google ad sense 728 x 90

A Footstool, Armchair and Blanket In One. The Collerette From Casamania.








The "Collerette" designed by CĂ©line Merhand and Anais Morel of Les M Studio (the same women who brought us the Cocon duvet lounge chair) for Casamania is a footrest and a comfortable seat around which is a rolled blanket. Once its "collar" is unrolled, the users can wrap themselves up in the integrated blanket, giving them a cozy comfotable seating experience.






Size: 45x45x48,5 cm, 45x85x48,5 cm
Blanket size: 180x145 cm, 180x175 cm

Collerette

Drown The Dolls. Art Explores Women's Issues By Submerging Barbie Underwater.




Paintings and photographs of Mattel's iconic doll, Barbie, forcefully submerged underwater by artist Daena Title reflect her feeling of society's idealization of women, issues of body consciousness and the impossible, unattainable perfection that the blond, preternaturally endowed Barbie represents.


above: artist Daena Title in front of her painting, Big Doll.

In her series, “Drown the Dolls”, Title appropriates the iconic image of Barbie. With so many loaded connotations, she is the perfect muse. Inspired by childhood memories and adult hang-ups, viewers bring their own associations to the paintings. Title explains, “…[Barbie is a] 50 year old icon that women hate to love and love to hate…everyone seems to have their own Barbie story.” Each work in the series portrays Barbie fully submerged in water, seemingly drowning while maintaining her trademark composure. She is either floating alone or wholly dunked by a smiling young girl on the brink of pubescence; still a game, not meant to harm, but not entirely without malice.

Big Doll:


The images capture that most influential window in a girl’s life, not a little girl but not yet a woman and warily aware of the uncertainty of her own body and her future standing in the world. Barbie is an object that projects perfection – for some it is a beauty to aspire to, for others a beauty unreachable. Title approaches her canvas with formal compositions of refraction and reflection which mirror the way women have seen themselves reflected, for better or worse, in Barbie’s image: her constant smile, implausible waistline, her over-blonde hair. “The paintings literally shove her in our faces, the same way society shoves this ideal at us,” Title states.

Paintings

Smile:

Stockholm Syndrome:

Dirty Fighter:

Pool Witch:

Stage Five - Mourning:

Mikvah:

Dark Friends:

Sweater Doll:

Stop Worrying About The Wrong Thing:

Faith, Hope, Charity and Silicone:

She Said No:

Beneath The Surface:

Madonna Of The Dolls:

Gulliver Girl:

DADT:

Serenity Now and Fractured:


A figurative painter with an ongoing interest in women’s issues and contemporary social dynamics, Title’s series, “Drown the Dolls,” continues her long time exploration of concerns dealing with female body consciousness and girlhood, as well as present day ideals of physical perfection. Title’s fascination with feminist themes began while she was a high school student, coming of age at the dawn of the feminist movement. A drastic shift in her ideals would happen in her formative early high school years – literally one year a cheerleader, the next year a feminist. As an adult Title’s interest in larger social and global issues have dovetailed with her constant examination of women’s roles and representations in society to expand her creative voice. While still deeply rooted in the most basic questions of female identity, Title’s work invites deeper socio-political associations as well. For example, “Drown the Dolls,” carries on a theme of drowning that first appeared in Title’s work soon after 911. The dolls are a stand-in for a contemporary society loosing its footing, being adrift, and in some ways gasping for air.

Photos/Archival Prints
Please note that some of the following photographs have been slightly cropped to eliminate a watermark that detracted from the work.

Kryptonite Barbie:

FLY:

BFF:

Athena:

Happy Bride:

Honeymoon:

Bridal Birth:

Circle of Friends:

Shiny (cropped):

Silver Legs (cropped):


Images from her 2011 exhibit at the Koplin Del Rio Gallery allow you to see the scale of the paintings and photos:




Daena Title was born in Manhattan in 1957 and was raised in Long Island, New York. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and in Theatre Studies from Wellesley College in 1979, and lived in Manhattan until 1991. Title currently resides in Los Angeles and has shown her work in gallery and museum spaces since 1998, including recent group exhibitions at the Torrance Art Museum and the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art. She has received critical praise for past solo exhibitions from the Los Angeles Times and the LA Weekly, among other publications. Title’s artwork resides in a number of prominent private collections.
information and many of the images courtesy of the artist and Koplin Del Rio Gallery


Daena Title

A special thank you to Scott Rench who knew, given my fascination with swimming pools and Barbie dolls that I was going to find this work fascinating.

Beck's Limited Edition Summer Bottles by Six Different Artists. Live Beyond Labels.





Artists M.I.A., Geoff McFetridge, Bert Rodriguez, Aerosyn-Lex, Freegums and Willy Chyr have each designed a special limited edition bottle for Beck's this summer. Beck’s beer continues its long-standing support for today’s most original artists, by showcasing their creative work on a series of limited-edition art bottles. Through July 2012, all 12-ounce bottle labels will transform to display one of six original designs created exclusively for Beck’s.


above: Bert Rodriquez' label was inspired by a neon sign

Each artist has designed a label that means something personal to them and reflects their own style. Below are images of each bottle and videos in which the artists talk about their design and inspiration.

The Artists, their labels and videos:

• M.I.A. – London



An artist of many mediums since childhood, the Sri Lankan-born, London-bred Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam began her music career in 2000 with encouragement from electro-clash icon Peaches. Beginning in 2005 with her first album, her work has been released to unanimous international critical praise for its deft mixture of politics, social consciousness and inimitable genre-blending. M.I.A.’s label design for Beck’s is untitled.




• Geoff McFetridge – Los Angeles



McFetridge is one of the world’s most established graphic artists. His work includes title-design for the skateboard company Chocolate, and a number of acclaimed television shows and cinematic features. McFetridge’s label design is titled One of All of Us.



• Aerosyn-Lex – New York


Aerosyn-Lex Meštrovic´ is a designer and calligrapher. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Meštrovic´ is a graduate of both Pratt Institute and Temple University of Japan, and has lived and worked in New York and Tokyo. Meštrović’s label design is titled AQUARELLVM.



• Bert Rodriguez – Los Angeles



Rodriguez is a performance artist who does not limit himself to working within a set range of media and is unencumbered by commitment to any identifiable style, genre or method of expression. Rodriguez’s label design is titled Where I Need The Most Cheering Up.



• Freegums – Miami



Peruvian-born Alvaro Ilizarbe is the artist and designer behind Freegums. Miami-based, he explores space, patterns and the energy that lies in-between. Freegums’ label design is titled A Bit of Spacial Tension.



• Willy Chyr – Chicago



The combination of degrees in physics and economics, alongside time spent with Le Vorris & Vox Circus where he learned how to twist balloons, has resulted in Chyr’s incredible science-inspired artworks of stunning inflated balloon sculptures. Chyr’s label design is titled A Glimpse of Something Ephemeral.



Beck’s beer continues its long-standing support for today’s most original artists, by showcasing their creative work on a series of limited-edition art bottles. Through July 2012, all 12-ounce bottle labels will transform to display one of six original designs created exclusively for Beck’s.



“To me, as an artist, there is a responsibility that goes with the opportunity to create art and put it out there in the world, whether it’s on a Beck’s bottle or you’re hanging it up in a gallery,” said singer/artist M.I.A., who debuted her new song “Bad Girls” earlier this year and will release a single in June, with an album to follow in the fall.



For more than 25 years, Beck’s has been a supporter of the arts and a champion of independent thinking. Beck’s has featured the work of legendary artists such as Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons – many before they became cultural icons. Beck’s selected these six artists for the new U.S. labels based on the originality of their accomplishments in the artistic and graphic design world.



“We are always looking to support artists who are doing really interesting and groundbreaking work. The stuff that may go unnoticed at first, but can’t be ignored,” said Chris Curtis, brand manager for Beck’s. “These artists are shaping our culture and we are excited to share their creative ideas with Beck’s drinkers around the country.”

Beck's

Please donate

C'mon people, it's only a dollar.