spencer finch is cool. his work at the whitney biennial this year blew me away. i just wanted to put up a little something about his lighting pieces so people could check him out on their own, seeing as he’s a brooklyn-based artist…and you know my preoccupation with supporting local artists.

as i’ve started to pay more attention to lighting as art, i’ve become drawn to people who have explored the medium and pushed it in different directions. finch’s work at the biennial was a brilliant collection of bulbs and wires- reminiscent of maurer and calder’s earlier works (it also reminded me of the opening credits for “punch drunk love” designed by artist jeremy blake). his experimentation with neon deserves some attention too- the way he works with color and light to create moods and illicit emotions is phenomenal. this is seen most precisely in his piece “paris/texas”, in which he uses colored panels to filter light so that the light in texas (where the installation took place) resembles exactly the light in paris on a particular night in 2003.

i need to delve deeper into spencer fitch’s work and background, but i’ve been sidelined by a nasty cold this week, so i’ll have to leave the additional research up to you guys…you can check out spencer’s site here or read up on his reviews and exhibitions here. enjoy!

BULB HEAVEN [whitney biennial piece*spencer finch] what first drew me in…so gorgeous

MOOD LIGHTING [moonlight*spencer finch] beautiful. just beautiful.

PLANETARY GRACE [mars black*spencer finch] a world of beautiful lights…

LIGHT GARAGE [paris/texas*spencer finch]

it’s no secret that i love the bouroullec brothers. i have been a fan of theirs since day one and have continued to pay allegiance to this dazzling design duo from paris. luckily, my day job has given me the chance to work closely with their designs and even catch sneak peeks of their work in sketch form (thanks day job!), so i thought i’d share some pics i just got from europe. these were taken at the cologne furniture fair from this summer, but these were taken by ronan and erwan themselves. i love these guys. i really do.

twig and algues, new space dividing systems due to hit vitra stores and retailers in january are such a radically innovative way to reimagine the idea of walls, division of space and transparency. like most bouroullec projects, the creativity is left up to the consumer: twig and algues are actually comprised of individual elements that can be fit into any number of configurations, shapes and sizes. they can also be layered (or not) to control the amount of light and privacy. (the one down side? they take a frickin eternity to put together) while they may be a bit out there for most homes, i love that their work caters to the customer that experiments with non-traditional forms and dares to imagine they could live in a world full of red twigs and green algues (seaweed in french).

along with algues and twig, the bouroullecs designed a few more pieces for vitra’s soon to be launched at home collection. one of them is called box- it is, quite simply, a great little storage unit that has holes in the bottom and a notched out top so that electrical wires can be run through or stored, without the cost of unsightly cords dangling everywhere. box should hit vitra stores after the new year, but i’ll have more details soon.

until then, go check out the brothers b and see why i think they are just the coolest guys, ever. they push the envelope of traditional form and managed to infuse functionality into every out-there design. way to be guys…

psst…you can see some additional bouroullec products here, in my very first post on ‘my favorite things’.

CLOUD 9 [view of bouroullec's "ideal house" at cologne furniture fair*ronan and erwan bouroullec] heavenly view looking through their cloud storage system into the world of the bouroullecs…

HAPPY TWIG GUY [viewer takes in twig and algues next to it*bouroullecs] people love to look at this stuff. at icff people kept trying to take it apart in the vitra booth. but if they knew how long it took to put all this together, they’d keep their paws off….this stuff takes quite some time to put together…eesh

COME ON IN [walking through cloud and past algues*bouroullec booth at cff]

TWIGGY TWIGGY [twig*bouroullecs] in it’s sheet form, close up and the individual component…imagine putting all this together….double eesh

FROM THE SEA [algues*brothers b] french word for algae or seaweed…cool either way. this is my favorite of the two…it can take such amazing shapes

NO WIRE HANGERS! [box*bouroullec brothers] well, no wires showing at least. hide your electrical components in these fun little bouroullec boxes…coming soon to a vitra store near you…well, soon as in 2005

michael amzalag and mathias augustyniak make up m/m, an amazing graphic design and art direction firm based in paris. after meeting at an art school in france, michael and mathias formed m/m in 1995. from its conception, m/m has worked with some of the most innovative and experimental artists in both fashion and music .

i stumbled upon m/m after falling in love with their artwork for icelandic songstress, bjork. m/m created haunting visuals to accompany both the album and one of its singles, “hidden place”. the way graphics and stunning photography intertwine in her album art is breathtakingly beautiful. images of swans and various flora float overtop of images of the already unusual looking singer, compounding both the album and singer’s otherwordly aura.

after working a connection between a friend and yohji yamamoto, m/m starting designing posters and ad campaigns for the japanese fashion magnate. their work with yamamoto is some of my favorite and it also marked their entrance into the fashion world- an entrance that has lead to some beautiful work for designers like balenciaga and calvin klein.

whether they’re working for high-profile fashion or music clients, m/m produces some of the most creative and visually innovative design out there. i highly recommend you check out their work and become better aquainted with the other parisian duo currently occupying my thoughts…

ICELAND’S FINEST [still from hidden place video*m/m] bjork is so phenomenal. and so is the artwork in this video…

POP PRINCESS [vespertine album art*m/m] their work for bjork’s vespertine album…

BALENCIAGA BOYS [ad for balenciaga*m/m] more fashion…

AMERICAN ART [calvin klein ads*m/m] bringing their parisian style to the good old usa..

LE QUACK [duck graphic for bjork*m/m] i loved these simple graphics they did for bjork’s album…

ANTLER BOY [ghost tree*eric ginder]

i stumbled upon designer eric ginder while drooling over the goods at velocity (how great is velocity? i am constantly impressed by their collection. great taste and great work. win win.) and have found a new love- ginder’s ghost collection of entryway furniture (for lack of a better term). his ghost coat tree and ghost tile antler coat rack are uber cool and well, uber pricey. but if you’ve got 2 grand to drop on a sweet coat rack- sign up here. erich’s website is still in the works, but i promise i’ll be writing more about him when it’s up. until then, check out velocity for his retail designs and check back here for more info when it’s available.

BOO! [ghost collection*eric ginder] hang your hat and coat on something spooky- spooky cool.

FLOWER POWER [vasemaker*designfenzider] i can’t remember where i first saw this, but it is worth a second look. the vasemaker from designfenzider brings glamour to your very own cups and containers. you can even make something gorgeous out of your plain old juice glasses. you can pick up a vasemaker at the apartment in soho or snag one online here.

EVERYDAY GLAMOUR [vasemaker*designfenzider] make beauty out of the ordinary.

CUTTING EDGE CANINE [bow haus*bow haus design] i know this isn’t brand spanking new, but i can’t get enough of it. after a pet-filled weekend i’ve been dying to check out modern digs for our four legged friends. dwell covered bow haus (could that name be any cuter?) this this summer, but i feel the need to post it again, because well, it’s monday and everyone needs a little cuteness on monday. dogs are cute! especially in hip little houses!

by the way…have you registered to vote? do you have your absentee ballot? do you have all the materials and info you need to be ready to vote on november 2? if not (and even if you do) drop by rock the vote and get the facts straight. please vote…it’s important!

BE LIKE TURK [cat nap*casa coles] take some advice from my cat: have a relaxing weekend and i’ll see you on monday…

ugh. t-mobile ruined my friday, so i’ve had my will to blog sucked right out of me today. however, i will be back on monday: fresh, happy and un-bummed about how much t-mobile really really bites. bites! (i urge you to use another company- they just gouged me for a phone i lost. like accidents don’t happen…geez)

anyway, i’ll be back next monday with gobs of info on a bunch of cool new designers and their even cooler new designs. hint hint (two are from paris and one represents gowanus…) so, have a great weekend everyone. see you monday…

xoxo,

design*sponge