Banksy in NYC: The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

The last time street artist Bansky did a piece in New York, it was a small painting of a cheap can of soup—his tribute to Andy Warhol—that he smuggled onto a gallery wall at the MoMa. As you might have already seen, Banksy recently put up three giant billboards in the Big Apple. All depicting the NYC mascot, one rat sports an "I heart New York" shirt at the corner of Grand and Wooster, another is found whitewashing the wall at Houston and Macdougal and the last rat at Howard and Broadway is holding a briefcase full of money accompanied with text that reads "Let them eat crack." In a statement Bansky comments, "I wanted to play the corporations at their own game, at the same scale and in the same locations. The advantage of billboard companies is that they'll let you write anything for money, even if what you write is questioning the ethics of letting someone write anything because they have money."

However, these works seem like they were just a warm up for his first official show in New York City (Wooster Collective claims the others have been fakes). Diehard Bansky fans are most excited to see his popup store, The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill located at 89 Seventh Avenue South. The tiny space can hold no more than 20 people at a time, and because it's a storefront, the exhibit is also viewable at night. Don't expect to find any of his more identifiable works inside. Demonstrating his twisted but thought provoking sense of humor, Banksy designed a pet shop that includes fish sticks swimming in a fish tank, a chimpanzee watching chimp porn, a fur coat playing a cat, and hot dog hamsters. One of our favorites has to be the Chicken McNuggets sipping barbeque sauce (image via wooster collective). With the use of animatronics Banksy is able to take his artform to a whole new level.

The top secret artist is not known for doing many shows but the ones he puts on are more akin to events like this one rather than mere gallery nights. A 2005 London show was held in a shop with 164 live rats and featured vandalized pastiches of famous artworks, such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. His 2006 Los Angeles show featured a live elephant painted red and gold to match the wallpaper, and a pre-party for the Hollywood elite, where Angelina and Brad picked up a slew of his work. In May of this year he organized a street art exhibition in a Eurostar tunnel in London, featuring graffiti artists from around the world.

This newest event is a departure from past works to say the least. Be sure to check it out before the lines start winding around the blocks. Open from 10am-midnight daily through 31 October 2008. More information is also available at The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill.

Be sure to check out the video below to see the animatronics in action.

The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill
89 Seventh Avenue South (Between West 4th and Bleeker)
New York, NY 10014 map

Moda Home Collection for Micasa by Adriana Barra

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Brazilian fashion designer Adriana Barra is well known for her vivid, dizzying prints on boho dresses. She recently applied these works to release a print-embellished Moda Home Collection for the highly conceptual furniture store Micasa in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Our favorites from the collection include 10 Mini Ice Boxes. Small, retro refrigerators that you might find in a dorm room, each pay homage to a pop culture icon from Tetris to Speed Racer. Each design is a one-off, which may or may not justify the cool R$18,000 (that's around $7,500 U.S at today's currency rate).

A very busy women, Barra also lends her eye-catching prints to signature Micasa pieces designed by Eero Saarinen, which includes a closet, side table (pictured above), dinner and coffee tables. Her prints have also landed on Micasa surfboards and decorative fabrics.

Check out more of Adriana Barra's works on her website and at Micasa.

Katz and Company Artisinal Vinegars

by Brian Fichtner

Supplying a dizzying array of gustatory delights, from honeys and preserves to oils and vinegars, the California-based Katz and Company has a culinary history stretching back over thirty years.

Katz's Late Harvest Zinfandel AgroDolce Vinegar is a delightfully sweet and sour elixir, as the term AgroDolce will suggest. Made from 100% North Coast Zinfandel, the vinegar is characterized both by a jammy finish and a pronounced zing that linger equally on the palate. I've found their Champagne Vinegar, comprised of 95% California Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Gris and Pinto Noir, to be the ideal component in sprucing up a light salad. Fragrant, tart, and deceptively simple, it has become a kitchen staple. Katz's Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc AgroDolce Vinegar is incredibly aromatic, robust in color and surprisingly complex. Hints of raisin, apple and plum dance on the tongue while a mildly acidic base makes for a crisp finish.

Katz's Gravestein Apple Cider Vinegar is nothing like I've ever tasted. The Gravestein apple, recognized by Slow Food as a "heritage" food, forms the base of this remarkable vinegar. Like a bottled version of autumn, this vinegar immediately calls to mind walking between rows of apple trees, rollicking on hay rides, and sharing cider and donuts under falling leaves. Rife with the flavor of baked apples and strong in its acidity, this vinegar is simply awesome.

Founders Albert and Kim Katz got their start in the early years of the Bay Area's food revolution, operating a restaurant that favored quality ingredients long before terms such as slow food, locavore and artisinal were in common use. After selling their Berkeley restaurant in 1991 they embarked upon a new venture as growers and producers of distinctive foods.

In 2000, the couple set out to make traditional vinegars using the Orleans Method, a process introduced in Port Orleans, France in the 16th century. While large-scale manufacturers produce industrialized vinegars through forced fermentation, practitioners of the Orleans Method combine quality wines with a starter (known as the "mother") where the vinegars are allowed to mature in oak barrels over many months. Katz and Company produces all of its vinegar in a historic 1865 Carriage House (pictured above right) located in the Suisun Valley. Albert comments "we are not only the 'vinegarmaker,' but the grape grower and winemaker as well. This gives us a unique and one-of-a-kind opportunity to craft the finished wine with an eye toward the type of profile we want for our vinegar."

Purchase Katz and Company vinegars on their online store starting at $10.

Vienna Design Week 2008: Numen Light

by Ami Kealoha

On first glance Numen Light looks like just another mirror trick but on closer inspection the infinity point gapes open revealing an uneven black space that then closes, going back to infinity. Check out a video of its mesmerizing action on Rado's site.

This trippy effect is the work of the Vienna design collective For Use, who use a two-way mirrored surface that flexes to pull it off.

It's currently installed at the Rado store, info is below. See more images of other Numen Lights in different but equally compelling shapes after the jump.

Numen Light
Through 12 October 2008
Rado
Kärntnerstrasse 18
1010 Wien Austria map

Max Lamb at Johnson Trading Gallery

by CH Contributor

by Tamara Warren

British contemporary furniture designer Max Lamb brings the essence of the outdoors to American turf with his solo exhibit at the Johnson Trading Gallery in New York City. Sturdy and stalwart, Lamb's work has a primal, natural and organic feel.

Several of his newly commissioned pieces are made with Delaware bluestone, the blue sediment stone used in New York sidewalks which are sourced from the Catskill Delta. He traveled north to collect the stone and by using a combination of hand carving techniques and machine cutting he was able to create this latest collection of chairs, tables, benches and stools. He also incorporates limestone, pewter, bronze, copper and wool felt into the work. The table set appears as a rock garden extracted and sculpted, and benches are chiseled into symmetrical form that emit a sense of permanence and rawness.

Lamb's ascent in the industrial design world has been rapid. He received the 2003 Peter Walker Award for Innovation in Furniture Design and a 2004 Hettich International Design Award. He worked with Tom Dixon and Ou Baholyodhin Studio before launching his own design studio in 2007. Lamb’s past work with limestone and sandstone won praise at Design Miami/Basel where he was awarded the 2008 Designer of the Future Award. Pieces from this accompanying exhibit, "Solids of Revolution," will be shown at the New York gallery space along with a retrospective of his work including large, hand carved Polystyrene Dining Table and eight Poly Chairs, White Bronze Poly Chairs and a Nano-crystalline Copper Stool. Also, an accompanying film series explores his design philosophy and distinct process.

The exhibition will be on view from 8 October through 7 November 2008. More info and images available at Max Lamb and Johnson Trading Gallery.

Additional images after the jump.

Johnson Trading Gallery
490 Greenwich St.
New York, NY 10013 map
tel. +1 212 925 1110