Significant Objects

The Kasper Hauser Four-Part Story, all in one place

Sunday, March 14, 2010

A request came in to make this available in one easy-to-access post/link. Here it is. This is our unprecedented four-part, four-object, four-auction story. This is an incredibly difficult task to pull off, but we got the four members of Kasper Hauser to assemble what we think is a really wonderful extended piece. Pencil Case + Rob [...]

Experimental fictions of the Web: Your thoughts?

Saturday, March 13, 2010

4 Comments

Dear discriminating readers: What are your thoughts about these attempts to tell fictional stories via unusual online means: 1. Sumedicina: “Data fiction project. Story telling with information graphics.” (Via Listenerd.) 2. Mr. Plimpton’s Revenge: “A Google Maps Essay, in Which George Plimpton Delivers My Belated and Well-Deserved Comeuppance.” (Actually, as the title indicates, a literary essay. Also via [...]

Weekend reading: Stories about an “egg whisk” on Fictionaut

Saturday, March 6, 2010

8 Comments

What? Not enough stories about objects in your week? Well then! Check out these entries in the Significant Objects Fictionaut Group, where the following talented writers have all created stories about the above object. Which one do you find to be most Significant? Chime in over on Fictionaut, or let us know here in the comments. We [...]

UNY X S.O. objects in their new home

Sunday, February 28, 2010

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These just came in today — and they’re too amazing to keep to ourselves! Above: Toy Airplane + Robert Lopez Story; below, Mermaid Figurine + Tom McCarthy Story. And check out the amazing story-in-a-found-bottle presentation, courtesy of Underwater New York. Fantastic! As it happens, both of these Significant Objects were purchased by Susan Clements, who shared [...]

Why They Cried

Thursday, February 25, 2010

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Have you been reading Jim Hanas’ series, Why They Cried? You should! And not just because it culminates tomorrow with a story right here on Significant Objects. Since Monday, he’s been posting stories in this five-story cycle on Fictionaut; it’s great stuff, a cool idea nicely executed. And while the series title sounds like a downer, [...]

Significant Ads: The Sanka Ashtray

Friday, February 19, 2010

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I meant for this to be the final post in my series on Significant Advertising (that is, ads for Significant Objects created by students Art Novak’s advertising class at the Savannah College of Art & Design), focusing on ads inspired by one of our very first stories, Sanka Ashtray + Story By Luc Sante. But [...]

Significant Ads: Yo yo más

Thursday, February 18, 2010

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As I mentioned the other day in my initial post about students in Art Novak’s class at the Savannah College of Art and Design creating Significant Advertising, a surprising number chose the Amoco Yo Yo + Mark Sarvas Story as their subject. I asked why, but I knew the answer: “C’mon, dude … it’s a [...]

Significant Ads: The Halston Mug

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

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So far in discussing the creations of Art Novak’s advertising students at the Savannah College of Art Design, who devised Significant Ads for select Significant Objects as a scholarly exercise, I’ve highlighted online Flash-based inventions. But many of the students presented ideas for print ads. Above, for instance, Alan Bayoneto’s very striking and fun mag [...]

Significant Ads: Cracker Barrel Ornament

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

1 Comment

I mentioned earlier that students in Art Novak’s advertising class at the Savannah College of Art Design, carrying out an assignment to create ads for Significant Objects, were given four to choose from. Among the choices was the Cracker Barrel Ornament + Story by Maud Newton. Only one student opted for this, but Kathryn Clendinin’s [...]

Ads for Significant Objects

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

3 Comments

Many observers have drawn comparisons between this project and the commercial persuasion business — after all, aren’t ad pros hired precisely to invent significance for stuff, just as our contributors do? (For some examples, see this comment on BoingBoing (and this reply to it), this Chicago Tribune article, this assessment by Grant McCrackin’, this essay [...]

The home stretch of Volume 2: How much will we (you!) give to 826 National?

Thursday, February 11, 2010

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As I type this, we’re just two stories away from the end of Volume 2 of Significant Objects. As you know, this collection of 50 stories and auctions raises money for 826 National. How are we doing? SO v2 has closed 43 auctions, and our cumulative total is $1,762.54. That means the average price paid is [...]

Significant fake branding

Saturday, January 30, 2010

3 Comments

Here’s yet another twist on adding an invented narrative to a seemingly low-value thingamabob: Designer Matt Brown bought a pack of 15 plastic horses for a couple of bucks. Then he dreamed up a name for each one, then packaging, reconceptualizing his two-dollar purchase as a line of toys, Night Horses, that were introduced in the [...]

Author Archives | rwalker

The Kasper Hauser Four-Part Story, all in one place

Experimental fictions of the Web: Your thoughts?

Weekend reading: Stories about an “egg whisk” on Fictionaut

UNY X S.O. objects in their new home

Why They Cried

Significant Ads: The Sanka Ashtray

Significant Ads: Yo yo más

Significant Ads: The Halston Mug

Significant Ads: Cracker Barrel Ornament

Ads for Significant Objects

The home stretch of Volume 2: How much will we (you!) give to 826 National?

Significant fake branding

* S.O. v3 — for Girls Write Now

S.O. v1 — the EXPERIMENT

S.O. v2 — for 826 National