Bocci's 25.2 Bench, designed by Omer Arbel, photo by Cory Dawson
Bocci‘s 25.2 Bench marks a new leaf for the young, Vancouver-based contemporary design and manufacturing house. Previously known primarily for large chandelier installations and custom fabrications, this new direction is a welcome addition.
Designed by Omer Arbel, the upholstered 25.2 Bench explores material qualities and folding and pleating techniques. Conventional upholstery generally relies on foam encased in fabric to provide comfort. Arbel’s bench eliminates foam from the equation, compensating with a vast excess of fabric, folded and pleated to create a comfortable seat and back. The goal is that over time, the randomly folded pleats will shift to conform to the human body, creating interesting and organic patterns.
For more information on Bocci and the 25 Bench, check out www.bocci.ca
"Power To The People" by Shepard Fairey; Image courtesy of Obey Giant Art
"Mujer Fatal" by Shepard Fairey; Image courtesy of Obey Giant Art
Shepard Fairey is probably best known for his iconic, stylized portrait of Barack Obama, accented by the word “HOPE,” one of the most memorable images of the last presidential campaign. He originally gained notoriety by translating pop culture imagery into guerilla propaganda campaigns, most prominently with his ubiquitous “OBEY” images. Fairey’s recent work involves complex, multi-layered portraits of counter-cultural revolutionary figures combined with politically-charged propaganda style imagery. He’s currently the subject of a major traveling museum survey, “Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand.”
Now, Fairey plans to unveil a new project at The Fountainhead Residency (an artist’s studio program in residential Miami) at Art Basel Miami Beach in early December. ”The Public Works: A New Mural Project” will be a site-specific mural consisting of a barricade structure covered with the Fairey’s signature, multi-layered portraits of counter-cultural revolutionary figures and propaganda style imagery. The blank canvas of the barricade will provide a significant expanse for Fairey to develop a cohesive series of images. The project is being produced by Country Club, a gallery with locations in Los Angeles and Cincinnati, in partnership with the Miami Art Museum and The Fountainhead Residency.
“Hate advertising? Make better ads.” So says Doug Pray, director of Art & Copy, a documentary study of art, commerce and human emotion. Pray’s newest film focuses on advertising’s best, featuring a series of interviews with the industry’s leaders: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney (who sadly passed away last year), Rich Silverstein, Jeff Goodby and other trailblazers, who bring honor to a profession all too often clouded by mediocrity.
In the spirit of other recent, great art/design documentaries – such as Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica and Objectified – and for a world so happy to embrace this under-represented industry – Madmen anyone? – Art & Copy considers the creative minds and passion of those who, generally without our awareness, sculpt so much of our world.
Art & Copy premiers tomorrow at the IFC Center in NY. For more information – and the trailer – visit artandcopyfilm.com
Manhattan Bridge, New York, NY, USA, 2009, Digital C-Print, 101.6 x 152.4cm, by Miru Kim
Demolition Zone, Aeogae, Seoul, Korea, 2009, Digital C-Print, 76 x 115cm, by Miru Kim
Michigan Theater, Detroit, MI, USA, 2009, Digital C-Print, 76 x 115cm, by Miru Kim
New York-based photographer Miru Kim makes her solo debut in Korea at Gallery HYUNDAI this month. Kim, who has explored urban ruins around the globe – subway stations, tunnels, sewers, catacombs, hospitals, factories and shipyards – juxtaposes her own, young and healthy body with the ghosts of abandoned industrial sites with haunting self-portraits in a series entitled “Naked City Spleen.” Recently, she’s also begun photographing herself with still-vibrant urban landmarks, such as the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges.
The exhibition at gallery HYUNDAI Gangnam Space runs August 25th to September 13th, 2009. It will feature 48 large photographs from Naked City Spleen. The color catalogue contains 36 images and stories by Kim. The preface is an essay by Richard Vine, managing editor of Art in America.
Kim was born in Massachusetts and raised in Seoul. She attended Columbia University and Pratt Institute in NY. To learn more about Miru Kim, check out her great TED talk below. And look for my interview with Miru Kim in the upcoming fall issue of Clear Magazine.
above: images from Stefan Sagmeister’s 2008 book, “Things I’ve learned in my life so far”
Absolut Vodka‘s ads are immediately recognizable, and over the years, their campaigns have become truly iconic. However, the company’s newest tv ad campaign, produced by TBWA/Chiat/Day, is a bit too similar to another icon’s work for my liking.
While beautiful, the ad’s imagery and tagline (“Doing something differently leads to something exceptional.”) are incredibly similar in look and concept to graphic design star Stefan Sagmeister‘s 2008 “Things I have learned in my life so far.” A successful design book and exhibit at Deitch gallery in NY, “Things I have learned in my life so far” was inspired by a list of life lessons Sagmeister jotted down while on sabbatical the year before, and then spelled out using creative environmental typographic tools – everything from hangers to body paint, furniture to food, lightboxes to giant, white inflatable monkeys.
I interviewed Sagmeister in 2008 right after the book came out for Graphis. Just this week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sagmeister again for the upcoming fall issue of Clear Magazine. He returns to NY from his latest sabbatical year (in Bali) in September, and told me that when approached for this tv spot, he declined to work with the firm, as he’d committed to only personal design work over the year, and wasn’t taking any new client work.
Take a look for yourself below. And check out my interview with Stefan Sagmeister for Graphis by visiting my Writing Samples page or clicking here: The Art of Introspection.
