The Traveling Slideluck Potshow

Lately I’ve been filling a void and consuming as much live art as possible. For a good part of the year, work, life and the internet’s gotten the best of me and I’ve found myself sitting behind the computer only getting a 2D fill. With that said, I’ve made it my mission this Fall and Winter to get back out there. Last night, my friend Katie suggested we support the Slideluck Potshow, an organization devoted to bringing food, art and entertainment together.

To raise money and get the crowd going, there was a silent and live auction. I have to say I was pretty restrained and withheld from bidding. The art was impressively reasonable, and good! Here’s a shot of the most remarkable feather denim jacket, my lovely friends and two impressive works from the evening.

November 10, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Snapshots from London & Paris

Here are some snapshots of what I can share from my scouting trip to London & Paris. Met a few characters, took sneaky photos and returned home inspired + recharged. Hope you enjoy!

November 8, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik

Food: Perishable Marketing

mandm-raspberry

In another lifetime I’d be designing window displays. Not the corporate-sheik windows that come in a box over from China, but the ad hock masterpieces that merge high-end concepts with low budget materials. One of the cheapest tools designers can use to showcase their ideas is perishable foods. A mass market example of this can be found in M&M Premiums latest advertising efforts, where monochromatic sculptures reveal the latest flavors. Combining everyday materials for a more permanent display, Anthropologie sews bread loaves together with red shoe string to convey fashionable kitchenware in their Fifth Ave location.

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Continuing with the bread theme, Anthropologie creates a splash of texture contrasts, spiraling doughy slices against the back wall. The resulting sun motifs are as clever as they are creative. Even Simon Doonan, Barney’s famed Window Dresser agrees to using perishable foods, vowing that this trick of the trade is as crucial as it is humorous in his book entitled, Confessions of a Window Dresser.

March 25, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Sweet and Savory Details

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No matter how detail oriented you are, Motoi Yamamoto will still beat you to the punch. Using salt and an extraordinarily steady hand, this Japanese artist merges organic influences with the most basic of natural elements, salt, to his build his masterfully intricate installations. Yamamoto’s work has progressed from an inquiry on death to the exploration of salt as a meditation on life. “Now I believe that salt enfolds the memory of lives…salt is used across culture as an antibiotic, preservative, and purifier. Salt is a life-sustaining element.” For the full story on Yamamoto’s work, pick up a copy of this month’s Theme Magazine– unfortunately the online version omitted the story.

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It doesn’t take long to see techniques reinterpreted and trends take hold when an artist gains global acclaim. Using sugar in place of salt, Marian Bantjes, a typography genius, illustrates a variety of styles for Stefan Sagmeister’s book, Things I have learned in My Life So Far. Infusing a touch of luxury to this trend, Cartier crafts golden fingerprints for thier latest ad campaign, Trinity, which can be found in Time magazine’s April supplement entitled, Fashion’s New Attitude.

March 16, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Homegoods: Forest Tales

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There’s nothing more symbolic of the February winter slump than bare trees silhouetted by dusk. Designers from nearly every home goods and accessory category have infused their direction into this trend, moving away from the cozy appeal of eco-friendly design. Tuleh’s S/S09 patterns possess a whimsical stillness that alludes to natural transition. Flora detailing can also be found on glass plates sold at Lancelotti Housewares in downtown Manhattan. Each plate is an interactive experience for both the chef and the diner, as the transparent canvas provides a scenic backdrop for every meal.

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Embracing tonal medleys, Forest Tales speaks to a darker feminine side of contrasts. Selfridges of London sells pillows with sunrise/sunset references. Using only a narrow silhouette and silver embossing, this metallic leather-bound notebook from ABC Carpet is both bold and simple. Continuing to veer from prim and proper, this Black Forest China collection from Germany caters to the Tiffany-hating types, an under appreciated niche. Armani Code combines transparency, gradients and nature to produce elegant, sultry packaging for it’s latest signature fragrance.

February 23, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Food: More Sweets to Love

chocolate-jumble

For those who enjoy inspecting their food as much as eating it, desserts and notably chocolate, now offer an array of contemporary patterns and design. There’s a crop of pastry chefs working in today’s global marketplace that are all unified by the goal of innovation. Christopher Elbow, originally from Nebraska, combines a menagerie of ingredients in an effort to create intricate transfers. While this technique is quite common in the dessert world, the results from Elbow’s kitchen are refreshingly modern. Taking an equally creative route, the chocolatiers from Lagrange34 in Torino, Italy have reinvented the traditional chocolate bar, using geometric shapes to mold edible sculptures. A masterful example that combines both the surface and shape is evident in many of PattyCake Baking Co‘s latest creations.

February 12, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik