Hasta La Ideas

I’ll be honest, it’s a little refreshing to see some Batman merchandise that ISN’T a LEGO Batmobile. Meet the latest official Batman drip, courtesy of the franchise’s collaboration with Fossil. The two watches released as a part of the Batman x Fossil collection are based on the theme of the Dark Knight and one of his nemeses, The Riddler.

Designer: Fossil

The Batman watch is a dark timepiece with a certain brutish mystique that’s typical of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego. It comes in an all-black design and a 43mm stainless steel case, sporting an automatic movement within a 10ATM water-resistant design, a date-window on the watch-face, and glowing markings and Batman’s insignia on the front face. The watch comes equipped with a silicone strap, but ships with two more interchangeable straps in the box set, and costs $300 for the entire kit.

The second timepiece in the kit, however, isn’t as highly equipped as the first – makes sense considering how much gear and tech Batman carries around with him. The Riddler watch is far simpler in build, but makes up for that with its intricate watch face, covered with question marks that are molded right into the dial. The Batman logo is retained, although in signature Riddler fashion, is vandalized with a question mark right over the logo. While the Batman watch had a date window at the 6 o’clock position, the Riddler watch as a 6-hour spinning subeye. The watch sports a quartz movement within the 44mm case that’s just 5ATM water-resistant and is finished with a svelte leather strap.

The post Batman X Fossil Watch first appeared on Yanko Design.

Paper art is definitely becoming more appealing these days. In recent months, we showed you some of the most interesting paper creations shared by different artists. And no, we’re not stopping anytime soon.

Using paper as the primary medium proves the innate creativity of a person. One doesn’t have to be a professional artist as one only needs to be interested or follow instructions. If you’re not a natural-born artist, you can spend time learning and discovering what kind of art you can make. Origami is one easy suggestion, but you can try paper sculptures when you want more challenges.

Designer: Cecilia Levy

See Cecilia Levy’s paper art as she comes up with beautiful paper sculptures made from ordinary, everyday items such as old book pages. Levy uses papier maché techniques and wheat starch paste plus paper to turn old paper into anything.

Cecilia Levy has created sculptural objects in paper-like shoes, boots, teacups, and flowers. She believes in saving old books and preserving nature by art. This Swedish artist used to be a bookbinder and a graphic designer but she has since made a name for her paper creations. Her paper art has been displayed in distinguished exhibitions like the Swedish National Museum.

One notable installation by Levy was her In Fusion – Contemplation Pieces revealed in 2017 at the Stockholms New Karolinska University Hospital NKS. It was a public art commission that featured more than 25 unique paper sculptures on plinths. These days, her work is up for sale at the Konsthantverkarna Stockholm.

Cecilia Levy’s works present a nostalgic look, whether larger installations or smaller sculptures. You look at her creations, and you will be taken back in time. Levy loves vintage books and she likes to preserve the past in her designs. She applies different methods like tearing, cutting, and shredding. She then merges the paper using molds, paste, and papier maché.

Intricate patterns and blocks of texts characterize her sculptures. You may be interested in reading the words and phrases on every creation as Cecilia carefully chooses what to use. The artist is meticulous as she wants to preserve those visible traces from the passage of time.

Check out some of Cecilia Levy’s most influential paper sculptures included in the public art commission in Stockholm, Sweden. Her In Fusion – Contemplation pieces include Medicinal Plants, Tea Sets, and Insects.

See this pair of shoes that come with a scalloped design. The soles of the shoes feature readable words and paper shoelaces. She used wheat paste and book pages to complete the creation.

Levy’s selection of cups, bowls, and tea sets will make you wish they’re real ceramic sets you can use. Perhaps the artist can lend the designs to real plate manufacturers. They’re too pretty to remain as decorative pieces.

Cecilia Levy also has a collection of Mary Janes. The several pairs of doll shoes in different designs tell us about the artist’s passion for this style. Perhaps this is her favorite, but the shoes make for a lovely art collection even if it isn’t.

The artist also has a collection of paper thistles. We’re assuming she applied the same technique on the Hobo boots. Cecilia Levy has more paper sculptures we haven’t seen. We’ll watch out for her future releases, like her HOMO FABER exhibition next month in Italy.

The post Cecilia Levy’s Paper Art and Sculptures take you back in nostalgia first appeared on Yanko Design.

Brimming with brilliant energy and a message of optimism, the fourth single from the upcoming Lucius album, Second Nature (out 8 April), “Dance Around It” finds the indie-pop act collaborating with Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow. In addition to lending backing vocals to the bright track, Carlile produced the album (the duo’s first since 2016’s Good Grief) with Dave Cobb. “When we brought it to the studio, we asked our dear friends and collaborators (pinch me) Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile to sing with us; they were so present and instrumental during the writing and recording of our record—and hearing them sing on this track felt like dancing through that last part of a dark tunnel,” Lucius vocalists Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe shared in a statement.

The Butterfly Cup is a food-grade paper beverage cup with an integrated lid. The French-fry-container-like shape allows the top flaps to be folded in, forming a seal, and at the corner leaves a little spout you can sip from, eliminating the need for a straw:

It can be used for both hot and cold drinks. Surprisingly, the company says, the cup does not have the plastic lamination inside that most drinking cups do; instead they use a “cutting-edge water-based dispersion waterproofing technology,” whatever the heck that means. The end result, they claim, is that the cup biodegrades like regular paper, or can be recycled.

I have to say the form is pretty clever, forming that natural spout:

Fast food chain A&W has announced they’re rolling out the cup for trials in Canada.

Digital watches might be sundry and common these days, but they were quite revolutionary back in the 70s, especially during the LED craze. Although it definitely eschewed conventional digital watch designs, Bulova’s Computron was so beautifully quirky in its mix of luxury and technology that it became an icon of its time. We are at the cusp of another major shift in technologies and product designs, and Bulova wants to again be at the forefront of this “phygital” revolution with a special version of the Computron, now with a hand inside the Metaverse jar.

Designer: Bulova

The original Computron itself, as well as its more recent “Re-Edition,” is already a thing of beauty. Designed with an unconventional trapezoidal body, the watch’s unique shape allows wearers to see the time without having to twist their wrists. That is why it has earned the nickname “drivers’ watch” and has since then been unparalleled in that design.

Bulova is now bringing the Computron back with a twist that tries to appeal to a very different crowd. Inspired by gaming aesthetics, the Computron D-CAVE edition watch sports a black stainless steel case with black silicone straps and luminous green highlights that match the watch’s green LED time display. It’s a design that would call to mind gaming brands like Razer and Alienware, which is probably what Bulova and D-CAVE were aiming for.

More interesting, however, is the special edition of the watch that has a mineral crystal case top serving as a window into the watch’s internals. This special edition also comes with an NFT drop that will let buyers wear a digital version of the watch in the Decentraland Metaverse platform. This special edition is still marked as coming soon, but you can already buy the regular “Iconic Edition” for $450 or cryptocurrencies just to complete the circle.

Curiously, Bulova sees the Computron D-CAVE as an entry into a new way of living, putting down its stake in the Metaverse. It positions its first-ever “phygital” product as a representation of how the physical world will integrate with digital life. Bulova naturally also sees the Metaverse as an opportunity to express love for certain brands in the digital realm, like a certain watchmaker’s iconic classic timepiece turned gamer’s lifestyle product.

The post Bulova Computron D-CAVE watch mashes gaming and NFT in a classic LED timepiece first appeared on Yanko Design.