Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Hiroshi Fujiwara & Takashi Murakami present Hi & Lo


Hiroshi Fujiwara and Takashi Murakami, two of the most recognizable figures in the fields of art and design, come together to produce and curate an exhibition showcasing both of their works. The event will be held at Murakami’s KaiKai Kiki Gallery in Tokyo on October 31st 2008 and will run until the 15th of November.

Source: Honeyee

Hot Toys: Iron Man Mark II



Hot Toy’s have released the official pictures to their Iron Man Mark II figure. Normally, we might not post something like this, but at 30cm tall and with 36 points of articulation, working forearm missile, metal like paint, light up eyes and heart and just incredible life like sculpting job done on the face (resembling Robert Downey Jr.) we just had to put it up.

No official word on a price or release date as of yet.

Source: Toysrevil

CAPITAL HILL RESIDENCE






By designer Zaha Hadid.

Capital Hill Residence, a private house in the Barvikha Forest close to Moscow, Russia by Zaha Hadid Architects.

The project, which is currently under construction, will be shown in the Russia Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale from 12 September - 23 November as part of a showcase of work by Russian and foreign architects working in Russia.

Mishka NYC Skyway Backpack


"As part of their Fall 2008 collection, Mishka presents the Skyway Backpacks. Coming in a classic silhouette, Mishka added some strong color combinations to the otherwise pretty standard bags, infusing some flavor into this product category. Both bags feature 3 compartments, the main one constructed of rip-stop nylon and featuring and inner lap-top sleeve.

The Mishka Skyway Backpacks are now available from Mishka retailers."

via highsnobiety.

Richard Serra: Drawings: Work Comes Out of Work, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria



In an unparalleled exhibition, the Kunsthaus Bregenz will be showing more than 60, mostly large-format drawings by one of the major sculptors and draftsmen of our day. Following exhibitions in Maastricht 1990
(Bonnefantenmuseum) and in London 1992 (Serpentine Gallery), this will be the first comprehensive presentation of Richard Serra’s graphic oeuvre ever shown in Europe.
Selected in conjunction with the artist, the works on display bring together key work series from important private collections and museums in Europe and the USA, as well as new pieces produced by Richard Serra especially for the exhibition in Bregenz. All in all, the exhibition will include six work series, setting the stage for a dialogue spanning nearly twenty years of artistic production. The exhibition is arranged on four levels and comprises the large-format “Diptychs,” 1989, the series “Weight and Measure,” 1994, “Rounds,” 1996/97, and “out-of-rounds,” 1999, and the artist’s most recent works “Solids,” 2007/08, and “Forged Drawing,” 2008.

via kunsthaus-bregenz

Hirst's Dealer Denies `Mountain' of Unsold Works Before Auction


By Scott Reyburn

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Damien Hirst's London dealer White Cube has denied it has a ``mountain'' of unsold works before a Sotheby's sale which previews today in the Hamptons and New Delhi.

White Cube, which has galleries in St. James's and Hoxton, east London, said in an e-mailed statement that its stock level for Hirst was normal. The Art Newspaper said on Aug. 23 that the dealer held more than 200 paintings and sculptures by Hirst, valued at more than 100 million pounds ($184.5 million), citing White Cube documents.

``The appetite for Damien's art,'' Jay Jopling, White Cube's owner, said in the statement, ``is such that we never have enough and I'm always keen to have as much work on consignment as possible.'' The market for Hirst was strong and suggestions to the contrary were based on ``redundant documents.''

The Art Newspaper said 34 butterfly paintings, 35 spin paintings and six medicine cabinets, ranging in date from 2002 to 2008, were still available, priced as much as 2.5 million pounds. The 4.5 million pound and 4 million pound formaldehyde sculptures ``Love's Paradox'' -- featuring a cow split in half -- and ``Black Sheep'' were among works left unsold from Hirst's June- July 2007 exhibition ``Beyond Belief,'' the newspaper said.

Sotheby's said its ``Beautiful Inside My Head Forever'' sale in London on Sept. 15 and 16 may raise 65 million pounds. Some of its works can be seen by the public today at New Delhi's Oberoi Hotel. An invitation-only preview also takes place on the east end of New York's Long Island at the Bridge Club, Bridgehampton, said the auction house, which has its main salerooms in New York.

`Payback Time'

``Sotheby's auction is payback time for Damien,'' said London dealer Robert Sandelson, who in the summer of 2006 hosted a selling exhibition of Hirst works acquired through secondary sources. ``He's saying to the dealers, `If you can't sell these pieces, I'll find someone who can,''' said Sandelson in an interview.

Sotheby's two-day, three-catalog event includes a menagerie of Hirst's trademark animal-in-formaldehyde pieces, including a tiger shark and a zebra with estimates of at least 2 million pounds. A calf with 18-carat gold horns is valued at up to 12 million pounds, said Sotheby's. The auction will also include 16 spot paintings, 20 spin canvases, eight spin ``cloths'' and 73 paintings with butterflies.

The auction house said its sale was of ``a whole new body of work'' that had not been previously offered by White Cube or other dealers.

Butterfly Paintings

Some art dealers have suggested that Hirst's use of more than 100 studio assistants created issues of over-production. Hirst, 43, the U.K.'s richest artist, released a video interview on Sotheby's Web site this month in which he said he is to stop making the spin and butterfly paintings that have been among his top-selling works.

``Any revelations about unsold works shouldn't affect the auction,'' said the London-based dealer Kenny Schachter, who was on the guest-list for Sotheby's preview at the Hamptons. ``Hirst and Sotheby's are looking for new collectors for this material. In the end it could help sell some of the dealers' inventory -- if it goes well.''

In addition to the 100 million pounds of unsold stock, White Cube has also yet to find a buyer for Hirst's diamond-encrusted platinum skull, ``For the Love of God,'' the Art Newspaper reported.

Skull Price

First shown on June 3, 2007, the skull was priced at 50 million pounds. In August 2007 White Cube said the skull, studded with 8,601 diamonds, had been acquired by an investment group that included Hirst himself and Jopling with the intention to ``resell the sculpture at some stage in the future.''

This week, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, said that from Nov. 1 it would be putting the skull on display for six weeks. Hirst said in an interview with Bloomberg in Kiev, Ukraine, in October 2007, that he planned to take the skull on a tour of ``the best museums around the world.''

A proposed exhibition of ``For the Love of God'' at Russia's State Hermitage Museum scheduled for March this year has been ``postponed indefinitely,'' according to the Art Newspaper.

Details of additional venues for the skull's proposed international tour will be released at a later date, said White Cube spokeswoman Sara Macdonald in an e-mail.

Frank Dunphy, Hirst's manager, said that the artist would continue to consign ``substantial bodies of work'' to White Cube, according to the e-mailed statement issued by the London gallery.

Hirst is to open a shop next to Sotheby's in London's New Bond Street, the artist's publishing company, Other Criteria, said on Aug. 26 in an e-mailed statement.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

id2r







id2r is the official distributor of Toy2r products in China. With many kiosks and pop-up's, they show off a wide variety of toy design in a relatively small space.

Mash Studios x Kid Robot




Mash Studios has worked on Kid Robot retail stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and most recently Miami. As an icon in pop culture, art toys and vinyl, Kid Robot needed something simple and fresh, modern yet understated for a young feel that wouldn’t over clutter their small spaces. In each store, smaller shelves were needed for the toys, as well as storage areas and apparel displays. Custom built cabinets, fixtures, flooring, signage, and graphics were incorporated throughout the span of the projects. The San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Miami Kid Robot stores have unique features and styles specific to their city and neighborhood. Mash was pleased to create crisp local designs on each assignment.

The Voice Stick






The Voice Stick is designed for the blind. It can help the visually impaired reading. Designed by Sungwoo Park. " Voice Stick is an advance optical character recognition scanner designed to make all books available to the visually impaired. As you pass the wand over a page, text in translated and read to you in a friendly voice. It can be used to convert any text from books, newspapers, contracts, mail, business cards, etc., into voice information.

FILTHYLUKER






Filthyluker, an "urban intervention artist" from the UK, has produced a number of projects that sit somewhere between public art and graffiti.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Undefeated x Converse Poorman's Weapon

Another collaboration between Converse and Undefeated. This time the two worked on the "Poorman's Weapon".

The concept of the Undefeated x Converse Poorman's Weapon is based off of an Air Force MA-1 flight jacket, complete with removable velcro patches. The shoe is made of the same nylon flight satin used on the MA-1 jackets with a bright orange canvas interior, which pilots would be able to turn inside out to be seen. On top of a Chuck Taylor outer sole and a Weapon upper, the shoe also features waxed laces and sports a vulcanized Undefeated strike logo on the sole.

Via Vapors Sneaker Issue and highsnobiety.


Rodney Mullen: Best of all time



Bounty Hunter: Kumaru Kun Vinyl



Bounty Hunter, one of the pioneers in the vinyl toy market, releases its newest toy, Kumaru Kun, in Japan on September 6th.

Arkitip + Ryan McGinness x Incase Issue Edition Announced


Arkitip announced that their next issue will be a collaboration with artist Ryan McGinness and packaged once again by Incase.

"Published on the occassion of the Aesthetic Comfort exhibitions in the Fall of 2008 at Artcore in Toronto, and the Cincinnati Art Museum."

More to come...

The Adventures of Tinger


André Ljosaj did great video game work for his graduation project . The Adventures of Tinger is a nicely illustrated and animated jump-and-run-game. Comparable to the great internet games that you can find on Cartoon Network's site. via QBN

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Samsung’s New LCD TV: just 1cm thick



Check out this new LCD TV from Samsung. This 40 inch LCD is just 1cm thick, and uses an LED backlight, this is pretty thin for a HDTV.

The Mehrzeller Concept Caravan



The Mehrzeller (multi-cell) caravan concept from Graz, Austria takes faceted design to whole new level. An online application generates the design based on a customers specifications resulting in no two caravans exactly the same—just incase driving this polygon camper on the autobahn doesn't express your individuality enough.

via core77.

Patent: Apple Details Multi-Touch Mac User Interface



An Apple patent application published Thursday rehashes some concepts and diagrams from 2006 patent but generates continued interest due to persistant rumors that Apple may release a multi-touch tablet Mac. AppleInsider details some of the techniques in accessing small user interface controls when using your fingers on a multi-touch tablet Mac:

Apple explains that on a tablet Mac, the buttons of a control box may be smaller than a users finger and located close together. Therefore it may be difficult for the user to make a selection directly without possibly pressing an undesirable button. To solve this problem, at least a portion of the control box would be enlarged, including the buttons therein when the user places their thumb over the control box.

Apple also details the use of swipe and scrolling to manipulate on screen lists as well as the implementation of a full screen multi-touch keyboard.

While we've heard rumors of a tablet Mac for years, this year we've heard claims that either a tablet or mini-tablet Mac could be coming soon.

via macrumors.

Interview with Lanie Alabanza of HELLZ



In a recent video interview with KarmaloopTV, HELLZ creative director Lanie Alabanza talks about her rise from a designer at Rocawear, the meaning behind her brand’s name and the inspirations that drive each collection.

Atmos: Donut Keychains




Atmos makes donuts the inspiration behind their newest set of key chains. Made out of a soft material, the chains come in 6 different "flavors". A great idea. Pick yours up now at atmos Japan.