Compete-tee-tion

Scream in Springfield by Nasken is probably the most natural fit of all the Scream mashups I’ve seen, giving Bart Simpson’s familiar terrified face a new fine art context. There’s even a move to make the mashup more relevant by placing a shadowy Sideshow Bob behind Bart, almost invisible as he fades into the dark color of the shirt. The only thing that keeps me from being fully in favor of the piece is that, despite being a mashup, it still feels kind of like official merchandise rather than parody. Maybe that’s because Bart is so close in this design to his appearance on the show, or the fact that the show itself often takes crazy turns so the characters ending up in a painting doesn’t seem all that unlikely. Either way, though, the art is well done and the mix does work.

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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Batman y Robin by Ibaitxo caught my eye at Pampling, a seriously great twist on the superhero duo. While a lot of designs portray the team as a bat and as a robin, I’ve never seen the concept taken a step further and applied to birdhouses before. What’s great about this setup is that you see the flipped house first, and the story plays out from there when you go in for a closer look. That’s when all the details get filled in with the Batman icon hole on the bat house and the awesome costume on his feathered sidekick. I love how complete it is, and how it uses a new angle on a common punchline to get a fresh laugh.

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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Tapes On Me by Kreadid transforms cassette tapes into recognizable characters, with the little reels turning into eyes. It works because it’s basically a one-two punch of nostalgia, first for cassettes and then for each of the characters. The most successful of the bunch is the Gene Simmons cassette at the bottom, which has strong contrast that draws your eye to it immediately and is also the only one to use the tape itself, unravelling a bit to suggest a tongue. The Ziggy Stardust choice is another solid one, and the musical connection makes it and the KISS tape feel natural grouped together. I almost buy the Clockwork Orange tape’s inclusion just because the movie had such a strong and memorable musical component, but Harry Potter feels entirely out of place to me in this group. Personally, I’d have preferred to see all four be musical (especially since that would strengthen the cassette tape’s power as a framing mechanism).

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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BurtOnZ by Donnie & Harantula is an intriguing mashup, showing classic Tim Burton characters in the roles of the Wizard of Oz cast. It’s a silly idea, but since the character comparisons are pretty apt it ends up being really successful. Bony Jack Skellington steps in as the Scarecrow, the Corpse Bride becomes Dorothy, Edward Scissorhands is more metal than ever as the Tin Man, and even Beetlejuice gets into the act, his wild hair making him a good fit for the Cowardly Lion. Extra points for including Frankenweenie as Toto! I think there’s a lot of appeal in this because it’s kind of an all-stars lineup of Burton’s movies- you really don’t need to be much of a fan of Oz to dig it (although that helps). That said, it’s not a perfect design- I think a more organic beginning to the road (instead of that harsh sharp line) and some work to either incorporate the title lettering more with the art (or at least make it more interesting) would have raised the illustration’s level even further. Still, this will be a tough one for Tim Burton fans to resist!

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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Bruce Leego by PabloGP is a great design at Pampling. What I like about this piece is that, while the name pun does work, the artist doesn’t stop there- there’s also a lot of humor in the way the usually stiff minifig suddenly has all the flexibility and athleticism of Bruce Lee. It’s such an active pose, really feeling like the character is in motion and his solid plastic has become fluid and powerful. Plus, that sound effect onomatopoeia is great – it makes me want to shout WATAA!

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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Movie buffs should be pleased with Spielworld by Marcin at Pampling. This design re-imagines one of the most memorable cinematic moments of all time, pulling back the camera from ET’s moonlit bike ride to show a whole cast of classic Spielberg characters looking on. In that second, the viewer is united with the scene because you’re doing the same thing they are- watching movie history being made. It feels magical, and it’s fun to let your eyes explore the shadows to discover each reference. While having ET himself watch is kind of a weird choice to me, I love that Spielberg himself is in the mix. Plus, Jaws poking his nose just past the tree line is a funny, unexpected moment.

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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Flagrante by Baruya is a recent print at Pampling, putting a neat spin on the Disney-fication of mice. The design calls attention both to the insane proportions of Mickey and the true nature of the mouse itself, as a scavenging, sneaky little food stealer rather than an adorable, friendly cartoon. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this rendition a complete success (it would have been nice to see cheeses featured prominently in the foods being nabbed), but it’s funny and easily recognizable.

Winners at Pampling earn 1200 euros cash and 300 euros in Pampling points.

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