Omer Fast at Postmasters Gallery through February 13 and Whitney Museum of American Art through February 14, 2010

Omer Fast’s Nostalgia III, 2009 – production still super 16mm film transferred to HD video running time: 32:48 minutes via Whitney Museum of American Art

Now on view at Postmasters Gallery and Whitney Museum of American Art are concurrent exhibitions by the iconoclastic video artist Omer Fast, known for his non-sequential cut ups of tragedy and humanity. Splicing disjunctive narratives of traumatized subjects – actual, staged or imitated – Fast’s dystopian imaginings shun aesthetic formality and evoke what truth lies in the ambiguity of storytelling. As highly interpretive mash ups collapsing space and time, his films recall the intimacy of reality and fantasy through mingling documentary and fictional styles.

Chronicling the plight of the refugee, Omer Fast’s Nostalgia, showing at Whitney Museum of American Art, pinpoints feelings of longing and dislocation in a labyrinthian network of disparate ethnic voices. Tracing themes of displacement, war and loss through the recurrent motif of an animal trap, jumbled bits of dialogue and streams of overlaid images, Fast explores different permutations of cross-cultural encounters.

More images, text and related links after the jump…
Omer Fast’s Nostalgia III, 2009 – production still super 16mm film transferred to HD video running time: 32:48 minutes

Omer Fast’s Nostalgia I, 2009 – production still super 16mm film transferred to HD video running time: 32:48 minutes

The first of three installments, the nebulous Nostalgia I, features a British gamekeeper building an animal trap from twigs and twine according to audio instructions from a Nigerian man. As the writer, director and editor of his films, Fast employs highly technical camerawork and editing to add to the psychological tension and overall enigmatic tone of the piece.

Omer Fast’s Nostalgia II, 2009 – production still super 16mm film transferred to HD video running time: 32:48 minutes

In Nostalgia II, Fast probes the fraught encounter between strangers of different nationalities. Examining racial relations through the tense exchange between a Nigerian ex child soldier and an Englishman to whom the African entreats asylum, Fast uses special effects to produce a critique of our quite arbitrary modern interview politics, reflecting the complications inherent in broadcast journalism. Viewers are invited to watch as the Nigerian inspires horror from his interviewer, after confessing to trapping and eating monkeys, and effectively dashing any hope at asylum. Although it would seem that Fast is interested in implicating the media through this seemingly ruthless critique, as an interviewer and collaborator in the process, he is more interested in the storytelling aspect and re-framing of narratives.

Omer Fast’s Nostalgia III, 2009 – production still super 16mm film transferred to HD video running time: 32:48 minutes

Further exploiting issues race and terror, Nostalgia III completes Fast’s three part film series at Whitney Museum of American Art through a vertiginous succession of human altercations. In Nostalgia III, the artist subverts the notion of the persecuted minority, featuring three English refugees denied at the border and threatened with torture in an affluent, unnamed African democracy.

Take A Deep Breath, screening at Postmasters Gallery, takes the artist’s fascination with dread a step further, forcing the viewer to endure shocking and violent plot twists. Set at the scene of a bombing, the film first exposes the viewer to the macabre remains of the ruins’ sole survivor. But even after the victim’s identity as suicide bomber is unearthed, we are instantly projected to the scene of a degenerate soap opera, whose cast and crew immediately spiral into petty bickering. These absurd shifts from tragedy to comedy are what gives Take A Deep Breath its nightmarish tint and defines Fast’s cynical, shrewd mode of film making. When the film could gruesomely transmogrify into a moral fable, Fast resists all pathos or didactic romanticism.

Omer Fast’s Take a Deep Breath, 2008 – production still two channel HD video running time: 27:07 minutes

Omer Fast’s Take a Deep Breath, 2008 – production still two channel HD video running time: 27:07 minutes

Omer Fast’s Take a Deep Breath, 2008 – production still two channel HD video running time: 27:07 minutes

Omer Fast’s Take a Deep Breath, 2008 – production still two channel HD video running time: 27:07 minutes

Omer Fast’s De Grote Boodschap, 2007 – production still single channel HD video running time: 27 minutes

Omer Fast’s De Grote Boodschap, 2007 – production still running time: 27 minutes

Omer Fast’s De Grote Boodschap, 2007 – production still single channel HD video running time: 27 minutes

Omer Fast’s Nostalgia III, 2009 – production still super 16mm film transferred to HD video running time: 32:48 minutes

A native of Israel, Omer Fast was raised in New York but currently resides in Berlin. As the recipient of the Bucksbaum Award for his 2007 piece Casting, Fast won $100,000 and a one-man show, which he now implements in the respective Nostalgia and Postmasters exhibition. Since graduating from Hunter College with an MFA in 2000, Fast has accomplished international acclaim, showcasing his films at prestigious cultural institutions, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the National galerie in Berlin, which this year awarded him its Prize for Young Art.

All images via Postmasters Gallery unless otherwise noted.

via: artobserved.

Pablo Picasso Painting Incurs 6-inch Tear at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

A Pablo Picasso painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was damaged last Friday, Janauary 22, when a woman attending an adult education class lost her balance and fell into the piece. ”The Actor” (1904-5) incurred an irregular vertical tear 6 inches in length in the lower right-hand corner.

According to a press statement issued by the museum, the damage “did not occur in a focal point of the composition, and the curatorial and conservation staffs fully expect that the repair—which will take place in the coming weeks—will be unobtrusive.” The piece will be still be included in the forthcoming exhibition Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which will feature around 250 works from the museum’s collection. The exhibition will run April 27 through August 1, 2010.

The damaged piece is said to be one that marks the artist’s transition from the blue period to the rose period. Donated to the museum in 1952 by automobile heiress Thelma Chrysler Foy, the painting has hung in the museum’s second floor gallery without incident until now. The woman, whom the museum declined to identify, was uninjured.

via: artobserved.

wooden computer workstation

The wooden computer workstation created by Marlies Romberg is quite a delight, and it comes complete with functioning wooden keyboard and mouse. A desktop has been incorporated into conventional furniture using a laser cutting system to create this wooden marvel.

Unpluggd/ Addictive DJ Designs/ Notcot

LEGO Steering Wheel Makes The iPhone A Racer

The LEGO steering wheel makes a great companion for racing games on the iPhone/ iPod Touch. And it's really cool, checkout the video for the DIY Lego goodness.

via: Random Good Stuff

Light bulb USB

These USB Flash drives come in a rather cool look, that of our conventional light bulb. They have a capacity of 2GB, and are available in orange, blue and green color lights. The manufacturer claims that the data transfer rates from these flash drives can be as high as 480Mbps. While that claim is difficult to digest, and probably is way over the top, I still like this drive. Cost $54.

Akihabara News

Paul Budnitz Interviewed by MAD

[MAD recently interviewed Kidrobot Co-Founder Paul Budnitz about big moves in Kidrobot’s future. Vinyl Pulse is happy to exclusively bring you this great read.]

With the recent news that Kidrobot will be moving their headquarters from NYC to Boulder, Colorado, I was hit with a bitter/sweet reality. "Bitter" cause many of my good friends that work at KR may no longer be there, but "sweet" because I think it's going to open up a whole new world of opportunity for the company to grow. I moved from LA about five years ago back to the Midwest (Kansas City) and have managed to grow my art, career, & business significantly. If anything, being in the Midwest has allowed me to focus my attention on my work, without the distraction of the never ending "scene". As an artist/designer who's been working with Kidrobot for a few years now, I thought I'd go straight to the source with some questions about some of the plans they have for moving into the new decade. So I shot over a few questions to the man in charge of it all... Mr. Paul Budnitz.

1. The word has leaked that KR is moving their New York headquarters out to Boulder, Colorado. and many are curious as to what the biggest reason/ motivation for this is?

Yes, we're moving Kidrobot to Boulder in in April, though we'll be leaving behind a small office in New York City, and of course our flagship store will remain in NYC as well, with Lisa still at the helm.

The motivation for the move is really simple -- I kept finding that I was doing my best work outside the big city. New York is wonderful, and it can also be very distracting. There is so much going on, and that's good and exciting, but having our offices right in the middle of Manhattan for so long, it was also constant noise, noise, noise.

Several of us got together, and about a half year ago began looking for a new home for the company. We wanted somewhere that was an art and design hub, that is near a big city with a strong urban art scene, and that has access to a good airport. In the end Boulder won. It's 30 minutes from Denver, which has a tremendous street art community, and also one of the top art museums in the US. Boulder itself was rated #1 of best places in the US to be an artist a few years ago.

Some people also know that we're working on greening Kidrobot. We're exploring carbon offsetting, recycled packaging and plastics. We're already locally sourcing more and more of our apparel (we just switched to USA-made T-shirts, for example. We're working on having our cut-and-sew done in Canada). Boulder is the the #1 bicycle town in the USA. We're putting our offices in the center of town so our employees can bike or walk to work, and save the carbon from car commuting.

We want to show that you don't have to be environmentally wasteful to be cutting edge. The two things are not incompatible.

One of Kidrobot's company missions is to never succumb to fear, and to never sit still. We're excited because the move is letting us pull out a lot of the old wiring and look at things differently. We're inspired by change. It's like starting again!

2. Do you think the move will affect the relationships you have with the artists and companies you currently collaborate with? Will it be harder to pull in new talent/ projects?

The majority of the artists that we work with don't live in NYC. Many artists, like you (in Kansas), Filth (in Portland), Dalek (North Carolina) have moved out of NY or LA. Kronk is in South Africa. TADO in the UK, Huck Gee and Frank Kozik are in SF, Tilt & Mist live in France, Touma in Japan, etc. etc. We're an international company.
And, Chad will be staying in New York to hold down that connection, and as always many of us will be in and out of town for events and for meetings.

3. How does this move affect the "master plan" of the company or does it?

Kidrobot's "master plan" is to take over the world. I've said that for years. But, we won't compromise who we are in the process, though we may evolve and change.
I remember reading an article about The Clash (we're doing some work with them now! I'm super excited). In the late 1970's Mick Jones told the Ramones, "we're going to be the biggest fucking rock band in the world". I think that this kind of attitude, combined with the fact that they remained essentially punk rockers who weren't going to compromise their sound is exactly what Kidrobot plans to do, too.

We're going to be the biggest toy company in the world. And, we're not going to suck and we can take our time.

This doesn't mean we're going to please everyone all the time, and we are going to screw up now and then. We're going to keep making tiny edition art toys. But we want to influence the wider culture, too, to make things more interesting and more beautiful for more people.

Otherwise we'd be playing it way too safe.

4. Do you see the move affecting the "street cred" or "cool factor" of the product you make?

It may. I don't know. In any case, I can't spend time worrying about things like that. We're hardcore, and anyone who has worked with me knows that when it comes down to it I don't compromise. What more can you want?

5. With this move, where do you now see KR in 5 years, 10 years, etc...?

Oh, we're going to take over the world, as I wrote before. We're just going to do it our way, with badass art and pure love.

6. So, will we be seeing a KR: Boulder retail location?

No comment. ;)

8. Recently, an "Open letter to Kidrobot" has been setting the blogs on fire the past few days. Do you have any response to it?

I thought that letter was really fantastic. I'm in the process of writing him a thank you note. The blogger who wrote it was disappointed by some of our past projects, and I can see why. I don't necessarily agree with all of his likes and dislikes -- but that's kind of subjective anyway. Frankly, there are other past Kidrobot projects that I personally can't stand -- for example the Kidrobot 09 Candle. Do you remember that? I'm still totally embarrassed. What was I thinking? Haha.

So anyway, I can understand disappointment with Kidrobot, because we haven't stood still and we certainly aren't perfect. All I can say is that I'm proud of the mistakes we made, all of the things we've tried that both have and haven't worked.

We're a very lucky company, we have the freedom to experiment. Backpacks and handbags? Why not? We did a capsule with one of the top bag manufacturers in the world, who was a Kidrobot fan and wanted to work with us. I think those bags are amazing quality, and the designs risky and really wild. I carry my Tristan Tag-Team Dunny bag everywhere, and I still see people carrying our bags around NYC and London. Whookid carries his everywhere, too. But that's just my opinion. I've got no problem with someone who disagrees.

And, that's done now, and we're moving on to something else. That's the whole point.

God bless the critics.

Anyone who does nothing but hit home runs is probably only playing in the areas where they are comfortable. This is good business, but frankly if I wanted to make hammers I'd be working for Home Depot. That approach is way too safe to make real art. Remember, product, retail, promotion, marketing -- it's all art to us. That’s what Kidrobot is. We're business as art. Not the other way around.

This year we've go so many fantastic new things coming out, I can't wait!

We're not sitting still!

I thank you for your time and responses. I truly wish you the best in the new decade! I know the projects we have in the works are amazing, and can only imagine what else you and the KR crew have in store for us.

via: vinylpulse.

CL!CK: A LEGO Short Film

To mark the launch of its all new site titled LEGO CL!CK, the toy brand has put together a film to captivate and convey the message of spontaneity and creativity. The stop-motion video follows an inventor through torment and struggle which is ultimately overcome through the use of LEGO bricks.

via: hypebeast.

Light Touch Projection Can Potentially Convert Any Surface Into A Touchscreen

Using a compact projector as the main unit, UK based company Light Blue Optics (LBO) has developed a system that can transform virtually any flat surface into a touchscreen unit. The system uses holographic laser projection technology to convert the simple projected display into an interactive one. Infra-red touch sensors detect the user's finger movement, and respond in a way similar to touchscreens. It puts up a 10-inch display and includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, the projector itself runs Adobe Flash Lite 3.1. The system was unveiled at CES, and there's no word on pricing or availability.

Bang & Olufsen Asus laptops

Bang & Olufsen has given a style treatment to Asus laptops. They have a minimalist look, and the sleek aluminum design shows pleasing aesthetics. It has an 18.4-inch screen flanked by Bang & Olufsen speakers, enhanced video hardware, and b&o trademark dual touch touchpads, which allow multi-touch control.

via: Designboom

The Dell Froot Concept

The Dell Froot Concept is a design created by Pauline Carlos for a sustainability contest from Dell. It basically has a colorful case that looks like a fruit and is made of biodegradable starch-based polymer. The system has two projectors, one for a virtual keyboard (like the LBO Light Touch), and another for the monitor. There's no mouse to go along the system though.

Slippery Brick

Jesse Hernandez – Ozomahtli Production Sample

Since we first unveiled Jesse Hernandez’s Ozomahtli on a Proto Monday feature, Bic Plastics has been working to make his vision a reality. As you can see from these tight pictures of a painted production sample of the original colorway (ed. of 300), they’ve done an excellent job. Thanks to a strong design and plenty of detail the figure has a definite presence. In the final stages of production, Jesse’s royal monkey is set to make waves with a fresh style and detailed sculpt.

via: vinyl pulse.

Keys Open Doors

Copy Paste LA has just launched a new line entitled “Keys Open Doors”. Their product? Computer key pins hand crafted from recycled computer keyboards. Yes it’s similar to what Dee & Ricky are doing with LEGO, but still a simple and innovative way to repurpose an obsolete item. What do you guys think?

book staircase

The Book Staircase is a rather simple solution to reaching books. Rooms filled with books usually require something like a stool to reach the higher shelves, and in many cases, even ladders. This one makes things a lot more easier by turning book shelves into stairs, bringing every book into easy reach. The staircase has been designed by Levitate Architects, London.

via: Fubiz

MIT's Fluid Interfaces Group

Carnucopia is a concept that could potentially change the way we eat. Designed by two grad students at MIT's Fluid Interfaces Group, the design is, in simple terms, a machine that prints food in three dimensions. An array of food canisters stores and refrigerates the user's favorite ingredients. When required, these ingredients are piped into a mixture and extruder head that can create accurate proportions of the desired item and deposit the same.

Carnucopia Project, Shapeways and Make

Stephen Newby

Artist Stephen Newby uses a unique medium for his art. He calls it "Blown Metal" and that includes creating "soft looking" sculptures and shapes, all from cold, hard metal.

Stephen Newby and io9

Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica

Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica has released their newest custom from the Rotobox Suparobo Project Series 6. The 16" tall Gurren Lagann uses a 16" Qee as the base figure. This custom is a one-off piece and currently available. Check out RVA’s website for details of how to purchase.

via: plasticandplush.

Raf Simons 2010 Spring/Summer T-Shirts

A new set of Raf Simons tees make their way to I.T. in Hong Kong. The shirts take on classic graphics with black and white color schemes. Simple and sophisticated, all fall in line with the usual offerings from Raf Simons. Be sure to check your local retailer for these new goods.

via: hypebeast.

Damien Hirst Cashmere Blanket

Featuring icons from Damien Hirst’s New Religion series and large enough for a double bed, Other Criteria’s luxury blankets are 100% cashmere, made in Scotland on a Jacquard loom and finished by hand. Each has a purled fringe and 2 New Religion labels.

Using techniques similar to those used 150 years ago, fabric and colour are built up in layers and given clarity and depth by the use of soft, pure Scottish water and cloth woven from the finest of of fibres. Part of the finishing process involves air-drying and paper-pressing the blankets to ensure a lustrous surface.

The blankets are available exclusively from Other Criteria and go for £ 975.

via: highsnobiety.