October 19, 2006 | New Products | by Zolton |
Hong Kong-based product design company, Bleu Limited, create such visually striking yet simple goodies that I’m almost tempted to flog my entire cd collection for just a slither of what they have to offer, particularly the MP3 bluetooth watch and pendulum pictured above. Sigh. Temptation and envy are but a handful removed. [see also John Wischhusen]
October 19, 2006 | New Illustration | by Zolton |
Continuing our exploration of all things feathered, Julianna Swaney creates traditional representations of birds which are ornate and disarmingly engaging. Working out of Portland, she graduated with a BFA in printmaking from the Maine College of Art in 2005. [see also Catalina Estrada; Kelly Boulton]
October 18, 2006 | New Fashion | by Zolton |
One of my favourite new discoveries is Byron Bay fashion label, Bird, which is the creation of designer Rachel Bending whose ‘work pioneering sustainability in design started with Slingfings, a brand widely recognised for its environmental consciousness‘. Bending, who originally hails from the UK, studied textile design at the renowned Glasgow School of Art in the early 90s and then spent several years working as an event director for Saatchi & Saatchi in London before immigrating to Australia in 2001. Her new fashion label, Bird, is based around three different fabrics each season, all of which are designed at her studio and hand-printed using water based dyes. The result is a beautiful, eco-friendly collection of women’s wear. We have two Bird dresses to give away – including the one pictured left – to random Lost At E Minor subscribers who leave a comment under this post, or who send this post to six or more of their friends, with the name of your favourite feathered friend and a damn fine reason why you should win one. Entries close October 30 and winners will be announced below this posting.
October 18, 2006 | New Illustration | by Zolton |
Brazillian artist, Raquel Falkenbach has had her illustrations featured on Coke bottles, t-shirts and television commercials. These prints ran on Diesel singlets. Outside of her illustration and animation work, her original typography is beautiful, elegant and contemporary. [see also Team Manila]
October 18, 2006 | New Art | by Zolton |
A couple of colourful and quirky sculptures by Los Angeles-based artist Ronald Kurniawan. He is inspired by ‘ideograms, syllables, letterforms, beasts and heroic landscapes … slowly but surely continues to create a visual language where the wilderness and civilization could merge happily together’. [see also Jeremyville]
October 18, 2006 | New Art | by Zolton |
Australian artist, Damien Kamholtz, spent the first few years of his life in the Northern Territory before moving to Queensland where he now lives in Toowoomba working as an art teacher and tutor. He is a ‘prolific painter with a strong interest and focus on art and its relationship to the landscape. Through travel around the country, he has discovered and sought to express the parallels between indigenous cultures in a traditional and contemporary sense. His art is an attempt to communicate to the heart and spirit, rather than our intellect – images comprising of subtle and suggestive combinations of nature’s organised and abstract shapes, entwined in universal and personal symbolism that incorporate suggested faces, figures and totemic animals’. [see also Alika Cooper]
October 18, 2006 | New Products | by Zolton |
As well as being the designer of the famously cool and original Isson Eyewear sunglasses, Catherine Federici has an extensive background in Industrial Design which has allowed her to understand the challenges of merging creative and analytical elements. ‘I find fractals and organic geometry found in nature intriguing and believe a natural aesthetic evolves by creating a synergy of basic elements like lines, curves and details. Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Celtic art, each expressing a balance of form constructed by 3D intertwining elements reflect a universal design narrative. These types of designs, or synergies, are found in many cultures. The Buddhist endless knot is one example where the intertwining of lines, represent how all phenomena are intertwined as a closed cycle of cause and effect. Thus the composition leads to a representational form of great simplicity and fully balanced harmony. It is not enough for a sunglass to just look good. The real test as a designer is using materials and production methods that reinforce Isson’s values of design, durability and innovation whilst maintaining functionality, comfort and adjustability, with harmony the goal’.
October 16, 2006 | New Music | by Zolton |
The first single from Australian production duo, Ollo – ‘Campaign For Real Bread’ – was given extensive airplay on radio stations Triple J and FBI. They have been featured guests for the likes of Matthew Herbert, Love of Diagrams, Tooth, and Telemetry Orchestra amongst others and played at the Rough Trade Showcase in London this year. Apparently Linda Evanglista even sashayed down the catwalk to their remix of ‘The Lunatics (have taken over the asylum)’. Now that’s something for the portfolio. On the side the Ollo lads indulge in other forms of creative expression. Alex is a graphic designer while Lars is a ‘music sculptor, party boy and speaks five languages fluently. One of them being Mandarin’.
Lost At E Minor spoke exclusively with Alex Crowfoot from the group and asked him about the correlation between art, design and music. ‘Yeah it’s interesting that many people seem to have more than one creative outlet, but then creativity takes so many forms. For me the answer is yes and no. There’s a huge difference in that with music there is no client giving me a brief. The music almost comes out by itself, and it is what it is. We have a very supportive record company which helps. There’s a correlation in that both design and music have accepted norms and structures that you make a decision at some point to use or to break out of. For instance, moving to the next part of a track half a bar early is like breaking the grid in a design. I don’t think about it consciously, I see them as such separate activities. They contrast well in that way. Perhaps getting an illustrator in on a job is like bringing in another musician who can do amazing things I can’t. With design I think about different markets and what will work, which I don’t at all with music. I don’t know about other designers who also make music, but for me they are chalk and cheese’. [photos by Paul Gosney]
October 16, 2006 | New Products | by Zolton |
Aside from having one of the coolest websites ever (Itchy & Scratchy eat ya heart out. Literally), Dalek just happens to create very fine vinyl toys. This 20-inch model is from the Dunny range and was part of a ‘limited edition of 100 exclusive to the Richard Goodall Gallery for the Violent Pacification show’ which took place in March 2006. [see also Tristan Eaton]
October 16, 2006 | New Photography | by Zolton |
Australian photographer Tamara Dean studied at Sydney’s College of Fine Arts before moving across to the University of Western Sydney where she completed a Bachelor of Arts. She now shoots for leading broadsheet, The Sydney Morning Herald. [see also Libby Clark]
October 15, 2006 | New Products | by Zolton |
The Tim Biskup designed Flat Calli is ‘made of heavyweight cardboard and is ready for you to punch out and assemble’. It’s a cool concept and a nice twist on Biskup’s original – and now iconic – Alphabeast Calli. [see also Tristan Eaton]
October 15, 2006 | New Photography | by Zolton |
Hailing from the beautiful surrounds of Cairns, Australia, self-taught photographer Peter Lik has immersed himself in the endless world of the scenic landscapes that he has diligently documented over his years of travelling to exotic locations. ‘It was while travelling in Alaska in 1994 that his fascination with photography took a dramatic turn. Previously only working with 35mm cameras, he discovered the encompassing view of the panoramic camera and he was converted’. He has galleries in Sydney, Noosa, Hawaii and Las Vegas. [ more about Peter Lik]
October 15, 2006 | New Products | by Zolton |
We’re digging the sketchels coming out of the Jeremyville contributor bunker of late. Since 2005, the Australian-based design house (famous for their distinctive t-shirts) have invited leading artists from around the world to design their own sketchel which Jeremyville have then printed and sold through their website. With works from Saiman Chow [left], Brad Howe [right], and the musician Beck amongst more than 230 others, this is an interesting ongoing project which seems to have no boundaries in terms of the creative expression it encourages. Check out the Jeremyville website for more information.
October 15, 2006 | New Illustration | by Zolton |
As our friends over at Sex In Art have affirmed, Minchi is one of the most exciting young illustrators out of Japan right now. Her works are vibrant, colourful and dripping with pathos. [see also Deanne Cheuk]
October 14, 2006 | New Illustration | by Zolton |
New York-based artist Ryan McGinness has had his work featured across a variety of mediums including installations, skateboard decks, and books – most notably 1999’s Flatness is God. The Danziger Projects website suggests that his art ‘makes strong social commentary on iconography, language, and historical and contemporary symbolism. It consists of an amalgam of icons and symbols in which originals do not exist. Instead, his graphic drawings and personal iconography are replicated, recontextualized, and materialized infinitely’. [see also Sophie Toulouse]
There’s some awesome new work up on New York-based illustrator, Sam Weber’s website, including this one above which is did for the Soulpepper Theatre. We asked him a little while back about what his studio workspace was like: ‘I am fairly particular about where I like to work, and what sort of stuff I like to have around me. There are things that I look at often — a book of Max Ernst collages, one on Yoshitaka Amano, and a big stack of clippings from magazines and the Internet that I will periodically leaf through to get inspired’. Read more
This Life Calendar is a great idea: summarise your day into a single smiley face! There are 365 blank faces to fill in based on how your day was. Smiles and frowns are one thing, but the fun that could be had with a blank face makes this really awesome.
The Hatton hotel epitomises Melbourne cool. Those who value design, location, and luxury will find The Hatton the perfect Melbourne base. Read more
This Is My England is both the blog and the pen name of a Londoner who looks at things up close. The photography zooms in on the small details of the decay and strangeness under the surface of the taken-for-granted things all around us. Many of the short poems here do roughly the same job.
Read more
Despite their jarring name, British noise duo Fuck Buttons are surprisingly palatable. The band’s long, droning tracks are infused with sweet twinkles and sunny synth, but dark shards of ominous guitar overdrive and distorted screeches pierce the shimmering surface just when you’re ready to zone out. Danceable beats occasionally draw everything back together, creating a stormy, pulsing, and disorienting atmosphere.
Hipster moms and dads, don’t send your hipster kids back to school without these awesome backpacks by Poketo. Seriously though, they’re so much cooler than any of those Jansport bags.
Want to win a whole boatload of awesomeness from our online store? OK, then. Enter our giveaway and you could be the lucky winner of a grab bag featuring some real shop favorites. Read more
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