The Egg Nog Project - A Kitschy Collection of Cartons From All Over The Country.

Seattle, Washington based Graphic Designer Madeleine Eiche began her fascination with Egg Nog cartons when she was working at a New York Coffee Shop back in 2002.  The kitschy packaging of Canastota's Egg Nog, coupled with her love of pop-art and her fondness for dairy products, inspired Madeline to begin an on-going collection of store bought egg nog cartons from all over the country.

She says "The peculiarities of the packaging range from festive to banal, minimal to unappetizing, and each seem to be printed with complete disregard for color alignment. It is precisely these things that make for such compelling kitsch."


above: the carton that started it all, Dairy Fresh, Canastota, New York

The majority of the cartons are so ugly, I'd hesitate to even call them 'kitsch.' However when viewed together they certainly represent the annual tradition as well as a facet of retail packaging category in sore need of redesign, with a few exceptions.

Guers Dairy, Pottsville, Pennsylvania:


Marcus Dairy, Danbury, Connecticut:


Derle Farms, Jamaica, New York:


Guida-Seibert Dairy, New Britain, Connecticut:


Dairyworld Foods, Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA:


Lucerne Foods, Pleasanton, California (2):



Faith Dairy, Tacoma, Washington:


Umpqua Dairy, Roseburg, Oregon:


Elmhurst Dairy, Roxbury, New York:


Wengerts Dairy for Swiss Premium, Lebanon, Pennsylvania:


Dean's Dairy, Sharpsville, Pennsylvania (2):



Crowley Foods, Binghamton, New York:


Giant, Landover, Maryland:


Tuscan Brand, Franklin, Massachusetts:


Schneider's Dairy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:


Parmalat Dairy, Toronto, Ontario CANADA:


Mountain Dairy Inter-American Products, Cincinnati, Ohio:


Swiss Premium Dairy, Lebanon, Pennsylvania:


Smith Dairy, Orrville, Ohio (2):



America's Choice, Montvale, New Jersey:


Wilcox Farms, Roy, Washington (2):



Turkey Hill Dairy, Conestoga, Pennsylvania:


Rockview Farms, Downey, California:


Lehigh Valley Dairy, Lansdale, Pennsylvania:


Horizon Organic, Boulder, Colorado:


Garelick Farms, Franklin, Massachusetts:


Organic Valley, La Farge, Wisconsin:


Southern Comfort, Lynnfield, Massachusetts:


Southern Comfort (Vanilla), Chelsea, Massachusetts:


Trader Joe's, Monrovia, California:


Silk, Boulder, Colorado:


Originally from Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, Madeleine Eiche is a graphic designer whose other collections include push puppets and floaty pens. Find her work at eiche.co.uk.

Photos by Justin Gollmer.

The Egg Nog Project

Lady Gaga Morphs Into Classic Paintings Via Video - A Comparative Look.

A video installation by artist Robert Wilson inserts Pop music phenom Lady Gaga into such classic pieces of art as Andrew Solari’s The Head of John the Baptist on a Charger (1507), Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat (1793) and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' famous portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière (1793-1807).


above: a view of the installation at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière
Lady Gaga as the Portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1793-1807):

The original painting:

Side by side:


The Death of Marat
Lady Gaga as the murdered Marat in Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat (1793):

The original painting:

A still of the video:

Side by side:


The Head of John the Baptist
Lady Gaga as Andrew Solari’s The Head of John the Baptist on a Charger (1507):

Video stills showing the morphing of Gaga into the original painting:


The original painting:

Side by side:


The artist at work on the video portraits of Lady Gaga:


The video portraits are one part of a two part exhibit from artist Robert Wilson presently showing at The Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. In the second part, he and Lady Gaga are seen in action during the shooting of the video "Flying" (a sort of "making of") , in which the musician can be seen hanging upside down naked while a rope cuts into her skin, bending her left leg, pinning her arms behind her back and deforming her breasts.

Flying:



The artist and Lady Gaga on the set of Flying:


The press release:
The Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac is pleased to present an exhibition of video portraits that Robert Wilson made in London in November 2013: Video Portraits of Lady Gaga.

American artist and stage director Wilson has based this series of slowly shifting video portraits on old masters like Ingres and Solario. Lady Gaga's face and body metamorphose into the features of Mademoiselle Rivière, for example, in a video inspired by the famous portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1793-1807). Wilson also gives us a variation in eleven steps based on Andrea Solario's Head of John the Baptist on a charger (1507) in which the 16th century model and the transformed face of the pop star merge in and out of each other.

The second room is devoted to the making-of of the two artists' joint production. Robert Wilson and Lady Gaga are seen in action during the shooting of the video Flying. Robert Wilson dictates every movement, every item of scenery and every shade of lighting. His artistry as a stage director finds its highest fulfilment in Lady Gaga’s sheer power and determination. "She is capable of changing character at an alarming speed", says Wilson.

Video Portraits of Lady Gaga is Robert Wilson's fourth exhibition at the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. In 1993 the gallery presented drawings from his adaptation of Mozart's Magic Flute at the Opéra Bastille, and in 1996 the designs for the opera Erwartung at the Théâtre du Châtelet. In 2006 there was an exhibition at the gallery of his series of portraits, Faces of Mozart, in graphite, coloured inks and watercolour.

Check out Wallpaper Magazine's article on the exhibit here

About the artist:
Robert Wilson was born in Waco, Texas. He studied at the University of Texas and at the Pratt Institute, New York City. In the 1960s he was recognized as one of the leading lights of avant-garde theatre in Manhattan. With the performance company, the Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds, he created Deafman Glance (1970) and in 1976 his opera Einstein on the Beach with music by Philip Glass brought him worldwide renown and changed conventional perceptions of opera.

Since then, Robert Wilson has staged both original works and works from the traditional repertoire, notably: The CIVIL warS (1983-1985), Salome at la Scala, Milan (1987), Black Rider at the Théâtre du Châtelet (1990), Orlando with Isabelle Huppert at the Théâtre de l’Odéon (1993), Wagner's Ring at the Zurich Opera (2002), Lulu by Frank Wedekind with music by Lou Reed at the Théâtre de la Ville (2011), The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic in Manchester (2011) and at the Teatro Real, Madrid (2012). In November 2013, he presented The Old Woman by Daniils Kharms, with Willem Dafoe and Mikhaïl Barynchnikov at the Théâtre de la Ville and in December, at the same venue, Peter Pan with the Berliner Ensemble and music by CocoRosie. He will be staging another production of Einstein on the Beach in January 2014 at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Robert Wilson is currently featured in the Festival d’Automne à Paris, 2013 and he is guest artist at the Louvre.

images courtesy of the artist and the gallery -  their official sites, facebook pages and twitter feeds

Subjects Pose As Both Male and Female In Transgender Portraits by JJ Levine.

Photographer and artist JJ Levine of Montreal's series "Alone Time" is just one of his many collections of 'intimate portraiture' “By doubling a single body within one frame,” Levine tells BuzzFeed, “I celebrate the human capacity for gender fluidity and call into question the idea of authenticity of gender.”



Although digitally composed to combine the two versions of the one human in each photo, there is no manipulation in the portraits, simply a change of clothing, hair and make up.






The transgendered photographer/artist says "This concept is intended to raise questions regarding mainstream notions of gender and sexuality. I want my images to challenge the assumption that gender is binary and sexuality is fixed. Our culture puts a lot of weight on two really narrow gender categories, which makes it especially complicated for those of us who don’t fit into that dichotomous system to navigate our day-to-day lives and move through the world with ease."




The Huffington Post chatted with Levine about the artist's inspiration behind "Alone Time". Read the whole interview here.

About the artist/photographer:


JJ Levine (shown above) is a Montreal-based artist working in intimate portraiture. Levine received a BFA in Photography and Interdisciplinary Studies in Sexuality from Concordia University. Levine’s photography explores issues surrounding gender, sexuality, self-identity, and queer space. Levine’s work has been exhibited at artist-run centres, commercial galleries, art festivals and academic conferences across Canada, the United States, and Europe. As well, Levine has guest lectured for university courses and has been featured in academic journals, and art magazines internationally. Levine’s artistic practice balances a political agenda with a strong formal aesthetic.

Two Trippy Tubs For People and Their Plants from Libero Design.

Two organically shaped bathtubs, The Mother of Pearl and The Aurora, are complete with LED lighting, a place for you to soak AND a place for plants. Both designed by Libero Rutilo and Ekaterina Shchetina of LiberoDesign, they are created to be simultaneously stimulating and soothing.

The Mother Of Pearl Spa Tub:



A touch interface lets you create your own combinations of lighting, sounds and aromatherapy. Choose one of the available wellness programs (relaxing, energetic, fun, tropical pleasure) or create your own and memorize it.




Integrated pots allow you to have a glimpse of nature when indulging in the bathtub. You can create a blend of your favorite plants and flowers, such as orchids and ferns.



Hidden faucets and shower provide a feeling of perfect, all-in-one structure.


The Aurora Spa Tub:


The “Aurora” tub is part of the 3 element collection of backlit bathroom furniture, inspired by nature.



The “Aurora” bathtub has integrated LED lights which are cost efficient and friendly to the planet. The lighting diffusion effect is created by translucent material that allows light to pass through it, but in the same time doesn’t show clearly the light source inside the object. The intensity and colour of light can be controlled, creating a chromo therapy.



The washbasin has another particularity, like the Mother of Pearl tub – an integrated pot, that allows you to have your favourite small plants in your bathroom.

The “Aurora” design concept was honoured with a special prize in Cristalplant Design Concept 2013 organized in collaboration with Falper.



DesignLibero is a Milan based design studio, founded by Libero Rutilo and Ekaterina Shchetina. Its activity evolves in multiple directions, from interior to product design.

The Betta Bowl and Aqua U, Modern Tabletop Fish Tanks From Zero Edge Aquariums.

The Betta Bowl:



More fancy living for your betta fish. The ZeroEdge Betta Bowl is handcrafted out of cast acrylic material and is large enough to incorporate plants. It can be used as a planter instead of a fish tank, if you so desire.




Available in all clear or with a black acrylic back, the Betta Bowl measures
18.5" x 5" x 6.5" Length x Width x Height, 3/8” Front and back and has a 1/4” heat formed bottom.

$44.95, buy it here (and it's 10% off until Christmas).


The Aqua U:



The Zeroedge Aqua U is a fun and versatile 4.5 gallon desktop aquarium. The interesting shape not only looks stylish, it helps with the water flow in the aquarium. Water enters this little aquarium at a low level before it raises and goes through the surface skimmer.




dimensions: 14” x 11.75” x 14”,  Outer footprint, 11.75” x 8” x 12”
Includes:
Mounted hang on the back filter
Sicce pump
Filter Media
Polycarbonate lids

Available in black or white,
$290,  buy it here