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

Stickwork. A New Book Featuring The Amazing Work Of Patrick Dougherty.

Sometimes It's really nice to pick up an old fashioned book and be made aware of something compelling that may not have been posted on Facebook or Twitter or recently posted on numerous popular blogs. Such is the case when I opened up Princeton Architectural Press' recently published Stickwork, featuring the amazing twig, branch and tree-like sculptural installations of artist Patrick Dougherty.

above: Patrick lives in his handmade house of log in Chapel Hill, NC with his wife Linda and son Sam. photo courtesy of flickr.

The 208 page paperback book features 230 color and 20 black and white images of the dynamic installations and monumental sculptures that resemble huts, cocoons, castles, beehives and even human figures.

above image courtesy of flickr

Over the last twenty-five years, Dougherty has built more than two hundred works throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia that range from stand-alone structures to a kind of modern primitive architecture—every piece mesmerizing in its ability to fly through trees, overtake buildings, and virtually defy gravity.

above photo courtesy of flickr

His sculptural installations have appeared indoors, outdoors, in urban areas and countrysides, on college campuses and in museums all over the world. Here's a look at just some of them:

above photo courtesy of flickr

View the process of his sculpture in the Parklands with photos by James Fraher

Stickwork, Dougherty's first monograph, features thirty-eight of his organic, dynamic works that twist the line between architecture, landscape, and art. Constructed on-site using locally sourced materials and local volunteer labor, Dougherty's sculptures are tangles of twigs and branches that have been transformed into something unexpected and wild, elegant and artful, and often humorous. Sometimes freestanding, and other times wrapping around trees, buildings, railings, and rooms, they are constructed indoors and in nature. As organic matter, the stick sculptures eventually disintegrate and fade back into the landscape. Featuring a wealth of photographs and drawings documenting the construction process of each remarkable structure, Stickwork preserves the legend of the man who weaves the simplest of materials into a singular artistic triumph. The book is also available in hardcover.

Buy the book from the publisher here.
or from Amazon

Note: most of these images are courtesy of the artist, however, some came from these talented folks on flickr and the Patrick Dougherty flickr pool. If your photo is in this post and has not been credited to you, it is an oversight. Please contact me and I will put the proper credit or remove the image of you wish.

The Green Garmento Is 4 Eco Friendly Bags In One.

The Green Garmento is a smart and chic reusable drycleaning bag created to reduce the 300,000,000 pounds of single use plastic bags that fill our landfills and waterways each year.

above right image by Ann Johansson for the New York Times

The eco-friendly 4-in-1 reusable garment bag that helps simplify and “green” your drycleaning routine, is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based couple Rick Siegel and Jennie Nigrosh, shown above.

Lightweight, durable and colorful, the Green Garmento is made from a recyclable, breathable, water-resistant material, making it an eco-friendly, stylish, practical and affordable alternative to single-use plastic garment bags.

4-Bags-in-1
Here’s how it works: at home it serves as a hanging laundry bag or standard hamper, on your trip to the drycleaner it functions as a duffel bag, and at pick-up your drycleaned clothes will be hanging and protected inside your Green Garmento for the trip home – without a single-use plastic bag in sight!

Features:

* Made from breathable, water-resistant material.
* Wide gussets and a side zipper help to keep everything safely in placeand allow you easy access.
* Available in multiple sizes from 40 to 72 inches, and a variety of colors, there’s a Green Garmento to suit every need and lifestyle.
* Like a reusable grocery tote for your clothes that is eco-friendly, stylish, practical, and affordable ($9.99 retail).

The Green Garmento comes in six colors; Green Grass, Black Night, Burgundy Bliss, Blue Water, Red Buttons and Orange Sunshine.

It's a simple and simplifying lifestyle change that's practical, eco-friendly, stylish, and affordable ($9.99 retail).... not to mention helping to cut down on the 300 million pounds of plastic drycleaning bags that end up in our landfills each year!

Buy them here.

Philippe Starck Designs New Carpet Tile Collections For Fletco.

Philippe Starck: Thinking square for the first time

Danish carpet manufacturer, Fletco, approached French star designer Philippe Starck and asked him to create a collection of carpet tiles that combines high-end and visionary international design with the growing demand for flexibility, individuality and sustainability.

The result is a comprehensive, elegant and innovative range of carpet tiles that provides an endless combinations of patterns and colours to match any interior design scheme.

The new Fletco Carpet Tiles, Starck by Fletco range
In the Starck by Fletco collection, Philippe Starck has toyed with figures, icons and patterns. With his characteristically creative approach, he has worked to provide an option to incorporate other materials, such as brushed aluminium, wood, glass, steel and even Nanolight, into carpet tiles, to create very expressive, individual effects.

For use in office environments, public buildings, hotels and restaurants, the carpet tiles can be incorporated with lettering, logos and other creative ideas and modes of expression for added individuality.

The exclusive Starck by Fletco collection includes a plethora of tiles in different designs, where the individual figures, icons and patterns and the background can be combined freely in 12 different colours, making the collection the perfect choice for creative architects, interior architects and designers who want to add an extra dimension to the sensory expression of their work.

“The Starck by Fletco collection is not so much about carpets or rugs. It’s a magical game. Imagine a game in which you cannot lose. A game in which every card is a good card, every combination is a winner, all moves are allowed, and in which all rules can be made up as you go along. A collection of squares, like the letters of a novel or the notes of a symphony which give you infinite possibilities to create styles, drawings, compositions, colours… your own score, your own work of art. And what’s more, it's easy. Magical squares for my friends, particularly my architect friends,” explains Philippe Starck.

Philippe Starck’s textiles debut
This is the first time that Philippe Starck has cast his contagious, visionary and revolutionary design approach into designing carpets. In fact, it is the first time he has ever worked with home textiles.

Moreover, this is the first time Starck has worked with a Danish company. Fletco’s Director Benny Jensen is particularly pleased about working with Starck.

“We know that customers are looking for individual solutions, adapted 100 % to meet the needs of the individual hotel, office building or restaurant. What matters is creating unforgettable experiences, unique visual expression and the perfect ambience. The interior, the function and the design of any building have to be coordinated. Our new Philippe Starck carpet tiles collection is designed to bring utmost quality design all the way down to floor level,” explains Benny Jensen.

Benny Jensen adds that Fletco will be marketing and selling the new collection to the contract sector all across Europe, ready for delivery from early 2010.

Sustainability as a shared value
Philippe Starck is famous for incorporating sustainability and eco-friendly solutions into his industrial designs. He is also a man who expects a great deal of his business partners.

Bearing these factors in mind, the Starck-Fletco partnership was destined to work: both are innovative brands, spearheading the markets on issues related to the environment and sustainability.

“At Fletco, we applaud the fact that a world-renowned designer like Philippe Starck prioritises environmental concerns as part of any cooperative venture. His priorities perfectly match our attitudes to the future of flooring and to how we run our company generally. We are one of a small group of carpet manufacturers that has set new standards for taking environmental issues into consideration at all stages of production,” says Benny Jensen.

One particular environmental problem that applies to carpet tiles generally is the backing, which traditionally contained PVC or bitumen. Thanks to new production technology, the backing of Fletco Carpet Tiles is guaranteed free of these and other harmful substances.

Fletco has contributed to the development of the new technology, given the name ‘TEXtiles’. Briefly, the environmental advantages of TEXtiles are that it is 100 % recyclable and made of 60% recycled materials. TEXtiles production is almost completely CO2 neutral, and all production waste is collected and returned to the production cycle. TEXtiles is uniquely durable, giving carpet tiles a long life-time – to the benefit of the environment.

In addition to sustainability, TEXtiles offers consumers a number of health-related advantages: The materials are allergy-tested and approved, they emit neither odours nor harmful gasses, and the TEXtiles backing not only insulates for sound but also has a shock-absorbant effect.
all images and info courtesy of Fletco.