The Magic of Recent Relics

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Cruise through any form of media and you’ll notice an obsession with the past. From #throwbackthursday and #nationalsiblingsday to any other communal hash tag, we all love a walk down memory lane. As the babies of the 70’s and 80’s find themselves getting married and having kids, balancing rising careers within the confines of the recession, there’s a wash of nostalgia and yearning for simpler times.

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We look back to the days when the Internet was in its infancy and social media didn’t yet weave through our lives, before iPhones and Google, before Wii and Playstation, when life was more “simple.” Pixels were big back then and we liked it that way, because that was The Future and in The Future, anything was possible – at least, that’s what we were told. In Hollis Brown Thorton’s The Land Between Solar Systems, he elevates our simple things, our recent relics of the past, into art. Click here for event info.

Linda Warren Gallery: 327 N. Aberdeen Suite 151, Chicago, IL. 60607

April 11, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Cross-Pollinating your Gradients

Finding a connection between the digital and physical spheres is a never-ending hunt for today’s forecasters. Whether you’re comparing the symbolic differences between RGB or CMYK or simply finding inspiration in either execution, important observations can be made when considering how one medium influences the other.

Here we have a pixelated display at the Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore. A blurry screen becomes textured art and the type conjures up early 90’s atari. If you follow our line of thinking and view Benjamin Moore’s paint chips immediately after, it’s easy to make a connection- they’re strikingly similar, but hold opposing conversations (and purposes).

Now let’s move to the commercial realm. This is window display from the GAP on Fifth Avenue. It’s extremely economical- paper’s been folded and arranged in a grid. The gradient is the storyline and compliments the clothing.

Moving along to packaging, this method was recently the result of Sephora’s beauty collaboration with Pantone Universe. Pixels are again the focus. Mimicking the diversity within skin tones, the packaging amplifies the face and focuses on color, making us wonder if CMYK really wishes it were RGB.

February 13, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Color: Digital Meets Tangible

I recently gave a talk on color in the digital sphere and it’s influence on tangible design. The audience was a mix of color-obsessed industry folks and continuing education creatives. Though this particular mood board didn’t make it’s way into my slideshow, it’s an interesting compilation of pixelated pastels. Taking a nod from computer themes, these Pokemon characters, Missoni pillows, Preen dresses and Repetto flats all tell a broader pink and magenta story.

Tying the theme together nicely, the Intro Now and Recco screen grabs from Mobile Patterns remind us to cross reference our influences for a an accurate depiction of what’s current and what’s to come.

October 5, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Music: Andy Gilmore & Ghostly

Stare at Andy Gilmore‘s works and we promise you’ll get lost. Using meticulous shades of gradation, line and pattern, Gilmore creates intricate spreads that evoke black hole sensations of time and movement.

In a recent collaboration with Ghostly, a record label and culture curator out of Ann Arbor, Gilmore’s devised a limited run of prints entitled, meno mosso. “The meaning of meno mosso in relationship to this piece, and my work in general, is rooted in the idea of using music to manipulate one’s perception of time in the creative process. Meno mosso being defined in music as less quickly.

June 2, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

San Francisco: Digital Embroidery

Ehren Reed‘s mixed media works have been making the internet rounds for a while now. Merging technology’s ethereal presence with the physicality of handmade craft, Reed stitches and embroiders maps, books and other found objects with the intent of solidifying pixelated media. Her upcoming show at the Edo Salon and Gallery in San Francisco investigates the interpersonal relationships society has with the internet and contemporary culture. For more info, click here.

Edo Salon & Gallery : 601 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

Opening Reception: Sept 3, 8:30-11pm

September 3, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik

Budget Buys: Pixelated Get Aways

Summer-time is upon us, and with it comes the inevitable summer adventures: picnics in the park, trips to the beach, road trips, etc. And if you’re like us, you prefer to tote around your necessary items in something durable and different. Pixelated landscapes have been hot in the design world for some time now, but we’re pleased as punch that the ever trusty LeSportsac has appropriated the theme to their namesake travel gear. At $78 for the mini-weekender and $68 for the tote, it’s a great deal for something stylish that you don’t have to be afraid to toss around.

May 11, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik