The Accidental Curator

Wind-lit: Solar

Imagine lounging outside some hazy warm summer night with some friends when all of a sudden your ultra green lanterns, powered solely from the wind and sun, illuminate as dusk approaches. These lanterns are but one of the many projects Developed by cutting edge design and technology group Living World. Living World attempts to actualize an idea called “senseware”, loosely translated senseware is a concept that strives to detach production from creativity, by realizing this detachment one attains a heightened awareness or sympathy for sensing the beauty of the living world that surrounds us. Senseware literally means “tools for sensing the living world”.

http://www.livingworld.net/

Studio 5050

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first read about Studio 5050 in WWD and how they make clothes that blend technology with fashion I was ecstatic. I have long been a advocate for ”smart” textiles and clothing and have long wondered why Hussein Chalayan remained a lone wolf on the runway with his animatronic fashion. Isn’t it 2008…shouldn’t clothes address a variety of needs and adapt to our current, increasingly urban landscape? Studio 5050 feels the same way, pictured is a “Masai Dress” that plays music when the wearer moves, an “Embrace Me” sweater that lights up when a loved one hugs you and a “Temprature Sweater” that displays the temperature. What’s next…flying cars?

http://www.5050ltd.com

 

Feeling Bearish

With 2008 we see the transition from stag heads to…well…bear heads, and floral ones at that. No it’s not homage to the Grateful Dead; merely the continued fascination for vegan friendly trophy walls, a trend that continues to resonate with urban dwellers and goes well with the renewed interest in baroque inspired interiors.

http://store.roseandradish.com/product-exec/product_id/1862/nm/Something

Wild Game

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this pheasant feather and silk head piece form the 1940’s, it has a dignified yet bohemian air about it, sort of James Dean meets Hemingway. This rustic cap would pair just as easily with a formal silk tartan as it would with jeans and a cashmere sweater, perfect for any holiday gathering.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8381865

 

Models Unite

Models in Britain are banding together to form a union that would give them the same protection as actors in order force the fashion industry to adopt “clearer and fairer working rights.” Models often follow the industries unspoken rule to be seen but not heard for fear that their agencies will drop them if they speak out against the treatment they are receiving. Treatment that includes but is not limited to, long hours without breaks, no say in nude shoots and the application of toxic materials to their bodies. Perhaps the industries cruel behavior towards its own can most visibly seen in recent years as the “size zero trend” has become the norm, with consequences that have models dying on the catwalk

The gaunt, blank eyed, anonymous model that has captured the hearts and minds of designers recently has left me nostalgic for the bombshell supermodels of the nineties. These models were curvy, sexy and powerful, becoming celebrities in their own right. So what happened? Why don’t we want to celebrate women that look healthy? Why instead are we forcing models to put their health in jeopardy in order to look like a holocaust victim? Is it the waning soul of a fat and overindulgent society? Perhaps the anguish felt by the world as we pillage its natural resources and assault its people? Or maybe it’s just that the increasingly homogeneous designer is afraid that their models might become a little more interesting than they are. Whatever it is it can be sure that the treatment we give our models is as much a representation of the ugly side of fashion as it is the society that consumes and celebrates it.

http://fashionista.com/2007/12/models_unionize.php

 

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3241922.ece

 

Soul of Africa

Soul of Africa is a self-sustaining organization that creates employment and training to unskilled women in areas of Africa most affected by the AIDS epidemic. Initiated and sponsored by Clarks England and Froggie, this program helps to educate women and teaches them new skills, such as how to hand stitch leather soccer balls and shoes, the proceeds of these products help to fund organizations that assist in helping the women and orphaned children in these disadvantaged areas.  All of the women are paid fair trade wages for their labor and the soccer ball produced carries health awareness messages that the children can observe and learn from. The goal of Soul of Africa is "€œto enable the local villagers to make and or repair the product whilst improving the developing community life."

Every other week I will highlight a worthy charity that uses production as a means to empower and educate disadvantaged communities around the world. In a time when much of our consumer products are manufactured using socially irresponsible business practices, it is important to realize that big business can be a vehicle for positive global change, and as citizens of the planet we have a right and responsibility to demand a higher moral standard from the corporations that outfit our lives.

http://www.soulofafrica.org.za/Home.htm

Etsy Bitsy

There are few things in the world that I’m more obsessed about than the social shopping site Etsy. Because everything is handmade or vintage it’s a good way to show support for Indie artisans and ensures that anything you buy will be a one of a kind. So, to get you started with your every own Etsy fixation I put together a small guide of my favorite sellers;  just sit back, relax, fire up your pay pal accounts and let the Etsy madness begin.

Yellena creates beautiful drawings and paintings that have an abstract yet graceful underwater feel about them http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5066099 http://www.yellena.com/

Channel from Junkprints is a fashionista extraordinaire based out of Brooklyn. Part vintage curator and part seamstress channel combines unusual fabrics with found materials to create brilliant hoodies, tops and accessories. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5170554&section_id=5107178  http://junkprints.com/
 

Jewelry designer Ragtrader creates all types of affordable and attractive wears, from rings to hair accessories, but it’s really her necklaces that stand out. I like this winged tiger necklace…very rock ‘n roll. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5099826 

 

Jef designs is a one man company based out of Portland, Oregon that creates these beautiful paintings on wood, paper and lightboxes. This internationally recognized artist strives to create a space that “evokes balance, purpose, order and harmony”. His work reminds me of the fluidity of the ocean (sense a theme). http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=105671 

 

 

Mad hatter, Boring Sydney, creates custom made hats that have a flair for the dramatic. Each hat comes in a hand stitched storage bag with a retro closure. So if you’re planning a trip to the races or just need to keep your noggin warm, check out this indie millinery. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5007565

 

RKM Studios, based out of Chicago, designs these beautiful hanging glass art pieces. His collection is largely abstract, mostly referencing nature or planetary movements. His work runs anywhere from $50 to $1,000, so there is something for everybody. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5074043

 

 

Vintage online super store, blue bell bazaar, is the perfect stop for designer Chachkes. Adorable stuff at great prices adds a retro flair to anyone’s home without having to shell out the big bucks. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5034485

 

Take off your clothes, no really… that’s the name of this avant-garde clothing company based out of Austin, Texas. Half eighties revival and half krump- alicious this group of designers create fashionable stuff that’s actually good enough to wear…somewhere. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=55025

 

 

Get Green with Brad

Brad Pitt's new environmental pet project, "Make It Right" (MIR), assembled a team of fourteen world-renowned architecture firms from across the globe to fabricate affordable and sustainable homes for the victims of hurricane Katrina. 150 such homes are slated to be built for low-income residents of New Orleans most devastated quarter, the Lower 9th Ward. Pitt hopes that the MIR project will encourage other architectural firms to help rebuild the Big Easy.

http://makeitrightnola.org/index.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/more_on_brad_pi.php

Polanoid

Where, oh where, did all the analog film go? Polanoid is a photography social networking site that encourages people to get reacquainted with an old friend, the Polaroid camera. This Polaroid format only site seeks to create a safe haven for this dying form of expression driven by a "hunger for real analog, good smelling pictures in a digital world." I can get behind that.

http://www.polanoid.net/

The Beautiful Arctic

LIMA (Land Image Mosaic of Antarctica) has just released new high definition images of Antarctica. The coldest piece of real estate on the planet has recently been hotly contested by key global players like Argentina, Chile and the United Kingdom as they vie for the black gold that could be sleeping underneath Antarctica's icy exterior. This old fashioned land grab comes at a time when much of the land is compromised and scientists warn that the Arctic could seem a little less chilly as of late due to climate change, tough times for a region that contains 90 percent of the worlds ice. LIMA hopes that images like this one along with on going scientific polar research will help the general public to visualize the climate changes in Antarctica's southernmost environment as well as highlight the beauty of this threatened land.

http://lima.usgs.gov/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article2859366.ece