Open your minds, earthlings, and prepare to be launched headfirst into an alternate universe. A place where robots fall in love with humans. Where your tour guide into this alternate realm is a demure lil thang with a bold set of pipes.

“I’m an alien from outer space,” declares Janelle Monáe on the first song of her debut album, Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition).

Yes, Toto, we are no longer in Kansas anymore. Or even planet Earth.”…

What I found in my Janelle Monae search is that the lady behind the photos that Jiro took is an android full of expression from a far off planet. Janelle’s music displays a range of funk that stays super fresh while reminding me of the late Michael Jackson.

Not only is the music enough to transport you to another world but Janelle herself is so entrancing that you might as well be being sucked into a Metropolis. She bounces and dances all over the stage as she sings her upbeat diddies about an android in pursuit of love.

This joy ride is not about sitting back and falling into the lull of a melody but more like falling straight into a high energy love pursuit lead by Janelle’s voice.

“She may be living in a fantasy world of her own creation, but Janelle Monáe is confident you won’t want to leave once you’ve visited.”

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