Chipotle's "The Scarecrow" : The Film, The Game and A Look Behind The Scenes.

Following up on the success of their 2012 Cannes Grand Prix winner "Back To The Start" (shown below), Chipotle and CAA Marketing have released a new short film and an interactive game that take an ultra-critical look at Big Food in order to highlight its own sustainably-sourced ethos.

Back to The Start:


“The Scarecrow” is at once an addicting game, a poignant short film, and a project that reflects what the folks at Chipotle believe in. The city of Plenty is a glimpse at a future that may not be far off. Processed food, animal confinement, and the use of synthetic growth hormones, non-therapeutic antibiotics, and toxic pesticides are rampant in our food supply. Educating people about alternatives is a journey for the Scarecrow, and it continues to be a journey for us.

The Short Film


In a dystopian fantasy world, all food production is controlled by fictional industrial giant Crow Foods. Scarecrows have been displaced from their traditional role of protecting food, and are now servants to the crows and their evil plans to dominate the food system. Dreaming of something better, a lone scarecrow sets out to provide an alternative to the unsustainable processed food from the factory.




Produced by Chipotle, the film was created by Academy Award®–winning Moonbot Studios and is set to a remake of the song “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Beautifully performed by Grammy Award®–winning artist Fiona Apple.

The Scarecrow:


Behind The Scenes:






The Game:


The video is accompanies by a game for your mobile devices.



The Scarecrow needs your help to foil the evil plans of Crow Foods and break the crows‘ monopoly on food production and supply in the city of Plenty. Tilt your device to navigate through each level, outsmart the Crowbots, unlock extras, and restore hope for animals, farms, and the environment, while providing the citizens of Plenty a healthy and delicious alternative.






Download the free app at www.scarecrowgame.com and join the quest for wholesome, sustainable food.

The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Chipotle Mexican Grill to continue and strengthen its philanthropic efforts.



Dedicated to creating a sustainable, healthful, and equitable food future, the foundation supports farmers, ranchers, educators, and programs that are working to develop sustainable practices and teaching younger generations about issues in the food chain.

Over the years, Chipotle has contributed more than $2 million to fund initiatives that support sustainable agriculture, family farming, culinary education, and innovation that promotes better food.

Chipotle

Invisible Hieroglyphics. Turning Touchscreen Residue Into Art.

Invisible Hieroglyphics is an experimental collaboration Between Andre Woolery (whose wonderful thumbtack art I shared with you here) and Victor AbiJaoudi II.

The two artists studied how people interact with technology while using some of the most popular apps on the iPad (e.g. Angry Birds, e-mail, Facebook, Temple Run, Twitter, Camera and Fruit Ninja). They preserved the fingerprints and strokes left behind by the grease from use by photographing them and turning them into actual artworks.



Andre and Victor describe the project as follows:
"As the world becomes more digital, we pull further away from an analog, handcrafted world. However, the one remaining human component of the digital experience is touch. Our hands have become the communication conduit through devices with a series of taps, swipes, and pushes. Left behind, on our electronic devices like smart phones and tablets, are the oil-stained remains of finger smudges on a screen. We have extracted these marks and transformed them into vibrant, acrylic prints."



Examples of prints from popular apps are shown below.

Fruit Ninja:


Angry Birds:


Temple Run:


Camera:


E-mail:


Twitter:


Paper Toss:


WHY THE TITLE?


Hieroglyphics is a system of writing that serves as a form of communication. They represent an imprint of the world as it was told in the past for the future to decipher and understand. These writings are a window into another world. Today, the touchscreen interface is our window into another world and the writings are smudged onto the screen instead of carved into stone. Its subtle, but if you strip away the hardware and software, what’s left is a finger painting that illustrates the story of how we communicate.




THE ARTWORK
The colors are vibrantly portrayed on satin paper that is placed between a white backing and 1/4” acrylic glass. The acrylic glass gives each piece an incredible luminosity and optical depth that mimics an actual screen.



Also note that the limited edition B/W artwork offers a unique, 3D appearance as the white paint is on top of the acrylic:



THE ARTISTS


Andre Woolery:
“Its very much a representation of who I am. I work in digital media during the day and make art at night. So it is a manifestation of that collision of digital+analog, screen+hands, day+night, … Increasingly there seems to be a divide between the two and this is an interesting way to unify them in a natural way.“

Victor Abijaoudi:
“For me, it's about paying attention. By paying attention, you realize that art is everywhere. And by recognizing art, we recognize humanity. With all that is distracting in today's world, we could all use a little reminder of what matters most - being human. Everyone is creative and everyone creates. Even if just with your fingers as you check your email. ”

THE APPS


They collected a series of apps ranging from daily productivity to social networking and gaming. What they uncovered is a really interesting set of blueprints for interaction. A shout out to all the user experience designers that worked on all these apps… this artwork is as much theirs as it is a showcase of human intuitive pathways.

If you have an app not included that you would like to request a commission, contact them here.

GIVING BACK


As with every new project, there has to be a way to give back to the area of inspiration. In this case, digital technology has done so much for Andre and Victor's lives in various ways that they want to ensure its also inspires the youth. As the world progresses, the ability to understand technology is absolutely critical. Andre and Victor want kids to be able to code, design, prototype because that is at the core of the future's infrastructure. Therefore 10% of proceeds of this project will go to CODE NOW…

Purchase Invisible Hieroglyphics Prints here

Andre Woolery

A Talented Boston Terrier Balances 25 Days Of Christmas On His Head.

Director Dj Cosgrove and wife Amber originally hail from Columbus, Ohio and now live in Los Angeles along with their adorable and talented Boston Terrier, Turbo.


above: their family portrait from Instagram

Together, between their two instagram accounts, they have shared photos on alternating days of Turbo balancing Christmas items on his head.

Photographed on the same formica flooring (all except for one image) with Christmas lights strewn at his feet, Turbo, who is crazy cute, manages to balance everything from Bumble, The Abominable Snowman to a porcelain teapot on his little black and white head and snout.

25 Days Of Things on Turbo's Head: (okay, technically, I'm sharing 23 days, you'll have to start following them to see the last 2 days)

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DJ and Amber, who themselves are a beautiful hip young couple, are dog lovers and trained Turbo themselves.


above: DJ and Amber Cosgrove

above: Turbo poses between the Cosgroves ( photo courtesy of Joseph Lombardi of Aztech productions)

No tape, glue, wax or any assistance is used. Turbo, who turned 3 on August 5th, has pure talent and has been balancing things on his head since both began their instagram accounts. Earlier images show the treat as motivation on his snout, but as time passed Turbo didn't need the treat for his fantastic feats.


all images © and courtesy of DJ and Amber Cosgrove

I was so happy to stumble upon these images, quite accidentally and now am thrilled to share them with you.

DJ Cosgrove on Instagram
Amber Cosgrove on Instagram