Amorphophallus Titanum

by m ss ng p eces

Designers have long been plagiarizing nature's organic shapes and colors, but even the most creative don't rival the ingenious, stunning—and in this case peculiar—examples of flora and fauna. A celebrity of the plant world, the Amorphophallus Titanum, or "the corpse flower," is a rare bloom that's native to Indonesia and known for the extreme smell that it emits when it opens. Last week at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, "the Titan," as it's also sometimes known, bloomed for the first time in New York since 1939. Cultivated from seed for over 10 years, the plant grows at a rate of up to six inches daily in its final days, emits the infamous odor for approximately eight hours, and collapses in a matter of days. Cool Hunting's 46th episode takes you on site to see the flower up close, and hear the curator, vice president, botanist and security guard at Brooklyn's botanical gardens share their personal experiences and the history of one of the most bizarre natural wonders of the world.

The Urban Forest Project

by Evan Orensten

The Urban Forest Project is a design-centric socially conscious event in two parts. The first is a collection of 185 banners that will be on display in Times Square (from 1 September to 31 October 2006). The tree-themed banners (a selection can be seen above) represent work by a who's who of the creative community. All of them can be seen (and enlarged) on The Urban Forest Project site.

After the banners come down they will be made into tote bags and sold at an auction. Proceeds will be given to arts-related scholarship funds.

Post-It Show

by Ami Kealoha

Elvis and the Super Mario Brothers Installation created by anonymous artists at the UC Santa Cruz school of Engineering, and now Giant Robot is getting in on the action. Featuring more that 32 artists, including Jeff Soto, Ron Rege, Jr., Marc Bell, Gary Taxali, Souther Salazar, Evah Fan, Jordan Crane, APAK!, Bwana Spoons, Megan Whitmarsh and Daria Tessler, the exhibition runs from 19 August-13 September 2006 with an opening reception tomorrow, Saturday 19 August 2006, from 6:30-10pm.

GR2 2062 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025 map
tel. 01 310 445 9276

by Letizia Rossi

Banksy Tees

by Wendy Dembo

UPDATE:
Banksy wrote in to us to say that he was not involved with the creation of these t-shirts so we've removed the picture and link.

Everybody loves the ever elusive Banksy. With his line of tees you can help him represent by wearing his art. The selection of classic Banksy images printed on shirts and hoodies includes, “Throwing Flowers“ (pictued), “Chopper,” “British Cops,” “Punk's Not Dead,” “Drunken Angel” and “This Revolution.” Word on the street is that the only place to get some of the new Banksy goods in the U.S. via the internet is at Chester's Blacksmith Shop new online store.

Also on Cool Hunting: Banksy on Holiday, Banksy Hits NYC, Banksy's New Book

Kyocera Ceramics

by Ami Kealoha

Kyocera makes a razor sharp line of ceramic kitchen utensils and knives that, only second in hardness to diamonds, retain their sharpness up to ten times longer than stainless and high-carbon steel blades. They never corrode, rust or transfer metallic flavors to foods. If you're not ready to invest in a new set of knives, consider one of the new eye-popping utensils such as the Wide Julienne Slicer, which will produce perfect string cuts. We also love the Ceramic Mega Peeler, which is great for peeling large and difficult-to-peel fruits and vegetables like squash and melons and can also be used for shaving chocolate or parmesan cheese. Both products are dishwasher-safe.

by Amy Sherman

Satirical Relief

by Josh Rubin

I hope none of you think we take ourselves too seriously. We love what we do and we have fun doing it. In the last three and a half years since I started CH lots of other sites have come on the scene covering similar topics—some even with similar names. The more, the merrier. Two newcomers bring humor to the game and, possibly without realizing it, offer inspiration. The Uncoolhunter finds all sorts of great and original dorky stuff whereas Don't Believe the Hypebeast is to streetwear what The Onion is to real news.

Seven Dorm Room Solutions

by Ami Kealoha

College may not be the most glamorous time in a young life, but dorm living doesn't have to be dreary. Often functioning as a mini-shared studio, dorm rooms pose a multi-use challenge, housing a make-shift kitchen, offices, and bedrooms, as well as storage and toiletries. Retailers and designers alike have caught on to the fact that students want well-designed, space-efficient products that are functional as well as stylish. The following Cool Hunting picks can out outfit your miniscule space without sacrificing aesthetics when square-footage is at a premium.

From Target's latest line of artist-designed products, these pillow cases are by Chocolate and Girl Skateboards designer Evan Hecox. Known for his paintings of San Francisco's Mission District and Chinatown, Hecox created this line of Muni-inspired bedding and accessories just in time for back to school.

The sleek design of this OPPO Digital LCD Television with built in DVD player makes it the perfect addition to the well-equipped dorm room. Featuring a 20.1-inch Enhanced Definition LCD flat screen and a slot loading Multi-format digital video/audio/picture playback supporting DVD-Video, DivX® video format, XviD, Audio CD, HDCD, WMA, Kodak Picture CD and more, this is the OPPO is the only player you will ever need. A clutter-reducing added bonus, the remote control slides into the cradle behind the screen when not in use.

Finding quality sheets to fit a twin extra long mattress used to be close to impossible, but (also from Target) this jersey sheet set comes in stylish stripes and solids as well as a delicate floral design.

You may or may not love your roommate, but you'll always want some privacy. The Smoke Screen from CB2 is a folding black polyester mesh screen that divides space without creating an eye-sore.

All-nighters are a lot easier when hot, caffeinated beverages are as easy as plugging in an appliance. The Bodum Electric Water Kettle features a curvy, sleek design for heating water or soup. This model can produce 48-ounces of boiling water in four minutes, setting record highs for speed. The safe design of the stationary power base and heating element means there are no cords attached to the carafe that might get in the way of pouring your tea or coffee. Both the kettle itself and base are made of recyclable plastic and available in white and black or metal versions that come in either stainless steel or matte chrome (pictured).

With Viking's Convection Microwave you won't have to sacrifice the browning achieved by achieved by conventional ovens but will still be able to make popcorn with the touch of a button.

The Sharper Image Hot and Cold Mini Fridge forgoes liquid refrigerant and noisy motors for environmentally-friendly Peltier Effect electronics to keep food and beverages cold or hot. This big-enough-to-share fridge has room for four wine bottles or 15 12-ounce cans, includes a slide-out shelf, two storage racks, and carry handle.

by Letizia Rossi