Julia DeVille: Cineraria

by Fiona Killackey

Taxidermist, jewelry designer and artist Julia DeVille creates the type of wearable art rarely seen from other labels.

Focused on working as a full-time artist, her exhibition "Cineraria" currently on display at Sophie Gannon Gallery in Richmond, Melbourne, is how deVille sees herself in the future. “I’ll still create my jewelry, but I aim to have two assistants producing this for me, while I make larger works. My exhibition is entirely sculptural works using taxidermy and metalsmithing techniques.”

Relocating to Melbourne from her native New Zealand in 2001, DeVille initially tried her hand at shoe design, setting up the leather accessories label Abattoir before realizing it wasn’t her greatest interest. Upon meeting retired taxidermist Rudy Mineur, deVille began dabbling in the art form while obtaining a degree in advanced gold and silversmithing.

Combining her love of taxidermy with her love of jewelry, deVille created Disce Mori—Latin for learn to die—and has been turning heads ever since with its eccentric aesthetic and carefully constructed design.

“I am producing work that I believe no one else is doing in the same scale and mediums; making fine jewelry pieces and artworks using taxidermy and jewelry techniques, and secondly, work that has a dialogue about both life and death,” says deVille. “By using symbols of mortality I hope that the viewer will contemplate their own mortal existence and, in turn, appreciate the significance of life.”

Using only animals that have died from natural causes, increasingly deVille finds that people who have encountered her work and recognize art in the afterlife donate the majority of her materials.

“I have two Chinese crested dogs as pets and they will both become artworks when they die.” Proving she truly believes in what she does, deVille will practice what she preaches, sending her own body to the Institute for Plastination in Germany to become a sculpture.

Disce Mori is available from various specialty stores in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the United States. For a full lists of stockists please visit the Julia deVille website.

More image after the jump.

Cineraria
Through 22 August 2009
2 Albert Street
Richmond VIC 3121
Australia map
+61 3 9421 0857

Sexy Bachelor Pad: Designing for the Single Male

by CH Contributor

by Tisha Leung

The bold motto—"You bring her home. We'll make sure she stays."— drives the unabashedly masculine interior design firm Sexy Bachelor Pad. Aimed exclusively at single men who have reached the pinnacle of success but continue to come home to a futon from college and a cardboard box for a coffee table, the Sexy Bachelor Pad specializes in turning living spaces into, well, love nests.

“Bachelors in NYC know that Ikea furniture won't do if they ever want to bring home the softer of the two sexes, but they're busy and have no interest in traipsing through furniture stores, nor do they care about choosing between deep azure or military gray,” says designer Kimberlee Paige Hanson. After a consultation on your wants and needs, Hanson outfits pads with the essentials—from custom or store-bought dinnerware and furniture to any major or minor renovations, like fresh coats of paint or built-in shelving.

Believing that even a little bit of romantic effort goes a long way in impressing a woman, Hanson says by adding tasteful decorations, a woman will "be more comfortable, relaxed and more apt to stay for a nightcap."

To set up an appointment, visit the Sexy Bachelor Pad website.

New Balance x 580 Snowboarding Boot

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Although I'm melting away in high summer (and enjoying it), seeing the 580 x New Balance Snowboarding Boot at the Agenda apparel trade show in Huntington Beach last week made me long for the flurries to start falling. The result of a collaboration between snowboarding apparel company 686 and New Balance, the boot intertwines the hallmarks of a New Balance sneaker (its Rollbar stability and cushioning) and 686's lacing system. What's more, they've added in the Recco avalanche rescue system, which helps rescuers find boarders in the event they get buried.

The boots look like a pair of kicks and they're meant to feel like wearing sneakers, likely winning fans who already enjoy New Balance on dry terrain. They'll hit shelves in August, with price and retail locations info to come closer to the launch date.

Kimber Modern Bed and Breakfast

by Lost At E Minor

While in Austin recently, I spent a couple of nights at a beautifully designed new hotel called the Kimber Modern, located in the happening SOCO area, just a short hop, skip and sideways roll to the bustling hive of restaurants and cafes along South Congress. The hotel features more than a few twists, including stunningly elegant and contemporary architecture with subtle splashes of color to break up the overall white-walled minimalism. Clever design touches, such as communal hammocks made from car belts and a giant tank churning liters of water for a calming, almost Zen-like effect, add to the atmosphere too. (All photos by Alison Zavos)

Another quirky but practical touch, the Kimber Modern lacks door keys. Instead, guests choose a four-digit password when making their booking and this gives them access to both the main building and the door to their room, a surprisingly efficient system. In the rooms themselves, cheerful colors mesh with the classic austere lines, while fun and vibrant artwork above the beds, illustrate the cultural fermentation of Austin, Texas.

Book rooms through their site, with rack rates starting at $250 per night.

Kimber Modern Bed and Breakfast
110 The Circle
Austin, Texas 78704 map
tel. +1 512 912 1046

See more images after the jump.

Grado SR60i and New GR8 Headphones

by Sawyer Trice

For over fifty years Grado has been making audio equipment in Brooklyn, introducing high-end dynamic headphones in the late '80s.

We've been using the small company's entry-level SR60i headphones (pictured right), a pair that for the $80 price tag delivers high-quality, crisp sound that competes with the larger, pricier brands.

The SR60i's bare-bones design wins points for its utilitarian appeal, fitting comfortably around noggins. While the foam ear cushions may not initially enclose and hug the way more expensive leather-cushioned models do, the foam eventually molds to a natural fit with ears. From there, music sounds crisp and evenly distributed, with clean treble even with the bass turned way up.

In two weeks, Grado will release a new model , their first "in-ear transducer" or what we consumers refer to as the ear bud (pictured below).

Grado says the new model, dubbed the GR8, will be smaller and lighter than the competition and no doubt they'll bring the same musical clarity that we have come to expect from this local brand. We're excited to take them for a test run.