Josh Ellingson, AiR Nov-Feb 2016, Files and Materials
Hello. Below are links and descriptions for the artwork that I created as part of my residency at Planet Labs from November 2015 thru February 2016. File links direct to my Dropbox account. Please drop me an email to ellingson@gmail.com if you have any questions. It's been an honor to work among you and everyone at Planet. I hope to stay in touch. Thank you very much.
About Josh Ellingson
Artist Josh Ellingson creates unique designs and illustrations for brands, publications, and galleries worldwide. His artwork is often described as graphic and bold, drawing inspiration from world of pop-art, technology, and the absurd.
Links
About the Work
For my residency at Planet Labs, I wanted to make portraits of people who helped lay the foundation for viewing and understanding the Earth from a wide angle. Firstly, I wanted to make drawings of people from photographs, mainly to expand my portfolio beyond cartoon robots and cephalopods. Secondly, I wanted to create more research-driven artwork. This series enabled me to dig up connections and facts that I wouldn't have found on my own unprompted by the legacy of Earth imaging. In the process, I learned some fascinating bits of history and discovered new techniques for creating an etched engraving look in the work.
Pioneers in Earth Imaging
Descriptions (left to right)
Gaspard-Felix "Nadar" Tournachon was the first to photograph the ground from hot-air balloon. His exploits inspired his friend, Jules Verne, to write influential works for fiction like "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the World in 80 Days".
R. Buckminster Fuller recognized the power of observing changes on the planet through imaging over time. He envisioned a "Geoscope" from which one could view the entire Earth by standing inside a large sphere-like polyhedron, making it easy to grasp the connectedness of the planet.
Eadweard Muybridge understood the power of sequential images, landscape photography and innovation in the medium. He experimented with stereoscopic photography and other techniques in San Francisco, not far from where Planet Labs is now.
Julius Neubronner combined his love of birds with his interest in photography to create the first pigeon paparazzi. Pigeon photography was successful but didn't last long thanks to airplanes and rockets. Doves, however, still continue to photograph from even higher altitudes.
Image Links
Blog Posts
Marie Tharp, Pioneering Oceanographer
Description (from my blog)
In researching influential people in the various fields of Earth imaging, I learned about cartographer Marie Tharp. Marie and her colleague Bruce Heezen worked together to map the ocean floor throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Marie Tharp discovered the Mid-Atlantic ridge which confirmed the theory of plate tectonics and insured her place in the history books. However, I had never heard of Tharp and maybe you haven't heard of her either. It turns out that she was featured in an episode of the new "Cosmos" as an animated character. There is also a book about her life called, "Soundings" by Hali Felt. Buried in the book is a small reproduction of a photo booth strip taken sometime in the 1970s. I've decided to recreate the strip as a series of drawings. Tharp was publicly recognized late in life and she died in 2006. My hope is that this strip will someday be etched onto a Planet Labs Dove spacecraft and flown in orbit to honor Marie Tharp and her contribution to illuminating the Earth for everyone.
Image Links
Mock-up for placement on panel
Blog Posts
Malala Yousafzai
Description
The conference rooms at Planet Labs are named in honor of various figures that have made significant scientific or humanitarian contributions. I was happy to see that Malala Yousafzai had a room named for her. Malala is an advocate for women's education, a survivor of Taliban brutality, and an eloquent role model for young people all over the world.
Image Links
Blog Posts
Mahatma Gandhi
Description
When tasked with the challenge of creating portraits for the Planet Labs' offices, I was excited to work on the Mahatma Gandhi room. I think everyone has a clear idea of what Gandhi looks like when they hear his name from either photographs or portrayals by actors in film. In researching photographs of Gandhi, I found some very interesting portraits of him as a young man. This drawing was created from a photograph of Gandhi as a young lawyer and civil rights advocate in South Africa.
Image Links
Blog Posts