Cool Hunting
| 03 April 2007view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
WA Video Installation
by Ami Kealoha
Transforming the 17th century facade of Knoll's Paris headquarters on St. Germain, WA is a site-specific video installation by WIKA. Launched last week, the piece constructs the made-up history of the design company's founders Hans Knoll and Florence Schust, playing on the real way the pair used a minimalist approach to design to define Knoll
Using a two-screen format and high-tech projection, the screens either form one vertical image, play alone or with each other and live editing software (developed by WIKA) creates a different version of the story each time it plays. Much like WIKA's other provacative video installations and Doug Aitken's recent use of the MoMA as the screen for Sleepwalkers, WA dynamically uses public space to reinvent architecture and cinema simultaneously. Click image for detail.
WA
Every evening: 29 March-15 April 2007
Knoll International France
268 Boulevard Saint-Germain
Paris, France
Dr. Dog
by Tim Yu
Dr. Dog, a retro-psychedelic rock band out of Philadelphia, is currently touring throughout much of the U.S making a stop at the Bowery Ballroom in New York this Thursday, 5 April 2007. Playing songs from their recent release, We All Belong, their neo-60's sound is authentic, new and should not be missed.
Many bands fail to successfully reproduce the psychedelic pop sound, but Dr. Dog has made it their own with a modern indie twist. Old fashioned, We All Belong was recorded on a 24 track, 2-inch tape machine—a modern step forward from previous releases which were recorded on an 8-track.
Allowing the band to introduce new layers of vocal harmonies and textured instrumentation, the new recording method also maintains their lo-fi throwback sound. Loose chords sound clean and match the rhythmic piano and organ riffs while muffled drums wail away with steady and simple beats. Bouncing strong bass lines nudge songs forward in a style not unlike Paul McCartney's.
The highlight, however, are the melodic vocals. Stripped down three-part harmonies allow idiosyncracies and imperfections to come out, creating warmer, more full harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys. It's a refreshing antidote to the over-digitized, bland harmonies of today.
We All Belong is out on Park the Van Records and is available here, from Amazon or iTunes. Listen to tracks on Dr. Dog's MySpace.
Art and Cook Kitchen Tools
by Ami Kealoha
Inspired by Nike Air technology, Art and Cook's O2 line of kitchen tools features patent-pending handles with ergonomic air pockets strategically positioned to protect hands from stresses and pressure. Made from either zinc or titanium the tools have a well-balanced heft, transforming tough kitchen tasks into more pleasurable experiences.
Other innovations, like the open wheel with a nylon sleeve on their "Pizza Wheelie" solves the age-old pizza cutting problem by making it a one-cut operation. Other favorites include the highly-effective nubby design of the citrus reamer (left) and the coencentric whisks in varying shapes designed for specific purposes.
From the same duo behind Art and Cook: Love Food, Live Design, Dream Art, the utensils fuse cooking, design and art and come in a variety of colors. Several items from the 49-piece line are available from Macy's.
Non-Fiction T-Shirts
by Lost At E Minor
We love the finer details of the Non-Fiction range. The girls tees are feminine and highly wearable, and feature visuals which are playful and mischievous. Even better, they're "designed and made in Australia using quality fabrics and union-based labour."
Kerry Skarbakka
by Jonah Samson
Kerry Skarbakka makes images that allow him to let go of it all. To make the photographs in his series "The Struggle to Right Oneself," he harnesses himself to ropes and pulleys that keep him from hitting the ground. He then photographs himself as he hurls his body off of buildings and cliffs (often repeatedly), and digitally erases the safety devices from the pictures.
He has described this work by saying that “Heidegger described human existence as a process of perpetual falling, and it is the responsibility of each individual to "catch ourselves" from our own uncertainty...The images stand as reminders that we are all vulnerable to losing our footing and grasp.” He is currently showing alongside Anthony Goicolea, Todd Hido and Gregory Crewdson in an exhibition called The Big Picture at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Check out his website for more images and information. Click images for detail.
