design for a change

Changes on a global level have kept me occupied lately. To showcase New Zealand design today seems a contrast, yet I find Shane's work both crossing the boundaries of Art and his personal heritage interesting: Shane has Danish, Chinese and Maori ancestors. Isn't it wondrous how we human beings travel the globe and embrace other cultures?


I have been a fan of Shane Hansen's work ever since I came across it several years ago visiting the Gallery The Poi Room in Auckland. I have to find the NZ wood pigeon below as it really speaks to me.

Te Karanga Pitoitoi

Korihi ake nga manu

Takiri mai te ata

Ka ao, ka oa, ka awatea!

Tihei mauri ora

 

The birds call

The day begins

And I am alive


A bit of background on how Shane works: "Shane Hansen likes a strong, clean line. He has drawn constantly for as long as he can remember, but has never indulged in intricate doodles dredged up from the dark recesses of the mind. Instead, his creations spring from a world of bold colours and optimistic clarity, a pop-art invitation to a feel-good New-Zealand celebration." (source Shane's website: here)

"Shane studied art at high school but began his professional life as a fashion designer. He commandeered the sewing machine on which his mother had worked from home churning out nylon jackets and created the label Vampire. (..) He then trained as a graphic designer, eventually combining these two disciplines at Fly, where he was co-founder and creative director, carving out a niche creating innovative marketing and design strategies for corporate clients and retail stores." (source here - Gallery De Novo)

The scrummy bovine series is both hilarious as it is captivating. Shane used to make quite a bit commercial work whereas nowadays he works from home and focuses on his Art.

The bike must be son Nikau's one I imagine!

"The environment Shane grew up in was rich in culture. The walls of the Hansen family home in Manurewa were covered in paintings by Shane's grandfather and great-grandfather, both of Danish origins and both amateur water-colourists. Shane's grandfather took his descendants on painting expeditions that actively encouraged deeper contemplation and appreciation of the landscapes and objects around them.

His mother's side of the family is a mixture of Chinese and Maori influences. His grandfather emigrated to New Zealand from China's Guangdong province and established a market garden in Pukekohe before starting what became a family of 14 children with Shane's grandmother, a woman of Tainui descent. Creativity seems to run deep on both sides of the family" (source: Shane's website)

Shane work is definitely colorful and has a clear identity. It is expressive and focused. Its boldness and presence for me are very much linked to the relative young country that is New Zealand, the ruggedness of the mountains, the clarity of its waters and the brave attitude of its people.

An in depth interview with Shane can be read on a different blog: here.

performance art

I am increasingly interested in performance art and art that simply blends multiple categories. Nowadays I think it's safe to say that;

• Art is no longer created specifically to be hung on a wall (naturally we have seen different spaces utilized to showcase Art for a while).
• The distinction of disciplines is continuing to diminish even further.
• What Art will continue to be is Expression, whatever way you look at it.

Via MoochMagazine I found Daniel: http://www.danielarsham.com/

From the Moochers: "Daniel Arsham is new type of artist, his work brings together multiple

mediums which include performance, dance, architecture and art. His forms are pure, linear, elegant and, curiously, three-dimensional. Arsham uses illusions to make his masterpieces feel magically alive. Born in 1980 in Cleveland Ohio, USA. Daniel lives and works in New York and Miami."


Other works Daniel has made or worked on in collaboration:

That Daniel is one clever talented cookie also shows in his commercial work. He set up Snarkitecture with Alex Mustonen: 

Snarkitecture is a collaborative practice operating in territories between the disciplines of art and architecture. Working within existing spaces or in collaboration with other artists and designers, the practice focuses on the investigation of structure, material and program and how these elements can be manipulated to serve new and imaginative purposes. Searching for sites within architecture with the possibility for confusion or misuse, Snarkitecture aims to make architecture perform the unexpected.

Snarkitecture was established by Alex Mustonen and Daniel Arsham and is represented by Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin.

Oodlies interview

Joi has an Art exhibition soon and it's called "My 8 Crushes". As I'm one of said 8 crushes I guess I had it coming! Somehow it ended up quite a raunchy little number. Maybe I'm a dirtier girl then I thought.

I love Joi's Oodlies, they're so much fun.

Read the whole interview here. Of course the story is about how Joi and I met and what silliness we get up to. Twitter is to blame, that is where it started. And then after a while we ended up being "max' and "mary moo".

Joi talks about many many different things (my 'artist' impression):

In any case (by Joi):

Row your Shell

If you have a shell 

because you must have a shell

row it from time to time 

you'd be surprised 

with what you'd find 

when a shell is cracked 

and bacteria moves in 

and out 

dislodging fermented thoughts  

(call on expert rower @kiwiseabreeze 

for dislodgment help, chats and hugs 

1800dislodgeyourhabitualshit)

See Joi Oodling 'live' in this video below!

ideas

Some times we get ideas. Maybe even crazy ideas. No one gets it. So when do quirky ideas get to matter?

In this day and age: when they are 'marketable'. When they are desired by 'someone else'. When they are so astoundingly hilarious and functional apparently!

That's the difference between design and Art: what value is awarded to your idea and subsequently your creation? So have you guessed what this creature is?

I know it kinda looks like a beastie from Pixar doesn't it. It might charge and nibble your ears! Then again it might sit next to your bed quietly singing a song to make you sleep. And then nibble your ears.

Here's the designer Thomas Schnur presumably keeping it from climbing the walls. Maybe they live in their own house or a rubber zoo. What games would they play when he is not looking? Would they need sleep?

One thing is for sure: it's a table and it is travelling: Hong Kong and New York to name a few.

Source and photos: http://www.agitatto.com/blog/?p=9937

all in a name?

What's in a name we often ask? Or... a title?

I was reading Nicole's blog post today: about her discovery that she is in fact not a hand-bag designer. To her this was a very important discovery. To others it is probably not that important. Then I remembered reading this leaflet in the car long before I got to work and came across Nicole's blog post. The said leaflet informed me on the different design streams within the local Polytech. I was reading about product design... yes familiar.... fashion design.... not my field... interior design.... yes work in that one.... communication design.... huh? This lovely umbrella of Communication Design covered the whole spectrum of what I have been doing for many years, excluding the activity of goat herding - somehow that is not part of their curriculum. Interesting to read though. I thought: ah! now I can do away with all the summing up of what it is I do, this umbrella would suit me fine.

Sometimes I observe that we have the tendency to either make things unnecessarily complicated, too interesting then it really is or simply too darn wordy. Being concise has benefits. People get a quicker grasp on what it is we do. Of course the questions is: do we wish to be labelled? Does it matter? And: we are often labelled whether we agree with it or not! Do we make enough time to explore more about a person we meet? Look past the label or title enough?

Just recently I met this lovely couple through my work. They live only 10 minutes away from where our farm is and they needed a solution for their interior. A few years ago they helped us with our highland cattle as we had been shifting them from our farm to the neighbors. Then last Saturday I finally discovered what it actually was what the husband does for a profession. He hunts Moose. In New Zealand. With a bunch of cameras. In a very dense large stretched out area called Southland. Apparently he is quite well known throughout New Zealand and I hadn't had a clue, because I hadn't heard about any of it before. His work is controversial and many New Zealanders think that his work and theories are a bunch of crock (as they say here) because no one has seen a live Moose since the 50s. The fact that Ken is relatively famous is not interesting, but the funny fact that it took me a few conversations to finally clue in on the fact that of course there was a lot more to these lovely people then met the eye, as my main priority had been to help them with their interior.

A title or name can be useful, but being labelled can have negative connotations as Ken has found from time to time. Either we choose or accept the label we like/are given or we decide to just play the part we want to ourselves regardless of it. It's not so much what we're called, it's what we do that makes a difference. It's what stories we share ourselves.

More about the topic of labeling here (excellent post)

MOOODLIES...

Yay!! Today I can finally share with you the uplifting groovy news that I have been working with design star Joi Murugavell, of Joidesign in Melbourne, to create a very snazzy and most intriguing batty collection of work. Our collaboration name is MOOODLIES. Joi is a Pop-art artist, illustrator and web designer. Like me she has an art degree and many entrepreneurial years behind her. Her website is: www.oodlies.com

We have developed our first range of art designs. They are a Social Object, a story. They are cushions. The theme of our first collection is "Tea party": the getting-to-know-each-other phase, that works like an initiation ritual. The designs are brimming with whimsy as it is play, a poke for reminding us all not to take life too seriously. (Top picture shows a montage of small parts of our designs - we will show the full designs at a later stage...)

The cushions will have a hook on the back to actually physically hang them on walls. Therein lies the difference, the common place home decor accessory becomes the art work, the art work can also become integrated into daily lives instead of a more "revered" (and usually also hugely expensive) piece. Our designs are printed in a limited edition. We are currently in communications to organize an ideal Art Gallery in Dunedin to hold our first MOOODLIES exhibition. These are exciting times!

Mooodlies is about exchange, about ideas, innovation and... a lot of attitude.

(More on why our collaboration worked so well: read this fascinating theory here, a snippet below:)

"But now, thanks to the Internet, ideas can meet and mate globally and instantaneously like never before. What else is crowdsourcing but working with one another? The cross-fertilization of ideas between, say, Asia and Europe that once took years, decades, or centuries can now happen in minutes while Australia, the Americas, and Africa eavesdrop. The cloud is for everybody, whereas in the old days the sharing of ideas was reserved for the privileged elite. There is, as Stanford economist Paul Romer has argued, not even a theoretical limit to the number of combinations of atoms and electrons we can devise, and the rate at which we devise them is bound to accelerate.

Fasten your seatbelts."

And here is an Oodlie by Joi:

A moo design by me:

fun works

We usually expect Design to be practical, functional. What about another aspect that is important? The fun to use it, the sheer beauty of the design. It turns out that our brain is wired in such a fashion that we can be more creative, and better problem solvers, if we are happy. So it also pays to use design that makes us happy.

I'm a big fan of having fun. What makes you happy? As Don Norman puts it: "so that's the new me, I only say positive things."

interior

It's always good to gain a fresh perspective. In this case quite literally: coffee shop D'Espresso in Manhattan.

Source: here

moooi

Dutch design company Moooi (which translates from Dutch to beautiful) has just opened their new store in London! From the website:


"The World of Moooi will be revealed to London under the creative direction of designer and Cofounder Marcel Wanders. The new canal side residence will be located at The Dock’s distinguished White Building, a Grade II listed stucco house dating back to the late 1900s. Joining Moooi in the 250m² ground floor space, is Dutch resin flooring specialist Senso, who will be marking this event with the international debut of a unique range of flooring designed by Marcel Wanders, with a print true to the style of Wanders’ ‘new classics’, giving the spectator a playful three-dimensional illusion.

The permanent showroom will house Moooi’s design icons in coexistence with the new products launched at the Salone del Mobile 2010 in Milan. The introductions include the new Monster chair by Marcel Wanders, the tenderness and grace of Nika Zupanc’s 5 O’ Clock table & chairs and the exotic elegance of the Emperor lamp by Chinese designers Neri & Hu – all seen for the first time in the UK. Amongst the iconic products on display will be the extraordinary Smoke collection by Maarten Baas, the inventive Brave New World lamp by the young British duo Fresh West, Skai table tops as an addition to Marcel Wanders’ successful Container Table collection and the soft glow of Raimond Puts’ LED lamp, last year’s star."


or simply put: isn't it awesome?

www.moooi.com

text from website: http://www.abitare.it/highlights/la-casa-bianca-di-moooi/

vintage

Remember this post not that long ago?
This is the design I entered for the design competition held by Clothkids in the UK (deadline 14th of July 2010 - you still have time!). Theme: vintage.


What do you think? If I have time next week I might come up with another one. For a frolicky frock design I am pretty pleased. Surprisingly my man loved it too. Must have been the bike.

tea towel design

The following designs I have made are being printed as we blog-tweet-post, and due to arrive chez moi in about 2 weeks. These unbleached lovelies will be for sale on the Paperroom online store website and my own. Yes my online store is finally springing to life! (I am working on having it up and running by the time these babies arrive.)

fantails

lovebites

sprouting

swanndri horses

My inspiration for these come from different fields, but safe to say: living in New Zealand and on my farm have a lot to do with it. I try to design as much as I can by staying true to the Australasian spirit. 

Now as a surprise for you all: I am giving one tea towel away to one of my lovely readers! If you are wanting to get your hands (quite literally) on one of these goodies, mention the design you like and leave a comment about it underneath this post. I will draw someone on Saturday. Good luck!

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the art sense of nonsense

At the moment I'm working on new textile designs for Hemptech (and myself too). It's the putting together of that which doesn't make sense and also does make sense, at the same time. It's a controversial process. I tried to team up clover with various items, have filed away pics of pelicans, and suddenly have a brainwave about implementing knives, forks and spoons. Where that came from, nobody knows. Least of all me, my brain associates the craziest things.


Today I came across a designer, who also finds the 'outside life' helpful in keeping her ideas "fresh". I don't have to tell you that reading about a designer who has a farming background (or someone who still IS a farmer) is a joyous occasion for me. It's the moooo aspect that rocks the kazba. In this case, designer Matali Crasset spoke to Fastcompany about the benefits and all enticing aspects about the quirky in art. (The quirky can be so under valuated. I mean what can be more hilarious then murky quirky? Exactly.) 

This lady has right handedly come up with a domestic UFO (always handy those), a coat hanger that transforms in a bed (good to hang around in) and some goofy interiors. No wonder she is French and well known throughout the quadrant. 


Recently she has produced kitchen utensils for Alessi (pic above). She says about these: 
" I start by giving intention to an object and I start drawing only at the end. I don't draw to shapes; the shapes are coming from themselves. For example, with the bowl, I just had a vision of one bowl and I wanted to make it more practical. To be two bowls. And I combined them." 
So what does the farming life mean to her?
"You know I come from a small village of 80 farmers. I am kind of an ET. I had nothing to do with this kind of culture when I was growing up. For me it's easier to break codes because I'm still not inside. The best you can have in a collaboration is to have this outside look. And that's my position."
(Read the whole post later here. Source: Fastcompany) 


I also read about a Canadian pigfarmer lady, who like me, has to look after animals by herself usually. She got inventive (thats' what you do if you have to tend to animals and not be pummeled to the ground, have them dash out the fields or see you poking yourself with the drench gun.) What did she do? She invented a roller that dispenses a swath of red cloth--a sort of farm version of the retractable "lane guides" that movie theaters use. 

She had noticed that the hogs didn't like a red material moving about and she could use this idea instead of electric prodding to move them where she wanted them to go. This is industrial genius. And very self sufficient I must say.
(Source Core77, whole post here)


So: the outdoorsy life can inspire us in various forms! Whether you own a green pasture or not, thinking outside of the concrete box is groovy. So if you like to have a bit of zesty farm design right at home, to uplift you, try these:

Japanese artist Koshi Kawachi takes old Japanese graphic novels and carefully adds a few radish seeds to create miniature indoor farms.
(source: greenmuze)
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So who says oddball-ism doesn't pay off? It turns out that it can be very practical indeed.
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I'm doing it

Vision. Mission. Ingrained belief. Results. Wrap it up in one word: Joy.


I have been fluffing around with a few topics in the last few weeks. I kept putting a few things off. Mulling options over. Then several things happened:

1. I made the decision I want to pursue working with my goats on a more full time basis in the near future. I already had made the decision I wanted to study for vet nursing part-time. Then I saw an episode by TVNZ's Country Calendar about the Aroha cheesemaking enterprise, set up -coincidentally- by 2 Dutch emigrants. I was smitten! It wasn't a surprise as Nic and I had pondered this but to see it in action was so wonderful. In that episode there was another Dutch lady that advises the couple on Homeopathy as they are an organic farm. For me this was another 'aha' as I have contemplated studying Naturopathy years ago but put it aside because I work in retail. Last week I received information from an organic certifying business so Nico and I can start application as we decided years ago this is what we would like to do. We had soil tests done by a friend last week who sells organic fertilizer and we are waiting for the results now to determine what is being put on. So in a nutshell: the goat gig is going ahead. I need to find a milking plant, a separator, a storage tank and start discussing w/ Nico on how to modify the woodshed.

2. My design work is getting support. More and more. Someone I met on twitter who lives in LA is now  happy for me to design for him and I receive commission on what is sold. Hemptech the textile company in Auckland is continuing to do very well, selling my Cows and Couches fabric along with the Pukekos and the cows are gaining momentum as an upholstery fabric. One store is getting a furniture piece in it again as it works tremendously well as a talking point. It looks like there will be further expansion for Hemptech in the near future too. One local gallery is waiting to receive a high end new settee by Simon James in Auckland which has large cows and couches back cushions. An online store has also expressed to be interested to sell my accessory products. I have done new designs for Hemptech and the plan is to do something with these later this year. I like the idea very much of doing more freelance design work. I'm working on a drape design with geometric qualities for them now, having already done a cushion design they liked very much involving horses and swanndri.

3. Inspiration and meeting people. Several people I have gotten to know well through social media, as I work in retail and can't dash off all the time. Personal stories are shared, moral support is given. It's lovely to have these online contacts develop in a real fun bond and something more sustainable. I feel my design work is global, and I focus on global contacts opposed to many local tweeters, whereas the future goat set up is local based. 
Having both the micro and the macro aspect in my life is majorly appealing, and also rewarding. I enjoy communicating with these inspiring and lovely people a lot.

4. Online store. At the moment I have an online presence that to me is more like an online portfolio and a modest one at best. I have decided that I'm going to turn it into an actual online store to sell my cushions, tea towels, jewelry in and the to be made Wooties. Not next year but, like SOON. The 'wooties' product will be both a cushion, carry bag and soft toy rolled into one. So, to that effect I need to get moving as there is plenty to be done! And I haven't even told you about a farming product I am still working on that will make life easier for break fencing and I have got the domain names already. Even Nico admits it's a great idea. Someone asked me today: and HOW on earth do you get all these things done?

5. Take responsibility: using the Law of Attraction. I find it has really helped me to focus on the direction I want to go, without focusing overly on the details. Things seems to be slotting into place more and more and I trust that process. Naturally I also have to be sensible in that I don't spread myself thin, prioritize and leave old distractions behind. It's an exciting time and I feel really happy about how things are going. I also know I had to get mature about all our financials as I had the habit of cramming incoming paperwork in a folder and pay the bills but not fully understand the actual process.
In realizing that I have taken responsibility for the way I feel and what happens every day I am actually being far more effective then ever before. It's sounds fuzzy, and it's a biggie, but I'm happy about it.


To summarize: if you want to go forward and expand, it is good to know what you want, and to then keep working towards that goal in an appreciative fashion of what already is. 
That sounds jeeps-deep but really: why wait? Why be so depressing 'realistic'? Groovy brands and happy entrepreneurs didn't get out of that garage by embracing the status quo: they went with their guts and worked hard and happily. That is what I am doing. And it's no longer 'work', it's fun.