Après l’excellent projet Inception Park, le créatif Fernando Livschitz a réalisé avec la société Black Sheep Films cette vidéo autour d’un parc d’attractions fictif en plein New York. Reprenant des symboles forts de la ville comme l’Empire State Building, le rendu est à découvrir dans la suite de l’article en vidéo.
Intrepid drivers cover 3,500 miles with over $7,000 in traffic tickets for a first-place finish
More than just an excuse to take your super-car from the track to the open road, the Bullrun Rally is an eight-day adventure putting driving abilities, navigational skills and overall gravitas to the test. Started in 2004 with a cross-country, “Cannonball Run”-style inaugural race stretching from LA to Miami, the grueling competition winds across the US each year carving a unique route held secret until the race is actually underway. As the rules go, anyone with a car and the $20,000 entrance fee can enter—but while the buy-in covers luxurious accommodations, meals and even luggage transfer, without a quick wit and superior sense of direction teams aren’t likely to get far.
Now in its eighth year, the rally route has once again evolved to what has been dubbed the West Coast Loop for 2012. Covering more than 3,500 miles, this year’s Bullrun Rally set off in LA on 22 June, leading 100 cars north through Oregon, back down into Nevada and ending in LA again.
Reaching the final check point of the 2012 rally on 29 June, Tony King and Seth Rose became the first team to win back-to-back rallies as well as the first team to win twice with the same members. Pushing a heavily modified 800hp 2009 Nissan GT-R at speeds upward of 200mph, The team fought inclement driving conditions, rogue police and excessively aggressive drivers on this year’s route up and down the California coast. Contrary to the more widely publicized car rallies that flaunt extravagant parties, flamboyant rides and inexperienced drivers, Bullrun celebrates honest competition through expert navigation with a general sense of camaraderie for what Rose feels is just “one hell of a good time.”
First introduced to Bullrun in 2009 by sheer happenstance, King (founder and creative director of digital agency King and Partners) responded to a forum post on Rose’s NYC-based Exotics Rally website regarding the last-minute opportunity to run that year’s rally. The “blind date” as Rose jokingly recalls led the two strangers on a three day trial that planted the seed for success. After getting their feet wet in 2009, the two returned in 2010 for a fourth-place finish, followed by consecutive wins in 2011 and 2012.
While Rose drove, King navigated the car, suped up with top-of-the-line tech—streaming wi-fi, multiple iPads, go-pro cameras, radar detectors, binoculars. As King puts it, “Seth is the monkey behind the wheel and I’m the monkey behind the computer.” The rally commenced each morning at 8am, with teams given a single checkpoint card directing them on the day’s route. Sometimes a specific address was given, other times it was as vague as a scenic description. For one of the more cheeky, memorable checkpoints King found himself riding a jetski to the center of Lake Tahoe in order to physically check in and receive a tip towards the next stop.
“If your foot’s not knocked to the floor you’re not going to succeed,” explains Rose, who received eight traffic violations—including a $6,200 ticket in Oregon—during the 2012 rally. Although speed is obviously a key component, Rose credits their success to a combination of three things—”Navigation skills first, second being the vehicle and equipment that’s inside it, and driver capability. Navigation has to be the most important role though,” he says. “We just navigated better,” adds King.
According to King, the two “don’t have a choice” when it comes to returning next year to defend their title. Rose tells CH they plan to upgrade their car to something slightly more comfortable, and might even bring along their “girls” for next year’s rally. For more on the scenic landscapes, evidence of hairy situations and general car porn see the slideshow.
The Swedish sweet shop introduces all-natural popsicles for summer
Offering a bright white respite from the bustle of Christopher Street, Sockerbit is a Scandinavian sweet shop in NYC’s West Village known for its delectable selection of traditional smågodis (little candies) and its pristine, rainbow-lined interior. The shop—whose name literally translates to “lump of sugar”—was opened in 2010 by Stefan Ernberg and his wife, Florence Baras. Specializing in all things sweet and Swedish—with foodstuffs and toys from neighboring Denmark as well—Sockerbit carries more than 149 different candies priced by the pound. All of their candies are naturally colored and free of genetically modified ingredients and trans fats. “Usually there are more adults in here than kids,” says Baras. “Our candies may look like other candy, but once people try them they can taste the difference.”
This summer, Sockerbit introduced a line of popsicles made in collaboration with Go-Go Pops, a company based in Cold Springs, New York. The flavors are inspired by Sockerbit’s goodies and traditional Swedish flavors like lingonberry and lemon-elderberry pop. Some varieties include small pieces of candy, like the salted licorice, which features chunks of Sockerbit’s bestselling sweet. Like Sockerbit’s other products, their popsicles are naturally flavored and sweetened. “The best part about working with Go-Go Pops is that they are constantly updating the line to include seasonal ingredients,” says Baras. “There is only about one cup of sugar in every 500 popsicles.”
Our favorite popsicles included their Rocky Road fudgesicle, which is delightfully dotted with Swedish marshmallows, and strawberry flavored with rose petals. For an ode to their new home, the star-spangled pop gets a jolt of Americana color with strawberries, blueberries and lemon. The popsicles are $3.80 each and are sold exclusively in-store, while candy is available through the online shop as well.
Four limited-run caps inspired by the Good Moods collection from NYC’s Reed Space and Hawaii’s KICKS/HI
Making a case for the value of a good collaboration is LA-based fashion brand Publish. After dropping their well-recieved “Good Moods” collection just two weeks ago the label teamed up with NYC’s premiere lifestyle boutique Reed Space and Hawaii’s world-renowned sneaker shop KICKS/HI for two limited-run joint projects for your head. Officially launching tomorrow, 13 July, the line will feature a snapback and a five-panel inspired by the retailers’s respective digs.
As an ode to the controlled chaos and artisanal history of New York City, Reed Space’s snapback features muted floral prints conjuring what might grow in the dark alleys if given the chance. The five-panel, on the other hand, features a bright, flowery pattern vaguely reminiscent of a cheetah, in homage to the concrete jungle.
While Reed Space finds inspiration in the dark city of cynics, KICKS/HI’s prints inspire with vivid colors and an unmistakably laid-back attitude. The five-panel seems like it was crafted from a swatch of Victorian-era wallpaper, rather than palm trees and hibiscuses. The snapback’s vibe seems more like digi-camo upholstery, marking a welcome departure from more traditional motifs.
All in all the four collaboration hats stay very much on-brand for the three influential companies. Find the American-made caps in store only at Reed Space and KICKS/HI tomorrow, 13 July. For a closer look see the slideshow.
Images by Graham Hiemstra
Mike Birbiglia’s new film makes a powerful commentary on modern romance
In his cinematic debut, comedian Mike Birbiglia takes the audience on a journey that explores his transformation as an individual and comedic artist. Birbligia, who has made a run on Broadway in a one man show and appeared on NPR’s This American Life and The Moth Podcast, brings his story to the big screen in Sleepwalk With Me. The film tells the tale of Birbiglia’s cumbersome entrance into comedy that runs parallel to a failing relationship and the comedian’s coping with an extreme sleeping disorder. If you are familiar with Birbiglia from the radio or his shows you will recognize many of the stories told here but the interpretation in film adds a fresh layer to his epic on comedy and elusive topic of contemporary romance.
To begin we see Birbiglia the bartender, struggling as a comedian both professionally and creatively. Desperate to succeed in the shadow of an overbearing father, Birbiglia gets his break at the hands of a talent agent who sets him up with very low paying gigs scattered across the Eastern Seaboard. His hunger drives him on, forcing him to neglect his longtime girlfriend and himself through his denial of his sleep disorder, but success is still evasive because his material is stale. The turning point arrives when he begins to speak frankly about his life, his woman and his sleeping disorder.
Once he ditches the jokes and starts being honest the audience can begin to respond. Birbiglia is naturally awkward but relatable, his written comedy isn’t that funny but his stories are fantastic and his honest, depreciating delivery is enchanting. In the process of his comedic transformation Birbiglia becomes alienated from the love of his life, and in his denial of their parting ways proposes marriage to patch things up. This predictably fails, leaving Birbiglia alone to finally face the roots of his destructive sleeping habits and the realities of his relationship.
In the film Birbiglia uses several devices to construct his narrative. At times he addresses the camera directly, frankly attempting to explain himself to the audience and setting up the following scenes. The majority of the film comprises these set-ups acted out by Birbiglia, playing himself, and a dynamic cast of characters. Finally, we are allowed to enter the hectic and dangerous territory of his sleep disorder—cinematically the most compelling element of the film—and see how his bizarre imagination creates situations that are treacherous when lived out in reality.
Despite the title of the film, sleepwalking plays a minor role compared to Birbiglia’s struggle with comedy and his relationship, with one flourishing as the other falls apart. The resulting story ends up providing surprising insight on the necessary sacrifices required to achieve one’s goals and the finely blurred lines between love and romantic maintenance.
The film speaks strongly to the state of modern love and offers a very fresh look at relationships. There is no real conclusion, just a description of experience that points out the absurdities of romance and let’s the audience make their own resolutions. Produced in partnership with Ira Glass, the film itself feels like an extreme labor of love with clear passion and energy applied in every element. While very entertaining it is clear that this, like all of Birbiglia’s projects, is a therapeutic exercise for the comedian, another step in processing his rise to notoriety and his personal life experience.
Premiering 24 August 2012, this film is definitely worth checking out and is an exceptional example of how a compelling story, great cinematography and dedication can make independent cinema shine.
Vibrant limited-edition swim trunks inspired by 1950s Mediterranean style
Founded on the principles of bespoke tailoring and a superlative attention to detail, NYC’s Seize sur Vingt makes men’s and women’s apparel with a penchant for elegant fabrics and classic colors. To step away from the confines of subdued hues, the young brand adventurously called upon NYC-based artist Paul Weil to design an exclusive range of swim trunks. As a stand-alone release apart from the major seasonal collections, the newly launched suits offer the perfect breath of fresh summer air.
Drawing inspiration from his paintings, as well as Mediterranean fashion of the 1950s and ’60s, Weil created two colorful prints called “Peacock” and “Vision.” Each offers a playful splash of color in the repeating patterns, while the Seize sur Vingt-designed houndstooth shorts anchor the collection together with a bold graphic.
The label printed just 60 meters of each fabric for a limited run. The quality in the low-quantity line is ensured by production in a modest factory in central France.
For more information on the collaboration trunks visit Seize sur Vingt directly where they go for $140 each, otherwise have a look through the slideshow for a closer look at the details of these slim-fitting shorts.
Après Vans French Family Trip, la marque Vans a décidé de s’associer au site TheDiggest avec cette vidéo de BMX réalisé par Thibaut Grevet. Il y a quelques semaines, Alex Valentino, Kevin Kalkoff et Matthias Dandois sont partis à New York pour pouvoir profiter des meilleurs spots de la Grande Pomme.
Seven artists tackle organizational and cultural systems
An innovative group exhibition, “Systemic” at Carolina Nitsch Project Room tasked seven artists to submit work representative of their relationship to process and organization. The result is a mixed bag of takes on systems and structures that range from the mathematical to the organic. Each personal approach has implications for collective behavior, with the exhibition functioning as a kind of societal meditation on the way we process our surroundings.
We recognized E.V. Day‘s “Pollinator” from Art Basel, and her three-dimensional reflective sculptures of mirrored flower organs held up the playful, free-form end of the organizational spectrum. Richard Dupont presents the strangely appealing “Head Head”, made from solid cast polyurethane resin. Dupont embedded the larger sculpture with masks cast from his own face as well as masks of random celebrities—ranging from Leonard Nimoy to Beethoven—that were sourced from the Internet.
Within the cast head, Dupont included aged epoxy rapid prototypes of himself and his wife as well as two antique glass heads. The work was especially interesting in the context of the show, providing a physical representation of mankind’s organizational system in real space. Dupont’s use of biography and pop culture in the masks created a narrative of memory and storytelling that informed other works within the exhibition.
Also of note are Tauba Auerbach‘s die-cut paper sculptures. Completely collapsable, “[2, 3]” is a series of giant pop-up books that unfold into wild geometric forms and can be closed to become books at any point. Another geometric work, “Spiral (for LB)” by Alyson Shotz is a life-sized hanging sculpture inspired by Louise Bourgeois’ “Spiral Woman”. The sculpture’s reflective surface plays with light in the space, changing according to day and season.
A floor-to-ceiling woodcut print comes courtesy of Aaron Spangler. Titled “Christian Separatist Home Birth”, the piece is constructed from basswood panels that were sourced from northwestern Minnesota, where the artist lives. Adjoining this piece was “Speech Bubble” by Jürgen Drescher, an amorphous silver-plated sculpture that distorts the viewer’s reflection. Spencer Finch exhibited “The River That Flows Both Ways”, a sequence of handmade paper panels that show the change in color of the Hudson River throughout the day.
“Systemic” is on view at Carolina Nitsch Project Room through 11 August 2012.
Carolina Nitsch Project Room
534 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011
Mike Abelson sets up a unique print shop at NYC’s Creatures of Comfort
Designers are typically inspired people, and those who have a natural talent can often spot a creative use for even the most familiar object—like the wheel, for example. Such is the case for Postalco‘s imaginative co-founder Mike Abelson, who became obsessed with wheels after seeing the mark that one left on a piece of paper trapped in the sliding glass door of his Tokyo home. This fascination with an object’s unintended purpose led Abelson to create a wheel printer that could add a distinct set of stripes to his finely crafted Postalco notebooks. “If you really step back and think about what printing is, and think about it as mark-making, then in a way this is printing too,” he explained to us at NYC boutique Creatures of Comfort, where he has set up the printer for a one-week residency.
Made entirely from scratch out of household products, the Postalco Wheel Printer is a bit of a Rube Goldberg machine, but Abelson delights in its ability to produce rough, imperfect stripes—an aesthetic that the Japanese have a difficult time allowing. A trained product designer (he helped launch Jack Spade), Abelson spent six months building the printer, experimenting with different wheels and methods.
With Postalco products safely in the hands of quality craftsman, for Abelson the printer is a way to get in on the production side of things, as well as to add to the notebooks’ notoriously handsome but monotone colorways. “Our products are really plain and simple, and are really just sort of geometric. I thought it would be interesting to have something that took place on the surfaces,” he says.
With tiny soy sauce bottles holding the ink, the Postalco Printer operates off of a wooden wheel that Abelson cranks on the side as a notebook passes through, and the carefully placed wheels leave their distinct marks. Those in NYC can pick up one of the one-off notebooks at Creatures of Comfort, which feature special blue and yellow colorways.
The Postalco Wheel Printer will be on display at Creatures of Comfort starting today through 10 July 2012, alongside a new film by Koki Tanaka, which shows the mixed-media artist using various Postalco products in humorous, unconventional scenarios.
See more images of the Wheel Printer in the slideshow below.
Three new colorways and two new leather treatments in Cole Haan’s debut collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara
As ColeHaan continues to rewrite the book on comfortable formal footwear with the LunarGrand, we’re excited to see today’s anouncement of the Fragment Design collaboration. Building off the original suede wingtip and leather chukka, Fragment’s Hiroshi Fujiwara—of Nike HTM fame—introduces three additional colorways in two new leather treatments, each embossed with the Fragment Design logo.
Presented in Fragment Design’s trademarked black upper with white outsole, the Scotch grain leather wingtip and chukka feature a distinct pebble grain texture to set the benchmark for subtle sophistication. Conversely, the black, putty and neon pink colorway takes a bolder, more forward-thinking approach. Inspired by Fujiwara’s desire to design a saddle shoe, the shoe is constructed of rich corrected-grain leather—buffed to reveal a uniform surface—with waterproof coating. As a solution to his design temptations, Fujiwara cleverly integrated the contrast coloring into the readily available wingtip silhouette for a contemporary take on the iconic spectator shoe.
For the final colorway of the collaboration Fujiwara presents an additional corrected-grain leather LunarGrand wingtip, this time in a putty-colored upper with a blue sole. Although the bright soles of the LunarGrands seem to push the brogues towards a more playful position, the traditionally welted soles remind the wearer—and anyone with a discerning eye—of the classic craftsmanship that goes into each pair.
The Cole Haan & Fragment Design LunarGrand wingtip and chukka will officially launch in store at Cole Haan SoHo on Friday, 13 July 2012. The Chukka will sell for $328 while the wingtips will be available for $298. For a more full look at the Hiroshi Fujiwara designed LunarGrands see the slideshow.
Detail images by Graham Hiemstra
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