hesitation marks: artwork by russell mills

[bgalbraith]

Because this deserves its own thread.

So far we have:
Rob's "Mission Control" tweet: https://twitter.com/rob_sheridan/status/341361189177135104/photo/1

These Instagram photos, pointing to Russell Mills (rm, 2013): http://instagram.com/p/aMc7JWDquC/

This Tumblr post: http://nineinchnails.tumblr.com/post/52247958645

From Rob's comment that the new album will be a 180 from HTDA's Welcome Oblivion, the polar opposite of glitched digital could very well be natural organic, which is what it looks like we are seeing so far.

My first read of the Instagram images was of false colored microscope images of cells, though they could also be mixtures of water, oil, and other elements pressed under glass plates.

When I first saw the Tumblr image, my immediate thought was of of a stylized homunculus (http://instruct.uwo.ca/anatomy/530/hmnculi.gif) with the background being a zoomed in section of a stained histological section of brain tissue. However, those streak patterns are similar to the edges of the Instagram images, so it may just be a pattern of dye diffusion.

[halloween]

The red one is clearly menstruation blood on graph paper.

But what does it MEAN?!

[slave2thewage]

The red one is clearly menstruation blood on graph paper.

But what does it MEAN?!
It means that Trent is producing the soundtrack for the Carrie remake.

Joking aside, it's a bit odd that we're talking about artwork when we don't even know the name of the album.

[Canuckle]

Definitely feels like some sort of organic bleed-through....

[allegro]

They look like REALLY intense close-ups of body cavities. From an autopsy.

[gorast]

The red one is clearly menstruation blood on graph paper.

But what does it MEAN?!
It means Mariqueen is the primary vocalist on the album?

Someone was going to make this idiotic joke eventually so I made it so you don't have to.

[sentient02970]

Feels very Douglas Trumbull. A good thing.

[ninlive]

When I first saw the Tumblr image, my immediate thought was of of a stylized homunculus (http://instruct.uwo.ca/anatomy/530/hmnculi.gif) with the background being a zoomed in section of a stained histological section of brain tissue. However, those streak patterns are similar to the edges of the Instagram images, so it may just be a pattern of dye diffusion.

I can't think of any histological stain that would give you these results. Also, brain (cross or longitudinal) does not look like this under a general microscope.

[Plastic Soul]

I'll turn off the snark for a second to point out that all of the images look to be on old style ledger paper:

http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/5725774/2/stock-photo-5725774-vintage-foremans-ledger.jpg

Don't say I never gave you anything.

[bgalbraith]

I can't think of any histological stain that would give you these results. Also, brain (cross or longitudinal) does not look like this under a general microscope.

It reminded me of a Nissl stain of a mouse brain, like this one: http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.5058.1340377455!/image/1.10878.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_300/1.10878.jpg.

[DigitalChaos]

Those look like microscope slide covers ontop of paper with some sort of paint in between. I wonder if it was influenced by the Dexter TV series at all.

[allegro]

the lines in the art aren't consistent and a lot of the lines appear to be non-photo blue.

[jessamineny]

They could all be on the same graph paper/material, but the perspective is just different... more or less zoom.

[allegro]

There are a ton of non-photo blue graph sizes, but they could also be drawn with a non-photo blue pencil.


The red lines and the "4" is, like, huh? Because that looks like the inside of Michael Jackson's nose.

[Vertigo]

Do we have any high-res versions of the Came Back Haunted cover art, as seen on Soundcloud?

:edit: The largest I can find right now is here: http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BMDP6t3CUAAZBJE.jpg (600x600)

[Jon]

Do we have any high-res versions of the Came Back Haunted cover art, as seen on Soundcloud?

:edit: The largest I can find right now is here: http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BMDP6t3CUAAZBJE.jpg (600x600)

1024 x 1024 (http://i.imgur.com/TxQYs4D.jpg)

[fillow]

TDS font? is it official?

[Ryan]

TDS font? is it official?

It came from the official twitter page. It's the same guy who did the artwork for TDS / Closure, etc.

[jmtd]

1024 x 1024 (http://i.imgur.com/TxQYs4D.jpg)

Cheers Jon. I've just taken the 192k AAC from the 1080p youtube, stuffed it into an AAC-LC container and attached that as the artwork. I had to re-save the JPEG to get AtomicParsley to accept it, unfortunately, so there's a transcode step on the art, but not on the audio. (For my own private consumption of course.)

[dominik]

So.. We have the official TDS font, the same person that made the TDS artwork, and we have the same melody from Closer in the new single. What do you think does it mean? Maybe the album will be a new interpretation of all the old NIN eras.

[dlb]

This might very well be the first NIN artwork in quite a while that we probably won't get to see someone getting a half assed tattoo off. sweet! :)

No seriously, I like it a lot and it is a pleasant step away from the glitch art department, although I will forver love my WT artwork.

[ambergris]

So.. We have the official TDS font, the same person that made the TDS artwork, and we have the same melody from Closer in the new single. What do you think does it mean? Maybe the album will be a new interpretation of all the old NIN eras.

I wrote this in the other thread already, but I think it's Trent's idea of "The Upward Spiral", i.e. someone recovering from a suicide attempt, from depression, addiction and the like. I actually think that it's going to be a bit of a happy album (though the 'narrator' of the album still carries the dark memories of that time with him).

Only today did I find out that Russell Mills worked for a lot of musicians I really like, from Brian Eno and Bill Laswell to Nils Petter Molvaer and Jan Bang. The latter ones combine Jazz music with modern electronic production. And in this context, I also have to think of the possible contributions of the Kronos Quartet to the new album. I could imagine that the album is going to sound a little more organic. Organic, natural, happy, danceable.

[preaves]

14 songs, 3 remixes, and an interview on iTunes. Now also available for preorder at nin.com (http://store.nin.com/index.php?cPath=7).
https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.modlife.com/store_images/large/NIN_albumart.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/k2qJXw8.png
http://i.imgur.com/uU1fxyn.png

[dominik]

have you seen the bottom of tour.nin.com? didn't the tds artwork also have teeth? fucking awesome.

[Scarlet Siren]

Nothing on iTunes UK.... yet.

[Amaro]

have you seen the bottom of tour.nin.com? didn't the tds artwork also have teeth? fucking awesome.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7026/screenshot20130606at122.png

[Riley]

have you seen the bottom of tour.nin.com? didn't the tds artwork also have teeth? fucking awesome.

Bottom of tour page image: https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.modlife.com/custom/nin/nin_footer_bg.jpg
TDS Teeth: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7000306519_a35235d68b_z.jpg

[jessamineny]

Sooooo... I may not get my Fragility Live (at least right away, right???), but I'll get TDS 2.0? I can live with this.*



*Understatement

[jmtd]

Nothing on iTunes UK.... yet.

Curious. Why wait for iTunes and not buy direct, now?

[DVYDRNS]

So what I see is... David Bowie revisits his past style a bit.. so That means Trent can too now.

I am NOT complaining about this at all. as much as I love Sheridan, I kinda missed the Mills era...

[gorast]

Maybe the art is similar because that's just what Russell Mills does. Anyone consider that?

Though, if I start to see feathers all over the website...

(That album art is going to look fucking beautiful on vinyl, though.)

[musidora]

I can't be the only one who sees a bunch of melting urinals in the "Came back haunted" artwork. And a couple of toilet seats.

[smokey_mcpot]

(That album art is going to look fucking beautiful on vinyl, though.)

agreed, TDS art looks so much better on the vinyl... cant wait to see this.

[kas23]

I can't be the only one who sees a bunch of melting urinals in the "Came back haunted" artwork. And a couple of toilet seats.

That's exactly what I see too.

[DigitalChaos]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.modlife.com/store_images/large/NIN_albumart.jpg



Any opinions on why they didn't bring the bottom border all the way to the edge of the N? It's messing with my OCD.

[halo33]

Any opinions on why they didn't bring the bottom border all the way to the edge of the N? It's messing with my OCD.
because then the sides wouldnt be even.

[jrdsctt]

Anyone else notice the little web browser symbol for nin.com has looked like that for a long time now?

[Highly Psychological]

I love that artwork, its beautiful, i sense passionate burning. Ghostly Aftermath of a fire. Scars. pretentious moi?? .Russell Mills is legendary and his work is immense. It always seems so elegant. Masterful Artist. Ridley Scott of album covers. I like Robs stuff but never loved it, didnt like the glitchy vibe, its nowhere in the same league. Russell made his name doing artwork for the Cocteau Twins in the 1980s.
Most of his art is very dark. It makes me a lot more excited for the album.

[Tea]

I am thoroughly enjoying the new art. It's a nice change of pace from Rob's work, even if it is very similar to DS's.

[SM Rollinger]

The teeth image on the tour page of nin.com is fuckin' awesome. Ive had the t-shirt with the teeth and salt trails and the cracked NIN logo on the back, since 1997, the first (of many) NIN shirts ive owned over the years. So ive got an attachment to that image and its awesome to see it re-imagined!!!!

damn: i was going to link the wallpaper from the official image archives, but they all seem to be gone with the site update. glad i saved them, let me know if anybody needs any of them and ill rar em up

edit: as far as the new "N" logo, i like it. how the border is chopped where it is, it reminds me of the chevrons that were used on the wave goodbye imagery (like the shirts and stuff). it envokes continuity between the old and the new (cuz it seems like this is the start of a new era for NIN for sure)

[Fangster_]

Any opinions on why they didn't bring the bottom border all the way to the edge of the N? It's messing with my OCD.


because then the sides wouldnt be even.

Now that's some OCD shit. I was also panicking over what DC pointed out, but then I noticed the even sides and I could breathe again.

I'll be honest, at first I didn't like the artwork 99% due to the incomplete logo, looks so out of place. Especially with that awful grey color, yeesh. But I dig everything else going on there. Overall would look better with text only and/or the complete logo - or just without anything altogether.

[owinn]

Really looking forward to seeing this artwork on the vinyl. It looks beautiful so far. I don't think I need to say much more than that.

[snaapz]

I think there's something really special about the (rustic, rusty, hazardous, tribal, oxidized) & (healthy, fresh, fruitive, intact) images. I don't get the same feeling from the Ghosts images.

The first thing I noticed was the partial NIN logo.

[sentient02970]

I love the new logo. Hope they make a sticker of it.

[DigitalChaos]

Now that's some OCD shit. I was also panicking over what DC pointed out, but then I noticed the even sides and I could breathe again.

I'll be honest, at first I didn't like the artwork 99% due to the incomplete logo, looks so out of place. Especially with that awful grey color, yeesh. But I dig everything else going on there. Overall would look better with text only and/or the complete logo - or just without anything altogether.

I'm having an OCD crisis right now. There is just no way to have everything perfectly lined up unless you dramatically change things... maybe wrap the top border around the top too. gaaaah


I actually really like the artwork. The gray works well and helps make the rest very vivid. Very different color palette from the rusty/earthy TDS work even though the rest is very similar. It gives a very different emotional response. Brighter and aggressive/abrasive vs sad and decaying. Some of the shots (like the facebook page) have remind me of rock/mountain landscapes. It's a very powerful/sturdy look but also alien.

[Vertigo]

Might be reaching here, but it looks like the cropping of the NIN logo could be referential to the Wave Goodbye icon.


http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6450/wavehello.jpg


With the N taking the place of the inner bracket. Waving hello, maybe?



:edit: Oh goddamnit, @Reznor2112 (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=536) ninja'd me (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/threads/1720-NEW-SINGLE-Came-Back-Haunted?p=91638#post91638) in the Came Back Haunted thread. 7 billion people walking the earth connected by wires, I swear it's physically impossible to have a totally original thought anymore.
Oh, and Rollinger sneaked a mention in too, in this very thread. SIGH.

[DigitalChaos]

Rob is such a cock tease

http://dc.moose.cc/temp/cocktease-20130606-160159.jpg

[butter_hole]

Has it been brought up that the cut-up NIN logo is similar to what Carson was doing with The Fragile artwork?

[thefragile_jake]

Has it been brought up that the cut-up NIN logo is similar to what Carson was doing with The Fragile artwork?

That's what I was thinking as well. I really, really love the look of the artwork.

[hobochic]

All these artifacts clearly state that Trent has entered his George Lucas gone-bananas-with-prequels-and-sequels to his masterpiece era. Ladies and gentlemen, from the warped mind that brought you "The Downward Spiral" comes - The Upward Spiral - Reconstructing Patrick Bateman.

[Porkins]

is there any way a more web-savvy member could make a few wallpapers from the nin.com background art? I'm really digging it

[pigpen]

The teeth image on the tour page of nin.com is fuckin' awesome. Ive had the t-shirt with the teeth and salt trails and the cracked NIN logo on the back, since 1997, the first (of many) NIN shirts ive owned over the years. So ive got an attachment to that image and its awesome to see it re-imagined!!!!

damn: i was going to link the wallpaper from the official image archives, but they all seem to be gone with the site update. glad i saved them, let me know if anybody needs any of them and ill rar em up

edit: as far as the new "N" logo, i like it. how the border is chopped where it is, it reminds me of the chevrons that were used on the wave goodbye imagery (like the shirts and stuff). it envokes continuity between the old and the new (cuz it seems like this is the start of a new era for NIN for sure)

I'd love an rar of the wallpapers. I actually just went to see about changing my current wallpaper and they were all gone! :(

[piggy]

There should still be plenty of wallpapers at the official Flickr account, guys.

[NINisamazing]

is somebody going fly fishing??

[jessamineny]

I don't know why, but all the little similar-yet-different elements on the cover of the single (http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BMDP6t3CUAAZBJE.jpg) remind me of the framed flower prints from TGWTDT. If there are actual hard copies, TR should think about another treasure hunt...

[pigpen]

There should still be plenty of wallpapers at the official Flickr account, guys.

There definitely is, but they seem to exclude all of the close-up/uber detailed TDS ones. In fact the majority of the one's on the flicker seem to be from an entirely different set than what was available on nin.com.

It's not a huge deal, their just wallpapers. but...but...now that they're gone!!!! I WANNNT THEM!!!!!!!!!!!

[butter_hole]

I'm not quite sure how to word this but I must say I find myself a little uncomfortable, or that I find myself scratching my head a little bit, when in 2013 we have artwork by a man that looks (let's not kid ourselves here) almost exactly like something he was making in 1993/1994. There's a good chance, of course, that he knew he was doing work for NIN and went back to some old ideas, or it's a deliberate callback to the Downward Spiral, but looking at Mills website, he's doing a LOT of this work. (http://www.russellmills.com/images/HAMADA.jpg)

I'm not an artist in the physical or graphical sense, but I can't imagine a career that involves so many permutations of the same idea or theory. It always perplexes me when you see an artist doing the exact same thing time and time again, over and over and over. Yes, I'm looking at you Mark Weaver (Oh my god print-style landscapes and circles we fucking get it). Is it just me? Is it laziness? This is a hypothetical, but you know when you go to an art gallery for a career wide show, and it's just, say, brown circles. The whole thing; 20 years and counting. I notice it more and more and I can't imagine being able to live with myself. Maybe it's different for the artist themselves...

[sentient02970]

Has it been brought up that the cut-up NIN logo is similar to what Carson was doing with The Fragile artwork?

I completely agree with this observation, the partial logo idea is so badass. I love that it's a mix of Mills and Carson at this point, the two faves of mine in the archives. I see this latest as the best as the reverse N is so very ingrained in the entire library of work and all that has been shared over the many years. It's just lovely in its brevity.

[eversonpoe]

I'm not quite sure how to word this but I must say I find myself a little uncomfortable, or that I find myself scratching my head a little bit, when in 2013 we have artwork by a man that looks (let's not kid ourselves here) almost exactly like something he was making in 1993/1994. There's a good chance, of course, that he knew he was doing work for NIN and went back to some old ideas, or it's a deliberate callback to the Downward Spiral, but looking at Mills website, he's doing a LOT of this work. (http://www.russellmills.com/images/HAMADA.jpg)

I'm not an artist in the physical or graphical sense, but I can't imagine a career that involves so many permutations of the same idea or theory. It always perplexes me when you see an artist doing the exact same thing time and time again, over and over and over. Yes, I'm looking at you Mark Weaver (Oh my god print-style landscapes and circles we fucking get it). Is it just me? Is it laziness? This is a hypothetical, but you know when you go to an art gallery for a career wide show, and it's just, say, brown circles. The whole thing; 20 years and counting. I notice it more and more and I can't imagine being able to live with myself. Maybe it's different for the artist themselves...

i think it's that he established something as his signature style over 20 years ago and he has stuck with it...i don't necessarily think it's a bad thing (unlike, say, the rolling stones putting out the same album over and over for 30 years) because it's definitely HIS style, but i understand what you mean about it all seeming a little too similar.

[Canuckle]

I'm not an artist in the physical or graphical sense, but I can't imagine a career that involves so many permutations of the same idea or theory. It always perplexes me when you see an artist doing the exact same thing time and time again, over and over and over.

Some of the best artists in history have used the same motif/style over and over and over (as you noted; think Jackson Pollock).... it's generally what makes their work so recognizable. Some artists prefer to explore new areas, others enjoy becoming a expert in their domain. Really up to the artists ambitions.

If your a little fatigued of the Russell Mills look, then lay it at the feet of TR. Mills is just doing what he does best.

[piggy]

There definitely is, but they seem to exclude all of the close-up/uber detailed TDS ones. In fact the majority of the one's on the flicker seem to be from an entirely different set than what was available on nin.com.

It's not a huge deal, their just wallpapers. but...but...now that they're gone!!!! I WANNNT THEM!!!!!!!!!!!
Oops, I didn't realize. Well, you can still get some TDS wallpapers at http://tds.nin.com/index2.html and then there's always the Wayback Machine for digging up older versions of NIN.com.

[sentient02970]

Shirts! http://store.nin.com/

[millionmilesaway]

reminds me of bacteria for some reason, maybe its because I just saw a very large Winogradsky Panel in San Francisco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/l_murphy/7339936178/

[Throw_it_away9]

Just went to go see The Art of Hesitation Marks at Sonos Studios in LA. Pretty freakin sweet seeing that stuff up close and personal. It's such a different feeling to see it in 3D and really get in there. I have a whole new appreciation for TDS/HM artwork in general.

Go see it before it closes tomorrow at Sonos Studios (http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ea0yrzm4babf5e09&llr=n48mnijab) in LA! It seems like it's open by noon (when I went today), but there's not really a sign, just a storefront window that says the name, can be easy to miss. No numbers listed online (that I could find), so hopefully when you go it's open.

http://i.imgur.com/eZjZTYjl.jpg (http://imgur.com/eZjZTYj)

[butter_hole]

good stuff here:

https://twitter.com/search?q=russel%20mills&src=typd

[Copy_of_an_Echo]

Hey everybody,

So I know someone collected all the art links for Hesitation Marks and posted them in the first page, but as far as I know, we can't buy most of them as prints can we?

I would love to get my hands on this one:

http://d3mhofifoczi39.cloudfront.net/russell_mills/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Lures.jpg

I found this on Russell Mill's website, along with all the other art pieces I was looking for, but it seems that the only art for sale is the NIN logo prints.

Can anyone tell me if/where I can buy these works somewhere if not on Russell Mill's site?

[sheepdean]

Hey everybody,

So I know someone collected all the art links for Hesitation Marks and posted them in the first page, but as far as I know, we can't buy most of them as prints can we?

I would love to get my hands on this one:

http://d3mhofifoczi39.cloudfront.net/russell_mills/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Lures.jpg

I found this on Russell Mill's website, along with all the other art pieces I was looking for, but it seems that the only art for sale is the NIN logo prints.

Can anyone tell me if/where I can buy these works somewhere if not on Russell Mill's site?
Currently you can't buy any. There was talk of an art book, if that happens then no doubt it will be available in there.

[Copy_of_an_Echo]

Currently you can't buy any. There was talk of an art book, if that happens then no doubt it will be available in there.

Oh okay thanks for informing me.

[Copy_of_an_Echo]

Hmm, that makes me wonder if Russell Mill's even makes money from most of the stuff displayed on his website and in the galleries... Maybe the galleries pay him?

[sheepdean]

Hmm, that makes me wonder if Russell Mill's even makes money from most of the stuff displayed on his website and in the galleries... Maybe the galleries pay him?
He makes a fucking mint, have you seen the price of the NIN prints he sells?

[Copy_of_an_Echo]

He makes a fucking mint, have you seen the price of the NIN prints he sells?

I'm sure he makes a lot, it's just that it's funny how you can hardly buy any of his work other than those NIN logo prints.

[Khrz]

Well he's a painter, he's not in the business of selling posters, I assume one can buy a painting if one's so economically inclined...

[m15a]

And, of course, he gets commissions for creating album art. Even though you're not buying from him directly when you buy an album, you're paying the record label (or whatever) that is funding his work. I have no idea how much money that is, but I'd assume he receives a relatively high commission since he's so well known in that medium.

[Al_Hunter]

When I went to the exhibition in Halifax a few weeks ago they had prints of the burnt NIN logo from TDS artwork - something crazy like £395.00 It wasn't small by any stretch but to me it felt like the price was much higher than it probably ought to be

[Khrz]

It probably is, if you compare it to an album artork print made by someone relatively unknown... Here you have a reknown, living artist, and a -possibly- limited product, sold at an art venue...
Reproductions of artworks by prominent artists are fucking expensive. As I said earlier, those aren't posters you're talking about.
I understand why you'd think it's overpriced, and it arguably is. But as I mentioned, it's not a pop culture shop, it's an art business domain, in that context that's a fairly common pricing.

[sheepdean]

When I went to the exhibition in Halifax a few weeks ago they had prints of the burnt NIN logo from TDS artwork - something crazy like £395.00 It wasn't small by any stretch but to me it felt like the price was much higher than it probably ought to be
That's just silly, on his site it is a mere ... £300 + £15 shipping (http://russellmills.com/russell_mills/shop/)