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Archive for the ‘Where’ Category

The Most Inspired 1BR Loft in New York City

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All photos by Imogen Brown

As profiled in a late-March issue of Time Out New York, chef Melia Marden and filmmaker/DJ Frank Sisti Jr. live in what is quite possibly the coolest (and most colorful) 1br loft in New York City. Surrounded by pop-culture memorabilia and vintage furniture, the couple’s East Village abode is more art gallery than living quarters. Some of the items displayed include limited-run books and comics, a neon sign in the shape of a TV, a massive No. 2 pencil, outdated technological devices, a gumball machine, and a throne dedicated to their always-growing toy and figurine collection.

Click through to see a bunch more photos, or head over to TONY to read the article in its entirety.

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Textile Art Made Easy by Envelop

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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.

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Flight 001 — Brooklyn, New York

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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.

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Jim Datz’s Brooklyn Poster Back in Stock

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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]

The Gentrification of Brooklyn

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To promote the upcoming exhibit, The Gentrification of Brooklyn: The Pink Elephant Speaks at MoCADA, street artist Specter spent two months creating a series of hand-painted posters that can now be seen in various spots around BK. Check out the other three below. [Courtesy of Wooster Collective]

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How Star Wars Influenced Saddam Hussein

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BBC News has a fascinating clip, which is unfortunately unavailable to embed, about artist Michael Rakowitz, a ‘cultural anthropologist’ who is examining the ominous connections between former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, and Star Wars. His work and theories are currently being exhibited at Tate Modern in London through May 3, 2010. Check out the clip here.

“Through a series of interwoven narratives this project addresses, among other things, the Iraqi leader’s fascination with the iconography of Jules Verne’s novels and the Star Wars films, and the World Wrestling Federation’s unique take on Gulf War politics. The project centres on the Swords of QÄdisiyyah monument in central Baghdad. This triumphal arch, otherwise known as the Hands of Victory, was inaugurated on 8 August 1989. The invitation card for the opening ceremony featured the heroic proclamation, “The worst condition is for a person to pass under a sword that is not his own or to be forced down a road that is not willed by him.” Rakowitz explores the multiple references and resonances of the Victory Arch, from the history of its design to its use as a backdrop for military posturing. In this and other aspects of the project the artist explores how powerful contemporary mythologies derived from popular culture have informed the collective unconscious. Fictional characters from Darth Vader to Sgt. Slaughter coexist with historical figures in Rakowitz’s symbolic universe, in which warrior fantasies transcend the alleged divide between east and west.”

Alphabet Drawers

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From the UK’s Kent and London comes this beautiful solid-oak chest of alphabet drawers that were inspired by vintage printing blocks. The drawers stand waist high and cost over $4,000. Check out some detail pics under the cut.

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Zoomable Map

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This innovative map of London ($15.00) uses a patented folding technique to literally zoom in on specific parts of the city. Paper is back, people! More pics below.

“In a single folding action chosen parts of a smaller scale map can be unfolded to give an enlarged and more detailed view of that same area underneath. When the map is folded to its minimum size either of the sections facing outwards can still be quickly unfolded and refolded, allowing immediate magnification or miniaturization. Since the map can be folded to keep any two of the sections on the outside, you can decide which section is visible for quick consultation.”

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Things That Might Be Art: World Beard and Moustache Championships

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It’s time to get excited, people. There are only 481 days until the next World Beard and Moustache–that’s “moostaash” not “musstash”–Championships, which will take place in Trondheim, Norway, on May 14, 2011. The gentleman with the most epic facial vegetation from 2009′s event–yeah, it’s once every two years because, you know, it takes a long time to grow hair so long–is Anchorage, Alaska native, David Traver. While Traver won in the overall category, there are 18 other categories in which men, or women, can be judged in the sport of beard, including Alaskan Whaler, Dali, Imperial, Freestyle, Fu Manchu and Musketeer. Apparently, America is the best.

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Banksy Invades Sundance Film Festival

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This time last year I was in Park City, Utah, checking out a bunch of flicks at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. For anyone who likes watching movies, and/or wants to see random celebs fraternizing with Mormons, Sundance is pretty much the place to be. In a strange twist, this year’s event has been invaded by none other than British street artist, Banksy, who threw up a couple of pieces in PC, including the one shown above. The word on the street online is that a documentary about Banksy called, “Exit Through The Gift Shop” will be premiering on Sunday, January 24th as the 2010 Spotlight Surprise. Has the time finally arrived for the true identity of the Bristol Bomber to be revealed? Does anyone really care at this point? [Courtesy of AM]

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