Joining the ranks of ‘good things tube’ alongside tube tops, Tubular Bells, and inner tubes for river floating is the Tube Chair by KIBISI, which was developed for the project 8 HOUSE (designed by BIG). It was first presented at stockholm furniture fair in 09 as a prototype. It’s now being produced by the danish company hay and was on display in its final version at maison et objet this year in paris.
via designboom
Posted in fresh goods | Tagged 8 HOUSE, BIG, design, furniture, Hay, KIBISI, maison et objet, stockholm furniture fair, Tube Chair | Leave a Comment »
{be fearless and fierce. I don’t mean you should look for fights, just stand up for yourself when life growls at you is all.}
Once again, this week super(S)mart-ness has to be supplemented while a community message owns the sign… Both of these images are from my file labelled “love without links”, things I’ve saved without remembering to write down their source. So, my bad, there are no links, but I wanted to share regardless. If you know the source, please send it to me and I’ll right my wrong.
Posted in super(S)mart | Tagged smart | Leave a Comment »
More font goodness from the boys at hand made font. Perfect for the winter weather…
Posted in FONTastic! | Tagged graphic design, Hand Made Font, Scarf | 1 Comment »
My friend Ryan in Melbourne sent me a scanned copy of this article from Good Weekend that features Lucy Feagins, head wrangler of delicious Melbourne design blog, The Design Files. I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy when I was down under for the State of Design show last July. She’s a doll and her blog has become one of my favorite go to’s for inspiration and insight into what good things are happening in the Southern hemishpere. (She was also kind enough to post an interview with me the week of the show which brought a lot of people my way. Amazing!) So it’s great to see her getting the attention she deserves! She not only does daily posts while keeping up a full time job, she manages to do original, thoughtful, and in depth posts, which puts her on my list of personal heroes. Yah Lucy!
Posted in ad hoc, explorers | Tagged Good Weekend, Lucy Feagins, The Design Files | 1 Comment »
Strövtåg i tid och rum, 2009
(Strolls through time and space)
Armchair, books, bags, boxes, radio, clock, etc.
Dimensions: 0.55 x 0.85 x 0,6 m.
Let’s take a walk shall we? These installations by Swedish born artist Michael Johansson are the cat’s ass, or whiskers, or whatever I’m supposed to say that means, “the coolest thing that has strolled through my space and time, like ever.”. The objects used, and the shapes created with these objects, embody so much of what makes me happy in this material world; high quality (mostly mid-century) vintage goods, metals + mod colors married to wood grains, and tetris like stacking precision that creates tidy cuboids, simple in their busyness. Among other things.
Wish I could eat ‘em.
If I had the patience to make my boxes of thrift store trappings look like these tiny mountains of mastery, I would. But to say that is to insult the artist. It’s like projecting a loud whisper of, “well I could do that. How hard could it be really?” while walking past a crafter’s table busy selling their thoughtful and technical creations. I’d need more than patience, I would need to have thought of it, and then done it. And I didn’t. Smart pants Michael Johansson did, and I’m so glad. He gets four thumbs up from me. (that’s right, I have impossible digit amounts of love for his work!)
Rubiks Kök, 2007 (Rubik’s Kitchen)
Kitchen table, kitchen equipment. / Dimensions: 1.2 x 0.8 x 0.9 m.
Fyrahundra nyanser av brunt II, 2010 (Four Hundred Shades of Brown II)
Wooden furniture. / Dimensions: 2,5 x 2,8 x 2,5 m.
Michael’s artist statement:
| “I am fascinated walking around flea markets finding doubles of seemingly unique, though often useless objects I have already purchased at another flea market. Despite the fact that I did not have any use for them even the first time, the desire to own two of these objects becomes too strong to resist. The unique and unknown origin of the object increases my desire to want the double – the unlikelihood of this sensation repeating itself produces an attraction that is too strong to resist.
This combination of the now-familiar and the new-unknown are among the various factors that come together to create the irresistible pull of these objects. This re-iterated fascination and the overwhelming desire that follows is central to my art practice. I am intrigued by irregularities in daily life. Not those that appear when something extraordinary occurs, but those that are created by an exaggerated form of regularity. Colours or patterns from two separate objects or environments concur, like when two people pass each other dressed in the exact same outfit. Or when you are switching channels on your TV and realize that the same actor is playing two different roles on two different channels at the same time. Or that one day the parking lot contained only red cars. These irregularities, these coincidences, are another focus of my artwork.” |
Bleka Minnen, 2009 (Faded Memories)
Armchair, books, boxes, cameras, radio, etc. / Dimensions: 0.55 x 0.8 x 0,6 m.
Packa Pappas Kappsäck, 2006 (Pack Daddy’s Suitcases)
Suitcases. / Dimensions: 1 x 1.2 x 1 m.
TOYS’R'US – Dingy scale 1:1, 2006
Mixed Media: dinghy, boat equipment, welded metal frame, spray paint / Dimensions: 2 x 2,6 m.
Garden Pack, 2008
Lawnmower, wheelbarrow, garden equipment, etc. / Dimensions: 2,1 x 0,6 x 1 m.
And there is sooo much more. To check it out visit his website by clicking here. You won’t be sorry.
Via: my friend Connor’s facebook wall. Thanks Connor!
Posted in ad hoc, mid-century mmm... | Tagged design, installation art, Michael Johansson, Mid-Century | 1 Comment »
All affection words I can think of to describe how much I love this absurd & magical website just seem weak. Maybe in French… Je l’adore. There, that’s close. I have loved Magnum P.I. with steadfast devotion since his Hawaiian days right up to his cradle robbing antics on Friends. I don’t know what it is about him… maybe the cheekiness? Or the chest hair? Most definitely the moustache. When I was 18 I worked at a flower shop in Vancouver and Tom (we’re on a first name basis in my mind) was filming a movie there and his trailer was right outside the shop window. At the end of the day I wrapped up a little sunflower and set out to find him. I got as far as his personal assistant who promised that she would deliver my love. Sigh.
I don’t know if whoever is behind this tribute means it as idol worship or as a highlight of cheese, but regardless, they get a big high five from me. This is so much cooler than a flower.
To bask in more of his moustache light, click here.
Thanks Rob! You’re right,” there is much funny here”…
Posted in ad hoc | Tagged design, Magnum, P.I., Selleck Waterfall Sandwich, Tom Selleck | Leave a Comment »
Posted in mid-century mmm... | Tagged 1960's, Chermayeff & Geismar, graphic design, The Silver Lining, xerox | Leave a Comment »
Thanks to John’s favorite things list over at Cuckoo for Coconuts, I’ve discovered a treasure trove of Mid-Century goodness in the form of entire scanned copies of old LIFE magazines. Heaven. Every week I’m going to share some of the lovely bits I dig up there. Starting now…
{ my favorite add from this issue. love the legs! }
{ Igor Polevitzky’s Birdcage House/Heller House }
Posted in That's LIFE | Tagged architecture, Birdcage House, design, Igor Polevitzky, Life Magazine, Mid-Century | 1 Comment »
Posted in audio journal | Tagged Metric, Spin, Twilight Galaxy | Leave a Comment »
Top of the Monday morning to you! (top of the early afternoon to you East-ers) I was so happy to drive by my favorite sign this weekend and find new smartness! It’s about time we got back to the business of getting wiser. You know they say it’s supposed to come naturally as you get older, well lately I’ve been proving them wrong, so am grateful for all the help I can get!
It is too bad that our life minutes don’t roll over like some cell phone minutes do… We definitely should treat our seconds, minutes, hours like tiny diamonds. We are so lucky to have every one of them.
Posted in super(S)mart | Tagged design, super(S)mart, wisdom | Leave a Comment »
