Two New Mixers

by Jacob Resneck

Historically frowned upon as cheap imitations for those who can't mix their own, two new mixers help remove the stigma by making delicious concentrates using high-quality ingredients. Our first contender, Mixerz, comes to us from California's Napa Valley, the cradle of America's fine wine industry that in the 1980s broke the backs of the jugwine industry, elevating California wines to a world standard. Using all natural ingredients, Mixerz has done the same for cocktail mixers.

Each of the seven flavors tastes remarkably like a freshly mixed cocktail. We were skeptical about one of our favorite summer drinks, the mojito, which is impossible to enjoy without good-quality mint leaves; nevertheless, Cool Hunting tasters were won over with this thirst-quenching mixer made by steeping real mint leaves—it has a convincing lime flavor and isn't too sweet. Others to try are the Bloody Mary, Margarita and Cosmopolitan. Even with such an uncreative name, Mixerz delivers the goods.

In the same vein, Sweetbird syrups deliver nearly 30 flavors for cocktails, smoothies, milkshakes or any variety of recipes. The flavors are fairly conventional; they stick to the known universe with options like caramel, chocolate, toasted marshmallow and peach, pineapple and raspberry, rather than trying to be outlandish. What they might lack in innovation, they more than make up for in consistency of quality. Bereft of anything artificial, they're also certified by the Vegetarian Society; aside from the culled marshmallows, each syrup is guaranteed cruelty-free. Also check out the chocolate (white and black) and caramel sauces.

Advertising Now. Online

by Tim Yu

Advertising Now. Online is an in depth look at how ads have evolved "beyond the banner." The second book from Taschen's series on advertising, it reviews some of the most compelling and effective ad campaigns found on the web. Profiles of successful ad campaigns from around the world by award-winning agencies, including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Tribal DDB and OgilvyOne, among others, offer insight into the thought process and motives behind their creation. The book also includes a DVD showcasing most of the ads, supplemented with interviews with creatives behind the projects. Featuring companies like Coca Cola, Audi and other lesser known groups, Advertising Now. Online highlights the artful, creative work that's changing the face of online advertising.

Pick it up from Amazon or Taschen.

We Won a Webby!

by Josh Rubin

I am very proud to announce that Cool Hunting won the Webby award for best music and variety video series. For the last 18 months we've worked with Ari Kuschnir and Scott Thrift of m ss ng p eces to produce weekly videos that take you to the studios of artists and creators, cultural events like SXSW and Art Basel, and behind and on the stage with musicians and performers.

In addition to being shown on the site the videos are available on iTunes and some of them can now be seen on Current TV.

It's tough to pick our favorites, but here are a 10 that we think really capture the spirit of Cool Hunting Video:

Jonathan Harris
A Cool Hunting exclusive, we caught up with artist Jonathan Harris as he unveils his new project Universe, an artistic take on a system that explores modern mythology. We are also guided through We Feel Fine, a global study of human emotion using large-scale blog analysis, and he volunteers his creative thought process behind the piece.
16 March 2006

Art Basel Miami Beach 2006, Part One
For CH's second annual video series about the series of art fairs, parties and events that take place around Art Basel Miami Beach for a week in early December, we go from the literal fringes (artist-designed blimps on the beach) to Basel itself. This first of two parts is a glimpse at the many sculptures, paintings and installations that fill buildings and tents (and beaches) throughout Miami during these few days, including the growing ancillary fairs NADA (New Art Dealer's Alliance) and Scope.
19 December 2006

Art Basel Miami Beach 2006, Part Two
In this episode, NADA director Heather Hubbs, art collector Marvin Friedman (who's been involved with Art Basel since it started in Miami), artist and Florida resident James Rosenquist, German gallerist Rüdiger Lange and the creative duo known as Friends With You, all weigh in with unique points of view about the fair and their roles in it.
25 December 2006

3:34 of London

On CH's recent London trip, we visited the studios of artist Dodi Wexler, design collective Troika and Social Suicide, the very forward men's fashion label. From Troika's tech-enabled activism to Dodi's "little worlds" and Social Suicide's pairing of irreverence with traditional English tailoring, we found that London, and each specific neighborhood, has everything to do with what these artists and designers do and their creative process. Episode 58 is a glimpse of London today—or at least as much of this massive city as you can fit into 3:34.
8 December 2006

Troika
The techno-subversiveness of Troika's mobile phone-controlled Tool for Armchair Activists and SMS Guerilla Projector initially caught CH's attention a couple years back. Episode 56 of Cool Hunting Video visits the now three year-old, multi-disciplinary art and design studio in Brixton, London to meet the founding trio of international designers behind Troika, Eva Rucki, Sebastian Noel and Conny Freyer, and to see their conceptual work in action.
24 November 2006

Okamoto Studio
Takeo Okamoto, an established sushi chef in his native Japan discovered his calling for ice sculpture and moved to the iciest place he could think of, Alaska. We decided right away to make a video of the studio and, after some deliberation, we realized CH mascots Otis and Logan would make the perfect subjects for a video and a great feature at our 50th Episode party. Guests were treated to the breathtaking sculptures of the Sealyham Terriers themselves and to raw footage from the video of them being made.
26 October 2006

Nouvell Vague: Nugroove vol. 5
With bossa nova-kissed covers of vintage new wave, lilting French accents and sweetly soothing vocals, Nouvelle Vague's eponymous debut in 2004 was a global hit, providing the perfect soundtrack for romantic first dates. In the video you'll see their flirty live show, find out who's the best bowler in the group and learn what some of their songs are really about.
16 October 2006

Hess is More: Nugroove vol. 3
With his virtuosic ability to play multiple instruments and love of jazz and experimental electronica, Hess creates a sound palette that is all at once original, hypnotic and timeless. Cool Hunting Video caught up with him on the court and in the studio to discuss his creative process when he was in New York City this summer.
6 September 2006

Amorphophallus Titanum
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.
18 August 2006

Jonathan Schipper
"Attempt at an Invisible Sphere," a globe made from 215 cameras and screens, was our first introduction to Jonathan Schipper's work. When we had the chance to visit the Brooklyn-based artist in his studio recently, we got to check out more of the "mechanical paradoxes" that make up Schipper's ouevre and watch him tinker on his latest undertaking, an animatronic sculpture set in motion by a player piano reel of Slayer's "Raining Blood."
26 June 2006

Richard Caldicott

by Jonah Samson

In his earlier work, Richard Caldicott used Tupperware containers as the subject for his photographs, elevating these common household objects to objects of beauty. Piling vibrantly colored plastic cups and bowls, he created abstract formations that were like eye-popping op-art paintings.

His concern was the metamorphosis of the everyday, which for him has something almost alchemical about it. This went one step further in photography, by chemically transforming his constructions into two-dimensional pictures at the touch of a button. The work shows that he was aiming for a kind of transmutation of the functionality of everyday objects.

Caldicott refers to his latest works as “Constructions,” which not only suggests that he is manually making the things he photographs, but also creates a connection to constructivism and architecture. In this series, he leaves the realm of using specific objects, and deals directly with abstraction. He makes collages and assemblages, and then photographs them multiple times. The transparencies are then overlapped in different formations to get the final image.

His work is currently on view at the Galerie f5,6 in Munich until May 26th.

Galerie f5,6
Ludwigstr.7
80539 Munich
tel. +089 286 751 67

Papé Sandals

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Brazil—where Havianas were born—is renowned for fabricating sandals because they've had the years of practice to make them beautiful. Enter Papé. Papé sandals blend customization with fashion, versatility and Brazilian quality craftmanship.

Their kiosk, located in Sao Paulo's swanky Shopping Iguatemi mall, allows the customer to pick the material and the type of leather sole and the staff helps with the different ways to wear the straps. In the end, you're getting more than just one sandal—a good deal. Creator and native Patricia Gasparian, who studied in the U.S. at Parsons and was on Diane von Furstenberg's creative team, scours the city for vintage clothes, curtains, leather and fabric swatches to turn into pretty, eye-catching straps. Gasparian’s inspiration was to sell an idea rather than a product, and this DIY ethic appeals to even the more money-laden clientele that the shop has. Check out the website to see demonstrations of how the sandals can be laced.