AIGA Kenya Hara talk at Bumble & Bumble yesterday

Buy Kenya Hara: Designing Design.
Review on Core 77.
Review on DeZeen.

Interesting presentation yesterday by renowned japanese art director and curator Kenya Hara. After a question by Massimo Vignelli, Mr. Hara made an interesting distinction between Minimalism, based in western rationalism and meaning "stripped down" or simplified and the Japanese idea of Emptiness, which according to him means "The possibility of putting something in it". Emptiness is his mantra and design philosophy and the driving concept behind the MUJI brand.

New York International Gift Fair | KleinReid

Check out the New York International Gift fair, starting August 11. In particular, pay a visit to KleinReid Porcelain in the accent on design section for a preview of their brand new collection!

Songs For Ice Cream Trucks" CD release show

A reminder to come see the big CD release show on Saturday!

There will be free ice cream provided by local ice cream makers 5 Borough Ice
Cream. There will be tap dancing. There will be an amazing children's band singing. There will be Allyssa Lamb, Ron Caswell, Greta Gertler, and Michael Hearst, all dressed like buffoons and playing strange instruments. What's not to love? Bring the entire family! In fact, kids under 10 get in for free.

Songs For Ice Cream Trucks' CD release show
Saturday, May 26th 7:30pm
Housing Works Bookstore Cafehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
http://www.housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/
128 Crosby Street, NY
Plus FREE ICE CREAM provided by local ice cream makers 5 Borough Ice Cream!
http://www.5boroughsicecream.com/

Did everyone see the piece in the NY Times? Very exciting! (Even though they let Mr. Softee have the final words.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/nyregion/thecity/20song.html?ex=1180324800&en=c02cfcc74ff2719a&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Also, if you missed the segment on WNYC's "Soundcheck" with host John Schaefer
last week, here's the link.

A review of the first test run by "the Ice Cream Man" can be found here.

And don't forget to watch Michael's funny homemade video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z-N2YkrNpc

Porcelain by James Klein and David Reid - 1993 to present.

Porcelain by James Klein and David Reid
Works from 1993 to the Present

June 6 - September 28, 2007
Schein-Jopseph International Museum of Ceramic Art
NYSCC at Alfred Unversity, Alfred, NY
Binns-Merill Hall
607.871.2421 / ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu

Wednesday September 19
Conversation with James Klein & David Reid
Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall, 5.00pm

Thursday September 20
Museum Reception with the Artists, 4.30 - 6.00pm
Bergren Forum: "Reframing Ceramic Industrial Design" Ezra Shales, Ph.D.
Nevins Theatre Powell Campus Center, 12.10pm

New York Design Week

New York Design Week is going on. Check out the enormous list of events at Core77.

Don't miss the Designboom Design Mart at ICFF this year.

Music/Man: Niklaus Troxler (AIGA Event)

If you like your Jazz with some great Typography and Illustration (or the other way around), go attend this event organized by AIGA New York and the Cooper Union and see an 80 poster retrospective from over 3 decades by Niklaus Troxler.

BKLYN DESIGNS

Visited BKLYN designs today, here are a few designers that caught my eye. The show is in 3 separate locations in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood: [F train to York St] 81 Front St., 92 Plymouth St. and 38 Water St, with the Front st. location being a cash and carry market that includes craft, design and art.



LONGOLAND's creatures literally stopped me in my tracks. They were so creepy, realistic, yet cuddly and humorous at the same time. They are durably made stuffed animals and definitely one of a kind. Longoland created an accompanying monster-rug (why get a boring old bear-rug?), lazy chair and shirt as well.





Brave Space Design had some very sophisticated yet modern -but not any easy vernacular reference- furniture design. Their mountainous coat rack was another favorite piece in the show.



Site Specific.
I suppose I'm just mostly attracted to design that doesn't take itself so seriously. I like to walk into a show like this and be a little startled, surprised, or laugh or have little childhood memories. Site specific's huge insect inspired floor lamps and stools-that-are-big-tops did that for me.

Soo Sunny Park's show in Vermont on YouTube

I posted earlier about Sunny Park's incredible work at the Firehouse Gallery in Burlington, VT. For all of you who are not in that area, check out a nice video documentation from the opening:

Brooklyn Designs 2007 - May 11- May 13

Brooklyn Designs is here again. Go check it out in DUMBO, May 11 through May 13.

Logo Cities Project & Symposium by Matt Soar

Check out the Logo Cities project by Dr. Matt Soar, including symposium starting tomorrow with a keynote address by Johanna Drucker; plus the Québec premiere of Helvetica.

From the official Website:
About Logo Cities

Logo Cities is an ongoing research/creation project addressing signage, branding and lettering in public space, with a particular focus on the city of Montréal. Logo Cities is directed by Dr. Matt Soar, Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University, and is made possible by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. With considerable assistance from grad students Cecilia Chen, Grant Collins, AnneMarie Ennis, Lisa Gasior, and Michael Lithgow.