"A benefit to help homeless teens, Virgin Mobile's Regeneration is auctioning works tonight by several artists, including Barry McGee (pictured above, far right), Rich Jacobs, Caroline Hwang and Jordin Isip, with 100% of the net proceeds going to the non-profits StandUp For Kids and YouthNoise. If you're in the NYC area, you can buy tickets and go to the party for the silent auction or bid online by following the instructions here."
::VIA
"We have all seen all sorts of variations of the traditional Christmas tree: they sell the Charlie Brown mono ball tree, the plastic glittering white stuff, the automated dancing one and such. All pretty ugly.
But this tree, not loosing leafs around and not in need t be watered, printed on a giant poster to hang on the wall, to decorate (or dissacrate) as you like, that on top of this is also pixelated, well, just makes me almost like Christmas again.
Sold and produced by French extravagance design shop Atypyk, it’s mockery proof (in case your friends are taking it against you because yes, you do love Christmas paraphenalia), because it is just too cool."
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"UNKL Brand have blown up some of their very cool mini designer toys in to awesome 12″ and 6″ figures. First up are the the 12″ HazMaPo figures which look absolutely stunning. The Kamo HazMaPo above is a collaboration with Kow Yokoyama and below is the “Peligro” model which goes back to UNKL’s roots and features hazardous signs and warning labels wrapped all over the toy. The clean lines and visual effect of these toys is breathtaking and I can not wait to see these in person. Both 12″ HazMaPos will be available in Feb 2007."
::VIA
This weekend the Wooster Collective is wrapping up their amazing project on 11 Spring Street. Here's a update from them and we hope to see you there!
"As we head into the final week of preparations for this weekend's Wooster on Spring exhibition, here's a quick update...
1. The Wooster on Spring event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be "B.Y.O.B.B" -- Bring Your Own Boom Box. All of the sonic tags (live DJ's and music) during the three days is being curated and produced by Soundlab. Using a wireless transmitter, all of the audio will be transmitted such that anyone with a boom box will be able to receive it. We're counting on all of you to be our contantly evolving and roving speaker system as you attend the event. The event will start with no speakers and then build over the three days as more people come in. (More on this from Soundlab later in the week)
2. We've received a few emails asking us if we were planning on having a live webcam broadcasting the event live on the internet from 11 Spring so that people around the world can participate. We think that this is a terrific idea, but have no idea how to set this up by Friday. The building has a DSL line but no wireless access. If you live in New York, have access to the webcam and wireless modem, and want to install it in the space before Thursday night, let us know at woostercollective@gmail.com because we'd love to have it, we just don't know how to do it ourselves.
3. If you're a member of the press and are planning on covering the event and project, drop us a note at woostercollective@gmail.com so we can make any and all necessary arrangements. At this point we're not planning on putting out any type of formal press release or event flyer as things will be changing and added right up to the last minute.
4. We've received lots of emails from people who will be flying in from all over the world to check out the exhibition and meet the artists. If you're coming in from somewhere else, let us know as we may get people together for a beer or something who have flown in from far places.
5. There are a ton of amazing restaurants and shops in the neighborhood where 11 Spring is located in Soho. A few of places that have been especially gracious to us over the last few weeks, that we encourage you to check out while you are in the area, as the food is great are: Barmarche across the street from the building, Bread, a block or so away on Spring, and Cafe Gitane, around the corner on Mott. All are fantastic.
Again here are the days and times for the three day event on 11 Spring:
Friday, December 15th: From 11am to 5pm
Saturday, December 16th: From 11am to 5pm
Sunday, December 17th: From 11am to 5pmAfter these three days the building will be closed to the public.
And finally, some quick snaps from yesterday"
The amazing Lady Pink.
A freehand piece by Elboe-Toe on the outside of the building
MUCK begins her wall
A group of geezers
"The Japanese artist didn't work on his own but with Reico Yamaguchi as part of Perfektron (apparently he was a bit sick of navigating in a male-dominated techno-world.)
The installation is called COCOSOCOASOCO. Coco is "here", Soco is "there" and Asoco is "further place."
The giant tea cup, spoon, apple and mini buildings invite the visitor to play with their mental and spatial perception. The objects are painted in grayscale and have a distorted optical relationship between one another, created by different scales to emphasize the linear perspective. Walking through the white space of the gallery filled with these simple and odd 3D shapes was a bit surreal.
There is no visible technological process in COCOSOCOASOCO, but the objects are drawn and designed on the computer, to be reproduced with precision on a planar surface and then built in 3-D. Ryota Kuwakubo and Reico Yamaguchi want to surpass the disillusionment gravitating in technology nowadays.
On a table at the entrance of the gallery are cubes of different sizes, each of them contained a small world in soapy water. Same play on perspective but this time the shapes are flat and black. The difference of grey shades is created by the slight opacity of the liquid.
The gallery is also selling little souvenirs such as the Bitman devices Kuwakubo made with the Maywa Denki. Apparently, they stopped producing them, i immediately got my hands on one.
COCOSOCOASOCO runs until January 27 at the Galerie Lucy Mackintosh, Lausanne (Switzerland). "
"Despite the recent influx of mega-stores, Berlin's indie shopping scene is still flourishing and continuing to attract an innovative international crowd of artists, designers, and other visionaries hoping to preserve Berlin's progressive rep. The newest addition to the city's prosperous center is none other than WoodWood, a Copenhagen export with an eponymous sportswear line, a selection of electric T-shirts and sneakers and a sampling of international designers who fit the store's as well the city's hip factor. WoodWood selects the most colorful and at times outrageous pieces for men and women by Nike, Commes des Garçons, Cheap Monday, Maharishi, Camilla Staerk, and Yazbukey—the kind of stuff that gives a playful context to the quirky collection of toys and elaborate mobiles that punctuate the space."
WoodWood
Rochstrasse 4
10178 Berlin
tel. +(49) 30 280 99 039
::VIA
"Made with regional, sustainable and organic ingredients using ecologically sound wind power and packaged in recycled materials, Cocoa Vino's "eco-forward" business practices are as sound as their products are exquisitely decadent. The Fig Caramels are a blend of organic fig and buttery caramel with a dark chocolate shell. One box contains 12 caramels in three flavors: Madeira Wine, organic Orange with Anesone liqueur and farm-fresh apple with Calvados for $35. The extremely rich Drunken Figs are filled with vintage port and covered organic dark chocolate. Packaged in a reuseable tin, the drunken figs are $22 for four or $50 for ten."
::VIA
Dec. 16th 06
@The Bridge
7:00pm
Free
Pot Luck Dinner
Art/Tape Swap
Nude Black Glass
White Boy Reggae
Pat Clifford
Pome
And More..
184 Mechanics St.
Southbridge, MA
01550
Contact us for more info.
float.on.it@gmail.com
"Everyone has a T-shirt wearer on their gift list. These picks combine eye-catching original design with high-quality cotton shirts for tees a step above vintage reproductions and wink-wink-nudge-nudge one-liners.
This mesmerizing Dots Tee (pictured left) is made by Brooklyn based T-shirt designers Rise and Fall. The cotton T-shirts are hand-printed and custom-dyed making each one unique. Available for $38 from Urban Outfitters.
The Elio-Tree T (pictured center) has a asymmetrical screen-printed design inspired by traditional Japanese graphics. The 100% cotton T-shirt is available in women's small, medium and large online for £23 from More T Vicar.
Momimomi, one of our favorite tee companies that aims to treat the t-shirt "as a billboard for the body, not the other way around" is offering a new monthly T-shirt subscriptions service that they're calling Tea Party. Subscribers will receive a original custom-dyed silkscreened t-shirt in the mail once a month. Subcriptions are available for 3 months ($120), 6 months ($210) or 12 months ($360)."
::VIA
"Skulls might be last year's thing but to me they transcend fad, and I know I'm not alone. This little mouse skull is made of oxidized silver and cast from a found original. Crafted in Brooklyn by Andrea Gentl and India d'Arthenay of Thorn, it comes on a 22" chain."
$218 from Active Endeavors,
::VIA
"Sometimes the best gifts aren't made to last. Everyone appreciates a useful consumable gift that won't add more clutter to their lives. This Soap Rock has the beautiful color and shape of a geological specimen without the permanence. Made from all natural ingredients, extracts and minerals the hand hewn soap rock is available in Amethyst, Turquoise, Aquamarine, Aqua Geode, Watermelon Tourmaline and Lapis Lazuli styles for $12 each online from Auto.
The delicate floral design of Joseph Schmidt's Chocolate Bowl may look like fine tableware but it's actually completely consumable. Made from dark chocolate with a hand-painted white chocolate interior, the Chocolate Bowl is great example of Joseph Schmidt's artistic innovations in the medium. Available exclusively from Dean and Deluca for $45.
What better way to say "Peace on Earth" than with this Hand Signal Candle? Also available in other hand signals, such as "rock horns" and a much less polite gesture ("bird"), the candles are $16 Urban Outfitters."
::VIA
"Earlier this week, I participated in a radio segment about Detroit's Object Orange project by giving a short interview to NPR (America's National Public Radio). The segment ran yesterday on the show Day to Day and you can listen to it here
As you will hear (and are likely to expect), we're huge fans of the Object Orange project and expect to see artists and activists doing similar interventions in other cities around the world.
GOOD Magazine recently did a short documentary on Object Orange as well. You can watch it below..." - Marc (Wooster Collective)
"LaCie's new Huby USB and FireWire Hub hooks up your computer with plenty of ports for your cup warmer, ultrasound and Availabot, chargers, drives, cameras, music players and other gear, and keeps them all at arm's length on the 8 flexible arms. It also comes with a fan to keep you (and your gear) cool. Designed by Ora-Ito (aka Ita Morabito), it adds a bit of style to the clutter.
The Multipot (below left) is a light that doubles as a storage bin for all of your chargers. The cables that connect to your devices fit neatly through a cut out in the top of the pot, keeping all of the clutter hidden away, with just a single cord to plug into the wall. Designed by Dante Donegani and Giovanni Lauda for Rotaliana, the Multipot helps solve the problem of where to put—and charge—all of your devices. Available for $179 in multiple colors from Design Within Reach—the silver version has the added bonus of reflecting back it's surroundings making it "invisible." Visit the Multipot site for more details and vendors outside of the U.S.
Harry (above right) keeps your gear organized by gently grabbing it with its flexible coated wire hooks. Mount it next to your door and you'll never forget your kit on the way out. Available for $30 from Formila."
::VIA
"Last night was gallery hopping night, and landed at ThinkSpace in SilverLake for most of the night hanging out with Olga Nunes + Sarah Coleman (of FABULIST fame! You know you read it, its too fab not to) ~ for Oddica's big two day show "Cotton to Canvas" ~ brilliant concept, see if you can follow this logic - Oddica has artists create limited edition shirts, then gives the shirts to OTHER oddica artists to design traditional pieces inspired by the shirts - and who knows maybe some of these new pieces will make it full circle and become shirts too! MANY pictures of my favorites below~ and some randoms to give you a feel for the ambiance."
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American toy makers Melissa and Doug also make a variety of wooden kitchen play toys. I love the generic commercial innocence of the packaging design on this Deluxe Wooden Play Food Set (pictured below left ) available for $20 at Amazon. For children with more international tastes, the Wooden Sushi Set ($20 from Genius Jones) is a wooden bento box comes complete with chopsticks, wasabi, ginger and soy sauce."
"Banksy has a art exhibition, Santa’s Ghetto, going on in London this month featuring a whole load of other artists such Jamie Hewlett, Eine, Space Invaders and others. The exhibition is being called a squat art concept store and it is at 15 Oxford Street, London (Next to Tottenham Court Road Tube Station) and is going on until 23rd December. I should be going down this week so i will being a full show report soon. In the mean time you will just have to admire the Jacko piece above created by Banksy."
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"Jewelry designer and sometime actor Waris teamed up with French label A.P.C to create these Waris Tear Pins. Part of a new line he designed for the brand inspired by "love and heartbreak" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird," the all-silver pins make understated accessories and are an unconventional gift. They come two to a set for $77 from A.P.C.'s site."
::VIA
"In his remarks accepting the top award, Frank Saucedo, director of GM Advanced Design Studio in California, said, “We thought Hummer was the perfect brand to tackle this design challenge.” His studio threw out the idea of creating a vehicle that would be “less bad” for the environment, instead presenting a “blue sky” scheme in which the car would be a boon to the environment. “We developed a car that would give back — this is a ‘net gain’ vehicle,” Saucedo said of the concept. "
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"Handmade from repurposed billboard vinyl, the debut line of Pet Hypothesis jewelry follows in the tradition of Freitag and other creative re-users by reinventing industrial materials as accessories. Designer Chelsa Robinson (also formerly ReadyMade's product manager) layers sterling silver chains over bits of colored vinyl that she sews with contrasting thread. We chose to feature Geopanic for its confetti-like abstraction of CMYK colors with red stitching, but you can see all her designs here. All pairs cost $75 and, true to the cause, $5 from every sale goes to the environmental organization, Conservation International."
::VIA
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