Skram Wood Drop 14 Stool

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

It's a hunk of tree. Look closer. It's still a hunk of tree, but that's the point. The Wood Drop 14 stool by North Carolina-based Skram basks in all its imperfect glory, its naturally occurring cracks and flaws turned into valuable assets simply through their presentation.

Skram's lead designer and owner Jacob Marks looked for these beauty marks, or "checks," in found, reclaimed or harvested wood, seeing the pieces through milling and drying before turning them into stools. Attracted to the checks because he felt they broke up the visual heft of the wood, he played on their organic design for an even more powerful piece than had been irregularities-free.

"The general idea is to have no wasted wood," says Willard Ford of Ford&Ching, the store where Skram chose to debut the Wood Drop 14. It couldn't have been said any better. One person's trash is another's treasure.

The stool measures 12" in diameter and 14" in height. Three varieties—American beech, in a bone lacquer (pictured) or clear finish; torched oak in a clear finish (pictured); and cherry with a clear finish—are available and can be ordered from Ford&Ching for $590.

Fundraislinn Exhibition and Auction

by Lost At E Minor

Raising funds for cancer treatments for copywriter Aislinn Andrews,The Fundraislinn exhibition at Helen Gory Galerie features the work of more than 100 artists from around the world, including Lily Piri, Ian Mutch (pictured below), Paul Meates, Yok, Jaqui Stockdale, Rinzen, Gary Seaman (pictured above), Laith McGregor, Justin Williams and Abbey McCulloch. A one-night-only affair, there’s also a selection of works that the international audience be bid on online.

Helen Gory Galerie
6 October 2009, 6-8:30pm
25 St Edmonds Rd
Prahran VIC 3181, Australia map
+61 3 9525 2808

Vicolo Paglia Corta Jewelry

by Jacob Resneck

The free-spirited photography, fashion and graphic design group Vicolo Paglia Corta's amusing jewelry, comprised of computer parts and Lego pieces, has been slowly gaining notoriety.

The accessories speak to the motto of the Bologna-based studio—a quote from famed Italian designer Bruno Munari, "da cosa nasce cosa"—from something is born something.

The inventive Lego assemblages make for desirably colorful rings, brooches and necklaces that span Lomo-inspired cameras, hearts with windows, protruding flowers and aquatic creatures.

For a personalized look, Vicolo Paglia Corta's Spille Personalizzate pieces together letters from a Mac keyboard to spell out a favorite idea or name in the form of a brooch. They accept requests but ask that customers keep in mind aesthetic, ethics and a five-letter limit.

Many of these items are available from Far Fetch and Wok, where prices vary but generally range from €25-45. Cameras and keyboard rings sell on Farfetch. See the website for more conceptual pieces, like their vampires or circuit board brooches.

See more images of their eccentric jewelry after the jump.

The Map as Art

by Brian Fichtner

"The Map as Art," a new book edited by Katharine Harmon from Princeton Architectural Press, richly surveys today's artistic landscape and its relation to the map. Perhaps it's no surprise that the map has inspired artists throughout history. Today though, in spite of an interdepent globalized economy and hyperconnectivity brought about by the internet, cartographic identity runs strong.

For anyone who's ever gotten lost in the pages of a AAA road map or daydreamed of faraway places while spinning a globe, "The Map as Art" offers ample opportunity for fascination. Divided into a series of thematic chapters—Conflict and Sorrow, Global Reckoning, Personal Terrain, Inner Visions, etc.—the book charts the myriad ways artists use the map as a tool for investigating notions of identity, political allegiance, economy, the environment and more. Several essays by Gayle Clemans expound upon these themes through a deeper critique of work by artists Joyce Kozloff, Ingrid Calame, Guillermo Kuitca and Maya Lin.

Avoiding the pitfalls of generic and ultimately forgettable thematic overviews, "The Map as Art" begins with a subject fundamental to our human nature. Over 250 pages of visually engaging, thought-provoking works are rife with relevance. As Harmon writes in her introduction: "Is there any motif so malleable, so ripe for appropriation, as maps? They can act as shorthand for ready metaphors: seeking location and experiencing dislocation, bringing order to chaos, exploring ratios of scale, charting new terrains."

Purchase "The Map as Art" from PAP or Amazon.

Vince Letterpress

by Fiona Killackey

Meaghan Barbuto scoured eBay, bought a half-ton vintage letterpress machine, and spent weekends experimenting with wedding invites, business cards and greeting cards for friends and family. Deciding upon a name was simple; she dedicated Vince Letterpress as to her late grandfather. "It was important for me to highlight my Italian background. Italians make beautiful paper and the whole time I was growing up we had this stationary box of my grandfather’s on the family mantle piece that was such a special object for my father."

Six months later Vince Letterpress took on a life of its own when Barbuto saw the opportunity to cash in on her dreams, quitting her job as a senior book designer to spend her days feeding ink into a letterpress in her garage. “It was a huge leap. It was getting too difficult to do both and I have never regretted it. I’d encourage anyone to take the plunge.”

Checking online forums and buying as many texts as she could about the art of letterpress, Barbuto educated herself on the craft and sourced the globe for the best vegetable and soy inks and textured papers. “I think people like to engage their senses and with letterpress you can feel the impression and the beautiful texture of the paper. It really does have a timeless quality…it reminds us of the past and brings a unique element to each and every piece.”

Cards are available from Vince Letterpress. For more information or to request a quote contact meaghan [at] vinceprinters [dot] com [dot] au.

View more images after the jump.

Zipcar iPhone Application

by CH Contributor

by Laura Neilson

After announcing it at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last July, car-sharing service Zipcar launched their newest "mobile" venture, an iPhone application yesterday. Improving on their already useful mobile site, the software allows members to locate, reserve and unlock cars in the fleet.

The free download uses the phone's location-based capabilities to find the nearest available Zipcar vehicles with a Google map-style interface, making a quick overview for immediate or later rentals effortless. Sorting by hours of availability, type or model adds another layer of functionality, but in our testing so far it seems that the search results could use some refining.

Once you're on the road, the device's virtual key fob unlocks the designated car or truck from a close distance. (And if the car's too hard to find in its parking lot, simply tap a button to remotely honk its horn.) While navigating through your phone might prove more tricky to use than the real thing, playing with the feature on a rental yesterday has the kind of futuristic appeal that got us hooked on the business in the first place.

Other features making the service even easier to use include more streamlined way to extend reservations and a one-touch call button that connects to Zipcar customer service. From a company that reinvented the car rental business, there's not too much more we could ask for in the way of a reinvented mobile interface.

Download the app from iTunes and sign up for Zipcar on their site.

Camden International Film Festival 2009

by Doug Black

The fifth annual Camden International Film Festival begins today and, as sponsors this year, we couldn't be more excited. Held in venues throughout Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine, the festival goes through Sunday 4 October 2009 and brings filmmakers and industry reps the world over to the small coastal haven for an incredibly varied selection of non-fiction films.

In addition to the usual stock of fascinating, under-the-radar independent documentaries, regular screenings of Cool Hunting videos will screen with the features. We're lucky enough to be making the journey north this year and are looking forward films spanning three continents including a number of U.S. premieres.

This year also marks the first Points North documentary film forum. The free event takes place Friday and brings leaders from the worlds of independent and documentary fields to help foster a dialogue with aspiring non-fiction filmmakers.

We'll be sure to report back on some of this year's highlights. Be sure to visit the CIFF site for more information on this and subsequent festivals.

Crownfarmer Tees

by Mike Giles

Once carried at high-end boutiques like Colette in Paris and respected skate shops around the States, controversial clothing label Crownfarmer disappeared for a bit but founder and designer Bob Kronbauer is resurrecting the label, one graphic tee at a time.

Teaming up with Club Mumble, Kronbauer will produce one t-shirt a week under the Crownfarmer label. Starting with a design from legendary skateboard artist Todd Bratrud—whose past customers span Volcom to Nike and who finds inspiration in Dr. Seuss books—Crownfarmer's making their comeback with a splash.

The Todd Bratrud shirt is available from the Crownfarmer online shop for $29.

Read an interview with Kronbauer about the renewed project on Club Mumble.