Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Cool Rain Action Figures






Coolrain is now offering up pre-orders for their new, handmade ‘Monsterz Crew’ figures, Andy and P-nix. Both Andy and P-nix are extremely limited to ten each, and like the rest of the 17 members of the Monsterz Crew, are decked out in urban Nike attire. Because of the handmade, branded nature of the articulated, large figures, they’ll cost $700 each.

Via: designboom.

The Vax77



The Vax77 is a foldable keyboard, it can be folded to half that will take up only 23.3" of space. It is small enough that you can place the front seat of car or fit into the overhead compartment of an airplane. It features include a 3.5-inch color LCD display, with MIDI in/out and USB 1.1 connections, four pedal input.

Price: $2,450 USD

Via: likecool.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A BATHING APE x DISNEY MINNIE MOUSE & DONALD DUCK PLUSH TOYS


A Bathing Ape is teaming up with Disney and using the characters Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck for their third series. Like the previous plush figures, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck will feature a subtle Bape camo.

via hypebeast.

LABOBRAIN AND LABOSHOP






French designer Mathieu Lehanneur has designed a shop and work space for Le Laboratoire in Paris, France.

The work space, called LaboBrain, consists of a concave screen for the user to scrawl ideas on while moving around it. A football-like seat allows for rest between frenzied bouts of creative thinking, while plants under a grid in the floor refresh the air.

The LaboShop sells objects conceived in the Laboratoire, but retracts into the ceiling at night to accommodate other activities in the space.

Via: dezeen.

Artists clawing back control from dealers

Artists clawing back control from dealers

Galleries shouldn’t automatically own the work that they produce, say Tyson and Turk

Louisa Buck | 15.12.08 | Issue 197

LONDON. Artists are taking an increasingly independent role in the management of their work, taking back some of the control from their dealers. Just a few years ago, when the art market was a less complicated place, the artist-dealer relationship was relatively straightforward. Only the extremely successful worked with more than one gallery and overall it was left to an artist’s dealer to handle the business side of things. But in today’s increasingly complex art scene, where many artists are represented by several galleries worldwide and where production costs can spiral, artists say that they are having to ensure they are at the centre of the decision-making process by employing independent agents or setting up their own companies.

Turner Prize-winning artist Keith Tyson, who is represented by galleries in London, New York, Berlin, Milan and Paris—“and that’s not counting the ones I have some other non-representational business interest with”—has employed Richard Wadhams of accountancy firm Hogbens Dunphy as his personal financial advisor and agent, with a remit to negotiate directly with the galleries on his behalf.

“I needed an independent person to distribute my work globally rather than having a centralised gallery which fed the other dealers,” explains Tyson. He describes galleries as being “like the studios of 1930s Hollywood—they all want complete control of their talent and don’t want to share them with someone else.”

Other artists who employ Mr Wadhams, who is a director of the company owned by Damien Hirst’s business manager Frank Dunphy, include Jake and Dinos Chapman, Rachel Whiteread and Tim Noble and Sue Webster.

However, Tyson is keen to stress that his relationship with Mr Wadhams is not as all-encompassing as that of Hirst and Mr Dunphy, and that many of his fellow artists use different aspects of the company’s services, from straightforward accounting and tax advice to a fuller package that Hogbens Dunphy describes as “Artist First Management”. “Damien’s model is very idiosyncratic: just because you take an agent does not mean that you want to do a big auction or that you are trying to shave a margin out of the galleries’ profits,” Tyson says.

For him, fabrication is a key factor. “The fact that I have a lot of initial expenses means that galleries are not just show spaces, but also production houses, and it made sense to have someone manage that situation, so that I can concentrate on being creative,” he says. “Galleries will promise you the world in terms of production costs but it comes at the price of complete control. There’s a conflict of interest in having the people who retail your work being the same people that help you with production because they will try and own it.”

The issue of production costs also prompted artist Gavin Turk to set up his own studio-company, Livestock Market, this year. This enables him to make his own work which is then consigned to his dealers in New York, Vienna, Paris and London. Turk echoes Tyson by believing that, “if you tie galleries into production costs then they feel they own the work, and certainly that they have an indefinite consignment period. The bottom line is that you need to be in the centre making the decisions with the gallery working for you, rather than vice-versa.”

Overall, whatever the production or representational circumstances of the artist, the predominant desire seems to be to have a greater control over the destiny of the work, but to leave the gallery to do the actual selling. “I’ve got no complaints about any of my galleries—each one is a very necessary channel,” says Tyson.

via artnewspaper.

Monday, December 29, 2008

INFINITE ENERGY: SIG



By Designers Hyun-Joong Kim & Kwang-Seok Jeong.

The dye solar cell is described by the designers of the SIG as “cheap organic dye [used with] nano technology [providing] cheap but high energy efficiency.” Inexpensive, light, and visible-ray penetrable, the lens turns sunlight into electrical energy.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Lanvin Leather Tennis Sneakers



Both are now available via Aloha Rag.

Source: Selectism

wooden shoes






French designer Paul Coudamy has created these wooden shoes for footwear brand K-Swiss.

Coudamy describes the project as a “temporal contraction in which the Swiss country shoe of 19th century is crossed with the urban shoe of the 20th century.”

The concept of Woodwalk is founded on a principle of distortion, a temporal contraction in which the Swiss country shoe of 19th century is crossed with the urban shoe of the 20th century and a space contraction.

Via: dezeen.

Alakazam! Boris Tee & Tales From The Green Fuzz Issue #3



Alakazam! brings you Tales From The Green Fuzz issue #3 “Guess who’s coming for dinner!”. About a hero sandwich and his battles with a gang of heinous manner. Also available is the Boris t-shirt in celebration of one of the newer characters. The shirt retails for 6,300 YEN.

The year 2008 in photographs


Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaiten volcano as seen from Chana, some 30 kms (19 miles) north of the volcano, as it began its first eruption in thousands of years, in southern Chile May 2, 2008. Cases of electrical storms breaking out directly above erupting volcanoes are well documented, although scientists differ on what causes them. Picture taken May 2, 2008. (REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez)

check out more here.

FRIENDS WITH YOU MIAMI





This past summer, the FriendsWithYou duo — Sam Borkson and Arturo “Tury” Sandoval III — participated in the Hexagone (A hex is gone) group art show in Miami curated by Jose Mertz. The FriendsWithYou playroom was filled with gigantic inflated buddies and called Wish World. Miami-born artist Bhakti Baxter created a fantastic mural for the space.

A FriendsWithYou Fun House was also part of the 944 Magazine’s Crime on Canvas surrealistic pop art show in July 2008 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

Via: thecoolhunter

Thursday, December 25, 2008

ho,ho, huh?



check out Sprint's young Chelsea, hip “sexy” Santa. Not only does he sport a cell phone, but he's now very, very creepy. Great job, Sprint!

KORG DS-10



Korg has teamed up with XSeed games to create a software synth for the Nintendo DS. Awesome!

Jen Stark


Jen creates intricate paper-sculptures. Watch this video to learn more about her work!

Pierre Hardy 2009 Spring/Summer Leather High Top




"Pierre Hardy’s seasonal collections have often yielded a diverse range of footwear ranging from more refined lace-ups and desert boots to a decent number of sneakers. Slated for a 2009 spring/summer release is this full leather high top sneaker with a white upper and off-white sole. Look for these to become available at Eliminator."

via hypebeast.

I love you Santa...










Designer: E. Kevin Schopfer


Oculus is the first “design launch” of Schöpfer Yachts LLC. This 250-foot vessel was designed by E. Kevin Schöpfer, founder and owner of his namesake company. Designed to accommodate 12 guests in extraordinary comfort and style, Oculus is a long distance cruising yacht capable of speeds upwards of 25 knots. The exterior styling is representative of the jaw and eye socket bone structure of large oceanic fish and mammals. Featuring a dramatic reverse bow configuration, the yacht’s armature balances an elegant expression of symmetry and structure. In addition to the bow, Oculus also features a “low rider profile”. This slightly lowered surface allows for new side recreational areas, alternate dockage access and light cruising openness.

Lateral retractable side panels close this area when heavier wave action is indicated. The interior features of Oculus focus on a 12 foot high ceiling in the main salon, a cylindrical double height dining room, central stair and elevator tube, and seemingly anatomical ceiling and floor lighting extensions giving definition to the seating areas. The second level is the dedicated Owner’s suite.
Living areas and bedchambers are divided by a series of four freestanding tubes, which house bath and storage necessities.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Resonate x Cause Saddle Shoes



"Japanese brands Resonate and Cause team up again, this time bringing you a new color version of the Saddle Shoes, in brown and black. Using a combination of leather, suede, medallion design for durability, with a Saul-rich and lightweight feel. Retail is 28,350 YEN. Available now at Honeyee Store."

via hypebeast.

El Diablo Resin


"This blue pants version will be one of the five El Diablo resin toys released in wave 1. Designed and hand painted by Robbie Busch, the figures are sculpted and produced by Eric Nocella Diaz of Argonaut Resins. The figure stands at 6" tall and comes with a removable skull accessory. More colorways and prices will be announced soon."

via plasticandplush.

PIXI "YELLOW SUBMARINE" FIGURES






French artist Pixi has created a series of figures for The Beatles’ "Yellow Submarine". These are hand-sculpted and individually painted.

Via: hypebeast.