Accelerate Sofa

by Ami Kealoha

Taking its cues from aeronautical design (at least that's our educated guess), Danish designer Phillip Grass' Accelerator Sofa is one of his latest sleekly futuristic furniture concepts. With its jet engine-shaped armrests, the sexy seat is the grown-up version of a race car bed.

via Core77

Absolut Machines: Absolut Quartet

by Tim Yu

Absolut Machines is Absolut's promotional initiative that explores where technology meets design in the form of two "machines." Last night we got to check out one, the Absolut Quartet, an interactive multi-instrumental robotic machine. It consists of a marimba played by rubber balls precisely shot from a robotic cannon, a series of spinning wineglasses dampened by robotic fingers and an array of percussive instruments.

The upshot is an electromechanical sculpture that fuses art, technology and interactivity. Completing the Quartet, users from around the world are able to interact with the machine online by inputting a short musical snippet on a simple keyboard. The machine then processes this information and responds with a unique musical composition which is live streamed at Absolut Machines. Have a look at CH's composition here.

Created by Dan Paluska and Jeff Lieberman, it needs to be experienced. Play the instrument though the DOS-like Absolut Machines and if you're in the NY area be sure to check it out live and in person. More images after the jump

Absolut Machines: Absolute Quartet
28 February - 30 April 2008
186 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10012 map
tel. +1 212 600 9263

Nathaniel M. Quinn: Deception, Animals, Blood, and Pain

by Ami Kealoha

by Sheena Sood

Brooklyn fashionistas might be familiar with Harriet's Alter Ego, a women-run Brooklyn boutique. It opened eight years ago and continues to showcase clothing collections and one-of-a-kind pieces made by owners Hekima Hapa and Ngozi Odita . The back of the store also houses a small art gallery showcasing monthly exhibits by emerging artists. Next week artist Nathaniel M. Quinn will put up his display of new charcoal drawings on paper. The show, entitled "Deception, Animals, Blood, and Pain," consists of a series of mixed-media drawings of mink and fur coats that reference the "human-animal relationship." The artist writes, "The aim of the drawings is to create a visual aesthetic where the physical destruction of an animal's flesh is synonymous with that of one's heart and soul."

Nathaniel M. Quinn grew up in inner-city Chicago and received an MFA from NYU in 2002. His work has been exhibited at the Rush Arts Gallery, Brooklyn Borough Hall and The Children's Museum of the Arts. Quinn's awards include the NIA, The Hustling Award and The National Arts Club Award.

Deception, Animals, Blood, and Pain
Opening Reception: 2 March 2008, 3pm
2 March-29 April 2008
Harriet's Alter Ego
293 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11217 map
tel. +1 718 783 2074

Working Class Heroes iPhone/iPod Touch Holders

by Ami Kealoha

by Valery Joseph

The latest streamlined iPod/iPhone sleeves to enter the market (and our current favorites) comes courtesy of the Austrian duo behind the label Working Class Heroes. "We began the company out of a vision to create something new, original, and worlds away from the plastic and neoprene offerings typically found in this market," founder James Teal says. "We were inspired by the past, when handcrafted items were almost an everyday commodity."

Along with his partner Monie.Ka, Teal crafts each of his multi-functional, tactile felt cases out of their studio in the Viennese countryside. Fashioned from 100% wool felt and premium aniline leather, these MP3 cases have a bespoke quality, a theme that carries through in the line's current distribution: an online shop on do-it-yourself web giant Etsy. In addition to MP3 cases, Working Class Heroes also creates laptop "wallets," eyewear cases, and moleskine pouches, all created in the same made-to-order manner.

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Priests and Twins

by Brian Fichtner

Priests and Twins are a series of haunting figurines created by the multi-disciplinary designer Kristin Victoria Barron, principal of the design studio Kreist. While visiting The Future Perfect some weeks ago, I found a small gathering of the Priests huddled on a Jaime Hayon sofa and was compelled to learn their backstory.

After seeing a Jungian analyst many years ago, Kristin started making dolls inspired by her dreams. She elaborated by email, “I'm interested in objects as vehicles/cues for narratives. These pieces are taken from larger fictional narratives that I develop. I have really vivid dreams that I borrow from and the form that the figurines take is suggestive of the narrative that they come from.”

The Priests (which sell for $675 each) were created in an edition of seven. They are fabricated from leather, porcelain, muslin, and copper. The Twins (soon to be displayed at The Future Perfect) are an edition of two and are made from leather, porcelain, muslin, chicken feet, lacquer, and horsehair. Regarding the production of these unique pieces, she concluded: “I believe there is a certain sort of magic in objects that take a long time to make and are touched many times. That is why they are always finished by hand and only made in very small editions.”

The Future Perfect
115 North Sixth Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211 map
tel. +1 718 599 6278

Adam Makarenko

by Jonah Samson

With bee populations in decline over the past several years, Adam Makarenko has created an imaginary world where bees flourish.

In his Miniature Apiary series, the Canadian artist explores the exploitation of bees within a fictitious world he has called the Langstroth Range, which is a land of rare plants and giant bees that becomes endangered when a man named William Bjorn moves in.

Working with a film miniature-maker, Makarenko's world was created from a series of intricate dioramas which were then photographed using special film equipment that was able to alter perspective.

You can see more of his wonderful creations on his website.