Akomplice: Limousine Early Voting Party

by Jacob Resneck

Akomplice, the brainchild of two brothers in their early 20s from a tiny mountain townin the Colorado Rockies has made some strides since we last checked in with them in 2006.

Brothers Mike and Patrick McCarney have recently entered the political fray with their Ballin' With Barack '08 t-shirts. The company is throwing a “early voting party” from 11am-6pm Thursday, 30 October 2008, in Denver and Boulder in Colorado. The limos will ferry visitors to the polls —gratis!—and there'll be free gear and discounted schwag waiting back at the club for those who cast ballots for the candidate of their choice.

“Colorado is a swing state, and could potentially decide the entire election, so we need to make sure the youth takes a stand by voting to get the change we need,” reads the company's call-to-arms. “It's important to vote, because our vote elects a leader who will affect the entire world, we're not just voting for our country, we're voting for the entire globe.”

Also catching our attention from the fall line is a t-shirttribute to the brothers' former gonzo neighbor, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. That's along with a print teefeaturing seminal gangsta rappers N.W.A.

28th São Paulo Biennial

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

In spite of strong criticism about its anti-biennial "In Living Contact" theme, the 28th São Paulo Biennial nevertheless seemed to please attendees at the kickoff last Saturday, probably due in part to the hands-on participation element. Everyone left with tons of reading material in their hands, from little art books to mini posters.

Curated by Ivo Mesquita and Ana Paula Cohen, this year's biennial is the talk of the art town because the duo developed the 42-day event around what they see as a general crisis in art biennials: that they've lost their purpose as cutting-edge exhibitions and instead just serve as jumping off points for artists to sell their work. Coupled with this statement was the daring Open Plan on the second level, also dubbed "The Void." Consisting of an entire floor of the vast Oscar Niemeyer-designed building left completely empty, it's supposed to provoke new ideas rather than make a statement about art (or, more to the point, the lack thereof).

As a break from the usual art biennial model, the curators organized the show into works that would instigate reflection about the very theme, with interactivity the key to the success of their chosen direction. On the first floor, visitors can exchange a copy of their key for one that opens one of the building's doors for the duration of the event at a booth by artist Paul Ramirez Jonas. Carsten Höller's giant, steep and curvy slides (above right) got even those decked out in high heels for a ride. The third floor is dedicated to an archive of sorts, with catalogs from international art biennials (below left).

Video is an integral part of this São Paulo Art Biennial and televisions spread throughout different areas of the building show old works, chief among them a tribute to legendary Yugoslavian performance artist Marina Abramovic (middle row, right).

In addition to the exhibits, music, performance and discussions will take place. Other international artists from the 42 chosen include Fischerspooner, Sophie Calle and Allan McCollum, with the national round-up comprised of names like Mauricio Ianes (installation pictured top right) and Iran do Espirito Santo.

The 28th São Paulo Biennial
Through 6 December 2008
Ibirapuera Park, Gate 3
São Paulo, Brazil map

SanjayShirts

by Karen Day

Express yourself with SanjayShirts, political and humorous tee shirts designed to reflect what's on your mind—whether it's how much you're not enjoying work or who should run our country come 4 November. We particularly enjoy the subtle endorsement of sporting a Abe Lincoln shirt.

Run by Zazzle, you can pick your design and have it printed on any American Apparel shirt or hoodie and return it if you find yourself unsatisfied for any reason. Sounds pretty democratic to us.

Muji's Message

by Karen Day

As longtime Muji fans, we were pleasantly surprised on a recent visit to see they've updated the site with a message expressing their tenets of true design. For a retailer that normally keeps to themselves, allowing their simply classic products to speak volumes in place of flashy marketing campaigns, it's a thoughtful marketing change. We're happy to see they haven't altered their philosophy, as this message is nothing more than a word about how we should treat the future. In true Muji form the idea is smart, timeless and beautiful.

Incase Metallic Slider Case for iPhone 3G

by Doug Black

Anyone burnt out on the current crop of gaudy iPhone cases can take refuge in the latest offering from Incase. The Metallic Slider Case takes their most popular case for the first generation iPhone and sizes it for the 3G. It provides sleek, lightly-branded protection that's both understated and durable. Actually made of plastic with a metallic finish, the lightweight case is fit with rubber guardrails on the interior that reduce impact as well as scratch potential.

The case's slim design allows for uninterrupted access to all of the iPhones functions and can be charged without removal. That way, everybody's favorite social umbilical cord never has to brave the elements naked.

The Metallic Slider Case comes in Red, Silver, Gold, Gun Metal and Copper and goes for $35 on the Incase site.