Cool Hunting
| 10 August 2006view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Marcus Jansen
by Josh Rubin
For the past 30 years, Manhattan-born artist Marcus Jansen has been defining the term "urban expressionist" with his mixed-media canvasses that blend realism, graffiti, and abstract techniques. Exploring the "beauty and contradiction" of cityscapes, his richly layered compositions incorporate text clipped from newspapers, digital prints, and more recently, stencils. For the series here, Jansen used designs by Stencil1 that fit thematically with his subject matter, skillfully integrating the crisp lines of the stencils with his spontaneous brushstrokes. Check out more recent images here and preorder his forthcoming book Modern Urban-Expressionism from his website.
Also on Cool Hunting: Stencil1 Minis, Stencil1
Designers Against AIDS
by Ami Kealoha
With a mission to revitalize flagging awareness about HIV and AIDS, Designers Against AIDS tasks artists, designers, and musicians with creating t-shirt designs. Their second season ranges from Robots United's contemporary take on a vintage look (pictured) to the characteristically bold statement, "I use a condom," by fashion designer Katherine Hamnett and Henrik Vibskov's abstract architectural arrangement. Proceeds benefit various AIDS organizations, natch, and events in countries where the tees are sold help raise awareness on a grassroots level. Select styles available online for €59 from Daily Obsessions.
(Update: Robot United's design are no longer in production.)
Alice Russell: Under the Munka Moon II
by Ami Kealoha
First found on collaborations with Tru Thoughts labelmates Quantic, and TM Juke, if you haven’t heard Alice Russell yet you're missing out on one of the best singers around. Russell’s singing is classically soulful, with vocal finesse rarely heard these days. She’s a throwback to the era of fully-developed vocal talents like Aretha Franklin and Patti Labelle, a singer’s singer.
Under The Munka Moon II is the second compilation of remixes, outtakes, live versions, and cover versions from the prolific young soul singer. Covering live soul, broken beat, jazz, funk, reggae, and d&b, the album begs the question, is there any kind of music this woman does not sound amazing over? If there is, I haven’t heard it yet. David Mancuso’s Loft favorite “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This,” penned by jazz drummer Idris Muhammad, gets the broken soul treatment from Bugz In The Attic, and a fresh mellow approach from Russell. “Don’t You Worry,” originally recorded for the Wah Wah 45s label, is a deep downtempo soul groover with equal parts vintage and future soul. And on “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” she tackles the gut-wrenching Donny Hathaway ballad (that most singers should not even attempt) with ease and originality.
In stores 18 August 2006, preorder from Amazon, or the full album is now exclusively available for download from Dancetracks Digital. Also available: Under the Munka Moon I and My Favourite Letters.
Also on Cool Hunting: DJ Scribe
James Hancock
by Lost At E Minor
We're loving the work of Sydney-based artist James Hancock who has done the CD artwork for local singer/songwriter Josh Pyke among a handful of other equally creative projects.
He works across "all types of media in both art and design practices, drawing together heterogeneous elements taken from found objects, hand-generated content in drawing, printmaking, painting, photographic experiments, and other playful sources." He says that his art is "not bound by medium, but by process and experimentation." A collection of his works has been published in SPACE3: A Visual History.
Diamond Sofa
by Jacob Resneck
Italian designers Samanta Snidarao and Andrea Fino of Sand & Birch Design have developed a limited-edition furnishing called the Diamond Sofa that's caught our eye (as well as a few others in the blogosphere). With 160 Swarovski crystals forming a pattern that adorns the wide strip and a built-in LED or flourescent lamp, this reflective aluminum sofa is designed to be a dynamic sculpture as well as a functional two-in-one piece that also saves space. Only one hundred of the numbered edition have been produced, so contact the designers through their website to inquire about one of their sofas-masquerading-as-jewelry.
