Cool Hunting
| 30 August 2007view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Lanyard Necklaces
by Ami Kealoha
Neon plastic lanyard evokes a summer camp nostalgia when counselors schooled us in the art of kitsch key-chains and friendship bracelets. But in the hands of Philip O'Sullivan, the designer of an innovative new jewelry line, these notions of yesteryear are all but a memory. Made from hiking rope, which is crafted into beautifully intricate knots and finished with gunmetal hardware, each piece is handmade by O'Sullivan in his Williamsburg studio. The pieces are refreshingly unique and unapologetically bold. "I love synthetic materials and am very excited by the resurgence of tech/athletic looks in high fashion," says the designer. "I grew so tired of everything having to look old and worn. I'm ready for the future." So are we.
by Kristi Garced
Furni Knox Clock
by Ami Kealoha
Furni's latest collection is out and it looks like the Canadian duo's up to their usual retro-inspired, artist-designed and generally awesome tricks.
We especially like the Knox (pictured right), a rectangular clock which houses a red LED display and alarm in a handmade solid beechwood casing. It's $108 and ships mid-October, but you can pre-order it from Furni directly.
Also with vintage charm, their Alba clock has already collected quite a bit of praise from design blogs and magazines, and the new season introduces a mod red and white version by Danish artist Emil Kozak. The Alba EK, as it's called, is also available for pre-order from Furni and is $138.
And, for fans of the clean lines of Furni's original Gator clock, they've added rounded edges and an alarm clock function.
Also on Cool Hunting: Furni Meet BigChief, Furni x Rekognize x Skate for Cancer: Artist Clock Auction, Furni's Miller Cutting Board
Paul Graham: A Shimmer of Possibility
by Jonah Samson
Inspired by Chekhov's short stories—and by his own contagious joy in the book form—photographer Paul Graham created A Shimmer of Possibility, comprised of 10 individual books, each a photographic short story of everyday life.
Some are simple and linear: a man smokes a cigarette while he waits for a bus in Las Vegas or the camera tracks an autumn walk in Boston. Some entwine two, three or four scenes: while a couple carry their shopping home in Texas, a small child dances with a plastic bag in a garden. Some watch a quiet narrative break unexpectedly into a sublime moment: as a man cuts the grass in Pittsburgh it begins to rain, until the low sun breaks through and illuminates each drop.
Graham's filmic haikus shun any forceful summation or tidy packaging. Instead, they create the impression of life flowing around and past us while we stand and stare, and make it hard not to share the artist's quiet astonishment with its beauty and grace. The 10 books gathered here are identical in trim size, but vary in length from just a single photograph to 60 pages of images made at one street corner.
A Shimmer of Possibility is due to be released in December. You may preorder your copy now through Photoeye.
