January 2019: New Year Horizon & Review

OBLSK Production Space

On the Horizon

Brain-

It’s True.  Brain is coming to the Blockfort Gallery this March.  We are super excited for this exhibition and are really going to stretch or capacity in understanding brain activity, thresholds, infrasound, Pressure, Pleasure.

The Brain is a fascinating mechanism made up of networks upon networks of information that encode and transfer and bring cellular structures to life. OBLSK is designing a sculptural installation that incorporates sound, light, imagery, and biometric data. Using an EEG brain sensor we are looking at how the brain reacts to the sounds and images that are presented before us and how these images and sounds change based on the participants electrical activity of the brain. From a conceptual standpoint they explore how technical interfaces are being used to monitor human cognition.

Opening Reception: March 7, 2019

On view: March 7 - 31, 2019

Godspeed -

Godspeed is still in the works as director Celia Peters keeps experimenting with new platforms for it to exist.  She will be showing a virtual reality version at the Wonderball event at the Columbus Museum of Art on January 26th.  OBLSK has the pleasure of designing a hologram animation for the White Castle dinner scene. More to come soon...

Phia Concept

OBLSK is embarking on a series of videos that encapsulate the inner workings of Phia Concept a salon based company out of Columbus, Ohio.  Both Phia Salon and Philosophi, two of their successful salons embrace their concept. We will keep you updated on the best of the best as we enter 2019 from this awesome company.

Wakka Wakka: Animal Riot-

Wakka Wakka is by far one of our favorite puppet companies. Their wild storytelling style with intricate puppet characters takes the audience into surreal landscapes.  Animal Riot a web based art piece that brings together their knack for storytelling through short videos and experimental workshops. We will keep you posted when the Animal Riot web page goes live!

Zen Genius-

ZenGenius employs the best designers and merchandisers to elevate your space to the next level to drive consumer traffic. They provide expertise in visual merchandising, event merchandising, creative direction, visual operations, and seminars and workshops.

Wanna know a few tricks to the trade? We will be creating Visual Merchandising training video this year! If you work in the Visual Merchandising world these videos will be a must see!

OBLSK Reviews

Waterfall

The journey of water through our Earth’s landscapes is a fascinating tale. Water, the source of all living things takes on many forms and has fascinated humans since our existence.  In our current world water is on everyone’s minds as we hear of our Arctic deserts melting into the sea, raising the sea levels. The Nansen Shelf located in AntArctica is an impressive Ice Form that is telling the tale of the direct impact of climate change.  On the edge of this shelf is massive waterfall that is growing, draining the melting sheet into the ocean. The raw power of this waterfall is impressive and the impact of this cascading motion is truly noticeable and eye awakening. What are these Waterfalls telling us?

Forever in human existence we have followed the rivers.  Our ears are in tune to the sound of moving water. Waterfalls are distinct in their auditory impressions. The fullness of sound that literally fills the space with resonance and sound waves. The power of the waterfall is humbling as the sheer magnitude of Gravity and force that seems unstoppable.  The sound and sight of the waterfall creates a space of spirituality where the mind becomes inundated with the many frequencies that are playing out at equal intensities. In other words A waterfall produces white noise.

Through projection and sound, OBLSK has created Waterfall as a space where the viewer can immerse themselves into the sight and sound of the Falling Water allowing the stress of the day to be washed away.

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is Central Ohio’s premier botanical garden and home to the iconic John F. Wolfe Palm House which dates back to 1895. The experience consists of botanical biomes, lush gardens, special horticulture and art exhibitions, and seasonal offerings. A collection of glass works by artist Dale Chihuly and light art by James Turrell are also on display and included with admission.

Eve

is a multimedia artist, working in film, performance, electronics, sculpture, and light. She is a concept storyteller who creates interdisciplinary teams that explore topical issues through research, social experiments, and community engaged artworks.

Pelham

is a filmmaker, inventor, researcher, and artist. He uses a combination of creativity, technical know-how, and a love for working collaboratively to create finely crafted moving art and media that tells a story with a purpose.

Annie

is a designer, filmmaker, and graphic artist. With a BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design in Film and Video, her specialty is in media and graphics.

Sarah

She sees creating art as one way humans have evolved to advertise their genetic fitness. She’s dabbled in several different mediums from painting, dance, video, performance, and so much more.

Maxwell

is a production artist who’s great at collaborating from concept to completion offering support in the structural design, problem solving, and aesthetic. His dedication to these projects made building them more manageable and more fun! His good nature and spirit really eases the heavy lifting that comes from these amazingly large installation projects!

John

is a Production Artist and professional Painter.

Nicky - is a Textile Artist along with production and installation master!

SantaVille

Twas the night before Christmas and all through SantaVille, mice were stirring. Join us for a jaunt through SantaVille where you get to see how the reindeers bathe, or the bakers dance, or even how Santa does his laundry!  Be sure to check out the secret views into Santa’s workshop and if you think like a mouse and see like a mouse, you may even Spot the real Santa before he sees you!

Ignite your senses this holiday season as you journey through Santaville! The experience is brought to life through interactive rooms, light and video installations, and projection mapping.  Explore Santaville and its gallery of rooms to discover color, smells, clues, and hidden gnomes! The experience is exciting with delightful surprises leading up to the moment you meet Santa Claus.  Be sure to look through the mouse doors and through the many peepholes to find something new. Bring your family to Polaris to tell your wish list to Santa. The Holiday decor is made from sustainable materials and has been designed, produced, and manufactured here in Columbus, Ohio.  

Thank you to all the Amazing Artists that worked on this project:

eve Warnock - Creative Director/ co-founder - Producer of the Polaris Holiday installation, Pelham Johnston - Creative Director/ co-founder - Technical Director of the Polaris Holiday Installation, Lisa Woodward - Operations Manager - Facilitation and Management of OBLSK Artists and overall Polaris Holiday Project objectives and deadlines, Sarah Weinstock - Production Manager - Managed Studio Space and workshop protocols and Production artist, Stacie Sells - Marketing Manager - Managed Marketing Material and Media documenting and promoting Polaris Holiday Project, Annie Kuhn - Video and Marketing - in Charge of capturing media and content throughout the Polaris Project, Alexi Alexaieff - Media Artist - Created media for the Rotunda Projection mapping, Maxwell McEvoy - Lead Production Artist - Facilitated all areas of Artist Production. Designer of Santa's Workshop, and Elfie’s Sled Repair, Nicky Fried - Lead Production Artist - Lead in Textile Arts and the production and installation of the Snowflake Chandelier. Designer of the Candy Tower, Marque Reavly - Production Artist, Microcomputer installation, Ben Satterfield - Production Artist - Designed and CNC cut Santaville. Works out of the Idea Foundry, Claire Smith - Production Artist - Production Artist, Designer of the SugarPlum baker and Peppermint Scrub Groomers, John Rettstatt - Production Artist - Production Artist and professional Painter. Painted Santa's room and all of the Shop Signs, Miles Curtis - Production Artist - Production Artist, Designer of Dasher's Dry Cleaner, Teddy Reese - Production Artist, Anna Lemasters - Production Assistant - Snowflake Chain Making, Evan Andrews - Production Assistant - Snowflake Chain Making

Brought to you by Washington Prime Group, OBLSK, Polaris Fashion Place, Pixel Park, Conus Laser Group, The Candle Lab, Idea Foundry, and Live Technologies.:

Panda Peace Warrior

Panda Peace Warrior created and designed by Pilgrim Heidi from Open Heart Creatures was an incredible process for OBLSK to observe. Pilgrim has a unique understanding of materials creating magic from the unexpected. OBLSK was delighted to conjure lighting in the Panda exploring how to mix colors and utilize texture to shade and highlight!

Written by Pilgrim Heidi:

Presenting "Peace Warrior Panda" created for the Chinese lantern light show! Huge thank you to all the amazing artists involved in helping make this happen. Special thank you to David for helping with transportation at the crack of dawn. And to Adam with @ohiobeerco for providing a truck large enough to move it. Huge thank you to Pelham and @eve_warnock with @oblskinteractive for installing the LED lights and tea light candles for the eyes, as well as providing a space large enough to build such a thing. Beautiful ridiculous things can happen when you believe!! Come join us for family fun New Year's eve celebration 8pm when we pull the strings to let all the wishes out and candy! #openheartart #openheartcreatures#pilgrimheidikambitsch #pinata #giant#newyearwishes #2019 #puppets#giantpanda #giantpuppets#dragonlightscolumbus

Marketing

OBLSK has been so lucky to have so many great clients and we are just continuing to grow and nurture those relationships through research, SEO, and marketing techniques. Check them out below!

Tropical Smoothie Cafe-

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a National Franchise that serves deliciously colorful food. From superfood smoothies to hearty wraps and flatbreads. Fresh flavorful food. Right on! OBLSK creates the digital marketing for the Tropical Smoothe Cafe’s in El Paso and San Antonio, Texas. We love creating awesome content like this video below made by OBLSK Artist Annie Kuhn. Super Credits to Maxwell and Ginger!

Windchimes -

The Windchimes Chinese Restaurant serves the best Chinese in Columbus. Hands down. We love The Windchimes and have supported their expansion with amazing Dital Marketing. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Blog page written by OBLSK artist Stacie Sells, it’s a must read. It really digs into the history and flavor that makes the Windchimes an experience.

We are continuing to grow and expand and we are excited for you to come along for the journey!!!

Sept 2018 - OBLSK Horizons & Review

Projects in the Works:

Godspeed - 2019

Godspeed written & directed by Celia Peters; Producers: Artistic Freedom Ltd , Loose Films and Southern Fried Filmworks 2019.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the proof-of-concept sizzle reel for Godspeed, a science fiction film being developed for production in Columbus in 2019. OBLSK has been creating amazing motion graphics for this film and is excited on collaborating with such outstanding talents.  For more information on GodSpeed, just click the link

Franklin Park Conservatory - Dec 2018

Make sure to mark your calendars to visit the Franklin Park Conservatory for the Conservatory Aglow  festival over the Holiday season.  OBLSK has designed an incredible projection sculpture that will leave you in wonder and amazement! This may be our largest installation yet! We will be sending out more information soon.

Wakka Wakka Productions - Sept through Dec 2018

Wakka Wakka Productions is back in action with their newest work, Animal R.I.O.T.  This work is a series of live performances that explore animal and human relationships. OBLSK has had the honor to work with Wakka Wakka in capturing the promotional media for this new series. The Wakka Wakka production company is an award winning company based out of Oslo and New York. Their productions are savvy, intelligent, thrilling, and hysterical. Check out their website! You won't be disappointed!

Brain -  March 2019

The Brain is a fascinating mechanism made up of networks upon networks of information that encode and transfer and bring cellular structures to life. OBLSK is designing a sculptural installation that incorporates sound, light, imagery, and biometric data. Using an EEG brain sensor we are looking at how the brain reacts to the sounds and images that are presented before us and how these images and sounds change based on the participants electrical activity of the brain. From a conceptual standpoint we are looking at how technical interfaces are being used to monitor human cognition.  OBLSK will be premiering BRAIN at the Blockfort Columbus March 2019

ZenGenius Training Videos. - Fall 2019

OBLSK is excited to collaborate with ZenGenius on a series of training videos that teach the basics of visual merchandising. Who wouldn’t want to know 101 ways to fold? These videos are scheduled to release in Fall 2019. ZenGenius is a creative company based out of Columbus, Ohio. They are internationally know for their expertise in visual merchandising and they do everything from event decor to window design.

Reviews:

Retail Summit - 2018

OBLSK teamed up with FITCH this year at the Retail Summit to lead a Session on the Science and Art of memory- making.  The Retail Summit is a super interesting conference that brings together the major players in the visual merchandising world to discuss global trends.  OBLSK was honored to collaborate with FITCH, a savvy design firm based out of London, to design a panel discussion that incorporated both fascinating research on memory-making as well as thrilling performances to make the session memorable.  Did it work? The feedback we received was powerful!

Alley Island June 2018

Alley Island is a super fun, June event, organized by the Blockfort Studios in downtown Columbus. This event brings together art, music, and beer!  OBLSK created and mapped a few fantastic animations. Check out this short video edited by OBLSK Artist, Stacie Sells. We love Alley Islands and can’t wait to direct a performance for next years event!

Ready for 100 Campaign April 2018

Flowers and Bread is a cafe in the Clintonville neighborhood in Columbus that bakes delicious bread as well as teaches creative classes on flower arranging.  OBLSK teamed up with the Sierra Club and Flowers and Bread to hold one of the Ready for 100 campaign events where we talked to the community about the benefits of going 100% renewable. OBLSK projected on the facade of the Flowers and Bread Cafe. It was an awesome event adorned with Ice Cream from Tillamook!

If you didn’t get a chance to see this awesome Aerial Art project OBLSK worked on with the Sierra Club Ready for 100 team, here is a chance to take a look.  OBLSK believes in renewable energy and thinks that all people should have access to clean energy. Also we were featured on ABC News Channel 6 . Video edited by Stacie Sells

Digital Marketing:

JMKW Development -

We just redesigned the JMKW Development website.  Check out the clean cool aesthetic of the interface and simple and easy navigation.  OBLSK is seamlessly flushing out SEO through our entire digital marketing strategies, starting with a well designed, effective website.  JMKW Development is a super cool Development company in El Paso Texas. We are ecstatic to be part of their continued progress and prosperity.  To find more about JMKW Development please visit www.JMKWDevelopment.com

Kate Spacek -

Check out this cool website OBLSK designed with a more artistic flair. Kate Spacek is an international social artist that creates community projects to activate social movement.  To check out more of her work please visit www.katespacek.com

Windchimes -

We LOVE Windchimes and are super excited to see its online expansion and prosperity.  Look at this super cool Gif created by Stacie Sells that is just one section of this awesome marketing story.

Our Digital Marketing sector is expanding! We just acquired three new amazing clients: Tropical Smoothie Cafe in San Antonio and Rising River Cattle Company from Lima, Ohio!  We will be showing more on these clients soon as we start to develop the content.

Introducing our newest team Members:

Annie Kuhn - Annie is a designer, filmmaker, and graphic artist.  With a BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design in Film and Video, her specialty is in media and graphics. She uses these elements as her creative tools for social media, branding, and creative story telling. Part time data analytic specialist and part time production artist, her curiosity to see how a project can be pushed to the next level is what drives her creative passion.

Mehmet Ozturk - is a creative analyst who focuses on trends and statistics behind social media presence and SEO. With a background in Finance, he combines his passion for numbers and statistics with his love for the creative arts. His keen attention to detail and knack for unraveling new social media platforms makes him quick to understand the back-end of social media attention. Versed in website creation, design, and data analytics, he is able to gather all of the information and create new strategies and input for himself and for the rest of the OBLSK team. 

Lisa Woodward- Ms. Woodward was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio as a Modern Dancer. She is a proud mother of 3 and a true Jack-Of-All-Trades. After relocating to New York City in 1999 she worked in fashion and was introduced and  fell in love with supporting as a Personal Assistant. Since then her client task list  includes Bookkeeping, Office Administration, Event & Travel planning, Project Management, Research, Sales, International Manufacturing/Importing & Sourcing Management and Property Management.

OBLSK Horizons

Wow! 2017 has been an incredible year.  From projects like the RainCloud, a glowing helium balloon at the Independent’s Day festival to Entangled, the projection installation at the Highball Halloween.  On the branding development/media production side of things we have built an amazing client base of artists, producers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits.  We have broadened our horizons with international clients, created identities for start up business’ and have created enormous leaps in building SEO optimization for all of our social media accounts.

And we are LOVING how 2018 is already shaping up!

We are EXPANDING!  Please spread the word.  We love collaborating with our clients to create incredible stories through media production, web design,  online marketing strategies and projection mapping.  We also have the goal to design and install 5 MIND BLOWING art installations, one on international soil and another in another fantastic city outside of Columbus.

We are truly dedicated.

BRAIN: 

Brain is the next sculpture installation (the first one being Vessels) in the Invasive Native Art series which uses biometric data to activate the sculpture through movement, light, or sound.  

You might have seen some of our meetings on Facebook Live. If not be sure to keep a lookout on (most) Wednesdays at 6pm where we come together to brainstorm concepts, research, discuss materials, design the installation, and process.  There is always laughter and amazing insights. We are always looking for other viewpoints and new development so, if ever these meeting strike a cord send us a Facebook Message!

Client Profiles:

Sierra Club Ready for 100 Campaign

OBLSK had the honor of producing the Ready for 100 Campaign.  

The Ready for 100 Columbus campaign is run out of our local Sierra Club chapter with the goal of getting Columbus to commit to powering itself with 100% renewable energy by 2050. We know that the best way to save money, increase our city’s competitive edge, and ensure the best future for our kids is to harness the readily available energy around us rather than continuing to ship in coal, oil, and gas that pollute our air and decrease our standard of living.

Working with the Ready for 100 Campaign has been an awesome adventure so far.  We got to hang out with the Minster Village Administrator, Don Harrod and explore the Minster Solar Array as well as connect with Design Energy Group. We got to chill at the top of the Chase building in the GCAC office and watch the movement of Columbus unfold below. We also got to talk with sector heads of the Ready for 100 Campaign team and highlight their own personal endeavors in the support of the Ready for 100 Campaign.

This is the beginning of a wonderful relationship and we can’t wait to share with you our adventures as we meet the people and document the movement that will change Columbus to be the forefront in renewable energy.  

Our next adventure will be to explore Branch Out Columbus!

O'Willerkers Cafe

O’Willerker’s Cafe and Market is a destination for great conversation and a delicious bite to eat.  The homespun soups and sandwiches are made with high quality ingredients and the fresh baked pastries are guaranteed to bring a smile.  O’Willerker’s serves quality brands such as Stauf’s Coffee, Velvet Ice Cream and Panera’s Bagels and they have a full coffee menu.  

Meet Teresa Lammers the owner of O'Willerker's Cafe.  You will see her friendly face on most days as she concocts the daily menu or you will she her smile as she brings out the fresh pastries from the kitchen.  She has a true sense of community and has created O'Willerker's as a gathering place for the citizens of Logan as well as the national and international tourists that come to visit Hocking Hills and the surrounding areas. O'Willerker's was established in 2017.

JMKW Development

JMKW Development is an awesome construction company based out of El Paso, Texas.  They are a nationwide construction company based in the Greater El Paso area, and have  a team of highly skilled tradesmen, entrepreneurs, builders, designers, and civil engineers.  JMKW Development works with business owners that are looking for commercial construction and industrial development, focusing on franchise build outs, sustainable building practices, and innovative design and build ideas for business’.  

OBLSK works hand in hand to develop the marketing strategy that connects their mission to potential clients and to the public.  You can see our work here

Windchimes Chinese Restaurant

Windchimes Chinese is one of our favorite Restaurants.  OBLSK has been working diligently on creating an awesome branding strategy and raising their SEO rankings. Almost 49,000 people found them on Google in the month of January. This is 36,000 more than last year.  Our strategies both inside and out are working!

Here is an example of a Windchimes post that reached 3,000 people

And of course Lenny the Rooster! Check out the Holiday Video starring Lenny Clause.  It is sure to make you smile

Finally be on the lookout for the website we are designing for our newest client Artist and Producer Kate Spacek.  

It’s going to work wonders!

It's On: The OBLSK Horizon.

OBLSK has been way busy in the last two months working with amazing clients and producing spectacular media and marketing.  We are really excited about these upcoming Summer months as we have a few sculptural projection installations that will seriously blow the top off any steamy kettle. Be sure to keep a look out to the OBLSK horizon and we will award you with eye candy as well as interesting dialogue material.

RAINCLOUD: SCULPTURAL INSTALLATION: INDEPENDENT'S DAY

This Summer OBLSK is engineering an interactive glowing RainCloud for the Independent's Day Festival this September 16th-17th.  This Sculpture will be one of our largest endeavors involving Helium, Cotton Candy,  Wetlands, Rain dances, Thunderstorms, Petrichor, Performances, and Water Workshops.  Keep tuned! we will be updating often!  For more info on the Raincloud project visit.

https://oblskinc.squarespace.com/raincloud.com

If you are interested in being a part of this project please contact us.  Or attend the next meeting on June 28th from 5:30-6:30pm at the Main Library Conference rm. 2A

CHROMEDGE: PROJECTION MAPPING

For the May Franklinton Friday, OBLSK tested out a new projector by projection mapping onto the Chromedge studios in Franklinton.  We had a blast creating textures, optical illusions, and color landscapes that illuminated the evening for the public's pleasure.  Thank you Chromedge for being an awesome host!

HMS HOST: STOP MOTION ANIMATION: WEBINAR SERIES

OBLSK was invited in May to travel to Sloatsburg, New York.  (yes that's correct, there is a city called Sloatsburg) to work with ZenGenius gurus Justin Kornicki and Addie Addison in producing a Webinar Series for  HMS Host.  This series has been a blast to make as it has all been done with stop motion animation and a few five-fingered characters!

WAKKA WAKKA DOCUMENTARY

Wakka Wakka Productions is an amazing theater production company based out of New York city and Oslo, Norway.  They just recently produced a an Off-Broadway puppet theater production in New York City called Made In China which received incredible reviews from the New York Times.  OBLSK has been hired to create a short documentary on the Wakka Wakka Production Company.  Keep your ears and eyes tuned for the premiere!  (scheduled for mid-July)

Made in China by Wakka Wakka Productions

ZENGENIUS: MEDIA PRODUCTION AND OTHER AWESOMENESS

ZenGenius is an international visual merchandising/events company based out of Columbus, Ohio. Their work has received numerous awards including the Wow award for their work at the Connie Hilton event, OBLSK produced this award winning video!  Check out this cool company and the amazing work that they do!

JMKW DEVELOPMENT: SOCIAL MEDIA MADNESS

JMKW Development is a construction company based out of El Paso, Texas.  They specialize in commercial construction and industrial development.  They are finding a niche in sustainable building practices (YES!) and OBLSK has been hired to create their image.   OBLSK Team member and web designer Marque Reavely designed their website and OBLSK also writes the informative and inspiring articles for their "News" Section (that's our unbiased opinion, ha ha!).  This new company is authentic and talented.