Vials of enamel powder, Künstlerwerkstätten (the artists’ workshops), Erfurt, Germany, 2014 Vials of enamel powder, Künstlerwerkstätten (the artists’ workshops), Erfurt, Germany, 2014 This image of artists in motion is taken from the kiln room at the Künstlerwerkstätten in Erfurt, Germany. Overseeing the action, across from the newly erected air compressor-powered and internally vacuumed spray booth, […]
Material Concerns: Erfurt Enamel Read More »
You can see in the picture a series of tables we have on our patio. On those tables, we set the materials we use in our work. So we compose there, experiment, do trials, and we feel the materials there. Being outside and in front of tables allows us to have more space and to
WALKA, Santiago, Chile Read More »
Photography by Eric Lafforgue. Image source: Scribol.com. If all you want right now is an uplifting story about the indomitability of the human spirit: The tribal inhabitants of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley are resourceful, resilient people with beautiful teeth. They transform garbage into treasured adornments, literally weaving the by-products of throwaway consumer culture into their traditions
Dispossession Couture Read More »
Alicja Kwade, GoldVolks, 2015, 97 gold cubes and chains, 17-karat gold (chains) and 24-karat gold (cubes), chain length ranges from 400 mm (Yemen) to 1008.3 mm (Switzerland), pendant weight ranges from 0.06 gr (Yemen) to 129 gr (Switzerland), courtesy of Alicja Kwade, König Gallery, and Georg Hornemann OHG, photo: Roman März Driven by the uncertainty
Susan Pasco, keeper of The Ribbon Room, Nancy’s Sewing Basket, Seattle, Washington, 2015 Susan Pasco, keeper of The Ribbon Room, Nancy’s Sewing Basket, Seattle, Washington, 2015 There are places that the International Jewelry Elite know of by reputation, and frequent when travels allow. Tokyu Hands. Karl Fischer GmbH. Metalliferous. Insert-your-local-treasure-map-here. Like them, this room is
Material Concerns: The Ribbon Room Read More »
“Introverts Unite! (Separately at our own homes)” I probably first came upon this phrase when my friend Daim posted a T-shirt with it to Facebook. I work at home from a cubbyhole. As an introvert writer and translator, I understand the sentiment: I want to connect with others, even if it’s from the privacy of
Makiko Akiyama, Kokubunji, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan Read More »
Fernando Benítez, found toys from chips bags, 2015, image source: DesignMilk Mexican artist and educator Mariana Acosta, recently featured in DesignMilk, launched the Precious Waste project as a means to explore the quality of “preciousness” in an academic setting. Acosta leads industrial and graphic design students at Mexico’s Universidad Gestalt de Diseño through an investigative
Mission and Repurpose Read More »
Georgetown Trailer Park Mall, Seattle, Washington, 2015 Georgetown Trailer Park Mall, Seattle, Washington, 2015 My head is routinely turned by overstuffed second-hand stores when I’m material shopping. I appreciate that not everyone wants their material bearing the kind of message that recycled objects convey, but if you’re after rare threads, specialist tools, or recycled metals,
Material Concerns: Georgetown Read More »
Lyndsay Rice, False Plumage, 2015, installation, paper, adhesive, 243.8 x 259.1 x 27.9 cm, photo: Elena Dahl 1. For this final installment of the three-part series Beyond Unwearable, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the makers from my prior articles to give a richer view of the content of this third
Beyond Unwearable—The Changing Site of Body Read More »
[video:https://youtu.be/KrJYpActs7g width:750 height:422 autoplay:0] In her recent piece for The Atlantic, Victoria Clayton refers to the “problem” of needlessly complex writing in academia. But this complexity is only a problem for those who don’t see a need for it. And nobody needs complexity more than academics. Big ideas need big words to express them. Concepts must
Write What You Know Read More »
My studio is in a small industrial pocket of Chicago called Kingsbury. Nestled in between a concrete manufacturer, a leather tannery and a metal refinery, with access to two train lines and Chicago’s elevated bike and walking path, my studio reminds me of all the reasons that I love living in a big city with
Sarah Holden, Chicago, Illinois, USA Read More »
Image Source: Studio Roosegaarde Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde, in a stunning show of disregard for everything capitalist society has to offer, has taken it upon himself to remove carbon particles out of our air. The carbon particles we’ve worked so hard to put into the air. After everything we’ve done to move society forward! Well,
