Category Archives: Stuff We Like

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Gabriele Basílico: Contact 1984

Click to enlarge

When I came upon the wall of these large blown-up images at the Armory Show here in NYC a couple of months back, it filled me with a silly happiness. Who hasn’t, as a child, wearing shorts in the summer, been fascinated by the different bumps or ridges left on their thighs after getting up from an extended sitting? I certainly was. So, a sort of nostalgia and instant smile overcame me when I observed these photos by Gabriele Basílico, an Italian photographer who according to his gallery’s web site, first shot these photos in 1979. He had been asked to participate in an exhibit entitled “Freedom limits/the object: faced interpretations” and thought to take an ironic approach that invited free interpretation. From the artist:

The opportunity to participate in such cultural and artistic event helped me to take aside the beauty and formality of the still life photographies and to conceived a project more symbolic, ironic and freedom to interpreted the matter.
Thinking through the images about the relationship between the object-chair and the human body it came to my mind the funny and grotesque image that the hard summer chairs left in the naked bodies of the swimmers. It is a real negative “by contact”. A provisional relief tattoo which is printed on the body aesthetically developing the original surface of the contact.

I had neglected to take down Basílico’s name when I saw this at the Armory and had since been looking for it online, so I was especially happy the other day when I happened upon it via La Lettre de la photographie.

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Ringset ONE

Ringset ONEI’m really not much of a ring person (it’s a small-hands-stubby-fingers thing), in fact Daniela is the big ring-wearer of the family. But, if I were to wear rings this Ringset ONE by the Dutch design studio, Bloomming, would be my style. I like the simple, elegant lines, as well as the interlocking aspect which, for a friendship/wedding ring, is not only clever but meaningful. They come in polished or brushed; silver, gold, or white gold.

Available here.

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Adrián Navarro

(Click images to enlarge)

Nice work from Adrián Navarro, presently based in London. His Fragment Series paintings (up top) seem to be his most recent, followed by the Ring Series, and then the Sphere Series.

His paintings describe implosions of colour trapped inside virtual volumes that float weightlessly in the pictorial space.  Navarro´s work explores the paradox between the physical confinement and the expansive freedom inherent to the organic painting, and by extension to the human being.

I’d love to see these live.

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TypeClock

I met Dong Yoon Park on a typography tour of Staten Island last fall. Yes, strange but true. On the tour I had briefly chatted with him and he had shown me, on his iPhone, some of the things he was working on at Parsons as a grad student and teacher in their department of Design & Technology. Later, I visited his website and was really impressed with the rest of his work as well. Today I checked his site to see what he was up to and, sure enough, there waiting, was this lovely app for typography lovers! So simple and beautiful. What could be better than having a blown up letter of your choice on the screen of your phone or iPad?

From the iTunes AppStore:

Are you a typography lover? If you love artistically subtle design elements of typefaces, this is for you. On your crystal clear iPhone screen, enjoy the crisp vector shapes of Serif, Apex and Terminals of gorgeous typefaces in large scale. You can set own character set, type size and transition speed.

TypeClock can be purchased here for $0.99 and you can see more information here and a video here.

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WASARA Disposable Tableware

I have had my eye on these plates for a couple of years now. Since first seeing them, I have considered ordering them online every time I’ve had a party, or group get-together, then backed away when realizing that the express shipping necessary due to my last minute ordering (not very good about planning ahead) would be hard to justify. Last week, however, on a lovely stroll to Noho here in NYC, I discovered that they sell them at The Future Perfect. Very exciting news for me. The plates are a little smaller than I imagined (though the measurements are accurate on the site) but just as beautiful.

Designed in Japan by Shinichiro Ogata, WASARA tableware is compostable and made from 100% tree-free renewable materials, so not only will your table look great, but it’s all very green, too.

Available online here.

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Diego Grandi: Buon Weekend

Diego Grandi’s Buon Weekend was another installation at Interni’s Mutant Architecture and Design show in Milan last month. The term ‘mutant’ here referring to flexibility, adaptability and mobility. Four large colored sheets wrapped around a tree create the centerpiece of the installation as a tent that welcomes relaxation and lingering. The floral-like plates create an artificial landscape and a new take on the picnic with dishes and silverware becoming part of the informal setting. It’s no suprise that Sambonet and Rosenthal (an Italian/German manufacturer of tabletop accessories) was the sponsor of the installation.

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James Clar: Art Futures

I just came across James Clar’s work. After reading this Dubai-based American artist’s bio, it seems that I’m a bit late to the party with exhibits at The New Museum, Chelsea Museum, Chanel Mobile Art Exhibit in Tokyo, and many more under his belt. I found every piece showcased on Traffic’s site  interesting. There’s a lot of play with light and technology, but also very powerful statements with strong anti-war and political criticism undertones, well, maybe not so “under”, maybe more in-your-face, in a good way. This from the site:

While his early work dealt with analyzing how technology and media work, a move to the Middle East in 2007 has seen his focus shift to how technology and media affect. As an American living in Dubai, his art work has progressed towards deeper conceptual themes. These include nationalism, globalism, and popular culture in the age of mass information, and often analyses the discrepancy in information between Western media and Middle Eastern media along with its effects on people.

Briefly, a few captions from some of these works:

Friendly Fire (2nd row, right): A small soldier sits on a rotating platform in a mirror box. His motion is nervous as he constantly spins trying to find a target while only aiming at himself.
The Difference Between Me and You (3rd row, right): Two TV screens face each other, one playing Fox News and the other Al Jazeera. In between them is a diffused piece of acrylic that takes the light from the two screens and mixes them together.
Pop Culture (bottom left): a gun that James Clar, an American, and Rami Farook, an Emirati, took to the desert, fired, and then cast in candy.

There are many more works with interesting captions here. It’s worth a look if you like the small sampling in this post.

James Clar will be exhibiting as a part of Art Futures at the Art HK11 in Hong Kong from May 26-29, 2011.

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Puff Buff Lamps

Puff Buff LampsI had to smile when I came across these Puff Buff lamps. So fun, and something I would have loved to have in my room as a teen to go with my yellow shag rug. They remind me of those inflatable chairs which, by the way, I had always envisioned on the aforementioned rug as well.

Made of PVC and inflatable, these lamps come in hanging, floor, table, and column variations. See them all here and some are available here.

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Ryoji Ikeda: The Transfinite (follow-up)

Ryoji Ikeda The Transfinite Park Ave ArmoryThe Transfinite Ryoji Ikeda Park Ave Armory(Click on the images to enlarge and check out our toes close up)

We had been eagerly awaiting this exhibit (see previous post) and headed uptown yesterday to check it out. The Transfinite, an interactive installation by Ryoji Ikeda (Japan’s leading electronic composer and visual artist),  is not only very cool, but surprisingly, an incredibly soothing experience. One would think that the test pattern visuals along with the loud electronic sounds and strobes might have the opposite effect but, at least for us, and seemingly, those around us, it was almost hypnotically relaxing. People were lying on the floor for long stretches completely entranced by the spectacle and immersed in the moment.

It is important to note that the show is made up of three parts: test pattern; data.tron; and data.scan. We almost missed the two data sections which were on the other side of the test pattern wall. Below are some short videos to get a sense of the show, but it definitely is more one of those you-had-to-be-there situations.




Just to clarify, Em and Dan’s chatter in that last clip is not part of Ikeda’s soundtrack… If you have sound issues with the video clips, try watching full-screen.


The Transfinite is at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC through June 11, 2011. The admission is a bit pricey at $12, but if you stay a while and take it all in, we think (though it would be more palatable at half the price) it’s still worth it.

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Colored Vinyl Comeback

Colored Vinyl RecordsAfter a little googling, I discovered that colored records go back to some of the first records ever issued. In fact, the first wax records were yellow; I remember being fascinated by one that my mother owned when I was a child. Later, some 78s that were printed in multicolor swirls or splashes such as this one from 1923.

In the past ten years or so we’ve witnessed a resurgence of vinyl records, many of these seen as collectibles and possibly a good way for a small band to get visibility. Whatever the reason, I, for one, am enjoying their comeback from a design standpoint. Some of these artistically abstract colored vinyl records, from Brain Stowell’s flickr stream, are quite beautiful. More here.

via Graphic Exchange

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Tiritas Malditas (Damned Band-Aids)

Damned Band-aidsDamned BandaidsIf you happen to be in Madrid and waiting for the light to change at a street corner, you might want to look up and check the closest traffic light for a Tirita Maldita (Damned Band-Aid). Popping up periodically around the Spanish capital are these, sometimes humorous/sometimes political, typed messages on band-aids; one could call them “band-aid tweets.” I like the concept, almost like having someone whisper in your ear at the light. And the thought of the artist inserting band-aids in an old typewriter to create these, well, it makes me smile.

I’ve translated them into English (in white type on the photos) for those who don’t speak Spanish. Click on the images to see larger.

More Tiritas Malditas (in Spanish) here.

via escrito en la pared

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NRM Project: New Role Models

When Dan and I entered the ICFF satellite show, Model Citizens, in Chelsea last Saturday, we were greeted by a row of colorfully designed miniature seats. The NRM Project (New Role Models), of which these seats are a part of, is a movement by Mike Seto and David Kim of Click Boom Pow to “empower initiative”. The chairs have been distributed around Manhattan and Brooklyn without permission. The prints on them were donated by a variety of artists and designers including Milton Glaser and DALVA. The idea is to inspire good design as well as giving New Yorkers a place to sit, relax, and enjoy the art.

See more images of the chairs at their site.

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Ablaze-sentimento (s)travolgente

Ingo Maurer_Ablaze_Sentiment(s)travolgenteArchitetturaMutante_InterniLast month in Milan, as part of the Architettura Mutante exhibit by Interni magazine, lighting designer Ingo Maurer along with Axel Schmid created the fiery installation: ablaze – sentimento (s)travolgente (with the ‘s’ it means ‘contorted/twisted emotion’; without the ‘s’ it’s ‘overwhelming emotion’.)

Fire elicits extreme emotions, ranging from fear to amazement at its beauty and power. Here, the distorted house, stabilized by a rope, is lit up inside in an intense red with a floating pendulum slowly moving over a glowing green opening in the floor. The interior contrasts dramatically with the black, rough exterior. Click on images for better view.

You can see it in action in the video below:

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Andy Warhol-Themed Objects

In honor of the recent unveiling of the Andy Monument in Union Square, NYC, (and of Em’s return home later this week) here are a selection of fun Andy Warhol themed objects. Oh, and you can sing along to Stereo Total’s Andy Warhol, (soundtrack here to some Andy footage) while perusing the items.

Row by row, from left to right:
Andy Warhol dress with synthetic hair by Jean Charles de Castelbajac; Andy Warhol 1960s Flower Plates; Tin Box Banana Sweets; Campbell Soup Can Shoes; Warhol Soup Can Magnets; Marilyn Gold Box with Chocolate Pearls; The Souper Paper Dress; Campbell Soup Lights; Lips Appetizer Set; Cow Box with Hazelnut Chocolates; Marilyn Mousepad
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Rob Southcott

Rob Southcott What Lies Beneath TableBased in Toronto, Rob Southcott is an industrial designer who “creates common objects with their own unique sense of individuality.” To that, I would have to add “and humor.” There is a lot of humor in his work, which only increases its appeal.

From top to bottom, left to right:
What Lies Beneath Table; United We Stand Chairs; Jet Set Paper Airplane Hooks; Correlation Chandelier; Community (drawers); Down with the Ship Candlestick; Totem Cups

See more at Rob’s site.

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RIT Metaproject 01 at ICFF

Metaproject01 furniture design competition RIT and WilsonartContinuing with the impressive student work at ICFF, RIT’s “booth” stood out through and through. Wilsonart International (a manufacturer of laminate surfacing materials) teamed up with RIT to create a student competition called Metaproject 01. Twenty senior industrial design students were given the task of designing seating prototypes using the Wilsonart laminate. The palate was limited to the use of black, white and red laminate colors in order to focus attention on the design. Further requirements included:
– The product must be well crafted and bear substantial weight.
– The product must be recognizable as a seating device. The product must function as a seating device.
– The product must incorporate an image of the Wilsonart laminate sample chip.

The $1,000 scholarship prize was awarded to Dan Fritz for his chair The Trance (top). There were 5 runners up who had their pieces displayed at ICFF, but the other 14 projects not exhibited were included in the beautifully designed catalogue that were being distributed by the students who were also enthusiastic and eager to show and explain their designs.

Daniela and I would have had a tough time deciding who to pick as a winner; good thing they didn’t ask us to be judges. Other projects shown here include: The Cooler Bench by Andy Clark; The Nodule by Francesca Pezze; The Reader by Megan Searle; and The Encounter by Tim Kuo.