Deguerrotypes of Consciousness

Dutch artist Chris Berens just finished showing the work below (I know I know, sorry, I forgot to post this earlier) at CoproNason in Santa Monica, CA. Muted, yet luminous, his paintings for me conjure the internal places where wonder meets sadness, the stillness where we remember we cannot control everything.




How’d he do that? Have a look:

Julian Roberts

Julian Roberts is a UK fashion designer with a long list of career achievements including 5 time winner of British Fashion Council’s New Generation Award. His work is whimsical, subversive, full of color, texture and volume. His silhouettes challenge the status quo by not always conforming to the form of the body but instead breaking away to create shapes, drapes and folds in unexpected places. What is especially interesting about his work is his experimental process for creating his garments. He has created a new and very innovative way of cutting garment patterns called “subtraction cutting”. The method uses huge pieces of fabric sewn into tubes. From these tubes, shapes are cut out, the tube is folded, and the outlines of the “subtracted” shapes are sewn together. This is done according to a few specific guidelines but with a great deal of room for experimentation. He teaches and performs this technique for the public at large. He’s incredibly open when it comes to sharing his techniques. As a designer I find this transparency and willingness to share refreshing. He doesn’t fear being outdone or copied. He trusts that each individual will have a unique way of interpreting his methods, and that creativity is not finite but rather something to be shared and celebrated for it’s boundless potential. 

Check out his website at www.julianand.com and click on “online cutting school” to have a look at his techniques in more detail.

 

 

 

Aquatic Wonderlands

I was never that into aquariums until I saw these. . . . Now I can't wait to plunk down a couple of g's (and many maintenance hours) aquascaping my way to owning one of these incandescent worlds. Thank you, Takashi Amano—and likely, others—for paving the Nature Style way.





Thirsty for more? Have a look at Takashi Amano's gallery here:

Oh, just one more. . .

I must mention just one more dollhouse: The Detacho Playhouse for separated or divorced families. In a time of multi-ethnic dolls, designer Ben Forman figured it was high time the modern family was depicted in all its challenged glory. This one’s not just for imaginative play, it’s also a learning tool in which the circumstances of families split into separate homes can be accurately explained—the play house can divide into several smaller units.


That’s not all, the child can also role play conflict using the dual-faced characters’ ability to be either happy or sad. When the members are sad a cleverly-placed magnet prevents them from kissing on the lips. Instead, they opt for cordial kisses on the cheek. Wow!


I think the look on this kid's face says it all!