I think i fell in love with the video installations of Jennifer West at the Calvin Klein Collection + LAND art event tonight… or perhaps, it’s the way people interacted with it. a large open space, multiple spastic video projections pulling you in ~ colorful, intriguing, and apparently the perfect thing to make stunning shadows as people passed in front of them. While i can’t seem to find a website for her, i did find this fun interview on Flash Art Online about these pieces! Turns out she’s a topangan! And the way she works with and physically manipulates real film fascinates me in this digital age… her love of and experimentation with abstraction and representation is beautiful! Beautiful and fun enough it certainly needed a post of its own! So take a peek at some of my favorite pics involving her projections from the night ~ as well as a video! That really gives you a good feel for the experience… i suggest playing it full screen in HD mode!

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Tags: art - calvin klein - events - installation - los angeles - projection - video

On incredible and unexpected inspiration tonight ~ i ended up at the Calvin Klein + Los Angeles Nomadic Division event. As the invite stated - “CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION AND LOS ANGELES NOMADIC DIVISION (LAND) TO PRESENT FIRST-EVER EVENT IN LOS ANGELES IN CELEBRATION OF L.A. ARTS MONTH AND ART LOS ANGELES CONTEMPORARY (ALAC) Brands’ Creative Directors Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli to Host Special Evening; Unique Collaborations with Jean Shin, Neville Wakefield, and Special Installation by Jennifer West” Firstly the space across from the Pacific Design Center is absolutely stunning. A beautiful culmination of art and fashion, these collaborations were breath taking ~ Jean Shin created “Pattern Folds” commissioned by Calvin Klein, and first unveiled in Seoul. She’s known for her ability to create installation which transform castoff materials. In this case she created a beautiful installation on the first floor of the event. Upstairs in a specially lit stark white room, Neville Wakefield presents Zuchelli’s Spring 2010 collection… it was quite a trip to wander through the room as the collection is suspended and the lighting constantly shifts from incredibly bright, to dark. See the images of these collaborations as well as the space itself on the next page, and videos and images of Jennifer West’s installation have a post of their own here.

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Tags: art - calvin klein - events - fashion - los angeles

On unexpected gifts that made me LOL and people who’ve helped me navigate the fun intersection between design, advertising, business, online media, and more ~ Chas ran off to India for the holidays (surprisingly, not to find himself, like others i know have been) ~ as advisor and old friend of NOTCOT ~ i asked him to show me some awesome design from india ~ leave it to an ad man to find a way to mix his passion and mine ~ i was gifted with this book (and lots of pictures of india! including ads of india! But also the beautiful found throughout on his adventures.) But back to the book: Welcome To Advertising Now Get Lost by Omkar Sane. The book cover cracked me up. The idea that it had so many playful illustrations throughout was great as well. And if you read it ~ it’s a playful look at the world of ad agencies in india… from the creative directors to the art directors to the clients to the pitches and more… perhaps a lot of it is similar to how it works here. And amidst making a mockery of much of the process (filled with local references), it’s pretty funny, and an amusing perspective on how things work. And as creatives who may either live in a similar world, or tap in to it regularly ~ you’ve got to take a peek at some of the illustrations inside by Aindri Chakraborty on the next page.

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Tags: advertising - art - books - gifts - india - shopping

On silly little kid stories, when i used to hang out at guitar stores with my dad, i’d be that little girl the store guys would let play with the pick drawers, and they’d always let me have a few… my favorites? Dunlop Tortex! In Green of course! Because i was in that rational “it HAS to be green, its a turtle” little kid mindset, and while knowing it made a difference, i refused to care about how thick it was, what the different colors meant, etc… i just wanted the green ones… flash forward about 20 years, and is it any wonder that my absolute favorite booth encountered at NAMM is Dunlop? The graphic design of the posters and the design of the booth itself were so much fun, the kind of inspiring that makes you want to go design gig posters… and i could have stayed and stared at the panels of custom guitar picks for hours. Also, how exciting is it that there will be a documentary film coming this spring on the Cry Baby? Seeing that awesomely designed poster just made me remember being a little girl balancing on the wah wah pedals amused no end with all the noises i could make… And really, how could i not post the Bad Mutha Fucka Shut Yo Mouth posters… all of the graphics at this booth were really far too fun to pass up. Take a little tour of it all on the next page!

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Tags: art - gifts - graphic - guitar - music - NAMM - shopping

CES is always madness, but in recent years when there have been more and more people i get excited to meet up with there, you’ll notice that my posts about the technology become more discriminating (and there’s less awesome to share, sadly) ~ and i actually end up finding more inspiration in the unexpected and beauty in the chaos. The other night patterns seemed to be my thing… large crazy vegas patterns that were popping up and screaming to be photographed… Or maybe me + drinks that night = pattern obsessed, but really i blame the mandarin oriental bar. It started with dinner hosted by HTC (where i might have gone unexpectedly fangirl when next to me was PCMag’s Sascha Segan mentioned his wife is the awesome artist Leontine Greenberg)…. great conversations with some fun journalists, the HTC marketing and design folks (SO fun and sweet)… followed by “O”… then regrouping for drinks at the Aria with the boys of Cool Hunting… then drinks at the Mandarin Oriental… and as the group dwindled down, and the drinks and inspiration kept flowing… you can take a peek on the next page of the visuals that captivated me!

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Tags: art - ces - drinks - las vegas - travel

They’re heeeeeeere!!! Meet the Puma Penguin Army that arrived yesterday. Sorry i lost a few hours of my day yesterday to unpacking the fort of 20 massive boxes that showed up. And then carefully pulling out each of its foamy filled box… only a few casualties. 1 poor orange guy totally shattered (we’ll consider him a sacrifice in the name of science to see what’s inside a Puma Penguin)… one green guy lost a foot (don’t worry he’s being superglued as you read)… another orange guy has a special sunburst like color fade with a cracked neck (watching him carefully to make sure not to snap his head off!).

Need a little background story? Haven’t walked by a Puma store this season? Well Puma’s window and instore displays internationally have these incredible life size plastic penguins around. And they are simple beautifully designed glossy little statues. For those of you who , you know I’ve been obsessing over them since Stockholm. And then every time i walk past the Santa Monica store. They are truly one of the awesomest window displays i’ve ever seen. Awesome enough that i couldn’t help reaching out to Puma in hopes of telling their story and begging to buy one. And then 20 showed up.

PUMA - i just have to say, you guys are amazing. Like, best christmas present ever amazing. THANK YOU! Now that being said ~ go see the many photos of where i first spotted these guys, how they arrived, and just how fun they are en masse. Now the question is, what to do with them???

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Tags: advertising - art - nature

Sometimes i get so excited i think in pictures. Too giddy for words? So many stunning details to show you? SO, after showing you the awesome ads that came together in McSweeney’s San Francisco Panorama ~ as promised, here is a look inside the newspaper itself. Basically i sat down outside with newspaper and camera in hand, and as i got excited reading through it, snapped pics of the visual details that grabbed me… and omg there are a LOT, so here is the curated down visual inspiration from the Panorama to give you a taste. As for the intellectual literary goodness, you’re really going to have to grab a copy and catch up on that yourself, but for the visual overview and some of the hilariously inspiring details this should whet your appetite for the moment. Hope you enjoy it as much as i do!

We need more of this in our lives. I feel like such a slacker right now. Suddenly i want NOTCOT in print. Anyhow… go see the pics of what newspapers SHOULD be like!

p.s. … also, blogs and websites will never be as fun to take outside and shoot… with a camera.

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Tags: art - gifts - magazines - newspapers - print - shopping

This morning i woke up and fell for Keith Noordzy’s “Man Made Disaster Studies” which he has in the latest Gallery 1988 show Paper Pushers. So clean, so thoughtful, so dangerous (both the enormous sea creatures and the weapons of mass destruction) ~ love them! See them all on the next page!

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Tags: art - gallery - gifts - shopping

Included: Coastal Brake 12” (collection of remixes with a poster inside the album), Coastal Brake giclee, Ghostly 10 giclee, button set, Syv Triblend shirt (winner will pick the size, of course!)

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY!!! To kick off the holiday season, i’ve decided to do something a little different this year. We’ve invited a few people and companies that we’ve grown to love over the years and inspire us constantly to share their stories, processes, and/or a behind the scenes look at their world and the amazing products that come out of it. Also, they love you guys enough that most of them also wanted to give you guys presents ~ so this year it’s about feature stories and giveaways! And i might not be able to resist and might make a few new gift guides or more products as well. Additionally we’re working on bringing back and cleaning up the gift guides of the previous years, since 99% of those products i’d still gift in a heartbeat! So i’m working and shopping this black friday, expect to see the new NOTCOT Gift Guide 2009 section evolve a bit over the next few days, its my fun sandbox to play with some new ideas…

First up! is the amazing Scott Hansen of ISO50. He has not only given us a peek into the way his breathtaking prints are hand made and cut in his studio… but also offered a generous bundle of prints and more for you to win! So take a peek at the featured post for his story, as well as details on how to enter for a chance to win all the goodies!

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Tags: art - gift guide - gifts - holiday - poster - shopping

You've seen the other Target Gift Cards ~ but the incredible detail of the artwork and illustrations on the Winter Fishing Hole Game Gift Card deserved a post of its own! Full scan of the game board as well as the pieces/packaging are on the next page in addition to some fun closeups. From the signature on the game's board, figured out that the design is by brothers, Don and Ryan Clark, of Invisible Creature ~ who posted about the project earlier this month. They do some amazing gig posters, illustration work, and more ~ in particular i'm loving their monsters and creatures tonight! Take a peek at one of the coolest gift cards i've seen in a while on the next page ~ and if you think about it, it's a pretty cheap piece of art that is practically free... you can load it up with $5 to buy the gift card, then use that to buy something else and have the fun game to play or pin up somewhere! Details on the next page aren't to be missed!

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Tags: art - gifts - illustration - shopping - target

Would you believe that pile up there contains 4 different Target Gift Cards? After seeing a magazine ad for some of the new gift cards this season, Linhchi and i took a little field trip to 2 targets tonight to see what there was... i'm absolutely in love with the beautifully illustrated Winter Fishing Hole Board Game of a gift card as well as the adorable wind up dog that pulls a woody sleigh gift card ~ both of which are new for this year! Unfortunately between those two targets we weren't able to find the remote controlled mouse in a shopping cart, but you can still see pics of that on the next page. We're also now very familiar with exactly where around the whole layout of their stores you can find gift cards (different ones in different sections, often at the ends of aisles)... also found were a really fun coloring birthday card with a box of crayons as a gift card ~ and a relaxing car with a bathtub on a box filled with bath salts! I'm impressed with what playful and thoughtful ways target has come up with to enhance the often boring gift card giving experience. While this isn't a new phenomenon (remember the light up Target Wii gift card we dissected?) ~ this year's did seem particularly noteworthy for fun design! See closeups and others on the next page...

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Tags: art - gifts - shopping - target

Click for Art has branched into Cups & Saucers ~ and i'm totally smitten by the Nanami Cowdroy Suspended Animation black and white goldfish one as well as the Si Scott Lovebirds. Can you imagine cuter cups to serve espresso in? Staring at these just makes me dream up the most adorable little cafe ~ with an outdoor patio of course. And we haven't even started to look at the packaging! Such a lovely gift idea ~ and they are each a limited edition of 250 - shipped with a sequentially numbered mini art print signed by the artist and a Certificate of Authenticity! See more pics of my favorite two on the next page...

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Tags: art - dishes - gifts - home - luxury - shopping

On breathtaking gallery openings ~ SHAG's "Autumn's Come Undone" show at the Corey Helford Gallery is incredible. I showed you a preview earlier, and now the full show preview is available here... the show consists of new paintings as well as huge 6-foot wide panoramic giclee panels on canvas ~ in singles, pairs, and triples ~ these larger than life panoramas have so many details going on at once you can literally stand and stare at them constantly discovering more and more! The way they are displayed in the gallery is beautiful in and of itself ~ take a look at the scene on the next page!

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Tags: art - events - gallery - gifts - shopping

Back in March of 2007, Dave Pressler sent over some adorable little Endorphins ~ and ever since, they've moved with me to various homes and always lived under or near my monitors. Who doesn't need some super happy little endorphin critters nearby at all times? Well, he's gone and dissected one of his larger ones, and anyone fascinated with anatomy can't help but to stare at what he's dreamed up is really INSIDE these guys... look at those fangs! And that skull in its... stomach? And that mini spine! It's all so fascinating, go see closeups on the next page!

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Tags: anatomy - art - toys

On intriguing art that just showed up in my inbox, Moss in association with Edelman Arts presents Remains by Cathy McClure. "Hands wielding scissors, McClure massacres the motor-driven robotic plush toys, eviscerating them through a Geppetto-like taxidermy until she gets down, as she says, 'into the guts of the piece'." The truly amazing part isn't that she guts these toys (didn't we all as kids?) ~ but she then re-casts the parts in bronze and reassembles them! The result is fascinating... is it now high art? is it still a toy? do they still work? Apparently the original circuit boards, batteries, gears, and voice boxes are all re-installed, but you can't help but wonder how those gears will handle the new weight... looking forward to seeing these in person, they will be at Moss in NY November 20th through December 31st, with a quick trip to Miami for Art Basel Dec 2nd through 5th... see more pics and information on the next page.

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Tags: art - bronze - kids - toys

On late night art lusting ~ these 4"x 4.5" laser engraved wooden ovals with one of a kind drawings with colored pencil were Audrey Kawasaki's contribution to the give away gift bags at Baby Tattooville (which, yes, i'm very sad i wasn't at this year!)... see a few more of these mini's up close on the next page as well as a stunning medical curiosity themed complimentary limited edition giclee print...

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Tags: art - events - gifts

On upcoming shows i'm rather giddy about ~ SHAG's "Autumn's Come Undone" at the Corey Helford Gallery opens this Saturday, November 21st at 8pm. The press release has me intrigued "For the past decade, Agle's iconic environments and playful narratives have sublimely captured California cool, mid-century modern design and lifestyles of the retro glamourati. His new exhibition "Autumn's Come Undone" represents a turning point for Agle, adopting darker themes and a deeper palette to explore life's excesses. "Something happened to me in the last year - call it an unexpected change-of-heart, if you like, but a lot of the unfettered hedonism my artwork espoused has begun to catch up with me," Agle explains. Somber hues of okra, burnt oranges, and delicate grays, replace Agle's signature acid brights, and as his subjects near the autumn of their lives, they venture away from suburban comforts to embrace a simpler, more authentic way of life." And from the images (a few more sneak peeks on the next page!) i'm excited to see so many animals showing up in this series!

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Tags: art

Adorable! Brain Pattern Egg Qee ~ hand painted by Emilio Garcia. I've loved his brainy frogs ~ and this egg is too cute ~ its fun to see the creation process step by step ~ see pics on the next page!

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Tags: art - gifts - nature - shopping - toys

Popped by the opening of the inaugural PRISM Gallery exhibition, MindTheGap, featuring the stunning works of Barry McGee and Phil Frost. There are so many angles a post on this opening could take, just doing a quick google of it, quickly you can see who's who that showed up, the architecture, the artists, the gallerist... so let's just focus on what was truly most inspiring about the event. The art. The details. The space. And to take in such overwhelming amounts of pattern heavy art that took a bit to process... and perched on sunset in West Hollywood, the three tiered roof with breath taking LA views were exactly what you needed... although the sparkling lights of the city felt as if you were staring into another patterned piece of art to lose yourself in. With all of the work shown, you could easily spend some time discovering details, turning away, turning back, and still see something new. So explore some of my favorite views of the show on the next page...

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Tags: art - events - gallery - los angeles

As you've seen, i love the Lydmar Hotel ~ i'm so happy i had a chance to stay there before it got completely transformed into an Absolut Art Collection haven the day after, so i could appreciate the contrast to what the space was normally like. (Not too much changed, just some rearranging and art hanging... i suppose it was too easy for Absolut when the starting space was such a nice fit already!) While i'm sure you're familiar with many of these collaborations between Absolut and Sylvie Fleury, Dan Wolgers, David Shrigley, Douglas Gordon, and Hung Tung-Lu... what is really worth seeing is how the Absolut installations really work with the space, particularly in the suite! (The shadows are stunning! and the four poster bed? with the deceptively provocative duvet? I desperately want one now... you'll see what i mean...) So take a peek on the next page to take it all in... quick video to show you how the lenticular piece of Hung Tung-Lu felt in person as well...

p.s.
You guys are AMAZING, today particularly @chakrapenny who shared the designers of the naughty bedspread within 15 minutes of my call for help! So if you're interested, check out K-Lou's Erotic "Toile de joui" Collection.

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Tags: absolut - art - events - hotels - stockholm

We could all use some "Mental Togetherness" ~ lovely sculpture by Truls Melin outside of Swedish art space Magasin 3 (A philanthropic activity by Swedish investors, Proventus - also investors of Brio, Artek, o2, Tom Dixon). Whether this sculpture is about chasing the pipe dream or creating that continuous flow between us or visualizing the paths we take... i leave that to your interpretation... all i know is that as tempting as it seems, you can not climb on it... but it is fascinating to wander into... see more pics of it on the next page!

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Tags: art - sculpture - stockholm - travel

On tabs that stay open way too long on my laptop making me realize i am more drawn to the work than i first thought, i haven't been able to close the website of Rachell Sumpter since i found her through Kitsune Noir ~ the colors are just stunning, and once you get over that you get sucked into the level of detail, and the possible stories that exist in the technicolor dreamworlds she creates. Will someone please animate her world and set it to a dreamily inspiring soundtrack to lose ourselves in? I wonder how large her originals are? They'd be stunning as large wall sized pieces to wander up to and stare at... See more of my favorites on the next page...

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Tags: art

The internet definitely works in cycles, if you miss something the first time around, don't worry, the awesome stuff always loops back. So please forgive me for not having jumped on Yu Jinyoung's A Family In Disguise at the Union Gallery one back in Dec 08, but Josh Spear seems to have resurfaced the work of Yu Jinyoung that showed at Art Basel Miami 08, and try as i may, i can't get them out of my head, so need to save them somewhere to look back on later! First thing i thought was, Audrey Kawasaki! The dark thoughtful floating faces disappearing into their surroundings... but in sculptural PVC lifesize form! Then i kicked myself when i saw on Boing Boing that Pescovitz actually found it from Audrey who loved it too in March 09... best find? Awesome interview over at Arrested Motion with a peek into how these are made! So see more pics on the next page and join my fascination with this eerie and amazing body of work... i can only imagine how breath taking they must be in person. (They are LIFE SIZED! Mind blowing.)

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Tags: art - pvc - sculpture

Sometimes there are moments where it feels like the universe is against you and you're torn between too many awesome opportunities ~ those are definitely the moments where you just have to step back and find less obvious solutions? In this case, i double booked myself. Months ago i agreed to be a media sponsor for Beyond Eden (AMAZING collection of my favorite LA galleries coming together for a HUGE show in the gorgeous Barnsdall Park LA Municipal Art Gallery) which has the VIP opening tonight, and runs through the weekend... i also got committed to join the lovely ladies of the Broad Summit up in wine country (hence my currently being up in SF!).

None the less, i think somehow this has worked out perfectly thanks to the quick thinking of Andrew (of the fabulous Thinkspace Gallery and co-founder of the event) ~ because he let me go sneak in early before i drove up to SF, and get some exclusive sneak peek pics to tease you with! And it was SUCH a fun challenge! I promised not to show you and full pictures... so i got a chance to shoot some amazing close ups and details as well as a few overview shots to give you a feel for the massssssssive space! I dare you to figure out where all the details came from... and there are so many pieces i'm dying to share with you fully soon too! But Angelenos, you HAVE to go check this out ~ especially if you love art, gorgeous parks, and stunning views of LA (you can see downtown skylines, hollywood sign, and griffith park observatory to name a few from the grassy goodness right outside the gallery perched upon the hill!). So first things first ~ go peek at what you'll find at the show.

And no joke. AMAZING show lined up over at Beyond Eden this weekend! Go check it out!!!

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Tags: art - events - gallery - gifts - shopping

Remember those 1800 Tequila Essential Artist bottles? (I also showed you the close ups of the real things - even more stunning than in pics!) Well, at the time of the first collection launching, there was also a contest where you could submit your designs to be a part of the second collection... well the winners have been announced! And the bottles are just starting to make their way out into the real world! They are AWESOME (not that i would expect any less from 1800 Tequila after their great pick of designs the first time around)... 12 Limited Edition Bottle Designs Including one from Shepard Fairey's Studio Number One... so if you're ready, take a peek at the winners and a little background info on them on the next page... Also, beautiful video embedded on the next page animating and showing off all of the new designs, which is a definite must see! Can't wait to see these in person!

p.s.
HUGE congrats to all of the winners ~ and to creative agency, Dead As We Know It for another stunning job.

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Tags: art - drinks - liqurious - packaging - tequila