BIC PEN DAISY VASE

A lovely design sold in the designboom.com store.  Handmade by giffin' termeer.

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xo.s

ELENE USDIN

Elene Usdin is a Paris-based artist who works primarily in photography and is part of the creative collective 'heartland villa'.

"Many of her pieces are seemingly candid often featuring the artist herself as the subject.  She also integrates lots of props and masks into her works, giving them a surreal touch" (designboom)

love.

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xo.s

HUSSEIN CHALAYAN at the London Design Museum

the design museum, london

jan 22 - may 17, 2009

From designboom:

"Fashion designer Hussein Chalayan is equally known for his unusual fashion designs as he is for his art and design projects.  The Cyprus born designer calls London home and has been creating avant-garde clothing since graduating from central St. Martens in 1993.  He was named the British designer of the year twice ('99 and '00) and continues to integrate innovative materials and technology into his designs.  This exhibit is the first comprehensive presentation of Chalayan's work in the UK.  Among the works on show are 'Afterwords', his collection of wearable architecture; 'Airborne', a dress made of 15,000 flickering LEDs and Swarovski crystals; and 'Before Minus Now', a dress made using materials from aircrafts"

Opens today!!!!

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xo.s

BREATHLESS 'A Bout De Souffle'

From IMDB:

"Shot in marvelous black and white, and edited by a madman with a chainsaw, the film is irreverent and brutally honest in its depiction of the chain-smoking, self-involved, thief-killer-lover Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and his arrogantly self-motivated, fiercely independent American lover Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg).  The film follows the travails of the car thief with obvious gusto, from the inauspicious beginning when he rubs out a policeman with the revolver he happened to find in a stolen car, to his "run" from the law, which is leisurely as his pursuit of Patricia is determined"

So charming.  So 60s.  I've been wanting to see this movie since I was exposed to 5 minutes during a film study class on the 'Jump Cut' technique.  I've been looking for it for months.... only to be a gifted with the Criterion Collection copy the other night!

It was even better than I expected :)

xo.s

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE: Merriweather Post Pavilion

The new Animal Collective is officially released today!!  This is their ninth album, and I think people are finally catching on..... although my brother, a music major, has been playing them for years.  For most, their sound was a little too avant-garde in the past, but they've stayed true to their vision; finally we've caught up with them.

And would you look at the album artwork!?  Does anyone else get that 'Magic Eye' waviness from it?

From CoolHunting:

"Consisting of their trademark dissonant sounds combined with gorgeously droning melodies and classical arrangements, this new full-length seems to play more to the low end of the spectrum.  These catchy bass lines unrelentingly drive the music forward, conveniently lending itself to the remix phenomenon.  We're betting on a ton of remixes to come out in the very near future"

I'm in love with the track 'My Girls'.  Listen up....

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xo.s

CRITERIA

CRITERIA

@ the Averill and Bernard Leviton, A+D Gallery, Chicago

Jan 15- Feb 28, 2009

From designboom:

"The exhibition 'Criteria' explores the ethics and politics that embody contemporary notions of sustainability, through a variety of media that gathers artworks and unconventional design approaches.  It examines the utopia behind efforts to modify and push the capitalist consumption patterns as well as adress the current contradictions between industrial and natural landscapes"

From top:

'IV Pot Plant' by Vitamin, 2008

'Tap'd NY' by Craig Zucker, 2008

'Best before' by Riccochet sudio, 2008 (fine bone china)

'Ikarus' by Aylin Kayser and Christian Metzner (the wax lamp I showed from a few days ago, for which I couldn't find an owner!  It melts when used, encouraging energy efficiency)

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ILLY MOBILE COFFEE SHOP

Not sure if this is still roaming around, but I'm hoping to see it in person one day!  Illy (the most delicious coffee I've ever tasted!) is the owner of this mobile coffee shop, here shown open in Central Park.  It expands at the push of a button........

I love how pristine it is on the inside, so that the contrast to its dumpster exterior is made into such a relevant element of the overall design.  Seeing that thing rolling down the street, you'd never imagine what it had to offer!

I'm not sure what's up with that wide open bathroom portion...... likely it has some sort of privacy wall that isn't pictured?  Let's hope, anyway.

UP AGAINST THE WALL

These pieces are so chill.  We all know how copacetic we look, leaning against the wall, without a care.  'Yeah, i'll hold your books', 'yeah, i'll light your room'..... so easygoing, no?

The wall is more or less used as a part of the design, the support structure.  I love it.

;) ha.  

I'll do my best to find the owners of these pieces, as i've had the images for awhile and didn't think to properly archive them.  bad blog form, i know.  but I promise to redeem myself.  Stay tuned.

DEFORMED TUBE LIGHT, Pernilla Jansson

A very cool neon tube light designed by Pernilla Jansson.

I love anything that would be as at home in an art gallery as a design showroom.  The best design is so sculptural and thought-provoking that it could easily be considered conceptual art.  The 'sagginess' of it is brilliant because we're most used to seeing neon lights in rigid bars or forced into lettering for signage, but this one looks as though you could pick it up and have it sink between your fingers.  They seem to be melting..... !

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GROWING JEWELRY

I adore this collection of real Icelandic moss jewelry by product designer Hafsteinn Juliusson.  The pieces are meant to speak to people in metropolitan areas craving interaction with the natural world, bringing nature to man.

His 'Growing Jewelry Store' was displayed in the Reykjavik Art Museum last spring.

Don't think I'd wear the 4 finger piece, but the single rings are gorgeous.  I'd even try and keep it alive ;)

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3D GUERNICA

Digital artist Lena Gieskeke explores Picasso's 'Guernica' (1937) in 3d.

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XIAO XIAO DONG

Xiao Xiao Dong is a Chinese fashion designer and recent Central Saint Martins graduate.  Pictured above is her grad show collection.  Crazy.

She plans to make the clothes more wearable as she readies the project for commercial sales.  I'm positive it will be great.

I love seeing students run wild with their ideas.  A project can always be made more accessible later on, but as a student, go nuts and show the world what you're capable of.... at a time when there is no one else to answer to and little to no money invested (aside from teachers and scrillions in tuition ;)

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xo.s

ANIMALIA

Disclaimer.... art is often offensive.  Sometimes cruel.  But there is something beautiful here.

xo.s

 

I DIG SACRILEGE

I'll say little about all this so as to avoid insulting anyone.  It's evil, it's clever, it's disgusting, it's offensive, it's beautiful, it's hilarious, it's controversial..... it's whatever you want it to be.

Hanger by Eric Morel

'Whatever Your Religion' lights by Sang Woo Nam and Min Soo Kim

'Juxtaposed Religion' by Mike and Maaike

'Bible Gun' by Robert The

'Cross Brush' by Citizen Citizen

xo.s