Hasta La Ideas

Re-designed baseball bats at AmDC’s upcoming home invasion-themed show

Just past 3 A.M. you hear an unwelcomed guest in your home. What do you grab to protect yourself? This was the question posed to 10 leading designers taking part in the American Design Club’s upcoming show Threat: Objects for Defense and Protection. Using a raw wood XBat baseball bat as a template, each designer reached deep into their imagination—or nightmares—to envision how they would respond to a home invasion.

The 10 resulting pieces represent a range of reactions. Jonah Takagi and Fort Standard go on the offensive with meat tenderizer-inspired bats, while Paul Loebach‘s ultra simplistic saw blade embedded bat seem equally aggressive. On the other hand, David Weeks‘ wooden rifle takes aim at a more design-driven defense.

Matthew Bradshaw‘s molded bat features a sculpted handle formed to the nervous grasp of imaginary men, the stacked hands resembling the schoolyard competition of hand over hand. Harry Allen teamed with Swarovski crystal on a bat emblazoned with the phrase “namaste”, while Joe Doucet split his bat down the center with a blazing orange streak offering a warning of what’s to come.

Now, AmDC has launched a fundraiser for the as-yet-untitled designs called “Name That Bat“. Donate $10 to submit a name online between now and the end of March. AmDC, along with the designers, will select final titles, and the winners will receive the bat they named.

Threat: Objects for Defense and Protection runs only from 9-10 March 2012 at Brooklyn’s Present Company. Be sure to visit the website to check limited viewing schedule.

Photography by Kendall Mills