Attention Los Angeles-based art-seeking missiles: Have you been scanning your radar looking to track down another enthralling exhibit? Well a new blip has popped up at the Subliminal Projects Gallery in Echo Park (which also happens to be owned by Spear favorite Shepard Fairey). On May 17th through June 13th the gallery will feature the work of two extremely exciting artists: Louise Bonnet and Deedee Cheriel. The Swiss-born Bonnet’s work is known for its “hippie-ish style” and “punk iconography.” Cheriel’s is a more satirical look at the relationships between humans, animals, and nature. Talk about the original odd couple.
The 8th Annual Siren Music Festival in Coney Island is coming by land, by sea, and by giant Medusa-headed woman. Paul Antonson has designed this mythic sideshow scenario, and in the process has outdone himself in creating the fest’s poster art. Let’s see: mermen? Check. Man-eating octopus. Check. Creature from the Black Lagoon going unplugged? Check. The unfortunate fact is that nothing — save the rickety carnival rides and the guitar — will actually appear at the Village Voice’s music extravaganza. But there will be Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, The Helio Sequence, and Broken Social Scene. That’s pretty epic, right? Head out on the F train July 19th for fun, food, rock, and mutant sea life. What’s that Village Voice? Oh. Just fun, food and rock.
Just because you want to entertain in high style doesn't mean you have to break out your Grandma's bone china. If you're feeling the urge to get a little more classic with your tableware, but aren't into the floral designs you were subjected to every Thanksgiving, then New York-based design collaborative Lovegrove & Repucci have the answer.
Their freshly released London Delft collection is a play on the 18th century tradition of Dutch Delft porcelain. Building on the success of the previously launched New York Delft collection, this time around they've mixed the timeless, high-art vibe of the famous blue glazed dishes with a little London street art edge. Each setting is made up of five pieces: a dinner plate, side plate, soup bowl, cup and saucer, and are available for $100.
If the general coolness of the collection isn't enough to impress your design-savvy dinner partygoer, then just wait until they reach the bottom of their soup bowl and find a good ‘ol lorry. (For us non-Brits, that's a truck.)
Last April we clued you in to the vast artistic talents of mixed medium artist and designer Kelly D. Williams. In case you missed it — or have been jonesing for more of Williams’ distinctly raw, unapologetic and explorative work inspired by music, skateboarding, and his Teton Mountain upbringing — we have a treat for you. The current Senior Creative Director for the Distrikt Collective has been given the highlight reel treatment thanks to the efforts of videographer Shawn Murdock (in conjunction with Kreativ Network Gallery). Murdock edited together a retrospective of various projects, exhibits, commercial designs, and original art created by Williams that manages to capture the essence of it in just under five minutes.
50 Graus — the heads we told you about last year who put ice penguins under the hot sun in a Sao Paulo park to make a point about global warming — is on our radar again (thanks to the same Marco Monteiro who tipped us on the original post) with another intelligently conceived campaign. This time they’re targeting, cough, smokers. In “Smoking Kills More,” they juxtapose the death rates of well-known historical happenings with the fatalities caused by smoking-related diseases, using cancer sticks as their medium to create both non-moving and moving images. Watch their incredibly well-done stop-motion animation vid spot of a war scene created from cigs here. The controversial art piece you see pictured was made with 13,000 cigarettes and was built and displayed in front of curious passersby in the city’s center for full effect. Imagine trying to wash the smell of all of those out from your clothes. Nasty.
TOMS shoes — y’know the minimalist designed shoes that look like Argentinean foot wraps. We love them, but if the simple fact of wearing comfortable, colorful, slipper-like shoes in the summer isn’t enough for you, TOMS has an additional incentive. For each pair purchased, a needy child from an impoverished country will get the same shoes. (Their ads juxtapose kids running around Soho and kids running down a muddy path in Ethiopia in TOMS.) Why wouldn’t you do good and look good at the same time?
Wings & Horns, W+H, Spruce — no matter what that Canadian company decides to call itself, rest assured they’re committed to quality and forward-thinking designs and cuts. Their hoodies are legendary on men’s streetwear fashion forums, with their parent company producing the ubiquitous hipster item for all the major street labels. Now Wings & Horns are expanding their market with a focus on footwear. Handcrafted in Italy, the white kicks are a hybrid of multiple designs. You can clearly see the military boot influence, the hi-top sneakers, and the Chucks-inspired front. The zipper on the side is perfect for those who like the look of laces but can never be bothered (un)tying them. They are available now at fine retailers for just under $400.
