'o-c-u-l-t-o.com' is a like an on-line scrapbook, a completely visual website that has no explanations or annotations, that deals with contemporary art and design that could easily be defined as post-modern and even post-internet, a topic which I am highly interested in and am researching for my Context of Practice investigation. What I really like about this website is that it is unapologetically contemporary, and on face value has absolutely no consideration for minimalism, modernism or abstract expressionism, all art forms that at the time of development were considered contemporary to their audiences.
This website celebrates quirky, digi-art that is so popular and constantly on the rise at the moment. The graphic design and fine art featured is sometimes, but not always garish and slightly ugly, but that is what I enjoy the most about it. Not everything here is aesthetically pleasing. Occasionally there are very sleek pieces of work featured, but the majority is random and amazing. There are no running themes here but again that is what draws me in.
I looked online for some background information on the blog, as I was interested to see how it came about, as originally this website was a Tumblr page that has developed into Oculto over time. I came across an interview with the creator:
Words by Braydon Gould
"You’re only as good as your last post, right? To this date, the cat meme riddled microblogging website (and let’s be honest, the greatest advocate of procrastination and excuse to why you don't listen in your university lectures) Tumblr has published over 101.1 million blogs. That’s roughly 4.46 times the population of Australia - crickey! Requiring only the fewest clicks of a mouse and appropriately snazzy title, eg. Homer’s Web Page, anyone can enter the blogosphere and begin spamming the internet with dancing Jesus animations. The greatest perk to blogging is not the round the clock access to inspirational content, but the free space - both financial and physical - to externalize our inner dialogues, interpretations, and personal and public reflections. A blog allows its creator to articulate their identity through content creation and multimedia interaction, something lacked from your day-to-day “dear diary”.
“Good design is when it achieves its purpose.”
Blogging reflects a refinement in thinking - what does this post say about you? To blog is to edify your thoughts; a reflexivity in action. Who needs a soapbox to speak to the masses when the internet does that for you? The things we find and create and post is placed out there in a public agora for others to read and reflect. It’s like endless advertisements about you on your own public television channel, ready to be viewed by anyone with a remote (well, computer and internet connection actually). We have the opportunity to speak directly to the public, which is very beneficial for emerging artists and designers, or anyone who dares to express themselves creatively and wants their work seen. “I think the internet and blogging community is really interesting, in the sense that art and design can reach more people through this medium than it would without it. It’s the best way to discover new things.” That's the greatest quality about the internet I guess; there is always something else, something new to discover. Like taking the time to smell the roses, there are so many benefits to browsing our often time consuming and wondrous internet...
In our web-obsessed world were good content is king, sometimes the only thing you need to brighten your day and keep you going is just a really, really great blog.
Thank you O-C-U-L-T-O."
Cue O-C-U-L-T-O, an all visual online journal jam packed with “dark goodies” curated by Spanish graphic designer and independent art director Pablo Abad. His collection of contemporary art, fashion and graphic trends, some his own, are intensely geometric, a touch surreal and refreshingly vibrant. It’s the type of gem you find during your (“this is the last one, I swear!”) midnight scroll through Tumblr, beguiling you till early morning... or until you’ve reached your daily reblog quota.
I had the pleasure to ask Pablo a few questions about his curatorial choices and the importance of the internet and online blogging. “I started O-C-U-L-T-O in 2010, which by the way means ‘hidden’ in English. I wanted a space to share all the things I found and loved... and O-C-U-L-T-O was born!” When asked to define good design, he simply shared “good design is when it achieves its purpose”, which is exactly what he has accomplished through his blog. With the support of hundreds of followers and an endless reblog count, Pablo is considering transforming O-C-U-L-T-O from blog to publication. “I am thinking about creating a fanzine and publishing it actually. There is an idea that this blog could potentially become a physical platform.”
I researched Pablo Abad quite briefly when doing my COP essay, so I am glad that I have done some further research into this exciting and quirky designer here.
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