In January 2010, 480 New York City taxicabs will be doing more than just shuttling people around. They'll be displaying three different artists' works in lieu of their usual rooftop advertising.
Show Media, the company that places the advertising signs atop of cabs (often referred to as taxi decks) and the Art Production Fund, a non-profit organization that represents art around the city (and also makes those wonderful artist beach towels) have collaborated to replace 480 New York taxicabs' rooftop signage with works of fine art by contemporary artists Shirin Neshat, Alex Katz and Yoko Ono.
above images are simulations of the proposed art. Comprised photo illustrations by Show Media and the Art Production Fund, courtesy of the NY Times
The project, called "Art Adds" will place each of the three artists' works atop 160 cabs a piece throughout the city. Alex Katz:
Artist Alex Katz will combine two of his graphic figurative portraits for which he is best known (a forward facing female and a backward facing male) and place them together a top a black background- not unlike his Pas De Deux series of paintings and prints. This will be repeated on both sides of the deck:
Alex Katz, Pas De Deux, 1983: Alex Katz at work: above image courtesy of Smithsonian, Pas De Deux, courtesy of the artist
Shirin Neshat:
Shirin Neshat, a multimedia Iranian born artist, will decorate the two sides differently. One will feature her photo of illustrated hands clasped in a handshake, the artist’s symbol of unity and solidarity:
The other, shows her photo of an eye, on which the poem titled “I Feel Sorry for the Garden,” by Forough Farokhzad, a celebrated female Iranian poet is written:
The filmmaker, photographer and artist has often integrated written poetry into her photography and films.
Yoko Ono:
Yoko Ono is employing the theme “War Is Over,” a slogan she and John Lennon used when they took their message of peace around the world in 1969-70. It will appear in english on one side and sign language on the other, like Yoko and John's original posters and artwork shown below.
Perhaps this will open the eyes of busy New Yorkers to art, perhaps not. But it certainly is an effort worth noting. You can read more about the project here.
The french site, Pure Trend explored people's attitudes about wearing fur in an article accompanied by wonderful photomontages. The artwork features Pullip dolls in actual clothing by fashion designers such as Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Marc Jacobs and more.
The article expresses typical answers, reasons, excuses and attitudes toward wearing fur by defining various stances and positions on the controversial issue... from all out fur lovers to fanatical animal activists.
To best share this with you, I have first placed images from the article (cropped) below. Followed by a translation of the article (it's in French, I did my best). I then found the original runway shots of the couture clothes, most of which are from the designers' ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 2009 collections and placed them side by side with the Blythe dolls for you.
Please click on the photos below to enlarge.
Below is the French to English translation of the article by Jean Cauvin, so please excuse some things that sound wonky. I tried my best to edit and clarify without screwing up the content, so please bear with me:
In the quarrel between pro-fur and anti-fur, how to choose your side? Between respect for animals and sustainable development, it's not always easy to take the arguments seriously and they are often contradictory.
Puretrend exemplifies various attitudes without exclusion. We should be able to coexist in the sphere of "socially acceptable" as we adopt one or other of the typical attitudes and behavoir. They justify a range of feelings; from consistent harmony to as far as the barbaric cruelty of a terrorist.
1. "I do not care what happens to the animals. I am for the fur, even wild animals, domestic or protected."
The global concerns, protection of wildlife or domestic animals does not matter to you. "If man dominates nature, it is proof that he is called to a role as King of predators. Protected animals? Nonsense!" This is not going to prevent you from wearing monkey. You claim to be "vintage", recalling the time in which it was allowed to trade in skins of chimpanzees or panther. You do not care that the jacket you wear is the result of hunting poachers who may have left one or more infants of protected species die in their natural environment without their mother, who was shot to make her skin a shine on your shoulders.
Similarly, you spat upon the provisions in force in the European Community since December 31, 2008 concerning the prohibition of all trade in skins of cats and dogs. Besides, when you visit a friend who has a beautiful Angora cat, you can not help thinking that his skin would make you a nice scarf.
Your model? Cruella of "101 Dalmatians". Your supply of skins comes from China, a country known to be less choosy about the treatment of the animals, poaching, slaughter.
2. "I question the consequences of the protection of certain species of marine animals."
You've heard the hunters and fishermen of Newfoundland, Canada, telling us that the schools of cod are devastated because of the hunting of seals. You fear that the public is overly sensitive to this and doesn't realize that, via the communications of animal activists since the 70's about the massacre of baby seals, we've threatened the ecological balance at the global level. You would not want to threaten Inuit communities and make them abandon of their traditional lifestyle.
You're afraid that schools of cod are devastated by a population of seals that would have tripled and that the presence of a parasite in the feces can also contaminate the fish that you could ingest. You are against the hunting of baby seals (the non-autonomous pups under 12 days old in the white fur) but you are not reluctant to wear something in gray fur seals, because you have your arguments.
3. "I'm for the ethical fur"
All the wildlife you are wearing is the fur of farm animals (mink, other mustelids, foxes, raccoons) whose traceability is guaranteed and identifiable via the label "Origin Assured". You feel you are a responsible consumer of fur.
For you, the quality of treatment of farm animals is an imperative, maintaining populations of farmers in different regions undergoing desertification affects you as much as the fate of wildlife. You make sure the euthanasia of these animals for breeding is done with the least possible suffering. You are convinced that the rearing conditions did not affect the evolution of the species, you ensure that the feeding of animals for fur comes from recycled sources and that their manure is transformed into fertilizer.
You love the feel of fur and rejoice in new techniques of furriers and furriers to make skin lighter.
You marvel at the creations of fashion designers (Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Anne Valerie Hash, Vauthier Alexandre, Julien Fournié ...) to some of the creators of ready-to-wear (Rick Owens, Sonia Rykiel, Michael Kors, Antonio Berardi, Alexis Mabille, Quentin Véron, T. Paris Requiem by Paul & Joe ...) fur trimmed, embedded, degraded, shaved, mixed textiles of all backgrounds and techniques. This revival started by Frédéric Castet, senior director of fur at Christian Dior in 1968 found a second wind from the 80s, thanks to new techniques developed in the Design Center Saga Furs in Denmark. The lightness, warmth and softness of the clothes seem incomparable to you.
4. "I wear that fur is recycled."
You do like fur, but don't want to wear animals that are killed to expressly make a piece of your clothing. You love the idea of recycling, which can adapt to the fur. The old beaver coat of your mom's could well become a jacket, a hat, mittens, a bag at the forefront of the trend, and combine in a perfect fur, recycling and sustainable development. You feel that the mark of Harricana Quebec, working in this sector for over 20 years, should have more followers.
5. "I wear the fur of animals slaughtered for food purposes."
You wouldn't think of wearing a jacket hood lined with raccoon. You prefer the fleecy skin (or sheepskin). You know that colt and ox leather skin is hairy , and the "Mongolian goat" is, mostly, lamb. You therefore agree to wear these since the skins come from recycling the remains of animals used in food.
This is also why, you avoid the deer leather and fur but agree that rabbit fur comes from a smart recovery of this which would increase the volume of waste. You do not see any difference between the use of fur and that of feather duvets, Waterfowl or edible birds in the lining of your jacket or Pyrenex Moncler. You also made the war on smuggling skins of cats or dogs that you could make for fur leporidae edible. You find, however, Isabel Marant has done well to offer a leopard print on the rabbit for this winter.
6. "I do not wear animal skin with hair or that is wild."
For you, luxury does not rhyme with fur. You love the repertoire of Chanel... you refuse fur, but you tolerate feathers and smooth leathers. You replace obvious fur with sophisticated tweeds, embroideries, laces, elegant finishes.
At Lanvin, you can accept the hats and dresses with feathers. You enjoy the nippled ostrich leather, since you've tasted the delicate meat. At Hermès, you love calfskin leather, because you refuse to aviator jackets in fleece. Paradoxical, but you justify the lambskin, stripped of its hair, because you do not want to offend the anti-fur and leather activists and having a smooth appearance helps.
You can also have a weakness for the lizard-style leather (leather mammalian pressed to replicate the look of these reptiles), but not the skins of actual lizards or pythons.
7. "I am boycotting all leather, feathers, stingray, crocodile. My shoes are plastic. Besides, I'm vegetarian."
You absolutely never want to eat any animal. Having to kill a living being to satisfy a need for food or fashion is something you can not tolerate. You only eat fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, pasta and, maybe, dairy.
You also banished from your wardrobe and your home all leather, even for shoes. You do not accept shagreen (stingray leather or dogfish, used in cabinetmaking, Gainers, and leather goods), nor any leather. You know that when it comes to leather "plant" it is still an animal skin and the "plant" refers only to the method of tanning.
The sofa in your living room is in fabric or imitation leather, the lining of your quilt is a synthetic fiber, and your jacket is fleece, because you do not approve of the down of goose, duck or other birds that are slaughtered.
The only animal fiber that you will wear is wool. Nothing in its appearance reminds you of its origin and no animal has been euthanized to make the sweater or fabric of your coat. You look forward to the "shoes of Plants" by Stella McCartney, promised for next year. Even if you wear fur, you prefer the synthetic hair wig or what look like 'wigs' in the work of of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac or Maison Martin Margiela. Strictly speaking, faux fur with strong colors can be appropriate for the plush reminiscence of childhood it evokes.
8. "I hate fur, even artificial. I prefer recycled fleece."
Even if it is synthetic fur, the idea of promoting the fur of any animal is something you dislike. Your position is radical: no fur, that's all! Fleece is not the most luxurious or the most aesthetic materials, but you prefer it to anything else to keep warm. Moreover, since it is synthetic fur, it can be recycled when it is damaged.
You applaud the creativity of Moloko brand that has given to this issue its letters of nobility. You have environmental concerns about petroleum in textiles and you are about to join the activists who will liberate mink on farms without realizing the negative consequences of these actions on biodiversity ...
The introduction of invasive species in a region where they are not present , like mink in the Dordogne this fall, could be fatal to certain species of local wildlife or protected animals." You also minimize the stress of "liberation" that can cause the death of a significant proportion of these animals.
It's simple, you prefer only the natural death of these animals, because you love them too much to ever accept that man continues to shoot them. --- Jean Paul Cauvin for Pure Trend
What the dolls are wearing:
above: Jersey swimsuits by Vilsbol de Arce, Fendi boots, Sonia Rykiel headbands/hats, Fox coat by Requiem for T.Paris
above: Julien Fournié finn raccoon coat for Royal Saga furs. Leather pants and boots by Yves Saint Laurent .
above: Moncler Gamme Rouge jacket, leather pants by Stella Mc Cartney, leather gloves by Lanvin
above: Rabbit fur leopard printed jacket, pants and tee, all by Isabel Marant
above: Fur coat, leather pants and boots, all by Stella McCartney
above: Michael Kors dyed Fox coat and leather thigh high boots by Louis Vuitton
above: Wool cape by Marc Jacobs, wool pants and leather boots by Balmain
above: Blouse, skirt and boots by Giles Deacon
above: Andy Warhol dress with synthetic hair by Jean Charles de Castelbajac
In honor of a White Christmas, which I am not experiencing today in Southern California, I'm sharing with you the collaborative artworks of artists Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz from their Traveler Series. Snowglobes and C-prints of snowglobes whose narratives at first appear charming, and then upon closer inspection are quite a bit twisted.
above: Santa as he cruised over Perth, Australia a few hours ago
If you have children, they are undoubtedly anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jolly Ol' Saint Nick this evening. Chances are, they are not snuggled in their beds with visions of Sugar Plums dancing in their heads. Heck, they don't even know what Sugar plums are.
It's more likely that they are using every excuse in the book to stay up late (I'm thirsty, I have to pee, I wanna see Santa....) and try to catch a glimpse of the bearded gift courier, you can assure them that He's on his way with the NORAD Santa Tracker.
Regale them with wonderful updates and info, like how many gifts have been delivered, how many snacks Santa has consumed so far in real time and his latest stop.
In case the kids wanna know exactly how Norad tracks Santa, here's the official answer: How NORAD tracks Santa:
NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets.
Tracking Santa starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America. On Christmas Eve, NORAD monitors the radar systems continuously for indications that Santa Claus has left the North Pole.
The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat. Amazingly, Rudolph's bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allow our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa.
The third tracking system is the Santa Cam network. We began using it in 1998, which is the year we put our Santa Tracking program on the internet. Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year on Christmas Eve. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world.
The fourth system is made up of fighter jets. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15 or the F-16 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph.
And a video to share with the kiddles:
You can see him via satellite, or map or terrain... zoom in on some Santa Cams, use Google earth to follow him and more.
Santa takes breaks during his Christmas Eve trip around the world – especially for snacks left by children. Do you put a snack out for Santa? Kids all over the world do. Some even leave carrots for Santa's reindeer. (Carrots are their favorite food.) Check to see how many cookies Santa eats during his journey. No wonder he’s jolly and round! Leaving cookies for Santa is a tradition for many families. Imagine eating that many cookies in one night (burp)! How many cookies has Santa eaten so far at the time of this post?: 41143 Now see how many here!
HOT UPDATES from the North Pole: Mrs. Claus has informed NORAD that Santa’s “Naughty or Nice” list includes a record 1.9 billion children under the age of 15 this year. This list grows continually, as children are born at the rate of approximately 340,000 per day.
NORAD has received confirmation that the special navigation panel aboard Santa’s sleigh is functioning as planned. The elf staff provided no further comment or details. North Pole officials confirmed that the Santa Cams NORAD uses on Christmas Eve are in fact able to detect and photograph objects as large as 100 lollipops long and 55 lollipops wide. Elf Soen Firr, chief Santa suit engineer, confirmed that Santa’s red suit has been weatherproofed and tested to ensure Santa will stay warm and dry in any type of weather. No further details of the suit’s material or capabilities were released. Today, NORTH Pole staff have advised NORAD that it is the final day to send Santa an email because Santa and the elves will begin loading the sleigh later today. This is such a huge task that they will not have time to check emails!
NORAD has confirmed that Santa and his fully-loaded, reindeer-powered sleigh took off from the North Pole and soared into the arctic sky at 6:00 a.m. EST (5:00 a.m. CST, 4:00 a.m. MST, 3:00 a.m. PST). NORAD radar is tracking Rudolph’s bright red nose, and satellite imagery is providing minute-by-minute coverage of Santa’s location.
A not so subtle attempt as soliciting some support and blog love from my readers.
Apartment Therapy has announced "The Homies", a contest to determine which Home Design, Home Tech, Green Home, Kids at Home and Home Cooking blogs are worthy of some kudos.
I didn't know anything about it until a kind reader nominated IIHIH in the category of Home Design. I realize my blog spans more than that, but the majority of the posts are focused on products and home related design.
I know it may seem like a burden to put in a good word for If It's Hip, It's Here on their site, but it would mean a lot to me. If you enjoy the blog, a vote in the Home Design category would be greatly greatly GREATLY appreciated!
In their words: Shelter Bloggers Rule!
There are awards for all sorts of blogs, but no one ever pays enough attention to the shelter blogs, so we started The Homies. It's our way of surveying the blogosphere each year for the best new home design blogs and sharing what we find. It's not so much a competition as a celebration of the richness and awesomeness of shelter bloggers around the world. Join us, share your favorites and check out the ones you don't know.
There are five categories and none of our blogs or past winners are eligible. The prizes? $50 to the winner of each category and lots of traffic as we publish the five winners in a big congratulatory post across our network on January 6th. We want to elevate good home blogs, see who you love and gain awareness for the home niche.
• Add your favorite home blogs from December 22-29
• Vote on the top nominees from December 30-January 6
• Winners announced! January 7
There's less than a week left! Please vote. If not for If It's Hip, It's Here, then honor any good blogs you love. Bloggers work for you!
