Cool Hunting
| 30 March 2008 - 05 April 2008 week before | next week | view all from this month |
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Brian Ulrich
Growing up in the suburban land of big-box retail (which increasingly seems to infiltrate our cities too), I was no stranger to the wanton excess that lined the shelves of stores like Meijer, Target, Costco and Walmart. As the mediocrity of these spaces and the mind-numbing effects of consumerism come to define our American landscape, it seems important for artists to encourage active debate...
Growing up in the suburban land of big-box retail (which increasingly seems to infiltrate our cities too), I was no stranger to the wanton excess that lined the shelves of stores like Meijer, Target, Costco and Walmart. As the mediocrity of these spaces and the mind-numbing effects of consumerism come to define our American landscape, it seems important for artists to encourage active debate...
Gary Panter: Pictures from the Psychedelic Swamp: 1972 – 2001
Fans of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, RAW and SLASH magazines and the comic character Jimbo know and love the work of Gary Panter. You probably know it too, having seen his “jagged lines and surreal cartoons” in magazines, on TV and on the internet too. “Pictures from the Psychedelic Swamp: 1972 – 2001” a micro-mini retrospective of thirty years of drawings, sculptures, painting and installations...
Fans of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, RAW and SLASH magazines and the comic character Jimbo know and love the work of Gary Panter. You probably know it too, having seen his “jagged lines and surreal cartoons” in magazines, on TV and on the internet too. “Pictures from the Psychedelic Swamp: 1972 – 2001” a micro-mini retrospective of thirty years of drawings, sculptures, painting and installations...
Eric Scollon Ceramic Sex Toys
Our exploration of SF's Look boutique continues, leading us to local artist Eric Scollon's cock rings and butt plugs made of ceramic in the style of Tang dynasty blue-and-white pieces. The objects flirt "with the distinctions between art and craft, utility and uselessness and the boundaries between the world of art and the “real world.” Each one is unique, painted by hand and available...
Our exploration of SF's Look boutique continues, leading us to local artist Eric Scollon's cock rings and butt plugs made of ceramic in the style of Tang dynasty blue-and-white pieces. The objects flirt "with the distinctions between art and craft, utility and uselessness and the boundaries between the world of art and the “real world.” Each one is unique, painted by hand and available...
Lost at E Minor
Some might recognize Lost at E Minor from their frequent contributions to CH, but they also host their own site that covers trends and pop culture from all over the world. The page recently underwent a big overhaul. I was able to speak with founding editor Zolton Zavos, whose desk is conveniently next to mine at Cool Hunting HQ. What led you to create...
Some might recognize Lost at E Minor from their frequent contributions to CH, but they also host their own site that covers trends and pop culture from all over the world. The page recently underwent a big overhaul. I was able to speak with founding editor Zolton Zavos, whose desk is conveniently next to mine at Cool Hunting HQ. What led you to create...
Band ID
Some might consider rock music a safe respite from corporate branding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Bands spend huge numbers of hours and dollars perfecting their logos, which serve as much more than just album cover designs. In "Band ID: The Ultimate Book of Band Logos", Bodhi Oser collects the most distinctive logos in Rock, Hip-Hop, Metal, Pop and Reggae from...
Some might consider rock music a safe respite from corporate branding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Bands spend huge numbers of hours and dollars perfecting their logos, which serve as much more than just album cover designs. In "Band ID: The Ultimate Book of Band Logos", Bodhi Oser collects the most distinctive logos in Rock, Hip-Hop, Metal, Pop and Reggae from...
Ryan McGinley: I Know Where the Summer Goes
Since bursting onto the scene eight years ago as one of the hottest young photographers in town, Ryan McGinley continues to produce enduring images that focus on the energy and enthusiasm of youth. In his latest show entitled "I Know Where the Summer Goes" (a title taken from an early B-side by Belle and Sebastian), McGinley continues to move from his original casual snapshot-style...
Since bursting onto the scene eight years ago as one of the hottest young photographers in town, Ryan McGinley continues to produce enduring images that focus on the energy and enthusiasm of youth. In his latest show entitled "I Know Where the Summer Goes" (a title taken from an early B-side by Belle and Sebastian), McGinley continues to move from his original casual snapshot-style...
Charles Cumming: The 21 Steps
"The 21 Steps" is a fast-paced, finely-tuned thriller that uses Google Maps to take the reader through the story's events. Written by British purveyor of spy thrillers, Charles Cumming, the story is told through Google's information bubbles with brief statements and images that take the reader from the streets of London to Edinburgh, Scotland with plenty of action and mini-cliffhangers along the way. "The...
"The 21 Steps" is a fast-paced, finely-tuned thriller that uses Google Maps to take the reader through the story's events. Written by British purveyor of spy thrillers, Charles Cumming, the story is told through Google's information bubbles with brief statements and images that take the reader from the streets of London to Edinburgh, Scotland with plenty of action and mini-cliffhangers along the way. "The...
Timo Wallets
by Jonathan Lawhorne "Sustainability has always been integral to our philosophy," says designer Timo Weiland of his new line TIMO!. The eye-popping, graphic wallets (think pixelated scans and wild graphic illustrations) use eco-friendly materials such as recyclable paper, soy ink and post-consumer vinyl in their super-slim design. "We wanted to create basic bi-fold and tri-fold wallets that allowed users to streamline their life with...
by Jonathan Lawhorne "Sustainability has always been integral to our philosophy," says designer Timo Weiland of his new line TIMO!. The eye-popping, graphic wallets (think pixelated scans and wild graphic illustrations) use eco-friendly materials such as recyclable paper, soy ink and post-consumer vinyl in their super-slim design. "We wanted to create basic bi-fold and tri-fold wallets that allowed users to streamline their life with...
Vinay Somana Ganapathy
Born in southern India, raised in suburban Connecticut and formally trained in Syracuse, Brooklyn artist Vinay Somana Ganapathy draws on multiple influences that inform his imagery and work. Mixing pen, pencil and paint, Vinay’s illustrations are marked by fine, almost-frail line work and sudden bursts of color. Taking slice-of-life inspiration from the city around him and his crew of oddball friends, his drawings are...
Born in southern India, raised in suburban Connecticut and formally trained in Syracuse, Brooklyn artist Vinay Somana Ganapathy draws on multiple influences that inform his imagery and work. Mixing pen, pencil and paint, Vinay’s illustrations are marked by fine, almost-frail line work and sudden bursts of color. Taking slice-of-life inspiration from the city around him and his crew of oddball friends, his drawings are...
Muji Chronotebook
My favorite design from last year's Muji awards is the Chronotebook, a simple but effective daily planner. Rather than the standard columns, lines or grids, each page has an analog clock graphic. With time as the central structuring element, this daily planner is more flexible and helps with accomplishing tasks in a timely manner. Beige, minimal, with rounded corners and just small enough to...
My favorite design from last year's Muji awards is the Chronotebook, a simple but effective daily planner. Rather than the standard columns, lines or grids, each page has an analog clock graphic. With time as the central structuring element, this daily planner is more flexible and helps with accomplishing tasks in a timely manner. Beige, minimal, with rounded corners and just small enough to...
Leslie Shershow Jewelry
Boston-area metalsmith and jewelry designer Leslie Shershow finds inspiration in topics as disparate as found objects, stuffed animals, and the exploitation of nature by humans. Despite the wide array of subject matter, her collections share a refined ruggedness and a rough-hewn beauty. Our favorite collection is her Alaska Series, with its antlers, rifles, bear heads and horns. Selections from the Alaska Series have recently...
Boston-area metalsmith and jewelry designer Leslie Shershow finds inspiration in topics as disparate as found objects, stuffed animals, and the exploitation of nature by humans. Despite the wide array of subject matter, her collections share a refined ruggedness and a rough-hewn beauty. Our favorite collection is her Alaska Series, with its antlers, rifles, bear heads and horns. Selections from the Alaska Series have recently...
Norman Foster Desk Accessories
Although it's been out for a decade, the Foster Series of desk accessories for the German office brand Helit hasn't aged a day. Unless you work for Hearst, or you plan to attend the Summer Olympics in Beijing, your experience of Lord Norman Foster's ingenuity is likely limited to press reviews and the occasional tourist jaunt. Kitting an office desk with these accessories (which,...
Although it's been out for a decade, the Foster Series of desk accessories for the German office brand Helit hasn't aged a day. Unless you work for Hearst, or you plan to attend the Summer Olympics in Beijing, your experience of Lord Norman Foster's ingenuity is likely limited to press reviews and the occasional tourist jaunt. Kitting an office desk with these accessories (which,...
Podpro Trailmaps
Instead of fumbling with oversized trailmaps on the chairlift, Podpro offers free downloadable maps which you can view on your iPhone or iPod. Offering access to a few dozen resorts in the U.S and Canada like Aspen, Alta, Mammoth and Whistler Blackcomb, you can now plan your descent with a few clicks or zooms. The Podpro service also features RSS feeds of weather conditions...
Instead of fumbling with oversized trailmaps on the chairlift, Podpro offers free downloadable maps which you can view on your iPhone or iPod. Offering access to a few dozen resorts in the U.S and Canada like Aspen, Alta, Mammoth and Whistler Blackcomb, you can now plan your descent with a few clicks or zooms. The Podpro service also features RSS feeds of weather conditions...
S. Stein Workbags
Our recent post about Heath's picnic set introduced us to the rugged good looks and quality craftsmanship of S. Stein Workbags. Designer Sherry Stein, with several of her own lines and years at places like Nike and the Gap under her belt, took a cue from the utility of Doctor's leather bags, bricklayer's canvas bags, military surplus and toolbelts to come up with a...
Our recent post about Heath's picnic set introduced us to the rugged good looks and quality craftsmanship of S. Stein Workbags. Designer Sherry Stein, with several of her own lines and years at places like Nike and the Gap under her belt, took a cue from the utility of Doctor's leather bags, bricklayer's canvas bags, military surplus and toolbelts to come up with a...
Generic Man Sportman Sneakers
My latest sneaker purchase, the Sportsman by Generic Man, have all the aesthetic qualities of a great sneaker with high-end materials and production methods to match. Using an almost imperceptibly subtle faux reptile skin (textured white Italian leather) and handmade in Portugal, the look perfectly toes the line between dress and sport. (Click images for detail view.) Based in Los Angeles with a small...
My latest sneaker purchase, the Sportsman by Generic Man, have all the aesthetic qualities of a great sneaker with high-end materials and production methods to match. Using an almost imperceptibly subtle faux reptile skin (textured white Italian leather) and handmade in Portugal, the look perfectly toes the line between dress and sport. (Click images for detail view.) Based in Los Angeles with a small...
Galen Trezise Crocheted Cozies
From the newly-opened Look boutique in SF, these handmade cozies have all the warm appeal of a sweater grandma made with an offbeat Dr. Seuss shape. According to the site, they're intended for vases but we think they'd be well-suited for dressing up a different household object that holds water and plant matter. With unusual colorways, ruffles and perforated weaves, they also hold their...
From the newly-opened Look boutique in SF, these handmade cozies have all the warm appeal of a sweater grandma made with an offbeat Dr. Seuss shape. According to the site, they're intended for vases but we think they'd be well-suited for dressing up a different household object that holds water and plant matter. With unusual colorways, ruffles and perforated weaves, they also hold their...
Mystic Wall Clock
The Mystic Wall Clock is a quiet addition to the new crop of products on Personal Interior Design, the Swedish internet shop. With no numbers and barely discernible hands, it's certainly not the most efficient timepiece. But what it lacks in logical components, it makes up for in eeriness. Designed by Matt Carr for Umbra, the clock's hazy finish lends an ethereal notion to...
The Mystic Wall Clock is a quiet addition to the new crop of products on Personal Interior Design, the Swedish internet shop. With no numbers and barely discernible hands, it's certainly not the most efficient timepiece. But what it lacks in logical components, it makes up for in eeriness. Designed by Matt Carr for Umbra, the clock's hazy finish lends an ethereal notion to...
Laundry Dropps
For city-dwellers too lazy to haul jugs of detergent, the environmentally-minded and/or those just sick of drips and spills, Laundry Dropps are convenient little dissolving detergent pods that cut down waste and clean duds naturally. About the size of a C battery, each "dropp" contains super-concentrated detergent without any of the extra junk found in other detergents. In addition to being phosphate (bad for...
For city-dwellers too lazy to haul jugs of detergent, the environmentally-minded and/or those just sick of drips and spills, Laundry Dropps are convenient little dissolving detergent pods that cut down waste and clean duds naturally. About the size of a C battery, each "dropp" contains super-concentrated detergent without any of the extra junk found in other detergents. In addition to being phosphate (bad for...
Design and the Elastic Mind
To document MoMA's wonderful, monumental exhibit spanning design, science and technology, "Design and the Elastic Mind," we enlisted the help of the show's esteemed curator, Paola Antonelli. Paola speaks in detail about several of the exhibits, including "The Afterlife," a system for turning corpses into batteries, robots that act as personal climatizers and DNA origami. She also weighs in on her curatorial approach, addressing the...
To document MoMA's wonderful, monumental exhibit spanning design, science and technology, "Design and the Elastic Mind," we enlisted the help of the show's esteemed curator, Paola Antonelli. Paola speaks in detail about several of the exhibits, including "The Afterlife," a system for turning corpses into batteries, robots that act as personal climatizers and DNA origami. She also weighs in on her curatorial approach, addressing the...
Burton 2009
In between watching 1080s galore at the U.S. Open a couple weeks backs, I had the chance to demo some of Burton's gear due out for the 2009 season. Most noteworthy is their Infinite Channel System (ICS) and Extra Sensory Technology (EST)—an integrated board and binding system. Reducing the binding mount to two screws, thus eliminating the plate from under your boot. Debuted for...
In between watching 1080s galore at the U.S. Open a couple weeks backs, I had the chance to demo some of Burton's gear due out for the 2009 season. Most noteworthy is their Infinite Channel System (ICS) and Extra Sensory Technology (EST)—an integrated board and binding system. Reducing the binding mount to two screws, thus eliminating the plate from under your boot. Debuted for...
~Elt Buckle-less Belt
From the fertile mind of Sruli Recht (whom we last saw crafting utterly amazing handmade shoes in exotic skins), the ~Elt strips the accessory down to a strip of leather with interlocking teeth designed to hold it together. While working on ideas to make a belt without a buckle, "an exploration in removing the function from the function," Sruli was inspired by his fingers...
From the fertile mind of Sruli Recht (whom we last saw crafting utterly amazing handmade shoes in exotic skins), the ~Elt strips the accessory down to a strip of leather with interlocking teeth designed to hold it together. While working on ideas to make a belt without a buckle, "an exploration in removing the function from the function," Sruli was inspired by his fingers...
Heath Picnic Set
From the ceramicists responsible for fusing Modern aesthetics with Northern California earthiness, the Heath Picnic Set is a chic addition to warm weather outings. A collaboration with S.Stein bags, the suede and canvas tote holds two three-piece place settings securely in a removable caddy. (See an image after the jump.) There's also a slot for wine, a pocket for linens and cutlery, as well...
From the ceramicists responsible for fusing Modern aesthetics with Northern California earthiness, the Heath Picnic Set is a chic addition to warm weather outings. A collaboration with S.Stein bags, the suede and canvas tote holds two three-piece place settings securely in a removable caddy. (See an image after the jump.) There's also a slot for wine, a pocket for linens and cutlery, as well...
Askinosie Chocolate
You mightn't think the backstory of a chocolate bar too fascinating. That is until you come across Askinosie Chocolate. The fledgling, Missouri-based company was founded by Shawn Askinosie, a criminal defense lawyer for nearly twenty years, who started making chocolate in his law office kitchen less than three years ago. After studying cocoa post harvest techniques in the Amazon and apprenticing under a master...
You mightn't think the backstory of a chocolate bar too fascinating. That is until you come across Askinosie Chocolate. The fledgling, Missouri-based company was founded by Shawn Askinosie, a criminal defense lawyer for nearly twenty years, who started making chocolate in his law office kitchen less than three years ago. After studying cocoa post harvest techniques in the Amazon and apprenticing under a master...
Arty Dandy at Bon Marché
Arty Dandy is a small, French gallery/store specializing in rare and exclusive art books, magazines, fashion accessories, gadgets and decorative design objects. They feature many limited product runs and every quarter the store presents a new theme for their collection. Launching this past Saturday and runnin through 24 May 2008, Arty Dandy will take up shop in the legendary French department store, Le Bon...
Arty Dandy is a small, French gallery/store specializing in rare and exclusive art books, magazines, fashion accessories, gadgets and decorative design objects. They feature many limited product runs and every quarter the store presents a new theme for their collection. Launching this past Saturday and runnin through 24 May 2008, Arty Dandy will take up shop in the legendary French department store, Le Bon...
| March 30, 2008 - April 5, 2008 week before | next week | view all from this month |
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