Cool Hunting Video Presents: Dodi Wexler

by Cool Hunting Video

In this video, CH visits the studio of Dodi Wexler, an American expat living in London, who creates finely detailed works out of materials like paper scraps, vintage stamps, beads and water bottle caps. The finished pieces almost always take on nebulous organic shapes and are usually collage-based, whether it's a spiraling gold-flecked map of Rome or a massive weaving of tiny paper strips that Dodi painstakingly glues together. Her handmade aesthetic reflects both an appreciation of found materials and intensively obsessive process.

Art Hotels

by Ami Kealoha

One-upping the generic prints that often hang inoffensively in hotel rooms and lobbies, more and more hotels add work by big name contemporary artists to their lists of amenities. These three destinations feature art by less flashy names, which makes them a good place to discover new artists and the presentation—graffiti-style murals that cover the walls of a room and doors with photographic overlays—makes for an experience that's more immersive than an average hotel, or museum for that matter.

Hotel Max
At the Hotel Max in downtown Seattle you'll find all the modern amenities such as flat screen televisions, wifi and luxurious toiletries. But from the moment you are handed your room key card featuring the reproduction of a striking work of contemporary art, you'll start to notice the differences.

Remembering your room has never been easier because each door is emblazoned with a photograph that fits with the theme of the floor. (Pictured above right) On the rock and roll floor, a photo of a local grunge artist might canvas your door or on the sculpture floor your door features the photo of a marble figure. Photographers include John Armstrong, Roniq Baranten and Charles Peterson.

Inside each room are out-of-the-ordinary amenities such as a pillow menu, a spirituality menu offering various religious texts and a sushi menu. All rooms showcase the art of local Pacific Northwest artists with original paintings. The hotel has 350 works of original art in both public spaces and rooms, by over 30 local artists. Artists on view include Junko Yamamoto, Jay Backstrand and Pam Baker and are also featured in a book put out by the hotel called Maximalism: Art at the Hotel Max Double occupancy starts at $239.

by Amy Sherman

Hotel des Arts
The Hotel des Arts in San Francisco has taken all those soulless hotel traits and turned them on their head. In this hotel it’s not about the executive suite, the room service or the enormous en suite bathrooms, it’s about the art, like Copenhagen's Hotel Fox, painted directly on the walls.

Situated bang in the center of town, a stone’s throw away from the entrance to China Town, the Hotel des Arts is all about being in the city. So there are no classic black and white prints, we’re talking psychedelic, multicoloured, vibrant and energetic mural art splashed across the walls of each room. Local and international artists were each given one room to express themselves and the results range from edgy graffiti styles through darkly mystic to downright funky and abstract. And the work continues gradually, so far about 35 of the 50 hotel rooms have been painted. The fact that the low prices allow for almost any kind of traveller to stay there is in keeping with the idea that this is about promoting young experimental artists who are connected youth and street culture. You don’t want to just spend the night here you want to hang out here and go and knock on everyone’s doors to see what their rooms look like! If you are a San Francisco local then you should pass by their Women’s Art Festival on Thursday 7 December 2006, from 5:30-10pm that aids La Casa de Las Madres, San Francisco's oldest and largest organization dedicated to providing services to victims of domestic violence.

by Leonora Oppenheim

The Henry Jones Art Hotel
The Henry Jones Art Hotel, Australia's first and only dedicated art hotel, is located on Tasmania's Hobart waterfront. Henry Jones, the Hotel's namesake, was an entrepreneur from humble beginnings whose jam business became largest private company in the world during the late 1800s.

A row of historic warehouses which housed the jam factory have been transformed by award-winning architects Morris Nunn and Associates into a spectacular first class hotel complete with suites, foyers, bars, restaurants and an atrium. The Henry Jones Art Hotel features over 250 original artworks by both established and emerging Tasmanian Artists. The works exhibited are available for sale at the Hotel and can also be viewed and purchased directly from the Henry Jones Gallery Online Catalogue. The Hotel embraces the legacy of trade between the Australia and Asia in its decor in the Peking, Calcutta and Oriental Suites, and the original character of the warehouses, such as the exposed brick and natural stone of the Art Installation Suite which overlooks the beautiful atrium allowing glimpses of former factory. The Deluxe Spa Suites combine original walls with stone and timber trusses with ultra modern bathrooms featuring a Kohler elliptical double spa as well as the standard flat screen TV, DVD player and high speed internet connection. Standard suites with atrium views start at $260AU with harbor view suites starting at $320AU and deluxe suites starting at $330AU.

by Letizia Rossi

Muji Multi-Functional Clock

by Josh Rubin

This Multi-Functional Clock from Muji rotates to change from clock to alarm, calendar or thermometer. The information on the display rotates to show whicever feature is on top. Perfect for travel, the compact rubberized clock is another example of great design from Muji. Available for £6 complete with batteries from Muji Online.

Also Cool Hunting: Muji iPod Speakers, Muji Award, Muji Apartment

Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

by Ami Kealoha

Why does it seem like all the new young singers in the tradition of classic American soul are white girls from England? First Alice Russell, and now Amy Winehouse. Actually, Winehouse is not a newcomer. Her first album, Frank (2003), went platinum in the U.K. and her latest, Back to Black, released last month, is already gold. But with her albums available only as imports in the U.S. she remains all but unknown stateside.

Salaam Remi, who produced all of Frank and half of Back in Black, is known for his work with seminal hip-hop artists like Nas and the Fugees and in the U.K. with superstar Ms. Dynamite. His style is a good match for Winehouse’s old-school attitude.

But the more vital and edgy half of the album comes from producer Mark Ronson. The son of David Bowie’s guitarist Mick Ronson and DJ to the stars (along with his sister Samantha), Ronson has developed a respectable track record as a producer, from his work with Nikka Costa to rapper Rhymefest and Christina Aguilera and now Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. His cover version earlier this year of Radiohead’s “Just” (with Alex Greenwald) was one of the best and most acclaimed on the compilation Exit Music: Songs With Radio Heads. He follows the same production recipe on Back to Black, layering well-arranged live instruments played by members of retro-funkateers the Dap Kings and Brooklyn afrobeat orchestra Antibalas over hard-hitting backing tracks.

The overall feel of Back in Black recalls the sounds of the girl groups of the 1950s and 1960s with a clear nod to Motown icons the Supremes, vocals pitting Lauren Hill against Sarah Vaughn, and enough thump in the trunk to bang in the clubs—at least in the U.K.

Pick it up from Amazon U.K.

by DJ Scribe