This is your inheritance:

There's a whole lot of (largely self-imposed) pressure when getting your baby their first artwork.

Do you take a chance on something conceptual in the hope they get it in the future or do you play safe and get something clearly representational? Do you get something that reflects them (or rather who you suspect they might be at 4 weeks old) or a reflection of the world they've arrived into? Do you go for a name that might appreciate and might pay their way through art school, or something robust that won't get too trashed during the rigours of the average childhood?

See: Pressure!

Fortunately the guesswork has been taken out of it, thanks to Takahashi Murikami's My First Print series at the Kaikai Kiki gallery which, according to the artist, "is to be the first piece of artwork you will own in your life."

Sorted.

Pic: Takashi Murakami, And then, and then and then and then and then 1994

Song about ping-pong

I love how every sports manufacturer and advertiser is throwing an Olympics twist on everything at the moment.

Here's one I quite like for those that remember Ping-Pong Country at Mighty Mighty a while back: Nike have released a table tennis range. It's sharp.

Can you tell I'm missing Wellington just a wee bit?

Cheers: notcot.org,

(and in future I'll endeavour to complete posts before posting)

Hit me baby ONE MORE TIME

"A baby's smile gives a new mother a high like a drug hit and is equally addictive, a study of the female brain shows.

A study involving 28 first-time mothers shows that when a woman looks at a photo of her baby smiling the reward centres of her brain light up. These areas had also been activated in experiments associated with drug addiction.

"It may be that seeing your own baby's face is like a natural high," said Dr Strathearn, who is now based at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.

The study, published in the journal Paediatrics, showed this maternal activation was strongest with smiling faces. Photos of babies crying did not evoke the same brain response..."

Full article here...

Life imitating a really slow news day

This is awesome: Telecom are being criticized for an advertisement that isn't real.
The story 'broke' as it were on Spare Room last week, who stated that "Corporates just don’t get the web. They just can’t recreate that amateur viral charm with a big ad budget."

Aside from the fact that 'amateur viral charm' was monopolized by corporate chequebooks (think LonelyGirl, 42 Below's mock-offensive virals, Panasonic's pocket series) a long time ago, aren't we being a bit too precious over what is a blatently creative medium?

I must admit I quite like the ad – it tells a good story (shouldn't all ads?) and it creates an office culture that I aspire to work in (again – shouldn't all ads be aspirational?).

One Moment Caller has taken this investigation a step further, and can reveal the dark secrets of an advertising industry intent on misrepresenting everyday life in order to flog you products. The investigation has shockingly revealed (may contain spoilers):

- Ducks do not drive stock cars around your shiny toilet bowl.
- A man does not sit next to intersections with a Wheel of Misfortune that dictates whether you live or die (though I think this presented a golden opportunity for Clemenger).
- The Butter family were not a real family.
- And not only recent advertising is behind this shocking cover up: the Volkswagon depicted in DDB's groundbraking 1960s print ad is in fact a car, and not a lemon, as stated.

Don't believe the hype

What I've discovered they didn't tell us in all the pre-baby marketing material is that within an hour of bringing them home, the entire house will smell of baby, feeds actually last an hour so the recommended 3-hourly feeds are really every 2 hours which really plays havoc on anything resembling a sleep pattern, and you’ll lose whole hours staring at them.

So it's going pretty good, on the whole, and I'm secretly impressed that he can wee on his own head.

Note: the pic is not my baby

And the winner is...err...winners are...

Celebrated Auckland and Christchurch Artists Chosen for 2009 Venice Biennale
Press release, Creative New Zealand
25 June 2008 (released under embargo to print and broadcast media only)

Two New Zealand artists - Judy Millar from Auckland and Francis Upritchard from Christchurch - will represent New Zealand in a six month exhibition at the 2009 Venice Biennale - widely recognised as the most significant event on the international visual arts calendar.

Chair of Creative New Zealand's Arts Council Alastair Carruthers says "the decision to send two artists shows a strong commitment to the success of New Zealand visual arts overseas. It will be an important project for arts patrons, the visual arts community and the Arts Council to invest in together."

"A well respected mid-career artist and teacher, Judy Millar is considered one of New Zealand's most experienced abstractionists", said Mr Carruthers. Her concept for Venice is "strong, bold and exciting". Francis Upritchard has also presented a "compelling" project and Mr Carruthers described her as "a young rising star in the art world".

"Both are talented, outstanding artists and will represent the arts sector and New Zealand exceptionally well. This decision is enthusiastically supported by both a selection panel of six visual arts professionals and the Council," he says.

"These two artists offer fresh perspectives on European art traditions."

Full (undated unless you can be bothered trawling through the metadata) release here

Congratulations to all involved!

Catching up

Having a baby is one of those remarkable things that generates a stunning (and completely overwhelming) outporing of support from pretty much every corner of society. Witness Blackbird Singing's stunningly elaborate analysis of the similarly named , Bestofthree's lovely welcome note, and wife-features winning the 'Room with the most flowers EVER' award at Taranaki Base's maternity ward.

So to all the bloggers, emailers, gift mailers, and well wishers, cheers. One day soon we'll buy you a drink and thrust a (possibly) smiling baby at you.

Pic: Jasper (middle name still under negotiation after both AndyWarhol and Doctor were rejected) Rhodes. Mum and baby doing brilliantly, Dad still in mild shock.

Tangential shift

As of yesterday there exists a very real threat that this blog will become solely about children.