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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.
laurasweet's "modernbirdhouse" picks


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.

Hotel Pucci: A Synthesis Of Art, Architecture, Furniture & Style

What happens when you put fabulous architects, furniture designers, lighting designers, rug designers, artists, photographers and interior decorators under one roof?
You get a stunning new hotel: Hotel Ralph Pucci. An LXR Hotel.
Opening Spring 2008


LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels has signed an exclusive deal with esteemed furniture design gallery owner Ralph Pucci to develop the first Hotel Ralph Pucci. The Georgetown Inn will undergo a transformation and debut as the new 96-room Hotel Ralph Pucci in Spring 2008, and be the first of its kind in a unique collaboration between a design visionary of Ralph Pucci’s reputation and a stable of highly-respected designers of furniture, lighting and rugs, along with noted photographers.

   
Above: The Facade of the Georgetown Inn before transformation to Hotel Pucci. 

Ralph Pucci never set out to run the country's best modern furniture gallery,but a post-college foray into his parents' mannequin business led to a meeting with French design legend Andree Putman...and he was hooked. Every three months, Pucci fills his New York and L.A. showrooms with the work of international talent such as Putman, Patrick Naggar, Vladimir Kagan, Jens Risom and Paul Mathieu, among others.

 
Above: Ralph Pucci 

 

 Originally known for his innovative and visionary mannequin collaborations with world famous illustrators, fashion designers, pop artists and super models, Ralph Pucci later added furniture and art to his repertoire, representing design legends Andree Putman, Vladimir Kagan and Chris Lehrecke, building his business into the country’s leading modern furniture gallery. With the launch of the hotel, Pucci will be introducing his modern design vision and philosophy of discovering “the new and the next” in the heart of Georgetown. “For the hotel design, every aspect of the hotel from the rooms to the public spaces will be custom-designed and reflect a new philosophy. The hotel will be elegant, modern and timeless,” said Ralph Pucci. 

 

For this exclusive LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels Ralph Pucci property, Pucci has created the broad design concept and has selected architect/designers Pilar Proffitt and Robert Bristow to bring this vision to life. Proffitt and Bristow will design the facade, lobby, restaurant, guest rooms and baths, and will furnish these spaces and one floor of guest rooms.

 

 Pucci has selected five of his artists to provide the furniture for each of the guest room floors. These designers include Robert Bristow's "warm minimalism”, Jens Risom's "mid-century modern," Patrick Naggar's "modern luxury," Paul Mathieu’s "sculptural elegance”, and Christophe Delcourt's "tomorrow’s classics”.

 

 Hotel Architecture: We are aiming for a quiet architecture that reflects this spirit and provides a quiet backdrop for the furniture, photography and people that live in these spaces. --Robert Bristow and Pilar Proffitt

 

Featured Floors: 

Robert Bristow- Warm Minimalism:  

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Polytechnic. Upon receiving his Masters in Architecture, he landed a prized job as chief assistant in the office of the legendary Paul Rudolph, the father of Neo-Brutalism. Ironically, he moonlighted in another office, that of Aldo Rossi. Several years later, Robert moved to Boston to work in the architectural studio of Peter Forbes, one of the foremost practitioners of minimalist architecture. While working in these offices, Robert set up his workshop and began crafting his own furniture ideas. The furniture he made attracted attention and was purchased outright by several high-end design stores in New York. As a high-end retail network evolved in the US, Europe and Asia, the furniture found it's way into some of the finest collections in the United States. Robert joined Ralph Pucci May of 2004. 

Patrick Naggar- Modern Luxury:  

Patrick Elie Naggar is a French artist, architect and designer who received his degree in Architecture (UPLCi) from the Ecole des Beaux Arts and a Masters degree in Urban Studies from the University of Paris. Naggar considers architecture as a central knowledge, encompassing interior design, furniture design a catalyst of the ideas, forms, plastic and artistic trends in order to create objects and spaces for our environment in the spirit of our times. Patrick joined Ralph Pucci in 1997. 

Jens Risom -Midcentury Modern:  

 One of the first designers to bring the traditional Scandinavian values of function and craftsmanship to the United States, Risom was part of a new vanguard that helped establish post-war America's leadership role in the world of modern furniture design and manufacturing. Born in Copenhagen on May 8, 1916, Risom was highly influenced by his award-winning architect-father who encouraged Jens to pursue academic studies in business and contemporary design. After completing two years at the Business College of Niels Brock in Copenhagen, Risom worked briefly for Danish architect Ernst Kuhn and he created several furniture designs for Gustav Weinreich of A/S Normina in Copenhagen. Risom's early designs for Normina were shown at the Cabinetmakers Guild Exhibition in 1937. Jens Risom joined Ralph Pucci in 2005.

 Christophe Delcourt- Tomorrow's Classics:  

French born, Christophe Delcourt graduated Cours Florent, Paris in 1988, and in 1989 studied at the Theatre Ecole du Passage. With a keen interest in designing furniture and objects, Delcourt opened his first studio in the Marals area of Paris in 1998. Since then, he has designed for restaurants, hotels and boutiques and has exhibited furniture and lamps at Joyce Gallery in Paris. In 2001, Ralph Pucci International became the exclusive representative of Christophe Delcourt Designs. 

Paul Mathieu-Sculptural Elegance:
 

French designer, Paul Mathieu, based both in New York and Aix-en-Provence, exhibits his signature style in his furniture collection for Ralph Pucci International. Mathieu is a progressive designer who gained his reputation through both his international interrior design projects, as well, as, his product designs for companies such as Ecart. An unmistakable benchmark is evident in the graceful and elegant modernism infused in Mathieu's work. His furniture combines the unassuming harmony of nature, blending sinuous curves with tailored geometry. Mathieu's designs combine richness and depth of woods with the comfort of upholstery and with detail. This results in a refined statement of clean, luxurious simplicity. Paul joined Ralph Pucci in 1999. 

Art: 
All of the photographers work will be displayed on different floors in a collaboration with each of the distinctive designers in pairs presenting Jens Risom with Christopher Makos, Christophe Delcourt with Antoine Bootz, Robert Bristow with Paul Solberg, Paul Mathieu with Gail Leboff and Patrick Naggar with Diego Uchitel. 

Christopher Makos studied architecture and worked as an apprentice with the artist, Man Ray, in Paris. Since the early 1970s, he has developed a unique style of boldly graphic photojournalism. He is the author of two books: White Trash (1977) and Warhol: A Personal Photographic Memoir (1988).

   

His works have appeared in magazines such as Rolling Stone and Esquire. He served as a contributing photographer to Warhol's Interview magazine and was a close friend to Andy Warhol. Presently, Makos maintains an active photography studio in Manhattan, hosts an interview show, Makostyle, for television in New York, and exhibits his photographs, prints, and paintings widely throughout the United States and Europe. 

Paul Solberg: Paul studied Anthropology in Cape Town, South Africa, and worked on a land conservation project in Bophuthatswana. Solberg’s photographs have been published in Publisher’s Weekly, Ocean Drive, Elle, Home Miami, Lucky, and European publications, View of The Times, Vanidad, Alter Ego, among others.
   

 Paul’s work has also been shown in New York and throughout Europe from: Ralph Pucci (New York), Young Gallery (Brussels), Flo Peter’s Gallery (Hamburg) and most recently at Paris Photo with Galerie Baudoin Lebon (Paris), and ARCO art fair in Madrid. 

Antoine Bootz' talents earned him simultaneous success in both the fine art and commercial photography worlds. He has enjoyed many solo and group shows of his photography in his native Paris, France and his adopted home, New York City.

   

At the same time he has had the opportunity to work on advertising campaigns and editorial projects for Calvin Klein, House & garden, La Redoute, and many other prestigious clients. He is repped by Judy Casey. 

Gail LeBoff was born in Brooklyn New York and currently lives and works in Vermont and New York. She is the recent recipient of the prestigious Louis Tiffany Biennial Award. Her work has been exhibited extensively and is in many major collections such as the Harvard Museum, Norton Museum, and Brooklyn Museum."
 

Gail Leboff's photographs are large-scale mysterious landscapes. They are quiet and mesmerizing. Whether of swans in a winter stream or birds in migration these images call you back again." Argentinean born photographer 

Diego Uchitel moved from Buenos Aires to the United States after high school to attend film school and eventually found his true calling. He has been photographing the world's most beautiful subjects for twenty years. 
 

Uchitel is renowned for his elegantly arresting photographs. His work is often described as less photographic and more painterly. You can contact him via his rep, Jed Root. 

Floor Coverings:

 

Madeline Weinrib, a New York city based artist, has been designing carpets since 1998. She is the grand-daughter of Max Weinrib, the founder of ABC Carpet & Home. Weinrib studied fineart at Marymount College, New York, and has exhibited her work at New York's De chiara/Stewart Gallery and at Art in General. She has served on the faculty of City College in New York city, where she has taught drawing. Her paintings have been on view at Glenn horowitz Gallery in East Hampton, NY. Madeline joined Ralph Pucci in 2006. 

Lighting: 

David Weeks originally from Athens, Georgia, attended the Rhode Island School of Design to study painting and sculpture and where he earned and MFA in 1990. Weeks moved to New York City where he worked as an associate to jeweler Ted Muehling in his Soho store. In 1996 he founded the Brooklyn based David Weeks Lighting studio. Since the studios inception, his product line has grown from desk lamps, sconces and ceiling fixtures to include floor lamps, elaborate chandeliers and mobiles. Merging industrial materials and organic forms, David Weeks lighting draw influence from eclectic sources such as mid-century European modernism, machine age industrial design and kinetic sculpture. David Weeks designs are marked by an uncommon attention to detail and evocative materials: spun aluminium and steel, oxidized metals, porcelain shades and silk covered electrical cords. Especially notable are his large scale mobiles. 

To add to the distinctive design elements on property, Ralph Pucci will also collaborate with menswear designer, TOMER to design all hotel uniforms, inspired by the jazz greats of the 1950’s. 

Additionally, Hotel Ralph Pucci will display the works of a different artist, rotating every 4 months, in the lobby of the property. 

Location: Hotel Ralph Pucci 1310 Wisconsin Avenue, Georgetown, Washington DC 20007  

A Diamond Is Forever.
A Lawsuit Is Only Temporary.

The 5 C's:

For those of you who don't already know about DeBeers Diamond Class Action Settlement, this is all you need to know:


1 It's real, not a hoax.
2. Pretty much anyone who bought any diamond between 1/1/1994 and 3/31/2006 is eligible (consumers, resellers and direct buyers who purchased any diamonds or diamond jewelry for personal use or as gifts, for resale, and retail between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006)
3. And you will not get rich because so many people are eligible to file the claims
For details and forms, go here.

Consumers can file an online claim here.


Summary of the Settlement

De Beers is the largest supplier of rough diamonds in the world. Beginning in 2001, Plaintiffs in several states filed lawsuits against De Beers in state and federal courts alleging that De Beers unlawfully monopolized the supply of diamonds, conspired to fix, raise, and control diamond prices, and issued false and misleading advertising. De Beers denies it violated the law or did anything wrong.

The Settlement Agreement provides that $22.5 Million be distributed to the Direct Purchaser Class, and that $272.5 Million will be distributed to the Indirect Purchaser Class. De Beers also agrees to refrain from engaging in certain conduct that violates federal and state antitrust laws and submit to the jurisdiction of the Court to enforce the Settlement.


Statement from DeBeers:

Read The DeBeers Group Statement here.

Delta Airlines Announces Their 2nd In Flight Movie Competition Winner

This is the second year that Delta Airlines has had an in flight move competition. (To read my post about last year's winner, go here.) This year's winner was announced at Park City, Utah during the 2008 Sundance film festival.

Vancouver filmmaker Robert Kirbyson was awarded the top prize for his film "Ctrl Z."(which starts Tony hale of Arrested Development fame). In addition to the trip to Sundance, Kirbyson receives a $10,000 cash award and a pair of round-trip tickets valid anywhere Delta flies worldwide.


All five finalists received a trip to Park City, Utah, the site of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, to attend the celebratory party - courtesy of Delta. The winning film was chosen from five films through audience balloting at delta.com and on Delta on Demand from Dec. 3, 2007 - Jan. 15, 2008.


Above: Actress Cheryl Hines Hosts Celebratory Party at SKY360 by Delta in Park City for Vancouver Filmmaker, Robert Kirbyson, during 2008 Sundance Film Festival

This year, nearly 150,000 passengers viewed the five finalist films in-flight on Delta on Demand, with an additional 200,000 viewings taking place at delta.com.

The four other finalist films included:


-- Slow" by Kurt Kuenne: a depiction of a traffic safety worker who is accidentally caught in the background of a newspaper photo drastically changing his life forever.


-- "Tales of a Mere Existence: Conversation" by Levni Yilmaz: how a simple trip to the video store can bring up everything that's wrong with your relationship.


-- "T'is the Season" by Bob Giovanelli: when a little girl goes to see Santa Claus, she is disappointed to find he is on a break. Fortunately for her, she stumbles on a somewhat unorthodox replacement.


-- "Morning Fall" by Edward McGinty: a mysterious man wakes up on the side of the road, injured and confused; Who is he? Where does he come from? And where will he end up when he can't find his way home?

See all the finalist's movies here.


Be sure to see last year's winning entry, High Maintenance (which was great) here.

Just Announced: 2008 Eames Commemorative Postage Stamps




From the US Postal Service Press Release:
In recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, manufacturing and photographic arts, designers Charles and Ray Eames will be honored next summer with a pane of 16 stamps designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC. If you’ve ever sat in a stackable molded chair, you’ve experienced their creativity. Perhaps best known for their furniture, the Eameses were husband and wife as well as design partners. Their extraordinary body of creative work — which reflected the nation’s youthful and inventive outlook after World War II — also included architecture, films and exhibits. Without abandoning tradition, Charles and Ray Eames used new materials and technology to create high-quality products that addressed everyday problems and made modern design available to the American public.

If you want to know when they'll be issued, you can sign-up for the Eames Office newsletter here.

Look Ma... No Hands. Or Numbers: The Abacus Watch Collection




You may have seen some of these watches on design sites, blogs or in designer watch stores, ever wonder how they work? I did. So, I did a little research and found more designs than I knew existed. Those available outside of the US seem to vary from those available here. For example, the Abacus 1 series on the Laco site has either the Abacus logo on the face or dashes or dots. Whereas the Abacus 1 series on the Questo site is far more minimal, and has little round divets or is completely plain.

Regardless of the style, all are available for purchase with prices ranging up to $245.00 USD.


Below is information garnered from the manufacturers site, the Erich Lacher Watch Company (you can read some history about them here) as well as from one of their biggest distributors, Questo Design.

The translation is clearly wonky, so forgive the random initial caps and screwed up prepositions.

The Designer:

Above: The designer Roy Schäfer developed the ABACUS.

The conscientious reduction of the object to its central meaning. His love to old chronometers created the desire of a new interpretation of time by means of a watch. The ABACUS watch was developed on the basis of this idea of the designer Roy Schäfer (born 1967). He strictly followed the design principle "Reduce to the max." His impulse: “This process of making thoughts turn to products, gives me much pleasure and is the motor of the development of new items.”


Above left :The ABACUS logo on the stainless steel back of the watch. Above right: Unmistakable characteristic of the ABACUS 1: The ball-shaped crown.


How Does It Work??
The time is indicated by a very small metal ball placed on the face of the watch, which moves freely, depending on the wearer's movements. Nevertheless, whenever the watch is kept in a horizontal position, the ball moves "by magic" to the position that indicates the exact hour.

This is possible due to the fact that the device incorporates a high-grade quartz movement system, which, with the help of some magnets, moves the ball across the face of the watch. The face is quite resistant, too, since it's manufactured either from mineral or sapphire glass. Moreover, the device sports a stainless steel case, a high-quality leather strap and is also water resistant to a depth of 30 meters.



The classic product: the ABACUS 1 for women and men.
Since this innovative watch appeared in the market in 1999, it can take pride in a permanently growing group of devotees. Meanwhile, there also is an ABACUS version for women, so that also women can enjoy the game of time. The ingenious packaging of the ABACUS enhances the individual character of this designer watch.

The ABACUS 1 impresses by its clear design in form and function. It has its own and special way of playing with the definition of time. With its high quality quartz movement and its typical optical features, it will become the distinctive companion on your time journey. Reliable, precise, and with an unmistakable individual standard.

The Abacus 1 Series as seen on the Laco site:





and the more minimal designs as seen on The Questo Design Site:


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABACUS 2. New design of the classical ABACUS idea.

A sophisticated design from dial to strap: The ABACUS 2 consequently continues what was begun in 1999 with the original ABACUS. A completely unique design for a watch which still is to find its match.

A Swiss quartz movement guarantees precision. The high-quality processing Made in Germany does not make any wish go unfulfilled in the game of time. The time dot is a symbol of the fixed status of the ball, whereas the free rolling of the ball on the dial describes the time space.

The Abacus 2 series :


The watch with the Abacus logo on the face is only available here.




Abacus 2, the details:
With this watch, nothing was left to chance: The ABACUS 2 convinces by its elaborate design. And, as another thing to be mentioned, by meticulous handicraft. The Swiss quality quartz movement and the ball on the dial are protected by a stainless steel case and a sapphire crystal. It is almost a matter of fact that the ABACUS is water resistant down to 20 meters.



•The strap buckle of the ABACUS 2 expresses the new ABACUS design. The belonging strap is made of soft, fine-grained calf leather

•The game with time: If the watch is held in horizontal position, a magnet makes the freely movable ball indicate the time.

•Form and quality also at the reverse side: The crown is countersunk and therefore invisible from above; the stainless steel back with the ABACUS logo is screwed on by hand.

•Elaborate even in the last corner: The ABACUS 2 is equipped with a patented strap fixation. The high-quality leather strap is fixed directly in the case.

And the Abacus TbtT series:


The TbtT Abacus series is made of stainless steel and comes with a silver, black or gold face.

The packaging below:


Where to buy?
Buy them here.

Or here.
Or the largest selection here.

Please donate

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