If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

These Babies Are HOT! Decorative Bioethanol Fireplaces By GlammFire.

Welcome to Fire Wonderland. This is what Portugal-based GlammFire, the newest company of Group Pachinha, aptly calls their collection of bioethanol decorative fireplaces.

above: the Flut, a bioethanol freestanding fireplace can be used in swimming pools

In 2008, Marcelo Inacio launched GlammFire of Monção, Portugal. As the name suggests, the collection of indoor and outdoor fireplaces exude modern glamour, quality, functionality and, most importantly, ecology. Rural or urban, wall-mounted, inset, or floor standing, they present different, safe and ecological liquid ethanol and bioethanol burning models.

above: The Modoo is covered in coated cattle hide and has built in pockets for storage and a carbon monoxide detector.

These unusual fireplaces are made with various materials such as lacquered MDF, ceramics, metals, glass and some styles are available with custom etching and leathers. The fashionable and unique collection of open and closed hearth fireplaces includes freestanding and wall-mounted styles for indoor, outdoor and even in the swimming pool. Designs that range from ultra-modern to rustic, many of the styles are even equipped with carbon monoxide detectors.

above: the Mito is a closed hearth inset wall bioethanol fireplace that comes in stainless steel and four color options

Indoor bioethanol fireplaces:

O-Flut I:

O-Flut II:

Fontana:

Modoo:

Baco:

Bulle:

Paris II:

Paris III:

Duo:

Retro:

Vulcanu:

M.tv:

Outdoor bioethanol fireplaces:

Flut:

Tuli:

Lira:

Cosmo:

The above outdoor fireplaces are also safe to use indoors.

Wall-mounted bioethanol fireplaces:

Spider:

Lotus IV (with custom letters):

Tango III and Lotus II, also custom etched:

Lotus IV, textured leather covered:

Paris IV:

A special commission for Hotel Tivoli:

all images courtesy of GlammFire

The GlammFire collection is designed by Marcelo Inacio (shown below):

There's more to see at GlammFire

All My Friends Are Dead. The Book, The Video, The Authors.

Released by Chronicle Books on August 1st, All My Friends Are Dead is a funny and bittersweet illustrated book by two young guys with a wonderful twisted sense of humor and a love of the absurd; Avery Monson and Jory John*.

If you're a dinosaur, all of your friends are dead. If you're a pirate, all of your friends have scurvy. If you're a tree, all of your friends are end tables. Each page of this laugh-out-loud illustrated humor book showcases the downside of being everything from a clown to a cassette tape to a zombie. Cute and dark all at once, this hilarious children's book for adults teaches valuable lessons about life while exploring each cartoon character's unique grievance and wide-eyed predicament. From the sock whose only friends have gone missing to the houseplant whose friends are being slowly killed by irresponsible plant owners (like you), All My Friends Are Dead presents a delightful primer for laughing at the inevitable.

The book is getting lots of buzz and already sold out/back ordered at Chronicle. But can be purchased here

A companion video by the authors:

*About the Authors:
In addition to writing books, Avery and Jory have a site (combination blog and online store) named Big Stone Head which sells shirts, books, cards and pillows... all with their witty illustrations and sayings.

You can see from the following t-shirts, they had a few designs in mind for the lonely Dinosaur which ended up gracing the cover of the book. These are presently available as t-shirts on their site:

Buy the above t-shirts here.

Other examples of their collaborative items:
Greeting cards:

Ira Glass Pillow:

Other t-shirts:

Shop Big Stone Head.

above left: Avery Monsen is an actor, artist, and writer; above right: Jory John is a writer, editor, and journalist.

They are friends, and neither is dead. Yet.

Dead Animals Get Decorated By Sandra Musy.

above: Jane Doe #2, Unique piece (doe, green sequins, pins), 44cm x 39cm x 28cm

Sandra Musy: la nature vénéneuse was a recent exhibition featuring some seriously glamorous taxidermy -- sparkly stuffed animals of the real variety.

The artist, Sandra Musy, born in 1973, lives and works in Paris and creates in several mediums, one of which is, as you can see, taxidermy. This particular exhibit featured her wall-mounted deer heads and stuffed boars or pigs, ornately decorated with sequins.

The game trophy deer heads have the very clever names of John Doe and Jane Doe and are numbered. Her numbered sequined pigs are called Spider Cochon (or Spider Pigs) and they are a reference to The Simpsons.

The pieces shown below are available for purchase if not yet sold.

Jane Doe #1
Unique piece (doe, black sequins, pins), 44cm x 39cm x 28cm:

John Doe #1
Unique piece (roe deer, black sequins, pins), 50cm x 33cm x 28cm:

John Doe #2
Unique piece (roe deer, silver sequins, pins), 58cm x 38cm x 28cm:

Spidercochon #1 (SOLD)
Unique piece (young wild boar, green sequins, pins), 40cm x 20cm x 10cm:

Spidercochon #2
Unique piece (young wild boar, green sequins, pins), 44cm x 25cm x 14cm:

Spidercochon #3
Unique piece (young wild boar, black sequins, pins), 58cm x 32cm x 22cm:

all above photos courtesy of Arty Dandy

The exhibit was held at Arty Dandy from May 27, 2010- July 31, 2010 and the above pieces, if still available, can be purchased through them. Paris delivery offered, for shipping outside Paris, please contact them at contact@artydandy.com

The invitation to the show:

Soft Panic, an Electronica Psychedelic Pop artist named Wissam Hojeij in Paris, with John Doe #1 and Jane Doe #1, two of Sandra Musy's beautiful beasts:

Photos by Fred Lebain Photography

The Spidercochon below was from a previous show at Toast Gallery:

Sandra Musy's work is very difficult to find. She does not have a website, nor can I find the gallery that represents her, but you can view some of her other works here on Paris Art.

Sandra Musy is the second artist I've written about who uses stuffed dead pigs in her work.