7.31.2008

space 1026

lately i've been feeling a little burnt out and dry of inspiration. i miss making things and despite the creative nature of 12, all the running around and answering emails and different projects have been keeping me from doing creative things outside of the office. it seems when i'm not working i only feel like sleeping or reading or watching food network because i'm so tired. (>_<)

in an attempt to try to understand working as a collective and balancing things better, i decided to read up a little about this group in Philadelphia that i had heard about a while back. i recall reading a feature about them and their 'ewok village' installation a few years ago.



space 1026 is a group of artist studios and people who create individually but also very communally as well. they all have their own artistic styles and voice but they've also been doing a lot of group installations that incorporate the whole group working as one, not just a bunch of people putting their individual work on a wall together.

it's so intriguing to see how a group of people can successfully put their egos and individual agendas aside for a moment and work for the benefit of the group. i mean, that's what we're supposed to do with 12, but we're still learning.



Space 1026 interview

oh, p.s. adam wallacavage is part of this group. great photographer and sculptor.

7.18.2008

sony rolly



today i saw the first Sony Rolly to er... roll into the US. w+k global executive creative director john jay brought this little guy in to show us this morning. they are currently only available in japan, but he brought one back. i couldn't stop smiling while watching it dance.

the idea is to take the traditional mp3 player and make it more than just a static object sitting on your desk - make it fun and make it interactive. <3

7.16.2008

beautiful losers




last week, the director and producers of the new Beautiful Losers movie came to do a screening at w+k. it's so amazing to see how this small crop of artists that were brought together by NY's alleged gallery became such huge influencers and pioneers for the current low brow scene.



aaron rose started alleged gallery in a shady NY storefront in 1992 and for ten years, ran the gallery and fostered a whole generation of post-punk, skateboarding creators and helped forge their DIY attitude.



the movie features such influential artists as barry mcgee, margaret kilgallen, ed templeton, thomas campbell, and many others. the original filming included doing interviews with over 70 different artists, and these select few were chosen to be in the movie because of their great stories and their role in the current art world.



this movie has been 5 years in the making and it opens in select theaters across the US around august, though they've been doing screenings in the past few months in film festivals.

beautiful losers trailer

movie synopsis:

Beautiful Losers celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural movements of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories...speaking to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth.

7.15.2008

pressure printing



hi-fructose magazine is coming out with a hand-printed travis louie etching, just in time for San Diego Comic Con. the print is being made through denver-based pressure printing.

each piece is hand-printed and tea stained and signed by the artist. the prints are then framed in a beautiful antiqued resin frame with bubble glass in the classic Louie style.

pressure printing has done a number of beautiful prints with pop-surrealist artists like audrey kawasaki, glenn barr, mark ryden, and many others. they document the tedious process on their blog.



not only are their prints beautiful, but pressure printing does their own framing and in their recent print with audrey kawasaki, made all the frames for her pieces from scratch!

everyone is jumping on the print wagon lately because of the impending recess, but pressure printing does really high quality prints with special attention to precision and detail and should definitely be a place to check out if you can't snag an original.

<3

7.08.2008

edwin ushiro artwork


remnant of light exiting a pupil .edwin ushiro.

this saturday is the opening of edwin ushiro's solo show at project: gallery. i just took a peek of the pieces on the gallery's website and i'm super sad i won't be able to see it all in person. i've posted a few of the pieces, but you can check out the rest of the artwork here: "While Tides Guide You Back Home"


a space absorbing memories already long forgotten by others .edwin ushiro.


after all the tears have rusted .edwin ushiro.


reaching for things which fell down unnoticed .edwin ushiro.

7.02.2008

bees, books, n' booze



when WK was attacked by swarms of bees yesterday morning, we thought the apocalypse was coming.



apparently the bees lost their queen and followed her scent to the shrubbery on our rooftop and then smashed themselves against her queenly odour.
a beekeeper was called and came and took most of the bunch away and is going to enslave them to make honey for himself and his beekeeper wife. they say that the bees should produce honey for them in a year.



(for those of you who don't know, there is currently a crazy honey bee shortage, i'm sure he was stoked!)



after weeks of work, 12 finished our first real deck for Wordstock. hurrah! (is this the first time i've posted work on here?)



yes.



at 4 o'clock, we all ran up to the roof for michael illick's art show Scott Phillips: A Life. scott is an account dood here and i guess mike's been drawing him for quite a while and eventually made enough sketches to warrant a kickass hoopla of an art show.



















introducing will: our shining englishman. we finally got our 13th this past sunday. at long last, 12 is complete.



rob's BFF from high school. they also went to school with this guy.



drinks were had...



and scott tattoos were generously doled out.







<3