SLASH: PAPER UNDER THE KNIFE @ THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

Last week, I was able to catch a show at The Museum of Arts and Design, called Slash: Paper Under The Knife. 52 artists were asked to participate, and their glorious cut-paper masterpieces are on display until April 4, 2010. Using techniques such as laser cutting, hand cutting, burning, tearing, layering, perforating, shredding (you get the idea), these artists were able to create pieces that speak to their individual worlds as well as humanity as a whole. With a material that was invented more that 5000 years ago, they prove to exhibition viewers that paper can create exciting, new and unexpected ideas.

The show is nothing short of EXHILARATING.

Top: Anne Karin-Furunes, Yang Li (From the Shanghai Series), 2006, Photo by Spencer Tsai

Middle: Andrea Dezsö, Living Inside, Tunnel Books 2009, Photo by Péter Hapák (This is one of a series of "books", where the artist creates multi-layered worlds, almost like dioramas. Check more out here.)

Bottom: Béatrice Coron, Heavens (detail), 2009 (Note: this is 1 of 2 pieces...the other one is named "Hells". The intricate nature of these huge pieces....is simply insane.)

Read more about the show here.

(Click to enlarge. You MUST see all of the details.)

SIDEWALK FINDINGS / 

WYCKOFF STREET EDITION

Ginormous flowers, swaying buildings, dancers, birds and countless patterns make up this mosaic facade of a building in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Everything is covered with a plastic bead, a button, a ceramic shard, a shell...

And when I say everything, I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. This includes the actual ground, inside the fence that separates it from the sidewalk. 

BTW, those two round mirrors above the window on the left? Those are from Ikea. I owned one way back when. It's great to see that the artist made good use of those ugly things!

The building is certainly a sight to see, especially on a dreary autumn day.

Susan Gardner started this project in 2001. I can only imagine what the inside looks like. 

See more of her work here.

VLADIMIR NABOKOV SPECIMEN BOX PROJECT

I have officially been hiding under a rock, recovering from consuming copious amounts of Thanksgiving treats over the last few days. Upon awaking from my food slumber yesterday, I picked up the latest copy of New York Magazine, and discovered the Nabokov Specimen Box Project.

John Gall, Art Director for Vintage and Anchor Books, commissioned twenty-one designers to redesign covers for Vladimir Nabokov's twenty-one books. Apparently, Nabokov was an avid butterfly collector, so in homage to this passion of his, all of the cover designs were created inside a specimen box (usually used by collectors to display insects, etc.). So, the designers had the challenge (slash luxury) of creating a sort of 3-dimensional diorama. 

The group of designers consisted of:  

Chip Kidd, Carol Carson, Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin, Megan Wilson and Duncan Hannah, Rodrigo Corral, Martin Venezky, Charles Wilkin, Helen Yentus and Jason Booher, Peter Mendelsund, Sam Potts, Dave Eggers, Paul Sahre, Stephen Doyle, Carin Goldberg, Michael Bierut, Barbara de Wilde, Marian Bantjes and John Gall, himself.

Above are some of my favorites.

King, Queen, Knave / Designed by Peter Mendelsund

Glory / Designed by Martin Venezky

Stories / Designed by Barbara de Wilde

Pnin / Designed by Carin Goldberg (who happens to be a former professor of mine)

The Eye / Designed by John Gall

In a Kindle world, it's very refreshing to see that the art of book design is still cherished.

Read more and see the additional covers here.

(detail)

WINNIE LUI

Jewelry designer, Lui, created this fabulous lighting fixture for design brand, Innermost. 

Snow-white teddy bears,

Deers with antlers,

Strings of pearls,

Baby shoes,

Pipe fixtures...

These are a few of my favorite things....

POSTER CHILD / NEW YORK SUNSETS

As a New Yorker, I can attest to the fact that it’s easy to get caught up in the bubble that is this city. It’s amazing what you can see if you just look up. Toronto-based street artist, Poster Child did, and by doing so, he was able to create something pretty cool.

Becoming a staple of a typical NYC street, LCD monitors showing advertisements, placed above subway entrances, have been popping up everywhere in the last couple of years. Poster Child tapes white paper with black silhouettes of NYC skylines to the advertisements. So, the glow from the monitors, through the filter of the paper, transforms into a beautiful sunset. The colors and shapes emitted from the screen create shifting skies, colorful clouds and a MUCH more interesting scene than what was previously there.

It’s funny how sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most thought-provoking and impactful.

Check out the video and read more about Poster Child here.

GRAFITAT 

(Alternate title: SUPER EXCITING NEWS!!)

I'm happy to announce that I will now be a contributing blogger for Grafitat, a collaborative based in Quito, Ecuador. Its mission is to "emphasize the value of creativity and design in Ecuador", and it does so by creating a forum for designers, artists and other creatives to exchange information and inspiration. Grafitat's contributors are based all over the world, from Barcelona to Switzerland to Australia and back to Ecuador. I will be their "eyes and ears" in New York.

Pretty cool, huh?!

Above images (link to Grafitat articles):

Top: Get Rid of White Walls Collective

Bottom: A mural by Maria Mercedes Crespo

Grafitat is VERY inspiring, and I'm very excited to be a part of it. They'll be posting my first article tomorrow, so make sure to check it out! They update weekly. 

Note: The site is bilingual. Switch from Spanish to English via the link in the upper right corner of the homepage. 

Enjoy!

Helmet made by Felippo Negroli (Milan, Italy), 1543

Made from one plate of steel. The mermaid that lays on her back is actually holding Medusa's head by her hair.

Helmet (Paris, France), 1555

One both sides are embossed battle scenes (Lapiths vs. Centaurs). Probably made for Henry II. 

Armor made by Drouar (Paris, France) 1712

Get this: This armor is said to have been made for the Infante Luis (the first Spanish-born Bourban heir to the Spanish throne) when he was 5 years old!! Can you imagine a 5-year-old holding this thing up? It must weigh a ton!

Helmet (Iran), late 15th century

A helmet shaped like a turban, this piece is made of iron and silver. It passed into Turkish possession as booty with the Ottoman conquest of Iran. It's so interesting – the difference between this helmet and the others. I love its shape and floral pattern (what a dainty detail for a helmet, don't you think??)

Spur (France or Spain), circa 1400

A sign of societal status, the golden spur distinguished riders from those of lesser rank. It's quite beautiful with its checkered pattern. 

MET / ARMS & ARMOR

My favorite part of the MET is their Arms and Armor section, and the funny thing is, I didn't even know that part of the permanent collection even existed until last year. When I did find it, it literally took my breath away. 

The level of detail, craftsmanship and perfection is out-of-this-world. Each piece, regardless of origin, is incredibly ornate. Impending death is like a regal summons...in the way that these warriors would dress themselves for battle. You can almost imaging the clanging and clinking as the rider mounts his horse. So immense and heavy, and yet incredibly elegant.

CHRISTOPHER MONRO DELORENZO

In the designer's own words, "Love is hell."

Shiza! Well, I do love the poster. 

Check out more of his work here.

IAN JOHNSON

BEAUTY = 

black and white geometric patterns + 

live in technicolor + 

negative space (ahh) + 

wood, wood, wood + 

multi-colored drippy drips

See more of Ian's work here.

IRON & WINE / 

THE SEA & THE RHYTHM

....

...SO pretty.

Iron & Wine is singer-songwriter Samuel Beam, and I have completely fallen for the cover design of this 2003 release.

It's so beautifully sensual, I just want to touch it. In a world of too-flashy and overly obvious album covers that are all trying to sell music in an industry that's slowly fading, the quietness and intimacy of this cover seems to speak the loudest.

By the way, those water stains are part of the design.

It was designed by Jesse LeDoux, who also does some VERY cool illustration that happens to be drastically different from the feeling that this cover exudes. 

Lastly, here's another favorite Iron & Wine cover.

NINA BRAUN

Lovesculpture, 2007

Wool, wadding, doll-eyes, cap, tape, button, wire, wood

I'm all tingly.

This HILARIOUS piece was created by German artist, Nina Braun. She creates plush sculptures, using wool and other fabric. The characters that she creates are laughable, and definitely attitudinal. 

Outside of her sculpting, she also is a graphic designer, skateboard artist (and skateboarder) AND is a painter. She also founded Germany's first female-owned and operated skateboard shop back in 1998.

Phew!

Check out these knit sneakers that she made! I'll take the Vision Street High-Tops please!

And see more of her work here.

RHIANNON ADAM

I believe most/all of these were shot on Polaroid ID-UV film. I absolutely LOVE their dreamy, misty, glowy quality.

It saddens me that the use of film is quickly becoming an outdated concept. Digital photography simply does not produce the same feel as film. 

Looking at these photos makes me want to dig out the old Polaroid that my mom has held on to for decades, that I always used to tease her about.

See more of the London-based photographer's work here.

DOODLES, POODLES

By Miriam Badyrka

Which one's your favorite? 

Mine is the almond-shaped one with the scalloped edges, at the bottom right corner. And the little lonely dog of course. 

TOKYO MILK

I'm a sucker for beautiful packaging. 

Chances are, if a product is packaged in a way that makes my heart skip a beat while I'm walking down the aisle in Duane Reade, I'm taking it home. No questions asked. 

On Friday, before ducking into Kif to meet a friend for dinner, I stopped at a small boutique next door. Inside, I met the most heart-wrenchingly stunning packaging for a perfume/soap line called Tokyo Milk (don't you love that name?). 

I mean, take a look for yourself! I adore that the gorgeous illustrations are printed on the backside of the label, so that it's visible once you turn the bottle around. The type is exquisitely set, the colors are elegant and girly, and I love that it still retains some edge (i.e. skull and bones, bees, etc). It's romantic and soft, but with a bit of a snarl.

The art was created by Denver-based Margot Elena Wells, a self-taught illustrator.

Sidenote: The holidays are coming up....(ahem...)