Afri Cola

Perhaps the best logo and the best bottle, ever.
From Germany.

Don't miss the Charles Wilp ad campaign:





Thanks for the video Minna Saarinen!

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Helmut Newton in the Springtime

Speaking of boobs, here are some favorite spreads from Helmut Newton's books White Women, Big Nudes, World Without Men, and Pages from the Glossies.
This could go on and on, though, of course.
And if you're in Paris before June 17th, it does, as Le Grand Palais has exhibited giant retrospective of Newton's work.

More info about the retrospective here, and at the luxuriously classy Pacific-Standard, who have a little film preview as well.

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Wary Meyers Boob Prints

Just in time for the warm weather!

18" and even better 24" graphic prints of boobs. White, Black, and for a limited time, Zombie.

Now, I love everything we do, but it was super exciting when these came out of the printer. They look awesome!
$45 for the 18", $95 for the 24"
Available here

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If you're going to smoke, ...

On the coffee table:

• At least 7 packs of Marlboroughs, not counting what's in the box
• a giant Murano glass ashtray
• a Braun table lighter
• Italy, 1977

House by Monsani e Bicocchi, from Country Houses by Franco Magnani.

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Mushrooms

ceramic! 

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Thin Lizzy- Whisky in the jar, 1973

Mush a ring dum a doo dum a da, 

Whack for my daddy'o

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!

related

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Sergio Carpani's 1978 Hi Tech Pompidou Ferrari Pens

Sergio Carpani on his pen:

PARAFERNALIA asked for a pen that was unsellable, a courageous image. I started to work with what was HI-TECH at the time, that was to show the technical parts, the mechanism, the guts of the instrument (just like the Centre Pompidou – Beaubourg of that time) and design the shape of the fitting around it (just like Pininfarina was being asked to shape a Ferrari car around the powerful engines in order for it to perform efficiently). An innovative pen, entirely hand-made with 31 miniaturised metallic components and push mechanism just like the most complex race cars.

Pompidou, Hi Tech, and Ferrari. References don't get much cooler than this.

They're on Fab.com for the next three days

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Cut-outs and folded: Bloomingdales Matisse shopping bag, 1982

From a lot of old graphic Bloomingdales bags I found at an estate sale in Connecticut a few years ago.
Now to figure out how to unglue it for framing...

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A mass of messy Massimos

A recently acquired stack of Massimo Vignelli's plastic dinnerware for Heller. We already have more of this than we'll ever need, but these were the rare, earlier Italian-made designs, including the cup and its notoriously designed coffee-spilling handle. Messy, but still, a classic. The handle was redesigned soon after- in his book, Vignelli blames the Americans: Heller Stacking Cups, 1970:

 "The cups are stackable and the handles, conceived as a projection of the cup's walls, have a "hole" at the top generated by their form. As it happens, people in the United States tend to fill their coffee cups to the rim; the coffee would consequently flow out of the cup onto the handle, the flat saucer, and finally onto the table. What a shame! Of course this mess could be easily avoided if one filled the cup to a more elegant level below the handle "hole". That, however, was asking too much of the consumer, so the "hole" was filled. This was okay, but somehow was like pulling the wings off a butterfly: all you have left is a bug."

I think this is a little harsh, as obviously there's a difference between how Italians and Americans make their coffees. 

But it is a bummer- if the design is good enough to be in the MoMA and the Met, why do you need to change it? Although I can't imagine the MoMA restaurant ever serving coffee in them- there might be a collection reconsideration... 

But, if the lids were meant to double as candle holders, we're back in business....

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Henri Matisse draws a boy

Perfectly. 

How great would it be to have that as your kid's portrait? 

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Big Bird and The Portland Symphony Orchestra, 1980

I wonder what this was all about.

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Kent Twitchell's Ed Ruscha Monument

Kent Twitchell's "Ed Ruscha Monument" in progress, Los Angeles, 1980.

Finished in 1987, it was thoughtlessly painted over by some idiot one day in 2006. (LA Times)


top: from the book "Street Murals" by Volker Barthelmeh (1982)
the bottom two from Kent Twitchell's MySpace page

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Florence Broadhurst How Bold Are You!?

A great little video on the fabulous Australian truckyard operator/actress/wallpaper designer/murder victim Florence Broadhurst.

There's also an Australian film, which I haven't seen yet- but if it's anything like these, count me in.

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Monstrous Post Modern building

From a world's longest truck video (here). 

Seen only because there's a two year old boy next to me. But, how awesome is the Mammoet?

Now, how to replicate this craziness in Lego, for transport on the Island of Sodor...

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