The b-uncut blog

b-uncut: An Artist’s Revolution

// March 10th, 2010 // Comments // b-wired

A quiet revolution is under way in the art world. One that few expected and most missed because it’s on the Web: called b-uncut.
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It was started in 2007 by a group of contemporary artists, led by Philip Letts, as a new kind of collective. One without borders. One bound by the Web. They’re vision was simple. To use the digital world to reinvent the concept of artist collective and shift power to the 21st Century artist. So giving them greater indepenedence. They figured that if they could persuade enough artists to support this movement then, one day, the art world could become a bit less dealer centric. And a lot more open.

They reasoned that the dynamics of the 21st Century should fashion an artist centric ecosystem. Even a new kind of art market, one driven by the artists themselves. A place where meritocracy reigns and FAIRTRADE exists. Where artists can earn a living, if they are talented, from their art, not barista skills nurtured at the local Starbucks.

Wind forward to today and the revolution is well under way. Over 1,500 talented, emerging artists from all over the world have joined b-uncut. They work and hang in its virtual studios- where the rent is free and access is open (so long as they are real artists and supporters of the movement). Within these virtual studio walls they create and share paintings, sculpture, graffiti, photographs, videos, poems, writings and more. They’re styles cover conceptual art, abstract art, surrealism, pop, street, realism, pointillism, performance, photography, video and much, much more. They have produced and loaded nearly 25,000 artworks at b-uncut’s studios in just 2 years!

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They upload finished works and works in progress. They share their notes, sketches and musings. The 1,500 studios rock! The artists are alive. They critique each other and have produced an invaluable peer review and rating system – something that artists have lacked since the beginning of time. They huddle in specialist groups and learn online. They teach one other, promote each other and look out for each other. Today over 100 new artists join b-uncut every month. It’s growing – they’re good and the place buzzes.

Together these extraordinary artists decided to go one step further. Six months ago they built their very own art marketplace. First they constructed a Web based Gallery – the b-uncut Gallery. It already hosts around 60 of the more commercially minded artists and takes the concept of Web gallery to a whole new dimension. Walk into its 3D like gallery rooms and queue up for openings. Visit their cutting edge, stunningly curated digital exhibitions. On the way out drop by the museum store. Entry is free for everyone, 24 hours a day. You just need Internet access and a smartphone, PC, laptop or library. Next time you want to go to a contemporary art show do it from your arm chair.

If you like what you see you can buy some of their art at the gallery or direct from the artists using b-uncut’s revolutionary artist commissioning system. You rest assured that the artists pocket more of the receipts which allows them, in turn, to plow your funds into art supplies, art books and future artworks. I don’t know about you but if I decided to invest in a specific artist and their works I would want to know that they, not middlemen, took the majority of my money and continued to develop their art for my future pleasure.

And you get better prices which is why art buyers and lovers are starting to flock to the b-uncut Galleries and Store in their thousands. They’re buying.

Anyone can visit the artists studios, but, membership is reserved for the artists. They’re privacy is important. You can observe and watch them work, share and learn. But, shhhh, they’re creating. You can also read their blogs, notices, listen to their favorite tunes and watch their videos. You can find out about shows they will be in and go meet them in the flesh. Each month 25,000 art lovers come by b-uncut’s studios to watch the artists work and hang out.

You can read b-uncut’s art magazine and blog. Leading Museums, galleries and critics do. You get the real time, real world, unfiltered news and reviews from the emerging art world. Uncut: b-uncut. Check interviews with artists, exhibition reviews, street snaps, opinion pieces and more.

So you see a new art revolution is afoot. Who said the Web wouldn’t change art. It already has. More than you can ever imagine.

Kinetica

// February 5th, 2010 // Comments // b-scene, b-wired

Kinetica is an awesome showcase of Kinetic art with over 150 artists exhibited. I was astounded by the diversity at this show. There were flashing lights, colour-changing-gyrating ribbons, drawing machines, butterflies that followed my movements, pictures drawn by GPS and a Heineken keg robot! This is the top show for the weekend – but be quick – it ends Sunday! It offers wonderment by the bucket load for all ages.

It was excellent talking to the different artists who have greatly contrasting backgrounds from physics to painting. Many of them work collaboratively to achieve ambitious visions; successful through the different skill sets each bring. Roseline de Thélin was one of our favourites. She had produced some dazzling figurative sculptures composed of light. See picture below

Curator Dianne Harris has put together a show that doesn’t stand still. If we eventually pry the footage from yesterday (tech probs) be sure to see more accurately the wonders of kinetic art! I think this show is very exciting because you probably won’t see anything like its quality or scale till Kinetica 2011.

Have a look at the images below for a static viewpoint that cannot compare to the life and dynamic of this electro-charged experience!

Exhibition is near Baker Street Tube, only until Sunday 7th Feb

Times Square to Art Square

// January 13th, 2010 // Comments // b-wired

No more Calvin Klein Underwear. Goodbye to Obsession. The iconic Times Square billboards are about to be bought up by emerging artists.  Why has no one thought of this before? The concept is the brain child of Justus Bruns, and it’s brilliant.

Here’s how it works:

an artist posts their work on this website, fans and admirers can donate money for minutes towards their favorite artists, the artist gets  time on the Times Square billboard. Is there any better advertising space in the world?

AND they’re using social media and crowdsourcing to get it done—I think we are a match made in heaven. As they wrote in their blog, “If every artist starts to promote the idea within his or her network, we’ll get an enormous group of people. And that means power, money, and quite possibly the realization of Justus’ idea. We’re going to show the world what the buzzword ‘crowdsourcing’ really stands for.”  They need artists to show, and anyone can upload a work to the website to take part. Not everyone is guaranteed a place, but what great exposure!

b-wired: Art for Advert? Yes, Please!

// December 14th, 2009 // Comments // b-wired

The Internet has become a breeding ground for commercial promotion–it has revolutionized marketing schemes, and become downright annoying. No longer can you open up your browser and actually see the page you were trying to get to.

Instead you are bombarded with pop-up windows, flashing seizure-inducing images, and the worst–musical advertisements. Some are less annoying and invasive than others–like the announcements that appear in the margins of facebook or newspaper publications. But the hope is that these advertisements will seep into your subconcious and compel you to use so-and so’s product.

What if I told you there was a way to REPLACE these adverts with ART? That’s right–you can!

The wonderful people behind “Add Art” have made this possible–for free. It is a Firefox add on and will replace advertising on websites with curated art images, one artist per page. What  a brilliant way to turn a pesky problem into something aesthetically pleasing. Add blockers have become popular in recent years, but this puts an interesting spin on the concept by turning your browser into an art gallery! Art lovers everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief.

b-wired: art at your fingertips

// November 19th, 2009 // Comments // b-wired

For all you art-loving iPhone users out there Apple has come out with a new app called “artnear.” I would consider getting an iPhone just to have this handy tool at my fingertips!

“artnear–the first global guide to contemporary art for iPhone and iTouch.”  The application provides you with a selection of the best galleries and exhibitions worldwide, so being in London I can keep up with what is going on with the New York art scene, or anywhere else for that matter!

My favorite feature is the ‘calendar’ (if you’re ADD you’ll love this too) because it keeps you posted on dates of upcoming shows and events and even sends a warning if a show is closing soon!  But the best part about this app? It’s free!

5 kick-arse tips to promote yourself on Flickr

// November 11th, 2009 // Comments // b-wired

Social media is no longer a platform for just big brands and corporations. It has become the soapbox of the online world, to help spread the word where artists can use social media to send messages and forge intimate connections with their fans. The good news is that there are plenty of free tools out there that can help you turn your artistic passion into a full-fledged career if you learn how to use these tools to your advantage. Regardless of your talent and experience, you will have to market yourself in order to sell your art.

Enters Flickr, the best photo-sharing tool on the net, with millions of people from all over the world visit the site everyday for inspiration!

Here are our top 5 tips for a killer Flickr stream:

1) Tell a story with your photo-stream
Flickr isn’t just for photographers and it’s absolutely fine to take pictures of your artwork or upload them onto the site. Go crazy with behind the scenes shots of yourself painting, sketching, thinking, but most importantly always tell a story! Update your photostream often and make sure that your photos are set to the “public viewing settings” for maximum exposure opportunities.

2) Tag, tag, tag!
Dedicate some time towards optimising your images by uniquely naming your photos, adding tags and descriptions this can go a long way towards increasing the traffic driven to your images. The finer your images, the better!

3) Challenge yourself to your limits
If you’re a photographer, you might want to join Flickr’s photographic challenges; there are plenty of groups you can join depending on your interests, such as Happy Blue Monday, Powerful Pink Tuesday or It’s kind of Magic. Start joining and uploading your best images to these groups which will help you generate traffic from users who are likely to have an interest in your photos. Flickr’s your oyster!

4) Networking is the new black
Don’t overdo this, but by adding contacts who share a similar interest and by adding some their best images as favs you are increasing the chances that your own images will receive fave votes and comments. This will help your images to rank highly for competitive queries within Flickr as they will be viewed as being more interesting.

5) Recommend and get recommended
Do you have any idea how important testimonials are for a good “career” on Flickr? Think about it: how important are testimonials in general, in areas like marketing, advertising, and so many others? They’re the lifeblood of so many businesses! They can help you tremendously AND you get the chance to let other people do the bragging for you!

Ladies and gents, the “starving artist” cliché is no more!

b-wired:iPhone-art-on-the-go by David Hockney

// November 2nd, 2009 // Comments // b-wired

Digital photography and photo-manipulation (aka photo-shopping) are now bona fide Twenty-First Century art genres. But what would you say if we told you that you can now create artwork with your iPhone? Better still, the artist who’s pioneered the iPhone-art-on-the-go genre, is 72 year-old critically acclaimed artist David Hockney! Don’t you wish he was your grandpa?

David Hockney uses a nifty little app called ‘Brushes’ to create his works, a natural media painting application that features an advanced colour picker, several realistic brushes, multiple layers, extreme zooming, and a simple yet deep interface. The Bradford born artist sees the iPhone as offering a new challenge, creating work on a small canvas that requires you to think about composition, texture and colour. It also offers the possibility to share artwork, work in progress and ideas instantaneously with anyone in the world. He actually has two i-phones full of works. Pretty cool, huh?

So yes, there is quite literally an iPhone app for everything, which is fantastic news for those amongst us who have inherited two left hands (and nope we’re not talking about our artists here!)

There’s also a pretty cool list of other iPhone apps for artists on Be your art

If you’re using any of these apps, why not email your creations over – go on, you know you want to!