Leviticus Jewelry

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

Up and coming jewelry designer Tara Levitin's vintage-inspired collection, Leviticus Jewelry is an eccentric mix of old badges, trophy-like medals and precious stones strung on varying chain lengths for an old-time feeling with a modern twist.

"My line isn't trend focused or seasonal," Levitin tells CH. "I would like to consider it eclectically classic." She credits her unique style of handmade jewelry to her own eccentric tastes, inspired by old movies, music and other curious oddities.

Levitin's combination of both old pieces and new, often with layered chains, gives her collection a couture look without putting a huge dent in her clients' bank accounts. Our favorite pieces include a necklace adorned with a golden envelope (pictured after the jump), opening up to reveal a hidden message, the death tag made from a replica of an old Wells Fargo plaque (pictured above) and the Ten Commandments necklace, boasting each law on a vintage charm, reminding wearers to always be on their best behavior. (See the Ten Commandments necklace and others, including a pair of ornate earrings repurposed from clock hands, after the jump.)

The collection of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and cufflinks are available for purchase starting at about $15 for earrings and up to $140 for necklaces online, where you can also find a special series of one-of-a-kind editions.

Bell & Ross BR 01 Airborne Watch

by Josh Rubin

Launching exclusively at vogue Parisian shop Colette next week, the BR 01 Airborne by aviation watch experts Bell & Ross is a chic tribute to U.S. Airborne paratroopers in memory of D-Day.

The first to reach a danger zone and the first to go down, the Airborne division of WWII developed the motto "Death from Above," which they conjoined with a skull talisman to remind them of both the impending threat and their powerful ability to defeat it.

Bell & Ross honors the spirit of these brave men with the BR 01 Airborne. At nearly two inches in diameter, the case is similar to the size worn by the pilots that invaded Normandy, the skull symbolizing their fight on the largest single-day amphibious invasion of all time.

The watch will be available at Colette from 8-13 June 2009, before hitting select international stores.

Colette
213, Rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris, France map
tel. +33 (0)1 55 35 33 90

Sofia Maldonado: Skate My Patria

by CH Contributor

by Tamara Warren

Brooklyn-based artist Sofia Maldonado sees the world from the point of a 32-inch deck on four wheels, exploring the counter culture surrounding skateboards in much of her work. The muralist and painter transforms abandoned swimming pools into fantastical oases that serve as bowls for masterful tricks and reconfigures banal plywood ramps with interconnected shapes. Her imagery documents the rebellious spirit of the characters that clamor around skate-related locales, creating backdrops for discourse in her public murals.

Brightly-colored winding vines and long sloping bodies that come to a calligrapher’s point and taper off into droplets make up her landscapes that are full of Caribbean colors extracted from her San Juan upbringing. Girls amid thorny gardens and, naturally, the requisite mischievous skater boys, populate the scenes, mixing fantasy with reality.

Maldonado draws parallels between her devotion to skate culture and her activist pursuits from New York City to her native Puerto Rico, peppering references to reggaeton culture and addressing questions of gender and identity. A recent foray took her to Cuba for the Havana Biennial earlier this year, where she created Skate My Patria, an emotionally charged project, taking on her Cuban heritage. Using cast-off skateboarding parts found in the U.S. and with the support of sponsors, the project shed light on a widely undocumented, under-served youth scene through an onsite bowl mural in Cuba.

Real Art Ways, an arts center in Hartford, Connecticut, commissioned her latest mural, a wall above a tattoo parlor there. B

More images after the jump.

People's Pops

by CH Contributor

by Laura Neilson

This weekend marks the second season of People's Pops, frozen popsicles reinvented with gourmand flavor combos, at Fort Greene's Brooklyn Flea market (http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/), as well as a first-time appearance at Sunday's Brooklyn Indie Market in Carroll Gardens . The NYC-based popsicle purveyors offer the local farmer's market's freshest bounty, condensed into the form of a simple and nostalgic summertime staple.

Unlike the artificial colors and flavors of most frozen treats on a stick, People's Pops' feature seasonal fruits (and the occasional vegetable) mingled with herbs and other natural ingredients, such as yogurt and honey, to create inventive blends like peach, chamomile and honey; watermelon, cucumber and hyssop; tri-star strawberries and cream; blackberry, yogurt and honey; and sugar plum and mint.

True to the brand's name, the classic ice box-style popsicles were a popular and delectable addition to last summer's food vendor lineup (not to mention a refreshing example of the local foods movement).

As a nod to the greenmarket's recent profusion of rhubarb, this weekend's flavors will include strawberry and rhubarb; strawberry and buttermilk; and rhubarb and elderflower.

Popsicles are all around $3 and shave ice is also available for $2. Visit People's Pops for more information.

View Master: Diorama Photography by Lori Nix, Jonah Samson and Grace Weston

by Karen Day

Photographer and CH contributing writer Jonah Samson's photographs of sex-driven miniatures on display at Seattle's G. Gibson Gallery are controversy writ small. Selected from his series "Pleasantville," the photos are part of the group exhibition entitled "View Master," featuring photographers Lori Nix and Grace Weston, who also make use of the creepy realism of dioramas in their work.

Where Nix' desolate scenes suggest countless forgotten stories and Weston suggests the pure fantasy of fairytales with her imagery, Samson's narratives take a decidedly darker, albiet still playful, tone.

Focusing on violence and debauchery, "Pleasantville" is a sinister interpretation of life in a deceivingly idyllic town and a marked contrast to his book "Kissing Pictures," which consists of romantic Polaroid images of couples caught in the act.

With peeping Toms and sexcapades abound, Samson's carefully conceived and gorgeously executed work leaves viewers to wonder if their own neighborhoods are really what they seem.

View Master
Through 11 July 2009
G. Gibson Gallery
300 South Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104 map
tel. +1 206 587 4033