IMEDAGOZE

Working Class Studio :: New Products!

2008-08-12T21:43:00.004+08:00

Just got this in the mail. I'm sure you've seen it around the blogland, too. What's not to love..., I adore these two the most, Ben Tumblers and Kay Bowls. Working Class Studio will be at New York International Gift Fair booth 4141 this coming August 17-21, 2008.

Thanks, Jessica!

TROMARAMA, Indonesia

2008-08-02T15:16:00.007+08:00

Febie Babyrose, Herbert Hans, and Ruddy Alexander H., the digital artists behind TROMARAMA, are the maker of this R.N.R.M. video music titled Zsa Zsa Zsu. With 1500 frames, 12 kg buttons, and 1 kg colored beads, I only have one word for it. Awesomeness.

TROMARAMA will also be participating at the Singapore Biennale 2008 this coming September. Having born in the year '84 and '85, it looks like they are the youngest artists in the biennale. Very impressive, indeed.

Canape by Jang Lila

2008-07-29T11:21:00.002+08:00

Is it a piece of furniture, or is it an artwork? Well, it has all the ingredients of a furniture; wood, cloth and foam. It's a rather unusual furniture, but yet, it is still visually appealing. It's an artwork by a korean artist, Jang Lila. To me, Canape is like a reminder to always look at things or matters differently. Whether you favour it or not, sometimes the outcome can be equally pleasant. :)

Sweets Thoughts

2008-07-15T17:34:00.008+08:00

For a person with sweet tooth like me, it's easy to adore these artworks. I wish I could have a wall full of these sweets. Surely my daughters would agree with me on this. ;-) Here are some candies taken from some reputable art galleries.

(top) Ahn Sung Ha, Kate Brinkworth
(bottom) Kate Brinkworth, Hwang Hyun Seung

Have a sweet, sweet day!

Thank you

2008-07-11T00:36:00.002+08:00

What an awesome week. First, it was this, then this. Someone should pinch me. hard. :)

Ericka of JuBella.com asked my permission to use my Malang pictures quite a long while ago, and they've just gotten featured here recently. Please visit JuBella.com for more creative inspirations. ;-) Thanks, Ericka!

And, Holly of decor8 invited international design bloggers back in May, to be featured on Domino online. Now, you could (and should!) see all of them here. I'm so glad that I could finally see all my fellow bloggers, after years of blogging. *Nice to see you all! :) And it was so thoughtful of Holly to even mention my Inhabit pillows. For all of these, I say thanks to Holly and Domino!

For first-time readers who came from JuBella.com and Domino, welcome! :)

I think I'll be walking around smiling for the rest of the week now. :) Have a great weekend to you all!

konnichiWHOA! photography exhibition

2008-07-10T16:35:00.006+08:00

It's a 2-week exhibition with over 200 photographs of Japan by 24 final-year students from Temasek Polytechnic. Here's a short story about the exhibition.

Individualism is the common thread that binds this exhibition, which offers multiple perspectives on one subject – Japan, seen through the lens of these students, many of whom are first-time visitors to the country. The kaleidoscopic exhibition captures the rich cultures of Japan through the eyes of these youth, its people, architecture in over 200 photographic works. Visitors to the gallery would be able to see their creative interpretation of Japan and their varied photography styles reflected in their photography works and video installations.

You can view some of the photographs here. This is my top fave so far. *Not a common sight in Japan, I hope. ;-)*

KonnichiWHOA! will start from Friday, 18 July 2009 to Friday, 1 August 2008, Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm, Sunday, 1pm to 6pm at 2902 Gallery, 11 Mount Sophia, Block B, #B2-09, Singapore. Be there! I know I would. :)

Thanks, Pepper!

Michael Lin

2008-07-07T14:00:00.002+08:00

How could I not love this? Found on YouTube, and seen on Le Méridien 100 Facebook page. Click here to listen to his creative podcasts. And click here to see some of his previous work.

Enjoy!

The Affordable Art Fair, New York

2008-06-11T23:31:00.004+08:00

I probably shouldn't be blogging while on vacation, but I really have to post this. I've just gone to the preview of The Affordable Art Fair (AAF) on 135 W. 18th Str, NYC, all thanks to Carrie. It was jammed packed, and obviously it's for one good reason, great artworks at affordable prices. Uhuh, for real. It is a must. visit. event(!). With over 70 international galleries, it's so easy to find favorites there. I found quite a few, and I'm sure you'll find yours. AAF will only run until June 15, 2008, so hurry, click here to find out more.

Enjoy!

Away

2008-05-26T10:37:00.015+08:00

It's that time of the year again. :) School holiday has started, we will be leaving on Wednesday for 3 weeks.

Luckily, Jo Scholar told me about the Design Show Liverpool, the upcoming show where she'll be exhibiting at. So there are plenty(!) of designer links and product pictures, from the show's website, for your browsing needs while I'm away. ;-)

There's a 2-for-1 ticket offer, just enter code 'EXH241' when you buy tickets online at www.designshowliverpool.com. Jo will be here, and click here to see the rest of the exhibitors. You'll like them, really. Go on and browse, or visit the show.

Take care, and have a great summer!

Couture: Girls and Boy by Marcel Wanders

2008-05-22T09:18:00.011+08:00

A friend of mine drop this on my FB wall this morning. Couture: Girls & Boy is the new collection of luxurious wall prints created by Marcel Wanders for Graham & Brown. Click here to see Suzanne, Alice, Grace, Kelly, Audrey, Isabella, Stella and Henry, the names of the Couture: Girls & Boy wallpaper collection. *hmmm.... this Henry must be quite a popular boy then. ;-)*

Thanks, ciska!

Tropicalia by Patricia Urquiola

2008-05-20T11:17:00.006+08:00

A recent check on Moroso's site had fed my latest obsession of colorful lineworks. So I just had to post it here. :) *nice web design, too, heh?*

Tropicalia collection, designed by Patricia Urquiola, offers three different materials (polymer, polyester HT, leather) and colors used. One can be playful with thermoplastic polymer threads, or sophisticated with leather, or simple with HT polyester double plaited cords. The colored Tropicalia is made using three threads, combining different colors and creating color mixes. And yes, this piece above is it.

DESIGNSPOTTER relaunch!

2008-05-19T08:21:00.006+08:00

Have you checked out DESIGNSPOTTER's new look? It's now online with the beta version. Here's one cool new feature, for designers who'd like to be published on DESIGNSPOTTER, you could easily build your profile page and upload your product images yourself. Brilliant, isn't it? :) Read more about it here.

Congratulations to Markus and his team!

Colorful Lineworks

2008-05-17T09:20:00.007+08:00

As promised, here are some masterpieces that had me head over heels for the past few weeks. I'm amazed on how simplicity could generate such powerful artwork. Lines, lines, and more lines in various colors, creating various shapes, movements, and emotions. They are just so captivating. so memorable. so addictive. It's my latest obsession. All thanks to the Jim Lambie's installation I saw weeks ago. :)

From left to right:
(top) Yoon Lee, Frank Stella
(middle) Eric Sall, Frank Stella
(bottom) Atsuko Tanaka, Rudi Mantofani

Enjoy your long weekend!

Dwell on Design, June 5 -8, 2008

2008-05-14T09:24:00.004+08:00

You must've heard it around the blogland, dwell is having the 3rd Annual Dwell on Design on June 5-8, 2008 in Los Angeles. It includes Conference (June 5-6) , Exhibition (June 6-7), and Home Tours (June 7-8).

Here are the highlights of the events:

Conference: June 5-6
More than 50 incredibly talented and diverse speakers ranging from legislators to practitioners to activists, discussing everything form urban gardening to a mandated LEED program for LA.

Exhibition: June 6-7
More than 200 exhibitors and an entire neighborhood of full-scale, pre-fab, sustainable structures completely landscaped and furnished by Dwell.

Home Tours: June 7-8
Saturday covers single-family dwellings on the Westside, and Sunday covers urban dwellings downtown.

Party at the Los Angeles MoCA: June 6
Dwell Live Design Challenge: 6-9 PM

Designers will challenge each other using Wacom Cintiq tablets, competing in heats with their imagery projected on the museum walls.

Live DJs and Indie Music Performances

DETAILS

Party at FORDBRADY Gallery

LA Design Gallery Tour: June 7

And here are the goooodies for you!!: *we all love goodies, don't we? :)*

Coupon code for Discounted Exhibition Ticket (20% Off): ADODED
Coupon code for Discounted Conference Ticket ($50 Off): GRP22SP
FREE 1 Month Digital Issue of Dwell Magazine: LINK

Interested to join the fun? Save the dates, book a flight, click here for registration, and have a blast! :)

Thanks, Cory!

Faceless at Pombamarela

2008-05-12T17:17:00.003+08:00

I received an email from Ana of Pombamarela earlier this month, informing me about the Uterus cancer alert campaign in Portugal called “Passa a palavra” (translation ”Spread the word”). The intention of the campaign is to alert women/families about a new vaccine for adolescents that helps to prevent this terrible disease. And Ana would like to be part of this campaign by donating half of her etsy sales during the month of May to this “Passa a palavra” project.

Ana is a multi-talented person, a crafter, an artist, and a photographer. She loves doing projects with different kind of materials and always pushes herself to achieve a better artistic level. Amongst her creations, I have to say her "Faceless" photograph series are the ones that really grabbed my attention. Above is my top pick. I can really sense Ana's strong confidence in her photography works, and it's obviously shown on the piece above. "Faceless" is definitely not an easy subject for a commercial photograph, but the fact that Ana chose this subject is surely admirable.

Click here to support Ana. Spread the word!

Thanks, Ana!

Paper Plates at Working Class Studio

2008-05-10T08:07:00.004+08:00

I first learnt about Working Class Studio over at d*s a long while back, but I've never talked about it here yet. For those who are not familiar with Working Class Studio, below is a short introduction, provided by Jessica of Working Class Studio.

Working Class Studio is a product development venture of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) that cultivates and promotes the work of talented SCAD artists. Each academic quarter, students are selected as interns to form an interdisciplinary design team which designs products to be sold in the marketplace. The studio also regularly collaborates with faculty and alumni to produce lifestyle and home interior goods. An innovative concept for an educational institution, Working Class Studio married function with art to deliver a well-curated, ever-expanding mix of original stationery and home décor lines sold in retail stores across the United States and internationally.

Paper plate and napkin collection is the latest addition to Working Class Studio's innovative home décor and stationery lines. One collection is a wildly vibrant explosion of color, while the other offers a chicly minimalistic motif. My choice? of course..., the wild one. ;-) Click here to find out where you can get them. Plus, they are open for wholesale purchase, too. They will be at these tradeshows if you're interested. :)

Thanks, Jessica!

hello, dear...

2008-05-10T07:40:00.002+08:00

Sorry for neglecting this blog for waaaaaaaay too long. :) I went for a one-week short course and then got myself obsessed with contemporary arts. All of a sudden, my spare time in the blogland was completely taken up by art discussions and enquiries with gallery managers, artists, and a contemporary-artoholic friend of mine. I might not be able to share everything here, but perhaps, I could show some artworks that had me head over heels, one of these days.

Meanwhile, let me sort my emails first, there are few that really deserve a shoutout here.

To all mommies out-there, wishing you a Happy Mother's Day, May 11!

Ribbon Pouf by Maria Pergay

2008-04-28T20:00:00.005+08:00

This is the kind of thing that would make you gasp for breath, and eventually, melt your wallet (or life savings!). If you are a true fashionista or an art collector, this Ribbon Pouf by Maria Pergay is definitely a must-have. How could you possibly resist? It only comes in an edition of 12. And boy. stainless steel has never(!) looked. so. good. Available at Demisch Danant, New York, USA.

Seen on Vogue Living Spring/Summer 2008.

Links for you..

2008-04-17T21:05:00.008+08:00

As promised, here are some links for you. Since I haven't been reading blogs the past few weeks, below links are taken either from my emails, or my bookmarks. If you need more good reads, you could rely on my right sidebar links. (look ----->) :)

Young Illustrator Awards 2008

Claudia of Illustrative 2008 told me about the Young Illustrators Award 2008 currently accepting artworks from talented illustrators, animators, and book artists worldwide(!). 20 finalists will be shortlisted to participate at the Illustrative 2008 exhibition this October in Zürich. Wanna know what the dateline and the top prize are? Click here to find out more.

Baden Baden, Japan

Baden Baden is another great Japanese design shop. I have to say they have a really good eye in selecting their products. I love most of them. :) But if I had to choose, Pendulum lighting is definitely(!) my top favorite.

textile+music, Japan

textile+music was founded in 2003 by textile designer Yuji Muzita. I learnt about textile+music from Baden Baden. Above are some of his wonderful work. You should see the rest of them here.

More Singapore-based design blogs

Here are the latest Singapore-based design blogs added to my links recently, Trend Insights and DesignHeir. Trend Insights is run by a team of professionals from advertising/design industries, and DesignHeir is run by D. Heir, a Creative Director, who happens to be my former classmate in fabric printing course. :) Folks, please join me to welcome them.

Take care now, I'll be back in two weeks.

out-of-blogland days

2008-04-16T11:45:00.007+08:00

Sorry for not updating my blog and for not replying any emails for the past two weeks, but it'll be a while until I return to my old blogland days. :) I'll leave you with some links tomorrow, and as for today, please do visit the Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today (March 2 - May 12, 2008) exhibition at MoMA.org.

Above is a snapshot of one of their installation videos. It's the installation of ZOBOP! by Jim Lambie. I wish we could have that somewhere in our home. :) For those who can't visit the museum physically (like me!), you can view the Color Chart online exhibition here. OR listen to the Color Chart audio clips. Don't you just loooooove technology? ;-) Have a blast.

a mad, mad world.

2008-04-02T12:09:00.004+08:00

An article on asian art market, published today, April 2, 2008, in The New York Times. It's hard to believe, but it is happening in this part of the world. So.. is it really a market bubble? You decide.

pingg

2008-04-01T17:10:00.001+08:00

I've received an email from Jessica this morning, telling me about a newly launched online invitation site called pingg. It just took me a click and I was sold. You'd know good applications when you see them, right? And pingg is one of them.
pingg offers stylish online invites for today's modern world. You can select an image from their picture gallery, or use your own image for your invites, and send them by email, sms, web, or print. Can you tell that I had fun with pingg? :) I used one of my photographs to create my fake invite above. It's so easy to use, and I must say, it is one clever tool.

Thanks, Jessica!

Asian Contemporary Art

2008-03-31T14:51:00.002+08:00

Ever since I visited the Primary Colours: Feng Zengjie exhibition at Singapore Art Museum, I've been digging some news and works on asian contemporary art. Following Masterpiece auction in March, Larasati auction will be next, to be held on April 13, 2008, with art preview on April 11-12, 2008, at Raffles Hotel, Singapore. Below are few upcoming art exhibitions around Asia:

(left) 101TOKYO Contemporary Art Fair 2008 will be held on April 3 -6, 2008, at Rensei Chugakkou, 6-11-14 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021. They have flickr, too, btw.

(middle) ART HK 08 on May 14-18, 2008 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

(right) ShContemporary, The Asia Pacific Contemporary Art Fair, will be held on September 10-13, 2008, at Shanghai Exhibition Center (SEC) 1000 Yan’an Zhong Road, 200040 Shanghai.

I wish I had the luxury to visit them all. Haha. :) Btw, don't forget to check out Luo Brothers's Chinese Pop artworks! Love them.

Villa Lagoon Tile, USA

2008-03-28T00:30:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, Lundy of Villa Lagoon Tile, an Encaustic Marble / Cement Tile producer in Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA, sent me an email after she saw my recent tile photo. And I was so glad she did. Really. Not only she carries a fantastic tile collection, but she also has a long list of other Encaustic Cement Tile manufacturers around the world on her site(!). *a Must See!*

Above are my top picks from Villa Lagoon Tile, (top) Venetian, and (bottom) Surf tiles. And guess what.., each of Villa Lagoon Tile is handmade-to-order in the same way that hydraulic encaustic tiles have been crafted since 1857. Amazing, isn't it? Click here to learn more about encaustic cement tiles, Lundy's site offers everything you need to know. :)

Thanks to Lundy and her list, now I know we have similar manufacturers in Indonesia; in Jogja and Bali. :)

Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia

2008-03-26T00:15:00.002+08:00

Two saturdays ago, my brother, sis and I went for a day trip to a small charming town in Central Java called Pekalongan. My brother suggested the idea sometime last year, but I only took up the offer when I was in Jakarta recently. And I'm glad I did. *thanks, bro!*

We first visited a weaving home industry, Ridaka, which house those gorgeous tiles, btw. But I hesitated to take pictures of their business as I was afraid I might offend their privacy, so I didn't take any pics of their old spinning wheels, making their own yarns, and their 10+ huge weaving looms(!). I was quite surprised to see such large operations inside a house that actually looks small from the front yard.

Only during our lunch at a nearby eatery, we learnt that the owner of Ridaka has a sister who runs a batik home industry. *entrepreneurship runs in the family apparently*. And they offered to bring us to Tobal Batik soon after lunch. Tobal Batik sits on a bigger house than Ridaka, but really, both houses just look like other houses, you wouldn't expect any big operations going on inside the house, or such large land area behind its front door. Well, I guess.. that's why it's called a home industry. :)

The moment I saw rows of batik, I knew I just had to ask if I could take pictures there at Tobal Batik. So I did, and.. permission granted! *yay!* I was quite overly excited already at this state. :) Then as we turned into another section (stamping) of the workshop, the first look I had into that section was their shelves of copper blocks. I was stunned, gasping, and I felt like fainting on the spot. No kidding, it was my first time seeing tons of copper blocks everywhere, on the shelves and tables(!). By then, excitement was nolonger the word to describe how I felt. It's heaven. Heaven was the word. :) Afterwards, we toured around the coloring, dyeing, and sewing sections of the workshop. And finally, we visited their batik shop, where I bought dresses for my two girls, and fabric for myself. :)

I had uploaded my Pekalongan pictures more than a week ago, but I only managed to share the story today *sorry*. So please enjoy the rest of the pictures here.

Thank you, Ridaka and Tobal Batik, for such priceless experience and for your kind hospitalities. Thank you.

oh btw, Ridaka will be at INACRAFT on April 23 -27, 2008 at Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, Indonesia.