No. Digits

22 June 201712 August 2019 by Theo

Can you solve these simple equations and find the pattern?

No. Digits (Just Equations). Digital Image

This was the question I posed to friends on Facebook. Thanks to them I found some missing brackets and corrected the above image, representing digits as equations.

From this, I created a simple book reminiscent of a child’s counting book or math exercise book with a number represented on each page by its equation. If you include the answers to the equations (left as an exercise for the reader), each statement has all of the digits from zero to nine appearing only once. I created the book from a school desktop flip calendar, giving it a distressed old school look by painting the pages with a mixture of gouache and acrylic house paint. Letting the wet pages stick together before separating and applying a second coat produced the rough surface for the equations in pastel, sharpie and pencil.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The title of this work No. Digits is a play on the idea that “Number” is often abbreviated as “No.” and for each equation there is no digit for that specific number until you solve the equation.

Country Thief

3 June 201711 September 2019 by Theo

What would happen if certain countries did not exist?

One of the items in Theo’s procrastination list (since 2014) is an geographical education computer game called Country Thief.

As someone who comes from a country (New Zealand) that is often left off global maps, I decided to create a game where countries are disappearing from the map for various reasons (evil dictators, nuclear war, economic collapse, alien invasion, meteors of unusual size and shape, global warming). Players race against decreasing time limits to find the missing country and identify it. Can you beat the clock and save your country from disappearing?

Given recent current events and environmental concerns, I am releasing this concept design image for people to share on social media and make their own comments.

Approximately Φ

18 May 201712 August 2019 by Theo

Acrylic and Gouache on Lack Coffee Table, 90x55 cm — Approximately Phi, Acrylic and Gouache on Ikea Lack Coffee Table, 90×55 cm

Approximately Phi, Acrylic and Gouache on Ikea Lack Coffee Table.

The mathematics of the golden ratio [phi (ɸ) ~1.61803399] and of the Fibonacci sequence [1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, …] are intimately interconnected.

At 90 x 55 cm, the dimensions of the Ikea Lack Coffee Table are close to two consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series, and give a ratio of 1.63636363636 which is only 0.01832964761 or 1.1328% more than phi. Our coffee table was in need of refurbishment and so I painted it with this exaggerated approximation of the fibonacci series / golden ratio spiral.

We are Synonymous

10 March 201712 August 2019 by Theo

A while ago I started a video project parodying the videos of the activist group Anonymous. Recently I completed it.

We are Synonymous is the manifesto of the apathetic and procrastinators.

Created with Apple’s built in text to speech and iMovie.

My Dictionary & Theosaurus

21 February 201712 August 2019 by Theo

I was fascinated by the dictionary as a child and I especially enjoyed reading the abbreviations section. Here are some of my definitions for abbreviation, acronyms and mnemonics.

Rosist #2

14 February 201723 January 2022 by Theo

Not all roses are red,
I prefer them blue.
Flowers discriminated
by colorism too?

A few years ago I wrote this poem, to try to give other colors of roses a chance. Each Valentines Day I have produced a new variation of it.

Happy Valentines Day

There Once Was Sky (Under Construction)

7 January 20179 September 2019 by Theo

Over the last few years the landscape around our neighborhood has changed as more and more of the older buildings are replaced with luxury apartment blocks.

A neighbor behind us had a two storey house where they kept chickens on their rooftop under a grapevine.

In 2014 they and others in the street sold to developers and their houses were demolished to make way for new construction.
Concrete foundations for the new building were poured and then demolished again. Rising five floors above the second foundation the new apartment construction took about two years.

Under construction — New neighboring apartment building under construction, photograph

The new monstrosity now blocks our view of the city, hills, afternoon sun and sky.

This painting series aims to capture that there once was sky.

There once was sky, under construction. — There once was sky (under construction). Gouache on canvas board, 30x40cm.

North & South

30 August 201612 August 2019 by Theo

The Land of Confusion - North and South — The Land of Confusion – North and South, digital image

Another in The Land of Confusion series, North & South highlights places in the world with North or South in their names.

Virgin and Child #1

12 August 20161 January 2020 by Theo

Inspired by Ron Tekawa’s Madonna and Child (1990) and various historical images of the Virgin and Child.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

How to Profit from Procrastination. Order now!

3 March 201623 January 2022 by Theo

I’m writing a book about how to profit from procrastination.

“I was procrastinating on Facebook and saw that a friend had recently written and published a self help kind of book.
I reminded myself of my unfinished novel.
I continued on with my procrastination on Facebook.
However, in the deep dark recesses of the back of my mind a seed of an idea was germinating.
Why not write a book about how to make a profit from procrastination.
It started as a joke – make a cover and some chapter outlines. Then presell it.”

For real

My quick research shows that there is not a lot written about the positive effects of procrastination. Most of the literature is about the dangers of procrastination and how to avoid it.

Almost everyone I know, for as long as possible, wants to procrastinate their inevitable death.

There is money to be saved by waiting instead of impulsively buying. Markets and products development can be explored while actively procrastinating on the finished article. And delays can often bring the wisdom of hindsight as others make mistakes you can learn from.

After one month and a day of procrastination, I wrote enough of the book to start selling it. In between procrastinations, I will publish further editions of the book.

You can buy the first edition now on 51 of Apple’s iBook stores [sorry, not available in China or Turkey yet].