chumpchampion

For the denizens of design: My dear design-minded Gelatobaby friend Alissa Walker has been selected to co-curate The Pasadena Museum of California Art’s fourth annual California Design Biennial and is looking for a few good like-minded contributors for the Industrial Design portion of the show. Details and info below and remember, entries due by March 1, 2010.

From Ms. Alis:

“I’ve covered the PMCA’s design biennial for the last few years and it’s always served as a great survey of the state’s design. This year, however, we decided to theme it in a way that was appropriate to these times:

“Americans today live in a world of transformation and upheaval; we are facing a national economic  crisis and worldwide political uncertainties and are becoming increasingly attuned to environmental issues. The designs in California Design Biennial: Action/Reaction will address how designers are responding to these issues and how the products they create reflect the influences of our changing world.”

So, I am looking for a range of industrial design pieces, from furniture to gadgets, which evoke these principles:

1. Visually excellent (this goes without saying)
2. Initiated or furthers positive change:  economic, political, environmental, or social (creates an Action/Reaction, if you will)
3. Designed in California between January 2008 and early 2010 (as in by now)

To help me out, add worthy products—either your firm’s, something you own and love, or maybe something you spotted in a magazine or blog—to the CA Biennial Industrial Design Flickr group (or you can email directly to me, but uploading to Flickr would be really great). And if you’ve got something in the Graphic Design, Fashion, Architecture or Transportation fields, be sure to pass it along to my cohorts. We must receive all submissions by March 1, 2010.”

Tweet This Post 

Following yesterday’s post on his big brother’s latest Wild Things trailer, globe trotting DJ Squeak E. Clean makes a quick pit stop home as the N.A.S.A. crew lands in L.A. tomorrow night with DJ Zegon, Fatlip (The Pharcyde) and some very special guests. The Intergalactic Circus will be celebrating their album’s (The Spirit of Apollo) triumphant on-going world tour and rocking The El Rey on Wilshire all night long.

Also you can grab your N.A.S.A. gear at the online shop right here, including their t-shirt rendition of Tribe’s Midnight Marauders classic cover which features all the artists featured on The Spirit of Apollo. Here’s me flaunting mine with N.A.S.A. guest star the RZA at the Rock the Bells show last weekend!

And in other N.A.S.A. related news:

• N.A.S.A. asks “Wachadoin?”

• A Date with the Date Farmers, Logan and N.A.S.A.

• THIS WEEKEND: N.A.S.A. vs. Japan, Milk Photography, 1000 Days, The Red Balloon Scores, To Catch a Dazed and Confused Thief

• Get Lifted With “Gifted” from N.A.S.A.

• More Music Videos From the World of N.A.S.A.

• UPDATE: N.A.S.A. Takes Off

• N.A.S.A. Cover Coverage

• N.A.S.A. Trailer Now Clear to Launch

• Wachadoin? A Victory Lap

• N.A.S.A. Launches “Money”

Tweet This Post 

Last week I posted the teaser for Murakami’s Superflat First Love, continuing his collaborations with Louis Vuitton. Now comes the short animation feature…

…along with artwork for the project via Japanese site Honeyee.com. Click below for more:

Tweet This Post 

Master painter/sculptor/Kanye West inspirer, Takashi Murakami continues his collaborations with Louis Vuitton with the Multicolor Spring Pallete collection. And to commemorate their latest pairing, Murakami has released the trailer for his animated short film entitled Superflat First Love. Premiering April 28th, 2009, Superflat First Love is the follow up to the Superflat Monogram project Murakami created with LV back in 2003. For now you can feast your eyes on the 15 second trailer which doesn’t say too much yet. But like all Murakami’s work, animated or otherwise, be prepared for something bold and beautiful.

More Murakami from his legendary show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles :

And just for kicks, here’s Murakami’s Inochi, (my favorite robo-alien-horny Japanese kid) :

And don’t forget about Kaikai & KiKi!

Tweet This Post 

Six places to be and see great things starting this Friday and Saturday, ending next Saturday and next next Saturday, and continuing for more future Friday and Saturdays.

• One of my favorite California artists, Luke Chueh, and his melancholy bears opens the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City with his latest works in “From Light Cometh Darkness”.

• The lovely Susan Cianciolo (with the Ladies Choir in tow) brings her new winter fashions out west with “Trees at Night” to Space 15Twenty, one of Hollywood’s newest destinations. You may remember the Ladies Choir from their special performances during screenings of our Sister Corita film at the Hammer for Flux as well as at the opening of the Sister Corita art retrospective at CSUN.

Space 15Twenty
Opening reception:
Saturday, March 21st 4-6pm
1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

• Mark Jenkins opens his solo art show “The Golden Ass and Other Stories” at the Stricola Contemporary in NY this Satuday. I’m interested to know how his installations on the worlds busiest city streets (video too) will translate to the relative quiet of an indoor gallery. If any of you East Coasters go let me know!

• Last week to check out Bill McMullen’s “Hype, Hustle, Ripoff” show at the Constant Gallery on La Cienega as it ends it’s run next Saturday March, 28th.

• And if you’re going to be on the central/west sides of town checking out some of these shows, you may as well head to the Honor Fraser Gallery for KAWS’ first show in LA, “The Long Way Home”. If you wisely evaded the opening weeks of madnessyou have a few more weeks to check it out as it ends April 4th.



Honor Fraser Gallery
ongoing through April 4, 2009
2622 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90034

• And if you’re not interested in checking out these great gallery shows you may want to spend your time in a darkened theater for a trip to the opening of Tokyo!, a film in three parts by Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-Ho. You can read my review of this fine film here.

Tweet This Post 

I love fake things. Or rather things that are known to be fakes but are cleverly created with the intent to to look as if they could actually exist (fake foods in display windows being one of my all time faux faves). Why the fondness for the fakeness? I’m not really sure. But when it’s done right, I think the answer lies somewhere between the sarcasm, the irony, the artistry and the chance to have a laugh at the gullible. That and the fact that this is a fake website. Here’s a look at some high quality genuine fakes I’ve seen recently:

• This is a series of fake stylized 60’s paperback movie novelizations of contemporary films created by a graphic designer named Spacesick. Really well done and humorous to boot. Click here or the book below to see the entire set including one of Ghostbusters-”Now a major motion picture starring Ernie Hudson”.

• Fake t-shirts are common forms of sarcastic fashion fakery, from the pioneering tuxedo tee and it’s cousin of the ruffled variety, the classic skeleton and it’s opposite bodybuilder/bikini tees, the gold chain, Star Wars of course, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” jacket, and even homages of shirts worn in cult movies. But two recent additions from opposite ends of the spectrum that have caught my eye are the glow-in-the-dark Venkman Ghostbusters tee and Tobin Yelland’s much more subtle and ironic camera tee designed for Keep.

• And finally, fakeness oftentimes comes pre=packaged with a substantial message. In the vain of Banksy’s Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill storefront in Greenwich Village NY last year, “the Surfrider Foundation joined forces with Saatchi & Saatchi LA to sponsor the aptly titled Catch of the Day guerrilla ad campaign. Trash was collected from beaches across the US, then sorted, packaged like seafood, and strategically placed around local farmers’ markets. Directly targeting seafood consumers, this creative campaign draws attention to the gross debris littering our oceans and highlights how this pollution affects the consumer directly through the food they eat.” (via the Provisions Learning Project) Click here or the delicious looking condoms below to see more fresh catches of the day as well as a trashy surf video. Mmmm…fake seafood….

Tweet This Post 

During this quick trip out to New York I’ve been staying out in the hipster-mecca of the world, Brooklyn’s  Williamsburg neighborhood. So since I don’t have much time before I jump on a plane and head back to Los Angeles for tonight’s Beautiful Losers screening (after party w/ Money Mark rooftop performance!), I thought it would be ultra-appropriate to post this hilarious little cartoon by Devin Flynn based on the fashion phenomenon known simply as “Lady Pants”. Loosen up your belt, or belts, and enjoy. I’ll be seeing you L.A. Style Chudz soon, “Westside!”

Tweet This Post