Lovegrove & Repucci's Sense of Humor Matches Their Products

I've long been a fan of the tongue-in-cheek creative design duo, Nicholas Lovegrove & Demian Repucci. Having posted their Concerto Table, their deliciously delightful New York Delft Collection plates and their fun and funky Fido bag on several social shopping sites as well as on my own lists at thisnext.com over the past 2 years, I was tickled to see their latest "ad" for their New York Delft Dinnerware.



New York Delft Tableware:

The classic tradition of Dutch Delft craftsmanship hits the streets of New York City. Presenting the ‘New York Delft’ Porcelain dinnerware collection. Each place setting is made of fine porcelain and has five pieces; a dinner plate, side plate, soup bowl, cup and saucer.
$100 five piece place setting

cup and saucer is also sold separately for $20.

The Concerto Table (combo ipod docking station, desk and dinnertable)


specs:
Dimensions: 70”x58”x29”
Electronics: Apple AV Connection Kit with remote control, compatible with all iPods
Speakers: 2 x 50watt two-way speakers, 6.5’ x 1”
Amplification: 130watt
Materials: Finish plywood, poplar, stainless steel
Finishes: Bright white or black high gloss enamel
Price: $14000 usd + shipping


The Fido Bag:


Vinyl bag with nylon inner lining. Detachable 'head' bag for carrying keys, cards, phone or other valuables. Also in brown or black. And on sale right now.

They describe their work as follows: Lovegrove & Repucci’s work focuses on the emotional response and experiential relationships created through contact with the designed environment. Encompassing product and furniture design, brand design,interior and graphic design and fashion, we continue to produce provocative design solutions for our clients as well as for the Lovegrove & Repucci collection.

You can purchase the above items here.

More of Lovegrove & Repucci’s work can be found at:
www.lifeobject.com
www.demianrepucci.com
www.neurothetic.com
www.restaurantism.com

Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind, Accompanying Art Exhibit & Sweding

Be Kind Rewind, an exhibition of new work by Michel Gondry, opens at Deitch Projects on February 16, 2008, shortly before his identically titled film is released in theaters.

Be Kind Rewind is a film about two childhood friends living in Pasaic, New Jersey, trying to make ends meet. After one of the characters accidentally gets his brain magnetized by a local power plant, he visits the video store his and unknowingly erases all of the video tapes in the store’s inventory.



The characters decide to make their own homemade versions of popular films in a junkyard behind the store. These new “sweded” films—recreations using commonly available, everyday materials—prove to be more popular with the customers than the originals, making the two friends local celebrities.



For the exhibition, Michel Gondry will be recreating the video store in the gallery, complete with a back lot containing a variety of movie sets where visitors can make their own renditions of films. All videos created in the gallery can be viewed and rented in the store. About the project, Gondry states, “I don’t intend nor have the pretension to teach how to make films. Quite the contrary. I intend to prove that people can enjoy their time without being part of the commercial system and serving it. Ultimately, I am hoping to create a network of creativity and communication that is guaranteed to be free and independent from any commercial institution.”



Be Kind Rewind is Deitch Projects’ second exhibition with Michel Gondry. In September 2006, the gallery presented The Science of Sleep: An Exhibition of Sculpture and Creepy Pathological Little Gifts, which coincided with the release of his film by the same name. Deitch Projects’ involvement with Michel Gondry reflects the gallery’s interest in presenting projects of creative people working in fields related to fine art who approach their medium similarly to artists of painting and sculpture. Michel Gondry’s work is exhibited in the tradition of conceptual and performance art, not only as a commercial film.



Jack Black and Mos Def star in Be Kind Rewind, a unique comedy from Academy Award-winning writer/director Michel Gondry (Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).



Black stars as a loveable loser stuck in a life that's too small for his big dreams. But when he unintentionally erases all the tapes in a video store where his best friend (Mos Def) works, he devises a plan to satisfy the store's few loyal customers by re-creating and re-filming every movie they decide to rent. Be Kind Rewind features a cast that also includes Danny Glover, Melonie Diaz and Mia Farrow. It is scheduled for a February 22, 2008 release.

I have removed the trailer from this post because the auto-start feature was making the blog take too long to load. But you can see it here.

The movies' official website is filled with fun bits about "sweding" and lots of interactive fun. They've even 'sweded' a myspace page for michel gondry:



So, if reading about and watching the trailer just aren't enough fun for you, you can 'swede yourself' on their site by picking from a movie genre and uploading your pic to the cover.
Like so:

Also, the site Film•Ick has a fun collection of Gondry's sketches for the film. See them here.

get your fun wallpapers and downloads here.

Addendum: despite being a great fan of some of Michel Gondry's work, I think this was one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. I don't even recommend renting it.

Avian Architecture (aka birdhouses)

Despite what's happening in the human housing market, birds just seem to be getting nicer and nicer places to live these days.

Above are just a few of the beautiful and unusual homes created for our feathered friends. Click on each pic above to be taken to details and purchase information.

Also, worth a mention are:

J. Schatz Egg bird houses and feeders

Jonathan Adler's Ceramic Birdhouses

Marcel Wanders' Bird feeder for Droog Design

Celine Shenton's bird estate

Perch! designs Birdfeeder

Eva Solo's Bird products

To see even more, click here.

Art LA 2008: what to do this weekend.

ART LA 2008

ART LA, the New Los Angeles International Contemporary Art Fair, takes place at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium ( Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-3295), January 25 - 27 2008. The fair presents 60 top international and Los Angeles based galleries representing an informed cross-section of today's contemporary art trends and directions.

A partnership has been instituted between the fair and the 2008 edition selection committee to help select from the submitted applications. The exhibiting galleries at ART LA are an even balance of established blue chip and emerging galleries, all presenting the most progressive, international art work being produced today. 30 exhibitors hail from the immediate Los Angeles area, 30 are from the rest of the United States and abroad.

The fair is designed to spotlight the Los Angeles art scene, its prominence within current international artistic trends, while bringing influential international galleries and their artists work for the interested art patron and collector alike to enjoy. The finest examples of contemporary art work will be available for view and sale.

Public Fair Dates and Hours:
Friday, January 25, 12 - 8pm
Saturday, January 26, 12 - 8pm
Sunday, January 27, 12 - 6pm
•1-day pass $15 or 3-day pass $25
•Tickets are available for purchase at the box office during the run of the fair.
Advanced tickets may be purchased on-line by clicking here.

Click here for a list of exhibitors.

ART LA 2008 is proud to be held during the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium's impressive 50th anniversary.