Design: Knowledge of Self

so back when my dude scott was goin to vassar college,we used to exchange blackbooks and whatnot...through this guy i've come into contact with ALOT of seriously DOPE artists. besides scott himself havin ill skills on the graff tip....the circle of people that he ran with were just as ill. i can't even BEGIN to tell you how much style i absorbed through my blackbook encounters with him and his peoples. mospeda,real,rekta,sie,baise and the dude i'm puttin you onto right now....SELF. i've ALWAYS admired dudes work and i've rather recently reconnected to him via my ted minoff aka tedones(another super talented artist who i learned a great deal from). he's taken everything he was doin on the graff tip and is now also utilizing those techniques,theories and processes via the digital medium...which for me creates a WHOLE new world of visual dope shit to appreciate. please allow me to introduce you to a super serious purveyor of style.... and give you all a little knowledge of SELF. much respect homie...thanks for allowing me to take pointers and soak up a little

sumtnin,sumtnin.

http://www.joshuaself.com

Design: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Alexander McQueen was a rare breed of designer, one that used fashion to instill ideas into society and push the boundaries of what was deemed acceptable. His love for art history, design and the arts really stood out in his amazing works that were created with such detail and expertise that they are all works of art in themselves.

The Metropolitan Museum’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty does a beautiful job of showing his genius by taking us into his mind and exhibiting not only his clothing but bringing the visitor into the at

mospheres and performances he created in his runway shows and presentations. Where as much of his work is very dark and battles ideas of good vs. evil and heaven vs. hell, the show successfully illustrates the more romantic side of McQueen’s personality. The designer, who left us in a very dark and dramatic way last year, was probably a very sweet and romantic person, the type of person that we don’t always associate with the themes he discussed in his work.

With Alexandre Mcqueen: Savage Beauty Andrew Bolton gives us a powerful view inside the mind of the designer. Where as I have sometimes thought that exhibits at the Costume Institute fell a little short of what they should be, with this one they do a terrific job of showing us the art of fashion and the the brilliance of this true Créateur. I have never met McQueen but I’m sure he was an incredibly loving person. His passing left us with a legacy that will be remembered as being that of one of the great geniuses in the history of fashion.

For a taste of the exhibition see the below video:

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty runs through July 31 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. For more information visit theexhibition website.

For more on this story and others in contemporary art, design and architecture visit Culturalblahblah at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: EL MAC

easily the top of the top when it comes to photo realistic graffiti art....el mac is THAT DUDE. i've always been amazed @ the things he creates. allow me to share with you some of his SERIOUSLY ill ass work. prepare to be slapped up, flipped and rubbed down by the visual dopeness.

http://elmac.net/

http://vimeo.com/14679182

Design: Third and The Seventh by Alex Roman

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Architecture to me has always been a very hard language to speak in. As you know if you follow my site Culturalblahblah, I love anything architecture and design but if the conversation about architecture isn't around function then I have always found it very hard to discuss. The easiest way for me to discuss architecture is through photography and sometimes film.

There are number of films that showcase great architecture in interesting ways, one being My Architect on the works of Louis Khan. That said, rarely do you find someone who is able to speak so clearly through film and illustrate the beauty of architecture as well as Alex Roman and his film The Third and The Seventh.

Needless to say that I was floored by this short film. Very rarely do you come across something you see that makes you sit back and breath easier and just feel inspired.

For more on this story and others in contemporary art, design and architecture visit Culturalblahblah at http://www.culturalblahblah.com.

Design: Yohji Yamamoto at the V&A

Yohji Yamamoto at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London opens to commemorate the 30 years of the designer’s career. Along with the exhibition Abrams Books and V & A Publishing collaborated on the book, Yohji Yamamoto. For more on the exhibition which opened last weekend and is up until July 10, 2011 visit the V&A website. For more: NYMag: First Look: Images From Yohji Yamamoto’s Latest Retrospective; Guardian: Yohji Yamamoto: the people’s designer who cuts loose from the catwalk

For more contemporary art, design and architecture visit Culturalblahblah at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: Mugler Fall 2011

When I was younger, I went to a Thierry Mugler couture show. Out of all the fashion shows I had been to, this was definitely one of the most exciting. Thierry Mugler was amongst those designers who instead of creating the bland fashion shows we see during Fashion Week in NYC, created theater on the runway. He was part of a generation of “createur” who were inspired by the arts and thought of themselves not merely as designers but as Artists.

With that in mind, last week was the debut collection of Nicola Formichetti for Mugler. Now, as we know, the debut collection of any designer is his/her opportunity to put a stake in the ground and claim their place within the ranks of the fashion world. Yet, one of the hardest things to do when taking over a name brand with a legacy is to follow in the footsteps of the namesake. Some designers need to put their own stamp on the collection and others just plain don’t get it.

For Mugler’s Fall collection, Nicola Formichetti was able to put his stake in the ground, get it and very elegantly follow in the footsteps of the namesake, Thierry Mugler. With his debut fall collection for Mugler, Formichetti created pieces that weren’t made for the racks of Bergdorf and Isetan. Instead of designing what was “sellable”, with the help of his cohort Lady Gaga, he decided to communicate his vision for the future of the brand, creating a road map for things to come. I was impressed with this collection and will definitely keep an eye on what he does next.

via (wwd and the sartorialist)

For more contemporary art, design and architecture visit Culturalblahblah at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: Hedi Slimane's American Dream

Hedi Slimane, the former Creative Director of Dior Homme gives an interesting interview about what inspires him in Los Angeles and his new shows in Brussels and Paris. For more on the topic check out Dazed Digital.

Hedi Slimane: Anthology of a Decade is published by JRP Ringier in March jrp-ringier.com; Feb 26 – Mar 26 California Dreamin, Galerie Almine Rech, 19 Rue Saintonge 75003 Paris; Feb 25 – Mar 26 ‘Fragments Americana’, Galerie Almine Rech, 20 Rue de l’Abbaye Abdijstraat, Brussels

For more contemporary art, design and architecture visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: Qatar's Sustainable World Cup Stadiums

Qatar is already gearing up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Designed by AS&P, these stadiums will be fully modular and self sustainable. “The brand new stadiums, Al-Khor, Al-Wakrah, and Al-Shamal, will each be assembled using modular components for easy disassembly and transport at the close of the game. Each stadium will exceed capacity for FIFA requirements and each of the seats as well as the pitch (aka field) will be cooled using an innovative, environmentally friendly, carbon-neutral technology.

Solar Thermal Collectors and PV panels will also be used to harness the sun’s energy, in turn powering absorption chilling systems. Air handling systems will re-circulate the air throughout the stadium, ensuring everyone is comfortable in the formidable desert heat. An integrated Building Management System will monitor the various different elements of each stadium, and each of the seats as well as the field will be shaded and protected from direct sun light.”

For more you can look at AS&P’s press release or a much more comprehensible article at Inhabitat.

For more contemporary art, architecture and design visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com athttp://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: The Google Art Project

It has been in the works for a long time and now its available to everyone. The Google Art Project brings some of the great museums in the world straight to your computer with super high res closeups of select paintings, virtual tours of exhibition halls and the ability to customize your own art collection. Check it out: Google Art Project. Let us know what you think!

For more contemporary art, architecture and design visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: SECRET WARS

secret wars is a live art battle of EPIC proportions... serious, SERIOUS talent coupled with good music and good people. it's a traveling event that has to be seen to be believed :) maybe one day i'll be good enough to compete. guess i gotta step my game up eh?

http://www.secretwars.co.uk/

Design: "Culture Chanel" Opens in Shanghai

Last week, the “Culture Chanel” exhibition opened in Shanghai. Running through March 4, the exhibition features 400 items tracing the life of the fashion icon. There are manuscripts, drawings, photographs, rare documents and jewelry on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art. For more: WWD: Chanel Retrospective Bows in Shanghai and visit the “Culture Chanel” website. Also, a fun video from Nowness called Animating Chanel. Enjoy!

For more on anything functional, creative and contemporary visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: LOGORAMA

http://vimeo.com/10149605

easily one of the dopest things i've seen in a while. love how they flipped all the popular logos that we all know and love. straight up GENIUS.

Design: Lego Architecture at the National Building Museum

Check out this exhibition on Lego Architecture at the National Building Museum in Washington DC. LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition is an exhibition of the work of architect and lead designer at Lego Adam Reed Tucker. The exhibition brings together 15 buildings, all built by using legos. Included in the collection are Dubai’s Burj Khalifa towers, the Empire State Building, St. Louis' Gateway Arch, and Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece Fallingwater. LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition is on view through September 5, 2011. For more on Adam Reed Tucker visit: Brickstructures.

For more on anything functional, creative and contemporary visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: Curing Disease Through Design in Haiti

First Place: (Above Anselmo Canfora (architect); Richard Guerrant (medical doctor); Ewan Smith (engineer); Galen Staengl (engineer); Michael Stoneking (architect); Aja Bull-Richards, Sara Harper, Sally Lee, Nathan Parker, Chase Sparling-Beckley, Lauren Thompson (architecture students) )

Yesterday, Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments (ARCHIVE), unveiled the winners of their competition to design housing that help stop the spread of infectious diseases in Haiti. Above see the design that won first place. See below for the rest of the winning designs.

Second Place: Lilian Sherrard and Brook K. Sherrard (architects)

Third Place: Marco Ferri (engineer); Giorgio Giannattasio (physician & immunologist); Sara Parlato, Roberto Pennachio, Andrea Tulisi (architects)

For more on the finalists and honorable mentions check out the slideshow at ARCHIVE. For more on the competition, check out the ARCHIVE website and this article from Architectural Record.

For more on anything functional, creative and contemporary visit my site, Culturalblahblah.com at http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: FINALLY MADE

going back to about 07 i met this dude named prince. prince was a college student in arizona, and i met him through his cousin from germany. she used to always say how she had a cousin that was tryin to start a clothing line up and that i should connect with him. so we eventually connect via the wonders of the internet and he shows me the pieces he was working on @ the time....i gotta tell you, i was like are you SERIOUS?! the pieces didn't look like anything @ all, and weren't strong enough to hold him down the way he would have liked them to. dude had all kinds of drive and a HELL of alot of heart, he knew what he had wasn't much but it was the best he could do with what he had to work with. i respect that hardbody so i offered to help dude rebrand and redirect. within a month or so dude took the designs i did for him, got em printed up and was really pushing them. he eventually hooked up with another designer who was able to help him get a little closer to his dream of havin his own spot and pushin his own line. fast forward to 2011 and dude now has a dope ass spot selling not only his own line, but doin his numbers with the clips clothing line play cloths, benny gold, better off dead, alife, the hundreds, super and g shock to name a few. if you're ever in phoenix, AZ you should look him up, tell him rez sent you. i really respect this dudes hustle and it feels good to see him makin it happen. i'm glad i was able to be a part of your journey my dude. lookin forward to seein you rock with the big dogs :) PROPS TO MY NUKKA PRINCE!!!

http://www.finallymade.com/blog/

Design: Kaws...Graffiti Artist Turned Pop Culture Icon

I love re-discovering an artist. I always knew about Kaws but never really paid him the attention he deserved until I saw a retrospective of his work last month at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Now he's one of my favorite artists.

New Jersey native now based in good old BK, Kaws is a graffiti artist turned visual artist/designer/pop culture icon. In the beginning he gained a lot of attention for his subverted advertisements (pictured above), but now he is especially popular for his product design including apparel and limited edition vinyl toys (up top). Below see a vid of an installation he recently did in Hong Kong.

Skira/Rizzoli recently published his book. Get a copy at Amazon.

http://www.culturalblahblah.com

Design: X DEEP

so i met this dude a little while back... maybe back in like 91 or so. he was a graff head i was a graff head, we loved hip-hop blah, blah, blah. oh (yeah, for those who aren't in the know... graff is short for graffiti) i met him during his freshman year @ vassar college and we stayed tight the duration of his time @ vassar. he started a graff mag called monkey styles which he rocked with for a while, then shortly after he started a clothing line called 10 deep. after he graduated college he ended up workin for a company called akademiks, it was during his time @ akademiks that he realized his potential as well as the potential of his company (which he was still running by the way)

he decided to put more into his company and build his brand into something special that embodied new york, something that embodied hip hop, something undeniably DOPE. this mentality took him from simple screen printed tees and hoodies, to embroidered jackets, custom button down twill shirts, polos, leather varsity jackets, pea coats... to collabo's with timberland, adidas and pro keds.

dude has been a constant inspiration for me since day one and will always continue to be... big ups to my homie scott sasso. from the tenth divison and beyond, keep doin the damn thing broham. ONE LOVE.

http://10deep.com/

Design: cookies N cream

here's a dope little spot i found on the web a little while back, they keep things real fresh around the way... and they have a traveling shop that looks like an ice cream truck. now how effin dope is that :) they keep their fingers on the pulse of just about everything that's visually fly.

http://www.bakedinny.com/

Design: Style is the Message

easily one of the dopest design cliques to ever touch the game... 123 KLAN is, was and will continue to be a point of inspiration for me. i've learned to take my graff (graffiti for those of you that ain't up on thangs lol) and transform it into graff INSPIRED design. from logo's to clothing design, company branding ect... these cats helped me to focus, hone and sharpen my blade. have a little look see @ what all the whoopla is about... and remember STYLE IS THE MESSAGE.

Design: DISSIZIT!

a serious slice of dopeness. from graff to graphic design and beyond,this dude get's it IN. there's soo much i could say about his work....but like the shirt says,fuck what you heard...SEE FOR YOURSELF. check some of his work in the features section as well as his merch in his store. illy for really.

http://dissizit.com