Cool Hunting

01 June 2008 - 07 June 2008 week before | next week view all from this month
Madeline Valentine Illustrations
Madeline Valentine creates the most haunting illustrations. What makes the Brooklyn artist's work so amazing is the juxtaposition of her soft, dreamlike aesthetic with the thoroughly intense subject matter that she employs—a contrast that could easily come off as contrived if not executed so beautifully....
Bottom Half Nude Blog
It seems everyone's a part-time blogger these days and finding out exactly where to waste your office work time can be a difficult task. We thought we'd help you take out the frustration out of the guessing game by letting you in on the arrival of the hilarious Bottom Half Nude. Much like the beloved Craplinks, the founders, three Melbourne-based designers (Mary Pearls, Marty...
Reserva Pop-Up Shop at São Paulo Eastpak
The beach is at least an hour and a half away, but Rio de Janeiro men's brand, Reserva, is bringing the easy-breezy life of being close to the ocean to São Paulo with their pop-up store in the back of the Eastpak store. The clothing mix is surfwear-inspired with a bit of Ivy League thrown in, much akin to Hollister. The designers picked up...
Circle
Sydney band Circle have just released their debut album Just Keep Swimming and boy does it make me smile. It's an album that works hard to take your mind elsewhere—and succeeds. Driven by piano, the album is a layered sing-a-long pop fiesta with a good dose of guitar stroking, hand clapping shout-out-loud anthems. It will remind you of Ben Folds, Ben Lee and the...
Jawbone 2: Father's Day Giveaway
The latest and second iteration of the Yves Behar designed Jawbone, a mobile Bluetooth-enabled headset, delivers the superior sound quality and noise-canceling technology it's known for in a unit that's 50% of the size of the original. As a form factor, the subtle geometric texture on the diminutive curved earpiece makes it an object that doesn't offend the eye either. In use, we've found...
Bill Cosby's Koos Van Den Akker Sweaters Auction
Like most children of the '80s, Bill Cosby has always held a special place in my heart. Whether hanging with the Huxtables or enjoying some Jello pudding, Mr. Cosby played an integral part in my development, which is why I was particularly touched when I discovered these sweaters up for auction. Each sweater was actually worn by Bill Cosby on "The Cosby Show" and...
Finnish Summer Houses
Nobody appreciates the summer more than Scandinavians. After seven months of winter they savor the brief spell of long days and temperate climates like a precious resource. Many residents—particularly those from Finland—choose to spend this period communing with nature, often in private summer homes. Finnish architects are no different. Their secondary homes are used as blank slates where they can construct their personalized visions...
Chris Rubino: The Center of Something
by Scott Lachut In its current state, Times Square's clash between fading authenticity and idealized homogeneity make it the perfect setting for artist Chris Rubino's "limited tourist attraction" titled “The Center of Something," showing now through 15 June 2008 at the Chashama Gallery. Circa 1990, Times Square was a den of iniquity and vice, boasting a porn shop on every corner and a "squeegee man"...
Trollback+Co: Things We Think About Before Sleep
Trollback+Co, a NYC-based visual and conceptual creative studio, is responsible for some of the most cutting-edge video and motion graphics around. They're the team behind the visuals in the lobby of the Frank Gehry-designed IAC headquarters in NYC, the largest high-res video wall in the world. More recently they challenged their designers, Tetsuro, Peter, Anna, Paul, Emre, Christina and Tolga, to create short films...
Resist Today Accessories
A Florida-based art collective, Resist Today, serves as a direct outlet for independent artists to reach wide audiences and sell their work in the form of wallets, pillows, t-shirts and prints. We especially like the wallets and pillows adorned with artworks making otherwise mundane accessories into lively, colorful alternatives. Demonstrating their commitment to the artists, Resist Today provides profiles of each contributing artist along...
Sarah Beetson's 50 Bucks: Bring On The Sluts Art Vending Machine
Melbourne-based illustrator Sarah Beetson has her second solo exhibition opening this Friday, 6 June 2008, featuring Australia's first Art Vending machine. Titled "50 Bucks: Bring On The Sluts," is a collection of 500 Moleskine-sized artworks which will be priced at $50 each. Those interested in buying one will be able to make their purchase through a donated Pepsi vending machine, which will be dispensing...
70 Unique Business Cards
As we continue to fiddle with our own business cards, it was nice to come across a comprehensive list of 70 original and clever designs. The site features a range of different shapes, sizes and forms, but my favorites are ones that have some sort of interactive or playful feature, like the pull-tab (above left) and scratch-off (below left). Obviously, the most important objective...
Frank Willems: Madam Rubens
After studying advertising and presentation techniques at St. Lucas College and the Design Academy Eindhoven , Frank Willems worked briefly with rising design luminary Joris Laarman. Now participating in various group exhibitions and creating unique studio work, Willems has joined the ranks of many young Dutch designers for whom personal expression is paramount. The Madam Rubens collection, his most fully realized furniture design, saw...
Signal Patterns
Though personality tests generally remind us of the creepy eHarmony guy, are never really as accurate as they claim to be and results usually lack any creative presentation, when we saw the new site from Signal Patterns we were impressed. It's surprisingly accurate, fun to use and looks good too. The year-old company is made up of hardcore science wizards, and Signal Patterns built...
Guillaume Bresson Paintings
Perhaps his paintings are not for the faint of heart, but if you're like me and like art with a sinister edge, take a look at the work of French artist Guillaume Bresson. Bresson's sombre paintings are like choreographed scenes of urban violence. Painted in a dark and monochrome palette, his subjects lurk in the shadows of dimly lit parking garages or they riot...
Marlene Marino Photography
With so many photographers these days making over-stylized digital images, it's great to see someone like Marlene Marino still working in 35mm. The New York-based photographer's use of only natural light, and her languid, straight-forward framing result in intimate, grainy and candid-feeling pictures that feel like they've come out of a forgotten drawer somewhere....
Continental Divide: Golden Throats
Thick with reverb, swirling Rhodes piano and a chorus of distorted bells, Continental Divide's Golden Throats is a shabby collection of five imperfect songs—which isn't meant as a slight. The album's charm lies as much in the music as its visible seams. Most songs begin with Nathan Pemberton's hesitant vocals echoing over simple progressions on guitar or piano. His voice is the most prominent...
Patagonia Shelter Stone: World's First Recyclable Nylon Jacket
While current eco-trends make companies quick to boast about their use of biodegradable glues and materials, Patagonia has been quietly pioneering greener methods for years , oftentimes inventing the new technologies. Their newest innovation is the world's first recyclable nylon jacket, the Shelter Stone, which can be processed through their Common Threads Recycling Program. Making no compromises, Patagonia engineered the fabric so that the...
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Pastafarianism)
It was once said by a wise man that there are (arbitrary large number) paths to God. Our current path of choice is the youngest religion to date—a mere three years old. This new sect is called The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or "Pastafarianism" and is complete with its own Gospel, an ever-growing following, religious art and artifacts and best of all:...
Doug Cowan
Doug Cowan is an artist's artist in the purist sense: an illustrator who truly loves his sketchbook. That said, the New York-based artist' work is clearly permeated by an overarching sketchbook aesthetic. Cowan doesn't so much sketch in his book than thoroughly loses himself in it. The result being the most hauntingly beautiful drawings of nature, forlorn figures and everyday ephemera....
Parke & Ronen Swim Shorts
My search for the perfect swimsuit has been an ongoing project for the better part of the last 10 years, so I was pretty excited to happen upon the newly opened Parke & Ronen boutique during my last visit to Los Angeles. Despite the fact that Parke & Ronen (made up of the creative team of Parke Lutter and Ronen Jehezkel) design a complete...
Tiny Vices Books
by Gabriel Bell We've gotten lost in photographer Tim Barber's online gallery, Tiny Vices, more than we probably should. Carefully edited and simple to use, Tiny Vices does a great job of introducing readers to an entire clique of visual work ranging from the ghostly, back-alley photography of Christian Patterson to the truly cracked illustrations of David Benjamin Sherry. With artists ranging from the...
Capitalist Pig Chalkboard Piggy Bank
by Mat Lyon Had too much of the collapsing world economy? Fear not, the Capitalist Pig will help you aim for brighter days. Floundering savers can stay focused by listing or drawing object(s) of desire on the blackboard surface of the bank. Don't think this is a one-off investment, this little piggy will encourage saving time and time again as it features a removable stopper...
Boone Speed Photography
by Russ Lowe Boone Speed is his real name. Whether the Portland, OR-based photographer's brand of photography is the result of natural-born talent or sheer determination, his aesthetic likely has something to do with his father, Grant Speed. Known for his sculptures depicting Western life, the senior Speed split his West Texas home at the tender age of 12 to ride bulls and earn a...
Alex Da Corte, Artist
Drawing on found objects (and people), kitsch and the banal, Philadelphia-based artist Alex Da Corte makes multimedia work that belies its material origins. This video visits his studio/apartment and his recent gallery show at Fleischer-Ollman to gain some insight into his ideas and technique. We also interview Fleischer-Ollman's director William Pym to get his take on the young artist....
Pergola
Designed by Montreal-based landscape architects Claude Cormier, Pergola was a 2006 pop art piece comprised of 90,000 plastic balls arranged in the form of a wisteria bloom at Le Havre City Hall. A tribute to Monet, who spent his childhood there and much of whose work featured Wisteria, the piece works with an existing vine, creating an interesting juxtaposition between the artificial and the...
June 1, 2008 - June 7, 2008 week before | next week view all from this month
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