Hi, we're OK Great, a tight-knit crew of designers, writers + artists, hell-bent on delivering the best in art, design and culture. The world is a big pile of awesome. We're the spoon. Dig in.
I just got waaaaaay too excited about this when I read about it on Creative Review’s blog (which, by the way, if that shit is not in your google reader, you are missing out).
The Ri Channel is a new online project by the Royal Institution showcasing the very best science videos from the Ri and around the web with an aim to “connect people to the world of science.” Well, if it looks this good and Carl Sagan is on the front page, I’m sold. And definitely connected.
Yes. That’s correct. We’ve started a new business. A year after we opened Haigh & Martino in our bedroom and a few years after we became internet friends with Brainstorm (remember the rad giveaway we did with them!!??) we combined forces and have opened Industry Standard, a screen printing shop with the greatest intentions. We’ll be working with talented artists whether they’re a big name already or waiting to be discovered by readers or kids with crisp bills at craft shows.
Things have been moving fast, to say the least. The pic above is from a recent open house for important people at 3S Artspace, where our studio (both HAM, Brainstorm and IN/ST combined workspace) is located. We’ve been lucky to become friends with the founder of 3S, all around amazing dude, Chris Greiner (he sings and surfs!!) and we’re ecstatic to be housed in the next hub of all things creative in Portsmouth, NH. 3S will be turning into a music venue, an art gallery and a farm to table restaurant. Not a bad place for us to be. I can just imagine working all day in the studio and walking downstairs to check out the band and grab a beer at the bar. WHAAAT?!!? Dreams, people. Dreams. They sometimes surprise you and come true.
3S was kind enough to offer us a ginormous (albeit real raw) space and with a little elbow grease, some pallets and a lot of love for what we do, we’ve got it into working condition with enough room for every-thang. And then some.
The greatest thing about Industry Standard so far? If it’s not the lunchtime frisbee/skateboarding breaks, the bobby bottleservice jokes, serious shop talk about paper stock or the sheer thrill of walking into a space that looks and feels like who we all are and want to be – then it’s definitely being in business with great people who love to work hard and play even harder.
If you’re an artists who needs screen printing, give us a holler.
If you’re a bright young thing looking to make your life truly yours, I hope this post inspires you to jump into it. Fully. We have and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. So far.
You may have noticed, (well, maybe you haven’t) I’ve been absent for a while. That’s because I’ve recently entered the strange and adrenalin filled world of politics. More specifically, I’ve been tracking, following and reporting on the upcoming republican primary. I also happen to live in NH. Not sure if you heard, but we’re a pretty big deal when it comes to primaries.
Before the audible shock wave crosses the entire internet, let me explain one thing: I’m not interested in voting for a Republican candidate. I am interested in getting them to declare clearly what their stance is on certain issues. These guys can be a little vague at times. I’m also very, very interested in how the candidates communicate with potential voters. Their website is a good starting point for discussion. After the jump, I’ve spared you the pain of actually going to these sites and gave you a screen snap of (almost) everyone who is vying for a spot against Barack Obama in 2012. His website, as you can see above, is kinda awesome in terms of design. And when I say “awesome,” I think I mean targeted towards me – a fairly young voter with an eye for good looking things. Just look at those vintage-toned photos of gorgeous love birds M & B!
The first time I saw Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, I think I was 14 and in the greatest english class ever (R.I.P. Ms. Bertie Lord!) so I thought I would never be in a better atmosphere to fully absorb that masterpiece. In fact, I kind of forgot about it until we went to Mass Moca recently and saw a screening of it alongside a live orchestra performing their own score to the silent film. God damn, if it wasn’t one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in a long, long, long time.
Alloy Orchestra was a 3 piece band of superhuman rhythm and stamina. The film is over two hours long and there are very few moments of hushed pianissimo sound. Besides impressing us with their sheer physicality, the soundtrack they created was impeccable and perfect in every scene. The bowel like, monotonous percussion accompanying the workers as they march like robots into the city, the shrieking, tense pitch of the flood as the children crawl and crowd Maria in the square – AMAZING.
This is actually a behind the scenes shot of the flood scene. Even the stills look awe inspiring.
Sometimes when you’re sitting in a theatre, watching scene after scene, shot after shot pass before your eyes, it’s overwhelming. I like looking back at the stills (you can see those and more behind the scenes photos at the Metropolis website) since every single piece of the set is so meticulously designed.
The combination of sight and live sound both at their peak of greatness in a theatre at my favorite contemporary art museum?
Well, it made for an experience that will stick to my bones for a long time. And that’s the stuff I live for.
This sunday will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. On Wednesday, NYC mayor Bloomberg and almost everyone else working on the new World Trade Center site held a press conference to give yet another thin update on building progress. I feel like the process has been long and empty – but I was thrilled to see Silverstein properties come out with a moving video to re-stimulate my interest and connection to the site.
The video (more like a short film, really) mixes live action, tilt shift and impressive CGI effects to tell the story of a new World Trade Center. Surprisingly, (though it’s been a big piece of the winners and losers bidding to build) there are green spaces and water features. It’s calm and thriving and new and somehow, even with it’s soaring heights, modest. After all NYC and the rest of the country have been through, it seems like a high point. Finally, after all this time.
Also, here is a link to an incredible article that my good friend sent me on grief and western culture’s abandonment of grieving rituals. It just makes me think about all those times when I felt a splinter of anger rise up in me when someone very, very far removed from the tragedy of 9/11 somehow makes a distant connection to the death and destruction via the friend of a 3rd cousing or something. I used to think that they had no right to feel the same way I felt about 9/11 – I was there, they were in Wisconsin or something. I’m rethinking that now. In a situation this big and sad, I guess we all need to grieve.
This Sunday, I’ll take a moment to remember that day back in 2001 and thank all the men and women involved in responding, recovering and rebuilding. I hope you do too.
Many of you are probably familiar with the artists/toy makers/creators of all things cute+happy, FriendsWithYou. To celebrate the opening of Section 2 of the High Line Park in NYC, they teamed up with AOL to create a 40-piece environmental installation called Rainbow City. As you can see from the pictures above, this installation is pretty much a playground of brightly colored inflatable creatures, and it looks like so much fun! If you are planning a visit to NYC, the exhibition will be open until July 5, so you still have some time to swing by and check it out. You can visit FriendsWithYou’s website for more photos & information.
You’ve got to love the enthusiasm & passion for these people trying to get their handmade bottle sleeve operation off the ground. I’m willing to bet 10 freakers that if you take the time to watch their video above, you’re guaranteed to donate something to their kickstarter campaign. If you don’t then you probably have ice in your veins. Which means you could probably use a torso sized freaker. Which I guess is another name for a sweater.
Freakers!
Thanks to the talented Talia Ledner for bringing this to our attention!
I’m ashamed to admit that I have only recently discovered the SOWA Open Market – Boston’s original weekly outdoor and indie market. I’m less ashamed to admit that the idea of “crafts” kind of makes me super nauseous sometimes. I mean, really. Can we talk about this for a minute? I’ve never been to the notoriously awesome markets like Renegade-I know those have more good than bad. Around here, we tend to see the same kind of faux vintage-y thing in every stall. So I feel I have some justification for barfing at the thought of $45 bead necklaces that spell out “live, laugh, love.” GROSS.
However, since I’ve been raising the flag for doing shit with your hands, my uber-un-neuseatingly crafty friend Mary and I have decided to…get crafty. Ugh. But considering that the design work and identity for SOWA is pretty dope, I figure it’s gotta be more screenprinted canvas bags with subtle drug references on them as opposed to poorly knit scarves for cats.
Here’s where you guys come in: I need your opinions, suggestions, complaints, etc. What do you wish you could see more at these kinds of markets? What would you like to see less of? What have you bought? What have you rolled your eyes at?
And for all of you NH locals, Portsmouth will have it’s very own market at Strawberry Banke starting this June.
If you’re not local, this might be yet another great excuse to see the magical seacoast and visit your pals. EH-HEM, BECKERS.
Our thoughts are with Japan this morning as we woke up to find that they’ve been hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. If you’d like to help out directly, you can donate to Red Cross disaster relief efforts around the world by visiting redcross.org or text “Red Cross” to 90999. If you text in, $10 will be automatically charged to your phone bill as a donation. If this is the first you’re hearing of this tragedy, The Atlantic is compiling moving images of the disaster, updated by the minute.
