Doris Salcedo

Doris Salcedo is a Colombian sculptor who often uses domestic materials (such as furniture) in her work, to reference both personal and political histories. The installation shown here was for the International Instanbul Biennale in 2003, consisting of over 1550 chairs stacked between two city buildings. More of Salcedo's work can be seen here. The photo of her installation was taken by Muammer Yanmaz, who also has powerful work. Via Design*Sponge.

I Can Ride On Ice

Check out my brother Greg's video for the song I Can Ride On Ice, which he wrote with his band Things Fall Apart. That's him singing, and directing, and creating the artwork, and editing...and, well, doing a ton of work for a cool result.

Muji

Another reason (of the many reasons) to visit New York––Muji is opening two (two!) stores there soon. Andrew and I visited the Muji on Carnaby Street in London three years ago, and heartily wished we could have one here in Canada, too. Sigh. Maybe someday. Andrew still regrets not picking up the beautifully simple aluminum fountain pen he saw while we were there...

Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

From their website: "Established in 1995 as a...nonprofit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed to spreading kindness." Lots of great ideas––you can even create your own kindness website. I for one try to practice kindness every day. Via Designers Who Blog.

Booklist: Flea Market Style

Saw this the other day and have now added it to my (ever growing) book list: Flea Market Style by Emily Chalmers. A nice combination of vintage (lots of mid-century furniture) with a clean and modern sensibility.

Update: Picked it up today, and am now mentally redecorating.

T-Shirt

Mule Design is a San Francisco-based design company with a nice side line in edgy t-shirts, sold through their Feed Store. I particularly like this one.

Quote!

It's your life. Just let it be so. As Maezumi Roshi used to say, "You're doing it anyway. You might as well appreciate it."

--Gerry Shishin Wick, in The Book of Equanimity

Barney Bubbles

Artist and designer John Coulthart has a great post on his blog about illustrator and designer Barney Bubbles. You probably know Bubbles' work, if not his name––among many other cool things, he designed the iconic Ian Dury and the Blockheads logo (left) and did a lot of the brilliant Elvis Costello album covers, too (both art and design, unusually). I remember admiring this stuff back in the day (which has just dated me, I know). See the post here. Via Design Observer.

Ikea Hacker

Ikea Hacker is a fun blog dedicated to the various ways people personalize their Ikea purchases. Lots of creative ideas. Shown here: Emily's shoe storage, made from kitchen cabinets. A good example of thinking outside the box...

Japanese Snack Characters

Fun article in Ping Magazine (an online Japanese design mag) about the weird and wonderful world of Japanese snack characters. The package on the left is described as featuring "Two lip-sticked seal-panda babes swimming through the seas of dried noodles while having a drink...". Enjoy.

New Work

Another illustration I've created especially for my February promo, which will be going out later this week. It's a psychological piece, about how we're restricted in saying what we think in a social situation, especially when we're angry.

Alvin Lustig Prints

Four classic New Directions, New Classics Series book jackets designed by Alvin Lustig are now available as limited edition, fine art screen prints. Stunningly beautiful work. Be sure to check out Lustig's biography on the site, too. Via Swiss Miss.

The Japanese "Mod" Squad

"(Yuho Hayashi), a traditional kimono maker living in Japan's ancient city of Kyoto, runs a sideline business painting PowerBooks with intricate kimono designs. Hayashi's customizations are just one of the many ways Japanese Mac users like to decorate their machines – from painting the lids of laptops to replacing the entire shell with custom-made transparent plastic." Read the rest of the Wired article about Kaizo, or modifying, by Leander Kahney here. View more of Hayashi's work here.

Mel Rosen

Mel Rosen is a ceramic artist based in Brisbane, Australia. Her work encorporates (to quote her profile) "...road maps, recipes, handwriting and sewing patterns." Lovely work. She also has a great blog that gives a real insight into her creative process as well as her influences. Via Favorite Choses.

Quote!

Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like paté.

––Margaret Atwood (1939– ), Canadian novelist

Sad Day

"Roy Kuhlman, whose jazzlike improvisational paintings and graphics for Grove Press books in the 1950s and ’60s introduced an Abstract Expressionist style to graphic design, died in Mesa, Ariz. He was 83." Read the rest of the New York Times obituary by Steven Heller here.

Classics of Everyday Design 3

Number three in the ongoing Guardian arts blog series by Jonathan Glancey, the humble paper clip was patented by the Norwegian inventor Johan Vaaler in 1899 and has been indispensible ever since. Interesting historical note: "...in recent years a giant paperclip (I promise this is true) has been erected outside Oslo in Vaaler's memory. There is, though, a perfectly serious reason for this seemingly mad moment in the world of public art. During the Second World War, when Norwegians were forbidden by their German conquerors from displaying national symbols, they began to wear paperclips in their clothes. Not only was it, in their minds, a Norwegian invention, but it symbolised the idea of holding on together. Soon enough it became a crime to be seen sporting a paperclip." Read the rest of Glancey's piece here.

Jules Vernacular

The mysterious Jack takes pictures of signs and other found typography in France, and posts them on his blog, Jules Vernacular. Lots of beautiful lettering to look at, and a must for any Francophile, too. I for one would love to have a little boulangerie like this one in my neighborhood. Via Ace Jet 170.

Unhappy Meals

Michael Pollan has a long but excellent article in the latest New York Times Magazine about how we should be thinking about eating. The Kottke blog sums it up nicely: "...he blames the rise of nutritionism (the emphasis on the nutrients contained in food rather than the food itself) for our increasingly poor diets." Great insight into the whole food industry, and how we have lost our way in understanding what we need to eat to nourish ourselves properly. My favourite quote is the start of the article, which is also his conclusion: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Read the whole article here.