The Art of Cooking

If you like art and also happen to like cooking then you're in the right place.  Check out these Carl Kleiner videos about the art of cooking.



VvV Amanda

Shoes of the Future

Everyone loves DIY... and SHOES. So when I came across United Nude's futuristic DIY shoes, I thought they were just the coolest. The Moon Life Project, started by Alicia Framis, is all about the possibility that humans will live in space in the future. Framis gave artists, architects and designers the chance to design concepts for everyday items we would use in our future environment, and they came up with some great stuff.


Made of carbon fibre, wire, laces and leather, United Nude's flatpack shoes are made of various pieces that can be slotted and laced together in less than 20 minutes for the pair. How cool! Check out the photos below and be sure to check out The Moon Life Project's website to see the rest of the groovy concepts!

What would you guys design for living in space? I'd want to find a way to bring my favourite steak and potatoes and eat them in a less dehydrated, irradiated type way. One day, right?

♥, Azzara

Mobiles With Style

Check out today's interactive Google Doodle celebrating Alexander Calder's 113th birthday, an American sculptor and artist who invented the mobile. Go and check out the doodle right now, it moves. Horray!


And to honour good ol' Sandy, here are a collection of cool mobiles. Some are his, and some are inspired by his geometrical wonders. 

Chihuly: Part 2

Yesterday I had the delightful opportunity to check out the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. As Amanda mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the exhibit is called Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass and boy, it sure was amazing. 

A Matter of Taste: Fulvio Bonavia's Turns Food Into Art

I was perusing my dear friend Elisa's blog and saw a post about Fulvio Bonavia, an Italian photographer best known for his advertisements for Heineken, Adidas, BMW, and Audi. After a closer look at his work, I knew I had to share with you guys. Bonavia started out as a graphic designer and illustrator and then moved into photographing for various companies. Personally, I prefer his photos that combine food and fashion (two of our favourite things here at Style Relish). His book A Matter of Taste chronicles his foray into food-related art. Check out some of my favourites below:

If you guys are looking for some cool accessories this summer, why not make a good ol' blueberry bag? The pieces are made out of real fruits and vegetables so they decay in real time, which just adds another step to the artistic process. I'd love to have a cheese bag any day, although it probably wouldn't last very long in my house. 

♥, Azzara

Pete Dungey's Pothole Gardens

In celebration of Earth Day (a little late, I know... but shouldn't it always be Earth Day?), I thought I'd share some artwork by Pete Dungey, an artist and a recent graphic design graduation from the University of Brighton in the UK. Since the local government in Oxford couldn't keep up with the overwhelming number of potholes sprouting up (pun definitely intended) all over the place, Dungey decided to counteract the problem by planting flowers in the holes instead. Seriously, what a great idea. A super green (gosh, I'm funny) idea to get rid of those pesky potholes. Wish I'd thought of it. Check out some more images below of the pothole gardens:

♥, Azzara

Studio Sweet Studio

image/ Studio Sweet Studio

Just found this really cool site.  In the vein of From The Desk Of, this one's called Studio Sweet Studio.  Get a look at the artist's workspaces as well as their homes.  It's esp. interesting when you get to see their works in progress.  Also has lots of fun interviews/ Q&As.  Loving this site but it's giving me major workspace envy. 


Some of my favorites:
+ All + Etc. Studio
+ Jing Wei
+ Fieldguided


ENJOY. VvV Amanda

VHILS Knows What's Up

I came across this video the other day, and was so intrigued that I had to post it. Portuguese graffiti artist Alexandre Farto, otherwise known as VHILS, has had his work shown alongside work by Banksy and you can definitely see why. I'm not entirely sure how he does this, but VHILS carves murals into the wall by setting off small explosions. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Check out the video below. Now that's art!

I'd love to know how he does this, so let us know if you find anything out. Check out his website for even more cool work! Happy Tuesday to all!

♥, Azzara

ART RELISH: Stefan Kürten

I love the work of Stefan Kürten for many reasons. I discovered his work when I came across one of his monographs last year and have been hooked since. He is an artist based in both Düsseldorf, Germany and New York and I haven't yet had the chance to see his work in person (he shows at Alexander & Bonin every few years). I hope to see his work ASAP. I'll let you know if anything comes up in the U.S. because he's due for a show soon, here's hoping. Let me list the ways I relish:

+ The titles of Kürten's work are both mysterious yet strangely applicable/accessible/ touching

+ The muted color combinations

+ How the foreground and the background often meld together to form new shapes

+ The somewhat decorative/ kitschy approach to paint application, sometimes more noticeable in Beautiful People

+ The quietness of the work yet the not so obvious sense of mystery/disturbance

+ The lack of human presence and attention/ personification of the landscape and architecture

Illusion, 2007

Beautiful People, 2004

Power, Corruption, and Lies, 2009

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, 2009

Tomorrow Never Knows, 2009

What do you all think? You can check out more of Kürten's work at the links below.

Images/ Hosfelt Gallery and Thomas Dane Gallery

VvV Amanda

Park Ave bouquet

Yesterday, I was walking past Park Ave to get to the 59th street subway station when I came across this huge installation by Will Ryman. After a little more research I found out that this project, sponsored by nyc parks, spans ten glorious blocks. So, if you're in the neighborhood of 57-67th street on Park Ave, you NEED to check these sculptures out. Apparently some of the rose petals are designed to be chairs! One day maybe when the days get longer (and warmer) I'm going to walk the full ten blocks to see the whole progression of sizes and shapes.



I love the installation because it is so unexpected on Park Ave. And so cheerful! Definitely reminds me that spring is right around the corner contrary to what the weatherman is saying tonight (uh, hello 14 inch blizzard). Check these sculptures out- they're outside so it's free to see em- stop and smell the roses!

VvV Amanda

Nicole Dextras Photography

Nicole Dextras is an artist hailing from Vancouver who works as a mixed media artist as well as an art teacher. She creates environmental art focusing on different aspects of nature, using materials typically found in different seasons of the year to construct her pieces. From clothing frozen into ice to dresses made of flowers, Dextras has used nature as her muse for her ephemeral pieces, many which can be seen on her flickr. She has also happens to take wonderful black and white photographs all over the world, which are eerily beautiful. Here are some of my favourites:

all images from nicoledextras.com

Check out Nicole Dextras' blog which details more of her projects, and make sure to check out her exhibitions if you're in the area.

♥, Azzara

A Feist-y film

Check out Look at What the Light Did Now, a new documentary that follows Feist's musical career, collaborations, and the artistry involved.

I saw her in concert not so recently when she played McCarren park pool and later in Northampton, MA and was fascinated by the different puppertry/ light techniques used to enhance the already dream-like atmosphere. No one puts on a show quite like Feist. My only regret is that the screenings of the film are primarily in Canada, damn them. Maybe when it comes out on DVD?

Check out the above link and let us know what you think.

Video painting!

My friend Erica just sent me this cool link for some new crazy technology. Video painting? What will they think of next?

Katz on Anna

Supposedly after watching The September Issue, Alex Katz wanted to paint Anna Wintour without her signature sunglasses. This is the result!

Yay or nay?

Portfolio!

I'm going to make a shameless plug.

As of last night I have an online portfolio! I'll be updating it frequently. Check it out and lemme know what you think.

www.amandajhu.carbonmade.com

yarr,

How Cool Is This?

I was scrolling through simpuhl.com and found the niftiest jar art. Hey, it's like the updated version of a ship in a bottle. Maybe I'll try it with other plants. Or maybe I'll just make a cool terrarium with some hip dinosaur figurines or something instead. Either way, these are great.

Not Everything Is What It Seems to Be

So I'm really a fan of art that's creative and weird and makes you go "woah, I wish I'd though of that." I'm really digging these inventive photos by Chema Madoz. It's pretty grand that Chema is able to look at a sewer grate and visualise a dish rack.  Check out his website for more stuff, or have a look at his book which has some real gems in it as well. Supposedly he used a Hasselblad to take a bunch of the photos that were used in his books, so maybe I'll just pop on over to Amazon and pick up one for a couple thousand dollars (try $17,000 for some of them) and then take a picture of the man on the moon. Seriously, I wish. 

It's appropriate, and slightly amusing, that among his photos so many of my favourites are food-related (or at least kitchen-utensil-related) as Amanda and I will for sure be blogging about cool food stuff in the near future. And who doesn't love food? So stay tuned for more excitement. Feel free to contact us both via email, we'd love to hear from you! 

♥, Azzara