Category Archives: Stuff We Like

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The Museum of Broken Relationships

The Museum of Broken Relationships, Croatia, Zagreb, Objects left behind and donated at the end of love affairs, shared belongings, mementos, gifts. Odd Museums. Travel destination
Museum of Broken Relationships, Croatia, Handcuffs
The Museum of Broken Relationships, Croatia, Zagreb, Objects left behind and donated at the end of love affairs, shared belongings, mementos, gifts. Odd Museums. Travel destinationThe Museum of Broken Relationships, Croatia, Zagreb, Objects left behind and donated at the end of love affairs, shared belongings, mementos, gifts. Odd Museums. Travel destinationClick to enlarge

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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Wedding Chapel: DUS Architects

Wedding Chapel Villa Escamp by Dus Architects, 2kms ventilation tubes crocheted together to create a dome in the NetherlandsWedding Chapel Villa Escamp by Dus Architects, 2kms ventilation tubes crocheted together to create a dome in the NetherlandsWedding Chapel Villa Escamp by Dus Architects, 2kms ventilation tubes crocheted together to create a dome in the NetherlandsClick to enlarge

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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Jim Hake: Crystal

Sculpture made with upcycled cds, Jim Hake, The Crystals, doo-wop singer sculpture made with welded cds, cool artSculpture made with upcycled cds, Jim Hake, The Crystals, doo-wop singer sculpture made with welded cds, cool artSculpture made with upcycled cds, Jim Hake, The Crystals, doo-wop singer sculpture made with welded cds, cool artClick to enlarge

Toronto-based artist Jim Hake (previously here) has completed his first piece in a series made using upcycled CDs. Music has always been very important to Hake and now he’s bringing it into his work by welding pieces of CDs together, in this case honoring the forgotten musical idols of the ’60s that he grew up with. As he tells it to Weld Art Collective:

This is the first piece in the series and it’s based on a conglomeration of features and hairstyles from the band The Crystals. In terms of the portraiture, I wanted it to be more about the glorification of that particular moment and also taking the idea of the ‘60s female, black doo-wop singer and portraying her in a classical pose in a very positive and glorified way […]”

The prismatic quality gives it a bit of a disco ball look which adds yet another dimension to the music theme. If you’re in Toronto, you can see Jim Hake’s Crystal at the Lonsdale Gallery through May 12th.

Photos courtesy of Jim Hake
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Sun K. Kwak: Painting with Tape

Sun K. Kwak, Korean art, contemporary installation using tape, drawing with tape, 280 Hours, cool artSun K. Kwak, Korean art, contemporary installation using tape, drawing with tape, 280 Hours, cool artSun K. Kwak, Korean art, contemporary installation using tape, drawing with tape, 280 Hours, cool artSun K. Kwak, Korean art, contemporary installation using tape, drawing with tape, 280 Hours, cool artClick to enlarge

These are pretty spectacular. New York-based Korean artist Sun K. Kwak creates installations—or as she prefers to refer to them: three-dimensional sculptural drawings—using black masking tape and spontaneously drawing with it, which freely shifts between two and three dimensional planes. There’s an incredible energy and fluidity to these. It’s hard to understand how she achieves such painterly strokes by tearing away the tape from the surface. In 2009 Kwak had a site-specific installation at the Brooklyn Museum titled Enfolding 280 Hours referring in part to the number of hours spent on the project. The sprawling freehand drawings wove over the surfaces of the architectural spaces to dramatic affect. Wish I had seen it live.

You can see Sun K. Kwak in her process as well as hear her speak about her work in the video below:

Photos: courtesy of the artist; artpulse; and Brooklyn Museum
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TOO by Blu Dot at Target

Too BluDot Duct Tape Plates and Ruse Plates (drain plates), funky plates at Target by Blu Dot.Too BluDot Duct Tape Plates and Ruse Plates (drain plates), funky plates at Target by Blu Dot. TOO-by-BluDot_Duct-Tape-collection_Click to enlarge

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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Frank Tjepkema: Il Treno

Frank Tjepkema, Dutch Industrial Design, Il Treno banquette, dining table, Fabbrica Restaurant Bergen Norway, Fun tableFrank Tjepkema, Dutch Industrial Design, Il Treno banquette, dining table, Fabbrica Restaurant Bergen Norway, Fun tableFrank Tjepkema, Dutch Industrial Design, Il Treno banquette, dining table, Fabbrica Restaurant Bergen Norway, Fun tableClick to enlarge

Not since the banquettes at Brasserie have I seen such a contemporary twist on the traditional booth. Originally designed as a fixed booth for the Fabbrica Restaurant in Bergen, Norway, Dutch designer Frank Tjepkema and his Studio Tjep have now come out with a variation for the at-home diner who wants to be transported. The wood and steel all-in-one piece called Il Treno, features two facing banquettes with hollow backs that can store all your tableware, or anything else you’d like to put in there. The piece suggests travel and promotes intimacy and romance. Fun.

via dwell

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NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 4/19

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/19/13 to 4/21/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekend

Free& Cheap things to do
Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (4/19/13 to 4/21/13) in art, music, film, performance, architecture, photography, and more. Fun and interesting events all weekend long. Click through on images above for official event pages with more info or in the descriptions below.
1. MUSIC: All weekend – New York City Opera Moses in Egypt & La Perichole. $25 and up
2. ART/MUSIC:  Fri 4/19 and Sat 4/20 through 5/25 – Running to Stand Still.  New works by Ken Solomon of 100 iPhone size watercolor paintings that form a close-up listen of one man’s self-deprecating portrait of white American man transitioning from vibrant, curious youth to mid-life. At Josee Bienvenu Gallery. 10am to 6pm. FREE
3. THEATER:  All weekend  – Mayday Mayday: A True Story by the Man Who Fell . “Laugh out loud funny and tear-inducingly moving.” 8pm.  3pm on Sunday.$25 to $35.
4. POETRY/PERFORMANCE:  Fri 4/19  – Strand Poetry Slam. 7 to 8pm $15.
5. MUSIC:  Fri 4/19 & Sat 4/20:  The Losers Lounge tribute to Elvis Costello. $25
6. FILM: All weekend and through 4/28 – Tribeca Film Festival. See schedule $8 to $16
7. READINGS/LECTURES: Fri 4/19 & Sat 4/20 – Shakespeare Week readings, lectures and poetry in the South Court Auditorium in  the NY Public Library. 1:15pm. See schedule
8. ART/TECH: Sat 4/20 & through 5/4 – A. Bill Miller’s Gridworks: 12 to 5pm FREE
9. THEATER/MULTIMEDIA/PERFORMANCE:  Sat 4/20 & Sun 4/21 – The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer. A multimedia, one-man, micro-epic puppet show. “Akin to a theatrical Wall-E.” See showtimes. $30.
10. FILM/TALK:  Sat 4/20 – Hear the filmmakers of “The Pretty One” discuss their drama about a woman’s decision to assume her twin’s identity. 3pm Soho Apple Store. FREE
11. MUSIC:  Sat 4/20 – 7th Annual Record Store Day – venture into the doorway of your favorite local record shop this coming Saturday, for this year’s exclusive releases not available via download. Here are some releases and here is a map with events. FREE
12. PHOTOGRAPHY/MUSIC: All weekend – Madonna: Retrospective of never before seen photos at W Times Square. FREE
13. RIDE/MEMORIAL: Sun 4/21: 8th Annual Memorial Ride to remember pedestrians & cyclists killed in NYC over the past year. 12pm. See ride schedules. FREE.
14. ART/LITERATURE:   Sun 4/21 – Brooklyn Zine Fest. Flip through zines from more than 80 writers and artist. 11am to 6pm. FREE
15. ARCHITECTURE: All weekend & through 7/14 – The Woolworth Building@100 at the Skyscraper Museum. 12 to 6pm. $5.
MORE…
ART >> Fri 4/19 –Claes Oldenburg: The Street and The Store 
Claes Oldenburg: Mouse Museum/Ray Gun Wing. FREE Fridays from 4 to 8pm at MoMA.
ART/TECH >> Sat 4/20 – Rhizome Seven on Seven Conference pairs seven leading artists with seven technologists in teams of two challenging them to develop something new. 12 to 8pm. $39.50
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ECOntainer: Yoav Messer Architects

ECOntainer a pedestrian bridge being built in Ariel Sharon Park, israel, Yoav Messer ArchitectsECOntainer a pedestrian bridge being built in Ariel Sharon Park, israel, Yoav Messer ArchitectsECOntainer a pedestrian bridge being built in Ariel Sharon Park, israel, Yoav Messer ArchitectsClick to enlarge

We’ve seen plenty of structures, from museums to apartment buildings, houses, shops and more made by repurposing shipping containers, but a pedestrian bridge? That’s just what Israeli studio Yoav Messer Architects proposed with their ECOntainer design for the Ariel Sharon Park, a nature preserve that supports the environment and sustainability in the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Sounds like a perfect fit, consequently construction on the bridge will start shortly. The design includes a cantilevered lookout point and both covered and uncovered sections that allow for air flow and shading, plus a roof boardwalk.

Photos courtesy Yoav Messer Architects

via SpotCoolStuff & Designboom

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Wellington Writers Walk

Wellington Writers Walk is a typography filled waterfront park in New Zealand, Catherine Griffiths and Fiona ChristellerWellington Writers Walk is a typography filled waterfront park in New Zealand, Catherine Griffiths and Fiona ChristellerWellington Writers Walk is a typography filled waterfront park in New Zealand, Catherine Griffiths and Fiona ChristellerTypography in architecture, Fiona Christeller, Wellington Writers WalkClick to enlarge

Though built about ten years ago, I don’t think I’ve ever come across the type-filled Wellington Writers Walk before. A project of the New Zealand Society of Authors, the waterfront park is full of bold concrete plaques and more subtle “benchmarks” emblazoned with 19 quotations from some of New Zealand’s best known writers, both past and present. The plaques have been designed by renowned typographer Catherine Griffiths and the benchmarks (some actual seats) by Wellington architect Fiona Christeller. Pretty impressive architypeture.

Photos courtesy Wellington Writers Walk; Catherine Griffiths; Bruce Connew; and Jason Busch.

via LetterScapes by Anna Saccani

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JR’s Inside Out Project in Times Square

JR, street art, Inside Out Project Truck in Times Square, Public Art, Participatory Art, Black and White Self PortraitsJR, street art, Inside Out Project Truck in Times Square, Public Art, Participatory Art, Black and White Self PortraitsJR, street art, Inside Out Project Truck in Times Square, Public Art, Participatory Art, Black and White Self PortraitsClick to enlarge

Well this should be fun. French street artist JR (previously here and here) is bringing his large-scale participatory Inside Out Project to NYC starting next week. People are invited to take their self-portraits in a specially designed photo booth stationed in Times Square. Some of the black and white instantly-printed 3′ x 4′ posters will be displayed in Times Square but each portrait-taker is encouraged to take their poster back to display publicly in their home community.  The photo booth truck will be making early visits to the four other boroughs as well, with the initial portraits featuring community members from NYC Hurricane Sandy-affected areas.

Inside Out New York City coincides with the world premiere of the documentary film Inside Out: The People’s Art Project on April 20th as part of the Tribeca Film Festival, and will later have its television debut on HBO on May 20th.

I would imagine there will be lines, so you might want to pick a weekday to head over to the photo booth truck, but based on our own personal experience with the Inside Out Project, I highly recommend participating one way or another.

Inside Out New York City will run from April 22 to May 10, 2013 in Times Square.

Photos courtesy Times Square Alliance; Inside Out Project; Inside Out NYC’s facebook page; and collabcubed.
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CellBag: Le Laboratoire

Cellbag by Mathieu Lehanneur & David Edwards, La Laboratoire, industrial design, canteen, Cellbag by Mathieu Lehanneur & David Edwards, La Laboratoire, industrial design, canteen, water storageCellbag by Mathieu Lehanneur & David Edwards, La Laboratoire, industrial design, canteen, water storageClick to enlarge

Not only is this a fun-looking bag, but it’s an innovative approach to water transport and profits from its sales go towards funding a humanitarian initiative in South Africa to provide sanitary water transportation solutions. The CellBag is the brainchild of industrial designer Mathieu Lehanneur (previously here) and David Edwards (and his students) who came up with a concept for water transportation at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute. Inspired by the way in which biological cells transport water and nutrients, the CellBag divides into two parts: a rounded zippered pouch for snacks or lunch and an accordian-style bottle that holds up to a liter of water. These tubes can be strung together for larger quantities of water and can carry several days’ worth of liquid.

The bags were originally only available to the Moretele community in South Africa but now are sold in four different colors at the Paris-based Lab Store. I would definitely consider one of these as an alternative to a canteen or water bottle, but I’m not really buying the guy biking with the huge water hose at the end of the video below.

via anonymousd

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Kambiz Sabri: To the Best of My Memory

Kambiz Sabri, Contemporary Iranian Art, Sculpture, Fiberglass sculpture, pillows, tvsKambiz Sabri, Contemporary Iranian Art, Sculpture, Fiberglass sculpture, pillows, tvsKambiz Sabri, Contemporary Iranian Art, Sculpture, Fiberglass sculpture, pillows, tvsClick to enlarge

Iranian sculptor Kambiz Sabri started as a painter in his youth, but later was encouraged to study and work in architecture. From there he rediscovered his artistic talents and studied sculpture, graphics and industrial design. It seems that all of these areas of study have been combined in his sculpture, with its object-based quality and architectural elements, as well as its bold graphic style. His ‘Dive’ series with people plunged head-first into different color televisions is what first caught my eye and makes for a great image, whether two-dimensional or three. You can see more of Sabri’s art on his site.

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NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 4/12

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekend

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekend

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekend

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekendFree and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend 4/12/13 to 4/14/13, Cool things to do in NYC this weekend

Free& Cheap things to do
Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (4/12/13 to 4/14/13) from art exhibits, to music, multiple literature-related events, a Gif festival, theater, dance, talks and food! Fun and interesting events all weekend long. Click through on images above for official event pages with more info or in the descriptions below.
1. FOOD: Fri 4/12 Artisanal’s 3rd Annual Grilled Cheese Contest on National Grilled Cheese Day (who knew?) Taste and cast your vote. 3 to 5pm. $15. Tickets here.
2. MUSIC/ART:  All Weekend – 3rd Annual Brain-Cave Festival featuring more than 30 of Brooklyn’s most versatile underground and indie artists and musicians. $12 to $40. Tkts here
3. MUSIC:  Fri 4/12  –The Crystal Ark play their electronic dance music live. 7pm. FREE
4. ART/COMICS: Fri 4/12 and Sat 4/13 & through 5/11 – The Art of Harvey Kurtzman, cartoonist, writer, and founding editor and creator of MAD magazine. One of the most important figures in comic art. At the Society of Illustrators. 12pm to 5pm FREE
5. MUSIC:  Fri 4/12  – Stereo Total (love these guys!) witty alternative/indie/pop based in Berlin but drawing from musical influences across Europe. 7pm Doors $18
6. LITERATURE/TALK: Fri 4/12  – Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz talks with the New Yorker’s Hilton Als. 7pm. Purchase of his latest book or $20 gift card.
7. ART/OPENING: Fri 4/12 – Opening reception of Richard Hughes exhibit at Anton Kern where the artist turns the the gallery into a stage for a dance performed by lamp posts, walls, and statues. Fri 6 to 8pm and through 5/18 10am to 6pm. FREE.
8. ART/TECH: All Weekend – Moving the Still: A GIF Festival, every 15 minutes on the hour on the BAM sign at Lafayette and Flatbush Aves, SE corner. Through 6/30. FREE.
9. THEATER:  Fri 4/12 & Sat 4/13 – Exile by Nastaran Ahmadi An Iranian-American video game tester develops a game set in a post-nuclear-apocalypse Iran, even as her own relationship becomes a fallout zone.  7pm and also 3pm Sat, $19
10. ART:  Fri 4/12 & Sat 4/13 – Pratt MFA Open Studios – over 100 artists presented in all mediums.  Fri 5 to 9pm, Sat 12 to 6pm. FREE
11. DANCE: Fri 4/12 & Sat 4/13 – A House Made of Salt: Miriam Wolf’s evening length work is a dance for two performers dealing with some of the most fundamental rules that govern us as humans. $10 to $15
12. TRIBUTE/PERFORMANCE ART:  Fri 4/12 & Sat 4/13 – Avant-Gard-A-Rama: New Moon. A tribute to the late downtown mentor performance artist Tom Murrin. Hosts Dynasty Handbag and Jonathan Ames with Elevator Repair Service and many more. 8pm $15
13. ART: Sat 4/13 & Sun 4/14 –Black Power: featuring works by Ron Wimberly, Coby Kennedy, and Jorden Haley. 12pm to 5pm at Superchief Gallery at Culturefix. FREE.
14. TALK/PERFORMANCE/MUSIC:  Sat 4/13 – Ask Isaac: Isaac Mizrahi answers questions and murders some tunes with the Ben Waltzer Quintet. 7:30pm at the Laurie Beechman Theater $30 tickets.
15. READINGS/PARTY: Sun 4/14 – Inaugural Downtown Literary Festival. Daylong celebration of literary culture of NYC, readings, snacks and afte-party at Pravda with Russian Lit-themed cocktails. 10am to after 7pm.
16. ART/MUSIC/PERFORMANCE:  Sun 4/14 – Sister Spit: a literary performance cabaret featuring novelists, magic marker artists, poets, performance artists and more from the queer, feminist, POC underground. 3pm $10 to $12.
17. MUSIC: Sun 4/14 – Vensaire/The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!/Zula/MyBody. 8 to 11:45pm at the Silent Barn in Bushwick $7
18. ART/TECH: Next Sat 4/20 – Get tickets for Seven on Seven Conference. 12 to 6pm. 7 leading artists are paired with 7 game-changing technologists and challenged to develop something new over the course of the day. $39.50

MORE…

MUSIC >> Sat 4/13 – Project Bone Machine: an exciting bill of great bands perform Tom Waits’ 1992 album Bone Machine in tracklist order. Bushwick. 10pm $5.

FILM >> Sun 4/14 – Subway Series Films: Tunnel Stories & Spraymasters. Two films, one short, the other long, focus on the artists, taggers, and vandals, who make their mark underground in tunnels and on trains. 7:30pm. Suggested donation $9.

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The Rodnik Band: Pop Art Dresses

Pop Art dresses, crazy fun fashion, The Rodnik Band by Philip ColbertPop Art dresses, crazy fun fashion, The Rodnik Band by Philip ColbertPop Art dresses, crazy fun fashion, The Rodnik Band by Philip ColbertClick to enlarge.

Em came across these very fun dresses—verging on costumes—by London-based designer Philip Colbert who calls his label The Rodnik Band. Inspired by art and driven by a strong sense of fun, Colbert’s designs “walk the humourous line between fashion and art.” The Rodnik Band Label is presented as an ironic pop band, where Colbert writes songs based on each collection that are performed at the runway shows. Colbert’s world is a wacky one that aims to reinvent the way people look at fashion. I’d say it’s working.

via wendybrandes

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Andrew Baines: Doorways to Potential

ADELAIDE, SA - DECEMBER 13: Red doors stand on the beach before being used in an installation by surrealist artist, Andrew Baines at Henley Beach on December 13, 2012 in Adelaide, Australia. The installation was called 'Doorways To Potential'. (Photo by Morne De Klerk/Getty Images)Doorways to Potential by Andrew Baines. Surreal live installation/performance in AustraliaDoorways to Potential by Andrew Baines. Surreal live installation/performance in AustraliaDoorways to Potential by Andrew Baines. Surreal live installation/performance in AustraliaClick to enlarge

Last December, Australian artist Andrew Baines (previously here) was up to his surreal shenanigans again. This time his bowler-topped volunteers strolled around and stood in front of 15 crimson red doors illuminated by the early morning sun across Australia’s Henley Beach shoreline. The performance/installation was aptly titled Doorways to Potential and included suited volunteers the likes of politician Alexander Downer, Iconic TV personality Jane Doyle plus numerous luminaries from varied fields.

The event symbolically highlighted the work of international charity Common Ground, based in New York (and now flourishing throughout Australia) that takes the homeless off the streets, sets them up in a unit and then assists them to achieve their professional goals.

Here’s a fun timelapse video of the event:

Photos by Morne De Klerk/Getty Images and Mark Brake.
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cartonLAB: Venn Diagram

CartonLab, Venn Diagram exhibit at MAG, Mustang Art Gallery, Alicante, Spain. Giant Carboard robotsCartonLab, Venn Diagram exhibit at MAG, Mustang Art Gallery, Alicante, Spain. Giant Carboard robotsCartonLab, Venn Diagram exhibit at MAG, Mustang Art Gallery, Alicante, Spain. Giant Carboard robotsClick to enlarge

The latest from the folks at cartonLAB (previously here, here, & here) is their one-third of the Mustang Gallery’s three-part exhibit installation Diagrama de Venn (Venn Diagram)—in Alicante, Spain—which consists of a cumulative and collaborative process between three groups of artists: cartonLAB, street artist Rosh, and Erre Gálvez. Each artist will take their turn inhabiting the gallery space with a work that intervenes, interacts, and adds to, the previous artist’s installation, each in their own unique style. In addition, for each installation, the public was (and will be) enlisted to help with the production and installation aspects.

cartonLAB, along with the help of graphic and package design students, among others, made giant cardboard box people, climbing the gallery walls, lying on the gallery floor, as well as sitting and flying through the space. You can see in the bottom two photos Rosh’s work that followed; spray-painting some of the boxes and reconfiguring them into piles and graffitied walls. We’ll have to wait and see what Erre Gálvez will come up with toward the end of the month with his typographic(?) take.

I really like the collaborative concept behind Diagrama Venn. It’s got a bit of a Layer Tennis feel, only in 3D.

Photos courtesy of cartonLAB and mag’s facebook
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Swissted: Mike Joyce

Swissted, Mike Joyce, Graphic Design, typography,Redesigning old punk, hardcore, and indie rock show flyers into Swiss modern postersSwissted, Mike Joyce, Graphic Design, typography,Redesigning old punk, hardcore, and indie rock show flyers into Swiss modern postersSwissted, Mike Joyce, Graphic Design, typography,Redesigning old punk, hardcore, and indie rock show flyers into Swiss modern postersClick to enlarge

These are fabulous! Swissted is an ongoing project by NYC-based graphic designer Mike Joyce who owns Stereotype Design. Joyce has combined his love of music and Swiss modernism in this series of redesigned vintage punk, hardcore, new wave, and indie rock show flyers that delightfully play with type and color in the style of vintage Swiss posters from the 1950s and 60s emphasizing cleanliness and readability. One would think that the mix wouldn’t necessarily work, but as is evident above and in Mike Joyce’s recently released book of the same name, Swissted blends beautifully. Here’s Joyce’s thinking as told to mentalfloss:

“Punk has an anti-establishment ethos and Swiss modernism is very structured. But at the same time there’s a common thread between the two—the Swiss modernists purged extraneous decoration to create clear communication, while punk rock took on self-indulgent rock and roll and stripped it to its core. So I thought it would be an interesting study to combine the two and see what happened.”

There are many more to see over on the Swissted site…I had a very hard time limiting myself to the ones above.

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SEAT: E/B Office

SEAT a chair installation by E/B Office SEAT_e-b-office_collabcubedSEAT a chair installation by E/B OfficeClick to enlarge

SEAT is an installation by NYC-based E/B Office (previously here). Composed of approximately 300 simple wooden chairs arrayed and stacked in a sine wave surface drawn into an agitated vortex rising from the ground, chairs are transformed from detached useable objects into structural and spatial components of an ambiguously occupiable edifice. It’s intended to be legible as a collection of individual seats, but when approached, visitors realize that sitting down in any one of them amounts to a deliberate act of occupation; a temporary social contract to redefine their perception of sitting embodied as architecture. Chairs around the immediate periphery are rotated for outward observation of the city and the surrounding neighborhood. At the base of the vortex, chairs turn inward to create an intimate, compressive space for visitors to converse and regard the upward flow of chairs transcending their function. Chairs suspended above ground between these zones re-constitute the role of the seated object as one that can also play as structure, decoration, and enclosure.

The chairs are additively assembled through a modified “corbelling” process achieved by sequentially attaching chairs beginning at the edges and corners working towards the center. The chairs are resiliently connected to each other via simple lag bolts, clamps, and screws that are hidden from view. Nice!