Wool & Wax

Dan McPharlin

2010-03-27T12:07:00.003-04:00

Adolfo Farsari

2010-02-19T10:55:00.004-05:00

An Italian who served in the Union Army in the
American Civil War. He traveled to Japan where he began
photographing the people and scenery around him
with unrivaled technicality and romanticism.
The images he captured made their way to Europe and America
to inspire artists and travelers for many years after.

Mike Johansson

2010-02-11T18:02:00.004-05:00

I've been a little M.I.A for the past month and a half.
Between the Boston winter sucking the life out of me and
working on a film set during my spare time, I haven't given my
blog much attention. But here's some awesome installations by
Mike Johansson, and the hopes that longer days will inspire me to
start cranking out some new knitwear.

Zoomorphic Knitting

2009-12-09T12:11:00.003-05:00

I realized that the sweater and the hooded scarf/cape
I made recently have very aquatic characteristics to them.
Here's the scarf/cape arranged into an octopus shape.
I guess it would be a decopus with the 10 arms.
That's a erroneous word....decopus...

Memory Tapes

2009-12-08T13:05:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite song at the moment.
From the new album Seek Magic by Memory Tapes

Tree Sweater

2009-12-06T16:58:00.004-05:00

The sweater I've been working on is finally DONE.
...well, almost.
I'm going to probably add a collar, then it will be finished.
I made up my own pattern as I went.
I based the cabling on the combination of tree bark
and the muscles on the body. Primarily on the arms and back.

*note*
:When making up your own knitting pattern,
be sure to write down what you're doing, or make
both sleeves at the same time. it will save you
a lot of time and grief:

Laura's Hooded Scarf

2009-12-06T16:16:00.004-05:00

This is a knitted piece I just finished for my sister.
She wanted a scarf with a hood, and this is what my mind
came up with. These pictures don't quite show it off that well,
but it snowed last night and I couldn't help but go out and
snap some photos in the snow. I'll post some more soon,
hopefully with a girl modeling it. No offense Rusty!

The hood is an alpaca/acrylic blend. SUPER soft.
The body of it is wool/mohair blend by Brown Sheep Co.
The brown yarn is a great kettle dyed merino by Malabrigo.

Good Morning

2009-12-01T17:45:00.005-05:00

Filmed in 1959 by renowned Japanese film maker Yasujiro Ozu,
Good Morning takes you to a neighborhood in Japan
where two children take a vow of silence until their mother
and father buy them a TV so they can watch sumo wrestling.

The plot is full of gossiping women, romance, and pudgy
Japanese boys making fart jokes. Between that and the
awesome sets, costumes, and color... what else do you need?

Barry Underwood

2009-12-01T13:22:00.005-05:00

These amazing photographs are installed on site then
photographed by Barry Underwood; creating a combination
of theatrical lighting and nature photography. I love how
the addition of the unnatural lights create a sort of
diorama effect to the surrounding spaces.

Ecstasy

2009-11-30T16:12:00.002-05:00

Regal Taxidermy

2009-11-30T12:54:00.004-05:00

This handsome fellow was given to me by a friend of mine
a while back. I figured he needed a good home, so I
put together this little nest/roost for him.

Tread Softly

2009-11-30T12:41:00.003-05:00

I created these little fungi critters last year.
They are extremely shy.
They will flicker and glow contently in silence.
However the slightest noise will cause them to darken.

I connected a super sensitive sound switch to the
LED array that is cast under the fungi.
This was a sort of practice run for my later project,
Animam Clamorem.

Mark Weaver

2009-11-29T13:29:00.006-05:00

Another illustrator working with mid 20th century
imagery and giving them an amazing new life.

3D Mandelbrot

2009-11-21T13:06:00.004-05:00

The Mandelbrot has been around for about 30 years.
Basically it's a fractal rendered in 2D.
About 20 years ago, the idea of a three dimensional
rendering was conceived although the
technology required to render it was not available.

In 2007, partially rendered 3D models became
manageable and with the help of programmers and
enthusiasts, there are now fully 3D renderings of
Mendelbrots, called Mandelbulbs in their new form.

The previous images are all zoomed - in details
from the larger Mandelbulb below.

See more pictures and more info on the process here

Robert Isabell

2009-11-20T11:36:00.007-05:00

In 1990 Robert Isabell, a floral designer and
party planner bought this 1930's New York and filled it
with a vast collection of mid-20th century furniture
and sculpture.

The lounger above, known as the "Nickel Couch" is
made entirely out of nickels which its designer,
Johnny Swing, spent three months welding to a metal
frame.

When Isabell took possession of the property, he
gutted the two buildings and connected them with

a glass roof, creating an atrium that he filled

with bamboo, orchids and ivy

Mr. Isabell past away in July "09. His objects
will be auctioned off at Sotheby's in NY this Dec.

A Natural Obsession § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM

2009-11-17T16:43:00.003-05:00

A Natural Obsession § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM

An exellent article about the organic food boom
and the crisis of the world's food supply.

Posted using ShareThis

Kids These Days

2009-11-17T12:39:00.004-05:00

Elleray Prep School in the UK recently unveiled
this set of tree-top classrooms. Built by Kita Design Comp.
They are solar powered, built from mostly recycled materials,
and collect rain water for potable use. They were built to
accommodate the expanding student body. Sure beats
the lame portables I had growing up.
Hopefully this is a sign for things to come.

Aquatic Apes

2009-11-17T11:52:00.002-05:00

Here's a rather fascinating video from TED.
Elaine Morgan, proposes that humans evolved
from an aquatic ancestor; an older theory that
has been shot down by mainstream science for years.

Animam Clamorem II

2009-11-17T11:25:00.004-05:00

These are a couple of more pictures from
my senior installation that I posted earlier last
week. These are from the second time I set it up for
viewing.

Embryo

2009-11-17T11:10:00.004-05:00

This was my first attempt casting in bronze.
None of the metal is soldered, it's all one solid piece.
I sculpted the whole structure in wax then proceeded
with the lost-wax method of casting. After putting a patina
on the metal, I made the innards of painted paper and
lights. I used an old glass insulator cap as the "nucleus".

Brilliant

2009-11-15T14:50:00.004-05:00

In winter of 1954 Al Fenn documented
the creation of a giant light bulb being
manufactured by G.E.
These are a few of the photographs.
The rest are available in the LIFE archives.

Dry and Dusty

2009-11-14T16:46:00.006-05:00

Here's a Live version of Dry and Dusty
by Fever Ray.

Domes and Craters

2009-11-14T15:08:00.011-05:00

Experimenting with hemisphere molds and Kozo pulp.
I used bowls, colanders and small portion scoops as molds.
Heavily influenced by Birds Nest Fungi.

Paper Windows

2009-11-14T13:14:00.004-05:00

In my previous apartment, my neighbor's window
was directly across from mine. In an effort to have privacy
but still allow as much light as possible in, I coated handmade
paper with beeswax and created these window coverings.
They allowed plenty of light in, and looked way better that
you're typical venetian blinds or curtains. cheaper too!

More Knitted Cephalopods

2009-11-14T13:09:00.004-05:00

More commissioned squid hats from last year

Gaudi

2009-11-13T17:41:00.003-05:00

Some wonderfully aged color photographs of
Gaudi's architecture from the LIFE archives

Max Fleischer

2009-11-13T13:06:00.010-05:00

Not only did Max, with his brother Dave, patent the Rotoscope,
Rotograph, and"Set Backs"(which are 3D backgrounds) but he was
the first to create the Sing-Along cartoon. All of this was
years before Disney came out with Snow White
--------------------------------------------------

"The Cobweb Hotel"
One of my favorites. You can't beat that spider's voice.
A time when voice acting was more than hiring a celebrity
to read the lines in their normal voice.

3D Knitting + Moss =

2009-11-13T12:32:00.007-05:00

{ Terramac® is an eco-friendly 3D knitted and spun fabric which serves as a receptacle for the planter’s roots, protects the seeds, and holds the moss together. Made from plant-derived polylactic acid fiber, “this material is decomposed (biodegraded) by microorganisms in compost or in soil after 10 years. Eventually only carbon dioxide and water remain”. As the planter biodegrades, CO2 is captured by the plants through the process of photosynthesis. The name Terramac® means “sons of the mother earth”.}

This was originally posted on inhabitat as a part of the 2009 Milan Furniture Fair.

They fail to leave out the whole matter of taking care of the moss which I think is pretty vital. How about correct lighting, humidity and temperature? Still pretty awesome though.

Life on Mars

2009-11-13T12:11:00.006-05:00

Images collected from HiRISE since 2006

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter cycling approx 300km
above Mars surface

Panthers

2009-11-10T16:27:00.004-05:00

Squid Hats

2009-11-10T15:39:00.005-05:00

Here is one of the several squid hats I was
commissioned to make last year. 100% wool body and
Alpaca tentacles. Eyes are cast in epoxy then painted

Symbioscilliscope

2009-11-10T15:28:00.004-05:00

Used a circuit for a color organ to create this.
The three glowing flowers respond to low mid and
high frequency ranges. I gutted the antique Crosley radio
and installed a small mono amp that can be hooked up to any
portable music device.

Animam Clamorem

2009-11-10T14:47:00.005-05:00

My senior year project/installation.
Surround sound audio with syncopated lights cast in rubber
to resemble fruiting bodies growing from a human body.

Clean Comedy

2009-11-10T11:19:00.006-05:00

1937

Julien Pacaud

2009-11-10T10:36:00.003-05:00

And Here We Go...

2009-11-08T15:35:00.001-05:00

I made this blog as a means to keep record of the many designs I have created and have yet to render in a tangible state. In addition, to have a place online to store all of the interesting things I come across while slinking in the shadows of the internet. With that said, let's get some music in this joint!