Animation by Sebas & Clim that made me smile
Not only has this guy founded The Shutter Pirates photo blog but Ken Griffin has some serious skill in the design department, yes sir!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Visual candy at its finest, i could read that bottle for a good 20 minutes and not get bored. Devils Peak Brewing Company got a re-vamp and their designs are already receiving public attention at beer appreciation festivals. Sign me up! I reckon i could appreciate some beer. Well done Just Design, well done.
The handy work of Jenny Hart has me swooning over her Study Hall Drawings. Born in 1972 and raised in rural Illinois Miss Hart is best known for her artwork in hand embroidery and her design company Sublime Stitching. Hart’s work has been published in numerous books and magazines including Vogue, Nylon, Spin, The Face, Juxtapoz, The New York Times Magazine and others. She has exhibited in Los Angeles, Paris, London and New York. In 2012 her embroidery will be included in a 40-year retrospective group show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery. Hart’s work is in multiple public and private collections of note, including the estate of Elizabeth Taylor.
These works depict “subjects that cover their heads or fashion their hair for religious reasons. Specifically not when only done as decoration for special religious ceremonies, but when worn as part of daily life and every day dress.” Braids, wigs, veils, chador, sheitel, curled sideburns and a non-exhaustive variety of religious stylings reflect a curiosity by the artist for the subject, without criticism or judgement. Fascinated by the different techniques of embroidery, the other principal medium of Hart’s work, she says she loves to draw embroidery stitches and is equally fascinated with their execution as they parallel the knotting, weaving and embellishment that hair can also take on.
And her embroidery aint too shabby either.
What sold me on loving this lady forever is her blog Embroidery As Art. Getting amongst the influential and crazy beautiful art scene that is embroidery, i wish i’d known about this throughout my years at Art school.
Every Saturday night the underground car park of the Pakuranga Warehouse opens itself up to the Auckland night markets. From fresh vegetables to Angry Bird merch the Auckland night markets are a great cost efficient way to spend those lazy Saturday nights. With the majority of stalls providing a wide selection of good eats, a three course meal is easy to come by with an appetizer, main and dessert all under a handsome $12.00. Of course the old time classics such as Tarot reading and hair braiding have their place amongst the sea of tables, as well as some early evening live music to kick things off. With an ATM situated conveniently close by, theres no excuse not to join in and grab yourself a deal or two. There are plenty of products to suit everyone, with toys for the young ones and clothes and jewelry for both ladies and gents. The night markets are open all year round and gets exceptionally busy when it rains, you are warned. Feel free to wonder the underground trading streets in those track pants you can’t be bothered getting changed out of, theres no judgment down here. This is definitely a night to take one or two treasures home and to stuff your face with all the dumplings and Belgian waffles that you can.
One of the many things the dollar store has to offer, THE CHALK PEN! Making windows sexy since 1994
“To be happy I think you have to be doing something you not only enjoy, but admire. You have to be able to say, at the end, wow, that’s pretty cool. This doesn’t mean you have to make something. If you learn how to hang glide, or to speak a foreign language fluently, that will be enough to make you say, for a while at least, wow, that’s pretty cool. What there has to be is a test.”
- Paul Graham
……………………………..
The guys at Photojojo have discovered Poloposts! Turn regular photos into mailable polaroid prints by fitting them inside a snug iconic white bordered sleeve. A built in seal keeps them from slipping out and a writable backside makes for easy scribbling. Just slip em inside and send them on their way. Instant happy!
……………………………..
The young talent at Grovemade make fusions of cool shit on bamboo. Situated in Portland, Oregon their products consist of iPhone, iPad and iMac cases. You can even design your own! Such style, these wood engravings have me drooling.
The annual Auckland design event run by Urbis magazine was an absolute hit this year with 12 different locations and designers, each bringing their own take on the overall theme ‘Colour in motion’. With free transport running between showrooms, those taking part were free to hop on and off at leisure and start their day where they pleased. With complimentary drinks and nibbles at each venue, viewers were encouraged to take their time and enjoy the installations, meet the designers and be delighted by some of New Zealand’s best creatives.
Father Daughter combo Douglas + Bec presented an intriguing Designday installation focused on color; combining it with real life performance and juxtaposing it with the core ingredient of the designers work – timber. They absolutely stole my heart with a selection of works from international and homegrown designers, including Workroom, designed by Rebecca Snelling (Bec) and her father Douglas (the maker). With focus on independent practitioners Douglas + Bec create a story for the conscious and discerning customer.
Fisher&Paykel was a definite crowd pleaser with their installation being branded ‘The Social Kitchen’. Partakers of the design day were first greeted with a swish tea towel, followed by hands being cleansed as what was to happen next was an absolute feast for eyes and tastebuds. Oysters from Bluff are personally hand picked as well as cooking your own slice of meat later on down the production line, accompanied by mushrooms and aioli. Then a palette cleanser with dessert at the end consisting of melted chocolate and cookie spoons. Although the food was certainly impressive, the team from Fisher&Paykel was not attempting to dazzle so much with grub as to mask up their lack in design, as this was certainly not the case. As designers they asked customers the questions such as Do you hunt or gather? What was your first memory of taste? Do you cook for fuel or cook to create? The company’s curiosity about the food journey and the role the kitchen plays in the performance of life was evident in their no fuss, down to earth simple designs. Created in collaboration with the Alt group ‘The Social Kitchen’ was classy, informative and inspirational.
Hewlett Packard teamed up with students from Unitec to create an engaging visual installation that shows the flux in tides as well as moon phases and traveling times of boats that occur along the Auckland waterfront. “The experience of data storage within a cloud computing experience becomes literal as site information is translated through a binary coding system into a spatial expression constructed from recycled and sustainable materials.” The layout of the piece allowed visitors to walk through and really appreciate the depth of research and hard work that has gone into the project. Markings on the individually cut and welded bases hold keys to what each color and height represents.
I managed to have a wee chat with one of the four students involved in creating the piece in which he spoke of a potential permanent residence for the project in Silo Park. Fingers crossed they manage to seal a spot!
With home and furniture design at the forefront, Essenze along with curator Rachael Lovelace created a character identity maze in which all pieces display the integrity of New Zealand heritage and the influences on a young and geographically – isolated country.
Although there was a lot going on in this space each character owned its area allowing viewers to experience the diversity of New Zealand home design. I was quick to notice one of the Birdinabunnysuit cushion designs (first photo of three) but my personal favorite from Essenze was the oh so kitsch installation and delicious yellow lamp.
Other designers/locations included in the Urbis design day:
Andrew Miller, leader of Brand Spirit has made a promise to paint one brand object white everyday, for 100 days. By doing so he removes all visual branding, reducing the object to its purest form.
……………………………………………………………
Artists Candy Chang has teamed up with the Chicago Urban Art Society in a bid to bring interactive public art projects to various Chicago neighborhoods. Interactive works always find a way to make my insides feel warm and fuzzy, but without seeming completely ignorant to the artists focal idea, this work creates a public space for contemplation and reminds us of why we want to be alive in the world today. Candy’s belief is that the design of our public spaces can better reflect what matters to us as a community and as individuals and boy has she hit it right on!
……………………………………………………………
Birdinabunnysuit has made sweet pillow cases for online store Father Rabbit, i only hope my dreams feature some of these adorable lil fellas.
……………………………………………………………
Rachel Hulin has created a lot of attention for her ‘flying babies’. Based in New York City (where else) her work has been shown at Jen Bekman Gallery, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Wallspace Gallery, and The New York Photo Festival. This is her site, This is her blog.
