Hasta La Ideas

Transformers for adults—jewelry that conceals erotic accessories

When we came across industrial designer Ti Chang’s line of discreet pleasure devices at the Adult Entertainment Expo recently, the assortment of sleekly-designed sex toys far outshone the typically ill-conceived gadgets saturating the market. The second surprise came when we realized that each accessory doubles as a wearable fashion piece, cleverly disguising its true purpose. Some stand outs in her current nine-piece collection include the Droplet Necklace, with silver pendants that also happen to be small vibrators; the seductive Blade Necklace features a dull-edged knife sculpted from hand-cut glass that can be used to stimulate your erogenous zones; the Lash Belt conveniently turns from holding your pants up to keeping your loved one in order; the Leather Handcuffs are a great looking leather double cuff bracelet set that can be used for light restraint.

We followed up with Chang to learn more about the collection and her novel take on the toy industry.

What was your path to starting your own company?

I received my bachelors from Georgia Tech in Industrial Design. I started my career designing personal care products for women, mainly hair brushes. I then went on to design bicycle accessories for Trek Bicycle. I decided to go back to school for my Masters at the Royal College of Art in London. Afterward, I worked as a design consultant on various projects from branding, furniture, to home accessories. During this period I moved around a lot—London, China, New York, and Boston. It was great to experience vastly different projects and cultures which helped me to become a more well-rounded designer. I gained experience working on all aspects of bringing a company/product to life from brand conception to design and production. This gave me the confidence and tools to enable me to eventually start my own company.

How did you evolve to designing intimate accessories?

It was a combination of things. The landscape of the American economy going down hill, so it was very hard to find projects or work. Even if there was work, it wasn’t particularly exciting or well-paid. Also because I care deeply about what I do—I have a hard time working on design projects I am not passionate about. It’s both my blessing and my curse. I made the leap into intimate accessories because it was an area that both fascinated me and to which I felt I had something to contribute.

Considering the interest in intimate accessories, why are so few brands design-oriented in the space?

Culturally the topic of sexuality is taboo. There is a strong cultural stigma with this industry where intimate accessories, adult novelty, toys and porn all get lumped together. So people tend to shy away from this topic. It’s not exactly dinner table conversation and generally people aren’t talking about it openly. The attitude around sexuality is very much an artifact of history—not the nature of sexuality. So people are projecting that historical view and being put off by it instead of embracing it for what it is. I think this stigma is what keeps people from thinking about this space and endeavoring to innovate and make products better.

How did you arrive at the concept of sex toys doubling as jewelry?

I was always disappointed at the lack of aesthetically elegant toys in this space. Why is everything hot pink, purple and rubbery? I wanted to bring a sense of timelessness like a piece of jewelry, something dignifying and beautiful, an object that you would want to keep for a long time. I don’t think it’s necessary to chose just one aspect of the function, why not have it all?

Where does your inspiration come from?

I’m inspired by the material world around me. As an industrial designer, I am drawn to problem solving through design of objects, the tactile experience and the desire to make things a little better.

Tell us about some of your products, like the Handcuff bracelets and Lash Belt.

I think it is interesting that many of the products enable experiences outside the bedroom, and I think I will leave it at that. The leather cuffs and the Lash belt are both fun. The cuffs are more understated, whereas the Lash belt is a stronger fashion/lifestyle statement.

I’m sure you have some great stories to tell, any you want to share?

Working in this industry, there are some great moments. One that comes to mind is the fact that my coworkers and I can go sex toy shopping and it’s totally normal, whereas in other companies, it would probably be an HR violation of some sort.

Any advice for those that want to get something for their partner?

If you are considering a gift from the Incoqnito collection, try to understand the taste and style of your partner. For the more adventurous couples, I would recommend the Razor for sensation play. For the those who like jewelry and edgy accessories, the Leather cuffs and the Droplet necklace are classic accessories that have a sexy twist that you both can enjoy!

Documentarian Richard Press on chasing NYT’s living photography legend

Though shooting and editing “Bill Cunningham New York” only required two years, it took filmmaker Richard Press eight years before that to convince his subject to green-light the project.

Cunningham, traversing and capturing every social milieu of New York with an excited and democratic eye, has become recognized over the decades as one of NYC’s greatest living visual historians. But his private nature and determination to remain an invisible documentarian himself has made it nearly impossible for anyone to turn the camera his way. Even after agreeing to let Press and his two colleagues make their film, there was an inherent “catch me if you can” feeling throughout the process. But, as Press noted, Cunningham’s reluctant and eventually trusting nature with his filmmakers became a part of the story itself—just as much as Cunningham’s relationship the strangers he photographs creates a vivid and telling portrait of New York City.

Here, Press talks to us about his first documentary effort and the admirable, if difficult, tenacity of his subject.

“Bill Cunningham New York” will open in New York on 16 March 2011 at Film Forum for and in Los Angeles on 23 March 2011.

What was your first introduction to Bill Cunningham?

I was freelancing at the Times as an art director and I first met Bill that way. I actually did his page for him. And my partner and husband Philip Gefter was a photo editor and wrote about photography, so he had known Bill for years.

Why did you decide to do this film?

In a certain way, the biographical facts of his life were not as interesting to me as trying to capture his spirit and that joy, and something more abstract.
So I talked to Philip and told him that we should do this together, and we dragged Bill into a conference room at the New York TImes and told him we wanted to make a movie about him, and he just laughed. He couldn’t entertain the idea. It was so ridiculous to him. He didn’t think what he did was valuable—to anybody but himself.

How did you convince him to let you do this project and follow him so closely?

We just kept talking to him about it over the years. One day I said, “Bill I’m going to be out on the street and have a camera on me.'” I got him shooting on the street and he ignored me. That was eight years ago, and it was just a day’s worth of footage in the drawer. And then about two years ago he was being given an award and he didn’t want to accept it, so I offered to cut together this footage I had and showed it, and he saw it and really liked it. I think that was the turning point. He sort of got that I got him and I understood who he was. It was a combination of that, his relationship with me and with Philip that we were able to make the movie. The short version is that we wore him down.

When did you start shooting?

We started shooting September 2008, around Fashion Week. It was a year of shooting and then a year of editing.

Your other films are narratives. Had it occurred to you to do a documentary before?

I never thought to make a documentary. It’s just that he was such a strong character: how he lived his life, his ethics, his spirit, his obsessive dedication to his work. So in a way he is like a narrative character. I approached the movie less like a documentary and more like a narrative, with the way I structured it and the way it was edited. It felt more like early Robert Altman, sort of “Nashville”-like. There were all these eccentric characters, and at the center of the collage, there was Bill. I would say Altman was the biggest influence in how I was thinking about this movie. And I was also trying to mirror Bill’s column, which is a collage of all these different elements.

What were some of the challenges posed when trying to film, especially on the streets of New York?

Once Bill agreed to be filmed, it wasn’t like he just gave us access. It was always a negotiation. There was no crew. It was just me, Philip and
Tony Cenicola a staff photographer at the New York Times, who had never actually shot a movie, but who Bill knew and trusted, joining me as cinematographer. The three of us would try to be as invisible as possible. I was living at the New York Times for years, waiting to have his cooperation and hanging around where he was working—we had a desk nearby—and there were months of negotiations to be able to follow him at night. And then slowly over time, he realized we weren’t going away. When he let us into his apartment, it was a miracle. No one had ever really been in his apartment, especially with a camera. And then he introduced us to his neighbors. Over time, I think he respected our doggedness and he kind of recognized himself in that. That’s how he works. He’s just constantly working and never giving up.

Would you say your filming process was a reflection of his own method?

For him being invisible is the most important thing for doing his work—that he can just stand on the street and be quick and invisible to get the shot that he wants. I tried to mimic that in the way I shot it.

How did you choose to handle the political issue of Bill and several other artists being forced out of the Carnegie Hall apartments, which occurred while you were shooting?

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I didn’t want to take a side. I just wanted to point it out there in the kind of most non-judgmental way. I wanted the whole movie to be a reflection of Bill, and while he obviously has his own opinions, he presents what he sees. And so the movie wasn’t an ethics thing. I have my own opinions about it, but I tried to present it as straightforwardly as possible. The Carnegie people had an opportunity to comment, but they didn’t.

How conscious was your decision to avoid any commentary on other street-style photographers?

To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought. I was really just focused on capturing what Bill does. My interest was in capturing this person, the spirit of this being and what it all means. And trying to show it as a portrait of New York City through the lens of this person.

Did he ever have any comments or thoughts about this new genre?

It never came up. But the thing about Bill, actually, is that he knows about everything. He’s so aware of everything, even beyond style and design and fashion. He’s very politically aware. He really knows what’s going on. He definitely knows that there are other people doing it, but he’s just so focused on his own work that it doesn’t concern him.

What influenced your choices for the film’s soundtrack?

It was interesting trying to figure out what the sound would be musically. I was listening to a lot of music, and one day heard a song by the Lounge Lizards and thought it was perfect for the opening I already had in mind. It had the perfect combination of urban, rhythm, quirkiness and heart, and originality and eccentricity. And then what was really interesting, when I was scoring the rest of the film, I went back to all this John Lurie music—John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards—and for whatever magical reason, it just captured New York and Bill.

As you developed this intimacy with Bill as your subject, were there any questions you found difficult to ask?

When you ask Bill a personal question, you never quite get a straight answer. We basically know all the facts of his life, where he’s from and how many siblings he had, but those kinds of biographical facts—it’s just not what he’s about for me or why I wanted to make a movie. I wasn’t interested in making a biopic but I completely appreciate there are people who say they want to know more about his family and his childhood and that’s completely valid, but that would have been a different movie.

Looking at Bill as such a straight shooter—his level of integrity is so hard to come by these days—and in a way, he’s such a genuine documentarian himself. Did you take any lessons from him as you were making this film about him?

Absolutely. It really was something that was so important for me to capture that. In terms of taking away something from knowing Bill and making the movie with him—this may sound very sentimental, but I think we all wake up everyday deciding how we’re going to live our lives, and being around Bill and seeing his ethics and the joy that he gets from his work, it was actually very instructional and inspirational to me. Spending two years with Bill making this movie really did that. You find yourself asking that question: how do you live an ethical, honest life?

Has Bill seen the film?

No. He’s never seen it. We tried to get him to see it, but he just has no interest. He’s never even listened to his online narratives, his weekly slideshows, for the Times. It just doesn’t concern him.

London’s King of Sequins puts a fashion shine to pop culture

A Delhi-born fashion designer living in London, Ashish Gupta‘s East-meets-West approach all comes down to sparkle. Runway shows might resemble Bollywood productions with parades of theatrical ensembles splashed in vivid color, but there’s nary a sari in sight. Instead Ashish, known as “The King of Sequins,” interprets pop culture cliches—from preppy knits to Hawaiian prints—with the dazzling material. The Central Saint Martins grad describes the instant glamour they add as magical, explaining how “sequins animate clothes and throw light on surrounding walls.” The offbeat effect first caught the attention of buyer Yeda Yun at London’s Browns Focus boutique, when Yun spotted a friend of Ashish’s wearing a sweatshirt in brown herringbone tweed with chunky cream ribbing, covered in neon-orange sequin bows.

Such highly imaginative work isn’t as easy as it looks; Gupta says, “I get bored of things very quickly so its always a bit of a challenge going from initial ideas to runway show without ending up being completely random!” For his Spring/Summer 2011 show (pictured at top), the line pairs Western accessories—cowboy hats, Native American feathers, trucker hats with Coca-Cola logos and McDonalds’ golden arches emblazoned cowboy boots—with a range of sequined tops, skirts, dresses and pants that look like something like Rihanna might wear to a truck stop. The previous A/W 2010 collection (pictured above), a tad more subdued (if that word is ever appropriate for Ashish), included a range of Gypsy-inspired sequin outfts that referenced traditional Uzbeki designs and patterns found on Persian rugs.

Like a modern Midas, everything Gupta touches shines. Fabrics that on first take look normal aren’t really how they appear. Flannel, cotton and wool textures are actually glittery garments, all made by hand. “I subconsciously imagine everything made in sequins, sometimes it doesn’t occur to me to use anything else! I’ve been working with sequins so long now it’s very instinctive. I love the way sequins look, the way that they move and hang on a body and how a dress can look like molten metal or wet paint.”

Achieving such stunning effects takes more than Gupta’s passion alone. Working with intricate material isn’t easy, requiring the skilled hands of sometimes up to sixteen people to finish. Gupta pulls it off in his own factory in India, explaining, “All my garments are made to order. Its a very unusual way of working, almost couture. The fabric is stretched onto frames then beaded, then cut out and sew together and then hand finished.” With each sequin sewn on individually, quantities are small but each item is truly a “labor of love.”

Whether a comment on mass production or simply a love letter to the brand, Nike resurfaced as a theme in his S/S 2010 show after making its first appearance five years prior. The affinity is in keeping with the designer’s slight obsession with American pop culture, but also perfectly embodies his interest in making something glamorous feel casual. “I like things to be easy, so I usually design things that can be slipped on and off easily, I love pockets and zips, things that makes clothes feel relaxed and comfy. A fully beaded dress should feel as comfortable as an old t-shirt.”

Ashish will show his Autumn/Winter 2011 collection at London Fashion Week this February, mixing London references, polished punk and “really classic fabrics” in sequins, naturally. The line sells from stockists around the world.

Our interview with The Macallan’s latest Master of Photography

Back in September when we visited The Macallan at their home in the Scottish Highlands we were given a sneak preview of both the liquid and the imagery from the latest in their Masters of Photography series. While the 20-year-old whisky instantly became our new favorite for the way its buttery smooth texture offsets its rich and complex flavor, the imagery Albert Watson created to celebrate it offers a beautiful and educational perspective on what makes Scotch whisky so special. Where Rankin (the last Scottish photographer to create a series for The Macallan) used the Easter Elchies estate as a background for nude portraiture, Watson chose to tell the story of the complex journey Oak wood makes from the forest to the Estate, picking up the varied characteristics through Spain and Scotland that eventually define the whisky.

In anticipation of Thursday’s NYC stop of the one-night-only series of gallery exhibitions of Watson’s series, I sat down with the famed photographer to hear more about the project from his perspective.

You’re very highly regarded as a fashion photographer, I’m wondering if you consider yourself one.

I certainly have been a fashion photographer and I still do fashion. But I’ve also done a vast amount of portraiture and movie posters. I’ve done over the years a lot of landscape work and also a huge amount of still life work. So I’ve done more fashion than anything else, but in the end I’m really a photographer who will take fashion photographs. I’m really a photographer in the broad sense of the word.

There’s a very simple way to look at all of the work that I do because I was trained as a graphic designer for four years at university and then did three years of post-graduate at film school. And that is written all over the work. It’s either one of three things: graphic design, filmmaking or a mixture of the two.

Which photograph was chosen for the label of this edition?

It is the one of the barrel in the shaft of light, which was the first one we did. Due to the logistics, we shot the cooperage first and I went in to the saw mill and there was a big room. The place was very dusty and smokey and humid so this was the perfect condition for a shaft of light to come through. I walked into the room and there was this shaft of light. I turned to Ken Grier, the Creative Director, and said there’s a shot there, so we put a barrel in it. It was an important moment because it laid a standard for the rest of the shoot—a lot of times when working on a photographic project you want to get the best shots first because if you start low and improve you end up wanting to reshoot the early shots.

Where did the idea for the storyline come from?

That came from me. What came from them was that they wanted to do Spain and Scotland. But to tie it all together we had to put a human face on it and to do it as a journey that a young couple takes from a sustainable forest in the North of Spain to the barrels being made in the South of Spain and filled with Sherry there. Then they go from there to Scotland to the distillery where the whisky is put in them. I thought people should discover a forest, a saw mill, the cooperage, the barrels, and through that discover Scotland and ultimately the distillery. Doing that through this couple put a face on it.

The series of photographs you created for The Macallan combine the various facets of photography you described to create a very specific narrative. Was this project different from others you’ve done for that reason?

Once inside the project there wasn’t anything I might do over a six month period for a variety of people—I might be employed to do both landscape work and fashion work. So the Macallan thing was just concentrating it in to a very short period of time. The actual shooting time for the project was eight days, which is not a lot of time when you’re doing South of Spain, North of Spain, Central Scotland and West Coast of Scotland.

What do you think of the whisky?

I don’t drink at all. It’s unusual for someone from Scotland not to drink.

The limited-edition of 1,000 bottles of The Macallan Sherry Oak 20 years old has the specially-commissioned label by Watson and each bottle includes a set of 10 portfolio prints, $1000 from select retailers.

An adjacent busy road is screened from this house by Japanese firm FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects, hidden behind a wall suspended over the terrace edge to line up with the boundary wall.

Called Gable House, the project is located in Shiga, Japan.

Behind the shielding wall the terrace is open to the sky, and skylights within funnel light down into the living space.

More about FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects on Dezeen »

Photographs are by Takumi Ota.

The information that follows is from the architects:

Gable House

The site is faced with the heavily traveled arterial road. Living in such an environment, the client would like to have an open and tranquil space where you would not be conscious about surrounding lines of sight.

The house was carefully designed to connect the exterior and interior – the concrete wall is built to interrupt lines of sights and noises from the road, and the hanging wall is also established in front of the opening.

The top and bottom of the hanging wall are opened.

The light that goes through the top opening is projected on the wall, and the reflected soft light is introduced into the room.

The bottom opening is designed to view the yard.

The two walls play a role in extending visual expansion into the inside of the house while protecting privacy.

The casing of the opening is raised a little from the floor. It is designed so that people spontaneously gather and stay around while sitting on or using it as a table.

The vertical intense light from the top light in the living room, combined with the horizontal line of sight controlled by the two walls and the soft light reflected from the hanging wall, realizes the open and tranquil habitation space.

The volume with the simple gable roof, which is determined for snow accumulation, incorporates the expanding inner space of the highly calculated design.

Architects: FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects
Location: Shiga:Japan
Client: Private

Construction Year: 2010

Site Area:165㎡

Constructed Area: 82m2

See also:

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House of Reticence by FORM/Kouichi Kimura	House of Resonance by FORM/Kouichi Kimura	House of Spread by FORM/Kouichi Kimura