Cool Hunting
| 16 February 2006view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
LED Throwies
by Josh Rubin
Check out this video from the Graffiti Research Lab at Eyebeam OpenLab—it shows an installation of LED Throwies in action on a street corner in West Chelsea, Manhattan (never mind where you've heard the soundtrack before). What's an LED Throwie? It's a lithium battery, a 10mm diffused LED and a rare-earth magnet taped together. You throw them on to anything metal to add a splash of light and color. The result is reconfigurable, night compatible, digital graffiti. Here's how to make your own.
Photo via Urban Data in the Graffiti Research Lab pool
Kathy's Beauty Nook
by Ami Kealoha
With a foot in both the fashion and fine art words, New York-based photographer John Arsenault, 34, is in some ways a typical lensman, working commercially while pursuing personal projects at the same time. But, unlike photographers before him, Arsenault's latest series, "Kathy's Beauty Nook," debuting at ClampArt in New York City on 23 February 2006, uniquely mixes voyeurism, documentary impulses, and an unprecedented intimacy that he shares with his subjects.
Shot over a two-year period, Arsenault returned to his hometown in Haverhill, Massachusetts to capture scenes from his aunt's salon where he spent much of his formative childhood years. "I consider my personal work a photo diary," Arsenault explains, "the beauty parlor was such a big aspect of my life and these women are a large part of my life."
Building on a body of self-portraits that are sometimes gently self-deprecating or often intensely revealing, Arsenault cites Nan Goldin and Wolfgang Tillmans among influences that dramatically altered the direction of his work when he moved to New York in 1997. Without sacrificing that dynamic energy or behind-the-scenes immediacy, there's clearly a more eye-level gaze of small-town New England at play in his portraits of the women. The results are an affectionate take on women in their late middle ages as they get their hair done and swap stories—set within the frilly decor and floral wallpaper of the salon—hinting at a faded, forgotten era that only exists in the rural U.S.
WIth an Eggleston-like use of color and a focus on a localized subculture—he calls Diane Arbus a "classic influence" and David Yellen comes to mind—Arsenault's work points to a new American vernacular, a fair-minded vision blurring the line between the mundane and the beautiful.
Kathy's Beauty Nook
Opening reception: Thursday, 23 February, 2006, 6-8pm
ClampArt
531 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10001
map
sajedesign Picture Pendants at Liz Lange
by Evan Orensten
The ladies at sajedesign have designed this great pendant necklace that features a custom etching from your favorite photo. It's available in gold or silver and in round or rectangular styles. Prices start at $150.
Available exclusively at Liz Lange. Download an order form here.
I-Manifest Tees
by Ami Kealoha
New York-based tee-shirt maker I-Manifest has a new line out for spring, including "create sound," with a neo-19th Century design, a collaboration with the Santa Cruz, CA electronica group Sound Tribe Sector 9. (Pictured.) Other designs include "wood type" that uses a font based on woodgrain and available in nine different colorways, as well as "day after," which features trees-and-castle vector art. All of the limited-run tees are printed on coveted softer-than-soft tees.
Starting at $28 from I-Manifest.
FLY Fashion DVD
by Josh Rubin
An (exclusive) interview with Catherine Cushman, Creative Director of the new Fashion DVD FLY, who talks with Cool Hunting about the ideas and people behind making the ambitious project happen. Includes clips that feature design by Marc Jacobs, Zach Posen, Valentino and an interview with Ryan Mcguiness.
Cool Hunting Video - FLY
by Josh Rubin
Knitted Digestive System
by Josh Rubin
Our fascination with knitting things continues to grow, this time fueled by these photos of a knitted digestive system. Seemingly proportionate, you can see everything from the tongue (left) to the anus (right). Created by Matie Trewe of Eugene, OR, there's even a pattern you can follow to make one yourself.
via swissmiss
Other knitted things: Knitta Please, Ruth Marshall, The Knitting Machine
The Big Chill House
by SummerSeventySix
The Big Chill Festival was one of my highlights of last year, and with Glastonbury taking a break in 2006, it's likely to attract even more people this summer.
Off the back of its success, the Big Chill brand is quietly establishing itself in London. First with its eponymous bar off Brick Lane, and now with The Big Chill House. It's planning an opening in the Spring in Kings Cross—an area of central London that's being regenerated quicker than Shanghai. While the website is a bit a coy about exactly where the House will be, my contacts have told me it will be in the building which used to house a fairly tacky bar, that was dubiously called Sahara Nights. Now, I never thought ending up there one night would provide me with any particularly useful memories, but having seen the space first-hand, I can imagine it being fantastic in the hands of the Big Chill. With three floors, and what was an already-impressive roof-terrace, it should be a destination for Londoners and out-of-towners alike.
Contributed by SummerSeventySix
The King's Ginger Liqueur
by SummerSeventySix
While the sunshine's likely to melt the NYC snow pretty soon, having a bottle of old-school winter warmer The King's Ginger Liqueur at hand wherever there's a big freeze should make things a bit more bearable. It was commissioned by Berry Bros & Rudd (who have been trading for over 300 years) for King Edward VII, and they still sell it today.
As well as loads of others in the know, my dad swears by it when things get a bit chilly in the mountains where he lives. On top of that, it's much cooler than Courvoisier.
Contributed by SummerSeventySix
