If the idea of adorning handmade knits doesn't quite resonate with San Diego's balmy, end-of-September weather--hold fast, dear ones. The summer tourists are all but gone, the leaves are nearly loose on their limbs, and a season of change is upon us. This Sunday (09.20) at University Height's Cream Coffee Bar (4496 Park Blvd.), Textura will be offering a full-spread of Uruguayan knit goods, fashioned for consumers who value both high-quality design and fair compensation. Sunday's trunk show is one of seven across the country, as the women of Textura travel from Seattle to New York, presenting artisan knits in both homes and boutiques along the way.
Textura is the result of an ambitious undertaking from co-founder Christina DesVaux, a recent Brown graduate who moved to Uruguay on a Rotary Scholarship in order to develop a relationship between Fair Trade and artisan cooperatives in South America. DesVaux, still based in Montevideo, has since teamed up with friend and San Diego artist Christina McCord--and together the two women have nurtured not only an impressive repertoire with Uruguayan designers and crafters, but a gorgeous collection of knit dresses, wraps, and sweaters.
"Our curated collection has been crafted by a diverse group of women, including rural knitters, seasoned weavers and emerging urban designers," DesVaux explains. "Textura aims to preserve an ancient craft, promote economic and social development, and offer you, the consumer, modern knits that are both beautiful and practical."
So, forget what you thought you knew about both knits and September, and stop by Cream from noon to 5 this Sunday, September 20. Can't make it? Check out Textura's online shop or stalk them on Facebook.
Posted By jordan | 9/18/2009 | 6:34 PM | Add a Comment
Three years in the making, Blackout Party is finally releasing their debut album. The rowdy americana rock band has seen a rotating cast of players compliment Brian Holwerda and Tim Lowman on this journey, including Damon DeLaPaz, Andrew Heine, Jake Najor, Daniel Crawford, Matt Gourney and Jesse Bowen. The album, entitled Bottom of the Sea, includes early Blackout Party classics Celebrity Baby, She Makes My Blood Boil and All My Friends.
Blackout Party - 'All My Friends'
You can stream and download the entire album for FREE here. Grab your copy and be sure to make it out to Casbah Friday night for the 'record release bash'.
Posted By zack | 9/17/2009 | 12:25 PM | Add a Comment
Hey everybody! This is my first article for Sezio coming from Brooklyn, NY, specifically Park Slope, soon to be Prospect Heights. I'm now getting settled here – this week I move into my apartment and start a new job – and have already been able to do some design work, which has been really fun. New York is awesome but definitely hard to get a hold of at first. My trick is to go to "landmarks", coffee shops, stores, museums, etc. I like so that I can orient myself slowly and feel like I have a little piece of each place I know well. One of these this Sunday was the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. I didn't get to go my last time here so I wasn't sure what to expect. The bottom level was usual museum fare but the exhibition upstairs, titled Design for a Living World, was, happily, unexpected. Developed by The Nature Conservancy, the exhibition showcases product design using sustainable materials. Here are a few artists that were my favorites:
Christien Meindertsma is a Netherlands-based textile artist working, in this case, with organic wool. After sourcing the wool from from an organic flock of Panama sheep from Lava lake Ranch, Idaho, she felts the wool into a super thick yarn and knits it into "One Sheep Rugs", where each rug is made from the wool of one sheep, using a different knitting technique to reflect the differences in each sheep. When combined together, the rugs create a "Flock Rug". In her interview she noted how she takes inspiration from her environment at the time. Who wouldn't be inspired by this?
Yves Behar created packaging and a self-cleaning grater for a 100% organic cacao product, made in Costa Rica, and grown on rainforest land. The cocoa sales support a Bribri community and help preserve biodiversity in the forest. To make the cocoa patty seen above, Bribri women grind cacao beans until they produce a paste, then form the paste into the patty by hand. After it hardens, the patty is meant to be grated (seen above, left) into a cup of hot water or milk to make a hot cocoa drink.
Ted Muehling takes vegetable ivory, from the Ivory Nut Palm grown in Micronesia, and transforms this natural plant material into necklaces, bracelets, and other items. The nut's texture is so similar to actual ivory it was hard for me to tell the difference. His pieces were carefully cut and polished, and looked similar to a polished stone. This nut in its natural state is very dense and hard, and is not easy to "crack".
If anything this exhibition suggests that sustainable product design is, if not perfect, definitely getting easier. It is not too much to expect that one day these types of processes will become commonplace.
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
Design for a Living World
by The Nature Conservancy
On view May 14, 2009–January 4, 2010
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I'll be posting to Sezio every so often, but in the meantime check out my blog where I'll be posting all kinds of stuff I get to see and experience here. www.designispeople.com
Posted By Steph | 9/15/2009 | 9:17 AM | View Comments (1)
From marketing campaigns to runways, Alice in Wonderland has been everywhere lately. Much to the delight turned horror of many, I imagine it will continue to hold the hype well beyond the Spring when Tim Burton's remake of the classic finally hits the big screen. Although released over a year ago, splice-master Pogo created this crafty song and music video from the original cartoon.
Posted By carly | 9/14/2009 | 8:44 AM | Add a Comment
Mason Jennings is coming to the Belly Up for two nights next week and we've got a pair of tickets to pass along. A few months ago we spoke on the phone with Mason and he was looking at a large bird outside of his window. The first person to send a picture of said bird to info@sezio.org will get on the list +1 for Mason's show next Tuesday, 9/15. Check out our interview with Mason and do some Google Image work for a chance to win.
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...and the winner is, Micah Rutiz, with the Great Horned Owl
Posted By joelpwest | 9/10/2009 | 9:09 AM | Add a Comment