Cool Hunting
| 13 August 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Dossier Artist-Designed Totes
by Ami Kealoha
Much like NYC-based arts and culture magazine Dossier's publication itself, their latest project, a series of totes customized by a hand-picked cadre of artists and designers, draws on the talent of their creative community. Bags feature the work of musicians, stylists, fashion designers and poets who each applied different techniques like wood-block printing, collage, photo transfers and quilting.
The results of course are as varied as the creators, ranging from fashion designer Zac Posen's swank-looking contribution (right) to the folksy hand-stitched bear face by artist Fanny Bostrom (left). Also pictured is a denim version by artist/musician Hisham Akira Bharrocha. (Click images for detail.)
Other than Posen's one-off which uses rare skins, each hand-designed tote is signed by the artist, limited to an edition of 150 and is $25 . Pick up your own portable, functional artwork at I Heart in Manhattan, And Then Some in Brooklyn or online from Dossier.
Parra x Enjoi Skateboards
by Tim Yu
Illustrator Parra Rockwell has been producing work at a prolific pace the past couple years with brands slapping his distinct hand-drawn graphics and lettering on everything from sneakers to album covers and t-shirts. The only logical next step (other than a laptop case) is to design a skateboard deck.
A skater himself, Parra knows a thing or two about artist-designed skateboards. Lucky for us he recently teamed up with Enjoi to create a fresh edition of five new decks due out this Fall. All depict his slightly askew sense of humor combined with the aesthetics he's known for. Keep a look out for these in the coming weeks at both Rockwell and Enjoi. Like most of what he touches, they are bound to go quick so check back often.
via Freshness
Green Concept Cars by The Royal College Of Arts
by Tim Yu
Design with no regard to plausibility is always fascinating, especially when applied to the sense of fantasy and freedom inspired by cars. But what happens when you introduce a limiting (and very real) factor to the project? Featured in Wired, the Royal College of Arts (RCA) recently unveiled 10 progressive automobile designs that all take into account our current limiting factor of petroleum and the futuristic results are stunning.
Of course, these might never be pushed into production, but it's an adventurous move for one of the most well-respected institutions in the field and designs like these inevitably influence what we might see in the near future. Who wouldn't want to drive around in a glass car? (Provided it was some type of bouncy glass, naturally.)
Have a look for yourself at Wired's gallery.
The ShootBooth Rental
by Doug Black
The ShootBooth is the antidote for people so addicted to taking photo booth shots at their favorite bar that they can't hang without one at parties and other private events. Designed to resemble a gigantic, antiquated camera, the eight-foot long encasement actually houses a professional-quality digital SLR camera, complete with a built-in lighting setup. Photo subjects can enter the camera "body" (or pop their head in from one of the side openings) and press the button to activate a countdown to the picture. At the end of the night, the resulting shots can be printed or burned to CD.
The backdrop to the ShootBooth is completely customizable. Depending on the theme of your party, the booth can be outfitted accordingly. And to ensure that you strike the optimum pose, the camera takes the picture from behind a one-way mirror that acts as a photo preview.
The ShootBooth was recently unleashed at last Saturday's Williamsburg Walks event in Brooklyn, and can be expected at future New York-area events. Take a look at the gallery for previous examples, or contact them to arrange your own shoot and inquire about rates.
