Cut & Paste Jam - NYC
The 2nd edition of Cut & Paste, the Iron Chef-like live design competition, is taking it back to analog in an event featuring four of New York's best designers and artists. On 4 February Thunderdog founder Tristan Eaton and Fudgefactory's Travis Millard side-by-side with David Ellis and Kenji Hirata of the Barnstormers will make art during the party at NYC's Supper Club. This time it's unplugged; giant canvasses replace computers and the results will be auctioned with proceeds benefitting The New York Foundation for the Arts. Set to a soundtrack by DJs Spinna, Rich Medina, and Rude Movements' Tyler Askew, there will also be a live tattoo demonstration onstage by Troy Denning.



Stop Talking
Who hasn't at one time wished for a simple way to put the kibbosh on chatty types who never seem to run out of things to say? Ironically, this 25-card deck from Set Editions is more likely to be used as a conversation starter than as an actual handout to offenders. But meta-logorrhea is at least funnier than simply being pathologically talkative. Printed on white cardstock and packaged in a black box, the cards are $8 and available at In God We Trust in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and at Paul Smith in Manhattan.


Mealbox
Now imagine all of that above fitting into all of that to the right. You might be exclaiming "Oh golly! Those ever so clever designer folk! What will they think of next?!" Or perhaps a simple "WTF?" sums it all up. Anyway, this packageable Japanese style dinning table, appropriately dubbed as Mealbox, was created by Igland Design, a husband and wife duo based in Norway. The piece is made from birch plywood that's been reinforced with carbonfibre and the seats are padded with neoprene rubber. Okay okay, that's all I have to say. Click away and see for yourself how it works... (/sigh where's the magic gone, Mickey?)




Giant Microbes
Giant Microbes is a line of esoteric plushies that explores the scientific rather than the usual adorable or fantasy based toys. What child wouldn't want to see, hold and play with the Ebola virus, a bed bug, a flu virus, or a Giardia microbe? Your lover eat too much garlic for dinner? Their feet a bit rank? Place the bad breath or athlete's foot plushie on their pillow for a subtle hint. All microbes are based on actual organisms, blown up about 1,000,000 times. Plushies are around $5 each, and available in sets.



Jean-Marie Massaud's Truffle Chair for Porro
Porro is an Italian manufacturer of modern furniture that features works from several great designers.Jean-Marie Massaud, a French multidisciplinary designer, offers his new Truffle chair, which works as well indoors as out. It comes on a stand, or can be used directly on the floor. And it comes in several colors. To see the range on the Porrosite click on: english, products, chairs, truffle.



The Green Bakery
This new green bakery, said to be the first of its kind, just re-opened (following a brief preview in November it was closed for additional construction) in New York's East Village. All of the materials used in its construction are green, and the site gives details on all of the products. It's a thought about what a neighborhood bakery could be; a complete expression of its organic/green identity. Milk paint, Bamboo, Ultra Touch, Wheat Board and cork are some of the materials used in the bakery, and all of the ingredients used in the products are organic.

After a day of heated discussion on New York's food blogs, the presumption that Maury Rubin of The City Bakery was behind the new bakery was confirmed in New York Metro.

"Birdbath" Bakery (code named after the sunflower seed husks used in one of the materials): 223 First Avenue (south of 14th Street). Open daily "until the cookies are sold."



Low Tee Bathing Suits
Low Tee makes men's bathing suits from vintage t-shirts (props for recycling). The suits are fully lined in Lycra, and have elastic around the legs and waist, which also has a drawstring. Because the suits are made from vintage t-shirts they are all one-of-a-kind (which we also like). And if you ask nicely you could probably send in one of your own shirts to be converted into a suit. Suits are well-priced at $45 and available online.



Hanspree Televisions
One of the things that's struck our eye here at CES in Las Vegas are these fun and inexpensive television sets from Hanspree. They come in dozens of shapes and styles for kids, sports fans and design freaks and are well priced. While the occasional character or sports team set is not new, we like that Hanspree is producing a whole range of televisions that let consumers express themselves. Available in many styles and sizes online from $299+.



Bittersweets Jewelry
Modeled after plastic vampire teeth, these fangs come in mini versions (pictured), a life-size version with ruby-embedded tips, and as a set of two rings. The irreverent baubles are one of several that New York-based designer Robin Adams creates for her Bittersweets line that includes swords, maggots, and earthworm motifs. One necklace features a tiny sterling silver human heart pierced by a removable mini 14k gold dagger.



TwistTogether Lamp
Made from hand-cast resin and lit from within by LEDs, these modular televsion-like lamps, from Brooklyn-based design studioGlide, cast an appealing mood light. Configurable in any number of arrangements, TwistTogethers are interactive objects to boot. Stacked between shelves (like glowing cinder blocks) they integrate lighting into furniture, making for an updated version of the college bookshelf or they can form right angles to wrap around corners and tabletop edges. They're available in candy colors for a more pop feel or a "chocolate" palate that lends a 50s-era look. A set of four runs $399 or six are $585. Pick them up through Cool Hunting's 2005 Holiday Gift Guide and be sure to check out the other entries we've recently added as well.



Magic Bean Word Sprout
The Magic Bean is a little sprouting plant that has a message. In this case it's "I Love You," but if you're willing to buy 5,000 or more you can have any message you want on the plant and any design on the can. For those in to the plant-in-a-can thing, there's also a line ofFlower Cans. Fascinating.



CH x Timbuk2 Artist Bags
In conjunction with Timbuk2, celebrating the launch of their new Artist Canvas Bag - a traditional messenger bag designed to be hand-customized - we tasked three New York-based artists, Lucas Irwin, Yuri Shimojo, and Joseph Ari Aloi (aka JK5), with adding their own imagery. The results range from JK5's tribal purple-and-yellow icons (pictured above, left) to Lucas' collage juxtaposing woodgrain, guns, sunsets, and birds (pictured above, center) to Yuri's snake that encircles the entire bag (pictured above, right). Starting today, the bags by our chosen artists will be auctioned on Ebay with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Humane Society's efforts to help animals affected by Hurricane Katrina. (In Spring of 2006, Timbuk2 will auction bags by six other artists they chose.) The auction will close on 8 November 2005, so go bid now to get a one-of-a-kind piece of functional artwork and to support a good cause.

Publisher: coolhunting
Since February 2003 Josh Rubin's Cool Hunting has been a daily update on stuff from the intersection of design, culture and technology. Josh started the site as a way to catalog things that inspire him in his practice as a designer and strategist. Today Cool Hunting has grown beyond a personal reference tool-- designers, consumers and marketers from around the world visit every day to get their dose. As the site became increasingly fueled by contributions from readers, Josh realized Cool Hunting should be a collective. He now serves as Editor of the site and wrangles contributions from a small gaggle of hand picked writers who are out finding great things and looking at all the stuff readers are feeding us.
Web: www.coolhunting.com
Published: march 2005
Market: mens womens
Region: usa

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Information in this report relies on sources including Trade Shows, Associations, News Releases, Government Reports and other public sources. Infomat can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof.