we got CNC'd

So over the weekend myself along with a few of the SUNY Fine Arts Faculty were trained to use our new ShopBot alpha. A couple of years ago I taught a class that used one of these things for VCU's sculpture department. During the training, I could tell that ALL of the professors/technician brains were working overtime thinking about what they could make with this thing.

Officailly this was the first time I had helped setup a ShopBot from the ground up. VCU's machine was setup by a shop technician prior to my class. I have to say, besides a few hurdles with the electrician and building/safety code this thing is a dream to assemble. Of course I can't say enough about our assembly guy/trainer, Brady Watson. He was great! and an all around ShopBot/CNC genius. We still have a lot of work to do before this thing is operational. We have to put together our hold down system (which is %90 of using this thing) and our dust collections but..... We cut blue foam all day and let me tell you, it goes.

This model is a newer version of the one I am used to. The control box and spindle speed selection box are mounted on the machine. Both of these in the previous model were mounted on the wall. There is also a safety addition, the collet wrench is attached to a key that is needed to start the spindle. Its almost like taking the cinderblock to the gas station bathroom. Here are a couple of shots of our setup and training. I think that our orientation of our machine is kind of weird it is very disorienting. Left on the keyboard is right on the machine etc etc. This machine orientation was what they wanted. Being the low man on the totem I just went with it.

more brooches

Bring the pain...School is starting which I am kind of excited about. We have a new crop of great BFAs and MFAs. there a million things going on with me. I have a solo show on the horizon (two months eek!) a lecture for the Seattle Metals Guild and of course setting up and running the 3D and CNC here at SUNY New Paltz. Somewhere in all of that I have had the chance to get to work on a few of the laser etched pieces so I am putting them up as I make them and them of course putting them in a box for the show. Let me know what you think -Arthur

More chain more parts

links

Just experimenting with stuff. Got to get stuff going. Working on a million things at once. Spending too much time inside on the computer or in the studio. Outside is beautiful.

design process/mad men

Design story: The Decanter from Landor Associates on Vimeo.

new work

National Design Awards

Via Core77



...The award winners and finalists attended a special luncheon at the White House, hosted by the First Lady. It was a very festive event and the setting reinforced the tremendous amount of design talent that exists in this country. Mrs. Obama's speech emphasized the importance of design and arts education, and celebrated the value of the work of the award winners.

Wayne Clough, the Secretary of the Smithsonian, introduced the National Design Award program and thanked the sponsors, and I showed slides of the winners and their work, naming both finalists and winners, you can see them here. I was lucky enough to sit next to the First Lady for lunch, so we talked about expanding the opportunities for high-schoolers to study design and develop their creative talents.

10-10-10

Please join Gallery Loupe at the opening of Ten Artists - Ten Objects - 2010 on Saturday July 24th from 5 to 7 PM. A shuttle bus will be traveling from Midtown Manhattan to Gallery Loupe at 4 PM, returning to the city at 7 PM. If you are interested in riding along, please contact Sarah atsarah@sarahabramson.us. Ten-ten-two-thousand-ten is an exhibition that examines the creative process of ten individuals. Each contributor has created ten pieces in a body of work. The idea for this exhibition developed out of a project often assigned at SUNY New Paltz where the objective is for students to have a limited amount of time to create a concise, abridged body of work. The project becomes an exercise in stream of consciousness thinking, decision-making, material exploration and consideration, sketching and model-making. The results are raw but thoughtful. By implementing limited parameters, the work reflects a fresh approach to a familiar medium. Ten-ten-two-thousand-ten brings together ten graduates from The State University of New York - New Paltz to examine their own making styles. The collection of participants represents the spectrum of working styles- from object makers to installation artists to jewelers. Each of these makers has continued their practice in object or jewelry making, and this exhibit gives them an opportunity to take a step back from their regular practice to participate in a process oriented, idea generating exercise. The 10 artists. Kate Bauman - Nikky Bergman - Erin Daily - Maureen Duffy - Colleen Heineman Jamie Sachs - Jessica Stephens - Kristi Sword - Melissa Tolar - Brian Weissman Exhibition Organizer - Sarah Abramson See more work by the 10 artists and find out more information about the exhibition at: www.ten-ten-2010.com Visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/pages/Ten-Artists-Ten-Objects-2010/260495754322?v=info Get directions to Gallery Loupe at: www.galleryloupe.com

I wish I could take this class

There are still openings left in Natalya Pinchuk and Dana Sperry's Penland class this summer! I would LOVE to take it. I took an enameling workshop with Natalya in Russia. It was a blast! Some of the best memories ever!

Their Class is session 6 ( August 15th - August 27th)

DESCRIPTION:

Aren’t you curious about what stands behind snap judgments of beautiful and ugly? All of us at some point uttered: that is so ugly! Let’s face it, aesthetic judgments are not only biologically determined but are tied to social values, whims and fashions. In this class, students are invited to examine motivations behind their and others’ aesthetic preferences. Stepping out of our comfort zone and expanding our aesthetic choices is empowering, especially when we wish to transmit and deliver messages through the jewelry we make.

What affiliations and restrictions have you put upon yourself in your current aesthetic preferences? What happens when you look for answers in a seemingly wrong place? Can you learn from objects that you find ugly and empower your making through this knowledge? How can you harness the power of the ugly and co-opt its logic for your own jewelry?

Instruction will focus on idea generation, discussions, exercises and making of prototypes. Students who sign up for this class may be contacted during summer with a request to do a bit of brainstorming before arriving. Basic metalworking skills and approaches to working with alternative materials will be covered. Some metals experience is recommended, but the class is open to students of all levels.



Natalya: exhibitions: Galerie Rob Koudijs, Netherlands, SOFA Chicago and New York with Charon Kransen Arts, Jewelers’ Werk Gallery (DC)
Dana: assistant professor at Youngstown State University; exhibitions: Bridge Art Fair New York and Miami Beach, Gardenfresh Gallery (IL), Les Salaisons, France, Electronic Language International Festival, Brazil

Objeti

Objeti is a Cleveland based furniture design and manufacturing company, focusing on creating beautiful, honest, functional objects that are environmentally conscious.

Objeti was founded in 2009 by Joseph Ribic (Designer) in collaboration with brother John Jr. (Production Manager) and father John Sr. (Production Engineer) The partnership brings a combination of talent and experience that enables Objeti to produce precision crafted, modern, functional furniture.

The name Objeti is a Slovenian word meaning embrace. We demonstrate the importance of this idea though our objects by inviting the user to explore and discover.

The Attenborough Design Group

The Attenborough Design Group is a fictional organisation, created by James Chambers and Tom Judd. It investigates the use of animal behaviours to defend emerging technologies. These products include the Gesundheit Radio, which sneezes periodically to expel potentially damaging dust, Floppy Legs, a portable floppy disk drive which stands up if it detects liquid nearby, and the AntiTouch Lamp, which sways away from you if you get too close to its sensitive halogen bulb.

The Gesundheit Radio from James Chambers on Vimeo.

Floppy Legs Portable Hard Drive from James Chambers on Vimeo.

So I bought this plexi sheet bender.....and some plexi. I thought that maybe I could do some experiments making backdrops for my office to take quick shots of my work. So far so good.

More ring

more ring stuff

I don't know about you but when I solder I hold my breath. When soldering gold I get light headed!

ring

So I have been working on this ring for a while now. Modeling it in Rhino and rendering it in Flamingo. I realized that my rendering skills kind of suck (color, finish etc etc etc) I finally got up the dough to order the gold and stones (separately) and now I am actually making it. So here are the renders and the actual ring. The stone and settings should be here tomorrow.

New Chains

Here are some new chains I have been working on. Based on enlarged clasps and generic chain types.

The Genius of Design ep1 from Genius of Design 1 on Vimeo.

thebetacup: 60 Seconds To Save The World from the betacup on Vimeo.

Every second there is more waste as a result of the non-recyclable paper coffee cup problem. And every second there are more resources misused in their creation. But take heart, because every second is also an opportunity for change. An opportunity to solve the problem and save the world.

Please share this video (created for the betacup by Good Day Monsters in partnership with Denuo, and Waveplant Studios). Together we can find a solution, it can’t wait another second.

Cool Hunting: 37 Or So Ingredients

37 Or So Ingredients

A beautifully shot deconstruction of the Twinkie offers a scientific look at its contents

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Breaking down the deleteriously toothsome Twinkie, photographer Dwight Eschliman documents the Hostess confection by exposing all of its ingredients in a simple format. From mundane sugar to the alien Red 40 (above), the petri-dish-style portraits offer a concerning view of that old adage, "you are what you eat."

Highlighted on Good, the photos are also available in his book "37 Or So Ingredients."

See selected images in the gallery below.

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Little Things (Full Version!) - Pomplamoose VideoSong

Art Jewelry Forum

Just notice that Sergey Jivetin has been featured on the AJF blog. Congrats buddy!

Cool Hunting: Soft Sensors

More stuff on the go

Soft Sensors

A student crafts literally warmer and fuzzier computer interfaces

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Lara Grant just graduated from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU where she literally crafted out her own niche in "wearable technology."

"It's not a real major, just my interest," the 28-year-old Brooklyn resident explains.

Her thesis, Soft Sensors, fuses the digital world with physical experience by creating computer controls out of felt. With so much anxiety about an increasingly digital existence, her project refreshingly points out the potential for truly warm and fuzzy interfaces. Using soft circuitry, Grant made an array of felt housings that—when stretched, squeezed, prodded or poked—change the electronic resistance which feeds into a computer.

Possible applications are varied and aren't limited to just one field—ideas include video game controllers and reactive costumes triggered by a the movements of the wearer.

"There is a lot more exploration to do and these techniques from this project can be used in many different arenas," she says.

Grant, who has six years experience as a fashion and textile designer, sees Soft Sensors as only the beginning for what could be a new field of digital interfaces.

"The four felt sensors in this project is not the end to the means either, they are simply the body I found suitable as a first introduction to the techniques used to create them with."

Check out videos of some examples on Vimeo and track developments on her blog.

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Cool Hunting: Komforte Chockolates Tortilla Lime + Salt Bar

Komforte Chockolates Tortilla Lime + Salt Bar

Artisan chocolates meet savory south-of-the-border tang

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Subtly crunchy and with its palate-challenging mix of salty, sweet and sour flavors, one of our office-mates put it best when she called Komforte Chockolates' Tortilla Lime + Salt bar a "super stoner snack." The treat expertly balances a difficult combo of tangy lime, small bits of tortilla chips and a rich milk chocolate base, all nicely punctuated by a hit of salt, even pleasing our tasters who initially thought they "would hate it."

Other reviews included "exotic yet approachable," and nearly all were taken by the "mouth melt" which comes from a soft texture that's closer to a ganache than traditional firm bars—and definitely speaks to the "comfort" side of the experience. The quality comes from Komforte's commitment to artisinal production methods, making their chocolates in small batches and sourcing all ingredients locally and nationally.

Their debut line also includes Ramen Noodle and French Toast, and all flavors start at $3 per bar, selling online as well as from retailers nationwide, which you can locate on their site.

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