Drinkpee

by Tim Yu

We've all heard of people drinking their own urine to survive out in the wild when there is no access to water. Though urine is sterile and (usually) safe to drink, using it as plant fertilizer may be more palatable option to most.

The smart folks at EAWAG Aquatic Research in Switzerland have developed a way to extract the phosphorus and nitrogen from urine to be used as fertilizer. Cultivating the nutrients leaves urine harmless to wildlife, otherwise untreated urine reaches the oceans, feeding algae causing algae blooms (also known as Red Tides) which soak up all the oxygen and suffocate fish.

An artful take on how to combat this type of pollution, a DIY kit for turning your pee into fertilizer was developed by artists Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray. It will be available during their drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee installation opening tomorrow at Eyebeam in New York as part of "Feedback." Drinkpee is an exhibit that explores the role of our bodies and byproducts in larger ecosystems. For more info on how to turn your pee into fertilizer and the upcoming exhibition visit drinkpee and Eyebeam.

drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee
13 March-19 April 2008
Eyebeam
540 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011 map
tel. +1 212 937 6580

via we-make-money-not-art

David Capra: Always Driving into the Sun

by Lost At E Minor

Australian artist David Capra's new exhibition features works that "reference sculptures from gateways of neighboring homes like pebbled steeping-stones made from plasticine and a paper mache concrete lion."

Always Driving into the Sun
13-28 March 2008
Parramatta Artists Studio
45 Hunter Street
Parramatta 2150 map
Sydney Australia
tel. +02 9687-6090

Katie Burley Hats

by Ami Kealoha

by Sheena Sood

Doing her part (along with John Galliano and Marc Jacobs in their Fall '08 collections) to bring the art of custom millinery back to the mainstream, Katie Burley creates whimsical and one-of-a-kind hats for a variety of occasions. With a supply of vintage materials and rare objects, the San Francisco-based designer hand-blocks and trims each couture hat. Katie discovered her obsession with "all things cranial" as a student of Fibers and Wearable Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art. For her, hat-making is all about line, gesture, color and composition; each hat is a sculpture. Also a part-time art teacher and a part-time florist, she takes inspiration both from children's uninhibited imaginations and from nature.

Katie has collections for cocktail occasions, summer weather, bridal affairs, and for men. My favorites are her pheasant feather cloche and the "Apple Martini" cocktail hour piece (both pictured). She's also happy to create a special hat for a particular event or individual. Hats can be ordered through her website. Feel free to request that a specific material be used on your hat in order to match it to an existing garment.

Katie also participates in runway shows at The Crucible art center in Oakland with other Bay Area designers, and in various San Francisco trunk shows; you can find her next week at Vessel.

Tom Dixon: Beat Collection

by Brian Fichtner

Named "Beat" for their hand-beaten production method, Tom Dixon's series of lamps and vessels is quickly becoming an iconic part of his oeuvre. After years of working in relative obscurity, Dixon is now something like England's national poster child of design. From his massive light giveaways during London's design week to limited edition copper-clad chairs and private member's club interiors, the designer seems to know all the steps of the multidisciplinary dance. Last month, Dixon staked his claim on U.S. territory, opening his own branded space within the chaotic confines of ABC Carpet & Home in downtown Manhattan.

A bit further down the island, Moss is now featuring his expansive Beat collection. The collection got its start with the Beat Lights, a series of hand-hammered, patinated brass pendants inspired by typical water carrying receptacles found in India. Dixon has been wise not to just draw inspiration from the culture, but to employ its skilled artisans in manufacturing these designs. It's likely a savvy business move, but also an admirable way to help protect a dying craft. This year, a group of gargantuan Beat Vessels, in unpolished brass, was introduced. At once exotic and indicative of Dixon's vernacular, they represent design fusion at it's best.

Phil Frost

by Wendy Dembo

A self-taught American painter, Phil Frost has a uniquely sophisticated style. He finds what many would consider to be trash—discarded wood, bottle caps, paper, windows and doors—on the street and carts it back to his studio transforming the found objects into works of art. In his most recent works, a topical layer of white covers everything with heart like forms, men with shields and big-eyed toothy faces.

In 2004 Sartoria, an unusual creative agency based in Modena, Italy, published "Cube IV," a limited edition book that was distributed freely to friends. Half of its volume was devoted to the work of Frost. People who admire his work and follow his career have been searching internet auctions and fine used book stores for copies for years. Now the portion of the book that was devoted to Frost has been published as a monograph by Damiani with introductions by Pushead and Carlo McCormick.

Everyone can go to their local book store and get it. Frost says, "I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to present a comprehensive and chronological representation my work from 1992 through 2004."

Get it from Amazon or Powell's.