A. Kinney Court
A. Kinney Court is the newest addition to the always changing and intriguing environments and experiences on Abbot Kinney Blvd. In keeping with the avant-garde nature of its surroundings, A. Kinney Court is described as a “concept fashion boutique and eyewear gallery” it serves not only as a shoppe for fine apparel and eyewear, but also as a museum of vintage Oliver Peoples spectacles. The interior was designed and constructed by Ilan Dei Studio (project team: Ilan Dei, Peter Turba, and Scott Chamberlain) with the intention of dynamically displaying the range of products, and providing an intriguing attraction for passersby. The design intention takes cues from a variety of inspirations, ranging from the Eames bent plywood processes and skateboard construction to the sand dune formations and ocean waves seen along the neighboring coast.
Tower of Babel @ Burning Man 2009
Babel is not a group, an organization, nor a social order that simply build; but a manifestation of the single belief that we as humans should strive for the very best, achieve the yet to be imagined. This young collaborative of designers, which includes Sergio Ramirez, Brandin Roat, and Timothy Leung, are the pioneers that are not afraid to push and test the limit by transcending boundaries created by men. Their obsession with questions like, “Why not…” and “What if….” led them to be deliberate and conscious designers, craftsmen and visionaries who treasure and appreciate how things come together and continuously invent new ways to do so.
Public Design Festival Milan
Think music festival for urban design junkies. The Public Design Festival, hosted by esterni, is happening in the streets of Milan April 18 – 26, and hopefully it will live up to the festival part of its name.
Where the Wild Things Are
From director Spike Jonze (read: Directors Label and Girl Skateboards video “Yeah Right!”) is the highly anticipated film version of the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. As I’m sure anyone born during the early 80’s knows how amazing and inspiring this book was to us as young kids, it remains just the same with the release of this beautiful trailer. Perfectly set to Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up,” Spike Jonze builds a sense of curiosity as the boy and his Wild Things are running through surreal forests and lands while juxtaposing back to the kid’s parents house in a city. The words Hope and Fear are inserted throughout the trailer making viewers question their own lives and evoking creative imagination to get lost beyond everyday lives. The film is set to be released in October and will be accompanied by a musical score from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Puma Projections Promo
In this advertisement for Puma Lift, CCW (Clube de Criação) successfully incorporates dancers in a seemingly responsive environment of video projections. C’est hyper cool!
A Classic Take on Potter and Snicket
These book cover redesigns take current best-selling children’s literature back to the days of the Penguin Classics. I love a good minimalist 2 color book cover.
The Soft Pack Sign to Kemado, Kick Off Extended Tour
San Diego-born, now LA-based quartet The Soft Pack have a big year ahead of them including new dates, new songs, and a new label (and eventually a new approved wikipedia entry). Residents of the UK, Spain, and Canada will get a chance to see just how rock ‘n’ roll swagger and preppy Southern California cool converge into a pulse pumping hip dysplastic affair.
‘The Idea of a Tree’
Amid the slew of designers that try to propose how nature can fit into THEIR design, few allow Tierra Madre to do what she does best: visually manifest her OWN design. Thomas Traxler’s thesis project for the Design Academy Eindhoven (Netherlands) is one of those few, as he has built an apparatus that acts as a canvas for the earth’s right side of the brain. Powered by solar cells, it spins multiple cotton threads through a mixture of dye, glue, and an epoxy resin, ultimately winding these threads around a pre-constructed cast of choice. The variation of designs are based upon the intensity of the sun; when our infamous star shines brighter, the threads spin faster and spend less time in the dye – producing a paler hue. The opposite occurs on a cloudy day – thus producing a stronger, deeper hue for the color of choice. The effect mirrors the rings in a cross-section of a tree trunk, where biologists can confirm a rainy or dry season. Depending on the cast, smaller projects can elapse in a day, whereas larger ones may take up to a few weeks.
CMYK Art Show
Chicago’s N.A.I.L.S. is about to present its first art exhibition featuring 25 unique member-artists and mediums ranging from print and ink, to acrylic, encaustic, oil, and gouache (rhymes with squash). Inspired by cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, these visual melodies will be sure to brighten up the winter season. So if you find yourself in the Logan Square area, be sure to visit New Wave Coffee and support the local talent. Details follow.
Champagne Valentine and Oculart
Oculart Images: nake brunch, absinthe, trembling cup, and funeral garden
A perverted mix between Dr. Suess, Tim Burton and that recurring circus nightmare, Oculart is a beastfully guilty piece of Media Art that cuts your senses through the means of electronic artwork, sound and poetry. A series of animations and visualizations the website serves strictly as an art piece, or number of art pieces to think about, or look at but not think about and just trip out to. Oculart is created and kept alive by Amsterdam based artist Geoff Lillemon.
