Archive for March, 2010
Envelop is an online platform, physically based near Antwerp, Belgium, that provides illustrators with the resources to design, promote, and sell one-of-a-kind textiles for pillows, aprons, place mats, napkins and other household items. While they allow anyone to participate, the company’s curators, Serge and Sofie, hand-select the best of the best to share with their growing customer base. On an environmental level, the amount of product in stock is kept to a minimum, with designs only printed upon request. Another bonus is that most of the products are owned by fewer than five other people in the world, adding a bit of exclusivity to these already unique pieces of Product Art. After browsing through their entire collection of nearly 500 items, we found this series of retro-inspired technology pillow covers by Glasgow, Scotland-based illustrator Christine Berrie to be our favorite. Each design is printed in Belgium, and available to purchase in three sizes for $25.00–$40.00. Discover one more that caught our eye after the jump.
The story of Kurt Manchild is an fascinating one. He was an original product artist and Product Art inventor circa 1980, who published a best-selling book in Europe, before failing miserably in both the toy and video game industries, mostly because his ideas were half-baked and employed a Freudian-esque infatuation with dreams. Manchild’s brief yet enthralling history of misadventures is detailed in an well-conceived expose by designer Matt Brown over on Core77. We’ve copied the entire article, which is being described as “design fiction”, under the cut; republished it because we think it’s great and shows a unique perspective on the origins of Product Art. Even if it is fake. Thx, Ben!
Things That Might Be Art is a new bi-weekly (or more) feature here on The Jailbreak. We will present you, our readers, with a product, idea or creation that skirts the line between art, design or something else entirely. Then you will tell us what you think via a handy poll. Sound good? Great, letâs get started.
Can art be wearable? Can clothing be art? If ‘yes’ is your immediate thought then should jewelry also be considered art? What about the zany delirious admirable fashion choices of Lady Gaga? Certainly some of her outlandish outfits could somehow be deemed art, right? While pondering those abstract questions, let us enter something a bit more tangible into the equation: the Polaroid Scarf (Objets Trouves) from French fashion designer, Philippe Roucou. From one angle it’s simply a wardrobe accessory printed with a photo; but upon deeper inspection the scarves (of which seven different versions are available to purchase here) are designed to resemble, in shape and actuality, the Polaroid picture itself. Does a photo on a scarf make it art? Or is it just a stylish piece of clothing? We’re at a loss. Help us out by voting below.
Clock as Product Art? Sounds pretty good to us. Blog Kitsune Noir, in conjunction with design + furniture studio Furni, has just released its first entree in a hereto-forth monthly collaborative clock series called Neverend. The inaugural effort was designed by Brooklyn-based artist Dan Funderburgh, who took the classic Bavarian cuckoo clock and strapped on some dynamite, adding a contemporary and incendiary edge to an old-school staple. The artwork is laser-etched onto “a 3/8â thick piece of high quality Russian birch plywood…creat[ing] a bold graphic interpretation of the quintessential wall clock.” Available in black and natural ($198.00), the clock is limited to 88 pieces in each colorway. It measures 16″ x 19″ and is being sold exclusively via Furni’s online store. See them large below. [Kitsune Noir] The Jailbreak Collective Here and Now — Notes About Our New Identity
Posted:
Thursday, March 25, 2010
in Features & Interviews, Jailbreak Collective News, Jailbreak Collective Product
This week, as you may have noticed, there have been quite a few design changes here on The Jailbreak Blog and over at JailbreakCollective.com, our umbrella company’s website and online store. After months and months of tinkering with our preferred aesthetic, we feel like we’ve created a duo of fun, minimal, easily navigable spaces that perfectly encompass our products, content and brand identity. We appreciate any and all feedback, whether it be positive or negative, so please drop a line if you feel so inclined. Other major company changes, including information pertaining to blog content and Product Art, are highlighted below.
Just in stock from our friends at Think Geek is the Alien Hunt Alarm Clock ($18.99). It’s not everyday that you find an interactive waker-upper; one that you must shoot with a pistol in order to keep on snoozing. Here’s how it works, via TG’s always witty product copy:
We can only imagine that accuracy is key here, so during the trials of missing shot after shot, we might just throw this thing up against the wall. Otherwise, it’s a great invention! The alarm clock comes packaged with the aforementioned pistol and was designed in the UK. Click through to see a few more pics. Things That Might Be Art is a new bi-weekly (or more) feature here on The Jailbreak. We will present you, our readers, with a product, idea or creation that skirts the line between art, design or something else entirely. Then you will tell us what you think via a handy poll. Sound good? Great, let’s get started. Today we’re wondering about this Shoelace Rug ($500 for the large, $250 for the small) by designers Andrea Paustenbaugh and Nate Silverstein. The rug moves beneath your feet (which is cool, but might be annoying after about a day),”creating an ever-changing sculpture that’s surprisingly comfortable and engaging.” So it’s described as a sculpture (read: art), but it was also made by designers (who will customize one in size and color per your request). It looks like a piece of art, but it could also just be a modern, well-designed spin on the rug. What do you think? Vote below, or click through to see a few more photos.
Flight 001 is a modern travel gear + accessories store with six locations in the United States and a seventh opening in Sydney, Australia, this spring. Borrowing their interior design from the airplane itself, each Flight 001 store has curved walls, a thin passageway, and storage bins that resemble overhead compartments. Their aesthetically pleasing and diverse line of vintage-inspired products–which range from cool luggage tags to colorful suitcases and city guides–help turn the act of traveling from something laborious into a stylish affair. We were lucky enough to happen upon their store on Smith Street, in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, this past weekend, and it was a fun and intimate experience. One product that we now covet is this sleek F1 Flight Dopp Kit ($38.00) in the Palermo variant. Never have we seen such an attractive toiletry case! Hit the jump to take a look inside Flight 001 BK.
We live and work in Brooklyn so, yeah, we think it’s pretty cool. Artist Jim Datz also lives in Brooklyn, and by the looks of his released-in-September-but-just-made-available-for-purchase-again poster ode to the best borough in all the land, he’s quite fond of it, too. He made an equally nice one for Manhattan as well, but alas it’s still sold out. The 50s style, typographically diverse, urban sign-laden poster ($48.00) depicts each neighborhood in BK, from DUMBO down to Coney Island. It measures 16″ by 24,” and is hand screenprinted in six colors (including gold metallic) on thick 100% recycled white paper stock. Pick one up for a friend! [Three Potato Four]
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