For the past two weeks, German artist Jan Vormann has been beautifying NYC one brick at a time, filling in cracks and missing tiles from buildings with bright LEGO blocks.

The effort was part of the VOLTA art show, and in cooperation with the Gallery Jarmuschek+Partner with the support of Henk Holsheimer (LEGO Graffity Styles Convention).

Check out some of the pics!

[via PSFK and Dispatchwork.info]

Along with vibrant visuals and an open discussion, hear about the creative process behind a selection of our books – from photography, to urban culture, to pop culture and illustration – and the steps it takes to construct a project from an independent publisher’s perspective; from the idea’s inception, to the design and packaging, to reaching the public.

Wine will be served, because we love you.

Featured speakers/authors:

Louis E. V. Nevaer – Protest Graffiti Mexico: Oaxaca and Illustrations from the Inside

Charlotte Noruzi – Author of Urban Iran

Julian Hibbard – Author/photographer of The Noir A-Z

Buzz Poole – Managing Editor at MBP

Christopher D Salyers – Design + Production Director at MBP, author of recently released Vending Machines

See you there!

* * *

BookCourt Presents: A Night with Mark Batty Publisher
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: BookCourt
Street: 163 Court Street
City/Town: Brooklyn, NY

Join MBP and Tina Ziegler, author of HUNT & GATHER to celebrate the release of the new art book!

Here are some details on the book launch events:

- LONDON, UK –

The Creative & Old School, a Hunt and Gather Book launch event
Saturday, March 20 , 2010
Location: 47 Mowlem Street. East London. E29 DR. United Kingdom
Time: 7pm.

The evening will include a book presentation by Tina Ziegler and a signing event by featured artists in attendance. There will be an exhibition on show from various artists featured in the publication, such as Scott Belcastro, Scott Campbell, Kukula, Timothy Hung Lee, Emilio Subira, Nate Frizzell, Edwin Ushiro, Yoskay Yamamoto.

Artists in attendance: Timothy Lee, Mr Guaky. Andy Council. Emilio Subira.

Hunt and Gather will be presenting a special mix tape compilation to celebrate the “old school” way of gathering together tunes and building your own mix tape. All visitors to the event are welcome to bring along their favorite track which will then be added to the evening’s playlist. The completed event playlist will be available for download after the event from Huntandgatherart.com.

- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US -

Friday. April 9 , 2010: Thinkspace Gallery & Tina Ziegler present the Los Angeles book Launch and group exhibition of Hunt and Gather.

Featuring new artworks from more than 25 artists featured in the publication and an afternoon signing event on Saturday, April 10 , 2010. Visit www.thinkspacegallery.com for more information.

Location: Thinkspace Gallery, Culver City. California.

Exhibiting artists include: Carrie Anne Baade, Plastic God, Emilio Subira, Chelsea Lewyta, Dave Pressler, Victor Castillo, Tanner Goldbeck, Andy Council, Tessar Lo, Jshea9, Scott Belcastro, Diva, Scott Campbell, Tiffany Liu, Deseo One, Elizabeth Mcgrath, Jon Beinart, Charles Wish, Timothy Hung Lee, Scott Radke, El Gato Chimney, Mr Guaky, Madsteez.

All artists are creating 12 x 12 inch artworks to be exhibited from the 9 of April and until the end of the month.

* * *

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Along with vibrant visuals and an open discussion, hear about the creative process behind a selection of our books – from photography, to urban culture, to pop culture and illustration – and the steps it takes to construct a project from an independent publisher’s perspective; from the idea’s inception, to the design and packaging, to reaching the public.

Wine will be served, because we love you.

Featured speakers/authors:

Louis E. V. Nevaer – Protest Graffiti Mexico: Oaxaca and Illustrations from the Inside

Charlotte Noruzi – Author of Urban Iran

Julian Hibbard – Author/photographer of The Noir A-Z

Buzz Poole – Managing Editor at MBP

Christopher D Salyers – Design + Production Director at MBP, author of recently released Vending Machines

See you there!

* * *

BookCourt Presents: A Night with Mark Batty Publisher
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: BookCourt
Street: 163 Court Street
City/Town: Brooklyn, NY

There is no doubt that the Japanese lead the way when it comes to vending machines, which sell everything from the expected (hot tea, food, candy) to the surprising (umbrellas, underwear, cars, liquor, porn). But the ever-growing desire to remove human interaction from consumer equations has caught on across the globe. In airports, iPods and other gadgets are sold in vending machines; in Italy a vending machine will make you a pizza; artists from London to Buenos Aires have converted cigarette vending machines to sell art; in Amsterdam kiosks provide “fresh food” for late-night snackers via, you guessed it, vending machines.

“The vending machine, in its truest form, represents an overhaul of the psychology of consumerism – there is no human element to interfere with the advertisements or the medium,” says Salyers. “And now that technology’s capacity is apace with imaginative capacity in ways that are both affordable and arresting, it seems we’re at another turning point of vending machine experimentation.”

With sections like “Weird World,” “Capsules, Claws and Candy Machines,” and “Retro Vending,” Vending Machines is an entertaining and informative package – it even comes with your own cardboard fold-out Motomachi mini you can make yourself.

About Christopher D Salyers

Christopher D Salyers is a Brooklyn-based writer and book designer. He is also the author of Mark Batty Publisher’s Face Food and its sequel, Face Food Recipes.

# # #

Vending Machines: Coined Consumerism
By Christopher D Salyers
Page Count: 128 page
Size: 7 x 9 inches (17.7 x 22.8 cm)
Format: Color throughout; Casebound w/dust jacket
Publication Date: March 2010
Price: US $27.95 UK £20 CA $37.50
ISBN: 9780981960012

For a review copy, more information, or to schedule an interview with Christopher D Salyers, contact Adri Cowan, +1 347.830.6271, adri@markbattypublisher.com.

Life ahead of the curve is tough for Buzz Poole, author of 2007’s Madonna of the Toast, as we’ve just picked up on a new, very similar book out from Chronicle Books titled Look! It’s Jesus! Amazing Holy Visions in Everyday Life.

In 2007, Buzz explored the phenomenon of pareidolia, which involves the perception of religious or prominent imagery in ordinary places – from your toast, to a tree trunk, to a wrinkle in your shower curtain. All of us at some point have seen faces pop out from somewhere in our everyday lives, and Buzz continues to document these anomalies in his Madonna of the Toast blog.

We’re waiting to get our hands on the book to see whether it’s as in-depth and informative as Madonna. If any of you have read it yourself, let us know what you think!

The introductory essay frames these automated dispensers in the ideas of Marshall McLuhan and Philip K. Dick. The interviews with Michael Keferl of CScout, a global trend research firm, and Clark Whittington, founder of Art-o-mat, provide further context for the photographs of vending machines from all over the world – with a special emphasis on Japan – that sell an astounding array of products, from beverages to pornography.

Vending Machines: Coined Consumerism serves as a visual point of reference for every consumer on the go.

MBP will be in the library section of the event, and here’s the rest of the info:

The 22nd Indie & Small Press Book Fair

Start Time: Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 10:00am
End Time: Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 5:00pm
Location: General Society Library
Street: 20 West 44th Street
City/Town: New York, NY

There’s also a Facebook event page here!

We were thrilled when an MBP fan sent us pictures of this HUGE Toy Instruments display at a Tower Records in Tokyo. Complete with streaming music and big cardboard cutouts, Toy Instruments has certainly made it big in Japan!

And, hey, MBP fans – if you ever see a display worth snapping, or an MBP book at a store in some distant land, we’d love to see it! Send your photos to adri@markbattypublisher.com.

Buy them at The Print Dispensary here.