Check out some of this amazing furniture from BFD founder Andy Gregg. Using used bicycles, Gregg and Co. create some pretty radical furniture. We loves.
On July 30, 2010, In furniture, By Wes
On July 28, 2010, In furniture, By Wes
On July 8, 2010, In art, By Wes
Howard Finster is my favorite American artist. I was introduced to him by my Dad when I was younger; at first I just loved that he wrote all over his “canvases” and seemed a bit nuts. That he lived and worked in my homestate of Georgia only grew my affection. But, as I’ve grown up, the paintings, carvings and sculptures have come to mean more.
Finster was a deeply religious man convinced in a vision from the lord that he should paint. He created thousands of folk art pieces over his life, including his home, Paradise Gardens, which became an ever-changing permanent exhibit of carving, painting, paint-penning, chalk-drawing, sculpture, agriculture, and architecture. When he died the place fell into disrepair, but it has since been put under the protection of the state, and volunteers are working now to restore it to it’s former glory.
Finster’s un-precious, un-precocious, un-pretentious works of art are the mad, wonderful scatterings of a brilliantly fractured mind and talent. They’re so much fun, they look so good, they’re so honest and American. See them in the Smithsonian or in Northwest Georgia; they’re folk art at it’s purest and least complicated.
On April 30, 2010, In Branding, By Wes
Behold, the new five dollar bill!
Just kidding. But it should be. By Michael Tyznik.
On April 21, 2010, In architecture, By Wes
One of the world’s most sought after, championed, highly paid and densely sculptural architects, Renzo Piano, has a wealth of breathtaking building, but one of our favorites here at Basis is the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Built underground for the most part, featuring and living roof and a”flooded” basement, fully integrated into the ecological world of San Fran, and flatly stunning to look at, it’s a real treat.
On April 9, 2010, In furniture, By Wes
Very cool:
On April 8, 2010, In fashion, By Wes
There’s a very minor fashion trend going on at the moment that is perhaps appropriate to highlight as we get closer to prom season; condom couture.
Those dresses, made by designer Emma Kaywin, were inspired by her internship with an HIV awareness outreach group. She realized they were about to dispose of thousands of left-over condoms and decided to keep them useful. She’s worn these dresses in public, and reports they elicit, usually, shock and/or disgust. Part of the impetus for these kinds of projects is to erase that kind of bias. By putting these essential and often life-saving devices in the best (and most visible) possible light, Kaywin and others hope to end the stigma around them. Pretty cool. Our next designer, Adriana Bertini, has made something of a career (and a recycling/health outreach project) out of these dresses. Some highlights of her collection:
A nod to the hallowed symbol of that most treasured of American institutions; a symbol without which the spiritual, physical, and fallen world would have no meaning or salvation:
The Easter basket.
Happy Easter, frolickers.
On April 1, 2010, In Branding, By Wes
We here at Basis would like to direct your attention to a great website for perusal and weekly reading: Letterheady. Run by the same fellow who runs the equally excellent time-suck Letters of Note, Letterheady is a collection of extraordinary letterheads from actors, writers, companies, artists, etc. The detailing, the design, the charming pre-email tactile pleasure of the physical letter is worshipped there, and that’s as it should be. Some of our favorites (and please go visit the site):
On March 25, 2010, In furniture, By Wes
Jules Seltzer Associates, in combination with the Vitra Design Museum, does a whole line of miniaturized classic furniture. Measuring about 5 inches high on average, and costing you in the neighborhood of $350, it’s a lot of art and design for not as much money and zero practical use. However, they’re great for looking at, and art and design students can use them to study and learn. And, you know, they’re pretty cool.
All of these products are made with the same materials and the same proportions and craftsmanship as the originals. They’re a neat and kind-of-sort-of cheaper way to get closer to some of your favorite industrial designs, chairs, and designers.