Friday Finds 03.16.12

Aaron: Barack Obama's NCAA Bracket

As usual, the leader of the free world took a little time from his busy schedule to sort out who he thinks will win the NCAA mens' basketball tournament. POTUS has the UNC Tar Heels winning it all this year. He was right back in 2009 when he picked UNC; can he strike gold twice in one term? And if so, will it get him re-elected? The fine folk at Bleacher Report break it down.

Kelsey: Francesca Woodman exhibition at The Guggenheim

Opening today at the Guggenheim in New York is the first comprehensive survey of photography made by an artist named Francesca Woodman. The work is as remarkable as the biographical details of her short life: most of the 800 images she produced were made while she was a student (many shot in an abandoned house outside of Providence), before she committed suicide in 1981 at the age of 22. Though it's impossible to divorce such facts from her body of work, the black-and-white images hold up on their own: spooky, affecting, rather Victorian in nature, they are the product of a woman operating entirely within her own mind.

Diana: Happy Birthday, Brian Wilson

This vid is from last year, but it's still the best. Happy 30th, Brian.

Jaime: Sorry I'm Late

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

Who doesn't love stop-motion video? They've always got a timeless charm, and the painstaking work and time that goes into producing a short film is truly mind-boggling. This three-minute video is no exception, tracking a guy running, horseback riding, biking, and leaping across a pillow landscape, as well as riding a hot air balloon and swimming in water. Watch it all the way to the end—the last minute offers a glimpse into how the filmmakers put the piece together, frame by frame.

Alejandro: The Dutch Side Saddle Hop

How to hop onto the back of a bicycle, with style, in three easy steps. And now that I have you thinking about bikes, definitely check out the Virtual Museum Collection of bicycles at speedbicycles.ch.

Cortney: Comfort Foods

Are you always hungry? Always sleepy? Eat breakfast in bed? Then there's nothing more perfect than the Comfort Foods series from B Fiber and Craft Emporium on Etsy. I like to think that the next time I go backpacking in the great outdoors, I'll be sleeping under the stars in a pizza slice. The pepperoni and olive pillows are also amazing—there's something completely beautiful, stylish, and abstract about them.

Tammy: Split Stay

Formally a Corsican grocery shop, the Au Vieux Panier hotel in Marseille has audaciously delegated the design of their six rooms to six different artists or collaborative groups. Each room takes on a distinctive style, theme, and experience. Recently the graffiti artist Tilt created the "Panic Room" installation with chaos as the theme. Half of the room is stark white and the other half is covered in colorful graffiti, even the bed. Check out this video for a behind the scenes look at the making of the Panic Room.