Most would say millinery is a dying art form, but not Chuchu. The Hong Kong-born, New York-based creator makes most of her headpieces from paper! Her work has strutted down runways, been spread across the pages of high fashion magazines, and attended the chicest parties. (I think I’d have to display mine prominently after wearing!)
Marie de Beaucourt created this Herstory of Feminism Poster that was inspired by Victorian book design. It features a rose tree timeline of the year women gained suffrage in different countries, important legislative victories in Europe and in the U.S., as well as milestones of key feminist figures around the world.
As a fervent feminist, I wanted to create a beautiful piece of art that would synthesise key dates and facts and introduce some of the women that have shaped the movement or that embody feminist values. It took a while to determine the information I wanted to include and how to present it (a Jezebel journalist and women’s rights activist kindly proofread it for me) and countless hours of drawing and painting. I obviously didn’t aim for exhaustivity, but tried to include information about all waves and as many nationalities and ethnicities as possible. I hope it will make people want to learn more about feminism and its historic activists and thinkers.
Embroidery may as well be called slow expressionism. Vancouver-raised stitcher Sophie MacNeill (aka Slow Stitch Sophie) is very much influenced by what’s around her, examining themes of ecology and connection. The thread and fabric she uses is often hand-dyed with natural materials from her surroundings. Such a meaningful, intentional process, along with Sophie’s day job as a landscape architect, makes for some powerfully beautiful environmental advocacy.
If you follow Design Crush on Instagram then you know how much I love a good quotes (check out the #365quotes2018 tag for this year’s daily project), and I’ve had an eye on Grapheme‘s Tiny Letterpress Collection for awhile now. I first came across it when several stationers I follow started sharing the pieces they’d purchased. The collection of limited edition letterpress printed quotes are handset in 6-pt type and paired with a corresponding vintage postage stamp, each one measuring 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″.
Thirza Schaap‘s Plastic Ocean project brings to light the overabundance of pollution and plastic littering out beaches through sculptures of found objects. The response is meant to be beautiful yet eye-opening in contrast, as Schaap hopes to draw attention and help reduce the use of plastic.
As a child, I would walk over beaches and through fields and forests to collect beautiful shells, shimmering stones, feathers and funnily shaped branches. Much later, after I had moved from Holland to South Africa, I found myself doing the same thing. Only to discover, that I started filling my pockets with trash instead of treasure. In making artistic sculptures out of the objects I find, I try to evoke an emotional response from my audience by creating a contradiction. A clash between initial aesthetic attraction and after a second look repulsion and the realisation of the tragedy trash causes. Our beaches are covered in plastic confetti and there really is nothing to celebrate.
Shop Thirza Schaap’s Plastic Ocean here
Sometimes an artist and their work come along and you really can’t find the words for how it makes you feel, and that’s okay. Lindsey Bull‘s paintings make me feel caught off guard and the eyes of her figures seem to look right through me. Some days that’s enough of an experience though, isn’t it?
It’s really magical to be completely successful at something for nearly two decades, then pivot to a different creative endeavor. In the case of Conrad Jon Godly, he turned away from 18 years of photography to go down the path of oil painting which he’d studied before becoming a photographer. His paintings focus on natural landscapes with thick, heavy stokes of paint that sometimes drip off the canvas.
Blossom Speaker by Bebop
Blossom is made of finely textured plastics in matte finishing that is lightweight and warm to the touch. The audio-dispersing cone can be nested into the main cylinder body for portability, while also serving as a protective shell for the delicate speaker cloth cover. The cone’s movement also acts as the power switch.
Cromantica Bluetooth Speaker by Habits Design Studio
Color and sound come together to adapt to your moods with this glowing speaker. Choose from a wide variety of color illumination and control with a touch or with your smartphone as you play your favorite music or ambient sounds.
Monkey Radio & Speaker by by RSW
Like a monkey swinging from tree to tree, this compact FM radio and bluetooth speaker can curl its flexible antenna “tail” around a bike handle, your wrist or a shower rod. (It’s waterproof!) The rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasts for five hours and takes three hours to fully charge.
Reykjavik Speaker by Vifa
With three drivers packed into a pebbly shape that enhances 360-degree sound, the Reykjavik comes either covered in Kvadrat woolen fabric or in a fully anodized aluminum version that’s as tough as it looks.
Whyd Speaker by Whyd
360 Whyd Sound technology delivers crystal clear sound with deep and dramatic bass in all directions. Control your music from anywhere in the room, without a phone. Ask for a track, artist, playlist or radio.
It’s virtually impossible to show a cross-segment of Sissel Blystad‘s work because she’s been creating since 1972! Take a look at her portfolio to see how Sissel’s style has grown and evolved over the years, from rugs to smaller textile pieces she makes using saturated colors and bold pattern.
