Cool Hunting Video Presents: Prospect.1 New Orleans Biennial 2008

by Cool Hunting Video

Prospect.1 is New Orleans' first biennial and the largest-ever international contemporary art show in the United States. Similar in style and scope to Venice, the exhibit consists of site-specific art installations, as well as several galleries in museums and elsewhere in the city devoted to it. As the front page of the event's website proclaims, it's designed to bring media attention and tourist dollars to New Orleans, so book your tickets now to get down there before it closes 18 January 2009.

Why so bold-faced? Think of it as a giant humanitarian effort to get people to visit a fascinating location—it's win-win for New Orleans and for visitors, especially the types who aren't interested in Bourbon street and otherwise would have little reason to explore the beautifully ramshackle neighborhoods in various states of decay and rebuilding.

As Peter Schjeldahl writes in the New Yorker, referring to the successful candor of the organizer's intentions, "featuring few big names and nary a masterpiece, it is my favorite biennial since the nineteen-eighties."

Prospect.1
Through 18 January 2008
Various Locations
New Orleans, LA
tel. +1 504 715 3968
*Most exhibitions closed Monday-Tuesday

Mmm Mmm Good Gifts

by Karen Day

Food's temporal nature eliminates the burden of gifting an object of questionable desirability. When in doubt, look to consumables. Rather than the usual box of chocolates, we've gathered some items that will express your gift-giving personality and bring joy to tummies worldwide, like milk chocolate-covered bacon, an array of English cheeses or macaroons handmade in New Orleans. Check the Cool Hunting Holiday 2008 Gift Guide for a wider assortment of goodies and some kitchen gadgets for pairing or on their own for the chef in your life.

Nike Zoom Kobe IV

by Tim Yu

This past weekend at a Los Angeles High School, Kobe Bryant unveiled his fourth signature sneaker in the Nike Zoom collection. What sets this shoe apart from the rest is the fact that it's a newly designed low-top for use in a sport traditionally played in high-tops.

Although high-tops help prevent ankle sprains, the fact is most ankle support comes from a sturdy base and heel. Soccer players arguably put more stress on their ankles during play but their cleats are much lower than even this newest sneaker.

Although Kobe is not the first to wear a low-top in basketball—Kareem Abdul Jabbar wore a low and Steve Nash and Gilbert Arenas use one now—the new Zoom IV is definitely the lightest basketball shoe made today. Kobe worked closely with Performance Creative Director Eric Avar to create a fast, lightweight low-top without compromising stability. By dropping the ankle and using Fly Wire and Lunar Foam technologies Nike was able to drop weight by 20% for an 11.6-ounce shoe.

Kobe will make his debut in the Zoom IV vs the Miami Heat on 19 December 2008 but it won't be for sale in China until January 2009 and the rest of the world in February. There will also be a limited edition named Venom available beginning on 20 December 2008. And, last but not least, the Zoom IV will be the first performance sneaker available for customization at Nike ID beginning 25 December 2008 through 31 January 2009. However, only 24 pairs will be available to customize per day for a total of 912 pairs total world wide.

Lou Zhenhong

by Brian Fichtner

While there was a plethora of talent on view at this year's Art Asia fair in Miami, I was particularly drawn to the sculptures of Lou Zhenhong at the Contemporary by Angela Li booth. Made from painted resin or aluminum, Zhenhong's Dwarf Series borrows from the ubiquitous vinyl toy vernacular, though there remains nothing cute or cool about these sculptures. Their faces distorted, twisted as though viewed through a carnival mirror, the figures are at once whimsical and saddening in their caricature of everyday occupations and the quest for individuality in the world's most populous continent.

See a complete slideshow of Zhenhong's Dwarf Series after the jump.

Victor & Susie

by Karen Day

We've all mastered the emoticon, but design duo Brighten The Corners challenges the QWERTY keyboard's full graphic capabilities with their new book "Victor & Susie," a children's tale for adults illustrated completely from type.

The 72-page, pocket-sized book is a study on how we perceive and read letters. By using third person narrative and equal proportions for both text and illustration, Brighten The Corners' Anastasios Billy Kiossoglou and Frank Philippin were able to achieve a comic book type effect that would attract adult readers but is still easy enough for children.

Using a mix of Futura and VAG fonts, as well as a few Greek letters, the book is a tale about a small girl Susie who discovers an injured snail in her vegetable box. She decides to take care of him and as the snail recovers Susie begins to feel sad. A lesson in caring, mending and letting go it could be a great Holiday gift.

The book is printed on 100% recovered paper and is available for purchase through the Brighten The Corners Shop.

Reuben Margolin: Magic Wave

by Doug Black

Kinetic sculpture remains one of the most enchanting fusions of technology and high art. A perfect example opened recently near Zurich at the Swiss Center of Technorama. Artist Reuben Margolin worked with museum staff to suspend 450 aluminum rods by 256 wires and connect 3,000 pulleys and sliding bars. The resulting specimen uses pure mechanics—not computer-controlled servomotors—to create almost limitless figurative shapes. The effect isn't far removed from the recent kinetic installation by ART+COM at the BMW headquarters in Munich.

If you can't make it to the Technorama, get a feel for the Magic Wave in the video above.