Jeremyriad

A Box From: Curated Souvenirs From Faraway Places

Written on April 23, 2013 by jeremy

The Internet can make the world feel a lot smaller, and it’s possible to do quite a bit of “traveling” with just a computer and a cable connection. But while this type of touring is comfortable and cheap, a staycation won’t get you any cool souvenirs. Enter Berlin-based designer Elin Aram and her fantastic idea: A Box From.

Aram goes abroad to captivating cities, picks out souvenirs and curates to-go boxes for 30 Euros a pop. The “beta box” came from Seoul, South Korea and included: noodles, stickers, tea, post-it notes, chocolate sticks, notepads and a collagen face mask.

The aim, Aram explains, is to “tell the stories about the cities you haven’t heard yet.” The chocolate sticks, for example, are made by Lotte, one of the conglomerates that “seem to rule the country,” Aram says. In addition to snacks, Lotte also has theme parks and sells oil. The collagen mask “tells the story of the hunt for youth and beauty in Korea.”

This first A Box From (Seoul edition) collection sold out in under an hour!

Starting in Seoul was an inspired decision. (Readers should recognize Koreans as leaders in the popjects trade.) Aram’s A Box From idea also just made me realize something: great popjects inspire great prose. Witness Aram’s excellent words on the lovely little notebooks pictured above:

This is so quintessential Korean. You buy a notepad in a nice color. It’s nice. You feel good. Wow, it’s that a guy dressed out as a cat? Amazing. Wait. Then you flip the side and discover another color! It’s “service”. “se-vi-zuh” Service is the free ice cream buffet at the karaoke place. The 12 free products you get at the beauty store. The extra time at the video game room you rent by the hour. It’s all about getting more than you expect.

Elin Aram is currently sourcing souvenirs in Tehran! I won’t miss this twice. Sign up for her mailing list to throw money at her when the next box is ready.

↬ Fastco Design

Posted in Design, packaging | Comments Off

Soft Sculpture by Jaz Harold

Written on April 22, 2013 by jeremy

Geode by Jaz Harold

Wow. Check out this “frankensteined” self-portrait/resin bust by New York-based fine artist, Jaz Harold. She pieced it together from multiple casts—her face, the back of her head and ears, her neck and torso—and rotocast it hollow with a thick shell. It’s finished with thread, yarn, some plaster and quartz crystals. The piece’s name, Geode, is literal. Writes Harold: “A cracked open exterior reveals crystals inside.” Indeed. (I used to collect rocks.)

Geode by Jaz Harold

Harold’s recent works are generally soft (plush) and inviting (pastels), yet imbued with sexual undertones (and overtones).

Bloom by Jaz Harold

She uses a technique called “chirimen” to create the elaborate hairstyles and accouterments in her work. Chirimen is a traditional Japanese weaving technique first developed about 500 years ago. (Interestingly, the fabric made by chirimen is also known as chirimen. Check out some wonderful faux food made by/of chirimen here.)

Hairless Kitten by Jaz Harold

Soft sculpture is often a hard sell in the fine art world. But artists are doing increasingly provocative work with so-called “fluffy” materials. Harold expresses the difference between soft stuffing and soft covering as an aesthetic preference: read full article

Posted in 3D, Art, sculpture | 1 Comment

It’s April 20th, 2013

Written on April 20, 2013 by jeremy

Stoner Squadt on Clay Street, downtown Oakland

It’s 420, friends. Go outdoors and be with your buds.

Best Buds

Revisit last year’s Top 10 Posts About Art and Pot and see the dopest green toy of 2013: Joe Ledbetter’s Spaced-Out Mr. Bunny.

Posted in Pop CULTure, Toys, vinyl | Comments Off

Grumpy Cat Toys from Plastic Foundry

Written on April 18, 2013 by jeremy

Like many people who look at stuff on the Internet, I’m just wild about Grumpy Cat. The dour-faced feline appears on all manner of merchandise (I was helpless against buying this Hipster Animals shirt), but Grumpy Cat had yet to catch the attention of toy artists. Until now.

Plastic Foundry in Singapore has now launched an edition of hand-cast resin Grumpy Cat art toys in three colors: white, black and pink.

The toy artifacts are three inches tall and priced at $30 each–but there’s a catch. Plastic Foundry isn’t letting the cat out of the bag.* Yes, that’s right: These Grumpy Cats are sold blind-bag style. So you can get black, white or pink, but you cannot make a specific choice. To guarantee yourself a preferred color, you have the option to purchase a set of all three colorways for $90. If there are mystery colors, variants or chase pieces, they’ve yet to be announced.

I’m going to come right out and say: I’m not feline the fact that these cats are blind-bagged. It’s just not necessary. You could argue that it’s for the fun of the mystery, but this is a pre-order. From Plastic Foundry’s website:

read full article

Posted in Cats, Pop CULTure, resin, Toys | 1 Comment

Foldable.Me for the Fine Art of Papercraft Portraiture

Written on April 18, 2013 by jeremy

You can’t spell “origami” without “I.” And you can’t pronounce “origami” without “me.” So drop the modesty and embrace your effigy…with Foldable.Me!

The nice folks at UK-based Foldable.Me got in touch and hit me where I’m very vulnerable: things from England and renderings of me. A week later, an envelope showed up in Oakland. Stowed away inside was Flat Stanley‘s Jewish expat cousin, Foldable Jeremy.

I’m just going to put it out there that I’m not what you’d call a crackerjack when it comes to papercraft. I’ve seen Shin Tanaka make it look easy, and it’s not! But I folded my Foldable.Me in a couple of minutes (with neither scissors nor glue). The portraits are printed on “premium precision cut and scored matt(e) laminated card,” and there’s even a 2-minute video if a visual aid is needed.

And Voila: Foldable Jeremy was typing away on his tiny laptop in no time!

Foldable.Me is similar to MAQET in that users can choose from a selection of hairstyles, facial features, skin tones and clothing options and apply them to a template (in this case, by Christopher Beaumont of CubeeCraft). The user experience is good, perhaps a result of investing the fruits of a successful Kickstarter campaign into solid web design. (Foldable.Me launched as a Kickstarter project a year ago with a goal of $2,500. They raised over $25,000! And people say print is dead…)

read full article

Posted in paper, Showoff, Toys | Comments Off

Retro Kit-Cat Clocks in Modern Pantone Colors

Written on April 17, 2013 by jeremy

What happens when two timeless American design trends collide? This! Witness a classic slice of Americana, the 1930s Kit-Cat Clock, painted in Pantone colors to reflect the cultural zeitgeist of today. Get one!

I’m sure I’m biased, as I like (and like to write about) cats and color. And I’m not evangelizing in ignorance, as I just posted this parody of Pantone mania. But I started to make the Pantone-slash-Kit-Cat-Clock-swatch infographics below, and, well, the whole thing just made me feel happy. So I ran with it.

Kit-Cat Clocks remind me of the 80s because that’s when I guess I first saw them, but in fact they date back to The Great Depression. Earl Arnault invented the Kit-Cat Clock in 1932.

With his signature wagging tail, rolling eyes, and contagious smile; Kit-Cat inspired joy during one of America’s darkest hours.

The first 1930s Kit-Cat Clocks were welded with metal, but Allied Clock Company soon adopted plastic molding and moved from Portland to Seattle.

The Kit-Cat Clock got its top paws and bow tie in the early 50s. Allied Clock moved to Southern California in the 60s and became the California Clock Company. Then, a disruption!

But in the late 80s, the American-made legacy of Kit-Cat was almost lost! In the span of a few years, American electric motor manufacturing was almost exclusively relocated to Asia, leaving Kit-Cat without a US motor supplier. A battery motor powerful enough to move Kit-Cat’s exclusive “one-second” animation had yet to be invented. With no other alternative, the California Clock Company was driven to develop a new battery technology.

The 90s saw the first limited edition color Kit-Cats, followed by the pretty Lady Kit-Cat in 2010. There are now bedazzled and bejeweled Kit-Cat Clocks and DIY Kit-Cats with custom-colored tail attachments.

Kit-Cat turns a formidable 81 years old this year and boasts a statistic your iClock cannot: Every 3 minutes, for the past 50 years, someone has purchased a Kit-Cat Clock. And now that statistic includes me. (Gee, I wonder what color I bought?) read full article

Posted in Cats, Design, industrial, Popjects | Comments Off

Yum Yum London Toys on Fab.com

Written on April 15, 2013 by jeremy

Hey, remember those Yum Yum London vinyl toys? You know, the granny, the zombie and the cactus, as well as the homicidal hotdog and the movie theater nudist? When I wrote about them last May, the figures were only available from the UK as a full set of five. The toys make the most “sense” as a quintet, but times are tough and they’re now available individually through Fab.com.

The Yum Yum London toys are kinda under the same aesthetic umbrella as Sticky Monster Lab, at least in terms of overall style, animation and packaging. (It’s an aesthetic I enjoy.)

Get Yum Yum London for $24 each or $100 for all five–and free shipping beats international postage rates! read full article

Posted in Toys, vinyl | 1 Comment

Justin Bieber in Hot Sauce by Hong Yi

Written on April 15, 2013 by jeremy

Justin Bieber in Korean Chili Paste by "Red" Hong Yi

Justin Bieber found himself in some hot sauce this weekend after making some inappropriate comments at the Anne Frank House. The teen pop star paid a visit to the museum in Amsterdam on Friday and saw fit to write in the museum’s guestbook:

“Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.”

Immediately, the Internet erupted into the usual mix of citizen outrage and comedic gold. The story is a Twitter trend and world news. This dose of perspective museum comes from Anne Frank House spokeswoman Maatje Mostart via an article with nearly 1000 comments on BBC News:

“He’s 19. It’s a crazy life he’s living, he didn’t mean bad… and also it’s nice that he made the effort, he didn’t have to come.”

Banksy in apple and nori by "Red" Hong Yi

Rather than rehash that whole mess any further, I thought it would be an optimal opportunity to introduce the unique food art of Malaysian artist-architect Red Hong Yi.

Edvard MUNCH by "Red" Hong Yi

“Red” paints with food. She makes edible art.

Landscape made from one single cucumber by "Red" Hong Yi

Inspirational stuff! Follow her latest creative endeavors on Instagram here.

"Owlnion" and "paintbrush" by "Red" Hong Yi

Posted in 3D, Art, edible art, Pop CULTure | 1 Comment

Joy Division and Smiths Albums as Book Posters

Written on April 12, 2013 by jeremy

One of my favorite features of the Internet is that somewhere out there on the World Wide Web, there’s a niche for everyone. By extension, it’s entirely likely an entrepreneurial member of aforementioned niche has created something that means nothing to most folks—but to you, it means everything! And that’s what we’re looking at here.

Standard Designs has made THE PERFECT item for that guy/girl you know who used to be kinda gothy and is now mostly bookish, but still thinks British music of the 80s was the best music ever. The creative thinkers of Standard turned songs by Joy Division, The Smiths and New Order into book titles. Then, they rendered these books (organized by album) into posters. What splendid sorcery is this?!

They call them “literary and artistic posters” and write:

Need something pleasant & witty for the reader, writer, artist, theater-goer or all-round artsy person in your life (possibly yourself)? You’ve come to the right place!

I love everything about this, not the least of which being that purchasing a print is kinda like joining a virtual group of people who you can only imagine are just like you. Each poster measures 16.5 x 11.5 inches (42 x 29.7 cm) and is printed on 120lb “premium archival heavy silk paper.” They’re shipped flat for $19.69 each right here.

If you think I should have one or more of these on my walls, consider chipping in with a small donation here. Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Posted in 2D, Art, Music/Video, Pop CULTure | Comments Off

Artful Monsters: A Neo-Kaiju Creature Feature at Toy Art Gallery

Written on April 11, 2013 by jeremy

Nadsat Boy by Kenth Toy Works

Last weekend was an excellent one for next level toy art openings. The Midwest got hands on with Squadt Assembly at Rotofugi and the West Coast channeled the Far East with Creature Feature at Toy Art Gallery.

Cadaver Kid by Splurrt

Creature Feature brought together the talents of Mutant Vinyl Hardcore, Elegab, Splurrt, Munktiki and Kenth Toy Works–5 “neo-kaiju” artists (3 American, 2 Japanese) inspired by Japanese monsters. The show featured original characters, self-produced vinyls, hand-cast resin, kaiju-tiki fusion in ceramic and the debut of new TAG-produced vinyl figures from Munktiki and Kenth Toy Works.

Enma one-off by Mutant Vinyl Hardcore

The artists painted more than 100 unique figures for Creature Feature, and the palette was distinctly “anything goes.” (It’s borderline bad acid trip, and I mean that in a good way.) My eyes keep lingering on the figures with really out there color combinations. There are pieces with paint applications that ought not to work, and yet they do. Testament to skilled painters and artists who know their characters and their craft.

Ikakumora by Munktiki

Here’s Splurrt on the duality of toy collectors:

I try to make toys cherished by both parts of the collector: the preservationist and the inner child. [I make] items that channel the disgusting yet fun monstrosities of the toys loved in our youth yet are finished with so much care that they no longer seem meant for play. [Rather, they're] for carefully admiring and keeping safe from receiving the smallest blemish.

Puppet Seijin by Elegab

Here’s Munktiki on his influences:

While I love Japanese vinyl and collect avidly, I strive to put my efforts towards ceramic creations first. Main reason being: it’s my medium of choice, but secondly it feels right to me… Japanese-inspired designs done in a historically famous Japanese art form. My process of character design is usually always inspired by an older Japanese character. For example, Takoshi is my take on Kamen Rider. The Ape, Japanese King Kong. Character design also includes a story, [and] I like to figure out how each new character fits into the same world. This Tokusatsu-like story almost seems real to me now and I get excited adding new additions, imagining their interactions as if I’m watching it all on TV.

Munktiki and Kenth Toy Works unpainted vinyls produced by Toy Art Gallery

Creature Feature saw the debut of Munktiki’s Takoshi and Kenth Toy Works’ A Clockwork Orange-inspired cyclopean Nadsat Boy. Both figures were produced by Toy Art Gallery in Japan and are currently available in unpainted solid sofubi through TAG here. Creature Feature runs through April 27th in Los Angeles.