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ALSO! Project: School of Visual Arts (SVA)

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I stopped by Wanted Design this past weekend in NYC, a small fair showcasing product and furniture design from around the world, and one of several Design Week events going on in NYC right now. There was lots of interesting work (Design in Puerto Rico’s booth had an especially nice collection of objects) and the venue—The Tunnel—was an excellent choice with its designy atmosphere that integrates old and new NY so well. But it’s possible that, for me, the group that stole the show consisted of the SVA Product Design students and their ALSO! Project.

Hard to miss with their neon orange logos, these guys roamed the Tunnel with six interactive projects (several in carts) inviting visitors to view all the exhibits in unconventional ways. The stations included:
No. 1―BOOM -Objects would have a lot to tell us if only they could speak.
No. 2―HERE -Design moments, living unassumingly within the exhibition space.
No. 3―MASK – Ephemera into facade―catalogue to camouflage via die-cutting.
No. 4―TINY – How very different the world appears when scale is amplified.
No. 5―WARP – The show via kaleidoscope; composition through a variety of filters.
Bonus Track!―LIFT – Your telephone, on a journey, to and from a vantage point high above.

I personally only interacted with three of the projects but witnessed two others in use. The students were very engaging and enthusiastic, happy to explain their project to everyone interested and eager to get people to interact. With informative stickers at the ready to paste on your arm or leg, and kaleidoscopic interpretations of the surroundings, as well as viewfinders with images focusing on some of the unnoticed subtleties of the venue, these young designers were excited about the event and what their project brought to it. And rightly so. The Also Project showed creativity, interactivity, and focused on product design from function and form, through to branding, uniform-design, gadgetry and teamwork. Not to mention fun. Hats off to instructor and industrial designer Sinclair Smith of SVA’s Products of Design MFA program for taking his students on this great design journey.

You can read more about the Also Project here. Wanted Design is on through today 5/20 at 7pm.

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Categories Event, Fun, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, NYC, Stuff We Like

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 5/17

17 May

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/17/13 to 5/19/13)
Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/17/13 to 5/19/13) Walks, talks, music, art, architecture, theater, film,

1. ART/FILM/VIDEO: All weekend & through 5/25 Video_dumbo at Eyebeam. 8th annual festival & exhibition of contemporary moving image artwork, will include fourteen video screening programs, alongside eight installation works under the title Re-Return to Sender. Individual screenings $5; day pass $10 (access to all screenings in one day); festival pass $20 (access to all festival screenings); Exhibition entrance is free. See schedule.

2. MUSIC/FOOD: Fri 5/17 – Great GoogaMooga Kickoff Concert featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flaming Lips & The Darkness with 85 Food Makers, Brews and Wines. Prospect Park 4pm to 10pm. $54.50 (Not exactly cheap but ticket also includes admission to either Sat or Sun entry to the festival)

3. TALK/MUSIC: Fri 5/17 – An evening with Fab 5 Freddy. 7pm FREE

4. FILM: All weekend – 3rd Annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival $10 ($50 all-access pass)

5. THEATER: All weekend & through 6/3 – Colin Quinn’s Unconstituional, a unique comedic perspective on our national character. Use code BSTCQU for $35 tkts except Sat@8pm shows.

6. TALK/ART: Fri 5/17 – Suhail Malik presents the next installment of “On the Necessity of Art’s Exit from Contemporary Art. 7pm $5 at Artists Space Books & Talks

7. BOOKS/READINGS/FUN: Sat 5/18 – Lit Crawl NYC Brooklyn. A night of readings, sing-alongs, impromptu writing exercises, and games at various locations around Smith Street See schedule for locations and “phases” 5pm on. FREE.

8. DESIGN: All weekend & through 5/20 – Wanted Design in The Tunnel: a lively, interactive destination for the design industry and its devotees. $15 online $25 at door.

9. ARCHITECTURE/WALK: Sat 5/18 – Modern Architecture in the West Village and Meatpacking District. 10:30am to 12:30pm. $15 to $25.

10. ART/WALK/ARCHITECTURE: All weekend & through 7/20 – Carol Bove’s seven large-scale sculptures at the Rail Yards Section of the High Line, the third and final section. Advance reservations required for walks. FREE

11. PERFORMANCE/MUSIC/FOOD: All weekend – The 37th Annual Ukrainian Festival. Three days of festivities on East 7th Street plus over 18,000 pierogi! Starting Fri at 6:30pm. FREE

12. ART: All weekend & through 9/2 – EXPO 1: New York at MoMAPS1 with works/installations by Adrian Villar Rojas, Olafur Eliasson, Meg Webster and more. $10

13. MUSIC: Sat 5/18 – Earthman Experience: Haitian-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Richard “Earthman” Laurent presides over this nine-piece fun ensemble. Fela Kuti-inspired Afrobeat meets tribal house jams. 9pm at BAMCafe. FREE

14. ART/DESIGN/TECHNOLOGY: All weekend & through 5/24 – Parsons Festival 2013. Several impressive student exhibits on view in Media, Design, Art & more. 2 West 13th St. Mostly 12pm to 6:30pm but check hours for specific events. FREE

15. FILM: Sat 5/18 – Stan Brakhage at Anthology Film Archives. Six of Brakhage’s early films from 1950s. 3:45pm $10

16. ART/CRAFTS/MUSIC: Sun 5/29 – Pop Souk. A one-day pop-up marketplace that brings together DJs, drag queens and other downtown creative folk. Noon to 6pm at the Standard High Line Biergarten. FREE.

17. ART/DESIGN: Sun 5/19 through 5/26 – reMADE Pop-up gallery project featuring work of local artists and designers. Four shows will run two nights each throughout the week of May 19–26.

18. ARCHITECTURE/COMPETITION: All Weekend & through 6/13 – Van Alen Institute’s Ground/Work Competition Call for Portfolios: an international architecture competition seeking innovative designs for a new street-level venue to house Van Alen’s work space and public programs.

MORE…
CONFERENCE: Fri 5/17 – Uncubed Meet Founders Learn Skills & Join one of NYC’s exciting StartUps plus a Party! 2pm to 7:30pm. $30

DESIGN: All weekend – Home in the Woods in Soho: featuring work by masters and progressive designers and artists with a Nordic connection. 12pm to 8pm, with daily “talks & delights” between 6pm & 7pm. FREE

ART: All weekend with cocktail party on Sat 5/18 from 9pm to 11:30pm – Gallery R’Pure presents “Off the Grid” featuring new pieces from Brooklyn based French born François Chambard and New York based Frederick McSwain

DESIGN: All weekend and through 5/21: ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) at the Javits Ctr. Open to Trade all weekend. FREE with registration.

MUSIC: All weekend – Look & Listen Festival. Vital new music presented by youthful virtuosos surrounded by contemporary art in a casual setting. FREE

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Categories Architecture, Art, Event, Film, Food, Fun, Industrial Design, Music, NYC, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

Marloes van Doorn: I Love Kuldiga

14 May

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This is a charming project. Dutch photographer Marloes van Doorn arrived in Kuldiga, Latvia and wanted to connect with its people. Limited by the language barrier and being someone who believes in the universal language of love, van Doorn decided to start hugging the people of Kuldiga. The result is her series of photographs titled I Love Kuldiga and varied reactions by the huggees, which ranged from laughter to deep emotion. Very sweet.

via jeroe napers

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Categories Art, Fun, Photography, Stuff We Like

MT Masking Tape Installation: Koji Iyama

14 May

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This delightfully colorful tape installation designed by Koji Iyama took place in Sendai, Japan, as a promotion for mt masking tape. Iyama and his team set out to show the multiple/alternate uses of the bright and patterned rolls by covering the walls and floors—as well as other objects they came across—of a huge old garage and then hanging thousands of rolls from the ceiling. The visitors could walk through the space and peruse the tape selections on the tables as well. You can see a time-lapse video of the installation process below:

via junkculture via spoon & tamago

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Categories Fun, Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Stuff We Like

Rain Room at MoMA: Random International

13 May

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It’s been a weekend of wall-to-wall art and design here in NYC with art fairs small and large, from Pulse, to Nada, to Collective, to Frieze and, of course, the opening of Rain Room at MoMA, the interactive and immersive installation by rAndom International that first debuted at the Barbican Centre in London last October. I will be featuring some of the highlights, for me, from these events in the next few days but here, for starters, is the amazing Rain Room.

Rain Room is a large-scale environment (in the case of MoMA, it’s a separate entity outside the museum on 54th Street) with a field of pouring rain whose flow is suspended detecting the presence of bodies, allowing visitors to wander around the room amidst the beautifully highlighted drops, without getting wet. Injection moulded tiles, solenoid valves, pressure regulators, 3D tracking cameras, custom software and steel beams are involved in the production of the installation. Definitely fun and cool, making for some stunning photographs (better ones if you opt for camera over phone) and lots of kids running fast trying (and mostly succeeding) to get wet.

But, as with all fun and cool NYC activities, there are long lines. If you’re a museum member the wait is slightly shorter, but even early on the first day, while there were probably many still unaware of the exhibit, the wait was about an hour and a half. So, go prepared and avoid peak hours. There are early morning members-only hours from 9:30 to 10:30am but getting there by 9am is likely to be a good idea.

Rain Room is part of EXPO 1: New York and will be on view through July 28, 2013.

Photos: Joe Holmes; rAndom International; and collabcubed

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Categories Art, Event, Fun, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Light, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 5/10

10 May

Free& Cheap things to do 5/10/13 to 5/12/13

Free & Cheap things to do in NYC this weekend (5/10/13 to 5/12/13). It’s an especially good weekend for fans of art and design…

1. DESIGN/ART: Fri 5/10 & Sat 5/11 – Collective Design Fair at Pier 57 – will present a cohesive, curated selection of contemporary design and historical pieces from galleries around the world. $25 Fri 11am to 9pm; Sat 11am to 5pm. Register in advance.

2. ART: All weekend & through 9/2 – Subliming Vessel: The Drawings of Matthew Barney $15. Also Fri 5/10 Film No Restraint by Barney at 7pm. Morgan Library. FREE Friday Evenings.

3. ART/DESIGN: All weekend – PULSE NY at the Metropolitan Pavilion. 11am to 8pm $20 to $25

4. MUSIC: Fri 5/10 & Sat 5/11 – Downtown Music Festival Full day passes between $25 and $45

5. DESIGN/ARCHITECTURE/TALKS/ART: All weekend & through 5/21 – NYCxDESIGN inaugural citywide event to showcase and promote design of all disciplines. Events will be staged across all five boroughs,from convention facilities and galleries to design schools and public parks. Most events FREE

6. ART: All weekend – NADA NYC: creatively reinventing the experience and presentation of art in a fair enviornment. at Basketball City at Pier 36 on the East River. See hours FREE.

7. FILM/COMEDY: Fri 5/10 –Kevin Geeks Out about Rip-Off Cinema. Comedy-variety show hosted by Kevin Maher. Vintage clips and videos, games and curiosities. 8pm $10

8. DESIGN/ART: All weekend – Brooklyn Designs annual exhibit of local designers work in furnishings, lighting, and accessories made or designed in Brooklyn. Fri open to Trade. Sat 10 to 7pm, Sun 11am to 6pm. $15 to $20.

9. DESIGN CONFERENCE: Sat 5/11 – Counter/Point: the 2013 D-Crit Conference. 12:30 to 7pm. at SVA theater. FREE with Registration

10. ARCHITECTURE WALK/TOUR: Sat 5/11 – AIA Roosevelt Island: 1970s “New Town In Town” to FDR Four Freedoms 11am to 1pm $15 to $25

11. ARCHITECTURE/TALK: Fri 5/10 – Diller Scofidio in conversation with Dimendberg Vidler and Polan about Lincoln Ctr., 6 to 8pm. FREE with RSVP

12. ART/PARTICIPATORY: Sun 5/12 through 7/28 – The very cool installation that doesn’t get you wet: The Rain Room opens at MoMA $25 admission. FREE Friday evenings and first 100 visitors on Tuesdays in May.

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Categories Architecture, Art, Event, Film, Fun, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Music, NYC, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

Alexander Berchert: Kinetic Sculpture

8 May

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UK-based artist Alexander Berchert creates kinetic sculptures using mass-produced objects and applying basic principles of physics to change them from ordinary household items to something fun and unexpected. Three such works are: Hoover Tubes using a vacuum cleaner, ducting tubes, and halogen lights among other items; Limbo which brings together a BMX tire, motor, and ping pong ball; and Water Wheel with perspex pipes, food coloring, motor, corks and more.

The results are fun to watch in action; they are kinetic after all (super-short clips):

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Categories Art, Fun, Just Plain Cool, Stuff We Like

Newspaper Photobombs

7 May

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These cracked me up. Someone (an anonymous commuter) has definitely found a way to keep themself entertained on their daily commute to work. There’s definitely an art to these, as simple as the concept may be. He/she really have matched position and even tonality on most of these folded newspaper mashups with unsuspecting co-commuter bodies. Nicely done.

via laughing squid via left eye

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Categories Fun, Photography, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

More Topotek 1: Temporary Playground

6 May

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Yes, it seems that I’m smitten with Topotek 1’s work (see previous post.) This cotton-candy pink temporary playground was created for the State Garden Show in Wolfsburg, Germany. It’s clear that color and fun are both things that these guys know how to work with well. Twenty-four inflatable objects and fifteen cubes made of foam rubber were strewn across a lawn along with bouncy mats that beckoned to any passer-by. Inspired by grazing horses, young-girls’ romanticism and a Barbie-doll world, this temporary structure is part sculpture part interactive play object.

A more recent garden show installation, in fact going on right now, is in Hamburg and includes wacky Aqua Soccer and Dymaxion Golf. Check it out here.

All photos courtesy the architects and fandisk256’s flickr.

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Categories Architecture, Fun, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Stuff We Like

Topotek 1: Cold War

6 May

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The first thing I thought of when I landed on German landscape architecture studio Topotek 1’s (previously here) projects page and was greeted with all the brightness was “Why don’t real refrigerators come with bright-colored interiors??” So great! Maybe one color for the freezer and another for the fridge? But, they’re not selling refrigerators at Topotek 1. Instead, these are images from their very fun interactive installation titled Cold War at the Venice Architectural Biennale 08. Roughly twenty fridges were lined up and stacked against a wall in the Italian Pavilion each containing funhouse-like effects from sounds, kaleidoscopic viewing machines, to fans, mirrors, peep holes and more. According to principals Martin Rein-Cano and Lorenz Dexler, the installations are a demonstration of the company’s work tactics, offering a glimpse into enchanting worlds.

Photos courtesy of Topotek 1 except image of fan courtesy designboom.

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Categories Architecture, Art, Fun, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Stuff We Like

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 5/3

3 May

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/3/13 to 5/5/13)
It’s going to be a perfect Spring weekend so here are plenty of suggestions to keep you out and about with culture and fun. Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/3/13 to 5/5/13) Walks, talks, music, art, Ideas Festival, Pen World Voices Fest, Red Bull Music Fest, Nuit Blanche events, Kentucky Derby, Cinco de Mayo and so much more!

1. THEATER: Fri 5/3 and all weekend – Blondie of Arabia. Monica Hunken’s one-woman show on her odyssey biking through 3 countries in the Middle East weeks before the Arab Spring. A quirky comedy. Monica talks after the Fri 5/3 and 5/10 performances. 8pm. $25.

2. LITERATURE/READINGS: Fri 5/3 – PEN World Voices of International Literature’s Literary Mews. Nestled among the cobblestone streets of NYU’s storied Washington Mews, this day-long “festival within the Festival” will feature writers’ workshops in the morning and readings in the afternoon. FREE

3. ART: Fri 5/3 & all weekend through 6/20 – Holton Rower Focus paintings, Pour Paintings two bodies of work side by side. Diverse results achieved by the artist through his innovative and deceptively simple process of pouring hand-made acrylic paints over wood. Rower will also introduce a new body of work titled “Focus paintings” which are amazingly out of focus! Opening Fri 6 to 9pm. FREE

4. FILM: Fri 5/3 & Sat 5/4 – New York Indian Film Festival $15 See schedule.

5. ART/ARCHITECTURE/URBAN STUDIES/DESIGN/FOOD: Fri 5/3 & Sat 5/4 –Ideas City is a biennial Festival in New York City of conferences, workshops, an innovative StreetFest around the Bowery, and more than one hundred independent projects and public events that are forums for exchanging ideas, proposing solutions, and accelerating creativity. So much to do so check schedule to pick. A few events that caught my eye: Creation 3D; Human Hotel; and Murals on the Bowery. 9am to Midnight. FREE

6. MUSIC: All weekend & through 5/31– Red Bull Music Academy. An amazing amount of music events all around town ranging mostly from FREE to $20. Check events on their site.

7. WALK/ARCHITECTURE: Sat 5/4 – The Great Saunter. A 32 mile walk around Manhattan’s Shoreline.7am to 7pm $20

8. ART/VIDEO/LIGHT: Sat 5/4 – Nuit Blanche presents Change of State. Site-specific projection on the facade of the New Museum. And Mulberry Street Night Fest where the street is converted into a series of cool light, projection-mapping, and video installations. 8pm to midnight. FREE

9. ART/PARTICIPATORY/FUN: Sat 5/4 & Sun 5/5 – The Institute for Psychogeographic Adventure: Experiment 17 - DUMBO Individuals (or pairs) sign up for a personalized journey that remixes history, memory, the everyday and the spectacular. A multitude of performers will be scattered through the neighborhood to lead you through a series of unexpected and fabulous DUMBO encounters. Noon to 5pm $10.

10. ARCHITECTURE/WALK/TOUR: Sat 5/4 – Made in LIC: A Jane Jacobs Walking Tour of Long Island City 12pm at The Clock Tower. FREE

11. MUSIC: Sat 5/4 – Brooklyn Flea Record Fair at Smorgasburg 11am to 6pm. FREE

12. ARCHITECTURE/WALKING TOUR: Sat 5/4 – Hudson Yards: Design(in) The New Heart of NY. OHNY. Exhibit and architect-led tours. 10am to 3pm. Register. FREE.

13. MUSIC/ART/FUN: Sat 5/4 – Earth Day Rockaway: Free activities, live music by Il Collectivo, art-related booths, kite-making, recycling olympics and much more. 12 to 4pm. FREE

14. FUN/SPECTATOR: Sat 5/4 – Kentucky Derby watch sites

15. THEATER: All weekend & through 3/19 – The Pulitzer Prize winning play ‘Night, Mother by Marsha Norman. General Admission $18

16. MUSIC/DANCE/PARTY: Sun 5/5 – Cinco de Mayo with Body Language. Dance Party at Glasslands Gallery. 8:30pm. $10 to $12

17. MUSIC/ART/INSANITY: Sun 5/5 – The National perform their song “Sorrow” for 6 hours straight as part of Ragnar Kjartansson’ A Lot of Sorrow at PS1 in the VW Dome $15 Tkts

18. FOOD/DRINK/FIESTA: Sun 5/5 – Roberta’s Cinco de Mayo Celebration. Tacos, Cervezas. Tequila, music, pinatas! 2pm to 10pm

Get outside and enjoy!

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Categories Architecture, Art, Event, Film, Food, Fun, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Light, Music, NYC, Pop Culture, Street Art, Stuff We Like

Clip Bag: Peter Bristol

2 May

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This is fabulous! Em sent me the link to this incredibly clever and fun Clip Bag designed by Peter Bristol in Seattle who, it appears from his site, designed the also fun Training Dresser that made the rounds a couple of years ago.

Made with wool felt and aluminum tubing, this gigantic binder clip is both fun (did I say ‘fun’ enough?) and at the same time rather elegant. A surprising, but delightful, combination. Bristol is looking for potential manufacturing/distribution partners so I imagine this will be a reality soon enough.

via core77

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Categories Fashion, Fun, Industrial Design, Stuff We Like

Linda Hubbard: Lowbrow Propaganda

1 May

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You can tell right away from her artist statement (or lack thereof) that English artist Linda Hubbard is not one to sugarcoat things: “INTERESTS ….PROPAGANDA. No artist statement from me……..Bullshit stinks……” And with that, she instantly gained my respect.

Working in mostly sculpture and painting, Hubbard relays her strong beliefs and opinions on corporate greed, religion, income inequality, the food & drug industries and plenty more with humor that packs a punch. She has a whole dark series devoted exclusively to Pfizer titled Pfizerland.

You can see much more of Hubbard’s work on her site.

via saatchionline

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Categories Art, Fun, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

Underpantones

29 Apr

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Sure, we’ve been Pantone-producted to death, but I have to say this may be the smartest concept to date. Underpantones! How clever is that? And, of course, Pantytones. Mark Design Studio in Capetown, South Africa are the creative souls behind these fun undergarments and if they haven’t put them into production yet, well, I don’t know what they’re waiting for. After all, if they had their way: “…it’s what every well-dressed designer would be wearing.”

via r isdidporn

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Categories Fashion, Fun, Graphic Design, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 4/26

26 Apr

Free& Cheap things to do

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (4/26/13 to 4/28/13) from participatory art events, to music, dance, talks, a design conference, outdoor garden and cherry blossoms, oh and food! Fun and interesting events all weekend long, ’cause it’s spring and spring in NYC is the best (after summer, of course.) Click through on images above for official event pages with more info or in the descriptions below.

1. FOOD/TOUR: Fri 4/26 & every Friday: Free Chinatown Food Tour – sample tasty fried dumplings, tapioca bubble tea, sticky buns, candied crabs and more. You choose what treats you would like to taste and how much you would like to spend. Suggested amount for snacks $7 to $10. 1pm to 3pm. Reservations required.

2. PARTICIPATORY ART/PHOTOGRAPHY: All weekend & through 5/10 – JR’s Inside Out Project Photo Booth in Times Square! (see post) FREE

3. DESIGN: Fri 4/26 – Bordo Bello NYC through July 2nd. A skateboard art show at the AIGA National gallery. FREE.

4. ART: All weekend & through 9/8: Orly Genger’s monumental installation of hand-knotted brightly colored nautical rope takes over Madison Square Park. Much cooler than the rendering on the site. FREE.

5. ART/PERFORMANCE/PARTICIPATORY/TOUR: Fri 4/26 – Concrete Escort I, II, III, IV at the Guggenheim. Ei Arakawa’s performance-based work. Axe-wielding man, participatory sprinting down the museum’s spiral walkway and other activities/performances. 6pm and 8pm. $20 to $25.

6. MUSIC: Fri 4/26 – Catch-Pop String-Strong: This duo come from Serbia and Kosovo, play viola and cello, often singing. they are both intense and full of humor. 6:30pm FREE w/RSVP

7. MUSIC: Fri 4/26 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr indie-pop duo at Music Hall of Williamsburg. 8pm $18 to $20

8. DANCE: Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27 – Anna Sperber – The Superseded Third 8pm $15

9. ART/TECH: Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27 – Alchemy & Art – Part I. Features 3D prints from Lily Su and Heidi Lee In addition, there will be live demonstrations, including Kinect body scanning and 3D printing with Ultimaker and Up! desktop printers. Opening Fri 7 to 9pm. Sat 4pm to midnight including party. FREE

10. DANCE: Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27 – Comedy in Dance Festival. All shows at 8pm. $12 to $15.

11. DESIGN/CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP: Sat 4/27 – DIY Days is about the accessibility of ideas, resources and networking that can enable creators to fund, create, distribute and sustain. 9:15 to 6pm with Social Mixer from 6:15 to 8pm. FREE

12. MUSIC/FOOD/FUN: Sat 4/27 – F.O.R.T: CSAA’s interactive multi-tiered garden opens with all day music, food, and general merriment. 12 to 7pm at the Silent Barn. FREE

13. MUSIC: Sat 4/27 – The Losers Lounge perform selections from the Music Division’s historic Brill Building lead sheet collection, with commentary by division chief George Boziwick. at NYPL 7pm FREE

14. PARTICIPATORY/FUN: Sat 4/27 – Flux Factory’s Tween Dweam Social with YouTube Karaoke, Viva Bodyroll and dancing. 8pm $10 to $12.

15. PHOTOGRAPHY/WORKSHOP: Sun 4/28 – Pinhole Camera Workshop, Picnic & Bus Trip. $25 includes travel, film & loaner camera for the day, plus picnic. Sign up.

16. ART/PARTICIPATORY: Sun 4/28 – Photographer/Videographer Laurel Nakadate invites you to PS1 to confess, detail, and atone for shameful acts of the past publicly in the VWDome. 4 to 6pm. $10.

17. PERFORMANCE/FUN/MUSIC: Sun 4/28 – Sakura Matsuri, the annual cherry blossom festival offers over 60 events and performances that celebrate traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. Brooklyn Botanical Gardens 10am to 6pm. $15 to $20.

18. NEXT SUNDAY/MUSIC: Sun 5/5 – The National at PS1 performing their song “Sorrow” for 6 hours straight. Get tickets now: $15.

MORE…

FOOD/CRAFTS/FUN >> Sat 4/27 & Sats thru 10/26– Hester Street Fair kicks off their season. 10am to 6pm. FREE

ART >> All Weekend & till next April– Busted – the High Line’s latest commission. Figurative sculptures, celebratory portraits, and commemorative monuments installed on and around the High Line. FREE

ART >> Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27 and through June 22nd – Here and There. New work by Maya Lin exploring environmental issues at Pace 57th St. FREE

ART >> All Weekend – Fashion Center Space for Public Art, a vibrant series of public window displays which showcase the work of local artists. This month through May: the paintings of Diane Englander. 215 West 38th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue) FREE

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Categories Architecture, Art, Event, Film, Food, Fun, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Music, NYC, Photography, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

The Museum of Broken Relationships

25 Apr

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From wedding chapel to The Museum of Broken Relationships all in the same day! Yes, it’s true, there is a museum of said name and theme. Originally a traveling exhibition revolving around the concept of failed relationships and their ruins, the success of the exhibit encouraged its founders Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic to establish the Museum’s permanent collection within the baroque Kulmer Palace in Zagreb, Croatia. The concept is simple: the Museum offers a chance “to overcome an emotional collapse through creation” by contributing to its collection. Donors part with objects left behind at the end of love affairs such as shared belongings, mementos, and gifts. It’s not clear what actually compels them to donate—some may do it out of grief while others exhibitionism—but whatever their reasons, people seem to embrace the notion.

Though different in theme, the collection of odd and random objects in a museum setting reminds me of the Cortlandt Alley Museum as well as Claes Oldenberg’s Mouse Museum currently on exhibit at MoMA.

As previously mentioned, the museum also has a touring component and currently that collection can be seen at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Colorado through May 26th.

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Categories Art, Fun, Interaction Design, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

Wedding Chapel: DUS Architects

25 Apr

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The wedding chapel is part of Villa Escamp, a temporary city hall for the Escamp district in The Hague. The 6-meter long and 3-meter high dome, designed by DUS Architects in Amsterdam, was crocheted using two kilometers of flexible white ventilation tubes creating a peaceful atmosphere with soft acoustics and lighting. It can accommodate up to 50 people and, yes, people can actually marry there.

via thetreemag

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Categories Architecture, Fun, Interaction Design, Just Plain Cool, Stuff We Like

TOO by Blu Dot at Target

23 Apr

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Googling around for stools, I came across these surprising tableware collections at Target as part of the TOO by Blu Dot series (yeah, I have no idea how you go from stools to plates, but that’s what happened.) I can’t really say that I “like” the Duct Tape Collection, but I do think it’s pretty unique and would be curious to see what they look like in person. The Ruse Dinnerware plates are fun too with their drains in the center of each plate. There are also the Storyteller Dinner Plates which made me chuckle as well.

In fact, the whole TOO by Blu Dot line of furnishings is worth checking out. I especially like that sideboard, though we already have something vaguely similar. And now I see how I ended up on the collection’s page; there are stools there after all!

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Categories Food, Fun, Industrial Design, Pop Culture, Stuff We Like

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Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/17/13 to 5/19/13) Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/17/13 to 5/19/13) Walks, talks, music, art, architecture, theater, film,

2. MUSIC/FOOD: Fri 5/17 – Great GoogaMooga Kickoff Concert featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flaming Lips & The Darkness with 85 Food Makers, Brews and Wines. Prospect Park 4pm to 10pm. $54.50 (Not exactly cheap but ticket also includes admission to either Sat or Sun entry to the festival)

3. TALK/MUSIC: Fri 5/17 – An evening with Fab 5 Freddy. 7pm FREE

4. FILM: All weekend – 3rd Annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival $10 ($50 all-access pass)

5. THEATER: All weekend & through 6/3 – Colin Quinn’s Unconstituional, a unique comedic perspective on our national character. Use code BSTCQU for $35 tkts except Sat@8pm shows.

6. TALK/ART: Fri 5/17 – Suhail Malik presents the next installment of “On the Necessity of Art’s Exit from Contemporary Art. 7pm $5 at Artists Space Books & Talks

7. BOOKS/READINGS/FUN: Sat 5/18 – Lit Crawl NYC Brooklyn. A night of readings, sing-alongs, impromptu writing exercises, and games at various locations around Smith Street See schedule for locations and “phases” 5pm on. FREE.

8. DESIGN: All weekend & through 5/20 – Wanted Design in The Tunnel: a lively, interactive destination for the design industry and its devotees. $15 online $25 at door.

9. ARCHITECTURE/WALK: Sat 5/18 – Modern Architecture in the West Village and Meatpacking District. 10:30am to 12:30pm. $15 to $25.

10. ART/WALK/ARCHITECTURE: All weekend & through 7/20 – Carol Bove’s seven large-scale sculptures at the Rail Yards Section of the High Line, the third and final section. Advance reservations required for walks. FREE

11. PERFORMANCE/MUSIC/FOOD: All weekend – The 37th Annual Ukrainian Festival. Three days of festivities on East 7th Street plus over 18,000 pierogi! Starting Fri at 6:30pm. FREE

12. ART: All weekend & through 9/2 – EXPO 1: New York at MoMAPS1 with works/installations by Adrian Villar Rojas, Olafur Eliasson, Meg Webster and more. $10

13. MUSIC: Sat 5/18 – Earthman Experience: Haitian-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Richard “Earthman” Laurent presides over this nine-piece fun ensemble. Fela Kuti-inspired Afrobeat meets tribal house jams. 9pm at BAMCafe. FREE

14. ART/DESIGN/TECHNOLOGY: All weekend & through 5/24 – Parsons Festival 2013. Several impressive student exhibits on view in Media, Design, Art & more. 2 West 13th St. Mostly 12pm to 6:30pm but check hours for specific events. FREE

15. FILM: Sat 5/18 – Stan Brakhage at Anthology Film Archives. Six of Brakhage’s early films from 1950s. 3:45pm $10

16. ART/CRAFTS/MUSIC: Sun 5/29 – Pop Souk. A one-day pop-up marketplace that brings together DJs, drag queens and other downtown creative folk. Noon to 6pm at the Standard High Line Biergarten. FREE.

17. ART/DESIGN: Sun 5/19 through 5/26 – reMADE Pop-up gallery project featuring work of local artists and designers. Four shows will run two nights each throughout the week of May 19–26.

18. ARCHITECTURE/COMPETITION: All Weekend & through 6/13 – Van Alen Institute’s Ground/Work Competition Call for Portfolios: an international architecture competition seeking innovative designs for a new street-level venue to house Van Alen’s work space and public programs.

MORE… CONFERENCE: Fri 5/17 – Uncubed Meet Founders Learn Skills & Join one of NYC’s exciting StartUps plus a Party! 2pm to 7:30pm. $30

DESIGN: All weekend – Home in the Woods in Soho: featuring work by masters and progressive designers and artists with a Nordic connection. 12pm to 8pm, with daily “talks & delights” between 6pm & 7pm. FREE

ART: All weekend with cocktail party on Sat 5/18 from 9pm to 11:30pm – Gallery R’Pure presents “Off the Grid” featuring new pieces from Brooklyn based French born François Chambard and New York based Frederick McSwain

DESIGN: All weekend and through 5/21: ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) at the Javits Ctr. Open to Trade all weekend. FREE with registration.

MUSIC: All weekend – Look & Listen Festival. Vital new music presented by youthful virtuosos surrounded by contemporary art in a casual setting. FREE

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via junkculture via spoon & tamago

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Photos: Joe Holmes; rAndom International; and collabcubed

Free& Cheap things to do 5/10/13 to 5/12/13

Free & Cheap things to do in NYC this weekend (5/10/13 to 5/12/13). It’s an especially good weekend for fans of art and design…

1. DESIGN/ART: Fri 5/10 & Sat 5/11 – Collective Design Fair at Pier 57 – will present a cohesive, curated selection of contemporary design and historical pieces from galleries around the world. $25 Fri 11am to 9pm; Sat 11am to 5pm. Register in advance.

2. ART: All weekend & through 9/2 – Subliming Vessel: The Drawings of Matthew Barney $15. Also Fri 5/10 Film No Restraint by Barney at 7pm. Morgan Library. FREE Friday Evenings.

3. ART/DESIGN: All weekend – PULSE NY at the Metropolitan Pavilion. 11am to 8pm $20 to $25

4. MUSIC: Fri 5/10 & Sat 5/11 – Downtown Music Festival Full day passes between $25 and $45

5. DESIGN/ARCHITECTURE/TALKS/ART: All weekend & through 5/21 – NYCxDESIGN inaugural citywide event to showcase and promote design of all disciplines. Events will be staged across all five boroughs,from convention facilities and galleries to design schools and public parks. Most events FREE

6. ART: All weekend – NADA NYC: creatively reinventing the experience and presentation of art in a fair enviornment. at Basketball City at Pier 36 on the East River. See hours FREE.

7. FILM/COMEDY: Fri 5/10 –Kevin Geeks Out about Rip-Off Cinema. Comedy-variety show hosted by Kevin Maher. Vintage clips and videos, games and curiosities. 8pm $10

8. DESIGN/ART: All weekend – Brooklyn Designs annual exhibit of local designers work in furnishings, lighting, and accessories made or designed in Brooklyn. Fri open to Trade. Sat 10 to 7pm, Sun 11am to 6pm. $15 to $20.

9. DESIGN CONFERENCE: Sat 5/11 – Counter/Point: the 2013 D-Crit Conference. 12:30 to 7pm. at SVA theater. FREE with Registration

10. ARCHITECTURE WALK/TOUR: Sat 5/11 – AIA Roosevelt Island: 1970s “New Town In Town” to FDR Four Freedoms 11am to 1pm $15 to $25

11. ARCHITECTURE/TALK: Fri 5/10 – Diller Scofidio in conversation with Dimendberg Vidler and Polan about Lincoln Ctr., 6 to 8pm. FREE with RSVP

12. ART/PARTICIPATORY: Sun 5/12 through 7/28 – The very cool installation that doesn’t get you wet: The Rain Room opens at MoMA $25 admission. FREE Friday evenings and first 100 visitors on Tuesdays in May.

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All photos courtesy the architects and fandisk256’s flickr.

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Photos courtesy of Topotek 1 except image of fan courtesy designboom.

1. THEATER: Fri 5/3 and all weekend – Blondie of Arabia. Monica Hunken’s one-woman show on her odyssey biking through 3 countries in the Middle East weeks before the Arab Spring. A quirky comedy. Monica talks after the Fri 5/3 and 5/10 performances. 8pm. $25.

4. FILM: Fri 5/3 & Sat 5/4 – New York Indian Film Festival $15 See schedule.

6. MUSIC: All weekend & through 5/31– Red Bull Music Academy. An amazing amount of music events all around town ranging mostly from FREE to $20. Check events on their site.

7. WALK/ARCHITECTURE: Sat 5/4 – The Great Saunter. A 32 mile walk around Manhattan’s Shoreline.7am to 7pm $20

8. ART/VIDEO/LIGHT: Sat 5/4 – Nuit Blanche presents Change of State. Site-specific projection on the facade of the New Museum. And Mulberry Street Night Fest where the street is converted into a series of cool light, projection-mapping, and video installations. 8pm to midnight. FREE

10. ARCHITECTURE/WALK/TOUR: Sat 5/4 – Made in LIC: A Jane Jacobs Walking Tour of Long Island City 12pm at The Clock Tower. FREE

11. MUSIC: Sat 5/4 – Brooklyn Flea Record Fair at Smorgasburg 11am to 6pm. FREE

12. ARCHITECTURE/WALKING TOUR: Sat 5/4 – Hudson Yards: Design(in) The New Heart of NY. OHNY. Exhibit and architect-led tours. 10am to 3pm. Register. FREE.

13. MUSIC/ART/FUN: Sat 5/4 – Earth Day Rockaway: Free activities, live music by Il Collectivo, art-related booths, kite-making, recycling olympics and much more. 12 to 4pm. FREE

14. FUN/SPECTATOR: Sat 5/4 – Kentucky Derby watch sites

15. THEATER: All weekend & through 3/19 – The Pulitzer Prize winning play ‘Night, Mother by Marsha Norman. General Admission $18

16. MUSIC/DANCE/PARTY: Sun 5/5 – Cinco de Mayo with Body Language. Dance Party at Glasslands Gallery. 8:30pm. $10 to $12

17. MUSIC/ART/INSANITY: Sun 5/5 – The National perform their song “Sorrow” for 6 hours straight as part of Ragnar Kjartansson’ A Lot of Sorrow at PS1 in the VW Dome $15 Tkts

18. FOOD/DRINK/FIESTA: Sun 5/5 – Roberta’s Cinco de Mayo Celebration. Tacos, Cervezas. Tequila, music, pinatas! 2pm to 10pm

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Free& Cheap things to do

2. PARTICIPATORY ART/PHOTOGRAPHY: All weekend & through 5/10 – JR’s Inside Out Project Photo Booth in Times Square! (see post) FREE

3. DESIGN: Fri 4/26 – Bordo Bello NYC through July 2nd. A skateboard art show at the AIGA National gallery. FREE.

4. ART: All weekend & through 9/8: Orly Genger’s monumental installation of hand-knotted brightly colored nautical rope takes over Madison Square Park. Much cooler than the rendering on the site. FREE.

5. ART/PERFORMANCE/PARTICIPATORY/TOUR: Fri 4/26 – Concrete Escort I, II, III, IV at the Guggenheim. Ei Arakawa’s performance-based work. Axe-wielding man, participatory sprinting down the museum’s spiral walkway and other activities/performances. 6pm and 8pm. $20 to $25.

6. MUSIC: Fri 4/26 – Catch-Pop String-Strong: This duo come from Serbia and Kosovo, play viola and cello, often singing. they are both intense and full of humor. 6:30pm FREE w/RSVP

7. MUSIC: Fri 4/26 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr indie-pop duo at Music Hall of Williamsburg. 8pm $18 to $20

8. DANCE: Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27 – Anna Sperber – The Superseded Third 8pm $15

10. DANCE: Fri 4/26 & Sat 4/27 – Comedy in Dance Festival. All shows at 8pm. $12 to $15.

11. DESIGN/CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP: Sat 4/27 – DIY Days is about the accessibility of ideas, resources and networking that can enable creators to fund, create, distribute and sustain. 9:15 to 6pm with Social Mixer from 6:15 to 8pm. FREE

12. MUSIC/FOOD/FUN: Sat 4/27 – F.O.R.T: CSAA’s interactive multi-tiered garden opens with all day music, food, and general merriment. 12 to 7pm at the Silent Barn. FREE

13. MUSIC: Sat 4/27 – The Losers Lounge perform selections from the Music Division’s historic Brill Building lead sheet collection, with commentary by division chief George Boziwick. at NYPL 7pm FREE

14. PARTICIPATORY/FUN: Sat 4/27 – Flux Factory’s Tween Dweam Social with YouTube Karaoke, Viva Bodyroll and dancing. 8pm $10 to $12.

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/17/13 to 5/19/13)
Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (5/17/13 to 5/19/13) Walks, talks, music, art, architecture, theater, film,

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CONFERENCE: Fri 5/17 – Uncubed Meet Founders Learn Skills & Join one of NYC’s exciting StartUps plus a Party! 2pm to 7:30pm. $30