Blow Tech is posting about design solutions that involve simple principles and low tech approaches with striking outcomes.

Photos: http://www.dezeen.com/2009/07/17/ink-calendar-by-oscar-diaz/

Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has created an Ink Calendar that works with the aid of a highly absorbent paper, and ink that becomes visible as its gets sucked into the material over the course of time. The day of the month will timely appear on the surface allowing people to know the date.

Photos: http://www.muti.cx/

Another example is from Randolph Muti, Brazilian designer. Muti is well known for the permanent experimentation he carries out at the Melissa's shop facade in Sao Paulo.

He is also known by the lighting installations and recreation of experiences in spaces, yet one of my favorite ones is the Colcci Catwalk at a previous Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

He recreated for Colcci Summer Collection an ocean of Styrofoam wages along the catwalk, where the models were gracefully sliding through. The ocean was orchestrating the movement of the cloths and walk of the models. The plain color of the structure was tainted with red and blue lights sporadically.

Low tech solutions can be the way in today's branded experiences market to be remembered rather than overusing technology as a way to wow consumers.

Fashion humor and ressurection: Beyond flesh and death

Funshion: please click on the image!













Photos: http://www.goaheadrobus.com/

This concept is about fun in fashion. About fashion irreverence and playfulness as an aesthetic proposal.

Funshion can ne seen as the new "casual wear", because after all isn't casual about fun and easiness? Well now, it is also being irreverent and playful.

The Funshion concept can be attributed to the Danish collaborative project called "Go Ahead Rob Us". It consists of two girls Anne Werner and Stine Tranekaer who make clothes and art installations amongst others, but most importantly, they make fun a tangible design position.

An absurd and compelling one that challenges shapes, materials, symbols, and any given assumptions, starting off by the name of their collective: "Go Ahead Rob Us".

Its trademark is a distinctive pop light spirited way to approach fashion and fine arts.

Fabrics and shapes are turned into pretty much anything, as Jaconfetti knows. The Danish Hip Hop duo got their album cover and some clothes made by "Go ahead..." collective.

Ladies your Funshion is taken seriously!

www.myspace.com/jaconfetti

Popsychedelik xkizofriends

Glam Street Pop Fun

The Clubkids are gone, yet their art legacy is still around. Popsychedelik xkizofriendx concept refers to the "glossy street pop frenetic" aesthetic the Clubkids developed and established.

The photos portray chaos, overcrowded spaces with colors, textures, movement, multi-dimensions and lots of joy and fun. Makes me think about David Chapelle's work; though the Clubkids seem more real as their work and life were closely intertwined. Is their work a party diary?

The Clubkids' work also remind me of Mariko Mori's piece called "The Birth of a star" (1995) As Christian Haye "states: "Mori’s work tends to make one wonder whether the art world’s current taste is for arty fashion or fashionable art". Ultimately Mori is bridging pop culture, art and fashion by making it relative, as unimportant but ultimately giving it a proper place and moment in time.

Beyond the pop crafted xkizophrenic photos of the Clubkids, I believe they also portrayed the more open ways in which people are doing things today. We are witnessing passion turning into profession, creativity turning into careers' platforms. This is not a new phenomenon, just a very tangible one. So keep on following your guts kids!

Photos:

Clubkids: www.myspace.com/joeyelgersma
Mariko Mori: http://www.mcachicago.org/

Christian Haye: 24Back2 Mariko Mori

http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/24back2_mariko_mori/

Vain transcendence: Fashion Delirium

Transcendent Delirium

Don Slater states in his book Consumer Culture and Modernity (1997) : The notion of "consumer culture" implies that, in the modern world, core social practices and cultural values, ideas, aspirations and identities are defined and oriented in relation to consumption rather than other social dimension such as work, or ..., religion... " implying we have turned into an utilitarian individualized communities devoted and driven by self-interests and material pursuits as Nabil Echchaibi suggests. http://www.indiana.edu/~wanthro/slater.htm

The concept of Transcendent Delirium addresses the need and respective consecutive action that some of us experience when it comes to fashion. It is not about shopping, but rather "craving" fashion pieces that to our understanding would complement us by providing a sense of empowerment. It might be an illusion, but don't we need to dream more nowadays?

What's wrong with fashion deliriums? with a fever of commoditizing ourselves with precious items?

Fashion is playful, empowering, triggering our senses and selves in order to feel good about a moment. It offers a sort of transcedence to people. It exalts individuality and creates a new democratizing order and approach to ideals, a transformative one; a way to understand the future from the vanity and presence of the now as Gilles Lipovetsky advocates.

Photos: Lil Kim by David Lachapelle at http://www.brandspankingnew.net/

http://www.sisley.com/

Raw Beauty

Fleshuality

Photo: http://www.terryrichardson.com/

Terry Richardson is one of my favorite photographers. I particularly like his work as I believe, he is redefining beauty canons. To me, Terry Richardson's beauty is RAW. It consists of pores, body hair, nipples, and in general taboo body parts. His work has a strong and playful eroticism, with a great sense of humor.


Fleshuality is a concept that refers to Richardson' s "raw" skin and flesh, and the strong sexual expression and grace of his work.

Photo: Terry Richardson featuring Alex Bolotow. Purple Magazine

The "fleshuality" of Richardson equalizes ordinary people and celebrities posing for him. The body, or flesh and its rawness, along with provoking expression is what matters.

His raw, yet sensual language, embodies the spirit of an "America" that is ready for new beauty archetypes and ways of looking at things. An example is the clothing brand "American Apparel" that produces its own advertising, and it is known for being provocative and controversial.
Photo: www.americanappareal.net