this blog is a visual notebook of inspirations for a group of bandit bloggers. we post things we see and like. our lives don’t revolve around singular topics and neither does our blog. sorry! nothing is in-or-out of context here. enjoy xx
2023 footwear collaboration with shoe & sewn x aviva jifei xue- ‘brooklyn’ models in brown washed lamb leather and black buffalo leather
beyond the clothing designs from aviva jifei xue—based in new york and known for emphasizing craftsmanship and old-world production techniques using antique fabrics and custom textiles from generational mills in japan—this collaboration with shoe & sewn, handmade in kobe, japan, is easily one of my favorite products aviva has ever released. by tnt
water tight ceramic – not cardboard – cool minimalist ceramic
at first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that if any of jacques monneraud’s vessels were filled with water, they’d soak right through and split at the seams. and that’s exactly what the artist wants you to think! incredibly, these vessels are made of clay.
monneraud’s pieces appear lightweight and almost haphazard as if repurposed quickly from corrugated cardboard. of course, only meticulous attention to detail could result in such fantastic visual trickery. “i really liked the idea of being able to freeze fragility,” he tells colossal.
the artist began working with ceramics only three years ago, establishing a studio in southwest france where he continues to experiment and expand upon his love for the medium. his new interest developed almost by chance, following something of a creative drought. he says:
what a cool clay teapot – in unglazed clay
i started as a graphic designer/illustrator and quickly became a creative director in an advertising company. during those years, i gradually drifted away from what i loved to do in the first place, which was creating. as someone who grew up in a family of artists and makers, i always pictured myself working with my hands someday. but here i was, spending hours in meetings discussing brand strategies. when i realized that, i decided that it was time to give this dream a try. after a few months searching for this “maker job,” i stumbled upon a video of someone working at the potter’s wheel. i was instantly hooked.
monneraud immediately booked a workshop to learn the basics, and a few weeks later, he quit his job to pursue pottery full-time. through the inherent process of trial and error, he learned and grew from failure. “i was unsuccessfully trying to obtain a specific glaze effect that i love, so i started thinking about a ‘raw collection’ made of unglazed pieces,” he says. read more at colossal. by ty
there’s a little story behind the champagne glass, dating back to greek mythology. the first “coupe” was said to be molded from the breast of helen of troy. the greeks believed that wine drinking was a sensual experience, and it was only fitting that the most beautiful woman take part in shaping the chalice.
and while were on that topic of marie antoinettes breast – might as well watch this bit of history on number 16 – “the really bad sex life (and reign) of marie antoinette & louis XVI | versailles” –from absolute history
centuries later, marie antoinette, queen of france, decided it was time to create a new champagne glass. she had coupes molded to her own breasts, which changed the shape of the glass entirely, since marie antoinette was – shall we say- better endowed than helen of troy.
there’s lots of versions of this story floating around. a writer by the name of maurice des ombiaux bestows the honor on no less a personage than helen of troy. supposedly the gods were so enamored of helen’s chichibangas that they decided to have the shepherd paris make a wax cast, whence to make goblets. quoth maurice:
“helen appeared with her attendants, looking as radiant as phoebe among the stars…. the veil which covered her bosom was lifted and one of the two globes was revealed, pink as the dawn, white as the snows of mount rhodopus, smooth as the goat’s milk of arcadia…. with wax provided by the golden daughters of hymettus, the shepherd paris … took the cast of the breast, which looked like a luscious fruit on the point of falling into a gardener’s hand. when paris had removed the wax cast, the attendants hastened to replace the veil over helen’s gorgeous breast, but not before her admirers had glimpsed a teat whose freshness was as tempting as a strawberry.”
clearly, this was a woman who made a good first impression. we have also heard that four porcelain champagne glasses molded from the breast of marie antoinette were kept at the queen’s dairy temple at the chateau de rambouillet, and that one remains today with the antique company of new york, inc. looking at the question objectively, i think we’d have to agree that the female breast, however interesting in situ, would make for a singularly misshapen champagne glass. but you know how it is with these male fantasies. by pp
poltrona frau‘sbeautiful director’s chair in corian designed in homage of jacques helleu (art director of chanel for 40 years until he passed away last year)by pp
from conway electric, this white extension cord featuring a flexible cotton-covered wire cord connected to a die-cast aluminum stainless steel housing. the exto2 12ft in white is sold for $65.
i think i like this only for the odd shape.. a chef quality cutting board in maple, featuring a circular handle, smooth beveled edges and a minimal engraved branding. the amoeba cutting board comes in 2 different sizes and can be purchased for $145.
i bought this a few months ago, and let me tell you… i get at least one compliment a day. areaware produced 4 different shaped brass key rings with a minimal screw clasp. designed by karl zahn, if you have tiny wrists like mine, you can slip it on or clip it to a belt. this contour key ring can be purchased for $16.
simple and rustic bottle opener from areaware, designed by brendan ravenhill. this is not just a regular bottle opener.. this one features 2 magnets, 1 allowing the bottle opener to be kept on the fridge and one to catch a bottle cap!! this opener can be purchased for $14.
from hasami porcelain, an unglazed porcelain bottle with a cork stopper in natural. not sure what the point of this is, but it looks pretty and i wouldn’t mind pouring my wine out of this rather than an ordinary bottle. you can purchase this for $36.
these are a few of my favorite things… all of which can be purchased on needsupply.com. they have a lot of amazing things and would recommend all to check it out – if not for yourself then as a special gift for someone special. by lb
a perfect expression of minimalism, symmetry and tidiness. i love these twin cubic cable holders by kebei li. they feel like a distant second cousin of felix gonzalez-torres’s “perfect lovers”… except you can have your own. check out more of kebei’s work @kebeiiiiiiiiiiiiby kl
love this amorphous chair called “species II” by fredrikson stallard. the chair is made out of polyurethane foam and fiber glass and was presented at the london design festival 2015, find out more at david gill gallery.by kt
nice styling from the modern japanese bellami-HD1 camera with a modern chinon lens – but a total throw-away as a digital camera disguised in “super model” 8mm camera… lame!
real-real… kodak’s latest backtrack on corp stupid decision making – super 8 film and a modernized super 8 camera are back, a pleasant surprise.
camera designed by our friend yves behar at fuse project for kodak
nice stealth detailing on the side
sporting a real super-8 cartridge
and now for some of the old giants… above the dieter rams designed braun super-8 camera for vitsœ
the french beaulieu 4008 super-8, standard issue for all you nouvelle vague enthusiasts
my personal camera which i have owned and cherished for many years, the notorious canon XL-1014 super 8
and my best friends camera which i often use as a b-roll the nikon R-10 with nikkor lens sister to the R-8 (below)
and finally below one of the many renditions of the infamous pistol-grip from the berrics skate mafia
ok so we owe this yet-to-be-issued kodak camera a blind review. note that we have not tested the camera as its still in production and we will post another once we get our hands on one. but top-line we are uber excited to see this amazing tool make a come back, and more importantly to see kodak supporting, and hopefully supplying, the super-8 cartridge films on a regularly available basis.
the good: its a super 8. it takes real film, and hopefully the film will not cost you your entire weekly allowance. its new and using the latest technology. keeping what worked and adding what wasn’t available. like a proper rechargeable battery that will last you the entire shoot. the design is simple and clean. we especially love the kodak revised minimal logo on the side. kodak can now process, scan, and deliver your film in one shot. love the yellow and off-white colors reminiscent of dieter rams iconic choice with braun, bringing back some of that 70’s nostalgia. usb plugs in the back. simple usability making it easy for newbie millennials… don’t forget, like em or hate em, we need those ding dongs if we are to bring some cost efficiency to the film cartridges.
the bad: it looks like a toy. the camera in its design is a reference to more of the 70’s or late 60’s units rather than the early 60’s which we personally prefer. 70’s was the era of plastics but also the era of textures which this camera has chosen to dodge at least. but the casing does not appear to be metal (again this is not factual)… if plastic, knowing mister behar, it is the finest plastic available.
the ugly: wholly shit, where is my pistol grip? how can we shoot super 8 without the pistol grip, so beloved by film fans. we even rigged one on our old hi 8 camera at some point. that said, unlike the old narrow cameras of the 60’s, this little cute baby can be held like a basket-ball for those long smooth hand-held shots, like the ones in “i am cuba” directed by mikhail kalatozov and his genius DP sergey urusevskiy.
in the end we cant wait to get our hands on one and put it to the test. thank you kodak for bringing this art back and mister behar for making it famous. by dd
in these james bond times what is better than to plan for an early christmas gift, super villain style. if you or your better half is planing an underwater heist or just a random pool repair, nemo power tools got what your looking for. the nemo special ops power drill is salt water resistant down to 100m and comes with a 6ah battery. get yours now at nemopowertools.comby kt
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
