Dudes Factory

via Cool Hunter

via Cool Hunter

Tees, skate paraphernalia, art. And more art.  Great website, with featured artists-of-the-month. 

From Cool Hunter:

Arnaud Loix van Hooff and Heribert Willmerdinger, both from the advertising world, have opened Dudes Factory, at Torstrasse 138 in Berlin’s Mitte. This is as much a storefront for consuming and buying art, as it is a workshop, collaborative space and exhibition venue. Cooperation, experimentation and co-creation are the driving forces resulting in a constantly changing selection of one-of-a-kind products and art pieces.

 

 

The two owner “dudes” invite a new artist or designer in each month, and nurture, challenge and direct the artists to create new, experimental works for the store. They also created the Dudes LAB software, the creative platform that lets users change the artwork or combine it with the work of other artists. - Bill Tikos, Cool Hunter

And who wouldn't want a funny-fun tee?  I know a coupla kids that would go total ape-sh*t in this store.  Only it's in Berlin, so I'm not sure ape-sh*it would be appreciated.  And the prices aren't cheap.  Still.  It looks like a hit parade for my two knuckleheads.  Dudes Factory.  The one in Berlin.

Places I have never been....

 Last Thursday night a friend and I public-transited off to a hand•made art event at west elm.  The evening was a ton of fun, highlighted by one particular artist selling her work.

Jennifer Hill, of JHillDesign, has such a mighty fine collection of eye-catching prints.  But.  What I really liked was her collection of map prints that she calls, "places I have never been".  I found myself lost for a good 20 minutes plowing through each and every map on her table.

And since I love to travel and all, I was so intrigued by her spot-on pattern and text that she used for art.  Big surprise, but Jennifer has never been to Kansas!  or England, and Vietnam, for instance.  Her design of patterns, colors, the overall appeal of the prints made me eager to know where she was getting her insight, inspiration, and kitschy text.  

from her website: 

“I’ve always loved to travel, so when I read or hear about places around the world I start day-dreaming about what it is like there… and then I start drawing. The patterns are influenced by the natural setting of the place, by the culture, and by the events I imagine being part of.” 

For each piece Jennifer includes tidbits of information about the place: The city/area and country name, the language, how many miles one would travel from the east coast (specifically Boston) to get there, and a few words about the influence of the place on the pattern. 

JHillDesign for more.

Miracles of Beauty

Wilson Bentley loved snow. He loved snow so much that at the age of 19, in the late 19th century, Wilson was resourceful enough to figure out a way to capture these ice crystals on film.

Here are just a few of some of the over 5,000 images he took. I find them stunningly beautiful. And so remarkable that this man, so long ago, was able to capture these uniquely intricate and tiny frozen sculptures.

You can read more about Mr. Bentley *here* and his museum.

In his local town of Jericho, Bentely's fascination with snowflakes earned him the nickname Snowflake Bentley. A museum there is dedicated to his life's work, housing 2,000 of his vintage prints. A book of his photographs, Snow Crystals, was published in 1931. The same year he died walking home in a blizzard. (from the guardian.co.uk)

I'm all over the map

I've always had a fascination with maps.

(from bombusdesign on flickr)

When I was a kid we had these old, plastic, place mats that were nautical maps of the Maine coast.


Between the dribbles of applesauce, tuna melts, and chipped beef I would stare and stare and imagine what it would be like if I placed myself right. there. They weren't particularly colorful but they were an awesome orientation to mappery.

Years later, in search of a clever gift for my husband, I grabbed a couple of his father's old roll-down-teaching maps, from his years of teaching history at Cranston East High School.


I framed the pre-WWI map of Europe. It still hangs in our dining room. Serves as an excellent conversation starter, day-dream-instigator, and where-would-you-like-to-be initiator.

And recently I purchased some world map place mats. They come in a tablet of 30, of New York, London, Tokyo, and Paris. I doubt I'd let a plate of mac'n cheese be placed upon these....but you never know. It would be cool and I would love my kids-any kid-to ask about these locations, ponder what it would be like to live there, look for the funniest named street, etc.

I recently stumbled upon this website....and I marvel at the ingenuity of the work and use of maps.

(from bombusdesign on flickr)

Put your feet on a London coffee table.

(from bombusdesign on flickr)

Sit on East London.

(from bombusdesign on flickr)

Go to Italy with a lacquered catchall.

(from bombusdesign on flickr)

Put your fruit in the streets of Paris.

Yeah. I would definitely have to say I'm all over the map.