OBJECT/RUNWAY: FEBRUARY, 2010

OBJECT/RUNWAY: FEBRUARY, 2010

I am getting my sewing machine warmed up ... and working on some sketches for this very fun event happening in February. I guess the judge is from this season Project Runway - Christopher Straub. I don't have a tv ... so I have never seen the show.

I think type will definitely be involved in my little piece. I am looking for a model though ....

THE CHALLENGE IS TO MAKE WEARABLE WORKS OF ART. CLOTHING SHOULD FIT INTO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES/THEMES:


• IMPRINT (use magazines, newspapers, newspaper bags or other)

• GRAPHIC (graphic design-inspired, letters, drawing-inspired or other)

• SURVIVAL (& the Great Outdoors)

• EVENING

• MILITARY-INSPIRED

• BUTTONS

• FOOD

• REMADE OR RECYCLED

• BIG, WILD LIFE

• APPROPRIATION (open to interpretation)

• ENTWINED (rope, string, ribbon, or other)

• VALENTINE

• WEATHERED

• THEN & NOW / TRADITION & INNOVATION

• MUSIC

• ANYTHING GOES

Awards will be offered to winners. Open to 5 entries per artist.

All works will be on exhibit at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art from February 7 - 28.

typekit - WOW

I am happy to write about typekit - a new subscription-based service for using open type fonts for websites. It is really incredible. I know in some cases you can do this using flash --- but let's face it --- if you use your iphone like I do, this does not work.

Typekit can use any type from leading foundries. Look at this .. I am highlighting all these HTML based characters!!!!

I think I might just start enjoying designing web pages again....

IGCA berth exhibition

Up at the IGCA is an exhibit on the berth happenings back in September. The first Friday event had lots of performances. Michael Gerace did a good job of putting it all together! I did not put up the ladder again ---- the ladder looks much better at a distance than close up. There are a few photos of it in the exhibit. It will be up for the entire month.

Cluster mobile

I am working on a little mobile type sculpture to fill our ten foot wall space. The top will use an old bike rim and rotate. Letters will be clustered onto it --- and revolve. I am hoping to have it done in a week or so. Stay tuned.

Alta Bike

Okay we bought the bike. And it is one fast single speed.

Alaska Design Forum was selected (out of a hat) to be one of the four recipients of the profits from the Mayor's Charity Ball. Frost Produkt, from Norway generously donated the bike to ADF. Jan and Sondre Ustrad, the two brothers that started Frost lectured in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. Great guys --- doing some really nice work.

Our's is green.

This is a funny promo photo.

anchorage yoga

ANCHORAGE yoga is a new studio opening up. Katey Inman is the amazing teacher behind it. The studio will focus on power, flow and bikram yoga. They are install a new heating system to make it one hot studio. I can't wait for it to open.

Artist at Play exhibit

Artists at Play is an exhibit that just opened at the Anchorage Museum. It a companion exhibit to Science in Toyland. My piece took a lot to build ---- lots of lite brite pegs .... there were TONS of children creating designs at the opening. I have to check out this week how it is holding up. And take some pictures of it with the illumination.

THE berth - Step up

Step up - a installation apart of the Berth went up on Friday. It was fun. Interesting to see the scale after constructing it in my office.

Lots of great stuff happening all week.

DRY ICE EXHIBIT

Just finished the catalog for DRY ICE - Alaska Native Arts and the Landscape. It is an exhibition that will be Princeton University from October 3 - until January 10th. The 28 page catalog features nine Alaska Native Artists.

The berth

Starting Sept. 3 - 11 is the berth in downtown Anchorage.

My installation will take place on the 4th and the 5th.

Follow it on twitter TWITTER.COM/THEBERTHSPOT or facebook.

FREEZE book

A limited edition FREEZE book has been produced. It is great to read the narrative by all the teams and see some nice photos on all the project. I think Julie Decker might make it available to purchase.

ADF new season poster

Alaska Design Forum is starting its new season next month. I am sending the poster design to the printer next week. I will be playing with spot off-line varnishes to enhance the flat monotone light of winter. The sculpture was created up in Fairbanks last March.

First lecture is October 5th in Anchorage.

EXPANDED VIEW - Museum Exhibit

Just finished the installation at the 4th floor of the new addition of the anchorage museum. The exhibit will be opening the end of May. I am working on the brochure that goes along with it --- and using a highly reflective mirror paper. What fun.

Latitude - Alaska Design Forum's Next Season

Just beginning the next series posters ... and will be playing with using some spot varnishes to have the word "attitude" worked into the poster. Heading to Homer in two weeks for our board retreat.

Latitude - Alaska Design Forum's Next Season

Work on next season's Alaska Design Forum design has already begun. This year an installation was created up in Fairbanks. Perfect weather helped this project come together, along with help from so many folks. I will post some new images soon. Nora took some great shots to make this piece work. 

TYPESHED 11 - Conference

A great conference exploring type in all it's many forms. Three full days of great lectures and events ... with people from around the world. Take a look at the line-up.

TYPESHED 11 - New Zealand

I am finally back after a great trip to New Zealand. One fine month of amazing places and great people. TypeSHED 11 was a great conference. 

We arrived in Wellington the final night of Sevens - a huge crazy rugby tournament ... where everyone dresses up the same and in groups. Thousand of crazy people everywhere. The next day our craziness started with trying to find someone that sell corn starch packaging peanuts for our installation happening on Thursday. This was no small feat. With our ethnocentric values, we assumed we would find them. The challenging feat involved trying to mix up the material in our hotel kitchen to calling everyone in the country --- finally rounding up some. The building process started Tuesday afternoon and continued until Wednesday evening. 

Thursday was the workshop where we launched these letters NEXT TIME into the water. Participants at the workshop also constructed words and objects and launched these too. We found the perfect setting for this. An island in Wellington bay that is a park reserve - Matiu/Somes Island Reserve. Matt the park ranger was most helpful.

The wind was shifting from the north to the south which made the launch a bit difficult. The disappearing type happened very quickly and before we knew it, it was heading out to sea, with the tide and wind on our side.

It was a fun filled day with so many great people. 

FREEZE OPENING

FREEZE - come and gone.

FREEZE opend last week --- and no sooner than four days later, we had 50 degree temperatures. The meltdown has taken its toll on the exhibition. Here are some photos from our project. Thank you everyone for helping out. 

Freezing at FREEZE

Well below normals FREEZING temperature have been happening all week. But beautiful cold and clear days. All the teams are putting finishing touches on their pieces. Our project came to a hiccup yesterday with me breaking my thumb with an ice auger drill. Yikes.

Here is the impressive x-ray. Final images will be uploaded tomorrow of the project.

Here are some lovely photos documenting the week.