I would like to continue the discussion that I started in my latest David Report bulletin launched yesterday. The issue is called Vulgarism and concerns the ongoing convergence between design and art. At the recent Milan Furniture Fair we saw teapots in super size, huge Pinocchio dolls in mosaic, porcelain horse heads and knitted dogs. Is design flirting with art, or is it art flirting with design? I have got lots of feedback which prove that it is important that the Vulgarism is discussed and that serious questions about it are brought onto the agenda.

A new money-driven scene is created when the art galleries suddenly see a possibility to commercialize a current trend in the design world. Or is it the other way round; the trend is created by the galleries? As I mentioned in the Vulgarism bulletin Ambra Medda, the founder of Design Miami, sees a great demand of design-art from celebrities and young wealthy couples. It is maybe just natural that the designers would like to grab the money and consequently line up to take part in the rat-race?

I would like to quote Philip Wood from Citizen-Citizen who responded to the bulletin: “Just because it’s expensive and limited edition doesn’t make it art”. That is very true. I think that most people involved in the art world would agree. But what about design? What do all people involved in the design world say? A somewhat pushing question could be; is it design at all? According to me design is closely associated with industrial production, so a certain volume is necessary. It has also a lot to do about functionality and solving problems. When we are talking about more or less handmade one-off objects, we are maybe drifting into the land of sloyd and handicraft instead? Nothing bad at all, I like the texture and personal touch of handicraft objects a lot, but I would not call it design.

What do you think? Both out of an art and design perspective? What is the Vulgarism; a spectacle created by the mass media and fancy gallery owners, or the future of design?

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tags technorati : vulgarism design art designart handicraft sloyd future trend

Andra bloggar om: design, konst, hantverk, vulgarism, slöjd, trender, framtid

We are happy to announce issue number 7 of David Report bulletin called Vulgarism. This new issue will take you on a trip into the ongoing convergence between design and art. Teapots in super size, huge Pinocchio dolls in mosaic, porcelain horse heads and knitted dogs. Is design flirting with art, or is it art flirting with design? What is it that we see; a smart merge between the two or an “easy” way to earn a buck and get massive PR, for both designers, producers and gallery owners? To get some further indication we have asked Oliver Ike, Giuliana Stella and Christian Geissbühler to give their views from their particular insights and standpoints.

Click the image above to read Vulgarism. And yes - it is free, thanks to our sponsor Absolut.

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tags technorati : david report bulletin vulgarism design art designart

Andra bloggar om: david report, bulletin, design, konst, vulgarism

HeadHoods are currently being produced in a very small bustling factory located in Brooklyn, New York. Each and every HeadHood is meticulously hand-printed and one-of-a-kind and so HeadHoods are sought out as something truly unique. You know what they say “two heads are better than one” well, we think that “three heads are even better!”

The idea started from a good coffee buzz and just kept going… according to me a nice and entrepreneurial way to start a business. Every hood is printed on American Apparel sweatshirts because of their quality, fit and excellent business practices. At the moment Headhoods has some nine prints available including Elvis, Bones, Hoodzo, King of hearts and Audrey Hepburn. Don’t miss to check out the HeadHoods MySpace page as well.

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tags technorati : headhoods brooklyn american apparel elvis fashion hoods sweatshirts

Andra bloggar om: kläder, mode, headhoods, hoods

Naoto Fukasawa, one of the leading and celebrated product designers of today has released a new book through Phaidon about his work. The style of Naoto Fukasawa could be explained as neo-rationalism. Except for his own brand Plusminuszero Naoto Fukasawa is working for a lot of the leading design companies in the world. Jasper Morrison recently made a nice statement about him: “I have the strange sensation than Naoto has gone through some kind of barrier, that he thinks in a world that hasn’t yet arrived for the rest of us. The objects in his world are unlike the objects in ours”. The book is edited by Naoto Fukasawa himself with essays by Antony Gormley, Jasper Morrison and others. Metropolis magazine has made a nice review of the book here.

The clever and simple design of Naoto Fukasawa speaks for itself. Enjoy the images below.

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tags technorati : naoto fukasawa monograph phaidon book design neo rationalism new rationalism

Andra bloggar om: naoto fukasawa, design, bok, monografi, rationalism

The new David Report bulletin will be launched on Thursday June 28. This time we will discuss the superficial and market-driven design-art that was boosting at Milan Furniture Fair and Design Miami/Basel earlier this year. We have asked our friends Oliver Ike, Giuliana Stella and Christian Geissbühler to give their views from their respectively insights and standpoints as well. We will even give the style a name… So, don’t miss to be back on Thursday for a new fresh issue of the David Report bulletin.

tags technorati : david report bulletin designart design art

Andra bloggar om: david report, design, konst

Luxuryculture is a new online magazine sharing the art of living well. It consists of five different areas which are Luxury Now; with a description of something they call French kiss (guess what…), Window Shopping; with the the things that’s right just now, Brand Gallery; with ad campaigns of your favourite brand, City Guide; with a spotlight on the best terraces from Rome to Shanghai, Luxury Traveller; with Mediterranean marvels and finally an Arts Portfolio; with thematic tastes. Maybe Luxuryculture is bringing forward a somewhat superficial view of luxury but still I think there are some interesting texts here and there.

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tags technorati : luxury culture travel shopping art city guide

Andra bloggar om: lyx, guide, konst, kultur, shopping, prylar

Street Clash is a new kind of global street fashion blog. You could say it is both a full-out global style war as well as a source of information on the coolest spots in major cities around the world.

Starting 1 JULY, 2007, participating street style blogs and photographers from cities around the world will engage in the largest street fight ever. One photo entry will go up for each participating city. Readers will then vote on which style they think is best. Cities with the top scoring photos will go up on the STREET CLASH chart conveniently posted for you above. From then on, each week two cities will compete against each other, each city posting one new photo to be voted on per day. The votes will be tallied at the end of the week, and the winning city will advance to the next round.

Each day there’ll be a feature on the blog about one place you ought to be the next time you’re visiting one of the competing cities. The best clubs, best vintage stores, best coffee, you know.

As of sending date, 28 cities are participating, with more being added daily.

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tags technorati : street clash style street fashion cool spots

Andra bloggar om: gatumode, style, livsstil, tävling, mode, trender

When I visited Mallorca some weeks ago on a field trip with the global brand group of Absolut we stayed at a really cool and relaxed hotel just outside of Palma called Maricel. As you can see on the pictures Maricel has the charm of an old palace and the atmosphere is relaxed and your stay is full of integrity. Actually far better than a lot of the superficial boutique hotels that are popping up everywhere. If you go to Maricel don’t miss the breakfast tasting menu which has won price as the best breakfast in the world. Pictures of Maricel below.

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tags technorati : hospes hotel maricel mallorca palma luxury hospitality

Andra bloggar om: hotell, mallorca, palma, maricel

Surface magazine announces a nationwide search for the best emerging fashion photographers to showcase in Surface’s Annual Avant Guardian issue and travelling exhibition. The Avant Guardian project has launched numerous photographic careers over the years. Now it is time to launch yours. Please note that the competition is only open for photographers working or studying in the US and Canada and who have not published a fashion editorial before 2006.

The project has launched many photographic careers and has provided the exposure that has led to professional representation, editorial projects for Surface and other magazines, and campaigns, and gallery shows. One of last years finalist, Kurt Iswarienko, won a PDN award this year for Avant Guardian story.

Enter online at the new Surfacemag.com website. You can also read about the project at the targeted MySpace page. Below are some nice photos from the finalist of the 2006 edition of the competition.

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tags technorati : surface magazine photography competition fashion pictures avant guardian kurt iswarienko

Andra bloggar om: surface, tidningar, foto, bilder, tävling, mode

Marriott International is partnering with Ian Schrager, who invented the concept of the boutique hotel 23 years ago, to create a new brand of as many as 100 hotels that will combine the personal, intimate, individualized and unique lodging experience that Ian Schrager created with Marriott’s operational expertise on a global scale.

According to Ian Schrager, the brand’s unifying aesthetic will be in its approach and attitude to the modern lifestyle rather than its appearance, with design and architecture derived from the scale, location and feel of the individual properties. “The brand will be about an attitude, about a feeling rather than a look,” he said. “Sophisticated public spaces, finishes, design and details will serve the experience not drive it. People today are sophisticated and they understand good design, quality, originality and commitment to excellence. They will not accept something derivative and they want the ethos and soul of a hotel to be authentic and have character”.

J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International says about the collaboration with Ian Schrager: “Nobody has done what Ian has been able to do with his hotels time and again, and he is the perfect partner to help us create and launch a new, modern genre of hotel”.

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tags technorati : ian schrager marriott boutique hotels hospitality

Andra bloggar om: hotell, ian schrager, marriott, designhotell