Bruno Munari Exhibition

Scultura da Viaggio, 1958
Ferro Verniciato, 43x50x54cm
Collezione Privata, Milano

Via SHIFT magazine comes a lovely article on the inspiring Bruno Munari.

The presence of Bruno Munari spanned so many decades of Italian culture – roughly from the early 30s to the 90s and influenced various fields as painting, industrial and graphic design and pedagogic methods: the temptation to call the Milanese, "master" is almost an inescapable temptation only softened by his love for lightness of touch and the constant use of irony and paradox that elude the pomposity of such a definition.

Bruno Munari Exhibition
Date: October 25th, 2007 - February 10th, 2008
Place: Rotonda della Besana
Address: Via della Besana 15 Milano, Italy

KleinReid to premiere new work at the New York Gift Fair's accent on design section.

POTS / PENDANTS / PRINTS / PORCELAIN PUBLICATIONS
KleinReid Premieres Designs at the New York International Gift Fair
Accent on Design / Booth 4004
Jacob Javits Center / February 2 - 6

Contact kr@kleinreid.com or 718 937 3828 for details.

KleinReid
fine porcelain : handmade in ny since 1993

Also: Check out our StillLife Wood Set in Time Magazine, "At Home with
Nature" pg. 53 / Feb 4 issue

FuzzyNation

Noticed these FuzzyNation dog purses in a Smith Street, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, Boutique the other day.
Design can be multifunctional and it doesn't have to take itself too seriously.

Visualingual Studio, New Line of Products

Visualingual Studio, New Line of Products.

Design Miami Overview

Here are some quick pic(k)s from Design Miami.
Just added some more images from Fragiles at the bottom of this post.

MOSS (NYC) Presents Studio Job's new Robber Baron project.











Shigeru Ban's Ecological Architecture



The Farm Project





Glass Lab created Live with Invited Designers.



Swarovski Crystal Palace invited DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO for this installation.


In This belongs in a museumThe wolfsonian Design Museum points out some overlooked design objects around the design district.


Jason Miller creates custom design objects, based on YOUR memory, retrieved during a hypnotism session.


Miller was also included in the Fragiles exhibition. (See below).

Among a series of live design demonstrations was Tanya Aguiniga's Hardcore softness in which she upholsters everyday hard and "Cold" furniture through felting.








Moss presents Maarten Baas' Furniture from the Heavy Metal series.



Campana Brothers' chair at Moss.


Maarten Baas' Heavy Metal fan


Atelier van Lieshout's Family Lamp


Zaha Hadid Furniture


Hella Jongerius' Furniture


XYZ Design


Fragiles organized by Die Gestalten Verlag.



Hans van Bentem




Jurgen Bey


Marcel Wanders


Jerszy Seymour


Tord Boontje




Sarah Cihat


Cynthia Hathaway


Christie Wright


Louise Hindsgavl







Mimi Joung

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.

Li Edelkoort / Trend Union 2009 Presentation

I had the great pleasure of attending the Trend Union / Li Edelkoort presentation at Parson School of Design's Tischman auditorium today. Very inspiring material for any free thinker or creative person.

Some of the main themes were that, after a period of living in a culture of fear, the world is now ready to turn the page, take a step back and take back their lives. To embrace happiness, warmth, family and living locally and ecologically inspired fantastic color and material palettes for which Edelkoort is widely known. Refocusing on positivity.

More importantly though, I think she is perfectly in tune with a desire than many of us have had for a long time but might not have yet realized. A desire to break free from traditional systems and society doctrines, and also to take a deep breath and stop chasing artificiality. Back to home cooked meals, cottage industry produced clothing, and getting back out to the country.

Also, Li Edelkoort invited co-founder of the Alabama Project, Natalie “Alabama” Chanin, to speak about her amazing work on that business as well as her current business, AlabamaChanin.

She is known for her resown t-shirt couture, and for using existing (human) resources as an alternative to outsourcing. An important re-envisioning of contemporary and future economy.

Kleinreid Holiday Studio Sale!

KleinReid's Holiday Sample Sale
Saturday December 8th & 15th, Noon to 5pm
51-02 21st St. 7th floor, Long Island CIty, NY 11101
718.937.3828
Corner of Borden Ave / 2 blocks from PS1
7 train to Hunters Point (2 stops from Grand Central)
G train to 21st St. (first stop in Queens from B'klyn)
E train to 23rd/Ely
* Cash only please * Feel free to share this invite *

Preview our Pots with this link: http://kleinreid.com/html/portfolio.html



BY TRAIN:
1.) 7 to Hunters Point (2 stops from Grand Central Terminal) -- Take left street exit. Walk to closest corner (49th Ave. and 21st St.) turn left onto 21st St. then see #2.
OR G to 21st St. -- Take street exit to the right. Walk south on 21st St. over bridge then see #2.
OR E to 23rd/Ely Stop -- Exit to the back of the train. Walk south on 21st St. (with Manhattan on your right). Cross Jackson Ave and continue - see #2.
2). Walk south on 21st St (with Manhattan on your right side). About a block ahead, you'll see a large brown and yellow factory building with billboards -- that's us. On the east side of street the sidewalk swoops under the overpass, then take the pedestrian foot bridge over the LIRR tracks. You're now in front of our building. Enter on the east side of the building = 51-02 21st St. We're on the 7th floor at the end of the hall.
BY CAR:
Midtown Tunnel (very easy):
Stay in FAR right lane. After toll, exit IMMEDIATELY then turn left onto Borden Ave. Go one block (over the RR tracks) and turn left onto 21 St. and park. We're the large brown and yellow factory building.
59th St. Bridge (moderately annoying):
Take lower level, take Queens Plz S. ramp exit onto Queens Blvd. Veer right to intersection with Jackson Ave. Turn right onto Jackson Ave. and go about 10 blocks to Vernon Blvd. (do not turn onto 21st St. from Jackson - it doesn't go through). Turn left onto Vernon, go one block and turn left onto Borden Ave. Go two blocks to 21st St. and turn left and park. We're the large brown and yellow factory building.
L.I.E. (easy):
To exit 15 (Van Dam St.) Continue forward, after a few blocks road jogs onto Borden Ave. After about a mile, turn right onto 21st St. and park. We're the large brown and yellow factory building.
From Brooklyn (also easy):
Take B.Q.E. to the L.I.E. (495 West) and follow LIE directions above.
OR take the Pulaski Bridge from Greenpoint's McGuinness Blvd. On the L.I.C. side, take sharp left onto Jackson Ave. Go about 3 blocks, veer right then turn left onto Vernon Blvd. at the light. Go one block and turn left onto Borden Ave. Go two blocks to 21st St. and turn left and park. We're the large brown and yellow factory building.

Zorb!

Saw this on the Today Show just now.

The Zorb is one crazy new product.

Someones run in a zorb:

Amazon Kindle using E-Ink

The Amazon Kindle, it's already sold out as I write this. (?!)
It does look a little like an Eighties Cellphone doesn't it? Never the less, I (still) think it's very exciting to have one book that = a million books on demand, than having to buy a new paper book every time I finish one, and filling my shelves with them. Why have dozens of novels and business books I will not reread in my New York apartment where every square inch counts? (And what will this mean for Brookyn Stoop Sales? Used Books are a big part of those.)

I'm talking mainly about novels and newspapers. For the time being, I think I'd still prefer my art and design books on paper. These are usually more tactile objects and more interestingly designed, both in their look as well as their feel.

It uses the e-ink technology that promises to look and feel more like ink on paper, as it isn't backlit like conventional computer and pda screens. So you'll have no glare or lighting issues which makes it musch easier to read outside or other uncontrolled environments.


Check out Engadget.com for some first impressions.

Die Gestalten Verlag: Fragiles Exhibition in Miami

If you are heading to Miami this year for Design Basel, be sure to see the exhibition Fragiles, curated by design publishing powerhaus Die Gestalten Verlag.

Selected works by:
Arne Quinze
Jaime Hayon
Marcel Wanders
Jerszy Seymour
Hella Jongerius
Jurgen Bey
Hans Van Bentem
Stephen Burks
Nik Schweiger | 3deluxe
Stephanie DeArmond
Charles Krafft
Emma Woffenden & Tord Boontje
Alessandro Mendini
Commonwealth & Joshua Davis
Malin Lundmark
Maxim Velcovsky
George J. Sowden
Wendy Walgate
Christie Wright | Elastichome
Lola Goldstein
Cynthia Hathaway
David Amar
Emily Forgot
Frida Andersson & James Steiner
Giordano Redaelli
Miwa Koizumi
Guillaume Delvigne
Hana Vitkova
Ineke Hans
Jakub Berdych
Scott Rench
Kate Hume
Laura Mckibbon | Cul De Sac
Sebastian Menschhorn
Lisa Goldberg
Megan Bogonovich
Katie Parker
Mimi Joung
tjep.
Nathalie Schaap
Doodle
Nicolas Bovesse
Robert Dawson
Sarah Cihat
Milan Pekar
Guillaume Delvigne & Ionna Vautrin
Thomas Paul
Jason Miller
Tamsin van Essen
to22
o-d-a
Louise Hindsgavl
KleinReid
Dan Yeffet’
Dror Benshetrit
Bathsheba Grossman
Assa Ashuach

G-Phone? Google / Android push ahead with Mobile platform.

Also See this.

And Sergei Brin discusses it in the video below:

First U.S. Muji Flagship store opens today.

Famous Japanese retailer of minimalist designer products opens its first U.S. based flagship store in Soho, New York, today.

From Muji.com
MUJI: It's about designing your own life – not someone else's. It's a belief that simple is better than complicated. And it's the knowledge that real simplicity is always the result of openness and honesty. MUJI products spring from a commitment to moderation in all things except quality – and from the confident awareness that modesty and discretion are, together, the better part of style.


Because there is complexity in purity.

Elegance in plainness.

Intricacy in streamlining.

Richness in reduction.

Depth in minimalism.

Surprise in uniformity.

Innovation in re-use.

Cool in the avoidance of cool.

And there is true
sophistication in simplicity.

Site Specific Design Opening at Bridge Gallery

Bed designed by Kristina Kozak on Home & Garden website.

Bed designed by Kristina Kozak on Home & Garden website.

Tom's Shoes wins Peoples Design Award at the Cooper-Hewitt

I attended the party last night and was (along with everyone else present) really moved buy this entrepreneurs story.

After traveling to Argentina and seeing so many children without shoes, Blake Mycoskie decided to design a shoe that could be sold for $40 and give away one pair of shoes for each pair sold until all those kids had shoes.

It was an amazing success, he sold 10,000 pairs out if his apartment in the first 4 months.

You can buy your pair today at
http://www.tomsshoes.com







From The Cooper-Hewitt press release:
The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum presented its second People's Design Award to TOMS Shoes on Thursday, Oct. 18th, at its eighth annual National Design Awards gala in New York. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi announced the winning design and presented the award to TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie. National Design Week and the National Design Awards are sponsored by Target.

After thousands of votes were cast during the course of one month on Cooper-Hewitt's website, TOMS Shoes—a company which matches every pair of shoes purchased with a donation of a pair to a child in need—emerged as the public's favorite design. It was a close race until the midnight hour (the online voting was extended until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 16, due to high visitor traffic) between TOMS and the Floating Pool, a 20,000 square-foot floating pool complex built within a steel deck barge, commissioned by Ann Buttenwieser of the Neptune Foundation and designed by architect Jonathan Kirschenfeld. The Floating Pool was docked last summer at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach in Brooklyn, New York.

TOMS, slip-on shoes available in vibrant colors and prints, are inspired by the traditional, rope-soled Argentine "alpargata." Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS in 2006 following a trip to Argentina, where he was struck by the poverty and health issues of the country. During the first year of business alone, TOMS sold 10,000 pairs of shoes and Mycoskie returned to Argentina to lead the company's first shoe drop. In November, Mycoskie will travel to Africa, where he will be delivering more than 50,000 pairs of TOMS.

"I'm delighted that for the second year in a row, the public has chosen a socially conscious design that not only looks great, but helps the lives of less fortunate people around the world," said Cooper-Hewitt director Paul Warwick Thompson.

Marianne Cusato, designer of the Katrina Cottage, was selected as the first People's Design Award winner.

Mycoskie, an entrepreneur, founded TOMS Shoes following a string of successful ventures, including a collegiate laundry service, a 24/7 reality TV network and a stint on "The Amazing Race: Season Two." Mycoskie has spent the past year traveling across the U.S. in an Airstream trailer, thanking TOMS customers and supporters and spreading awareness about the cause.

Kristina Kozak Participates in openhousenewyork

5th ANNUAL openhousenewyork FEATURES BROOKLYN’S MINE METAL/ART STORE AND METAL-ARTIST KRISTINA KOZAK

Brooklyn, NY, September 28, 2007 – Featured in one of the premiere architectural and design public events of the year, Metalsmith artist Kristina Kozak will be included in the acclaimed 5th annual openhousenewyork () event being held the weekend of Oct. 6-7 when her Williamsburg, Brooklyn MINE Metal/Art studio and showroom will be open to the public with tours (www.minemetalart.com – Online art available to view).

“It is a great honor to be showcased as part of this cadre of talented artists all across our great city,” said metal artist Kristina Kozak. “I’m particularly glad to be able to attract people who’ve not yet been introduced to my very different style, both in terms of design, using steel in an organic way, and fabricating furniture in a less-than-expected material.”

Window grills, for example, are a fact of big city life, and Kozak has found a way to make them an attraction, as opposed to an eye-sore. Art can also provide security.

Kozak has a mind of her own…and a metal mine art studio-store of her own, as well… …she first discovered the artistic malleability of steel and its wonderful ability to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing in 1994 when she designed and made her first bed.

Now, her work which has graced buildings across this Brooklyn borough has caught the eye of some prominent architects and designers.

MINE Metal/Art is the signature store of 40-year-old Kozak who creates elaborately designed functional works of furniture and architecture to fit any theme.

Transforming hard metal into flowing works of art, her work has quietly crept onto buildings to beautify many homes, offices and restaurants in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY. With a tremendous range of styles from Modern to Victorian in design, Kozak’s creations are awe-inspiring, one-of-a-kind and limited edition metal work and furniture ranging from chairs and beds to ottomans and flatware. In addition to commissioned works, she also offers her signature trademark “swirl” in a keychain or pendant (priced at $120.00 in silver) $60.00 of proceeds going to Hospice Inc.

From beds to security window grills, Kozak creates distinctive pieces inspired by vintage textiles, nature, Art Nouveau, and the Victorian Arts and Crafts artists John Ruskin and William Morris.

Tour hours for MINE Metal/Art’s participation in openhousenewyork are:

MINE Metal/Art retail showroom - 177 Grand St. Brooklyn. Open Sat.-Sun., Oct. 6 -7, 10am – 8pm. Pick up a map and walk the neighborhood and see her outdoor public work.

Kristina Kozak's Studio at Barzel Iron Works - 61 Jefferson St., Sunday, Oct 7. Kristina opens her studio located in a working blacksmithing and industrial metal shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Tours at 10, 11:30, 1 and 2:30pm. reservations required. at kkozak@mindspring.com

MINE Metal/Art is at 177 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 www.minemetalart.com.
718-963-1184…..regular store hours are Wednesday – Saturday 12 -7, Sunday 12 -6.

Cynthia Hathaway Designs, Educates, Writes...

Cynthia Hathaway, a Canadian design leader operating from Amsterdam inspires me. She is one of those rare folks who stick to their guns and forges ahead with her multiple talents in design. She writes, curates, educates, designs and that doesn't quite sum it all up. Check out what she is all about at hathawaydesigns.org

Designboom's Handled With Care at Designersblock, London, UK

Check out the exhibit organized by Designboom called "Handled with Care" at Designersblock in London.

Featuring Christie Wright's conceptual ceramic cellphones and the Glide Toaster by George Watson.



Christie Wright.


George Watson.

Everyday Studio - Products

Have a look at some sleek new pet products from Everyday Studio!

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!

"A whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink

I read this interesting excerpt on How Magazine's website this morning:

You've said that in the emerging economy, the smartest thing someone can do is to be a designer and tell their children to be designers. Why is design a great career move these days?
Because the working world that you and I live in is very different from the one that our parents prepared us for. When I was a kid—and I grew up in a middle-class family, in the middle of America, in the middle of the 1970s—parents told their kids to become doctors, lawyers, accountants or engineers. Those jobs were the pathway to a happy and prosperous life. But that's not true anymore. The economy that's emerging today confers the greatest rewards on a different kind of person with a different kind of mind. It rewards not "left-brain" knowledge workers, but "right-brain" creators and empathizers. The future belongs to those kinds of folks—artists, inventors, caregivers and, yes, designers.

We've heard about this left-brain/right-brain division before. How does it apply here?
The best metaphor to describe what's going on in work and business today is right inside our heads. The structure of our brains reveals a lot about the contours of our times. Our brains are divided into two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is logical, linear and sequential. It works like a computer. The right side is holistic, artistic and big-picture. Of course, we use both sides of our brain for most things. But the sorts of abilities characteristic of the left hemisphere are becoming less valuable. And the sorts of abilities characteristic of the right hemisphere are becoming more valuable.

Why is this shift happening?
Three big, unstoppable forces. What I call the three A's—abundance, Asia and automation.

The New Customizing Paradigm, Exhibition

The exhibition The New Customizing Paradigm curated by Rein van de Mast on view until July 21st at the Intermezzo Gallery in Dordrecht, The Netherlands. It deals with product design driven by rapid prototyping. The show includes: MGX by Materialise - Ben Oostrum i.s.m. Jan Melis - Christie Wright, Elasticbrand - Hippus - Janne Kyttanen, Freedom of Creation - Joris Laarman, Droog/Friedman, Phil Verdult/Gravotech - PeLiDesign - Pjotr, 3dprototyping.nl, Logic Electronics - Timo Voorhuis- Wouter Scheublin


Alexander Pelikan, Photo by Michael Anhalt


Christie Wright, Elasticbrand. Photo by Burçu Avsar.

Artist / Designer Hans van Bentem

Hans van Bentem is a dutch artist/designer who is pretty much impossible to pigeon hole. There are a few constants though, the work is very iconic and as one fourth of the Artoonists collective, there are usually a healthy dose of pop culture references present.

Red Flag Design's handmade recycled sail cloth bags.

Vancouver, Canada based Red Flag Design aims to create products about more than just function or style. Stuart Sproule and Barnaby Killam became inspired by the amount of useful material that was discarded as by product of insdustrial production.

OOOMS Studio

Studio OOOMS, based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands was founded by Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout. They intend to make you smile by turning conventions upside down and generally have an attitude of wit and positive skepticism towards product design.

Check out their Anti-gravity Machine for example:

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.

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.